Page 99 of A Thief to Die For

‘We’ll still stop them,’ Ryland says.

‘Yes,’ I agree. Although, I don’t know how we can stand against these new weapons of theirs. ‘If you give me an hour or two, I can gather food for the journey. Supplies.’

‘You have all night,’ Ryland says. ‘We’ll leave in the morning.’

I shake my head. ‘But we need to catch them –’

‘We need to rest.’ He gives me a significant look, one that tells me he might just be worried about me. ‘It’s five days on horseback to Kingsland, and they’ll be slower since they’re pulling trailers and have an army. We’ll catch up. Let’s eat. Pack. Rest. Make sure all of our … injuries are taken care of. Because once we’re out in no man’s land, we won’t be doing much of that.’

Samuel takes out his knife and works on whittling the shaft of an arrow. ‘Any thoughts on how the handful of us might stop all of them?’

His question hangs in the air, but it feels like it’s directed at me. What am I prepared to do to stop my sister? My father? How far am I willing to go?

I don’t know.

‘We could start by breaking their trailer wheels,’ I suggest. ‘Steal their horses. No way they’ll be as motivated to keep going if they have to walk and carry everything on foot.’ I bite my lip. ‘Or we could try to somehow take the explosives …’

‘We slip in and retrieve Agatha first,’ Ryland says. ‘Then we’ll reassess.’

Air punches from my lungs. For once, I think I’m truly jealous of my sister.

And yet, I agree with Ryland’s plan. I am going to save Agatha’s sorry arse, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming. Again. Maybe I should just be glad Ryland wants to help.

Samuel’s eyes narrow on Ryland, then he stands. ‘I think we’re done here. No tactical plans can be made until we get eyes on the landscape, their weapons and numbers.’

He’s probably right.

‘Marian,’ Ryland says, following me as I go to my horse.

My stomach flutters with reckless hope. ‘What do you want?’ I ask, face blank.

In the dimming light, his eyes seem intense. Frustrated.

I glance over his shoulder at his friends watching us. They both burst into movement.

Ryland exhales, drawing my attention back to him. His mouth opens, but he doesn’t speak. ‘Nothing … I just … rest. Get some sleep.’

My head seems to wobble on my neck. ‘Yeah … you too.’

Out of everything we’re about to face, deadly vagabonds on the road and an impossible battle with Atlas, I think it’s this that might destroy me.

A broken heart.

Lucky throws off the saddle blanket he was sleeping with and stretches. ‘Thanks for that ointment; I’m feeling loads better. But – hoo wee – my bladder is more bloated than a cow’s stomach on fresh clover.’

The moment Lucky disappears, Levi throws on a shirt and leans closer. ‘So, are we going to talk about how your new wife has turned out to be a villain? The very reason we’re about to risk our lives against an armed militia? Because I think we should talk about it.’

He’s been waiting for the right moment. And he’s going to be waiting some more. ‘I’d rather not.’ I splash water on my face from a spare canteen. It doesn’t really wake me up, not like the rain last night did. Or the way my mind wouldn’t stop running, trying to find a way to fix everything.

Levi scoffs. ‘Look, I know Agatha’s your one chance at the connection, but you can’t be serious about wanting her back. She’s currently trying to blow up Kingsland.’ He mimes an explosion with his hands.

My jaw clenches.

He stands to strap on his sword belt, then tries again. ‘You know, the connection wasn’t meant to be a prison sentence. Just because you’re noticing the two of you are coming together, doesn’t mean you can’t walk away. It’s not a love potion; it just makes love more likely. Everything about the connection requires choice. Even now. If you ask me, you don’t –’

‘I didn’t ask you,’ I say sharply. I don’t expect him to understand. To him, the connection looks like a joyride. To me, it’s an honour. A privilege, no matter whom it’s with.

It’s fate.