“I had to do the same thing.” I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “At some point, I had to admit that there was no reasoning with my father. No matter what I said, he was never going to change his mind.”
“But he’s dead now.”
“Yes.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know.” I lie back and stare up at the dark sky. “I’m a little numb, I guess.”
“He didn’t leave you much of a choice,” Aerin says, placing her hand on my chest. “Once he knew you were alive, he wouldn’t have stopped looking for you.”
“I don’t know about that,” I reply. “I don’t think he ever looked for me. As long as I was out of the way, he never cared. I don’t think he would have come after me. The important thing is that he can’t come after anyone else I care about.”
“Do you think someone will take his place?” Aerin asks.
“Probably.”
“Who?”
“Vice President Martins, I guess. Line of succession and all, but that won’t make any difference. There will be another election. After that, who knows? Everyone I ever came across in the government was just like my father, so I can only imagine the valley will never be safe for Naughts again.”
“The plan to go north still makes the most sense to you?”
“Yes. I really don’t see any other viable option.” I turn my head toward her and try to understand her expression. “Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“I don’t think there are any good ideas,” she says. “I guess that one is the only one we have.”
“But you don’t like it?”
“I don’t like the cold,” she says, snickering a little. “I suppose I’m going to have to get used to it.”
“I’ll find something to trade with Luther for some of his rabbit pelts,” I tell her. “I’ll make you some nice, warm boots.”
“Hmm. That might make it bearable.” Aerin smiles and then furrows her brow. “What are we going to tell the others about what happened?”
“Everything,” I reply definitively. “I won’t leave anything out. I barely regained their trust, and I’m not about to jeopardize that again.”
Aerin nods and then rests her head on my shoulder. I lean my head back, but sleep won’t come for either of us.
“Where did you get those knives?” Aerin asks.
“Found them.”
“Uh huh. Found them where?”
“One of the very first communities I came across after I left the capital,” I say. “The person who lived there had quite a collection.”
“And you took them? Doesn’t that go against your code?”
“I didn’t have that code before I decided to stay in Plastictown,” I tell her. “When I was traveling through places, I found a lot of useful and expensive items. It made trading with the Naughts a lot easier, and it was the only way I could feed myself between villages.”
“And you were never caught?”
“Never. Came close a couple of times, and I completely circumvented some areas when I heard people talking about robberies and such, but never caught, no.”
“They are very fancy,” Aerin says. “Any idea what the carvings mean?”
“No.” I laugh. “When I found them, I just thought they looked cool. They were the right length for fighting, and they also had the sheaths. Perfect fit.”