Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,6

their own by the self-appointed Marshland king.

What kind of ego did you need to give yourself such a lofty title?

She still recalled their time in the woods, hiding from the Enclave patrols out to exterminate them. The trees themselves almost as dangerous. The trek through the forest once Gunner found them and told them of a place they could settle took longer than she had the patience for. She’d let others herd the slower-moving members while she ranged ahead.

The massive tree fallen over the crevasse seemed a little too fortuitous to her, the chasm below rife with danger. They crossed it, moving quickly, and not stopping until they were far away from that crack that led to the bowels of the planet and its fiercest denizens. She’d wrangled with ghouls a time or two. She had the scars to prove it and didn’t recommend it.

The village the Marsh King gave them—because apparently he thought they needed permission to take over an empty place—seemed relatively safe. Almost a month here and the worst danger they’d dealt with came from the river monster with snapping teeth.

The monster—named Big Crunchy by little Kylie—was killed, and people now sported boots made of its skin. The meat tasted great in stew, and its teeth were perfect for making buttons, arrowheads, and even utensils. The excitement and usefulness of Big Crunchy spawned hunters in Haven, who went actively seeking another.

Casey was after bigger game. Something that offered a bit of a challenge; hence why she often roamed alone. Or tried to.

She made it to the rotted pier by the first bend in the river, hidden almost entirely in reeds, before she heard him.

“Casey!” Her brother never could wait to get close enough to talk in a normal voice. He always had to bellow.

She whirled and yelled right back. “What?”

“Titan’s here. He wants to talk to you.”

“The Tin Man himself.” She walked toward Cam. “What’s he want?”

Ever since Titan lost his limbs, he’d been different. He’d also gotten hitched to some princess and taken to living in Eden—more pretension, as the name alluded to the ancient garden of the gods.

Gods. Ha. More like tall tales for the gullible. Casey didn’t believe in a higher power, nor kings. She’d made the vow a long time ago to always make her own choices. Luckily for Axel, Haven’s current leader, his decisions aligned with her own.

“He wouldn’t say why he wants you. Just that it was important.”

“Are you sure he didn’t mean to say he thought he was important?”

Given Titan worked for the king, they rarely saw him, but they’d heard of his exploits—which her jealousy hoped were exaggerated. Apparently he’d had a hand in the Emerald queen’s demise. It caused much rejoicing, given the hardship they’d suffered under her reign.

Sometimes she wondered what was happening back in the old kingdom. Then she gave herself a shake. The Wasteland couldn’t compare to the lushness this side of the forest. The freedom was nice, too, even if it came with boredom.

Entering the village, she noticed more than a few new faces. It seemed other people had come to join their outpost on the edge of the marshes. Some were previous inhabitants who fled after the attack that led to the emptying of this place. Others were wanderers looking for a home.

Haven didn’t turn folk away until they’d had a chance to prove themselves. If a person had something useful to offer, even if it was just minding the little ones, they could stay.

Harm the group? Well, let’s just say Haven didn’t set those miscreants packing into the world for someone else to deal with. They handled it. Just like that supposed Marsh king did. She heard he had a taste for blood sport and no tolerance for those who broke the law.

Approaching the center of the town where most of the shit tended to happen, she heard high-pitched excitement. Probably because Riella—Titan’s wife, as they called it out here in the Marshlands—was handing out little gadgets that had the children running off, shrieking something about a race to see who was fastest. Casey was tempted to go watch. Riella made the neatest things. For a princess, daughter of a now dead despot, she didn’t entirely suck.

“You here to install more stuff?” Casey nodded to Riella.

The last time she had come for a few days to install a working communication system. It did the unthinkable by keeping them in touch with the capital and the other hamlets. While most electronics fizzed in