That caused some more murmurs in the crowd, and Grady glared in my direction.
“Find him and the guns,” Matt said to a few men behind him. They left, and the doors behind Matt started to swing open.
“Cut them free,” he ordered with a nod to the bound trio.
The fey growled as a few of Matt’s men followed his orders. I wanted to growl, also. I couldn’t believe Matt was just going to banish the men. Sure, it was almost dark and we’d seen hellhounds only a few nights ago. But other than that, it’d been quiet, and this group was a bunch of hardened survivors. Thallirin was right, they’d be back.
Van, Oscar, and Grady stood tall and smirking at the rest of us. I put my arm around Tasha’s shoulders so she wouldn’t be afraid.
“You’re making a wise choice, Matt,” Oscar said. “Even if we don’t exactly agree on how to preserve humanity, every life counts.”
“What happens to these three outside this wall isn’t my concern,” Matt said, looking straight at Thallirin. “Chuck should be joining them soon.”
Thallirin grunted, and he and several fey moved with speed to climb over the wall.
Realization of what Matt had just done registered with the gathered crowd. However, their low murmurs of surprise and worry were drowned out by Van’s yell.
“You son of a bitch!”
Van surged forward, as if to go after Matt, but was stopped short by a man with a gun. The irony of the moment wasn’t lost on me.
Forced at gunpoint, Van yelled at Matt’s guards, who were herding them toward the gate. He was still yelling obscenities when the gates started to close, and Oscar told him to shut up.
After that, I strained to hear anything outside the wall. A scream. A shout. Anything. But there was only silence.
“You’re welcome to stay until morning,” Matt said.
“There’s no need,” Merdon said. “There’s nothing beyond the wall we fear.”
I looked at Tasha.
“Do you want to come with me? It’s not scary in Tolerance. It’s a town just like this one. There’s an extra room in my house. My brother and my mom are both nice, and you’d have plenty to eat.”
Something in her gaze shifted from fear to pain and longing.
“Your mom and brother are still alive?”
“Yes. Because of the fey.”
She looked at the fey.
“They scare me.”
“What’s different always scares people. But don’t let your fear keep you from leading a life you want.”
“Can I come back here if I don’t like it?”
“Always,” Matt said. “And you’re welcome to stay here. There are plenty of families who’d take you in.”
She shook her head, and I gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s safer if the fey carry us because they can run really fast. But, don’t worry. I’ll be close by the whole time.”
She didn’t flinch away from Uan, who offered to carry her, and he made sure to stay close to me as we left Tenacity and Thallirin behind.
“Are you sure you don’t want the bed?” Tasha asked.
On the floor, I rolled to my side.
“I’m sure. You still hungry?”
“No. I had enough.” There was a moment of silence. “Uan is a good cook.”
Mom had taken our appearance just before dinner in stride. They’d made sure Tasha was fed, and Mom didn’t ask questions when I said Tasha wanted to stay with us for a while. I hadn’t missed Mom’s questioning look and knew she’d want answers later. But for Tasha’s sake, I was staying the night so she’d have someone familiar while she settled in.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Thallirin, though. Was he home and wondering where I was? Would he come here, looking for me? He’d just rescued me, after all. I doubted he’d be okay with me disappearing again.
However, there were no crashing doors or roars of aggression. Just the quiet of a warm house at night.
“Your brother’s nice,” Tasha said.
“He can be until you catch him eating the last bag of chips. Then, you’ll want to shoot him in the foot.”
She snickered.
“Will he really show me how to use a bow?” she asked.
“He and Mom both will. Archery will be good for you. It’s oddly calming.”
She quieted again, and my mind drifted back to Thallirin. Had he killed Van? I held no disillusions about why he and the others had left. And, right or wrong, I hoped he’d tell me Van would never be coming back. Not just for my sake but for Tasha’s and every other unprotected female still alive.
“They killed my grandpa,” she said softly. “They found us in a house and killed him and took me. When they spotted the bigger group, Oscar said if I told anyone, he’d let the others have me.” She paused. “I know what they wanted to do.”
I sat up and leaned close so she’d see my face, even in the dark.
“Be sad. Be angry. Then, when enough time’s passed, remember what it means to be you. Your grandpa wouldn’t want you to waste any of your life fearing or hating the people who hurt you. Not when you can do so much more.”
“Like what?”
“Start small. Tomorrow, you’ll have waffles and syrup for breakfast and learn how to use a bow. You’ll get to take a shower and put on clean clothes. You’ll be able to walk around outside without a pinch of worry. And you’ll be able to fall asleep in that same bed, with a full belly, knowing you’re safe and have a family again. What you decide to do with your life from there will be up to you. Your choice.”
She exhaled shakily.
“I want that so much.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“It’s yours. All you have to do is live it.”
After that, her breathing evened out. Eventually, I fell asleep, too. It wasn’t the best night’s sleep, though. The floor was hard, and I missed Thallirin.
When I heard Uan moving around in the morning, I got up to help him. He already had the waffle iron out.
“Listening in?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes. How many waffles do children eat?”
“Probably only one or two. The waffles are pretty big. But make her four so she knows she can eat as many as she wants.”
He grunted and started prepping the griddle as I made the just-add-water mix. Zach came stumbling out of his bedroom after Uan had the fourth waffle on a plate. My brother joined me, where I was frying some sausages, and forked one right out of the pan.
“Where’d we get these?” he asked, taking a bite.
“We traded for them yesterday.”
He started setting the sausage down, and I stole it from the end of his fork.
“Feel guilty enough to make me a cake?” I asked playfully. “Something layered. With a custard and raspberry filling. And a whipped frosting.”
He looked at me for a minute then shook his head and grinned.
“Nope. Not that guilty. Just don’t go walking off by yourself, anymore, when you’re at Tenacity. Those people have proven too many times they can’t be trusted.”
“I will watch her,” Uan said. “She will never wander off again.”