Chapter 18

 

Later that night around the campfire, I noticed Walter and Gil had moved away from the group and were talking along the edge of the creek.

I was curious, but didn’t inquire. I just hoped Walter hadn’t produced any more fake stories about us.

Talan had helped Clara, who had managed an escape from Benjamin and had stayed to oversee the cooking of a very large pot of stew. Of course, Gil, Clarence, Jasper, Hugh and a couple of the other men tried to assist as well. Talan was the only one who wasn’t shooed away under her scrutinizing supervision.

As we ate the dried meat soup beneath the darkened sky, huddled around fires, there was a certain amount of anxiety. But patience prevailed. The men seemed used to Gil’s command and knew he would give orders as soon as he was ready to give them. Still, the auction was nearing, only hours away, and I was becoming uneasy with Gil’s silence on the matter.

I could feel the camaraderie fill the camp as we settled down for the evening. I almost felt like I was living a new life. Walter was definitely acting as though he was. None of this, however, sat well with Talan. Where I had James and Hugh, and where Walter had Gil or Jasper, Talan refused to become attached to anyone. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not empathize with him. It wasn’t that I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling about getting back to 2009 – I didn’t want to.

Someone tapped my shoulder and I looked over to see Walter kneeling next to me. "Hey, Sophie, can I talk to you?"

"Oh! Uh…yeah. Yeah." I nodded to James and Hugh. "Excuse me."

It was chilly, and I pulled my coat collar closer as I followed Walter to where Gil was standing just outside the light – and heat – of the fires.

Walter spoke first, "Sophie. Um… We’ve been talking about Talan."

"What about him?" I asked slowly.

"Your brother," Gil stood with his hands behind his back, "encountered Benjamin and some of his cohorts in town today?"

"Er. Yes." I was getting a little nervous. "But he didn’t mention any of this to them, I’m certain."

Gil nodded and gazed around the dark trees. I was scared of what he might be thinking. "He could be of great assistance to us."

His statement surprised me. "Talan?"

"Yes," Gil said. "Where is he?"

"I’ll get him," Walter said as he started off leaving me, for the first time, alone with Gil Ezra.

He shifted, which was an odd movement as his stance was usually firmly rooted. Then he faced me. "My sister told me of your hiding my letters from Lucas Holly."

I stared up at him. He was only a bit taller than I was. He didn’t look directly at my eyes at first, but when he did I nearly lost track of the conversation.

"My sister and nephew are the only true family I have left. Their safety is…" He looked as if he were having trouble with the sentence knowing full well that Clara and Edgar had been put in harm’s way more than once for him and even at that moment he had camped his entire vigilante army in their backyard. "…The most important thing to me."

There was a pause, and my mind was starting to form a reply when my ear caught the tail end of a rather heated but whispered argument as just then, Talan and Walter clamored up. First Walter, "What? Are you scared of him?" then the hissed retort, "I am not."

"Gil!" Walter cut Talan off, presenting his friend as a reluctant trophy. "Talan. Here he is."

"Yes, Talan." Gil stood like an anchor to his spot, hands still clasped neatly behind his back. "I’ve heard that you had a bit of a rendezvous in town with Benjamin and a few of his companions today. No doubt they had an unsavory word or two about me."

Talan flashed a that’s an understatement look and said weakly, "A few."

"But," Gil said, "it seems they trust you."

"I… I suppose." Talan looked at me, but there wasn’t anything I could say to help him.

"They speak to you freely about their views?" Gil asked simply.

"Yeah." Talan nodded. "They didn’t hold anything in."

"Is there some reason Benjamin likes you?"

"I don’t talk back?" Talan shrugged. "That’s the most I can gather."

"Does he think you’re on his side?" Gil’s voice was calm and casual.

"He asked me to hang out... uh… spend the afternoon with his friends, so he must."

"I agree," Gil said. "If he knew you were an abolitionist he wouldn’t have invited you. At any rate, it seems you have gained his trust. Stick by him whenever you can and alert us if he discloses any information we need to know. I’ll get you a derringer to carry. I want you to be armed, but I don’t want him to know you are." Gil nodded. "Thank you, Talan."

Talan looked aside in an is that all? expression. "All right."

I saw Walter’s jaw tighten, probably because Gil had given Talan an assignment and a salute or "Sir" had been nowhere near forthcoming.

"Very well," Gil said. He kept talking, though he was looking into the distance rather than at any one of us. "Tomorrow we move. Early morning we'll discuss the plan quickly. Excuse me. I need a word with my first lieutenant."

He nodded to Walter, Talan and me. I swear I could feel a brush of nerves as Gil moved past me, but his strides were casual as he walked toward the glowing encampment where he found Jasper.

It was a calming and pleasant scene before us. The tents were lit golden, a cream color of firelight reflecting off the canvas tents from the outside, or a lit candle from within.

Walter shifted toward Talan. "Thanks," he said. "I… uh, promised I'd help haul the last water for tonight..." His voice trailed off and Walter turned and walked away from us.

Talan looked like he had something to say, but he didn't speak.

"I'm sorry," I offered. "Look, if you want to talk about…"

"No," he said, perhaps a little more suddenly than he meant. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

I paused in the silence. "Well... good night, then."

"Yeah... Yeah. 'Night."

He walked toward the group of tents. I waited for a few moments and then slowly followed.