The Toils (Book Two)

IV. The Village

The dining hall at Pa was crowded, moreso than usual, Ruataupare observed over her breakfast.
Surrounded by soldiers clad in nothing except for a thin belt of burlap around their waists, she ate her weka silently.
She gazed over her shoulder upon hearing the rear door clatter open and watched as Rena bounced purposefully across the floor towards her. 
Rena bent down and whispered - "Thatchers at the western gate".
"And?", Ruataupare urged for more. 
"She isn't alone".

Strutting down the main strip, Ruataupares' eyes widened at the mass of people behind Thatcher. 
She stopped short of the wooden pales separating her from the crowd, Rena stood staunchly to her right, her gaggle of soldiers stood tall behind her.
"Where're Toff and Lobard?", Ruataupare asked bluntly, her voice raised slightly so as to be heard over the southerly breeze blowing flecks of white over them. 
The black sky atop them cast a somber mood across the scene.
Thatcher sighed, to her left she felt Asper tense up, a certain weight bearing down on her.
"They're dead", Thatcher put bluntly, her chest heavier with each passing breath.
"Harreina? Eldore? Do either of them know?". 
"No".
Ruataupare sniffed derisively.
"What?", Thatcher took a step forward.
"What changed inside you, Thatcher?", Ruataupare mimicked her and stepped forward.
The two of them were close enough so that their conversation was near private, though both Rena and Asper could hear quite clearly. 
"Is this really something you want to do here and now?", Thatcher shot back.
"I would've thought that notifying your allies that their second-in-commands had died was a priority for you?". 
"I thought we'd moved passed this?", Thatcher wobbled her head in disbelief.
Ruataupare said nothing. 
"Are you going to let me pass, or not?", Thatcher prodded. 
Ruataupare gave Thatcher a final grimace, before giving Rena the signal to open the gate.

Ruataupare led the crew of twelve hundred through Pa and down onto the northern beach, where a set of canoes lay. 
Over the following hour, the Settlers rowed the forty feet of shore and boarded the small schooner waiting for them.
Thatcher watched from the deck as Asper hauled the last of the refugees onto the boat. 
Standing at the wheel, Thatcher was surprised to see Ruataupare climb aboard.
"You keeping an eye on me?", Thatcher threw to her darkly. 
"Yeah, something like that", Ruataupare kept her back turned to Thatcher as she lifted the rope from the waves below.
Thatcher crossed to the opposite side of the deck, where she wound a crank to lift the anchor from the seabed.
"What is your fucking problem?", Thatcher hissed as she cranked.
"You. And the fact that you can't see where the problem lies, speaks absolute volumes", Ruataupare placed the wet rope onto the deck and turned to face Thatcher. 
From the captains' cabin, Asper stepped out and approached Thatcher.
"Can I do anything?", she asked quietly. 
"How's about you introduce yourself?", Ruataupare prickled. 
"Asper", Asper greeted, holding out her hand and crossing the deck.
"And how many people have you eaten alive?", Ruataupare ignored the hand in front of her.
"I-", Asper stuttered, lost for words. 
"Pull back!", Thatcher growled, turning to face the others. 
People started staring, watching the three women, congregating around the ships' wheel. 
"I think it's a fair question", Ruataupare shrugged, feigning innocence. 
"You have no clue what these people have given up for a decent chance at life, and your line of questioning isn't just arrogant, it's borderline idiotic", Thatcher spat on the deck. 
"Are you calling me an idiot?", Ruataupare chuckled, though it was a chuckle of menace, not humor. 
"Yeah, and even more, an arrogant idiot at that", Thatcher stepped forward, daring Ruataupare to escalate things. 
"Yeah", Ruataupare shook her head, "well I'd rather be an idiot than a naive fool".
With that, Ruataupare crossed the deck, entered the captains' cabin, and slammed the door closed.
Shaking her head, Thatcher took her place at the wheel, ready to direct the schooner to Gossfordshire. 

*

Thatcher couldn't tell what time they actually arrived in Gossfordshire, but given the lack of light radiating from the sky; she assumed it was around six o clock in the evening. 
Ruataupare finally exited her cabin once the crew had disembarked onto the wharf in the Citadel. 
"Make yourself useful", Thatcher spoke to her as they moved off the wharf and into the city, "go fetch Wolesley and Grayson from the Second House and send them out to the abandoned village south of Huttson". 
Ruataupare was clearly unimpressed at being given orders but nonetheless did it anyway.