The Magic Pact

Chapter 3-2

The next morning, they carefully ventured into the city, checking houses together for food and other supplies. Near the city center, they heard noises that sounded like a ton of people all in the same place. They decided to approach it with their guards up. Slowly, they made their way to the source of the sounds.

It was a small bazaar covered in people. They milled about like minnows, darting from stall to stall. The area seemed to be a trading station of some kind, where people from all over came to do business. There were soldiers stationed throughout the market, hands on automatic weapons. Whether this was a self-sufficient entity or part of a larger civilization, Ken couldn’t tell. But the men, who wore all black, didn’t interact with the shoppers. They just kept watch. They were there to ensure the business continued.

When Ken and Yuuki rode toward the crowd, a man with a gun stopped them. He smiled. “Sorry, ladies. You’ll have to walk the horses or leave them outside the market. We don’t want anyone getting trampled.”

Both women were surprised at the man’s cordiality. A far cry from Lawrence. “If we leave them, can you make sure no one steals them?” Worth a shot.

“Are you planning to buy things here?”

“Yeah,” the two answered almost simultaneously. They needed more horse feed and human food, and they had enough jewelry to buy a complete refill.

“Then I think I could do that. Just this once.” His smile grew bigger. He almost seemed bashful, as though he hadn’t interacted with any women in a while. He pointed toward an old metal railing to which they could tie their horses. “Come get them when you’re finished.”

Ken followed his direction. In secret, she emptied a bag of the gold and silver they’d stolen from houses and placed the contents in her jacket pocket.

The two wandered into the market and began gathering necessities. They skipped most of the fresh food unless it was really cheap. Cans and jars held more, and the stuff lasted longer without refrigeration.

Though, with the freezing temperatures, they could probably buy some meat and just strap it outside a bag to keep it cold.

And attract every hunting animal in the area, she thought.

They saved the feed grain for last, as it would be heavy. They bought twice as much as before, planning to divide the weight between the two mares. Yuuki threw the bags over her shoulder and hauled them back to their animals—which were thankfully still there. They carefully packed the new items before mounting their horses.

Before leaving, Ken pushed her luck with the nice guy with a machine gun. “Hey, do you have any idea who’s been spraying that weird graffiti? You know the stuff with circles and triangles.”

He laughed. “The U.S. government.”

“What, seriously?”

“Yeah, they’re trying to reclaim what land is left. By clearing the cities, they can start to rebuild there. The scribblings are messages to other soldiers.”

“How much area do you think they’ve gotten back, do you think? Last time I heard, they just had Richmond.” And they weren’t doing a great job of defending it or treating its people well.

“Oh, a few states-worth. Mostly the mid-Atlantic. But they’re sending folks out all over the place to establish new strongholds. I guess they think they can expand the borders until they’re all connected. To be honest, I’m surprised Canada is helping so much, since they could just take the land for themselves.”

Yuuki moved closer. “Do you know the letters each symbol stands for?” she asked, holding her notebook out for him to see.

He nodded. Taking the pen and paper from her, he started to fill in the empty spaces. “It’s really not that secretive. One of our guys figured it out in like a day.”

“And you aren’t with them?”

“Technically? No. We’re what’s left of the police force and firefighters here. We worked for the government once, but our loyalties are to the city. Luckily, they didn’t think we were a threat so they just skipped us for now. I’m sure they’ll be back, though.” He finished the last letter and passed the small book back to her. “Why are you so interested?”

Ken took over. “We’re looking for the person responsible for those mutated animals. A woman who goes by ‘Moíra.’ We’re trying to find her hideout.”

He tilted his head in curiosity and scratched his chin. “The army might know, and they’ll talk to you if you don’t ride in, guns blazin’. I’d ask them.”

They thanked him for the help and took off, hoping to get in a half-day’s ride east.

If the U.S. military was behind the graffiti, that meant that they’d made it at least as far west as Junction City. They were rapidly expanding their borders by creating outposts. Should they defend those places, they would certainly make more. Until they’d reclaimed much of the land lost to the war.

But just the parts belonging to no one. The army would be in for a fight if they tried to take some of the fortified towns, and they might even lose a battle against the Oceti Šakowiŋ, especially so far from Richmond. No, a smart general would start with the land left for the taking, the easy stuff. Once a stronghold was built in a given area, then they could do battle with some of the smaller opponents.

Like that awful gang.

As they rode out of Kansas City on the Missouri side, Ken couldn’t help but wonder if Cortez was still in charge. If so, they may be able to get in contact with her through the military and share information. Kenna might be willing to tell her why the talismans turned off if she got Moíra’s whereabouts in return.

“I think we should try and find the army,” she said eventually. “Follow the graffiti east until we see somebody. Hopefully, we’ll find them before the capital.”

The amount of time it would take to get to Richmond on horseback was daunting to say the least. Riding the most they could in a day, every day, while only stopping for short breaks and sleep, it would take more than a month. They’d already spent seventeen days on the road, and the two of them were exhausted. Even the trip to St. Louis, which would take a week, felt impossible.

Their horses weren’t much better. Ken tried to let them graze whenever they could, to boost their strength, but she felt the mares wearing down. They needed a few days rest and heavy feeding to be at one hundred percent. But the women couldn’t afford to do that.

“Can we even make it that far?” Yuuki said in a tired voice.

“We can do it one day at a time. But we need to take care of ourselves, first and foremost. Maybe we’ll get lucky with the military. Maybe they’re just down the highway.” She let out a small laugh. “Maybe they’ll be friendly.”

Yuuki gulped. “And if they’re not?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“You’ll kill U.S. soldiers?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to do. Up to and including killing U.S. soldiers. They’re just people like everyone else.” She reached out and touched Yuuki’s arm with the tips of her fingers. “No one will hurt you. I promise.”

She paused to think it over. Then, “I trust you.”