Brooke ‘Bookeeper’'s Arc

Chapter 11 of 32

Inside the walls, Brooke did not stop to rest. She paid a stable hand for the use of a small wooden shed at the back of a quiet lot. Dust coated the boards. The door had a working latch. It was out of sight from the road, and that was all she needed. She sent the boy to a supply stall with a short list. He came back with three rusted cans from a paint store, a brush, and a jug of black axle grease. Brooke pulled the cart inside the shed and shut the door behind them. They worked through the afternoon. Brooke scraped the bright reds and yellows off the wagon and rolled flat browns and dull greens over the wood. She smeared grease along the seams to dull the shine. The escorts dragged the truck in next and pulled a weathered canvas cover over its frame, lashing it tight so it hung like every other tired hauler on the road. From her toolbox she lifted the false tray and slid the boy's blue-spined book and the marked list into the hidden bottom. If a checkpoint searched the cart now, they would find tools, not titles. She closed the lid and clicked the latch. At dusk she opened the shed door and looked at her work. The bright book wagon was gone. In its place sat a plain covered truck, rust at the fenders, canvas sagging, nothing worth a second glance from a drone. Brooke wiped her hands and nodded once. The road ahead was still long, but the Ravens would be looking for the wrong cart now.