Lapis grumpily rocked in the saddle of her mount, bundled against the nighttime breezes. Lyet had insisted she wear a thick winter coat and heavy clothing, which made her too warm and irritable. Yes, she was sick, but suggesting the uncomfortable items in the presence of her also-overprotective brother had not made her feel any better about the situation.
And an over-protective Rin, who wanted to pile on even more. She glared at the pommel, her ire rising. When Faelan realized she needed assistance staying in a saddle, he asked the lad to ride behind her. His excitement at being included in a secret rebel mission ricocheted around them, which intensified when he donned a face-concealing hood. Stupid rat, had her brother not said he distrusted the rebellion after the Jiy House left their children behind during the raid? Why had he accepted the suggestion to help? They might face a group of Dentherions, and his knife was not the weapon of choice against a tech-armed foe.
At least she firmly kept the group to a bare minimum, with few enough members to not attract undue attention. Just her, Rin, Faelan, Ciaran and Mairin, who carried a plethora of medical supplies packed by a concerned Caitria. Tearlach, who had retrieved the two women and the horses from who-knew-where, did not like the grouping, either, but Lapis knew, if she arrived with too many, Wrethe would never answer her call. The codebreaker bragged about leaving the Jiy Minq underboss standing on his doorstep for an afternoon because the man thought he deserved a retinue. Half left before he opened the door to the furiously embarrassed man and his delighted underlings.
Having a small group had also made it easier to slip past guard and Dentherion patrols, down into a drainage ditch in northeastern Vale and through a Minq passage that led under the city walls and into the Blossom district. Once there, they blended with the final trickle of farm wagons leaving the city.
Rin eagerly craned his body about to take in the sights beyond the glare of city lights. While the moon shown bright, all that he could see of the countryside was waist-high, wavy grasses and sporadic flickering lights denoting distant communities. Truthfully, that was about all he would see in the daytime, too; the farmland had field upon field of grains and vegetables, dull yellows and greens with grass as a natural dividing line between them, the monotony broken only by workers and random clusters of huts and cottages.
Crandleberry Way simply did not have a lot of sight-seeing material. Small farm communities resided in the area, with a few resplendent noble estates creating extravagant eyesores in the middle of grain fields and grassy meadows. It continued through unkempt brush and grass and into the western mountains, where the wealthier city dwellers had conscripted a boulder-strewn locale for stargazing. The brilliant colors of the night sky, sprinkled with millions of twinkles, attracted numerous couples interested in a romantic getaway to the flat tops of the humongous grey rocks.
She and Patch had visited a few times, though the view made her ache for a time before her family’s demise. She wanted better memories to flavor those experiences, though she never accomplished it.
Her body wanted to doze, but the cacophony of nightly animals and insects kept her awake. She rarely spent the sleeping hours outside the city, and she had long ago lost the ability to blot out the thrum of frog and buzz of nighthoppers. Owls hooted, the chitters and chatters and townbirds sang, and the high-pitched screeches of bats underpinned the birds. While Jiy had its night noises, she could muffle her single window and the door to drown out most of it, for a quieter time of slumber.
“Y’know, Brone says we’s too cooped up, in the city,” Rin said quietly. “Mayhap he’s right. This’s nice.”
“As long as you don’t have to deal with the superstitious and suspicious, it’s fine,” Lapis muttered crabbily.
“Superstitious and suspicious?” Ciaran asked.
“I think the rural residents near Jiy are more antsy than those in southern Jilvayna,” she replied. “I’ve had to deal with a number of them during stakes. Patch thinks some of my difficulty dealing with them stems from me being a woman plying the chaser trade, but I think some of it also has to do with a deeply ingrained suspicion of non-locals and city folk in general.”
“The feel of the countryside around Jiy is different,” the rebel admitted. “More guarded. I always assumed it was because this land lies in the shadow of Gall’s government, and he’s proven, time and again, how much he hates the citizens of this country.”
“There’s that. There’s also Hoyt trying to expand into the countryside. Sending fake guards into smaller settlements when they aren’t enamored of a rural setting is ripe for abuse. Remember, I had to stop one from beating a farmer to a pulp for no reason other than being a farmer.”
“There’s been lotsa gossip ‘bout Hoyt, since the city’s been under surveillance,” Rin said in a softer voice. “Them’s at the Lells ‘n the Night Market ‘r sayin’ Hoyt’s been tryin’ t’ make inroads into the country, stealin’ baron money t’ pay fer them guards he’s been hirin’. You know, the nasty ones that’re kicked outta the guilds. They’s sayin’ maybe he’s workin’ fer Dentheria, givin’ ‘m an excuse to invade the city ‘n knock some heads fer the king.”
“They may be saying it, but I doubt that’s true,” Faelan said. “He escaped the city after the failed attempt on Lord Adrastos. If he worked for the Dentherions, he would have fled to them, instead. They do whisk their informants and sympathizers away to more tolerant lands when they are exposed, even if they leave them there to rot afterward.”
“Speaking of Dentheria,” Mairin said, pointing before them.
Lapis noted an odd glare of unnaturally yellow light further down the road. The thrum of mechanical tech reached her as they came abreast of several people standing at the intersection with Wraygrey Road, an aptly named trail that led to the small farm village of Wraygrey. Nothing happened in the dull settlement. Ever. Patch ungraciously declared that a cow farting made news in the place, and while she admonished his sarcasm, she quietly agreed.
They did sell a plethora of berries, and she loved getting a handful to munch. Wraygrey was one of the few places outside Jiy where most of the residents knew her, knew her fondness for sweets, and happily fed her addiction.
“What’s up?” she asked as she pulled back on the reins. Her mount stopped just shy of the nearest farmer.
“Bad tidings,” one gritted. He turned, then nodded. “Lady, it’s odd you’s up ‘n about.”
“Yeah, but sometimes stakes don’t sleep,” she replied. A mumble of assent from the gathered people made her raise an eyebrow. “Seems you’re up and about when you should be tucked in, too, Decer.”
“Hard t’ sleep with them Dentherions lookin’ fer somethin’,” he said, too serious. “They’ve got all us worried. Hastlin’ us, ‘n they haven’t killed no one yet, but we’s not countin’ on our luck holdin’.”
She sighed. “I was meeting Patch up the way. Has he been by?”
“Yep, little while ago,” someone else called. “Asked iffen the Elder’s been ‘round. Said yeah, saw ‘m buyin’ foodstuffs a few days ago. Y’ might have a hard time gettin’ t’ his place, Lady. Them Dentherions showed up just after he left, nosin’ ‘bout for some spy.” He snorted. “Here? A spy?”
“They’s just lookin’ fer an excuse,” Decer agreed.
“I’m sorry you’re dealing with them, too,” she told them. “The city hasn’t been comfortable since they arrived.”
“We’s heard strange things ‘bout them in the city,” a woman said. Her berry stand sold tekker berries, and Lapis loved them so much she tended to buy her out when she could, even when it meant she missed a meal to cover the expense.
“What have you heard, Muwrie? I’m curious, since they’ve been keeping us all cooped up.”
“Somethin’ bout a syndicate movin’ in,” she replied. “Some real nasty one, that has tech.”
If they assumed the Minq and other underground entities did not employ tech, she refused to enlighten them. The revelation might bring them nightmares.
“Dentherions been callin’ ‘m Anquerette,” Decer said. “Strange name. They’s out-country, has t’ be.”
“They’s sayin’ them new guards that’re been out here, that they’s Anquerette.” Muwrie snorted sourly and waved her hand dismissively. “They’s Hoyt’s men, we knows that. They’s braggin’ all ‘bout it. Thought it’d scare us, but we just told the baron. He’s none too happy with it. I think them Dentherions don’t know what they’s doin’, mistaken guttershanks fer someone else.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Lapis sighed and wobbled her head about. Anquerette? Well, Faelan would know about a new syndicate. “So do they think this spy is working for Anquerette?”
“Don’t know,” Decer said. “Probably, though. No other reason t’ be here, other than harassin’ us.” He studied her, then glanced at his fellows. “Lady, we’s concerned ‘bout the Elder. Dentherions ‘r just wantin’ to harm someone, ‘n he ‘n Fawn ‘r just an old one ‘n a kid. They’d be easy t’ hurt.”
“I’ll check on them,” she promised. “Do they only have a roadblock on Crandleberry?”
“On Four Leaves and Shyrock, too,” Muwrie said. “They’s been sendin’ out somma them machines on the smaller roads, but they’s not doin’ too good in the softer soil. Gets mired down, then comes t’ us t’ pull ‘m out with the oxen.”
“Ah, so they sent their best, I see.”
“Yeah. Started tonight with them birds, though. Lit the whole town up in orange, tryin’ t’ see in windows. Maybe take that goat path down t’ the stream ‘n follow it, t’ avoid ‘m.”
Wonderful. Prickles galore littered that route. “We’ll be off, then, to look in on the Elder and Fawn. Hopefully Patch already warned them.”
“Think them Dentherions messed with Patch?” Decer asked.
“I doubt there’d be anyone left to man that light, if so.”
The farmers nodded solemnly. They had a very unwarranted opinion of her partner, but she had no reason to pop that bubble. They gave both of them a plethora of information under the guise of fearful concern, but all involved played a game. They knew very well Patch would not harm them, and they got to brag to other farmers about interacting with the scary and popular chaser from Jiy. It gave them an odd sort of credibility and envy among other settlements.
“You take care, Lady, ‘specially iffen you gotta kid with you,” Muwrie said.
Lapis laughed. “This is Rin,” she said.
“Rin?” came the shocked chorus.
His hold on her stomach tightened and she patted his leg, amused. “So if he comes looking for berries in the future, make sure he gets the best ones.”
“Aye, Lady,” Muwrie smirked.
“Patch and I are training him in the fine art of chasing, so he’ll be around, sooner or later.”
“I’ll give ‘m tekker berries,” she said. “Finest out here.”
“They are,” she agreed. The farmers broke apart as she turned her mount and clucked at him to take Wraygrey Road.
