Torture (Terraway Book 3) Page 23
I’d left my two Reapers, my brother, Ezra and a bucket full of baggage Topside when I’d made the decision to go rogue and start the mission to deliver the sagrado stone without the crew. I needed space, and they needed to breathe. A whole new world of breathing room seemed like the right move. Since Captain Finn didn’t care much for rules or waiting around while the nations continued to wither away, I brought him along to be my guide.
We passed a few houses here and there that looked like thatched-roof barns, but mostly we kept to the woods, so we would go unnoticed as long as we could. The trees were dry with only crusty, shriveled leaves that held on for dear life. I looked around at the nothing all around us. There weren’t even any houses anymore after we’d travelled by those first few. Just brown, dusty mountains spread out, and cavernous craters where I’m guessing water used to be. It was like walking by mini Grand Canyons everywhere.
Maybe I could deliver the stone before the guys even noticed I was gone. Hopefully they’d think I wanted to be alone at home, and would go back to the mansion for a few days. Von wouldn’t look for me; he’d slung some mud in a nasty fight I knew he wouldn’t take back. And Mason? Well, we were actually doing alright, but hopefully he’d have his hands full cleaning out Bev’s trailer with Ollie.
Bev. I couldn’t go there in my mind. Her lost expression when we’d found her in a state of shock in her trailer haunted me, and made me feel like a shell of who I was supposed to be. I’d always firmly believed in taking care of your family, but I was left spinning on this one. I needed more information, but knew I couldn’t handle another word, be it apology or raging blame.
“It’s quiet,” Finn observed, scratching his gills. He’d discarded his scarf and dress clothes into his backpack, changing into the black soldier-wear that was common in Terraway. He’d chuckled at me when I’d turned around so I didn’t have to see him half naked. He craned his neck to look down at me while we walked. “You’re quiet.”
“You’re tall,” I offered back my own observation. “Talk away, if that helps you.”
“You want to tell me why you ran from your Pullers and Ezra?”
“Nope.” A bat flew overhead, its wonky flight path catching my eye.
Finn studied me curiously. The growing darkness was starting to fall around us as the horizon began to swallow up the setting suns. “You’re usually annoyingly chatty.”
I shrugged in response, unsure how to tell him to butt out, other than the obvious obnoxious way. “I guess it’s your turn for that now. Don’t know what to tell you. It’s your lucky day. No annoying chatter from October. Santa Claus does exist.”
Finn squinted in warning at the bat that came back to circle us. The creature responded to his silent threat, flying in the opposite direction. “Sylvia. She sends out bats to be her eyes and ears.”
“Did she make us?”
Finn quirked his eyebrow at me. “She’s probably looking for her own people, to make sure they’re not lurking where they shouldn’t. This is Kabayo’s land, and there’ve been too many skirmishes for them to be welcome here right now.”
“Should we be out in the open like this? Is she going to report back to Ezra that she saw us?”
“Her spy doesn’t know to look for us, I’m guessing, so there’s nothing to report. You’re awfully skittish about Ezra finding out. Tell me, what did you do that you’re running from him?”
“Nothing at all.” My eyes tracked the bat who flew off into the distance. “How worried do we need to be about monsters trying to ambush us?” I voiced the concern I’d felt for a while.
Finn quickened our pace. It took two of my steps to equal one of his long strides. “Not very. The Ekeks and Manas will be expecting you to travel in an entourage. Smart thinking to keep it just us.”
“I daresay that sounded almost like a compliment.”
“Well, it almost was.” Though Finn had been a little harsh, in control and kind of sleazy when we were Topside, he seemed to be taking his post seriously. It was just the two of us on this mission, and we were both determined not to screw it up.
Finn cleared his throat next to me. “I don’t spend much time Topside. What do you think of our world so far?”
My thumbs looped in the straps on my backpack, pulling them like suspenders. “I don’t think I can judge it just yet. The only times I’ve been in Terraway have been with the suns all wonky and the government trying to abduct me. So, I guess that’s a thumb’s down so far.”
He chuckled at my assessment. “Silo has been suffering a drought for too many years. Occasionally the morning brings enough dew to keep things going, but they’ve had to borrow more water from us than they can ever afford to pay back.”
“Yikes. How do they buy it? Like, do you all have the same currency? I can’t tell how separate the different countries are.”
“Gold is the universal language we all speak. Goods, women. The usual.”
“Not for nothing, but don’t let anyone trade me for a cup of water.” I shivered, despite the heat that made my clothes cling to my skin. “Let’s just do this and get back home.”
“You wouldn’t be attractive to Tikbalangs.” Then to clarify, he added, “Horse on top, person on the bottom half. And I can promise you that my king has all the women he could ever possibly need.” His eyes flickered to me. “Though if you ever meet King Banak, you may want to keep your head down. He has a thing for mouthy women with legs.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to keep Finn’s pace. “Your king likes women who have legs and mouths? I can’t imagine I’d be all that rare if he’s casting that wide a net.”
“You forget the women in Dagat are Mermaids. No legs. And they know better than to talk back. Something tells me you wouldn’t fall in line so easily. Everyone has a healthy fear of our king because he has me to carry out his dirty work. They all know I’m bewitched to carry out his will,” he said bitterly. King Banak wanted Finn to watch me to make sure I was performing up to par, which was why he’d been Topside in the first place.
Finn informed me that he had also been instructed to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn’t some giant walking danger. I’d kind of accidentally murdered off an entire species – taking Goblins clear off the map in a single terrifying blow. I couldn’t really blame this Banak guy for wanting me observed. “No, we don’t get many mouthy ones anymore in Dagat. They know better than to cross me.”
“Because you’re a big, scary man?” I teased with half a grin.
“Oh, kendi. I love when you toy with me in that sexy, coy way you do. It’ll make your fear that much sweeter when you see me in my element and off Ezra’s leash. I bet you’re a beauty when you’re terrified.”
“You know, I think you try to sound sleazy out of habit. I don’t think you really care all that much about hooking anyone, least of all me. But it’s nice of you to pretend, I guess.”
Finn quirked an eyebrow at me, confused that I wasn’t shirking away from his fat mouth. “Nice? I think that’s the first time I’ve been called that. Perhaps I should be offended.”
“Oh, sweetie. My nickname was Jailbait. I treated men in a prison for a paycheck. If I cared about intimidation tactics or sex jokes, I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Fire away. I really don’t care. If you need to be big and scary, I’ll play along once the stone’s delivered. Until then, I’ve got too much on my mind to pretend I’m afraid of you.”
Finn looked down at me as if I was the strangest animal. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m not really paying attention anyway.”
Finn let out a loud, guttural laugh that looked so foreign on him, it confused us both. We walked along the forest’s edge toward the village in the distance with decidedly less tension between us. I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure my Reapers hadn’t found us. They were probably still on regular earth and hadn’t even noticed I’d split.
Finn followed my gaze back toward the direction wher
e we’d entered. “They’re not here yet. We’ve got a decent head start,” Finn informed me. “You’re running from them, aren’t you? That can’t be good. Ezra’s got a mean streak he doesn’t often use, but it’s there.”
“He’s preoccupied. And I don’t much care if Ezra’s mad at me, no more than he cares when I’m pissed at him. But yeah, I’m running. Needed a break. Having two Reapers is intense. Going from living alone to sharing my house with two grown men who don’t know how to wash a dish? It’s not the easiest thing for me to adjust to.”
“It’s more than that. You’re not stupid enough to defy Ezra over dirty dishes.”
I tilted my head up at him. “Do you care why? I thought you wanted the stone delivered. This is the quickest way. I’m not doing any reaping down here, so I don’t need them to do any pulling. They could use some time off from the job.” And I am the job, I reminded myself of Von’s harsh parting words.
“Fine by me. Just know that I’m not Duwende. I can’t pull from you, so if you see a dead body that might have a lick of human in it, stay away.”
“Roger that. I only need you as a guide. If I had a map, I could’ve done this on my own just fine.”
“You say that now. Wait until we get nearer to the town.”
My shoulders sank. “Awesome. What are we about to get into?”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Download Tempt and continue on with
the next book in the Terraway series.
Other books by Mary E. Twomey
The Saga of the Spheres
The Silence of Lir
Secrets
The Sword
Sacrifice
The Volumes of the Vemreaux
The Way
The Truth
The Lie
Jack and Yani Love Harry Potter
Undraland
Undraland
Nøkken
Fossegrim
Elvage
The Other Side
Undraland: Blood Novels
Lucy at Peace
Lucy at War
Lucy at Last
Linus at Large
Terraway
Taste
Tremble
Torture
Tempt
Treat
Temper
Tease
Trap
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Mary also writes contemporary romance under
the name Tuesday Embers.
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