Ryan and Mildred had made up their lost ground. They were directly behind the group now, and could begin picking off members of the party the next time they stopped for rest.
And that would be coming soon, since the air had become filled with the smell and feel of a large body of water close by. They had to be within a mile of Erie Lake, and if Ryan and Mildred were going to make a try for Krysty, they’d have to do it soon.
If the raiders made it to their boats, who knew when Ryan might see her again?
“Maybe we should head straight for the shore and wait for them there,” Mildred suggested. “I can take them out one at a time as they come out of the woods.”
“That wouldn’t stop them from hurting Krysty,” Ryan countered. “We’ll wait for them in their boats. If they don’t turn over Krysty, we’ll fill them with holes.”
“The boats, or the raiders?”
“Both.”
“Now, that’s a plan,” Mildred quipped.
Just then a twig snapped somewhere to their left. It sounded like a patrol, or perhaps a straggler had doubled back again to give the rest of them a better chance to reach their boats.
Ryan moved cautiously in the direction the sound had come from.
Mildred took his right flank, the ZKR out in front of her.
There was a second movement. The leaves on the branches of a sickly looking tree just ahead trembled as if something had passed beneath them.
And then another branch flicked unnaturally, this time closer to the two of them.
They dropped to their knees and readied for a firefight.
“Dad?”
The voice was familiar.
“Millie?”
Ryan looked at Mildred.
“It sounds like Dean,” she whispered.
“A trick?”
“I doubt it.”
“Dean!” Ryan said.
“Over here.”
They made their way over to where they thought the voice was coming from, but still kept their weapons ready.
And then they came to a slight clearing and Dean was indeed there, looking well. Doc was also there, and Jak was just returning from a recce in the other direction.
“How did you get here?” Ryan asked.
“Wag,” the boy said. “Only way to travel.”
“Ah, my dear Ryan, and dearest Mildred, how good to see you,” Doc said.
“I hate to admit it,” Mildred responded, “but I’m glad to see you, too, you old bag of wind.”
“Is Krysty with you?” Ryan asked. There would be plenty of time for proper greetings later.
“No,” Jak answered. “Still waiting for raiders.”
“Then let’s get moving.”
SEC CHIEF GANLEY USHERED the raiders past, counting heads as they went. There were thirty-one now, significantly more than the number that left Reichel ville a couple of days before, but of those thirty-one, ten were new blood. Not bad considering where those ten had come from, and what they’d had to do to get them.
Now it was just a simple matter of getting into their boats and paddling across the lake to the southern shore. Once they were there, they could spend a day or two recovering from their trip and getting to know the new members of the ville…especially the redhead.
Ganley would never have taken a breeder for himself, but it was testimony to the amount of respect his raiders had for him that several of them went out of their way to acquire this gift. She was beautiful—gorgeous was probably a more apt description—and she was strong willed, feisty and in excellent physical shape. Unlike the other freed slaves, the redhead didn’t seem to be so enthusiastic about living in Reichel ville, but she’d come around. Once they reached the south shore, the sec chief would have the time to charm her.
She would learn to appreciate him, especially when she saw the reception he’d get on their return to Reichel ville. Once they left camp on the south shore it would be just a single day’s journey to the ville, where there would be a hero’s welcome for the victorious sec chief and his band of fearless raiders.
It was all so close to him, he could taste the sweetness of the triumph on his tongue.
The boats were less than a hundred yards away.
Past that, open water.
Just then, blasterfire cut a line in the sandy shore in front of the raiders. Fountains of dirt rose up from the ground, sending them all running and jumping for cover.
The burst lasted just a few seconds.
It was followed by silence.
Then came a voice.
“You have something we want!”
Ganley looked around, wondering what it could be.
RYAN LET THE WORDS linger in the air for a few moments, then repeated them. “You have something we want!”
“What is it?” came the reply.
“The woman with the long red hair. She’s one of us, and you’re not going to Reichel or any other ville until you hand her over.”
“Fuck you!” a voice said, different from the first.
“We captured her like the others. She’s coming with us,” another voice said.
Ryan was losing his patience, but he didn’t want to give the task of trading for Krysty’s life to anyone else. “We have two women here who want to join your group. We’ll turn them over to you for one of ours.”
There was silence for a long time.
“If you don’t agree to this trade, we have a cannon pointed directly at your two boats. If I don’t hear the word ‘yes’ from you in the next five seconds, the weapon’ll make sure none of you’ll be going home.”
“One!”
“An offer they can’t refuse,” Mildred muttered under her breath.
“Two!”
A moment of silence.
“Three!”
“Yes! Yes!” shouted several people in the group.
Doc helped the two women and the raider down from the back of the wag.
And then Krysty appeared out of the bushes.
“Go!” Ryan told the two women and the raider.
They passed Krysty along the way.
A man stepped out onto the beach. He looked to be the raiders’ leader. “We’ll be on our way now.”
Ryan nodded.
The rest of the raiders hurried past the man to the water. The two women were welcomed into the group and then directed toward the waiting boats.
Krysty ran toward her friends, falling into Ryan’s arms, where she held on to him for a very long time.