Plants. More than that. Crops.
“Would you look at that…” Sky said, quietly. Almost in reverence.
It’d been years since Cass had seen real, out-of-the-ground grown fruits or vegetables. And she’d never seen so many all in one place. There were beans, and some sort of green leafy things, though most of what was planted Cass couldn’t identify. Many of the crops had been trampled, and some she’d just never seen before.
“I had no idea anyone still farmed,” Mouse said, reaching out to feel the green leaves of one of the taller plants. “Doesn’t look like enough to feed two hundred, though.”
“They had other stuff too,” Wren said. “But the growing things always tasted better.”
“Heads up,” Swoop said all of a sudden, and he moved to put himself between Cass, Wren, and the bordering wall. Finn and Wick reacted quickly, and fell in beside him.
A group of figures stood in the distance. For a long moment, the two groups stared at one another, unmoving. Cass counted nine of them. As she watched, though, a few of them broke off from the group and disappeared behind a cluster of buildings.
“What do you think they want?” Wick said.
“All the stuff that’s scattered all over the place, probably,” Finn answered.
“Scrapers?”
“Could be.”
Gamble gave Sky a look, and tilted her head to one side. Sky nodded and slipped off.
The group started advancing slowly. Five of them. No sign of the other four.
“Keep your weapons lowered,” Gamble said. “We’re going to be polite and friendly.” She stepped around in front of the others and walked forward a few paces. And then over her shoulder she added, “But be ready to kill every last one of them.”
Cass let Wren slide down to his feet, and then put him behind her. Mouse and Able took up positions on either side of her and a few steps behind.
Painter stepped up on her left. “Do they have guh- guns?”
“I can’t tell,” Cass said.
“I hope not,” he said. “There’s nnnn-nowhere for us to hide.”
Cass glanced around. Painter was right. They were exposed, and the closest point of cover was a small structure a good twenty yards back into the village. If it came to shooting, it was almost guaranteed someone was going to get hit. And where had those other four gone?
The group of others halted their advance about ten yards back from the boundary wall. Three men and two women, judging from their builds, though Cass knew that wasn’t always accurate. They were all wearing long cloaks, and two of them had their hoods up. Cass didn’t see any guns on them, but they were all carrying weapons of some kind or another. Blades mostly, though one of the men had a short spear. It was telling that those weapons were on display; the cloaks could’ve easily concealed them. The message was clear enough. Though if those were the weapons they were willing to display, Cass wondered what else they might have hidden.
“Afternoon,” Gamble called.
“Ma’am,” answered one of the hooded figures. A woman, judging by her voice.
“What brings you out this way?”
“We were wondering the same about you.”
“Just traveling through. Thought we might find a friend here.”
“You won’t.”
“Yeah…” Gamble said. She glanced back over her left shoulder and gave a little nod. Mouse and Finn both turned to face that direction. A few seconds later the four missing members of the other group came into view. Gamble looked back at the five. “Well, one thing we’re not doing is looking for trouble.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed that, judging from all the hardware you’re running.”
“Trouble sometimes comes to us.”
Wren stepped around in front of Cass. She grabbed his shoulder, but he tried to shrug it off.
“Let go, Mama.”
“Wren, not now–”
“Let go,” he said, jerking away from her. There was almost a growl in his voice. Cass was shocked by his tone, and she held up her hands. She watched as he squeezed between Swoop and Wick, and went to stand next to Gamble.
“Wren, what’re you doing?” Gamble asked, but he stepped past her.
“We’re looking for a man named Chapel,” he called. “Do you know what happened to him? To the people that lived here?”
The group of five reacted, exchanging glances with one another. Then the hooded woman spoke.
“Wren?” She laid back her hood. She had long brown hair and pale blue eyes. “Wren, is that you?”
“Lil!” Wren yelled, and before anyone could stop him, he took off towards her. She hopped over the low fence and went down on her knees to catch him in her arms. He nearly knocked Lil over with his tackling hug. It was strange for Cass, to see her son so happy to see someone she’d never met.
“So,” Wick said. “I’m guessing we don’t have to kill all of ’em, then?”
“Looks like,” Finn answered.
“Stay sharp,” Swoop said. “Ain’t over yet.”
The two groups started moving towards one another warily, with Lil and Wren at the center. Cass trailed a little behind the main group. Mouse and Finn were a few paces behind her, keeping their eyes on the four-man group that had come around their flank.
“Mama!” Wren called. He’d let go of the woman’s neck with one arm and turned back partially towards them. “Mama, it’s OK! It’s Lil!”
Lil was smiling now as they approached, and Wren was rapidly introducing everyone, pointing to each in turn as he spoke their names.
“That’s Gamble, and Swoop, and that’s Wick, and that’s my mom–”
Lil gasped and shot to her feet. One of the men from her group gave a little shout. Weapons flashed; swords from sheaths, rifles to shoulders. Cass noticed Lil had a grip on Wren’s arm, and had pulled him slightly behind her.
“Wait, no! No,” Wren called, pulling away. He stepped between the two groups, waving his arms. “It’s OK, it’s alright!”
Cass held up her hands, palms out, trying to look as nonthreatening as she could.
“Lil,” she said, keeping her voice calm and controlled. “Wren’s told me so much about you. About you, and Chapel, and Mister Carter.”
She could see the utter confusion on the other woman’s face, the horror mingled with incomprehension of the words Cass was speaking. Cass berated herself for not wearing her veil. A stupid and careless mistake.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s a shock,” Cass said.
The tip of Lil’s blade lowered slightly.
“What… are you?” she half-whispered, fear evident in her voice.
Cass tried to think of how to answer. How could she possibly explain it?
“She’s my mama,” Wren said.
After a long tense moment, Lil lowered her sword, though she still looked confused and a little frightened. The people behind her lowered their weapons as well, but not completely. It was clear they didn’t trust the situation.
“I don’t understand,” Lil said.
“They took her, Lil,” said Wren. “But I got her back. And my friend Painter, too.”
“Are they… human?”
“Not exactly,” Cass answered. “But we are ourselves.”
Lil shook her head, and then did it again more forcefully. The second time almost as if she were chastising herself. She sheathed her weapon and approached with her hand out.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just…”
“Please don’t apologize. It was thoughtless of me. I should’ve let Wren warn you. All of you,” Cass said as she shook Lil’s hand. “My name’s Cass.”
“Lil. It’s amazing to meet you. Really.”
Some of the others kept their distance, but one of Lil’s companions stepped boldly forward and introduced himself as well, a grim-faced man named Elan. After that, with the immediate crisis seemingly averted, the two groups carefully came together and made hesitant introductions. Gamble called Sky back in from his hidden position. Cass gave a brief account of their journey from Morningside, though she was careful to avoid mentioning any details about why they’d left. Lil dispatched several of her companions to carry out whatever business they’d come to attend to, and then with the remainder, escorted Cass and the others back to the large rectangular building.