Page 22 of Reign of Light
“Careful,” Weston growls, and Mara looks between the two of us before setting her attention back on me.
“I didn’t lie. Dane left and took Storm with him. They used the rest of the dust, so it is still gone. It’s over.” Her tone is sullen, and her face is still puffy from whatever additional tears she shed after our meeting last night.
“Gauge?” I say, glancing at him. He still eyes Weston warily, and I can see every poisonous lie Dane planted in all of us reflected in the way he looks at us and holds his body, ready to defend himself against an attack.
“Yeah, um.” He clears his throat before finally pulling his focus away long enough to answer, and turns to me. “The shit really fucking left us.”
“So what now?” Mara asks, scanning the four of us. “Where do we go from here?”
Weston speaks first. “Nowhere unless you agree to stop hunting us.”
“But you’re the ones who?—”
“Seriously, Mara?” I snap, refusing to listen to one more word of Dane’s lies. “He lied to everyone for years. He left us all stranded here when he disappeared, taking all our hopes and lives with him, and you’re still going to stand there and say we’re the problem?” I gesture to my crew beside me, and glare at her.
She chews her lip for a minute before answering. “How can we trust you aren’t tricking us?”
I let out a frustrated groan and mumble under my breath. “Now I understand how irritating I was. Remind me to apologize later.”
Weston chuckles softly before mumbling so only I can hear, “I can think of a few ways.”
I shake my head, ignoring the flicker of fire that ignites low in my abdomen, and yell back to her, “You’ll have to try.”
“We have done nothing to attack you after all this time, and you still think we’re the problem. The trust isn’t needed on your end!” Sig yells across the clearing, and Mara shifts her weight on her feet as the words settle between us.
Trust is more necessary on our end, especially after the way Mara attacked Sig and me, but it is amazing how damaging years of manipulation and coercion can be. You can know someone, be friends with them, put your life in their hands, and they still will turn against you because of what they’ve been told. It can negate everything you know, you’ve experienced, all because of someone else’s words.
Weston lifts an arm, motioning with his fingers, and the entire collection crew steps out from their hiding places, weapons drawn but not poised to attack.
Gauge’s head whips around, taking everyone in. “What the…” His eyes widen as they fall on faces he recognizes. Mara’s does too, and they both stand, mouths slack as they look around the group.
“Stassia?” Gauge says, his voice bewildered, but her hardened expression doesn’t soften as anger still roils through her.
She dips her chin in his direction. “Hey Gauge.”
Mara looks at each of the Castaways, but when she gets to Veck, her brow furrows.
“Veck? Is that really you? You’re alright?”
“I’m fine, Mara,” he replies, and gestures to everyone around him. “We’re all fine, and we’re telling the truth.”
Her mouth gapes as she looks around at all the familiar faces, and reality washes over her. She was wrong. We all were until we found the waters and learned the truth. Until we became Castaways.
“The choice is yours, Mara,” Weston calls out, and her head snaps back toward him. “But if any of you hunt my crew, you’ll be the one to answer for it.”
“Alright,” she says, her voice forlorn as she looks around one more time. “I’ll tell everyone. We won’t hunt you, but you can’t hurt any of us either.”
“We haven’t yet,” he says, “and we don’t have any intention to. The only exception is if you attack first. From what I heard, Lennox still didn’t hurt you, even though she should have.”
“Yeah, well,shedidn’t have a problem punching me in the face.” Mara points at Sig, and I have to stifle a chuckle at Mara’s irritation.
“And I’d do it again, remember that,” Sig yells, crossing her arms over her chest.
Mara’s about to yell something back at Sig when Weston interrupts.
“Can we get back to the negotiation?”
Her mouth slams shut, and she rolls her eyes. “Fine. Go on.”
