The Traveler returns her eyes to the woman. “How could I be of help to your kind?”
“I’m teaching as many as I can to travel. In a world as vast as ours, traveling is the great equalizer, but few Murkovin ever master the skill. They’re either confined to lives in small regions or aimlessly wander the wasteland as nomads. Trees in many areas are destroyed or damaged to the point that they produce very little sap. Many of our kind have no other option than to kill one another to survive. But as I’m sure you’ve seen, there are still many untouched trees in the Barrens.
“I’m showing them a way to take sap without killing the trees,” the woman continues, spinning her tale of half-truths. “They can bind the trees rather than rip the limbs off them. I’m showing them how to store large quantities of sap instead of barely enough to last a few morrows. They learn to control their desires because they’re no longer desperate.
“I’ve scoured the Barrens in search of abandoned steel transports, stakes, and tubes from raids on Travelers over the Eras. I’m able to share my ideas with others and provide them with the tools they need to put that knowledge to use. Traveling is what makes it all possible. But I need to teach more of my kind. I can blend my light and show them how, but someone with your advanced skills can be of great help to me.”
“What do you get from all of this?” the Traveler asks.
“A better life for my child,” the woman answers. “I don’t want him to face the hardships I’ve known. If I’m successful, it will be better for those in the Delta as well. We can live our lives in the Barrens and leave them alone.”
The Traveler stares at her without answering, but the woman sees belief in her eyes.
“There was a Watcher who left the Delta,” the Traveler says. “Do you know where he is?”
“He’s dead,” the woman answers.
“Why was he killed?”
The woman had already prepared for that question. “His hatred for the Delta guided his actions. He convinced a few of my kind to join him, but his vision was clouded. He never learned to control what the sap of the Barrens released inside him. He only wanted power over others. When he had nothing else to offer, others turned on him.”
“What makes you think I won’t be killed if I’m seen by others?” the Traveler asks.
“No one needs to know you’re from the Delta,” the woman says. “I can guarantee your safety, but only if you answer one question for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Why didn’t you return to the Delta with the other Traveler?”
Narrowing her eyes, the Traveler looks off to her side. “I have my reasons.”
“Tell me one,” the woman says.
The Traveler hesitates for several seconds before speaking. “He didn’t want to be with . . .” She stops talking, clenches her jaw, and turns her face to the woman. “They don’t appreciate me in the Delta.”
He must have rejected her, the woman thinks.
“There’s much you’ve been deprived of,” the woman says. “Someone with your abilities deserves to feel valued. In the Barrens, you can live for yourself, put your needs first, and have whatever you want. You define who you are here, not the color of your hair.”
As though she’s searching for an answer, the Traveler scrutinizes the woman’s eyes. “I’ll consider it,” she finally says. “For now, I want to be left alone.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll leave you alone. I advise you to change your location every few morrows. Never stay in one place too long.”
The woman starts walking towards one end of the gorge.
“You forgot your spear,” the Traveler calls out.
Without breaking her stride, the woman glances over her shoulder. “You keep it. It may come in handy for you to have two.”
The woman continues at a steady pace towards the end of the canyon. After a few more morrows pass, she can try again. Let the Traveler experience more of the harshness that comes with dwelling in the Barrens. The woman can stay close by and keep watch over the Traveler, but it makes more sense not to push too hard now.
“Wait!” the Traveler shouts.
The woman stops walking and turns to her.
“I’ll come with you,” the Traveler says.
The woman nods her head. “You won’t regret it. I can provide you with a cavern and safety with others who think as I do. Strong men and women who want the same things I want for the Barrens.”
“Let me get my things from the cave,” the Traveler says.
“I’ll wait for you here.”
After the Traveler slips through the crease in the rock wall, the woman returns to her spear. She reaches down, takes it in her hand, and scans the nearby hilltops to make sure that no others were in earshot of their conversation.
I should restrain my speed as we return to camp, the woman thinks. Better to let her feel superior in that way. The more she feels needed, the more she’ll be willing to help. I’ll be able to train the five hundred Murkovin I need in half the time.
It’s unlikely that she’ll ever return to the Delta or that they’ll accept her if she does. But I wonder if she’ll embrace our ways. For the time being, I’ll let her think the former Watcher is dead and reveal nothing of our plans. If she’s not fully on our side by the time we’re ready to attack the Delta, I’ll have no choice but to kill her.
I hope it never comes to that. I already find myself growing fond of her. But regardless of how I feel, no one will stand in my way.
Chapter 29
In the golden light of our habitat, Sash and I spend a much-needed quiet evening with Aven. Seated at a small table that we brought from Market for Aven’s room, we help her get started on
