As Marcus's cart completed its full-circle journey, it landed back at Ronny and Arliss's excavation site. Ronny, his clothing saturated in sweat, paused as he heard the familiar creak of the tracks. His heart raced with anticipation as he swiftly set down his Picaxe and made a direct path to the rear of the cart, scanning for any sign of Saija.
When he was met with nothing, he went looking for Marcus, "Where is he?!"
"She's with Klaus," Marcus growled, his eyes down on his papers.
It took Ronny a moment to process his word, "she." He accepted the answer and had already started walking to the shovels when he froze in horror and spun around.
His eyes locked on Marcus, who was seething, staring him down now.
Marcus's frustration boiled over as he forcefully dropped his charts, the sharp sound echoing through the cave. With powerful and purposeful strides, he closed the distance between him and Ronny.
Ronny stood his ground, but the palpable tension made his heart race.
Their chests collided as Marcus snarled, "If ya needed a bloody bodyguard, shoulda said so, Boy!"
Ronny barely whispered, "That's not why I put her with ya... I was mostly honest. She can't swing an axe. She's tiny."
"Still should have told me!" Marcus retorted.
Suddenly, Marcus lashed out, his hands crashing into Ronny's chest, sending him tumbling into the unforgiving dirt and rocks.
In an instant, Arliss leaped up, standing his ground with an air of authority. "Enough!" he declared, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
Ronny, still on his rump, hands positioned to hold his upper body up, asked, "What happened? How'd ya find out?"
Marcus took in a couple of deep breaths and spat angrily, just loud enough for only Ronny and Arliss to hear, "Poor thing soiled herself! There was nowhere for her to piss. And my dumbass, thinkin' she was a boy, yelled at her to whip her willy out and find a corner! Good thing she has more sense than her brother!"
Before Ronny could spill the words at the tip of his tongue, Arliss interjected, "Alright, enough. Obviously, we're needin' to re-think this. Sorry for the trouble, Marcus."
"Now hang on. She was a great helper until that I don't mind her on the cart—"
Arliss stepped in front of him, shutting him up, with a hissed whisper, "We're spillin' 'she' around like there ain't a damn herd of predators all around us! We'll talk later, after lights out; meet in the kitchen."
Marcus agreed without another word, trekking back to his cart.
***
Back in the kitchen, Klaus observed Saija meticulously completing her task with skill. He wanted to ask where she had acquired such knowledge. Alas, the most he could get out of her was head bobbing and shoulder shrugs.
"Not a talker, huh?" he jested lightly, trying to warm up to her.
Her eyes darted to him before back down to the pork she was cubing.
"Yous like pig-n-potata stew?"
She shrugged.
"Pig is cheap, at least dis part of the world."
Her eyes rose; he could see curiosity twinkling within.
"In my country, it's the... umm... I seem to have forgotten the word in your language," Klaus admitted.
YOU ARE READING
The Bitter Truth
General Fiction"Do ya like it?" he asked, eager to know her thoughts. She nodded, her eyes honestly drinking in every detail of the beautiful world just beyond her fingertips. "Imma gets us there one day, Saija," he spoke softly. She tried to hide it, but a smile...
