Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,239

fight for what I wanted. It was time for revenge.

Chapter Seven

Aarav gave us two days to leave, but we planned to head out by morning. Luckily, the elders allowed Mia to stay while she healed, so Jules slept with her in the medic tent for the night.

Of everything, I feared saying goodbye to Payne the most. I knew Linda, Mia, Lilly, and Aarav would watch over him, but we’d built up a strong bond in the last five months. He represented everything I once loved about Josiah. He represented the naive innocence I’d abandoned when I left Stonewell Manor.

He couldn’t come to where we were going. Although I didn’t know Dominique well, she was the reason we were able to escape. I owed it to her to keep him safe and happy, which meant I’d have to leave him behind.

He was lingering outside the tent he and Linda lived in, watching Patrick, Huxley, and me approach. “So you’re gonna leave me, huh?” he asked. His boyish face was scowling at us, and the bright, glowing trees of the deadlands left ominous shadows along his pale skin.

“Ah, come on, kid. It'll be fine! We'll be back before you know it,” Patrick joked while nudging his shoulder. I sensed that he was trying to lighten the mood, but Payne didn’t budge.

“Why can’t I go?” he pleaded. Linda emerged from her tent to see what the commotion was. She then frowned at his dirty shirt and began brushing off his clothes.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to climb the deadlands trees?” she scolded. “I’ve told you numerous times, we need to keep your clothes clean.”

“I don’t care,” he said with a pout while pulling away from her. “Why are you leaving me, Ash? I can help!”

I knelt so that we were eye level, peering into his crystal blue eyes and forcing memories of a young Josiah from my mind. “You’ll be safe here. We’ll come back, and I’ll show you Dormas. Don’t you want to see Dormas?”

I’d been telling him about Dormas since the day we met. Keeping my memory of home alive gave me hope. He, too, seemed infatuated with the town of cabins and kind people. He wanted to visit my bakery and check out Cyler’s treehouse. I vowed to show him one day.

“I guess,” he said. “My mom said you’d play with me forever. She said you’d be my best friend and keep me safe.” My heart ached. Payne had been forced to grow up quickly, but he was still a child, after all.

“You know we can still be friends, right? Me being far away doesn’t change that. Nothing will stop us from being friends.”

I looked behind me, and Huxley and Patrick discreetly filed into our tent. Linda stayed put, eyeing Payne with annoyance and...jealousy? I knew that she’d always been jealous of Josiah’s and my close relationship. Now she was projecting onto Payne as well. I should have wanted to keep Payne from her. She was a major source of sadness in my life. However, I also wanted some small form of redemption for Mistress Stonewell. I wanted her to be loved. I wanted her to right the wrongs of her past.

“You know Mistress Stonewell will need to learn how to fish since we’ll be gone. Do you think you could be a big boy and take her to the creek and show her? I know she's excited to spend more time with you. Mistress Stonewell loves you very much.”

Linda froze but kept her expression cool. I'd never heard her tell Josiah that she loved him. She never voiced her feelings, and looking back, I wondered if she regretted not letting him know. Josiah died thinking that his mother prioritized her affair with Lackley over his wellbeing. I knew, if given the chance to do it all over, she would pick Josiah. She would have always picked Josiah. But maybe now, she could pick Payne—in her own weird little way, at least until she returns.

Payne looked to Linda with a grin. “Do you really? Can we go?” he asked her. I found it funny how quickly a child’s emotions could flip. He went from anger to sadness. Now he seemed excited.

Linda pressed her lips but didn’t shoot him down. “Go clean up and get in bed, and tomorrow you can take me there. But I’m not touching a fish,” she quickly added.

“Yes, Mistress Stonewell,” he said, straightening his back and turning to obediently enter the