Not that the winter months were much better. With the cold came a different set of problems. People often froze to death, trapped inside their hovels with nothing to keep them warm. Hunger was commonplace, and hacking coughs sounded from every doorway. Hope became a distant dream.
Moran shook her head. Every year it was the same, and every year she prayed they’d live to see another. Something had to change and soon, or none of them would live to see another generation. We’re fighting not only for ourselves but for the survival of the human race itself.
Her eyes fell on a dark figure lurking across the street. She watched him from the corner of her eyes for several minutes. The stranger never moved, his head turned toward the inn.
Who was he? A spy for Douglas and Sikes? A member of the Watch? Kat could’ve tipped them off. She was as yet an unknown quantity, and Moran didn’t trust the woman at all.
A soft knock on the door announced Bruce and Steven. They entered the room with furtive glances over their shoulders and locked the door behind them.
“Were you followed?” Moran asked, her mind still fixed on the lurker across the street.
“Not me,” Bruce said.
“Me neither,” Steven replied.
“Well, let’s get down to business,” Moran said. “We have little time to waste and much to decide.”
Bruce nodded. “My team is ready to go, as per your orders. Twenty in all, armed to the teeth.”
“Fighters?” Moran asked.
“They’re my best,” Bruce said.
“Good. I think we’re going to need them,” Moran said.
“Is something wrong?” Patti asked, a frown creasing her forehead. “You seem worried.”
“I don’t know. Call it a hunch,” Moran replied.
“It’s that Kat, isn’t it?” Patti said with a huff. “We all know she can’t be trusted.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Moran said. “Have any of you heard from her?”
Steven raised a hand. “She sent me a message around noon.”
“And?”
“She’s arranged for a small party at her place. All the hobnobs are invited, including the senator and General Sikes. They’ll be occupied for most of the night.”
Patti snorted. “Yeah, right. How do we know it’s not a lie?”
“We don’t,” Moran said. “But we can’t let this opportunity pass us by. We need that food.”
“If Kat told Sikes about the raid, they’ll be waiting for us,” Patti argued. “It’ll be a trap.”
“Not if we’re smart about it,” Moran said. “What can you tell me about the guards, Steven?”
“As expected, the harvest is being watched around the clock by a six-man team. At midnight, the teams rotate and again at sunrise.”
“An hour before midnight. That’s when we’ll strike. The guards will be tired, and they won’t be able to think straight,” Moran said.
“What if they alert the rest of the Watch when you move in?” Patti asked. “There’s no way you can silence six men without making a noise, no matter how tired they are.”
“She makes a good point,” Steven said.
“I’ve arranged for a small diversion to draw them away from their posts. It should give us enough time to grab what we can,” Moran explained.
“If we move fast,” Bruce said.
Moran nodded. “Forget the wheelbarrows, Bruce. They’re too unwieldy.”
“Agreed,” Bruce said. “We won’t be able to take as much, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“You’re still ignoring the obvious,” Patti said, looking at each of them. “If it’s a trap, they’ll be ready for you.”
Moran pointed at Patti. “That’s why I want you to wait nearby with a back-up team. If anything goes wrong, pull us out of there quick.”
“Are you sure about this?” Patti said.
“No, I’m not, but it’s either that or starve,” Moran said.
“Alright,” Patti said with a sigh. “I’ll be there to save your asses if need be, but be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“We can do this, guys. I know we can,” Moran said, squaring her shoulders.
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Bruce said with a mocking grin while Steven rumbled his assent.
Patti agreed with reluctance, and they spent the next few minutes ironing out the finer details of the raid. Once the meeting concluded, Bruce and Steven left as quietly as they came.
Moran watched them go from the window, each choosing a different route. The lurker from earlier was gone, and she wondered if she was overreacting. Her gut told her otherwise, though, and she made a split decision. “It’s time to move on, Patti.”
“Where to?” Patti asked.
“The White Horse. It’s closer to our storerooms, and no one knows about it except you and me,” Moran said.
“Alright, I’ll pack our things.”
“Thanks, Patti. I can always count on you,” Moran said.
“Of course, you can. That doesn’t mean I agree with you about tonight,” Patti grumbled. “I think you’re making a mistake.”
“Let’s hope you’re wrong,” Moran said, her mind running through a thousand different scenarios. If their food situation wasn’t so desperate, she’d cancel the raid. It wasn’t an option, however. We just need to be extra careful.
Patti opened the closet and removed their clothes and personal items. It all went into a set of leather bags that had seen better days. Her movements were practiced. They’d done this many times before, only this time, Rogue was missing from their midst.
Not that the girl had always stuck by Moran’s side. There had been periods when she’d disappear only to return weeks later starved and exhausted. Moran always wondered what it was that drove her into the streets on her own. Longing? Discontent? Who knew?
But this last time, Rogue hadn’t returned. Instead, she’d ended up in prison, sentenced to death or exile. Horrified, Moran had insisted on staging a rebellion right there and then. It took Patti and Bruce hours to talk her down. The Rebel
