Two days after arriving in the Tangle, they left. Tre figured that the worst of the manhunt was over by then. Plus there was work to do if the group wanted to consolidate the gains made over the last few weeks.
And Lora had reason to see Crow too. Having been forced to reveal the Sanctuary’s location to Voss, she feared what would happen next. Her first impulse had been to head north to warn the keepers. But Tre opposed that course of action, pointing out that the chances of getting there alone approached zero.
Lora had to admit that Tre was right but was worried that Voss would send mercenaries north at any moment. And what if Crow wasn’t interested? Then she would have to go for it, and the sooner, the better. Winter was coming, and that would make travel more difficult.
Tre wasn’t about to let Lora go alone but hadn’t told her that because he knew that two people weren’t likely to survive either. So it would be his task to convince Crow that the trip was a worthy goal.
That and much more was on Tre’s mind as they rode east on Highway 34 until they arrived on the outskirts of Freedom. It was late afternoon by then, so rather than pass through town during daylight hours and risk running into some mercenaries, they elected to take cover in an old barn on the west side of town.
A fire was too risky, so they ate cold beans, washed the meal down with water, and took turns scanning the surrounding countryside with Tre’s binoculars. They could see occasional riders off to the east, but they were too far away to identify with any certainty.
One thing was for sure, however—it would be foolish to take chances. Tre assumed that the wanted posters with his likeness on them were still posted up and down Highway 89. And he’d seen the V-shaped scar tissue on the upper part of Lora’s right arm. So if they were captured, she would be returned to Voss in a matter of hours.
But in spite of the danger, it was an opportunity to talk, and Tre peppered her with questions about the Sanctuary. He wanted to know everything. How did the nuclear power plant work? Where did their water come from? How did they grow their food? Lora knew some of the answers, and he listened intently as she described how the habitat operated.
Once darkness fell, it was time to mount up and pick their way through a patchwork quilt of partially cultivated fields. Dogs barked more than once, and there was a brief pause in response to the sound of a distant gunshot, but other than that the trip across the valley was uneventful.
Once they reached the foothills, Tre led Lora up a trail to a spot where they could water the horses and make camp. Both were tired, so after a snack they laid out their sleeping bags and crawled inside. Tre had his favorite bag, and Lora’s was made out of two blankets folded over and pinned to create an envelope. He waited for her to fall asleep, got up, and stood watch with the M4. Hours passed and the next thing Tre knew, Lora was touching his arm. “Good morning… Here’s a cup of tea.”
Tre opened his eyes, saw that it was daylight, and felt a sense of guilt as he accepted the mug.
Lora smiled. “I appreciate the thought… but next time let’s share the watches.”
Tre nodded but was too embarrassed to look her in the eye.
Breakfast consisted of oatmeal cooked over a can of Sterno. It was reminiscent of the slop served to slaves at Kimble’s garbage mine, but Tre ate it without complaint.
Once the meal was over, it was time to find the horses, remove their hobbles, and saddle up. The trail led steadily upward. They traveled for hours without running into anyone, but Tre knew appearances could be deceiving. Crow’s gang weren’t the only ones hiding in the forest, and Tre didn’t want to lead anyone to the mine, so they stopped occasionally to give the horses a rest and watch their back trail.
Once, while on a hillside, Tre thought he caught a glimpse of a rider passing through a clearing hundreds of feet below. But the image was so fleeting he couldn’t be sure. Maybe it had been an elk. Or nothing at all.
Clusters of pines and aspens bordered the trail, which switchbacked up past small lakes. Some were the result of beaver dams and so calm that they reflected the clouds above. Old bridges still survived in some locations, but more often than not it was necessaryfor the horses to wade through rushing water in order to cross streams. Farther up there were rockslides, where marmots sat on boulders and whistled at each other.
Hours passed, and eventually, as the riders neared the mine, they had to cross an ancient steel bridge. The framework was brown with rust, but the wooden planks were relatively new. White water jumped and foamed below as the horses clopped their way over to the other side.
The far end of the bridge terminated at the edge of a large clearing populated by an army of old stumps, all that remained of the trees that had been cut down for use within the mine. Over time the ground cover had returned, and small shrubs had grown up around the stumps but had yet to hide them.
That was where a woman on a horse materialized out of a small stand of timber. It was Smoke. “Well,” she said archly, “look at what the cat dragged in! Crow sent Fade down to look for you. And what’s this? Are we recruiting boys now?”
Tre turned to Lora. Her hair was hidden under a Stetson. “This is Smoke… one of our scouts. Smoke, this is Lora. She is, or was, one of Voss’s slaves.”
“My mistake,” Smoke said. “Good to meet you, Lora. Go on up… The gang will be glad to see you.”
Tre led Lora up the final stretch of trail to the mine, where both dismounted. Tre’s boots had barely touched the ground when Freak exploded out of the mine, ran over, and kissed him on the mouth. Lora watched with interest as Tre untangled himself. He pointed her way. “Freak, this is Lora, a new member of our group.”
Freak turned to Lora and smiled beatifically. “Toadstools!”
Lora looked at Tre and back again. Her expression softened. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Freak took the horses as Crow appeared. He was smiling. “Sticks! Where the heck have you been? I sent Fade out to find you.”
“We got separated,” Tre explained, “and had a run-in with some mercenaries. So we went into hiding for a couple of days. This is Lora Larsy. She was a slave. As we attacked, she escaped an underground cell.”
Crow extended a hand. “Glad to meet you, Lora. Come in… I’ll bet you’re hungry.” Lora was surprised by how homey a mine could be—and impressed by the food that the man named Hog served her. “While we were raiding the house, Smoke looted one of Voss’s canneries,” Crow explained. “She got away with four wagons of food and hid them. We’re using mules to bring it up here. So tell me… how did you wind up as a slave?”
So Lora gave Crow an abbreviated version of the story. This was her chance to explain the Sanctuary, tell him about the millions of seeds stored there and the need to safeguard them. Or better yet to use them, just as her father and the rest of the leavers had intended. And Lora knew, if she could successfully make her case, more than two thousand lives would be saved as well.
Crow listened intently and asked questions every now and then. “So,” Lora said as she brought the narrative to an end, “I’m hoping you’ll help. It’s imperative that we reach the Sanctuary before Voss does. He has too much power now… What if he acquires all those seeds? Not to mention nuclear power.”
“Maybe we could learn how to build a nuclear power plant!” Tre said eagerly. “Imagine what a difference that would make.”
Crow frowned. “Remember the war? The one that caused all the destruction? It was fought with nuclear weapons.”