Bleeding Steel

Chapter Fourteen: The Unstoppables

"Dammit! Where the HELL have they gone?!" Fuming, Rhys stalked about the room, his jaw squared. "Top told that bald asshole to take the kid back to the room, didn't he?!"

"He did, but it doesn't seem like people are doing a whole lot of listening around here." Haylen sighed, leaning in the doorway as she tried to picture just where Deacon and Burke could have gone.

She heard something thump against one of the walls and glanced up in time to see the Squire's teddy fall to the floor. "Aw, come on Rhys! What'd the little guy ever do to you?" She couldn't help but tease, walking over to the bear and scooping it up.

"I should find a dirty puddle and let that bear soak in it. See if the kid starts listening then." Rhys muttered, striding over to the window. Haylen couldn't tell whether he was joking.

"Let's not be nasty. You'd feel awful if he started to cry."

"He needs to learn to toughen up." He turned to scowl out of the window, his grey glare scanning the bar below as Haylen set the bear back on Burke's sleeping bag.

"I wonder how Captain Kells and the Elder are going to react to Danse's report, though." Haylen mused, pulling her auburn hair free of her hairband and combing her fingers through it. "It's definitely not going to reflect well on the Squire, that's for sure."

"If he were our age, he'd probably get locked up in the cells in Cambridge. Good thing he's still too young for that." Rhys frowned, his grip tightening on the window sill. Haylen sighed sadly, noting the way his entire posture had tensed.

Not all that long ago, he'd been locked up in those cells for insubordination. Her heart still ached at the memory of him sitting despondently behind the bars, refusing to look at her.

"Hey. Haylen, come look at this." Suddenly Rhys had straightened up and was leaning further out of the window. Raising her eyebrows, Haylen moved to stand beside him, peeling back the rag curtain so she could see.

At the water pump nearest to the bar, Sparkes was pumping water into a bucket while two of his Gunners tried to hold Luck in place. The dog's growls and whimpers could be heard from the window and as they watched she thrashed violently, almost knocking one of the men over.

"Weaklings." Rhys snorted and Haylen couldn't help but smirk. When Sparkes had filled the bucket sufficiently, he carried it towards the dog and set it down, removing a rag from the water and wringing it out as he crouched in front of her. For a moment the dog stood, staring at the rag transfixed.

Then she let out a sorrowful howl as the man began to try and wipe her muzzle. Haylen was about to suggest they stop gawking and continue the hunt for the Squire, when the dog suddenly reared up on her hind legs, catching her handlers off guard and knocking Sparkes down onto his back. As the dog took off with her tail between her legs and the Gunners racing after her, Haylen began to snort with laughter.

Wiping at her eyes, she stepped back into the room, not quite able to keep the smile from her face.

She glanced up to find Rhys gazing at her with a small smile that almost softened his features.

Then it was gone, his lips pulling back into the familiar frown. "We should get back to it. Wouldn't want to keep Top waiting." He said, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, you're right." Haylen sighed, wishing her heart would return to its regular beat. She slowly swept her hair back up into her usual ponytail, taking the time to hide the blush creeping slowly up her cheeks, before moving to retrieve her hood and goggles.

"Hey, Haylen..." She glanced up to see Rhys standing at the door, looking down at his boots.

"Yeah?"