Parable of the Sower

The group runs into another battle. Overnight, two people slip into their camp while Jill is on watch and bed down among them. They are a mother and daughter pair, scared by their mistake when everyone awakes. Lauren offers them food, and they promise not to steal. Lauren doubts their intentions and believes they are thieves. Then, the little toddler Justin breaks the ice, and they laugh at Bankole combing his beard. They all share what they can spare.

The woman asks to come with them. Lauren holds a conference with her bunch and asks if Bankole has enough room for them. This is the first the others have heard about Bankole’s land. They want to know if there are jobs. They agree to let ex-debt salves Emery and 9-year-old Tori stay, although Allie predicts they “will both be pains in the ass” (291). Harry thinks Lauren is going soft, that she would not have allowed this a few weeks back. He reminds her that it might be much harder to get rid of them if things don’t work out.

A couple of days later, Tori has found two more companions for them: Grayson Mora and his daughter Doe, one year younger than Tori.