Frozen air cut right through Eddie's coat. Technically it was Richie's coat, but Eddie had been wearing it for nearly two months so he considered it his own. It's not like Richie would ask for it back.
At the edge of the coast line Eddie and Stan could feel the frozen pieces of the sand. It crunches under their feet as they walked toward the forested area, Iris following closely behind them.
"We can go to Maggie. She'll help us," Stan said, knowing if he went to his father he'd be pissed. Not only did they kill Patrick, but they lost their whole group and Henry had become a traitor.
"Isn't that Richie's mom?" Eddie asked, cuddling deeper into his jacket.
"Yeah. She a great person," Stan responded, seeing how nervous Eddie was. "She won't hate you."
"It's my fault Richie's in danger."
"We'd be in danger either way. Don't blame yourself, Eddie."
Iris snorted in agreement, gently pushing Eddie forward with her head. In Richie's absence, Iris seemed to have made it her personal mission to protect Eddie at all costs.
They walked through the forest, the dark trees looming overhead. It made a fearful shiver run down Eddie's spine, but he tried to ignore it. He could tell Stan saw his fear but didn't want to mention it. Eddie appreciated that about Stan. He was an asshole, but he was never cruel.
Eventually Eddie could see the small wooden houses that belonged to Tenebrians. The sight shocked him. One Tenebrian house looked like a Lucantian shed! It made his heart lurch for the Tenebrians, who had been so mistreated and completely overlooked.
Eddie was also pissed. They'd never been told about the way Tenebrians were treated! They had just been taught that they were savages and that the wall existed to protect them.
"It's shitty, huh?" Stan asked, catching Eddie's shocked expression.
"I hate Luceat."
There was no emotion behind the bitter statement, and clearly no regret. Even though he knew everything Richie said was true, it hurt worst to see it in person.
Eddie was sure he would've cried if it wasn't for Stan forcing him to move along.
"We all do. Don't blame yourself. It's all according to our lovely brain tests," Stan said sarcastically, trying to lighten Eddie's angry and dark mood.
Stan guided Eddie to a small house that seemed even more broken down than the rest.
"Please don't tell me that Richie lives here!" Eddie exclaimed, gaping.
There was no form of insulation, meaning Richie must have froze most cool seasons. Not only that, but the windows were broken and the wind was blowing hard, meaning it'd be near impossible to light a fire without it going out.
"Yeah, he does," Stan said without emotion. "It's just him and Maggie so they don't have much money."
Eddie's heart ached as Stan knocked on the door. In an instant, a woman opened the door, eyes wide with fear. Her hair was dark and her skin was caked with dirt. It shouldn't have been surprising to Eddie that bathing probably wasn't a daily thing, but the thought angered him even more.
"Stan?" Maggie asked, embracing him before he could answer. She let out a dry sob before pulling him inside, Eddie following closely behind.
"How have you been?" Stan asked weakly, knowing Maggie was both angry and heart broken.
"I've been better! My fucking son took off with your rebels and didn't even tell me, so that's about how I'm doing! Is he okay, Stan?!"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it made Stan feel as though he was getting stabbed in the heart. He knew Maggie would have few options if Richie left and wouldn't be able to help but worry, yet he didn't know she'd be that angry.
"He's okay, I promise. You got our letter?" Stan said, cutting straight to their reasoning for being there.
"Yeah, I got it. Scared the hell out of me but at least we know what's going on. Where is Richie?"
"Konilla," Eddie said, knowing that Stan would try to cover up where Richie was. "He's on Konilla."
"What are you?" Maggie asked, confused.
"I'm Eddie," he responded, showing his arm. "I flipped sides and-"
"And he swaps spit with Richie on a regular basis. Anyway, back to the reason for us being here," Stan cut in, ignoring Eddie's glare. "We were both taken by Lucantians who have no overtaken Pona and killed the chief of Konilla so we need an army."
Maggie scoffed. "Go to your father, Stan. He can get you an army before I can," she snapped, walking to her bed and sitting down. "I wish I could help, but-"
"Maggie, no offense, but you've slept with all of the primary leaders in Tenebris. They'd be willing to help, as bad as that sounds," Stan said, crossing his arms and standing in front of Maggie.
Eddie's eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped. "What?!" he exclaimed, looking between the two.
"You're Lucantian, Eddie," Maggie said softly, clearly not discriminating against him whatsoever. "We all do what we have to in order to survive and get money, and sometimes we have to sink down. Richie was little and we needed food and money, so I did what I needed to keep him safe."
Eddie immediately decided he was going to do whatever was necessary to keep Maggie safe.
"You're strong," Eddie said, taking her hand. "We need your help. Please. I can't let my parents kill off all of your people."
Maggie sighed and stood up, running a hand through her wildly messy and knotted hair. "Fine. Meet us at your hidden base?" she asked, grabbing a shawl.
Eddie took off his jacket and handed it to her. "Sounds fantastic. And thank you."
"For what?"
"For protecting and raising Richie. I don't know what I'd do without him."
Maggie smiled gratefully at Eddie as she took off toward the mass of houses. They watched her go before taking their leave toward the forest where the hidden base sat, waiting for them to enter.
