“Were you going to come after us?”
“Of course. I was just ready to leave when you came back.”
She stared at the flames. “You know I wanted to. Even with little in the way of a plan, I wanted to run away.”
That hurt. “Why didn’t you?”
“Zadok refused to go.”
“Why not just go by yourself?”
“Because he’s all I got.” She met my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere without him.”
Without another word she moved into the lean-to, laid down and draped an arm over her brother.
I watched them until Myra’s breathing matched Zadok’s and I knew they were both asleep. “Because he’s all I got” still rang in my ears.
I stoked the fire, and settled down beside it in order to compensate for the lack of cloak or blanket. Lying on my back, I stared up through the tree canopy into the starry sky.
The last thing I remembered before closing my eyes was hoping that in time Myra might see things differently.
It was definitely not the homecoming I had expected.
CHAPTER 14
“Now?” Zadok whispered.
He squatted just above the creek’s surface. Straddling two large stones protruding from the water, he stared down at the fish playing as though it wanted to go through the narrowing between the stones.
“No. Not yet,” I answered, voice just as low. I stood in the shin-high water, squatting almost as low as Zadok. The cold water sent a chill up my spine I tried to suppress. Shafts of morning sun flitting through the tree canopy illuminated our potential breakfast.
“But he’s so close.”
“Not close enough.” I watched the fish decide his path downstream. “Remember, this takes patience.”
“Now?” he asked, excitement trying to break free as the fish finally made its move.
“Now!” I yelled.
Zadok’s hands darted into the water splashing it up into my face and bare chest. The jerking motion caused him to lose his balance. He pitched forward. My arms shot out to catch him. The shift made my foot slip on the algae in the river bed. We both crashed into the chilly water. If I hadn’t been awake before, I definitely was after that.
I sat up gasping, soaked head to toe. Above my labored breathing came Zadok’s giggling laugh. He was jumping up and down on his way to the bank. “I got it, Pa! I got it!”
In his hands squirmed a ten-inch long, striped yellow fish.
I forgot the cold, jumped up, and dashed toward him, laughing just as loud, partly because of how the catch had occurred and partly because of his reaction to it. I grabbed him in my arms and gave him a big hug. “I’m so proud of you, Son. That was unbelievable.”
“Thanks Pa, you’re a good teacher.”
In that one perfect moment, I got a glimpse of the life I had always imagined I’d have-a life filled with moments that I had taken for granted before I joined the army. Teaching my kids how to fish just as my pa had taught me and Ava had been something I just knew I would do. Never did I think something so insignificant would hold the importance it did now.
I put Zadok down, but we were still jumping around and laughing like fools when I heard Myra’s voice.
“Zadok! Zadok! Where are you?” She sounded almost frantic.
“I’m over here!” he yelled back.
She emerged through the trees a moment later. One hand held the unsheathed dagger I had given her the night before. The other she used to keep my cloak pulled tightly about her. Sleep still haunted her eyes.
“What in the name of the gods are you doing? I was worried something had happened to you.”
“Why?” he asked. “I was with Pa. He’s teaching me how to fish.” He showed her the wriggling catch.
“We’ve got three more over there,” I said pointing. “Enough for breakfast after we clean them. No more luck with the rabbit traps last night, so I thought this would make a good alternative.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked.
“We tried,” said Zadok. “But you wouldn’t budge.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It just looked like you could do with the extra rest.”
She gave me a look, then turned her attention back to Zadok. “Why are you soaking wet? Did you catch the fish with your whole body?”
“I slipped. Pa tried to catch me, and we both fell in.” He chuckled.
“Well, at least you’ve got your shirts off,” she said grabbing them off a low hanging branch.
“Yeah, Pa was worried they might get wet.”
“He must be a soothsayer,” she said sarcastically. She took off my cloak and wrapped it around Zadok. “Go back to the clearing and get out of those wet pants until they dry. The last thing you need is to catch a cold.”
“But the fish-”
“Myra’s right,” I said. “I’ll take care of the fish.”
“No,” she said. “I’ll take care of the fish. You should go do the same and get out of your wet clothes. You can stay under the blanket until they dry by the fire.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“You don’t need to be getting sick either,” she said, giving me a look, head cocked, mouth puckered. Her expression softened. “What?”
I blinked. “You remind me so much of your mother. You even sound like her.”
She looked away.
That had been the wrong thing to say.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”
“Go back to the fire, Tyrus,” she said, voice melancholy.
I thought about pressing. “All right.”
With my entire body damp, and the day still trying to warm, the comfort of the blanket was a welcome relief as Zadok and I huddled around the fire. He was still going on about his catch when Myra called out. “Everyone decent?”
“We’re covered,” I said.
She entered the clearing with four cleaned fish. Grabbing the skillet from my sack, the only other significant piece of cooking equipment I owned, she began cutting the fish up and placing them inside. I directed her to the salt and pepper I kept in a small pouch. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the buttery smell of the fish hit my nostrils. I swallowed the sudden outpouring of saliva before I resembled a house dog waiting for scraps.
The yellow fish cooked quickly. Within minutes of their cooling, we sat near each other eating communally out of the one skillet. I made a mental note to pick up a couple of plates to make meal times in the future easier.
After a few bites I began to slow. Myra gave me a look. “Eat.”
“It’s all right. I’m not that hungry.”
“Don’t lie to me, Tyrus. I woke up to your stomach growling during the night. I know you skimped on what you ate for dinner so we could have more. Don’t do it again. There’s more than enough food, and you feeling weak isn’t going to do any of us any good.”
I nodded at the sound advice, noticing the stark contrast between my children. Almost twelve, Zadok still acted and spoke very much like a boy at times, somehow maintaining all the excitement and even a bit of the innocence associated with childhood. Myra spoke like a grown woman. In fact, she spoke like a mother. I didn’t have to ask why. Given what they had been through, Myra had likely become the mother to Zadock that Lasha could not have been as she tried to keep them fed.
I followed my daughter’s advice, though I still held back some. Zadok after all, seemed to have a bottomless pit. By the time Myra disposed of the bones and cleaned up the skillet, our clothes had mostly dried and she was in a better mood.
Zadok and I threw our clothes back on. I made sure to hide my boiled leather under my shirt. It wasn’t going to fool anyone up close. However, I hoped I might appear less threatening.
Zadok chattered away to his sister about his catch, going over every detail to her for at least the third time. The affection she had for her brother was obvious. She acted just as excited and in awe with the third telling as she pretended on the first. When the story came to a conclusion, she looked my way before Zadok could start again.
“What’s your plan? I presume we aren’t going to spend the rest of our days here. Then again, if that is your plan, let me suggest we build a more substantial shelter before winter sets in.” She nodded toward the lean-to.