An Ember Bright

Chapter 3b

Wes focuses on me. "Going back to Finn – Lynn, it was his first time and your dislike of Finn isn't exactly a secret."

"Are you saying that I left him behind on purpose?" I say incredulously. 

"I'm saying that your concern for Finn is lessened by your disapproval of his being in the crew and that may have affected how pressed you felt to find him."

"That's not true." Maybe a little true. I brush the thought aside. "Besides, even if I did do it purposefully, it's not as if he has a significant part here."

"We're not an angelic crew, Lynn, but we watch each other's backs. You know the rules – unless you sell us out or kill one of your own, as long as you have a role, you're in. As leader, I have to enforce those rules. Everyone here pulls their weight." Wes pauses. "And you did bring Emora along with you, and that affects us. Especially now that she's in no state to be of use."

"Don't you dare," I growl. "She's helped you and countless others all over Dela. I do enough for both of us and more. I'm one of the biggest contributors in the Pits and you know it."

"That's why you're second in command." He regards me coolly. "Only the ones who prove they deserve that much power and say receive it. All I mean is we keep Emora and watch for her because she's a part of the crew. Just like Finn."

Darren steps forward. "Speaking of punishments, Lynn slapped me."

I glance down at my hand and barely repress a shudder. I'm not supposed to, I'm not supposed to. I broke the rule. I'm not supposed to.

Sera yanks Darren back, surprisingly strong with a broken leg and leaning on a crutch. "Don't blame her, Wes. Darren deserved it. If it she didn't do it, I would've." Around the room, there are murmurs of agreement and hostile looks directed at Darren. His claims about Wes and I are a severe show of disrespect. We hold the highest positions without any objections or disapproval voiced – besides Darren and the occasional Finn. Not a single person tolerates the kind of behavior Darren has been guilty of lately.

Wes nods at Sera. He doesn't ask what Darren said; he never needs details of offenses, just enough to know if it was justified. "You provoked her, she reacted. You're even."

Wes turns to me. "Concerning what happened with you and Finn earlier, you've got stables tomorrow. They're to be spotless and you're grooming the horses, too."

I nod stiffly at the task he's assigned me as punishment but bite my lip. If he knows that the thought of me spending the morning with the horses wouldn't actually be unpleasant, he'd give me something else. My annoyance is fueled by the fact that I'm required to do so as a consequence for that weasel's cowardly behavior.

"It's the end of the week, everyone. You know what that means: Pits night. We leave in one hour." Wes dismisses the crew. He looks at me, his expression showing he already knows what I'm about to ask.

"How is she?"

"Not good," he says. "Kaya's been with her since I left. Go see her now – you've got an hour."

I don't expect Wes to allow me more time than the others or skip tonight for the fourth week in a row. Despite my rank, I'm the same as everyone else. As is he.

I take the wooden steps two at a time. Out of the five upper stories for bedrooms and offices and such, I stop at the first floor, where I'm assigned. Sprinting down the dim passage, I slow down at the room at the end of the hall and gently open the door.

Gazing at the four empty spaces where beds used to be, my eyes land on the single one remains. Sitting perpendicular to the bed is the hair where most of the past few months' nights have been spent. Currently, Kaya occupies the seat. A few fire-lit lanterns dot the room – the regular ceiling lights have been deemed too harsh. A lamp rests on the small table beside Kaya as she administers medicine to the woman on the bed. Kaya doesn't seem to notice me when I come up next to her. She caps off the bottle of medication and sets it on the table.