It’s #bookqw and will our hero keep his ‘heart’ in his work when he meets the heroine?
More from Chapter 3:
Daeryn lifted his chin. “Yes.” He waited a beat, and when all Jac did was cross her arms in a show of exasperation, he continued. “Your departure with Terrent left the rest of us in the dark, the checkpoints abandoned, and Zar alone a mile away. With pests you claim have teeth like axes. Terrent deciding to return was a good decision—for the team. Sure, you found out a bit more about a pest, but was it worth risking the rest of us?”
Jac huffed out a breath. “Next time, I’ll communicate and cover our tails.”
But she wouldn’t. Jac would snap out impulsive orders and expect them to be followed, or dive into headlong chases, endangering herself and others. Things she’d never do if Owen were here to lead.
“Look,” Daeryn said. “All I’m saying is with these beasts afoot, having each other’s back is our top priority. Without Owen, all of us”—he looked around at his teammates—“have got to pay extra heed, not just Jac. We fight, and live, as a team.” For seconds, none of them said a thing. Then, one head bobbed in agreement, setting off all the others.
“Got it,” Jac said. “We’d better resume our patrols.” With a toss of her hair, she turned to go.
Miz Gere put a hand on her shoulder. “A moment more, please.”
Jac met her gaze, chin lifted.
“You’re a large ’cambire, a smart fighter, one well-suited for the action you undertook.”
That tone. The other shoe was about to drop.
“So I’m sure you’ll save me the trouble at this early hour of repeating Daeryn’s points about teamwork.”
Jac nodded. “The crops—”
“The crops are not lives.” Miz Gere’s glare cut off the excuses.
No one made a sound, least of all Jac, who had the good sense to just nod this time.
Miz Gere dropped her hand and crossed her arms. “I can grow more crops. But not people. This team makes me proud, functioning so well together, putting wholehearted effort to the patrols, and even plotting to solve new problems like this mysterious pest. Owen left you short, but you five devised a solution, so I never thought to intervene. Now our harvest is”—she drew a breath—“not a normal one. With landholders reporting an increase in the vermin across the northern Farmlands shire, and no date set for Owen’s return, I see the need for an interim change.”
Daeryn frowned. It was late in the season to get another nocturnal guard, a decent one at least. But wait. The lady hadn’t said addition, she’d said change. Which meant—
“Finally,” Jac muttered.
“Temporary, mind you,” Miz Gere said slowly as she looked around the group. “But until Owen returns, Daeryn, would you fill his place as team lead?”
~~~
Ingenious Victorian contraptions. Enchanted farmlands. Can a struggling orphan switch gears and run full steam into freedom?
The Unraveling is the first volume in a serialized novel, The Luminated Threads, that is complete in three volumes.
Download The Unraveling – Free for a limited time!
Buy The Twisting!
Support me directly on my Payhip Store.
~~~
On a personal note: My HMO is moving through their distribution of COVID vaccines and I was able to get my first yesterday, only two days after our one-year anniversary of entering self-quarantine on March 13, 2020. Of course, our household isn’t fully vaccinated and many people are still awaiting their vaccinations. I don’t see a lot of physical change in our lives as of yet, but the emotional relief is coming!
2020 started us on many good habits, like walking at dawn, eating more meat-less meals and buying recycled toilet paper in bulk.
Please stay safe and get your vaccination when it’s available to you!
Leave a Reply