I don’t think. I don’t even know what prompts me to do this, besides watching this innocent little boy, my friend, suffer under the control of Dane.
Looking around to make sure we are alone, I drop my voice to a whisper.
“Roley, I need you to listen to me, okay? Please raise your bow if you understand.” He pauses for a moment, then lifts his bow.
“I’m going to keep talking, but I’m going to move around like I’m showing you something with the bow. Say ‘yes’ if you understand.”
“Yes,” he says.
“Do you trust me, Roley? I mean, really trust me?” I reach over and adjust his stance, shifting his hips to align with the target, waiting for his answer.
“Yes.”
“Can I trust you? I’m going to tell you something, but I need it to stay between us.”
He looks straight at me then, eyes still glassy from the tears only a few moments ago. He nods.
“Look toward the target,” I say, and he does. “I promise I am telling you the truth. Fin is fine, he’s doing great. He really misses you, too.” I lift his elbow so it is parallel to the ground. “The Castaways aren’t what everyone thinks. Dane hasn’t been honest about them.”
Roley’s eyes widen slightly as he listens to me. His lips stay pursed, and he doesn’t move.
“I’m not staying here, Roley. I’m going back. You can’t tell anyone, not a single word, understand?”
His lip starts to quiver as he realizes what I’m telling him. I jump in, trying to explain and give him some hope.
“We’re trying to fix things. They’re kind of broken, right now, and I’m trying to help fix them. But Dane is lying to you. I canbring you back with me, but it can’t be right away.” I push his bow closer to his body and reach over to grab an arrow, placing it in the right spot and helping him pull it back.
“If you want to go with me, you need to tell me. I promise it is safe, and Fin is there. I would never hurt you, Roley.”
He lets the arrow fly, and it strikes the target on the second ring. His arms fall, lowering the bow, and he turns to face me.
“I know Lennox. I believe you.” Childlike innocence fills his face, but more than that, it’s trust. “You helped me, before. And so did she. That girl, the one who was with you. They can’t be bad if she still let you help me.”
Sig. He remembers Sig trying to help him, just before we were attacked from behind.
“That’s right. She’s not bad. None of them are. They were all once Voyagers too.”
“So what do we do?” he whispers, his eyes widening as they dart toward the clearing and then back to me.
My lips turn up slightly and I hand him another arrow. To anyone watching, it hopefully looks like instruction, but to me, it’s saving someone I care about.
“In four nights, I want you to meet me somewhere. You’ll have to sneak out at night, alright?”
He starts to object, but I cut him off. “I promise you, it is safe. They will not hurt you. Remember? It’s not like Dane says.”
I try to come up with a place he can meet me, somewhere that isn’t too far, so he isn’t scared, but also isn’t too close to something important. If anyone follows him, I don’t want them catching on.
“Do you know the rocks, just on the other side of the rope bridge?”
He nods. Obviously, he does, but what he doesn’t know is that the tunnel we used on the night of the marsh incident pops open right there.
“Meet me there, near the edge of the trees. But don’t take the rope bridge. It’s too dangerous. Take the long way.”
“But I’ve been over that bridge a bunch of times,” he says.
“I know. It’s different at night. I want you to be safe.”
He nods and shoots another arrow.
