Sneak (Swipe Series)

well.
    The arcs came together.
    The fisher’s symbol lay on the ground.
    11
    Dane was nearly a mile away by now. He hadn’t truly believed Logan’s story about the Unmarked River, but he’d agreed to look for it all the same, if only for an excuse to walk off his jealousy over Logan and Hailey.
    Except, the last several minutes, Dane hadn’t been walking at all. He’d not been even been moving.
    There, on the tree ahead of him, carved into the bark, were the waves of the Unmarked River. He’d never have noticed them if he hadn’t been looking. But beside that tree a thin trail branched off and wound its way out of the woods, revealing the path forward.
    Dane had to laugh. I guess the Markless have a few marks of their own after all , he thought. And he turned to run back toward his friends, filled with hope for the first time in weeks.
    He was just beginning to feel better about his luck and everything else in his life when Dane thought again about his two closest friends hugging. For warmth. It almost sucked all of the hope right back out of him.
    Dane walked loudly in his final steps toward them. He cleared his throat when he arrived.
    “How’s he doing?” he asked, trying hard to hide his jealousy.
    Hailey turned toward him. “Warmer,” she said. “Not so out of it anymore. But Dane . . . he’s still claiming there’s this thing called the Unmarked River.”
    “There is!” Logan insisted.
    “I know.” Dane had to smile, despite himself. “You’re right. I’ve found it.”

SIX

THE RIVER CODE
    1
    T HE COVERED WAGON WAS STUFFY AND uncomfortable. Up front, the captain sat, holding the reins and urging his two horses onward. The Dust hid cramped in the back, leaning forward under the canvas, sitting awkwardly on the hard wooden platform, hay strewn about, legs all tangled, arms pushed up against one another’s.
    No one complained, though. Peck’s little stunt with the raft had made sure of that.
    “Been a while since I seen a group this big,” the man up front said, looking back over his shoulder. “I expect to see more comin’, though, the way DOME’s been chasing us out. Am I right?”
    “I think that’s right,” Peck said. And they rode along quietly for a while.
    “So where y’all hoping to get?” the man asked.
    And before anyone could stop him, Rusty said, “Beacon.”
    The man sat up straight, surprised. “Beacon, huh? Don’t see many Rivergoers headed all the way out there. Usually folks give up ’fore then. Stay country-side.” He nodded. “Nice community, though, if you know where to look.”
    “Oh yeah?” Peck said.
    “So I hear.”
    “Whaddaya know about Beacon?” Peck asked.
    The man shrugged. “Fair bit.”
    And Peck hesitated. “You ever heard of a place called Acheron?”
    Immediately, the captain pulled up on the reins. His wagon came to an abrupt stop, jostling the Dust about in the back. “What’ve you kids got to do with Acheron?”
    Jo cleared her throat. “Nothing, sir. Or . . . not yet, anyway. We’re looking for a friend.”
    The captain turned and eyed each of them.
    “All my years on the River, I only ever heard one story that mentioned the name Acheron.”
    The Dust leaned in.
    “And it ain’t much of a story, really. More of a legend.” He sighed deeply. “From what I hear . . . lookin’ for a place like that is just lookin’ for trouble. ’Cept trouble’s a lot easier to find.”
    “All the same,” Peck said uneasily, “what’ve you heard?”
    “Almost too horrible to say,” the man said. “But if I might could water it down for ya . . . well . . . I captained a woman one time— hundred miles or so—farther than usual, for any normal group o’ Rivergoers. Anyway, she and I got to talkin’. Talkin’ about this, talkin’ about that, and . . . well . . . sooner or later she said somethin’ ’bout her Markless brother turned around and right killed his wife one day. Claimed some act o’ betrayal or something . . . but that ain’t no excusin’ it, though.”
    “No sir,” Peck said.
    “Anyway, I got ’round to askin’ that poor woman whatever happened to him. The murderin’ brother—Giovanni, man’s name was. Provided I’m rememberin’ right.
    “Woman hemmed and hawed. Didn’ much wanna talk about it. But I got the story outta her. That was a long ride, ’tween her and me. Finally, she star’s cryin’. Said DOME caught up with him on account of it being a Markless crime. Woman said he right