from him. "Don't worry, I have it all figured out. We'll ask those kids to take us. That Tyberious owes me a favor for saving his cat today."
Giles threw his head back and laughed.
"You're joking, right?" he finally managed to say, still shaking with laughter.
Maya felt the blood rush to her head. "No, I'm not. You said yourself he was like the ruler of Neo York. If anyone can get us in, he can."
"Right. And you just have to ask him nicely and it's done. Come on, Maya."
"That about sums it up, yes," Maya said. "And if it doesn't work, we'll walk there."
"I guess we're walking then," Giles said and took another swig of wine.
"Why would he say no?"
Giles wiped a drop of wine from his chin. "Because no one from the Badlands is allowed into the Ring, and because he's a Remarque. He's most likely just like his mother. He already looks exactly like her."
Maya screwed up her eyebrows, not even sure what kind of question to ask. "What's that got to do with anything? I saved his pet, and he will return the favor."
Giles' hands shot up, and Maya instinctively jerked back. But he just held the palms towards her, wiggling the stumps of his missing fingers. "He stood right by her side, her mirror image, when she ordered this done to me! Right before she kicked my family out of the city. He'll never do you any favors, and he'll never go against his mother."
Maya gasped, too horrified to speak. After a few breaths she found her voice. "But…but…why?"
Giles lowered his hands. "My father displeased her. Got an order she placed wrong. He was to make her shoes from real crocodile leather, only he couldn't find the animal anywhere. So he faked it, and sold it to her as real. He lost his right hand as punishment, me and my brothers all lost fingers."
Maya's stomach turned at the barbarity. "But Ty…he couldn't've been much older than you. Surely he had nothing to do with your punishment."
"That's all you heard? I knew you liked him. It was all over your face last night."
"I don't like him. I'd actually prefer never to see him again. His dead eyes scare me. But I need him, and I'm being practical."
"Can't argue with his cold eyes. He never so much as flinched while I screamed."
Maya took Giles' hands and willed some of her warmth to calm him. "He's our best chance of getting into the city. Once we're there, we never have to see him again."
Giles stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "Like I said. I guess we're walking."
Ty couldn't be all bad. He had jumped into the water to get Mary's body out, and he'd been so worried about his cat.
Maya let go of Giles' hands. "We'll see. Go pack now. We leave at dawn."
CHAPTER SIX
The alarm buzzed into Ty's ear at six in the morning. He slowly rose, careful not to wake Lana or any of the others sleeping in the command room of the craft. Rober rose too and joined him by the door.
"Wait here, I'll go alone," Ty whispered as he passed him.
"Yeah, Rober. Let your boyfriend have some breathing room for a change," Lana muttered, her voice thick with sleep.
"Go back to sleep, Lana," Ty said. He gave up convincing Rober to stay after that.
Before they left, Ty filled a bag with as many weapons as would fit.
"Arming the Badlands, Ty?" Rober asked wryly once they were outside. "Isn't that punishable by death?"
Ty was in no mood for jokes. "What? Are you going to turn me in? We'll say we took the weapons on a hunt and forget them on the way back if anyone asks."
They walked the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. Maya stepped out of the shadows followed by the boy who was with her at the pub. She clutched a tightly wrapped bundle of blankets, and Isis' head was poking out at the top. "Here, she's still sleeping."
She handed the bundle to him. Ty placed the bag of weapons on the ground and nudged the bag towards Maya with his foot.
"Take those. In case any more pumas come. Or to trade. I put some money inside as well."
Maya looked at the bag and back
Giles threw his head back and laughed.
"You're joking, right?" he finally managed to say, still shaking with laughter.
Maya felt the blood rush to her head. "No, I'm not. You said yourself he was like the ruler of Neo York. If anyone can get us in, he can."
"Right. And you just have to ask him nicely and it's done. Come on, Maya."
"That about sums it up, yes," Maya said. "And if it doesn't work, we'll walk there."
"I guess we're walking then," Giles said and took another swig of wine.
"Why would he say no?"
Giles wiped a drop of wine from his chin. "Because no one from the Badlands is allowed into the Ring, and because he's a Remarque. He's most likely just like his mother. He already looks exactly like her."
Maya screwed up her eyebrows, not even sure what kind of question to ask. "What's that got to do with anything? I saved his pet, and he will return the favor."
Giles' hands shot up, and Maya instinctively jerked back. But he just held the palms towards her, wiggling the stumps of his missing fingers. "He stood right by her side, her mirror image, when she ordered this done to me! Right before she kicked my family out of the city. He'll never do you any favors, and he'll never go against his mother."
Maya gasped, too horrified to speak. After a few breaths she found her voice. "But…but…why?"
Giles lowered his hands. "My father displeased her. Got an order she placed wrong. He was to make her shoes from real crocodile leather, only he couldn't find the animal anywhere. So he faked it, and sold it to her as real. He lost his right hand as punishment, me and my brothers all lost fingers."
Maya's stomach turned at the barbarity. "But Ty…he couldn't've been much older than you. Surely he had nothing to do with your punishment."
"That's all you heard? I knew you liked him. It was all over your face last night."
"I don't like him. I'd actually prefer never to see him again. His dead eyes scare me. But I need him, and I'm being practical."
"Can't argue with his cold eyes. He never so much as flinched while I screamed."
Maya took Giles' hands and willed some of her warmth to calm him. "He's our best chance of getting into the city. Once we're there, we never have to see him again."
Giles stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "Like I said. I guess we're walking."
Ty couldn't be all bad. He had jumped into the water to get Mary's body out, and he'd been so worried about his cat.
Maya let go of Giles' hands. "We'll see. Go pack now. We leave at dawn."
CHAPTER SIX
The alarm buzzed into Ty's ear at six in the morning. He slowly rose, careful not to wake Lana or any of the others sleeping in the command room of the craft. Rober rose too and joined him by the door.
"Wait here, I'll go alone," Ty whispered as he passed him.
"Yeah, Rober. Let your boyfriend have some breathing room for a change," Lana muttered, her voice thick with sleep.
"Go back to sleep, Lana," Ty said. He gave up convincing Rober to stay after that.
Before they left, Ty filled a bag with as many weapons as would fit.
"Arming the Badlands, Ty?" Rober asked wryly once they were outside. "Isn't that punishable by death?"
Ty was in no mood for jokes. "What? Are you going to turn me in? We'll say we took the weapons on a hunt and forget them on the way back if anyone asks."
They walked the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. Maya stepped out of the shadows followed by the boy who was with her at the pub. She clutched a tightly wrapped bundle of blankets, and Isis' head was poking out at the top. "Here, she's still sleeping."
She handed the bundle to him. Ty placed the bag of weapons on the ground and nudged the bag towards Maya with his foot.
"Take those. In case any more pumas come. Or to trade. I put some money inside as well."
Maya looked at the bag and back
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