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“Money became pointless. We fell into bartering. However the barter system requires a unique overview of essentials and luxuries. Is it worthwhile making candy when you can’t find someone to supply you with clothing? If we all grow potatoes, who might have the butter?”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
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“WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?” Angus asked Tilly as she joined him at his table.
“It appears that Nixie is Rosa and Istvan’s daughter, but she doesn’t seem ready to reunite with them.”
“Ah.” Angus tapped a pen against the table thoughtfully. “That happens sometimes.”
“She’s been hurt.”
Angus reached over to squeeze Tilly’s hand. “They have found each other again. This is a safe place for them to become reacquainted at whatever pace she needs. You don’t have to do more.”
“I can’t do more,” Tilly muttered in exasperation. “I’ve got so many newcomers I’ve run out of minders. I thought we had a good enough plan, but all these people! Angus, we’re getting over run.”
“I know, my dear. I’ve been speaking with the Greeting Committee and the Watch. We are going to put up beds in the small gymnasium.”
“That’s awful,” Tilly interjected.
“It’s better than a lot of them have had. It will give us a chance to process them. Sort them out.” He peered past her shoulder. “Have you seen Wisp or Nick?”
Tilly did a second scan of the room. “No. Wisp might have gone straight to the field house.”
Angus struggled to his feet using the walker for leverage. “Martin said Wisp would give me a report after he settled in. I’d better start back to the office. Do you want to sit in?”
“Yes.” Tilly surprised herself. This was Angus’s domain, but things were changing again. With all these new people arriving, she needed to start delegating more of the work, so she could keep a better overview. “I need to check on a few things. I’ll be right there.”
She made a quick visit to the kitchen to check on cleanup from the second dinner and prep for the next day’s breakfast. Then she checked in with the Greeting Committee, who with off-duty members of the watch, were moving bunk beds and banks of lockers into the gymnasium. They created a barrier with the lockers sectioning off the room into smaller cubicles. She directed them to leave a large area for the new kids, so they could all be together. Nine bunk beds would take up a lot of space. She told them to disassemble the bunks for the adults. Since they had the room now, it was the least she could do to give them a little comfort.
Then a quick stop at the linen cupboard to find they were almost out of sheets. Another quick check at the showers showed that there was plenty of soap and shampoo for the time being. By the time she got to Angus’s office, she was out of breath.
Martin was already seated in the discussion circle. Someone had brought a pot of tea and mugs. She felt a thin sliver of guilt for not doing it herself. Things had changed so fast with the influx of people. Her duties no longer allowed her to fuss over simple things like tea for a meeting. Angus began pouring as she took the seat next to him.
“This is a new mixture that Bruno has created. I think there is mint in it, but he’s found some other herbs for us to try,” Angus said, handing out mugs.
Tilly sniffed the steam. The mint dominated. There was a mild sweetness underneath and an earthy tang. “I’d love a good old cup of black tea,” she mumbled.
“With cream and sugar?” Martin asked with a wistful look.
“Yes.”
“I’ve been talking to Istvan about sorghum,” Angus said.
“What’s that?” Martin asked.
“It’s like sugarcane, but something we could grow here. He said it isn’t hard to make a sort of molasses from it. And that it would be an excellent product for bartering.”
“Can we get a crop in this year?” Martin asked.
“Does he have access to seed?” Tilly asked at almost the same time.
Angus chuckled. “I asked him about seed. He said he had a packet for barter from a fellow growing it west of here. Might cost us two chickens and a rooster. But he said to treat it like corn, and I think if we get on it right away it might not be too late to sow this year.”
“It would be good to have our own supply of some sort of sweetener,” Tilly said. “We can’t rely on the foragers finding many more stashes of sugar. We’ve hardly got any left.”
“Bruno still hasn’t found a bee hive?” Angus asked.
“Too much rain,” Martin grumbled.
A knock at the door announced Wisp. Tilly noted that his clothes were dry, so he’d come through the tunnel. She also realized he was dressed more warmly than any of them. That made her worry. “Is the temperature dropping?”
“Yes.” He took a seat opposite Martin.
Angus handed him a mug. “A new concoction from Bruno.”
Tilly watched him sniff the tea. “What do you think?”
“Bruno is very knowledgeable about herbs,” Wisp said, although he examined the contents of the cup with a doubtful frown.
Tilly chuckled. “But you don’t like his experiments?” She took a careful sip. The taste differed from what the scent suggested. A sharp bitterness countered an almost flowery essence, both of which were blended into the clean flavor of the peppermint.
Wisp sipped, then sniffed, then took another sip. “Mint, dandelion and lavender?”
“Well done!” Angus said. “I wondered about the lavender, but I rather like it.”
Wisp put his tea down. “Nick has gone on a mission.”
Tilly immediately looked to Angus. His mouth flattened and a muscle in his jaw jumped. She found herself kneading her hands together. They had talked about this. Worried about it, really, that a time would come when someone would defy Angus’s orders. That it was Nick made it all the more an issue.
“Tell me,” Angus said, his voice deceptively bland.
“We encountered a group of men that I believed to be part of the pressgangs. Nick decided that going undercover and allowing himself to be captured would be the best way to acquire new information.”
“And you let him.”
“I have no authority with which to control his actions,” Wisp said flatly. “I did tell him that I was uncomfortable with the situation.”
“Did he have a plan?” Angus asked.
“He wants me to find him.”
“By yourself?”
“He told Wisp to bring the cavalry,” Martin added with a ghost of a smile.
Angus pulled a sheaf of papers into his lap to fuss with them. “I feared he would go off on his own.”
“He was FBI,” Martin offered. “It’s what he did.”
“He told me that, too,” Wisp said. “He was excited about going.”
“Can you tell if he’s okay?” Tilly asked.
“He is feeling a minimal pain,” Wisp said, his eyes losing focus for a moment. “Nothing life threatening.”
“And you know where he is?” Angus asked.
“I do.”
Angus sighed, settling back into his chair. “This is a bad time to spare people from the Watch to go off gallivanting after Nick.”
“If Wisp can do a quick once over of the newcomers, Tall Joe and I can set up a new crew for training. If I pair the new guys with veterans, we can double our numbers.”
Tilly shook her head. “More than half the newcomers are children or too sick to help.”
“I’ll take teens,” Martin said.
“Do we need to make it mandatory for everyone to spend time in the Watch?” Tilly asked.
“I don’t think that is the most efficient use of our resources,” Angus argued.
“You just don’t want to give up your researchers,” Tilly chided him.
“Ted’s children are smart and used to working together. You could use some of them for short surveillance shifts,” Wisp suggested.
“They’re children,” Tilly protested.
“They have lived on their own and survived,” Wisp said. “They have heightened senses of danger. I have no doubt they would be eager to protect their new home.”
Martin tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Wisp is right. Some of the older ones, like William has proven, will be ready to help out. Might help them settle in better if they have a job right away.”
“This will lighten our load for guards on the perimeter, but what about our fighters?” Angus asked. “I can’t let you take too many of them with you.”
“Don’t want too large a group out there,” Martin said. “If we’re outnumbered, it’ll be a stealth extraction anyway. We just need enough to watch each other’s backs.”
Wisp agreed. “Six, eight at the most.”
Tilly shivered, but she couldn’t say if it was cold or worry. The room suddenly felt quite chilly. “Martin, will you stay?” She could see the longing in his eyes. Maybe when things quieted down a little, he could go on a foraging trip, but right now she needed him nearby.
“Of course. I’ll take a look at my roster. See who would be best to go.”
“Everett might,” Wisp suggested.
“They’ve barely gotten settled,” Tilly said. “And Mary’s due any day now.”
“It’s his niece, not his daughter being born,” Wisp said. “I think he would like to get away. His brother is the farmer. He’s more of a hunter and guard.”
Tilly stared at Wisp. “How do you know it’s going to be a girl?”
Wisp looked away, giving her a slight shrug.
Angus gave a cheerful guffaw. “Ah Wisp, you are a constant surprise.”
“Can you tell when the baby will be born?”
“Soon.”
“I already said that,” Tilly rebutted.
Wisp looked up at the big clock over the door. “Soon.”
Tilly pushed herself to her feet. “I’d best go make sure the infirmary is ready.”