Chapter 75

Dust coated his teeth, his eyeballs already gritty with the constantly blowing sand and small rocks as Adam made his way west as quickly as he could possibly go. Under any other circumstances, he might’ve taken this opportunity to look around him, to take in the constantly changing landscape, transitioning from mountains to farmland, to dry strips of dirt and rocks like the one he was on now, back to what he could plainly see was more hilly country in the distance and possibly mountains beyond, but now was not the time, particularly since there were no trees or tall plants of any kind in this area to protect him. If the Mothers were to catch up with him now, honing in on the silent signal emanating from his pocket, he would be screwed in a way he’d never been screwed before--which was saying something.
It took all of his concentration to keep the bike upright and moving in the correct direction. How many times had he almost wiped out? Hit a rock a little wrong, tipped too far to one side. He’d only left the lengthy tunnel leading out of the mountains a couple of hours ago, maybe three, and he’d already almost bit it at least five times.
The sky above him was clear blue with hardly a cloud. A light wind stirred the tops of the trees in the distance. It was chillier here than it had been down south, and he knew it would get colder the further north they went, the closer to winter it grew. He had no idea how long it might take to get to Quebec, especially since Seth’s vehicles would cut weeks off of the journey. But whether or not their new friend would be taking them any further remained to be seen. He had hinted that he would like to, if it was entirely up to him. Clearly, it wasn’t. His mother had a lot of influence over him. Adam couldn’t be angry about that considering he’d never had a mother himself and had no idea whether or not that was typical. Esther was kindhearted and clearly wanted to help them as well, but she didn’t want to risk the safety of her family to do so. He was certain he couldn’t blame her for that.
Even with every bit of concentration trained in on the path of the motorbike, Adam had plenty of time and energy to think. His mind went back to Rain and what she’d been trying to tell him right before she’d passed out. What had she meant when she said she could be the woman? Had that been a kiss she’d been attempting to press against his lips?
Rain was an enigma. He wasn’t certain he’d ever figure her out. She kept his life interesting, that was for sure. Whether or not she was attracted to him, he knew how he felt about her now more than he ever had before. Facing Seth, right before he left Judea, Adam had been overwhelmed with his feelings and had had to accept the truth then; he was in love with Rain.
A noise in the distance caught his attention. For a moment, he was frightened that the Mothers were about to appear, coming over the rise in the ground to his south. He realized it was nearly impossible for him to look to his left and not steer that direction, but a quick glance in that direction didn’t reveal anything. Deciding the noise could’ve been a lot of things--including farming equipment, some of which he’d passed earlier--he refocused his attention on the path before him, pushing the accelerator to seventy-five miles per hour, whatever that meant.
Rain. Exactly when he’d fallen in love with her was impossible to pinpoint. It might’ve been when she seemed to reject him at Dafo. Maybe it was when she’d been shot, and the fear of losing her forever had brought tears to his eyes as he pleaded with Esther to take them to safety. He didn’t know when he’d fallen in love with her because he hadn’t faced his feelings until he’d wanted to tell Seth to pass on a message but had no idea what the words were.
Grass and weeds began to pop up along either side of him, the ground ahead less rocky, more green. He was transitioning again. He guessed he had another eight hours of daylight. He could cover a lot of ground in that amount of time, assuming the Mothers were delayed. Assuming their friends in Oklasaw didn’t back down and give them free rein in their terrain. Assuming he didn’t flip the bike and have to make the rest of the trip on foot. He had four and a half days to drop the IUD and get to Louis City. It shouldn’t take that long, not nearly that long. Something told him he couldn’t waste a single moment.
With Rain’s face pictured in his mind, Adam kept his head down, his eyes forward, his boots mashed to the metal pieces, and his hand on the accelerator.
* * *
Rain took a seat at the dining room table across from Esther, next to Seth, with Peter sitting next to his mother. It was strange but comforting to be sitting there, in the small room, which was more of an extension of the kitchen than it was a designated space. It was homey. A picture of a large rooster hung on the wall behind Esther’s head. Beside it, an oversized fork and spoon apparently awaited a giant or else it was a quaint country way of decorating Rain didn’t quite understand. Since she’d seen no other evidence of mythical creatures since she left Michaelanburg’s borders, she had to believe some of what she’d been taught was true. Giants didn’t exist, but Oklasaw was an unimposing place where people appreciated nature, especially farmland.
A red and white checked tablecloth covered the modest wooden table. The spread looked and smelled delicious. It wasn’t anything fancy, just what looked like sliced turkey breast, some mixed vegetables in a pot with steam still rolling off the top, and warm rolls. A salad with a few choices of jarred dressing in the middle of the table was the first bowl to be passed around. In her glass, Rain recognized the drink Esther had referred to as sweet tea. It tasted delicious and refreshing. She could see why it seemed to be popular in this country.
“How was your nap, dear?” Esther asked as she handed over the salad dish.
“Good, thank you.” Rain had watched the woman of the house serve herself, so she understood the smaller plate was for the salad. She used the tongs to deposit a fair amount on her place, being sure to get a few of the small red tomatoes. Then, she handed the bowl over to Seth.
They continued to pass the dishes around, even though anyone could’ve reached the middle of the table. Esther took a roll and handed the platter to Rain. “I checked on Mist right before I heated up the turkey. She’s still sleeping. Color seems to be coming back in her face. Walt wouldn’t leave her long enough to come in here, so I figure I’ll bring him a plate later. Those two are tied at the hip.”
Rain smiled, glad to hear the news about Mist but also thinking the saying was right, even though it was unfamiliar to her. “Tied at the hip.” That seemed to be true. “Have you heard whether or not the Mothers have met with the delegate yet?” she asked, keeping her voice calm. She glanced at Peter, not sure if he was supposed to be a part of this discussion, but then, he had been on the boat with his mother and brother when she’d been shot, so he must be privy to most of what was going on.
Esther shook her head. “I haven’t received word yet.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black rectangle. It reminded Rain of the device Crit had used to speak to Dal. This must be the phone Seth had mentioned earlier. Esther looked at the screen and shook her head again. “Nothing yet. And Adam hasn’t called me yet either. Has he checked in with you, Seth?”
“No,” he said quickly. His phone must still be in his pocket. Rain hoped she’d get a chance to look at it later. It seemed like an interesting piece of technology, similar to the tablets they used at home but smaller. She assumed they used different air waves to transmit, too, or else the Mothers might be able to track them.
“I’m sure he’ll wait until he has to refuel. Even then, he might be in such a hurry, he might not want to take the time. I doubt he’ll be able to manage calling and steering at the same time.”
“Not to mention it would be too loud to call while he’s on the bike,” Seth reminded her.