It seemed the child possessed langthal. Fergus smiled.
“What are you grinning about?”
“Nunya,” he replied.
“Fine. Okay, here we go.” Instead of the doll-sized Swiss Army knife, a rather lethal looking blade flicked out of its black casing and made quick work of summoning blood for the oath. The blade was so sharp, Fergus didn’t feel a thing.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” she said, seeing his surprise. “Mama gave Harlan and me new knives last night. We were due. It’s a more dangerous world now, you know.”
Fergus nodded. A wave of sadness washed over him, but he quickly shoved it back into that compartment of his soul in which he stored inconvenient emotions.
She said, “Do you agree to keep secret what I’m about to tell you?”
“I do.”
“Mingle, mingle, mingle, and done.” She wiped her hand on the grass, then stood. “The person who flew the drone dropped off a load of food. And Pop-Tarts! Cricket is in hog heaven. Poor little bumpkin has never had them before.”
Fergus’s eyes flew wide. “Willadean, please tell me you didn’t eat any of it.”
“It’s fine. Cricket tested it first before we could stop him, so I let him be the guinea pig. We all survived.”
“Oh, dear. What does that have to do with the paper?”
“There was a note on the pallet. It said if we wanted more food, we should leave two big rocks in the clearing, which we did. But I figured next time, I’d leave a note next to the rocks, written in letters large enough for the drone operator to read.”
“This is incredibly dangerous, Willadean. You must know that.”
“I don’t see why.”
“What if the drone belongs to a psychopath who intends to eventually poison you once your guard is down?”
“Or maybe it belongs to a nice person who wants to help kids?”
“There are some awful people in the world, young lady.”
She shrugged. “Why go to all this trouble bringing us food if he just wants to kill us? That doesn’t make sense.”
Fergus pondered how to delicately phrase his next question, then decided to simply be blunt. “What if he’s a pedophile who is training you to return to the same isolated, dangerous section of the forest where your kinfolk never go? Do you know what a pedophile is?”
“Of course I know! Good grief, Mister Fergus. That is even more ridiculous than the poison scenario. Ever heard of Occam’s Razor?”
Fergus sighed. “Of course. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.”
“Exactly. This guy...or maybe it’s a lady, but my gut says it’s a guy...is just trying to help some kids. He thinks we’re all alone in this big forest and probably starving to death. Maybe we’re doing him a favor by eating his food, so he feels like he’s helping.”
She made a valid point. “What do you intend to write on your note?”
Willadean grinned. “I’m going to ask for candy.”
“Very well. I can see there’s no stopping you, but at least let me go with you.”
“No can do. Mama won’t let you past the perimeter.”
“You’re not supposed to venture past, either.”
“Yeah, but, we’re small and fast and quiet.”
“I can be all those things too.”
There was that appraising look again. “You’re definitely small, I’ll say that for you. But what if you’re caught? I don’t want you to end up in the cemetery, Mister Fergus. I’ve taken a liking to you,” she added with an affectionate pat to his back.
“And I, you. That’s why I’m worried. Just get me past the perimeter, that’s all I ask. I’m going to find out who is flying that drone. I don’t care if it’s risky.” He had other reasons for wanting that information. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Serena Jo that their small pocket of humanity was the future. These special Mountain People of Whitaker Holler must be allowed to survive and thrive, and he needed to make sure the drone pilot didn’t pose a threat to their tenuous existence. Equally important, he must keep potential Cthor-Vangt recruits safe. And the third reason was one he no longer bothered to deny to himself.
He had become addicted to the adrenaline rush presented by precarious situations. Even making love to beautiful women didn’t get his engine revving like prevailing against insurmountable odds or treacherous adversaries. These past few years of adventuring topside, away from Cthor-Vangt, had been the most thrilling of his incredibly long life.
For the first time ever, he wondered if he could go back there.
***
“Shhh!” Willadean hissed to the unremarkable boy she had insisted they bring along.
So far, the only quality Cricket seemed to offer was that of unquestioning loyalty. Fergus knew the boy’s intellect and motor skills were barely average. Whatever sliver of creative genius or savant talent lurking beneath the grubby façade had yet to manifest. But the twins included him in all their adventures, and Willadean would brook no argument about that today.
Harlan led the group, and Fergus saw why. If the sister moved through the forest like a wood sprite, the brother navigated the dense timber, briar-infested undergrowth, and insidious poison ivy like dandelion fluff floating on the breeze. Fergus soon gave up trying to follow Harlan, and kept his eyes on Willadean instead. How Cricket managed to keep pace with the silent twin was a mystery. Perhaps there was a latent gift buried in there somewhere after all.
Willadean suddenly crouched low. Cricket had done the same a half-second earlier, seemingly acting on a directive from Harlan.
“This is the tricky part,” Willadean whispered, swiveling her head to the side and funneling the words behind her with a cupped hand. Fergus brought up the rear, the safest place for the person who would be shot on sight if discovered by Serena Jo’s perimeter guards. “Hope
