Decoy Danger

Mylo supposed he probably looked pretty strange, hiking down the road with a fluffy white cat wrapped around his neck like a shawl. And now Bret had started juggling pears; apparently he’d learned how to do it when he was in the orphanage and had to find ways to occupy himself. Trina was giggling as he walked backwards, juggling five at once. He was clearly showing off and she didn’t seem to mind. Mylo still didn’t really want a teenage love affair in the midst of all this, but at least they seemed to be having fun with the juggling. Maybe it was better than the constant arguing they usually did.

Speaking of fun, Shila had told him he should try to have some but he didn’t even really know what he liked to do anymore. He didn’t think he’d actually had any fun since before his father died. He’d most likely just worry that he wasn’t having fun right. Before they reached Solaris Town they’d have to find places to make camp. The last leg of the walk, they took a break in the late morning. Everyone was feeling a little weary from two nights sleeping on the ground and so much walking. They sat in a shaded area next to a cheerful stream, setting down their bags and stretching all the kinks out of their backs.

Mylo roamed around the area, on alert. For what, he had no idea. It was unlikely that any of the bushes were going to come to life and attack them, but he scouted anyway. He grimaced when he returned and found Luis trying to teach Bret yet another bawdy song.

“Neither of you could carry a tune even if you used both hands,” Mylo said. “Stop scaring the wildlife.”

They scattered along the banks of the stream. Trina approached Bret as he was skipping rocks and asked if he’d teach her. Mylo sighed and moved further along the bank, to where Shila had perched on a log. She’d taken off her boots and was dipping her toes into the water. She flashed him a smile as he approached and he felt his stomach do a strange little flip.

“You really do freckle in the sun,” he said without thinking. She blushed.

“I should have bought a hat or something,” she said.

“No, you…they’re pretty. The freckles. On you.” He suddenly wanted to throw himself into the stream and drown for sounding like a complete moron. Shila had ducked her head but it looked like she was smiling a little. Probably trying to be polite and not laugh at him. He coughed.

“How, uh, how are you doing?” he asked, trying to change the subject. “With all the walking and the fact that we’re marching into danger and everything?”

She laughed lightly. “I’m okay, I think. I’m a little nervous, to be honest.”

He nodded, picking up a pebble to toss into the water. “It’s not easy, what you’re doing. It couldn’t have been easy agreeing to work for them to help your father either.” He tossed another pebble, trying not to wince when he brought up William. He cleared his throat. “You’re brave.”

Shila’s cheeks turned pink. “Oh, I really don’t know about that,” she said quickly. “I’m afraid. I just feel like I need to do something.”

“That’s called being brave,” Mylo chuckled.

“Like you said, we all have a reason to be here.” She studied him for a moment. “You never did tell me yours. But you don’t have to,” she added quickly. “I don’t mean to pressure you. I’m just sorry, for whatever happened.”

Mylo was quiet for a moment, rolling another pebble between his hands. “My father was a bladesmith,” he said finally. “When I was thirteen, the tax enforcers came for the third time in a single month, demanding that he pay more. He refused, saying they’d already taken more than enough and he had a family to feed. They threatened to arrest him and my mother and ship me to the orphanage. He fought back when they tried. So they dragged him from the house and beat him to death in the street, in front of my mother and I. I tried to throw myself between them, tried to help him. But one of them broke my arm. My mother…she had a hard time for a while after that. The heartbreak of it almost killed her. I had to start stealing just for us to get by, since they seized the smithery too. She pulled herself out of it eventually, but I almost lost them both. Because I failed to save my dad.”

Shila startled next to him. “Mylo…you were a child.”

“It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Mylo muttered, his tone going a little bitter. “So I joined the rebellion and I have people counting on me. And I’m not a child anymore, so if I let them down too, I have no excuse.” He tossed the pebble into the water, forcing away the frown that had come over his face before he glanced at her again and resolved that he wasn’t letting anyone down this time.

“We should probably get moving,” he said, his voice gentler now. “That way we can all get some proper bed rest tonight.”

She nodded, reaching for her shoes. When they reached Solaris Town, the innkeeper didn’t seem overly thrilled with them bringing in a cat, but Mylo handed him an extra coin and stared quite firmly that the cat wouldn’t be left outside. He thought he saw Shila smirk. It wasn’t too late yet, and everyone seemed to forget their weariness now that they were in a larger town.

“We should go out,” Trina said eagerly. “I saw a tavern on the way here.”

“You have no business in a tavern,” Mylo frowned.

“We’ll all go,” Lola said.

“Including you, Mylo,” Shila added. “Don’t argue.”

“But I need to double check the route and check to see if we need more supplies before we get going again,” he argued. “I don’t have time to-“

“Come on.” Shila grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him along with the others. “I told you, you need to take a little break from being worried all the time. Relax for an evening.”

“I don’t know how to relax,” Mylo protested but no one was listening to him. So he found himself at a table, wedged between Shila and Bran. The place was packed and noisy, but at least the food was pretty good. His companions all fell into easy, light conversation around him while he swirled his drink around in its mug without actually drinking any of it. Shila nudged him, looking exasperated.

“What?” he frowned.

“You’re supposed to be having a good time,” she chided. “I can actually feel how tense your shoulders are right now.”

“I told you, I don’t do things just for fun,” Mylo muttered. Shila glanced around the tavern.

“Well, there’s several women in here looking at you,” she said. Mylo felt his ears turn red when he remembered that she had called him strapping. But then maybe she was just being nice. She was a nice person. And she looked nice in the green dress she was wearing.

“The redhead by the bar is really pretty,” Shila pressed. “And she keeps looking over at you. You could go talk to her.”

“I’m already talking to you.”

“Just drink your ale,” Shila sighed.

“I really shouldn’t. Everyone else is drinking and if something happens I need to-“

“Mylo.” Shila looked annoyed and amused. “One drink isn’t going to kill you.”

“You are behaving like a remarkably bad influence right now.”

She laughed. “I just think you deserve to enjoy yourself once in a while. You’ve been tense since I met you.”

“I am enjoying myself,” he said. “And I’m already talking to a girl.”

“I said meet a girl,” she pointed out. “I can point out several who’d be happy to meet you.”

Mylo didn’t get a chance to reply before a man came swaggering by their table, giving Shila a lazy once over. “Well if you’re interested in meeting new people, I’d enjoy getting to know you,” he remarked. Shila pursed her lips and Mylo gave the man a warning look that he stupidly ignored.

“I was talking to my friend,” Shila told the man.

“Come talk to me instead. I can be your friend too,” the man replied. He moved with surprising speed for someone who was half drunk, pulling Shila to her feet with an indignant yelp and locking an arm around her waist. Mylo was on his feet and had a blade pressed against the man’s throat in about the time it took to blink. He was so startled he dropped his arm from Shila’s waist and Mylo gently nudged her behind him.

“Touch her again and you’ll lose both hands,” Mylo said calmly. A hush had come over the tables immediately surrounding them as people watched the confrontation with interest.

“Go find yourself your own girl,” the drunk grumbled. “This one said you were just her friend.”

“I am her friend,” Mylo said, his tone still conversational. The drunk sneered.

“So what, you’re going to slit my throat over some girl, are you? I don’t need her all night, you could have her back when I was finished.”

Mylo took a breath. “No, I won’t be slitting your throat,” he said calmly. Then he rammed a fist into the man’s face, breaking his nose. The man cursed, stumbling back. Mylo grabbed the front of his shirt and backed him up, slamming him into the wall with enough force that he might have broken something else. The man let out a groan of pain.

“I would have let you off with a warning, but then you had to open your big mouth,” Mylo said in a low voice. “I think you owe my friend an apology.”

“I don’t think-I’m sorry,” he said hastily as the blade of Mylo’s dagger pressed against his jaw. Mylo released him and he sagged, almost falling.

“Hey,” the bartender barked, coming towards them with a glower. “I don’t tolerate fights in my bar. Get out, all of you. Now.”

Mylo’s jaw clenched but he put his knife away and held his hands up to show he wasn’t going to be a problem. “They didn’t have anything to do with it.” He nodded to the others, who were positively gaping at him.

“Well you, the drunk, and the girl then. Out,” the bartender snapped. A wide-eyed Shila stepped forward and stuck close to Mylo as he obliged and left the tavern. Mylo felt suddenly embarrassed. He couldn’t seem to stop making a fool of himself around her.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, looking down at his feet. “That was very thuggish of me and now I ruined your evening.”

“The evening isn’t ruined,” Shila said, giving him a reassuring smile. “We can always do some exploring.”