The Moxy Byrd

Chapter 10

June 25th 2040 19:28

Sampson was galloping at a safe speed along the main road to Athens. The road was fairly well traveled, and they'd seen several travelers rushing off to get to their destination before night took over. Amia was careful not to do anything to draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed at this point was someone getting close enough to notice the smell of crier on her clothes.

She shivered and pulled her riding cloak tighter around herself as Sampson galloped along the main road. It was getting colder as the sun set. She rehearsed the story she planned to tell the Cleyborn leader when she arrived. No one would believe that Thomas had agreed to send her out on her own this late in the day. She would have to tell them that her father had refused to let her go, so she had snuck out. Cleatus and Thomas were fairly close. Her father's friend knew she was short-tempered and brash. She hammered out the finer points of her story as she and Sampson continued down the road.

• ● •

Back in Armaria, Thomas Risk was sorting through all of the town's financial documents trying to see if there was any money anywhere that they had forgotten. He ran through the numbers one more time, willing them to get bigger. For the first time in years, he had stumbled across a problem he couldn't solve. His head sank into his hands, and he let out a moan.

Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out the picture that he'd had taken after Amia was born. He ran his finger across the outline of his wife and daughter. A tear ran down his face. He mouthed, "I'm sorry," and set the picture down on his desk, staring at it. His eyes cleared and his jaw tightened.

He opened the middle drawer of his desk. There was a decent sized hunting knife wrapped in oil cloth. He pulled it out. He pulled the top drawer all the way out and set it on his desk. Getting down on his knees, he peered up into the space where the drawer had been. He slid his knife up into the space, running it along the inside of the desk. It met paper. He carefully cut the paper away. There was a gentle tearing sound. Then a thud.

A small book lay in the second drawer. It had been glued inside that sheet of paper for over twenty years. The book's worn leather cover bore the faded title, Sammy Silvertooth's Guide to Revolution. Under the title was the outline of a bear paw and inside that was a crane. Thomas ran his hands along the spine of the book. After a moment, he flipped it open and began searching for the answers he needed.

• ● •

Night was taking over by the time Amia made it to the Cleyborn clan. She had pushed Sampson too hard, and he was just starting to show signs of tiring when she had seen fires flickering in the distance. As Justin had guessed, the Cleyborn clan were a bit flummoxed but overall happy to see her.

She sat down at the table with the clan leader Cleatus, his wife Margorie, and their daughter, Bethany. Cleatus had given a huge belly laugh when he'd heard that she had decided to come get the book on sting beetles whether her father liked it or not. "Damned if you're not Stephanie's daughter. E'ry time you come out here you're more like her. That woman gave your pa hell, tell you what. Glad you're keeping him on his toes, too."

Amia was startled by the reference to her mother. She had forgotten that her mother had been close to Margorie and Cleatus before her death. They must have never brought her up before because Amia had always come with her father. It was the same in Armaria. The subject of her mother was generally off limits. But here, at this moment, her father wasn't around, and Cleatus had all but given her an invitation to ask some questions.

"I always forget that you knew my mom," she started. "I wonder if you have any good stories about her. You know, Dad doesn't usually like to talk about her."