Kevin dismounted slowly, keeping a wary eye on Raina. He knew better than to chase after her. Knew better than to attempt to offer any comfort. Fully in the throes of adrenaline let-down, she’d fight him with claws she didn’t know she possessed.
Everyone reacted differently, and he had his stories, having dealt with the situation nearly every assignment with those he rescued. His lovely wife became detached, panicked, ill, and likely would reach the angry phase shortly. Since he knew from a couple days ago when she managed to get him on the floor, she packed quite a lot of energy in her small frame. She’d come at him with all her anger, fear and confusion. After that, she’d probably crash. He’d wait her out.
Sighing, he reached into the saddle pack, dug around for clean clothes and a medical kit. His right thigh burned from the lucky swipe of a blade. His right shoulder, left side and right hip would be bruised tomorrow. He’d chosen this route for its efficiency to get them to the last passenger rail-line stop this side of the Northern Boundary, and the creek they’d have to cross over. The narrow, flowing body of water was hidden by the tree line.
Walking with Eadric trotting behind, Kevin made his way to the shelter of the trees, keeping Raina well in sight. On her hands and knees, her shoulders shook. Everything in him went to not rushing to her side. He took another calming breath, tied off his mount and disappeared into the trees. He had to be free from the blood of those he’d killed before he touched her again.
After checking on her once more and ensuring she hadn’t moved, Kevin stripped and waded into a deep section. The cold water rushed around his aching body, soothing tired, sore muscles. Diving under, he contemplated which Raina would hate more – what she’d seen of him, or where they were going.
Under the water, he scrubbed his hands over his face and then rose. He did a quick assessment of his injuries. The slice in his thigh was concerning. While the bleeding had slowed to a trickle, the cut was deep enough to require stitches. He had some wound strips and iodine to use for adhering and disinfecting from Sean. They’d have to be enough.
Rising from the water, he assured himself Raina was still safe and found a boulder to sit on. He searched through the med kit for what he needed. A loud, soul-wrenching wail sent birds flying from the trees and field in a flutter across the darkening sky. The anger phase had finally hit.
Naked, Kevin moved quickly. He brushed iodine on the stab wound, clenching his jaw against the fresh wave of pain the antiseptic brought. Then, as carefully as he could, he held the edges together while applying strips to the wet iodine. To make sure they stayed stuck, he brushed on a top layer. He dressed swiftly and then headed for his wife. A rock arced in the air away from her, followed by a handful more. He stopped, waited until the throwing of pebbles became weak tosses away from her.
Kevin approached her slowly. She turned on her knees. Her pale brown eyes narrowed as she launched herself upward. Anger danced in her gaze. Knowing he had to weather the storm, he stood his ground.
Raina’s fists slammed into his chest with her full hundred and fifteen pounds behind the action. “How could you keep that from me? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kevin caught her hands, holding them firm near his heart. He wanted to crush her to his chest, dig his fingers into her now wild hair and comfort himself that she was alive. Healthy and safe. Somehow, he managed self-control. “Would it have made a difference, honestly?”
She sagged into him with a sob. “I would have known more.”
“You would have imagined and still lacked faith in my ability,” he answered softly. “What I can do… it’s rare.”
Tears glistened in her eyes when she lifted her face to him. “And my father uses that ability, doesn’t he? That’s why you have so many scars. What are you?”
The fear was gone from her expression, replaced with something he didn’t want to recognize or acknowledge. “Yes, he does. I’m what’s called an Interceptor. Have you heard of one?”
Slowly, he put enough distance between them to guide her to the creek, knowing she’d appreciate the cool, clean water as he had.
“No, I’ve never heard of one. Do you intercept things by fighting?”
“Fighting is never something I wish, but yes, I intercept people, or documents, or whatever else needs to be kept from falling into someone’s hands it shouldn’t be in. Sometimes people aren’t willing to let it go.”
A tremor raced along her muscles beneath his hand. He fought to pull her into an embrace. “Like Enbrackon.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now wash up. We have a bit longer and we need to hurry so we don’t miss the last train.”
“The last train to where?”
Kevin took a deep breath. “New Hampton.”
She worked her bottom lip, stepping over protruding rocks closer to the edge of the creek. “Where is that?”
“The Northern Boundary, past the Tabrias.”
“The Tabria Mountains?”
“Yes.” He guided her closer to the water, onto a high rock she could kneel on to cleanse herself and not get soaked.
“I’ve never seen the Tabrias. I thought they were impassable.”
“No, there’s a pass, always has been. They are intimidating I will admit, so many consider them impassable. They shelter the rest of the country from the harsher Atlantic winds, especially in the middle of winter when the arctic airstream shifts, but without a pass, we’d all still be stuck on the other side and someone else would have claimed the southern half of Sziveria.”
She gave a little snort while she splashed in the water. Droplets fell on her dust covered skirt and ran down her arms. “Every child learns the lessons. I know about the Tabrias and early colonization after the Primal Years.”
Careful of his injured thigh, he eased down on the rock beside her. “Then you should have known about the pass.”
“Yes, should have.” The distant note in her voice told him she’d rather be discussing something other than geography.
Kevin let her have a few more moments. “Deep breaths,” he reminded when she’d stiffen and stop moving. She’d inhale and go back to using the water to try to wash some of the horror of the afternoon away. Nothing but time would ease the fear, and even then not all.
When only faded gray light remained, he forced himself to rise, careful to keep his face neutral despite the pain flaring through his muscles. He offered her a hand. For a moment he waited tensely, thinking she’d refuse, her gaze moving over his fingers. Then she slid her cold hand into his and allowed him to help her rise.
“I have a blanket if you think you’ll get cold on the rest of the trip. The temperature is going to drop quickly.”
Kevin tried to keep his heart calm as she threaded her fingers through his on their walk to Eadric, not wanting to hope at what it might mean. “How long do we have?”
“Just over an hour.”
“I should be fine.”
All the same, Kevin did his best to shelter her smaller frame in his larger one on the ride. She burrowed close and he swore she’d fallen asleep when he reined Eadric in at the train depot. Her spine straightened with a gasp when he went to dismount.
“It’s okay,” he said, placing a calm hand on her hip. “We’re at the train stop.”
“That didn’t take long.”
“I think you fell asleep.”
A small street lamp burned next to the quaint porch of the rail station. Shock registered on Raina’s face. She blinked down at him and held out her hands when he reached for her.
“I can’t believe I slept.”
“It’s been a hard day.”
She cast him a stare that said, ‘Really?’ complete with a raised brow. Kevin couldn’t fight a smile. In the pitiful light, with the biting cold cutting through their clothes, her hair a wild, tangled mess around her shoulders, and her cheeks wind-burned, Kevin wanted to kiss her so badly his chest ached. Instead, he brushed his bruised knuckles along her jaw and then grasped her trembling hand.
The building was small by their standards, more of a shack or shed in appearance with a small porch barely a step from the ground. Kevin pulled her into the slightly warmer interior. Rows of benched seating faced a low burning cast-iron pellet stove. Dust covered the edges of a warped wood floor, worn in places by years of walking.
Raina found a seat near the heat while he bought their tickets. The bleary-eyed old man in the ticket box moved with a speed Kevin had come to expect this far north, away from the rush of civilization. Leaning against the rough wooden counter, his gaze wandered to his wife’s form. Shoulders hunched, hands clasped between her knees, she couldn’t have pulled more into herself unless she curled into a ball on the bench. A knot fisted in his gut. Damn Enbrackon. She looked so fragile and worn, and the worst hadn’t even hit her yet. He clenched his teeth. Nope, she wasn’t done figuring out if he was the enemy and someone to hate.
The slow, drawn out click-click of a stamper drew Kevin’s attention back to the ticketing agent. Two passes and a stable-loading ticket for Eadric slid across the counter to him, along with the stern point to the time on the clock hanging off to the left of the wood stove. Kevin nodded his acknowledgment of the unspoken warning. He was responsible for catching the train on time. As if they had anywhere else to go or wait.
Kevin went back outside, taking a slow deep inhale of cold, clean air. The train was due to arrive any moment, but the lack of a distant deep reverberation told him it was running late. He checked the ties on Eadric’s reins before returning inside, joining Raina. She didn’t glance his direction, or even recognize his presence, staring blankly at the tiny dancing flames behind the small panel of glass.
“How much longer?” Her voice was thin, weak, so low he almost missed her words.
Glancing at the clock, he answered, “Hopefully no more than fifteen minutes. There shouldn’t be any ice on the tracks to slow them down.”
She nodded, her fingers clenching together.
Twenty minutes later, the train rolled to a screeching stop. Kevin removed the pack from Eadric, handed his trusted Icekutian over to a traveling stable-hand with the horse’s ticket and then went to collect Raina. She jumped when he touched her shoulder and then stood without a sound.
Kevin grasped Raina’s elbow and guided her onto the train and down a narrow, dark corridor to a private cabin. Small lanterns flickered every third door, producing enough light to make out the brass unit markers beside each folding door. Though small, the suite had two benches that fitted together into a bed, and a small corner bathroom. Opting not to assume she’d wished the bed made, he sat on the smaller bench across from her. The conductor came around, punched their tickets and then left, folding the door closed behind himself.
Raina stared at the closed door, frowning. “Why didn’t he ask if we needed anything, or even light the lamp for us?”
Kevin braced his feet along the edge of bench she occupied. “Because this isn’t a MagnaRail. It’s a regular railed passenger train. We’re lucky they even offer a private accommodation. If you want anything to eat or drink this far north, you bring it yourself. You do everything yourself.”
In the silvery shadows, she continued to stare at the closed door, her frown intensified. “Why?”
Kevin took a deep, bracing breath. “What do you remember from your lessons about Sziveria and the Northern Boundary?”
“Not much, sorry.” She fussed with the fabric of her skirt, brushing and smoothing her fingers along the soiled folds.
“Beyond the Tabrias is sovereign land, but ungoverned by Sziveria. As a result, there’s little to no national support. The land belongs to our country, but isn’t maintained or governed by it. The three prisons that run along the northern coast are the only organizations that receive anything from Sziveria. Everyone else exists at their own risk, or their own freedom, many would say.”
She twisted on the seat and shifted until she was in the corner next to the window. Pulling her legs up onto the seat, she wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees. “What does that have to do with attending to us?”
“Money. The cost of this suite was the same as a coach ticket on the MagnaRail. He doesn’t earn enough to see to anything other than punching tickets and throwing stowaways off.”
“There’s no money past the Tabrias?”
“Not like you think. Most of the economy runs off trade. Actual currency is rarely used within city limits, and only for things that come or go over the Tabrias.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “If I needed a new skirt, I’d need something to barter with?”
“For the fabric yes, and if you can’t make it yourself, then for the seamstress, yes. No readymade clothing where we’re going.”
Raina picked at the hem of her skirt. “I guess fashion isn’t important.”
Kevin’s lips twitched and he was thankful of the darkness surrounding them. “Not particularly, no.”
“And you’re taking me up there because no one can find us?”
“Properties aren’t registered with The Record’s Department, so no one knows where we’re going.”
“Except your team.”
Kevin didn’t stop the smile this time. “Except my team.”
Seagulls cawed and floated on the constant winds above. Raina squinted, glancing up at the bright, yet cloudy sky, noting the hundreds of drab gray birds diving around or at each other when another dared to intrude on their air space. The train ride had taken most of the night, stopping at the last city before continuing on with the next work shift and cargo for the maximum-security prisons.
Eadric picked his way over a rocky, deeply rutted dirt road. Despite the poorly maintained route, the beast of a horse seemed perfectly at home, keeping a steady pace. Dawn had broken hours ago, though Raina wondered if color ever graced the sky that seemed endlessly ashen. A steady cold wind carrying flecks of snow, smelling of salt and brine, teased her tangled hair. She fit right in with the few people they’d passed, dingy and road weary.
They’d ridden through two areas she’d hardly consider towns, consisting of a few ragged, drooping buildings clumped together. Kevin had said nothing, but she’d caught the staked in signs naming the area as an official settlement. The town the train stopped in had entailed a few stores, a radio communications building, the rail depot and what had looked like a large community greenhouse. That’d been the last true mark of civilization.
Raina tried to remain calm. He wasn’t taking her to one of these six-building towns where there’d be no means of procuring basic necessities.
He wasn’t.
She took a deep breath, tried to focus on the cold, the sorry excuse for a road, the strong man at her back, anything but the unknown they headed for. Evergreens rose high above them, somehow finding purchase among boulder outcroppings and tall, golden grass. Sand blew across every surface, building thick in the ruts carved into the road. Patches of snow and ice dotted the landscape, adding to the colorless feel of the land.
The tree line broke, revealing a high cliff face and a field of tall, swaying grass. Beyond a dotting of buildings, some nearly to the edge of the cliff, others almost appearing to be built into it, rose on a gently sloping hill.
“New Hampton,” Kevin stated.
“How many people live here?”
She felt his shrug along her back. “I don’t know, maybe three hundred?”
“It’s a real town then, not a settlement of fifteen or so people.”
“It’s a real town, yes. Those settlements are usually families that have either been forced out of a town for whatever reason, or no longer wish to remain among a population, but need to remain on the road for ease of travel.”
“Are there some who settle off of main roadways?”
“Sure. Anywhere out here there could be families making their own way. It’s one of the calls of the Northern Boundary.”
“But Sziveria isn’t the only country north of the boundary line.”
“True, but our country has come to think of this as simply Boundary land.”
Raina chewed on her bottom lip. “So… are there a lot of outlaws up here?”
“No more than near the docks in Haven City, waiting for a ship to take them somewhere new.”
She considered the information and then looked out over the now visible ocean. White capped waves churned in the blue-green water. Little boats bobbed along, some with bright poles sticking off at odd angles. The ever-present seagulls hovered over the top of each craft, or outright dared to perch on the edges.
A low mist drifted along the ground as they neared the town, seeming to soak up any shades of life the buildings may have managed to maintain. Flecks of red, yellow, blues and greens remained on a few signs or clapboard walls, but most were old graying wood, or wind worn brick. Sagging porches, boarded up windows and crumbling walls made up most of the buildings, repaired only where people seemed to dwell or use the space for any useful purpose. The rest left to the elements. Little grass patches and saplings grew out of rooftops, wide windowsills and abandoned building windows.
Kevin continued on, past what Raina figured was the main street through the township and down the other side of the sloping hill. The cliff slowly leveled out until they were almost ocean level. The buildings became further apart. He turned down a narrow, switch backing pathway lined with grass and boulders, some so large she couldn’t see over them. The trail ended into a waist high fenced-in lot on a huge stone outcropping. No other buildings in sight, and when she looked up, she couldn’t see the main road anymore, which meant, they couldn’t see them either. The house was completely isolated except from the ocean, whose angry waves crashed on the beach thirty feet below. An overgrown foot trail led to the private beach, closed off on either side by a gently curving inlet.
“Welcome to Merrick Cove,” Kevin said, dismounting.
Raina took in the two and a half story, rectangular building. Three stories on the side facing the ocean, two on the land side. Built into the sloping terrain, the cinder block building was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Large rectangle windows divided into small panels took up the top story, while smaller square windows dotted the ground level floors. Gray streaks covered the once cream, or perhaps gray, painted exterior. A porch came off a door from the second floor, stairs leading up to it from the ocean side. From the land side, she noted a ground floor door.
“It’s pre-cataclysm. One of the only remaining buildings from before. My family has lived in it since the first migration to this land.”
Raina stared at the drab building with renewed interest. It was likely a thousand years old, or older. Somehow his family had managed to keep it in one piece and still livable. “Where was your family from, before?”
Kevin shrugged, leading Eadric with her still riding through the gate. “No one can remember, just that it was a long ocean ride and colder than here.”
She knew that story well, her own family had a similar one. “Seems to be the same for most.”
“The Primal Years cost most families their history. We’re lucky anything, let alone anyone, survived.”
Raina looked over the simple building. A worn wooden sign hung between a window and the door of the first/second story that read Merrick Cove, the letters carved deep into the wood. At one time the words had been painted yellow, the sign red. Enough remnants remained to help her visualize what the sign must have once looked like.
“You grew up here?”
“Yes, my entire family once lived out of this building. Then slowly they ventured off, past the Tabrias, until only my father’s parents remained. He inherited it, and then I did.”
She blinked back a longing for the sense of family his heritage brought. A connection to something as far back as anyone could remember. Her own family had nothing like that. Yes, Synintel had his ranked property, which had been passed down to him from her grandfather, but beyond that, there had been a prior Synintel. And after her father, there would be a new one, who’d take over the rank, responsibilities, and the property. They’d have a new history, a new story. She realized with a little wonder, as a Merrick, she was part of this property’s history now.
Kevin helped her down and walked away before she could ask any questions or even touch him for longer than a second. She’d spent the entire train ride at war with herself, alternating between wanting to crawl into the safety of his arms and despising what he was capable of. Hating that on one side, she needed the knowledge of the safety he provided with his skill, and on the other, the knowledge he used that same talent to kill. Had done so for years. How many? How often? And what had it cost him? Did her father even care? And would Kevin eventually hate her for the price he’d pay?
So she’d kept her distance, kept quiet, and tried to block out the memory of Kevin’s fist driving a knife through another man’s skull. Of the blood, the screams, and the impassive expression he’d worn the entire time.
He unlocked the door up the stairs, then returned to Eadric. Raina drew her brows together at the uneven way he walked.
“Did you hurt yourself?” she asked before he could disappear around the side of the building.
“No, I’m fine. Go on inside. You’re cold enough. I’ll join you a bit.”
Raina went up, using the wall for support, lifting her filthy skirt to keep from tripping. Inside, the house was dark. The little square windows provided minimal light. The musky scent of dust and disuse permeated the air. Open stairs led down to the ground floor, a quick peek showed a kitchen with a large wood stove and a small round table. She couldn’t make out all the space, but wide wooden counters, a sink and cupboards lined at least one wall.
She ventured further, noting a huge fireplace, and a section walled off with two doors. Stairs leading up were near the front door on the other side of the living space. There were only two rockers in front of the fireplace and a huge, bench style table in the center of the room for furniture. A large grand piano took up the space beside the stairs.
Kevin entered, dropping a load of wood on the floor next to the fireplace, where a small stack was already neatly built. He tossed dry tinder into the hearth and then used a steel fire starter to create sparks and bring the fire to life. Raina sat on the bench nearest the fire and glanced around.
“When will someone arrive?”
“What do you mean?” he asked without looking her direction, feeding small pieces of wood into the blossoming flames.
“To prepare our rooms and food.”
He was silent for a moment, building the fire. “No one will be arriving.”
Raina blinked, thinking she must have heard wrong. “Excuse me?”
Kevin slowly stood, brushing his hands together to clear them of sawdust and dirt. “It’s just you and me, princess. No one else.”
Her father’s words from weeks ago slammed into her like the train they’d departed from. I think the question dear daughter, is would he really do that to you? Make you live well outside your comfort or station?
The words hadn’t made any sense to her then, nor had Kevin’s reluctance to allow anything to progress beyond the passionate moment of weakness he’d shown her weeks ago, because of what would happen if he lost his rank. She’d be here, at Merrick Cove, in an unknown city so far from what she considered civilization and the luxuries she had never lived without.
Panic that she’d somehow managed to keep at bay flooded inward. She gasped, tears burning. A heavy pain blossomed deep in her chest.
“Breathe,” Kevin ordered gently, but made no move to come near her. “Raina, breathe.”
She took a gasping inhale as she shot up and paced. Tears spilled over and coursed down her cheeks. “Kevin… I can’t do anything. I am completely useless to you here. I can’t cook. I don’t clean. I can’t even brush my own hair! How am I supposed to live here without any staff? Not even one person? H-how could you do this? What were you thinking?”
His expression remained neutral, but his hands fisted at his sides, his frame stiff. “I was thinking you’d rather not be with Enbrackon, or see me dead. If you’d prefer, I can send you back on a train to your father, and I can stay here. But the last time I left you for any length of time, you were rather angry with me.”
He was right. Angry didn’t begin to describe how she’d felt living life without him. Lost, abandoned, lonely… No, she didn’t want to go through that again. She also had to take a moment and realize her selfishness. His only thought was to keep her safe. He wasn’t to blame for her inability to manage basic tasks.
“No, I-I don’t want to go back. I’m sorry.” She swept her hands in front of her in a motion to self-calm, forcing the residual panic attack away. “But what are we going to do? I wasn’t kidding when I said I am more than useless to you here.”
His gaze softened. “I cook, I know how to clean, and I can help you with your hair until you figure it out on your own. Tabby was supposed to pack you things you can manage to dress yourself in. They’re in the saddle bags by the back door.”
Raina swallowed the lump in her throat. “Where’s my room?”
“You can choose between those two.”
She looked at the two closed doors, only a few feet apart. “Is one of them normally yours?”
“The one on the left is the room I grew up in.”
She swallowed, wanting the comfort of his space, knowing it’d likely smell of him and be surrounded by the personal belongings he’d never bothered to collect in her home. But she wouldn’t. “Then I’ll take the one on the right. Thank you.”
With a straight spine, she managed to make her way to the room without looking over her shoulder. She knew Kevin watched her exit the living area, and when she opened the door, she immediately knew the room had belonged to his parents. A large bed, with simple square posters and a frame connecting between, stained a rich, dark reddish brown, took up most of the room. A sweet floral quilt covered the bare mattress. Drapes in matching rich floral colors hung from the frame, able to close off the bed to trap in warmth in the winter. Sheer fabric draped around the bed now, likely to keep the dust out with no one living in the space.
Little keepsakes boxes lined a long, narrow dresser. An armoire was situated in the far left corner. A wood stove with a beautiful stone hearth occupied the corner on the right, near the small window. Raina walked along the edges of the room, trailing her fingers along the dusty wood surface of the dresser and a small desk beside it. A door connected the two rooms. Her fingers brushed the cool brass knob, but she made no effort to turn it.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves held books, rolled maps, and loose sheets of paper. She picked up one of the papers. Dust trailed off, revealing musical notes. A music composition. One of Kevin’s parents must have played the piano out in the main area. She set the paper back and continued on, focusing on her surroundings and not the days to come where she’d be beyond useless.
There was no one to impress, to be polite to. No one to gain as a connection or an ally. There was also no one to do all the things she’d taken for granted in her daily life. She wanted to be angry, but she knew Kevin had made the right choice. Here they were safe. She couldn’t be used against her father, and Kevin couldn’t be killed. She closed her eyes as a new wave of tears broke free.
“It’s not forever,” she whispered into the empty room. “Not forever.”