Broken Truce (Broken City, #2)

Broken Truce (Chapter Ten)

                                                                                   Chapter Ten

                                                                                        Deeta

We didn’t spend long in the truck, as soon as we were out of the City and in Lewis territories the soldiers stopped at a small base just over the border. In a world where fuel had to be grown and was deducted from stores that could otherwise be eaten, it had become a luxury that wasn’t wasted. Few tribes had the resources to use vehicles, the Lewises and the Andak were the only tribes I knew of that produced bio fuel. Even the Andak were fanatical about saving it whenever they could.

The Andak had forbidden any kind of trade with the Lewises when the tribes had formed a truce, but trade still happened. The Lewises only wanted to trade for one thing, and that was information, more specifically information on the Andak.

Many tribes had traded information, and although I want to believe that they don’t understand what damage they’re doing, that they can’t see past their own greed and the benefits of the moment to realise that they were being used, the less generous side to my nature tells me that they know full well what they’re doing, they just don’t care.

If the Andak fall and the Lewises gain control of the City, Tom says they will enslave the tribes.

Didn’t the other tribes believe that?

Or didn’t they care?

Maybe they didn’t think that their one act of disloyalty would make that much difference in the grand scheme of things, not realizing that there were other tribes reasoning along the same lines.

The information the Lewis had gleaned had given them a foothold in the City, slowly but surely they had threaded insidious fingers of treachery further into the fabric of our world. No matter how hard the Andak fought to repel them, the Lewises had managed to sink their claws deeper into th. e tribes.

Those betrayals had added up, they had caused damage, they’d caused the situation we were now facing.

The base is small, little more than a car park, like the ones I had seen in the City. This one was full of trucks, but only a few looked like they run, most are in various stages of disrepair, their only purpose as spare parts.

As the truck shudders to a stop a soldier emerges from a small hut in one corner, and leans against the door jamb. A grin stretches across his bearded face.

“You were successful I take it?” Is his greeting as Max jumps out of the truck.

“I’ll talk to you inside, Julian is going to relieve you of your post.”

“What?” Julian appears, his ruddy features twisted into an angry grimace. “I have no intention of standing guard over this heap of junk like a lowly cadet!”

Max doesn’t seem to be disturbed by his outburst, but calmly continues to direct his men to ready themselves for the next stage of transportation.

“You volunteered for this mission, Julian, with the understanding that I would be in charge, and you would follow my orders with the expedience of a ‘lowly cadet’.” He pauses, turning to face Julian again. He has to tilt his head back to look up at the blond man, yet somehow the action conveys distain. “It was your choice to serve under my command, and you can be sure that I won’t hesitate to have you court marshalled if you cause me any trouble.”

Julian sputters in sulky silence and casts a look of extreme dislike at the smiling giant whom he is to replace.

“Pack your things, Linus, we leave as soon as you’re ready.”