Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,61

in her old bedroom. I was forced to bounce from room to room, depending on who had night-guard duty. Jacob opted to work most nights to avoid her, but as a result, the only time I had with him was when he snuck around the house while Jules was either away or indulging in one of her frequent cat naps.

Lois rounded the corner with her arms overflowing with more projects for me to do, but nearly dropped them all when she eyed Jacob’s impressive form playfully scrutinizing our hard work.

“Oh! He-hello! Jacob, it’s so good to see you. How’s our new schoolhouse coming along?” Her wrinkled cheeks reddened while she shifted the unpainted toys to one arm and straightened her long grey braid with the other. I grinned at her reaction to him. It was easy to get flustered around Jacob—around all of them; it was like staring into the sun.

“It’s going great, Mrs. Caverly. I just received another shipment of supplies. It should be ready within a couple of weeks. Kemper’s got us all working on it. We might even get Dormas’ resident artist to paint a mural on the outside wall,” he said. He threw a flirtatious wink my way, causing both Lois and I to sigh. He knew the effect he had on women, and he reveled in it.

“What brings you here?” I asked Jacob. I liked having my playful friend around, but it was definitely out of the ordinary. I’ve been on edge ever since Lackley’s forced deal, as well as worried that more of Dormas would end up exploited under the pressure of the Empire’s thumb.

“I came to pick you up,” he said before eyeing Lois with a polite yet intentional glare, giving me the impression that there was something he wanted to tell me without an audience. Lois inferred this, too, because she quickly got the hint and excused herself with an awkward bow that left Jacob and I feeling secondhand embarrassment on her behalf. I assumed that she would migrate behind one of the shop’s many shelves to try and eavesdrop, so I pulled Jacob by the elbow, farther away .

“We’re traveling to the deadlands tonight,” he said in a low tone while stepping closer to me. He smelled of soap and fresh air. Jacob crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the room for eavesdroppers. The easygoing playfulness of before rolled like mist over the tone of the room before disappearing into an ominous cloud between us.

“But why? The only thing in the deadlands are Scavengers,” I insisted while scrunching my eyebrows down in confusion.

“Exactly. Huxley was able to coordinate a meeting with one of the more open-minded Scavenger camps. They requested that the entire Dormas Leadership Council be in attendance, and the majority of us decided it was best that you come with us.”

My mouth gaped open in shock. Scavengers were wild and feral people that refused to move to the Walker Zones when the vaccine for X was first created. They were fearless, fierce, and a major source of trouble for provinces on the outer rim of the Empire. Back in Galla, I remember watching the reports late at night after Master and Mistress Stonewell were asleep. They showed videos of pale beings with intricate scarring on their backs, and blood running down their faces. They were known for looting and tearing down entire provinces.

“Are we sure that's a good idea?” I asked while rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Jacob looked at me with a grim expression while he ran his hand over his caramel chin. His deeply furrowed brow sunk, and I knew that he, too, was unsure about this meeting.

“We’ll be fine, Ash. I won’t let anything happen to that pretty face of yours.” He chuckled before pinching my cheek in an unconvincing friendly gesture that made me feel like a whining, insolent child. “Hux has a special relationship with this particular camp,” he added in, what I assumed, was a reassuring tone, but instead, more fear coursed through me.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” This new family was incredibly important to me. I was more worried that they were blindly rushing into a dangerous situation.

Jacob stepped closer towards me and wrapped his toned arms around my small frame in a comforting hug. I held my hands away from his defined back to avoid getting paint on his blue shirt. “You’re always worrying about the wrong things” he whispered.

“So you admit it, we have reason to