Aftermath of the Reckoning

Chapter 28

Patch started feeling warmer after walking for a while, though he still found himself shaking and weaving as waves of dizziness periodically washed over him. Zoey mentioned they only had about fifteen miles before arriving at the graveyard. He hoped she was right because he’d need all of his strength to make it.

Even though they’d been walking for an hour, neither of them spoke about Lucas. Patch could still hear the man following a ways behind them, but since Zoey didn’t outwardly show concern at his continued presence, he assumed she didn’t feel too threatened.

Patch stumbled, kicking up leaves, and nearly pulling Zoey over with him before catching himself with his foot. “Sorry about that, Zoey.”

Zoey said, “Patch, we may need to rethink our plans. You don’t seem to be doing too well.”

“I’ll make it Zoey. Just having a tough time waking up this morning.”

“Patch, you look terrible and with that fever —”

“Hey, trust me. I know my body pretty well, fever means its healing.” He was making stuff up now and wanted to change the subject. “So tell me, this Lucas fellow, one of those old boyfriends you mentioned?”

Zoey’s pace slowed measurably in reaction to his words. “More like one of the assholes.” Zoey resumed her pace and they walked quietly for a bit before she said, “I know what you’re thinking Patch. We were never together.”

A voice from behind them rang out. “Y’all love birds ‘bout me up there? Zoey, be sure you tell him about —”

Zoey’s head whipped around. “I’m serious about breaking your legs! Now shut up!”

They walked a bit further, no one saying a word. Finally Zoey spoke. “He helped me out of a difficult situation one time.”

Patch said, “Zoey you don’t have to talk about it right now. It’s OK.”

Zoey continued. “Several years ago, I completely lost control of my abilities for a period of time. To stop me from hurting myself or others further, Lucas led a group of men to tranquilize me. That worked and, after a day of sedation, I returned to normal.

“However, they kept me drugged and imprisoned inside a house for weeks. I was too weak to attempt to escape and began to lose hope that I’d ever be free again. At my lowest point, Lucas appeared to me in secret and said he argued for my release but had been denied. Lucas was not tribe leader at that point. So Lucas said he would risk his own life and free me if I’d do something for him. I agreed to do anything within my power, desperate to freed from both my prison and the drugs.”

“Lucas facilitated my escape in the middle of the night and tricked the town into believing that I’d escaped on my own, that somehow I’d regained use of my aspect. Turns out he quickly became tribe leader after that, guaranteeing that he could protect them from me.”

Patch commented, “Seems like he’s not such a bad —”

Zoey squeezed his hand. “You didn’t let me finish. Later he found me and requested that I have a child with him, claiming that I’d promised him anything. I refused and ran off. He chased me through the woods for a full day, until we encountered an enemy tribe. Arrows rained down on us and he escaped when he saw I’d been hit. That tribe was the True Sight, and Pennyworth offered to grant me my life for the first few assignments. However I never returned to Greenville since then, so Lucas probably thought I was dead.”

Patch said, “I’m kind of surprised you hung around the True Sight for so long.”

“I always liked Pennyworth and he always provided me food, even during the early assignments.”