The City of Ionia

The following day rolled by. The sun beamed on the marching heads. Luckily for them, the branches provided some cover. It was muggy but not to the degree of a sticky shirt. The air was hot and didn’t feel fresh. It felt like standing by the stove for a long period of time.

Harley, who was tying her hair in a high bun, groaned, “I feel so yucky.”

“I know, right? Last time was pretty cool. But this? This is terrible.”

“Woah, me actually agreeing with Jeremy? Is the world really on its last limbs?”

“Wow, Harley is making a mockery out of me. How original.”

The two continued their petty talk and ultimately ended up butting heads physically. Ruby noticed but quickly looked away, pretending as though she was ignorant. Someone else would interfere, or so she hoped. Either way, she wasn’t going to interfere with the norm.

“Ruby?”

It was Nadia. Ruby looked down from her horse, asking if there was an issue.

“Did you sleep well? Considering you had the first shift of watch duty.”

It was an interesting question coming from her. What made her care about Ruby’s sleep? It was a rare question, probably the first time she’d heard it from Nadia.

“I appreciate your care. I spelled pretty well.”

“Good. We need you well rested in case of anything dangerous.”

So that’s why she asked about sleep.

“I’ll be fine. I only need a few hours to operate.”

“You can always use more,” she said.

True, you could. But why sleep more if you can function fine with less? More sleep means less time in the day. They need to be marching. They need to take Quinn back. Sleeping more delays their goals.

“Your concern isn’t necessary. I can wield a blade regardless of my state.”

Nadia turned her head back. “Look at everyone. They’re all following you. They aren’t here because we force them, or because they must pay off a burden. They’re here because they want to be. They want to bring your son home. It’s important to them as much as it is to you. It’s unfair to the ones here risking their lives if their leader slacks in battle because of the ‘lack of sleep.’ I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What are you suggesting?” Ruby said while looking at her miniature army.

“If you need rest, please don’t hesitate to say.”

Taking those words to heart, Ruby decided on an hour's break. They’ve been walking since early morning, and now the sun is at peak temperature. They could use a break to cool off in the shade or simply nap.

Ruby grabbed grapes from her backpack and tossed a few into her mouth. The relief from the coolness was much needed. She sat against the bark hidden from the sun, watching her horse eat herbs. The horse wouldn’t run away, but she tied her up just in case. Ruby made sure to give her buddy enough space to roam around.

Speaking of roaming around.

“Ruby, can I see if there’s a lake anywhere nearby?”

“What for?”

“To cool off. The heat is just too much right now.”

Jeremy was right. The sun wasn’t being friendly. However, going off alone in unfamiliar territory was dangerous. What if he got lost? She couldn’t mentally burden that.

“No. Stay close and don’t go anywhere. If we see a lake on the way, I promise I’ll give another break.”

“Seriously? Please.”

“I said no.”

He gave up, threw his arms, and walked away while shaking his head. Ruby didn’t want to say no, but the risk wasn’t worth it.

“Jeremy.”

He turned around. “Yer?”

“Want a few grapes?”

Jeremy stood still as Ruby extended her arm with small purple grapes in her palms.

“Toss them in my mouth.”

She clutched her hand back. “I’m not throwing food.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll take a handful.”

Ruby carefully placed multiple grapes in his palms. Making sure none of them fell, she insisted Jeremy to cup his hand rather than have it flat. With a quick ‘thanks,’ he left Ruby to sit alone under the tree. He probably went to Harley or someone else. Was he mad at Ruby? She didn’t think so, but the thought did cross her mind.

Ruby expected Jeremy to sit tight with her. He left and most likely had no intention of providing company. Not having his company at times like these was odd. Normally, she would have to flick him away like a pesky fly. Today, the fly left on his own.

“He could’ve stayed and taken more,” she mumbled under her tongue.

“I’ll take some.”

She looked up to see who it was.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“That’s not polite of you, commander,” Lex said with a tiny smirk.

“Do not call me that. I don’t like that word.”

‘Commander’ never felt right. To Ruby, it was a harsh word. It was rough on the tongue and didn’t have a pleasant ring to it. Whenever she heard that particular word, all she thought of was a dictatorship.

“I know, I know. You also don’t like my P.P.P. rule, but I use it anyway.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. I find the acronym childish.”

He leaned onto the tree Ruby sat against. “Oh? I didn’t know you had that type of mind.”

Ruby bit her bottom lip, clenching the clean patches of grass beside her. “If you have nothing important to say, do me a favor and bother someone else.”

“Ok, ok, ok. I’ll take a step down. No need to growl at me like that.”

“I—I didn’t—”

“Save it later. I do, in fact, have something worth saying.”

Ruby, who was tempted to punch Lex in the stomach, settled down when she heard something serious. She listened closely as if she were an ear.

“Nadia sent her scouts on a surveillance run. They found nothing, so we’re all good to go.”

“She sent scouts without asking?”

“There’s no need to make it a big deal. It’s better to know if we’re in a safe spot than to figure it out the hard way.”

“I don’t care that she sent scouts,” Ruby said straight-faced. “It’s weird how she didn’t ask or tell me.”

“Eh, maybe she will later. I just beat her to it.”

“So how do you know that she went scouts?”

He looked down, making a weird face as if Ruby were asking a strange question. There wasn’t a reason for his face; he just made one to make one.

“I overheard her talking about it. It’s not a big deal—”

“Can you stop saying that? I realize it’s not a big deal. I simply find it odd how she didn’t consult with me first. Whatever the case is, I’m not going to bring it up. I’ll act ignorant for the time being.”

He threw his hands up, similarly to Jeremy. “You do you. We should probably start walking soon.”

Ruby nodded. She sent a few people to help her gather everyone up. Once everyone grouped up, he continued to their destination.

Nadia walked alongside Ruby. She hadn’t spoken about sending scouts, nor did she even talk. Perhaps she would tell Ruby later? That’s what Ruby hoped for. There’s no reason to hide anything. So why was she? Was there something she saw but didn’t want to say? That couldn’t be it; Lex overheard the conversation. The coast was clear. Was she not saying anything because they were in the clear? That could very well be a reason. However, Nadia’s silence continued to bug Ruby.

“Nadia,” Ruby said while on her horse. “Why did you send scouts without asking?”

“Excuse me? I did not.”

Now she’s lying? Why was she so secretive about this?

“I already know the truth. Lex caught you talking about observing the area with one of your scouts. I don’t mind, but why do it without saying anything?”

Nadia rapidly blinked a few times. “I did not. I have no idea what he said to you, but believe me, I did not send anyone.”

“Lies!” Lex yelled from the back. He sped his way to the front, bumping a few along the way. “I heard you speak to one of the scouts about surveillance.”

“Yes, he suggested that we do. I turned it down since we needed to rest. I never sent anyone anywhere.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed at Lex, giving a stare that made him look away.

“My bad…”