The juice of the orange is lightning in my veins. Energy surges to my head. “She’s very powerful and completely dangerous. The fog that destroyed Flip’s village and almost killed you, English, is the same stuff that’s making the grubs. Best I can tell, the mist drifted down out of the mountains and landed in Thresh’s village. She discovered that she could control it and bend it to her will. She may have been responsible for the dead rising in Flip’s village.”
English looks at me warily. “Something’s telling me that you and Thresh got some things in common?”
“Yes, English. I seem to be cut from the same cloth as that crazy woman. Gods help me. You all need to know that my ability as garden tender has always been more than growing things.” I stop to consider how much I should tell them. “All my life, I’ve seen — things. People, unlike us, in the woods around home. They’ve helped us. There were times we’d have starved during winter if it wasn’t for them.”
“You’re telling me that you’ve seen grubs all your life?” Bets hisses.
“No, not at all. They were little green people. Nevermind.”
“Oh, this is intriguing,” Bets says. “Do continue Marksman.”
Samuel jumps to my assistance. “Bets, Amy here’s got a special gift and it’d be best if we respect it. She saved us back there. I don’t know how, but she did. Thresh’s gonna kill us and lots more people if we let her. Amy’s the key.”
“Well, thank you Samuel, although I hope that all the pressure isn’t just on me. My mother, grandmother, and other Marksman women back to the beginning have had this gift — or curse, depending on the way you look at it. It hasn’t helped any of us much lately. The grubs might come from the same place as the green ones. I don’t know. The way that I learned to communicate with the little people seems to work similarly as getting into the grubs’ heads. I also can talk with Thresh in there.”
“What do you mean by in there?” English asks.
“Right before I woke up, it was like I was dreaming, but Thresh was there, telling me that she’s going to stop us.”
“She’s going to be sorely disappointed,” Bets comments.
“I hope so.” I take a bite of orange and consider whether I should tell them about the god Fromer. A voice deep inside my skull says no.
Theo hands me another piece of fruit. “Amy, these little ones from the woods at home. Are they around now?”
“No. I haven’t seen them-“ I consider telling them I saw the green people in Flip’s mountain village and then think better of it. “I haven’t seen one since before the siege on our village. Besides, they’re very tiny and timid. I can’t see them being able to fight. Look all, I’ll do everything I can to fight Thresh and her monsters. But I’m guessing that more of that fog’s moving down the mountain and will help her build her army. If there’s anything that’s going to stop it, the people at the ship will have the answer.”
The trout’s cooked and Samuel doles it out to each of us. The camp’s silent while we devour our food. English finishes first. “What’s up in that mountain making that deathly fog?”
I sigh. “Whatever it is, we can’t let Thresh get to it. We’ve got to get there first and stop it.” If there ever were a time for a visit from Fromer, this would be the time. It’s becoming clearer to me that Thresh is using Eliza as bait for me — something I must resist, fighting every instinct I have. My blood stops at the thought that Thresh might end up raising my daughter if anything happens to me.
Night falls and I’m feeling guilty. The others are taking turns at the watch while I lay here in the center of camp by a small fire. We’ve decided to stay here one night then move haphazardly, trying to cover our tracks as best as possible. We could ride hard toward the space vessel, but Theo’s afraid that this would ruin my leg. He’s right, making me feel even more sheepish and needy. I’m afraid to sleep, given what I might find in there. Thresh is looking for me, I know it. And even if she’s not there, I can’t bear to see my mother gutted by the dogs once more.
English is out of shine, which we’re all experiencing with mixed feelings. He’s lucid and alert, ensuring that he’ll not let us down during watch. On the other hand, he’s morphed into a throbbing asshole. This transformation occurred shortly after he lobbed his last bottle into the woods. We’ll be traveling near a small village tomorrow morning. I suspect he’ll be able to raid their liquor stores. Until then, we have to contend with his nasty comments and hope that he doesn’t wank out.
I close my eyes and clearly see Wenn, father, and Eliza playing on the floor of our home. A fire’s blazing and someone’s playing fiddle in the town commons. I shake myself awake to find Theo stroking my hair and singing a lullaby softly, the same one he often sang to Eliza after Wenn and father disappeared.
“That’s nice Theo, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it Sprouter. Why didn’t you tell me about the green beans in the woods before?”
“You mean beings, right? Well, first I didn’t think anyone would believe me. Only my mother and I could see them. And second, mother told me that they were an important secret that I needed to protect. She never said it straight out, but I think that she was worried that others might try to exploit or corrupt our abilities. From what I can see of Thresh, she was right. There are others out there, Theo.”
“Whatcha mean, others, Amy?”
“Philip, the boy. He was like me and Thresh.”
Theo stops stroking my hair. “Flip? I don’t understand.”
“The reason his village was destroyed was because he could see the little ones like me. He also was able to see the fog and perhaps see into the future. I’m thinking that there is a being moving out there, manipulating Thresh. It thought Flip was a threat and wanted to stop him. Same with Eliza and me. If it wasn’t for you all, we’d be gone. This thing’s evil.”
“You think we’re up against the devil?”
“Hell if I know.” I chuckle dryly at the pun and wince at the pain in my head. “There’s so much out there that we can’t comprehend. Troll made that clear to us.”
Theo strokes my hair again. “Amy, you need to sleep. It’s the only way you’re going to heal.”
“Sleep. Sounds good if you can promise I won’t end up in a grub or fighting with Thresh.”
“At the least, try to rest.” The stroking is rhythmic and irresistible. In a short moment, I’m opening my eyes to morning light. No dreams for me.
“Time to mount up,” Bets announces.
“Shove it up your arse,” English replies groggily. “I’m not going anywhere until I get something to eat.”
Bets tosses a chunk of jerky at English. “Shut it, jack ass. We’ll find you some shine today. I like you better drunk.”
We’re on horseback and my leg’s throbbing. It’s not looking good. I hope the people from space have some medicine. Otherwise, I might be losing that appendage.
We near the small town. Thankfully, there’s no sign that it’s been molested by Thresh and her menagerie. Bets, Theo, and English go in, while Samuel and I hide in a nearby woodlot. Samuel helps me prop against a cottonwood. He searches for some herbs and flowers while I examine the houses and fields below me. The dwellings are tidy and well kept. A few children play near the west wall, while a farmer tills a small plot, his lumpy ox lazily dragging its plow. By this time at home, if home still existed, the harvest would have been completed, the fruits and vegetables preserved, and the winter crops peeking up. Here, so far south and near the ocean, a lucky gardener could plant crops at least three times a year. I’d love to walk down, grab a handful of soil, and feel its goodness crumble between my fingers. Instead, I’m stuck here, with every one of my movements causing considerable pain.