Fallon glanced back. “Does she still …”

Tonia shrugged. “Maybe a little, but she’s sort of hooked with Denzel. You met him, right?”

“Duncan’s friend, shifter. He’s helping with the solar panels.”

“Friends since baby time,” Tonia added. “I’m pretty sure Duncan gave Denzel a nudge toward Petra.”

“Magickally?” Fallon demanded, ready to condemn that kind of interference or influence.

“No, hell no. That’s outside the lines. He just talked Denzel into making a move Denzel wanted to make anyway. Worked out. So that’s all to circle around to how Starr doesn’t much like Petra. She doesn’t respect Petra because she won’t train, won’t even take basic self-defense or go out to scavenge or scout. This is about as far out of town as she’ll go, and that’s only because Fred and Eddie and their kids are out here, and she’s nuts for their kids. Kids in general.”

Now she knew the stories, Fallon thought. And understood how Petra—who wouldn’t fight—could be useful.

“The younger ones need people willing to take care of them, to keep them safe while the rest of us fight.”

“She’s good with them, patient and, you know, responsible without being a hard-ass. I’m surprised she didn’t have some kid hanging on her today, but I’m betting she wanted to come out and see you. Get a sense of you.”

“Now she has. Thanks, Tonia. It helps to know.”

Knowledge, Fallon thought as she washed her hands, cooled her face with creek water, was always valuable.

She might have thought the sexual, romantic, and personality quirks simply confused what needed doing with drama, but knowing about them would help her lead.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Within two weeks, busy, rotating teams completed work on the base and barracks, and Fallon asked for another meeting. This time she requested New Hope’s leaders come to the house her mother had already made a home with her kitchen garden, her pots of herbs and bottles of flowers, with the scent of freshly baked bread and honey cakes.

She asked specifically for Duncan, Tonia, Starr, and, though she knew it grieved her mother a little, Colin to be included.

She stood in what her mother called the great room with food and drink on the wide kitchen counter and the furniture volunteers had brought in already arranged.

“I first want to thank everyone for all they’ve done to complete the barracks so quickly. Most who worked on the barracks and the courses don’t know me, but they gave their time, contributed supplies because the people in this room asked them to. Now I’m going to ask all of you to keep anything we talk about here tonight confidential. Um …”

When she looked at Arlys, busy taking notes, Arlys glanced up. “Off the record?”

“Yeah. At least until things are in motion.”

“Off the record until what things are in motion?”

Take a chance, Fallon told herself. Her mother trusted Arlys absolutely.

“I’ll be sending for the recruits. The more who know they’re coming, where they’re coming from, the less security they have.”

“Scouts and supply teams are going to catch wind of them,” Jonah pointed out.

“Not until they get closer. At that point we can send people out to help ensure their safe arrival. I have some names for that detail. Poe and Kim, Flynn, Starr, ah, Maggie Rydell. If you have other or different suggestions, I’d appreciate the input. Some of the recruits are really raw, won’t have serious training. Some are coming as families, with young kids.”

“All right. Off the record,” Arlys agreed. “Until.”

“Okay. I’m asking that Colin continue to work with the younger recruits, but there’ll be too many for him to handle when the new ones get here, so I’d like suggestions on that.”

“Denzel.” Duncan said immediately. “He’s good with kids, and he’s better in theory than execution.”

“I agree with that,” Will put in. “Bryar and Aaron have plenty of experience with instructing. What about the other bases?”

“I’ll wait for Mallick, Thomas, Troy, Boris to tell me if they need more instructors. If they do, are there any in New Hope who are qualified and would be willing to travel, to spend months away? Maybe longer?”

“I can give you a list of names.” Katie looked at Arlys, got a nod. “Those who don’t have families, or who’d be willing to take their families outside of New Hope. I’m going to be straight with you, Fallon. There’s some concern in the community that you’ll just order people to train or fight or uproot to one of the other locations.”

She’d seen the looks, heard some whispers. She’d sensed some fear. “Hannah doesn’t fight.”

“I—I take combat training,” Hannah began.

“You’re a healer, not a soldier. You have a skill, a calling. Why would I push a sword into your hand?”

“She’s pretty decent with a bow,” Tonia put in. “You’re better with a tourniquet,” she said to Hannah.

“And others are better at providing food, at building, at caring for children, at making weapons rather than using them. Or with …” Fallon waved a hand toward Chuck. “Technology.”

Chuck tapped his chest with his thumbs. “I’m that guy.”

“Why would I demand anyone fight? That doesn’t accomplish anything but resentment. Why would I demand someone uproot their life, or the lives of family?” Frustrated, she paused, looked inward. “I haven’t proven myself yet.”

“Change comes hard,” Arlys pointed out. “We found that out when we first introduced rules and laws, and the town council. We’re bigger now than we were, so you’re going to get some pushback, proven or not. You’re so young,” she added. “That’s already a problem for some. Among the Uncannys, there’s more unification. But even there.”

“People get complacent.” Bill patted his hands on his knees. “We’ve got a kind of routine around here, and anything that changes it gets some worked up. Hell, a few years after we got settled here and voted on mandatory recycling, composting? You’d’ve thought, for some, we’d instituted indentured servitude. But we got through it, and now it’s just the way it is. Not everybody’s happy right now you’re bringing so many people in.”

“Plenty of complaints coming in,” Katie confirmed. “A lot of rumors. You can leave handling that to me and the town council for now.”

“If we have more soldiers, Hannah can focus on healing, someone like Petra can concentrate on child tending. A cook like …” She searched for the name.

“Sal,” Eddie provided.

“Yeah, her. She can cook, and so on. But more? Those who complain and push against change ignore what happened to the world that was, and learn nothing from it. They forget, choose to forget, what happened here on July Fourth, and those who died that day, they take for granted those who risk their lives to rescue others, to fight back against destroying everything you’ve built.”

Katie nodded. “You’re not wrong, but some won’t want to hear it said just that bluntly. And it’s hard, Fallon, it’s brutal for a parent to accept their child, whether that child came from them or came to them, is training for war. Hard for some of them to accept a child is going to lead them.”

She held up a hand. “Don’t say you’re not a child. I’m aware, as is everyone in this room. But you’re young, and you’ll find pockets of people who’ll see you as a child.”

“They won’t, after I prove myself.”

“You said that before,” Lana chimed in. “What do you mean by prove yourself?”

“It starts tonight. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I am your child, and I know the sacrifices both of you’ve made already.”

Simon took Lana’s hand, linked fingers. “What are you going to do tonight?”

“I’m going to eliminate some nuclear weapons.”

“For God’s sake, Fallon.”