“Ten, I think.”
“You never know.” I hug her gently. “Kids are stronger than you think. He might be fine in the end.”
“Thank you for helping her,” Ava says, hugging me back. “I bought her baskets so she would have money for medicine, but she wouldn’t take any more from me when I offered it. I’m not sure if she is too proud or what, but it pissed me off. I’m glad she accepted your help.”
“Sounds like you are two peas in a pod,” I say. “Accepting help from a friend is difficult for everyone around here.”
“Not the same.”
“Exactly the same.”
Ava glares at me but doesn’t further the argument.
“I’ll check on her tomorrow,” I tell her. “She said she needed a couple of days to make me a sleeping mat. It gives me a good excuse to see how they are both doing.”
“Much appreciated.” She replaces her glare with softer eyes and a smile. “You’re one of the good guys.”
“Got you fooled.” I laugh.
“You are, Talen.” She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.
I shake my head but don’t correct her. If she had any idea of what I am capable of doing, she would throw me out in a heartbeat. Thankfully she doesn’t, and I still have a warm place to sleep tonight.
Tomorrow I might not have such a luxury. Tomorrow is going to be rough and bloody work. I’ll definitely need to get that mat from Layshell, assuming she’s done with it. I may need to stay out of the way for a day or two.
“You should try to get some sleep,” I tell her. “Rest is the best way to heal up.”
“I’ll try,” she says. She settles against me and closes her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Any time you need me, I will be.” The words come easily enough but also remind me that I wasn’t here for her when I should have been.
I will make up for it tomorrow.
Chapter 5
“Jonny!” I wave my hand in the air until Jonny looks in my direction, and then I beckon him.
“How’s it going, Talen?” Jonny asks as he jogs over to me, axe in hand.
“Been better,” I say. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Can you stay here a while and watch over Ava? She’s hurt, and I don’t want her left alone. I shouldn’t be long.”
“Sure,” Jonny says. “She okay?”
“She will be.”
I leave Jonny at the front of Ava’s tent and head off into the woods. I have a few errands to run before I can track down Moustache Man, and I want to get them done quickly. I check to make sure no one is following me before I trek up the hill and find my stash of coins under a collection of rocks where I keep them buried and relatively safe.
The sack of coins is quite full and represents a fortune in the valley, and I’m careful to leave no tracks going to and from my secret cache. I could be living in a large structure on the other side of the river, have plenty of food and valuables, but I’ve made my choice. Most Naughts have never seen such a pile of money, and I have to keep it hidden in order to blend in.
It’s not like I could ever return home, and displaying my wealth would only lead to someone noticing me. I don’t want to risk that.
I take one more look around—just in case—and then reach farther back underneath the rocks to pull out a small leather bag. I sit with my legs crossed and carefully lay it across my thigh before I grab the two small vials Samuel the potter made for me. I uncork them and lay them side-by-side on my other thigh.
Inside the leather pouch is a small quantity of white, crystalized powder. Taking great care, I pour the contents of the pouch into each of the vials and then seal them tightly. Once I’m sure the corks are on securely and there’s no way they could spill, I reattach them to my belt and shove the empty leather pouch back in the hole.