THE MARK by Rebecca Daff

Author:Rebecca Daff [Daff, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-12T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

Chris sat up front with the driver, whose name was Narento, while her friends rode in the back. Her second wagon ride was much different from the first. Narento was the opposite of The Last Resort in just about every way. He was what you would call “a talker.” As they rode along he told them about his wife, Erah, who was waiting for him at home. They had both grown up in Laetus, the village with the wormding festival, but one day, when they were in their teens and very much in love, they had attended an underground lecture where the speaker condemned the Marked trade.

“It was a strong woman that gave that talk,” he said. “Even Erah, whose father was a magistrate and had taught her the evils of The Marked all her life, was thoroughly convinced. We knew we couldn’t stay there anymore. We had to leave. In Laetus people can sniff out a sympathizer faster than a bear can sniff out honey. It would only have been a matter of time before something happened. And The Middles are better. Dangerous, sure, but better.”

They bounced along the uneven ground, the wagon’s springs attempting to cushion the impact when they ran over large bumps, and failing. Chris thought that if there was a talking contest somewhere on Kellet that Narento should enter it. He seemed to take in air while talking so there was hardly ever a need for a break. She turned to share a grin or eye roll with Micah but he was fast asleep, as were Megland and Digs. Chris did a quick check while she was at it, scanning the horizon to make sure no one was following them. It looked like they were the only people for miles, and the only evidence of their crossing were the wheel tracks cutting through the grass.

She turned back around and waited for a break in Narento’s talking for her to interject. It finally appeared.

“Aren’t you afraid of telling us all of this?” she asked. “I mean, what about the law?”

He flicked the reins once. “I haven’t broken any laws. I just think that there’s a difference between what is accepted and what is right. Anyone trying to arrest me would have to do it knowing full well I was innocent. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. You have a right to what’s in your mind. No law can control what you think.” He added a side wink for emphasis.

The sun began to lower. Chris was more than ready for a pit stop, but Narento insisted that the village was very close and that getting there after nightfall wasn’t an option so she held it. The wagon was being jostled more by the minute. The grass was much shorter. They were riding over a coarse green vegetation that hugged the ever-growing boulders pocking the landscape. Narento wasn’t talking as much anymore. He had to focus on navigating around the rocks that threatened to dislodge a wheel.

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