Ann Aguirre: Horde

“Here,” Momma Oaks called.

I swear she pushed two men down in her haste to reach me. Her face bore heavier lines, but her eyes were warm and calm. When her arms wrapped around me, I breathed her in so deep. I clung and clung to her, promising myself that I’d never worry her so again.

“Did Rex get back safe?” I asked, stepping back.

“He sure did. Fade, too, and that poor boy, Spence.” By her soft tone, I could tell she’d claimed him, too, so the mothering would never end. It might even be enough to save him.

Gavin peeped around my shoulder, catching my mother’s attention. I grinned. “Then I have a surprise for you. I marched one son off to war, but I brought back two.”

Both her brows shot up. “It’s not nice to tease, Deuce.”

“I’m not,” I told her. “Gavin lost his mum and dad, and he needs a place to stay. Do you think Edmund could use another assistant in the shop?”

With sharp eyes, she catalogued how badly he needed a bath, all the rips in his clothing, then she put an arm about him. “I’m sure he could. And we have plenty of bunks.”

Though I was eager to see them, I was glad the others hadn’t come to the gate. I didn’t want to greet Fade with so many witnesses and Edmund might cry, but he’d pretend he had dirt in his eyes. Momma Oaks shouldered people out of her way, and if they complained, she fixed them with her sternest look. It worked incredibly well, so that she cleared a path in no time.

First thing, I saw Fade waiting outside, well enough to stand. Forgetting my exhaustion, I ran to him and he caught me with an arm around my waist. In front of my family, he kissed the life out of me, as if it had been longer than a month. When we broke apart, Edmund was tapping his foot.

“Is there something you want to say to me, son?”

My cheeks went hot, and I started to protest. Luckily Momma Oaks intervened by introducing Gavin, then she pointed out how poor the boy’s shoes were. Nothing ever motivated my father like the sight of a child in torn footwear, and he was off to his workshop like a shot. For a moment, I frowned because I hadn’t gotten a hug from him or a pat on the shoulder, even.

Momma Oaks winked at me. “You have to expect that sort of thing. You’re not an only child anymore.”

I laughed and put away my mild annoyance because it was so good to be back with them. Rex gave me the tight squeeze I had been looking for and he spun me, planting a noisy kiss on top of my head. “It’s so good to see you. I was starting to worry.”

“It’s not dangerous anymore,” I said. “Well. Just the normal road hazards.”

After that, I broke away from Fade, reluctantly, for a bath. Then Momma Oaks did my hair. For the first time in longer than I could recall, I put on a dress, not because someone was making me, but because I wanted to look pretty, as much as I could, anyway. Life in the field had pared me down, so I didn’t look womanly or even strong but Fade lit up when he saw me.

I hope he never stops looking at me that way.

Whether I wanted one or not, they threw me a party. It was a wild night with piping, drums, and dancing. I sat out because Fade wasn’t up to such acrobatics. The worst thing about this town was the lack of privacy. Late that evening, we crept away and couldn’t find a quiet corner to save our souls. The empty houses had been filled with men who had come from other towns and traveled to Soldier’s Pond with the survivors from Company D. All told, it was probably a good thing, as I hadn’t spoken with Momma Oaks yet about certain private matters. So we came back to the party and nestled close, content just being together.

The days soon fell into a routine with Fade recovering, Gavin and Rex working with Edmund at the workshop, and Momma Oaks keeping busy as best she could. But she wasn’t happy in Soldier’s Pond; and it was time for me to offer a gift in return for those she’d given me.

So two weeks after I arrived, I sat down with her for breakfast. It was late morning—she’d let me sleep in—so there were few people around. The movements outside were so familiar, men running in formation and soldiers sparring. For some people, this probably felt like home, but to me, it was only a place that sheltered us for a while.

First, however …

“I was wondering if you’d tell me the best way to keep from making any brats?”

She startled me by providing the information in detail. By the time she finished, I was bright red, but considerably enlightened. Her eyes twinkled at my expression. This woman never stopped delighting me, so I kissed her cheek and thanked her.

“I don’t want to stay here,” I added quietly.

Her chin lifted in surprise, and I suspected she was braced for me to name some other crazy job that needed doing, which would end with me tired and hurt and her with more gray hair from sitting at home, worried. “Where are you going?”

There were never any complaints from her, no arguments or attempts to change my mind. I teased her a little, though. “A town called Rosemere.”

“Tell me about it?”

So I did. With eloquence I seldom owned, I described the village in detail. Her face softened as she listened and a smile formed. Momma Oaks covered me in questions about the people, the customs, the boats, and the market. She seemed half in love with the place before I concluded my account, and she didn’t even know what I had in mind.

“But I’m not the only one moving,” I said at last. “You and Edmund should pack your things. Soldier’s Pond is a worthy place, but it’s not for us.”

“Will they let us in? Is there enough space?”

She was still thinking like a refugee, like someone who had lived her whole life bound by Salvation’s restrictions. I put my hand over hers. “Momma, there are no walls. Evergreen Isle is huge, and the village has lots of room for new houses. You’ll love it. Trust me.”

“I do,” she said with teary eyes. “I’m sure it’s everything you say.”

“I don’t plan to winter here. If we hurry, we can get there before the first snow. And we might be able to build before the ground freezes.”

With those words it was like I lit a fire under her. “You’d be surprised how fast I can pack when I’m driven.”

“Nothing good about you would surprise me at all,” I whispered, but she was already out the door, ready to uproot their lives on my word.

I don’t deserve to be this lucky.

Fade met me outside the bunkhouse. “I hear we’re moving to Rosemere.”

“Is that all right?”

“It’s a little late to be asking my thoughts, isn’t it?” In the morning light, I couldn’t read his expression. Sometimes I worried that things were different between us, but I hoped it was because we slept in a room with my parents, not because he was mad that I’d left him to heal up alone while I did my duty to the families of the fallen.

“We were so happy there,” I whispered.

Then he smiled, assuaging my anxiety. “I can’t conceive of anything I’d like more. I loved everything about it.”

“Tegan’s still there with Morrow. Maybe she’ll stay.” That would please me mightily, as I’d have all my friends and loved ones close by.

“I hope so,” Fade said.

It occurred to me then that he might be wondering, but feeling too shy to ask. So I whispered, “I’m not breeding, by the way.”

Fade hunched his shoulders. “I think Edmund knows. He keeps staring at me.”

“That only works if you have a guilty conscience, son.” My father’s comment made both of us jump. He stood on the path with his arms folded, tapping one foot. “I thought you said your intentions were honorable.”

I might die of this, not in battle.