Serpents in the Garden by Jeff Mariotte

Author:Jeff Mariotte [Mariotte, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781476749679
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2014-04-28T23:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

“It is a bold plan,” Enjara said. “Of course, that is no surprise. Kirk is a bold man. A natural leader.”

“You only say that because he saved your life,” Kenomo said, laughing.

“Which I appreciate a great deal, since you stood there and did nothing,” Enjara shot back.

“It’s a stupid plan,” Keran said. Nyran was appalled to see that thug sitting with Tyree and other influential citizens of Freehold. The informal gathering was being held in the central plaza, and anyone who was interested could attend. But Keran was from Rocky Bluff, and Nyran’s ribs still ached from the last time their paths had crossed. At least the bruises had faded from his face, depriving Keran of a chance to see his handiwork in the flesh.

“Why is it stupid?” Tyree asked.

“Because it is. Walking right into the middle of Victory? What can two men hope to accomplish by that?”

“They are unknown there,” Meena said. “They seek only information. A larger party would attract attention, and most Hill People would be recognized.”

“They hardly know their way around Freehold, much less Victory. They do not know our customs. How hard will it be for someone in Victory to unmask them as spies?”

“Kirk is aware of that possibility,” Meena replied. “Yet he chose to go anyway, to risk his own life in hopes of saving ours. We should be appreciative, rather than scornful.”

“If he can stop the slavers from preying on our people, I will honor him. If he can make it so we can return to Rocky Bluff, where we belong, I will celebrate him. My fear is that both of them will be caught, and the Victors will hold us all responsible.”

Yutan rose suddenly from the log bench he had occupied. “What could they do to us worse than what they already do?” he demanded. “Kill us? They do that with depressing regularity. Enslave us? Even more common. No, my fear is not for what the Victors might do to us, but what they might do to Kirk and Rowland.”

“Their fates are no concern to me,” Keran said. “Except as they may affect our own.”

Nyran wasn’t sure what to think. From all he had seen and heard, Kirk and Rowland were good men, courageous and strong. But Keran might have a point—if they were taken prisoner, the Victors might react by increasing the pressure on Freehold.

Yutan was right, too—how much worse could things become? Already the settlement in which he’d grown up had been walled off from the world. The life of freedom he had known as a child was gone, walled off. Elders told the young ones tales about Selanee, the hero from ancient times who had led the people out of confining valleys and into the hills where he could touch the sky, how he sprouted wings and flew like a bird. Birds on the wing, the elders instructed, were the freest of all creatures, not bound to the earth or trapped behind walls. Second to birds were the Hill People, descended directly from Selanee.

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