The Magic Pact [The Talisman War]

Chapter 2

Chapter 2At the end of the next three days, they arrived in Lawrence, Kansas. The two immediately caught sight of a small boy on a bicycle. But he pedaled away as soon as he heard the horses. Ken didn’t gallop after him, despite every interest in doing so. It could be a trap. Instead, she and Yuuki wandered slowly into the town, looking for signs of life. The only graffiti they saw was a single large scribble that, according to Yuuki, said “city not clear.”

Either the authors sprayed that on any town that hadn’t yet been checked, or they received some resistance when they arrived.

It wasn’t ten minutes of riding before they understood. A group of men and teenage boys rolled up to them in a diesel truck, armed to the teeth and wearing red shirts with camo pants. A gang, they both surmised. A gang strong enough to repel whoever left the graffiti.

Kenna remained calm. They may have more guns, but she had talismans. She could roast them all and call it a day if need be.

But what they wanted was information, so the two carefully approached, with Yuuki and her horse behind Ken. When the lead man, muscular in build, with a shaved head, motioned for them to stop, they did. “People who wish to travel through Lawrence must pay a toll.”

Ken smiled. “That can be arranged. We mean no disrespect. We saw a young boy on the way in but had no idea the city was largely inhabited.” Otherwise, the couple would have approached things differently, like sneaking in.

“Those are nice horses you have there,” the man pointed out.

“And nicer t**s!” shouted a man in the back.

She tried not to be unnerved, but she was. “Neither are for sale. But we have gold and weapons, which surely should be enough for passage.”

“You could keep your gold and everything else, if either of you agreed to meeting with my men—or me personally. Consensually, of course.” His eyes took a walk over her, and he licked his lips. “You sure are pretty. I’ve never been with a black girl before.”

She shivered. Not for fear of their own safety but for that of any other woman who tried to enter this place. “I said we’re not for sale,” she growled. “We can force you to let us pass, or you can take our generous offer. But you won’t lay a hand on either of us. We’re not interested.”

They heard a car pull up behind them, essentially blocking the two in.

But that only pissed Kenna off more. To get her point across, she swallowed her fear of flames and activated the fire talisman Na’fenn. She drew lines in between each group and the duo, careful not to burn any of the buildings. “You’re not being very cordial,” she called to them. “Fire is one of the weakest talismans I have. You do not want to meet the others.”

A different voice answered. He wore a uniform-like jacket that seemed to denote a high rank. “We heard the stones don’t work anymore. Why do yours?”

“I turned the other ones off. But not mine, of course.”

“How did you do that?”

“Are you going to let us pass or what? I really don’t want to torch your men—” Actually, she did. “—but I will if I have to. We will protect ourselves.” The flames rose three times higher before settling down again.

With a shaking voice, “Why are you even here?”

“We need information.” She gave him the whole spiel about looking for Moíra and explained they planned to teach her a lesson. With a second to think it over, she added: “And we would love to know who’s responsible for that graffiti out front. The hieroglyphs.”

The man almost seemed grateful that info was all they wanted. “I can’t tell you about the first part. Haven’t seen anything like that. But we know the folks that left that little message. It’s a military of some kind. They wanted to recruit us, by force. We didn’t really get their names, but we gave them hell. Eventually, they scribbled that and left.”

“Do you understand what it says?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nope.”

“All right, let us pass.”

Eventually, the vehicles in front of them backed up and parted. As Kenna and Yuuki moved forward, the fire burned out just enough to accommodate them. New flames formed alongside of and behind them as they traversed the town. Yuuki promptly rode up next to her, as close as possible. The gang tailed them the whole way, looking more like a security detail than an actual threat. When they reached the city limits, Ken gave them a wave without turning.

They traveled well past sundown until they were far away from Lawrence. Ken used a small flashlight to guide their way. When she was certain they couldn’t have been followed, she signaled that they should set up camp. The moment Yuuki jumped down off of her mare, Ken embraced her. Tightly.

The two of them were never in any real danger, but somehow it still felt like it. More so for Yuuki, who looked positively terrified back in the city. Ken held her close. “I know,” she said truthfully. Just the threat of these men and what they wanted was enough. “They can’t hurt you. They can’t hurt us. They wanted to, but we didn’t let them.”

“You stopped them. I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t—”

“Don’t,” Ken cut in. “That’s why we’re a team. It’s my job to protect you when you need it. Those guys would’ve never touched you. Not ever.”

“I know, I just—they were so convinced—they—”

“They’re animals. Someone will put them down eventually. But right now, we’re far away from them. They can’t find us, and they won’t. And even if they could, it would be a fatal decision to try. Don’t let them get to you. They don’t deserve it.” She kept a firm hold on her, flanked on both sides by their mares in the dark. “I’ll stay up while you sleep tonight. Keep watch. Just to make sure.”

“But you haven’t been sleeping.”

“I’ll be awake anyway, so I’d rather do something important than just lay there.” She kissed her gently on the cheek. “It’s really not a big deal.”

It was, actually. Outside of her quest for the stem stones, she’d never done this much physical work on so little sleep. She knew it would catch up to her soon. But Yuuki’s peace of mind was more important. Those disgusting creeps made her feel like she wasn’t safe. So, Kenna would give it back to her.

First things first. She set up the tent while Yuuki held their flashlight. When she could go inside, Ken left only long enough to collect kindling. She used the starter with ease, got the fire going, and then quickly took a few steps away. She needed a private pep talk to go near it again. While Yuuki sat quietly in the tent, Ken fed the horses and then started in on a small dinner for the two. Neither of them felt hungry, but they needed to eat. She got some canned food into Yuuki through gentle coaxing, promising they could cuddle for a while until she fell asleep.

After some cleaning up of their camp, they crawled into the tent for a few hours. When Yuuki finally fell asleep, Ken left her in favor of sitting by the fire and watching for danger.

She fantasized about going back to the city to kill the men who frightened Yuuki. Hell, she thought about burning the whole place down. But it would be a few hours ride in the dark, and if Yuuki woke up and she was gone? It would be devastating. Besides, Ken needed to save her energy. It would be another long day tomorrow. And she would have to do it without any sleep.

* * * *

“Time to get up,” came a loud voice.

Her head raised quickly, only to be stopped by a painful and stiff neck. She was still sitting upright, but the fire had gone out, and she’d fallen asleep.

Moments later, she heard stirring in the tent. Yuuki appeared, kissed her, and took a seat at her side. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Ken couldn’t bear to tell her that she didn’t stay awake. Instead, “It went out around dawn,” she pointed at the place where their fire had been. “I didn’t want to leave you.”

Shaking her head, Yuuki kissed her again. “No worries. I’ll start another one.”

As she went off to collect more wood, Ken rubbed at her eyes. “How long was I out?”

“Five hours,” said the Healer. “You needed the rest.”

Groaning, she got up rigidly, paced around for a little while, and then checked on the horses. “I needed to keep my promise.”

“I’m sure you would have woken up if anything bad came calling.”

“That’s not the point.”

The Devotee cut in. “Your loyalty to her is admirable.”

“It’s a distraction,” came from the Martyr.

“Shut up,” Ken told them all. She didn’t want to hear any of it. They were especially loud this morning, and she didn’t have the patience. She lied to Yuuki—let her down—and she felt like crap about it. The voices’ only positive use this morning was that they woke her up before Yuuki could see her sleeping on the job.

When Yuuki returned with firewood, they made and ate breakfast as quickly as possible. Before Ken knew it, they were back in the saddle and headed east again.

* * * *

Dakota

Terrell thought no one noticed. But Dakota did. The shaking of his hands. He got dizzy and had trouble focusing. Dakota would recognize it anywhere because he went through it daily. The immortality talisman halted the progression of his disease, but it did nothing for the symptoms he already had. Sedatives helped, and mostly he learned to live with the rest. But he never expected to see the same problems in the man before him.

“I think the stem stone is giving you the shakes,” he announced, stepping into the room. “The thing is making it seem like you have M.S., too.”

He gave a slow nod, staring at his trembling hands. “It’s the connection.”

“What I don’t understand is, why is it a one-way street? Where’s my limp or—?

“Mutations,” he supplied.

Dakota clenched his jaw. “Why are you getting all my bad, and I’m not receiving anything?”

“Could be the live-forever stone. Ken said it stops disease. Maybe it’s a barrier. Where I don’t have one. Or—” He turned to face him. “Or it could be because mine’s an old injury, not an active illness. Who knows?”

“I don’t want you to have it. This is hell. I can’t ask you to live sick forever. How could I do that? You don’t deserve this. It’s not something you should have to carry.”

Terrell forced a smile. “I don’t think it’s half as bad as what you’re going through. It doesn’t even hurt. But you’re handling it. Gracefully. I think I can take a little unsteadiness now and then.” He grabbed Dakota by the waist and pulled him close. “I’m here to stay, Dee. I’m not going anywhere.”

His expression softened, and he kissed him sweetly. “I never thought I’d live this long, let alone for several lifetimes. I don’t know how I’m gonna deal with it.”

“I’ll help,” he proclaimed as his hands drifted to Dakota’s lower back. “You’ve come so far since the bridge. You have a beautiful life. You can’t back out of it now. I’m here for you. We’ll do it together. Think about Kenna, think about Rada.”

“Think about you.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re literally the reason I’m still here,” he pointed out. Terrell wasn’t just a reason to live. He’d physically prevented Dakota from killing himself, more than a decade ago. If not for that, he never would have met Kenna or Rada. Or Gage. Or any of the hundreds of other people that entered his life since he found out about talismans.

He’d seen so much pain and hardship in that time. But his adopted kids made everything worth it. And so did Terrell.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

When Dakota agreed, the two left their bedroom hand-in-hand.

They wandered the perimeter as a cold wind blew through the town. With dark skies, only Mahkah could be seen, manning the door and looking out for potential dangers. His uncle Luta would replace him soon, and then someone else would go after him. They always had somebody on the wall, just in case. There were too many lives at stake.

Normally, Rada would come visit Mahkah and keep him company. Perhaps she still would. But for now, she hunkered down in the house, hiding from the less than ideal weather.

As winter loomed, the little town prepared for what could be a difficult time. Without their gardens, fresh food would be scarce. The group had already anticipated that and traded for canned goods before the prices went up to meet demand. But they enjoyed the luxury of fresh produce, and no one was looking forward to going without.

The weather itself could prove problematic as well. Nearly all of their power came from solar panels, which covered the roofs of every house, as well as a small field to the west. For the latter, they could remove the snow with relative ease, but the higher up ones would be damn near impossible, especially if icing occurred. While they also had generators, fuel was extremely limited. In other words, there might be times when they couldn’t heat their homes with electricity.

Thankfully, every house had at least one hearth that the inhabitants could huddle around, and the town collected firewood all year. It wouldn’t be ideal, but at least no one would freeze to death. And they could cook over the open flames if they had to.

The pair waved to Mahkah as they passed him. He was a vital member of the group, always volunteering for wall duty, trips into Oceti Šakowiŋ territory, or fishing for food. In the spring and summer months, he helped Rada with her garden, and he even assisted in building the newest houses. It was good to have people like him, since many of the town members weren’t physically capable of doing those jobs.

Despite being the unofficial mayor, Dakota wasn’t able to help with anything physical, except maybe planting season. Terrell couldn’t do much, either, and there were a dozen children and pregnant women who were too young or too immobilized respectively to get involved. They’d also added an elderly couple, who could never do hard labor.

But everyone contributed in their own way. More than ten people knitted and mended clothing for themselves and their neighbors. Teaching the children became another important role, and the kids were pretty good at foraging and catching small edible creatures, such as frogs, mice, and crickets.

Dakota managed to avoid ingesting any insects, despite their high amount of protein, but he wasn’t above eating a rodent or frog. Terrell was a little braver.

Every once in a while, the more able-bodied men and women would get a spiny elk or a wild dirt dog, and they would have fresh meat. Usually, it would be gone within a day or two, as they divided the animal up amongst everyone who wanted some. Rada refused to eat the dogs, since she had one of her own, but she didn’t make a fuss about other people eating them. She knew better. They had to eat whatever was available in order to sustain and defend the town. She only insisted that no one hurt her pet, regardless of how hungry anyone might become.

They did have a handful of animals that could be sacrificed if things really got dire. Three goats used for their milk. A couple mules for tilling the fields. And of course, the horses.

But Dakota got ahead of himself. Their pantry was filled to the brim with cans and jars and grains. Everyone, including him, worried about winter, so they prepared as best they could. They bought shovels for snow and heavy textiles for warmth. They checked the windows for small cracks and fixed them so that the cold couldn’t get in as easily. They made every preparation they could think of.

He would still worry, but it seemed like they had a good handle on surviving the cold.

As for Ken and Yuuki, he wasn’t even half as confident. They were out in the elements, relying on an inconsistent amount of natural kindling and a flimsy tent. Their horses were just as vulnerable to freezing temperatures, and never mind if and when it snowed. Could they really survive the winter?

If anyone could, it would be his daughter.

But his concern for the women persisted. He knew what dangers lay ahead of them, seasonal changes being only one of an infinite number of possible problems. He tried not to think about it, to vanquish the thoughts of them getting hurt or killed. There was nothing he could do about it. They either lived or they didn’t. At some point, he would have to come to terms with his daughter’s mortality.

“You’re very quiet,” Terrell pointed out, breaking into his thoughts.

“I’m worried about Ken,” he said as he moved a little closer to Terrell. “And you, and everyone else.”

He leaned against him. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s tough.” After a moment, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m okay. And the town is gonna be all right, too. You made sure of it. We’re all better because of your help.”

Coming to a stop, Dakota kissed him. “I feel like I’m not doing enough.”

“You’re wrong. Practically every major decision goes through you first, and everyone looks to you as a leader, if not more than that. Just because you’re using your head instead of your hands doesn’t mean you’re not essential to our success.” He pulled him close and kissed him back, passionately. “You’re so incredibly important.”

“You’re biased.”

“I know, but I don’t care. It’s true. Ask anyone in town. Ask Ken when she comes back. You mean so much to so many people.”

Dakota blushed. “I love you.”

“I love you more.”