Page 65 of Echoes of War

I gave a slight nod, Moe rode up next to me joining her hand into my now extended one. She closed her eyes, focusing on the scene she wanted to unravel, my gaze steady on the intense green eyes ahead. I didn’t need to close my eyes to see the vision Moe unleashed, none of us did.

Carnage, death, rotted corpses lined the wall. Decapitated heads staked in a walkway straight to their front gate. Our magic mingled together, intensifying their fear, turning it into desperation. Some of the men at her side fell on all fours, grasping the air in front of them, seeing their loved ones’ shattered bodies instead of the green pasture. A wave of sadness cascaded through their being, one by one, I focused my energy on them. Preying on whatever weakness I could find, determined to heighten the worst of their most prevalent emotions.

When Moe released my hand, I was met with a look of horror. The green eyes on the woman at the gate lightened with a welling of tears. She straightened her composure, the tan in her skin returning from the ghostly pale it had faded to.

Slowly, she forced a warm smile. Her hand shot into the air, and the gate behind her opened at her command. “Come right on in.”

“That’s one thing I love about being home, Moe,” I said with charm, “you can always expect some real hospitality.”

The gate creaked open, we hopped off our horses leaving them to an older woman with frizzy gray hair and bronze skin. We followed the blonde-haired girl into what resembled a western front town during the time of expansion west. I remembered what Seth had taught me since we were kids along with what Amaia had enforced during our journey to Duluth. Staying vigilant of our surroundings was key to getting out of a sticky situation.And a sticky situation this is.

It was a dizzying task, checking for the exits and taking note of the elevated watchtowers lining their wall. Not only did I have to focus on the essential infrastructure checkpoints, but I also had to keep my eye on the disgruntled citizens grumbling under their breath at our presence as we walked through their town.

Carefully, I sent my powers out to the scariest, broodiest ones of the bunch, calming their nerves. Whether it was for their sake or mine, I wasn’t quite sure. All I knew was that if they received us well, their disgruntled leader would be more inclined to work with us. I wouldn’t touch her with my gifts, not yet, not now that she expected them. Something about her overall demeanor made me wary. Overlooking their outer appearance, she reminded me of Jessa. Cunning and smart, a woman who knew her way through the world.

I had missed her throughout the journey to Duluth. In between getting chased through the woods and tortured in a random basement and all. She was as wild as I was, never one to be held down by another. I valued our relationship, and for a long time, the freedom it provided. Then I remembered what had happened the morning I’d left.

When I thought about it, I couldn’t exactly remember when she’d even arrived. One day I’d been talking up Elie at the coffee counter and she’d flirted her way into taking my cup, forcing me to wait on the new one to brew. Then I began seeing her aroundThe Compound. Frequenting the places I loved, it seemed like a fairytale. Fairytales aren’t real though, she made that very clear.

The blonde woman led us into a cabin-like building at the center of their town, the jolt of the door against the wall bringing me back to focus. It was a simple layout, one large room. Near the back sat a dark oak desk. She took a seat, motioning for us to do the same. Moe and Abel sat in the two plush chairs that flanked the one directly across from the woman.

I glanced around at the decor, “Cozy place, could probably use a woman’s touch.”

A terrifying smile formed on her plump lips, “It has the only woman’s touch that matters,” her voice was cold.

“My apologies, Ms. …”

She scanned over my body, briefly halting at the outline of my breasts exposed from my unbuttoned coat. “Millie,” she said, offering no other information.

“Ah, yes, Millie. The animal heads mounted to the wall and overwhelming amount of plaid made me think we were borrowing someone’s office.”

Something was off, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Millie said nothing, just stared at me with hardened eyes. After a moment of tense silence, she smiled again. “You all parched? Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea, a good ole bourbon?”

“Waters fine,” I parlayed. “Thank you.”

She raised her hand again, the man standing guard at the door brought over a pitcher and four cups. He filled hers to the brim, stopping halfway with ours while holding my eye, a snarl forming in lieu of a smile.

I glanced away, studying Millie, trying to find an in. No matter which way I pried, she offered no additional information. I didn’t know much of Great Falls, well, really nothing at all. I did, however, know that Amaia knew every woman in power throughoutour network, a network Great Falls had once been in. There was something off here, and I couldn’t quite place my finger on it.

A silver band rested along her ring finger. Pointing to it, I asked, “There a Mr. somewhere around here?”

Millie frowned, a solemn look gracing her pretty features. “Therewasa Mrs. Are you here to talk business, or do you plan on keeping up with the misogynistic bullshit you’ve been leading with?”

Abel coughed a laugh, finding humor in the way I was butchering things. I clenched my jaw, maybe I was coming off too strong. But now, I knew I had an opening.

I gave her a kind-hearted grin, “You’re right. Let’s start over. I’m Reina, this is Moe and Abel. We’re here to let you know it’s in your best interest to follow in Billings and Missoula’s stead. Courtesy General Bennett of Monterey Compound, of course.”

“Just Monterey?” Millie’s nose scrunched quizzically, “Last I heard she’s got her claws in all of Salem Territory and most of The Expanse.”

The mention of my sister’s power warmed my heart. Dang right she had her claws in half the continental US. Rightfully so too, the reliance on her had not been an unearned decision. These people were lucky she cared enough to include them in her plans. I wanted so badly to let her know we could leave them to be damned like Madison, but we weren’t. They were blessed when others would lose everything.

“What can I say? Don’t you love a woman in power? I know I do.” I smirked at her, bringing my eyes slowly up every graceful line in her body visible from her seat. Flipping my hair to the side, I leaned forward, bringing her face to face.

She shifted in her seat, head tilting in curiosity. “As a matter of fact, I do. So on with it, tell me why me and my people should join your cause.”

The door behind us flew open, a slender man walked in, though his size did nothing to diminish the aura of power he possessed. His hair was a brighter blond than hers tucked neatly behind his ears underneath a matching cowboy hat. He pulled his leather gloves off slowly, first taking my family and me in, then tracing over the woman behind the desk.

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