"Stop!" "Help!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Please, stop!" "All clear, Mother." "Well done, Tilda." "Help your sisters unload the back." "Why do we have one of Quinn's Clippers?" "My baron will have your head for this." "My head?" "I doubt it." "What's wrong?" "I didn't teach you that move." "Where'd you learn that?" "It just came out of me." "Pretty good, huh?" "You're not ready for that yet." "Just admit it." "You're impressed." "Yes, your forms are improving, but your attacks are still predictable." "Yeah?" "Predict this!" "You need to learn to make the unexpected move." "Sunny, I was looking for you at the barracks." "My Colt seems to concentrate better up here." "Go practice your forms." "Did you ever glean what the Widow wanted with him?" " No, Baron." " Mm-hmm." "We've lost some good men of late." "I want to be sure our numbers are still superior to those of our neighbors." "They are, and we're ready." "Any word from Jacobee about the parley?" "He's probably angry with me." "Like the other barons, they don't like that we took the Widow's oil fields." "They fail to remember that the Widow attacked me first." "I warned them." "Her only allegiance is to herself." "The other barons will understand that." "They should." "And if not, a storm will break and all this will be lost in the flood of war." "I need you, Sunny." "Now more than ever." "Tilda, look at this." "Mm, yeah" "Oh whoa-oh" "I used to feel that two hearts could be" "Wrapped in a love that is, oh, so real" "Well, now the only thing that I can feel is" "It's plain to see love's just not for me" "It's plain to see love's just not for me" "When I met you, it was to have and to hold..." "I asked for this place to be cleaned an hour ago." "New recruits are coming and we need to be ready." "No one is coming." " What did you say?" " I said that no one is coming." "Esta, take over here." "Tilda, is there something you want to get off your chest?" "We kill for you." "We die for you." "For what?" "Why did we frame Quinn for the robbery of the transport?" "Are we trying to start a war?" "Do you really have such little faith in me?" "I recall a girl who used to cook me breakfast every morning." "She always greeted me with a smile." "Do you remember what happened to that girl, Tilda?" "What my husband did to her?" "What did I tell that girl?" "That you would protect me and teach me to be strong." "And you are strong..." "Stronger than any man who would ever try and hurt you." "We are fighting for a world where girls don't get dragged into dark rooms and have their innocence torn from them." "But that world comes at a price." "So remember that the next time you disrespect me in front of your sisters." "I've never seen one of these before." " What is it?" " That's a blood orange." "It's very rare." "It only grows in a single orchard in the southern territory." "Its juice is prized for its healing properties." "A gift from Baron Rojas, Baroness." "I'm not baroness yet, Mari." "And even then, I'll always be Jade to you." "Have you given any thought about how you plan to incorporate these gifts into the wedding ceremony?" "Yes." "I've decided not to." "The other barons aren't even coming, so there's no need for their gifts to occupy a place of honor." "I only mention it because it's tradition." "This particular tradition, though, is one I think we should change." "After all, why would we cater to a group of rivals who wished us dead?" "Mari, could you excuse us, please?" "Jade, let's speak plainly for once." "I know what you're going to say." "What's happened..." "Me and the baron, it can't be easy for you." "And I never wanted to be the person who brings you pain." "Oh, you don't." "Quinn does that job very well." "I never had a mother." "And you never had a daughter." "Maybe if we saw each other as that rather than as rivals, it would help us survive this." "Well, if I were your mother," "I would warn you not to sleep with your future husband and his son at the same time." "You want to poison me to cure me?" "There is no cure." "Not really." "My father knew a great deal more about growths and tumors than I do." "I have some of his books, but unfortunately he wasn't able to teach me everything before he..." "When I find the nomads responsible, you can be sure justice will be swift and true." "That's all I want." "The decoction he listed in his notes will weaken you, but it may heal the growth first if you're strong enough." "Your father told me that I wouldn't live to see the winter solstice." "Well, this would be the only way to prove him wrong." "I saw you practicing your forms last night." "You been doing that every night?" "I told you I was serious." "I'm impressed." "So what are we doing out here?" "I don't want any witnesses." "You're going to cut me, aren't you?" "We need to know what we're dealing with." "Sunny, I'm not ready." "The only way I can help you is to face you." "Now focus." "Fight through it." "Don't let it control you." "I could've killed you." "But you didn't." "Maybe next time, you should just kill me first." "After you get cut, do you really not remember anything?" "It's not even me." "It is, it's just a part of you you don't want to face." "How can I control it?" "You don't." "Every force has its equal." "Fear, peace, dark, light..." "One can't exist without the other." "Next time it happens to you," "I want you to try to focus." "Focus on a point inside of you." "It can be a sound, an image, a memory." "Something safe, something pure." "Name something pure." "You're certain he was one of ours?" "Yeah, he was patrolling the western border, but never checked in." "Today's patrol found this hanging from the gate at Porter's Pass." "Jacobee." "He claims we attacked one of his gold transports." "Well, it's a trap." "He's trying to pick a fight." "Yeah, not him." "The Widow." "She's been too quiet since we ran her out of the lodge." "This is her move..." "Pit me against my closest ally." "I want you to ride out and agree to the parley, but don't let them set it too far from our territory." "You want me to ride out?" "A pigeon can send a message." "This is a job for a Clipper at best, not the son of a baron." "You beg me for more responsibility, but when I give it, you balk." "You never give anything." "Every gift has a price." "Every favor is a test." "You take what you want, leave me your scraps, and expect me to worship you with gratitude." "Is this about Jade?" "I know you were fond of each other when you were children." "And you may have even thought you were in love." "It must be difficult now to think of her as a... a new mother." "I don't think of her that way." "She's nothing like my mother." "Yeah... especially the way she tastes." "A man cannot wait to be given what he wants." "He must take it." "Hmm?" "Now, when I was in your shoes," "I would've volunteered to ride out and meet a challenge." "I would've demanded it." "You take Petri and Donovan with you." "No." "No, I carry your name." "That's all the protection I need." "What are you doing?" "It's okay." "Nobody knows we're back yet." "Where's Sunny?" "He's taking his bike to the lockup." " I was wondering about..." " Your book?" "Here." "Can you read it yet?" "Nothing about this book makes sense." "Sunny." "You stole that from my room." "I think it can show us the way out of the Badlands." "You told me you knew the way." "You said you would show me if I helped you." "I can." "I trusted you." "Hey." "Sunny, let him go." "How long have you been helping him?" "A couple weeks." "He brought it to me." "I didn't know it was yours or that it was our way out." "What's going on, Sunny?" "Quinn is losing his mind." "He's leading the Badlands into war." "That'd be the tumor in his head." "How do you know that?" "Because I'm treating him now." "I mean, I really can't do anything except maybe end his life sooner." "That's not the way." "His death would bring the other barons right to our door." "Then what's our plan?" "Ryder." "I don't know whether to feel honored or insulted." "We didn't attack your gold transport." "Daddy must not think much of you, sending you out here all alone." "That was my choice." "Now you make yours." "When and where do we set the parley?" "Tomorrow at noon." "Raven Flats." "That's too far." "City of the Dead, Cross Bend." "Wait." "You haven't heard the full proposal." "Didn't you just deliver it?" "I meant my proposal." "Sunshine, what's on your mind?" "A long time ago, you told me if a man wanted to get out," " he needed three things..." " Not this again." "Passage up the river, a map through the wasteland, and nothing left to lose." "Sunny, listen to me." "There is no through the wasteland." "There's just death and drought and more death, and you sure as shit don't need a map to find it." "I'm leaving, Waldo, with Veil." "She's pregnant." "So what?" "I imagine I've got a dozen pups pissing on posts around here." "Every Clipper does." "You went and you fell in love, didn't you?" "You ever seen the River King in the flesh?" "No." "The baron's always dealt with him directly." "That's because they need his blessing." "Anything moves up or down the river without it, nothing gets where it's supposed to go." " What is that?" " It'll get you an audience with the River King." "I can't say what his price will be, but he is the only one gonna get you through the Badlands." "I can't take that." "That's your way out." "Sunshine, if I was ever gonna leave," "I'd have done it long before now." "Besides, I never found anything or anyone worth leaving for." "What are you doing here?" "Did you even know I was gone?" "I am on my way to your father's room." " If he knew you were here..." " Stop." "You haven't come to my room in weeks." "Getting ready for the wedding..." "No, I told you not to talk about that." "Ryder, it's happening." "There's nothing you can do to stop it." "And what if I was baron?" "We both know you won't challenge your father." "A man has to take what he wants." "It's over." "So you're cutting me loose, too?" " Just like my mother." " That's not fair." "I'm doing this for your own good." "No, that's exactly what she said." " Don't compare me to her!" " No, you're right." "You're not even in her league." "I can handle Lydia." "Trust me." "You know who else said that?" "Quinn's second wife." "Beatrice?" "Do you really believe she died of natural causes?" "Don't be naive." "Jade." "I need your help." "Are you in some kind of trouble?" "No." "No." "I know that before me you served as handmaiden to Beatrice." "Is there anything you can tell me?" "A week before Beatrice passed, I saw the baroness." "She was out beyond the poppy fields where the monkshood grows wild." "Monkshood?" "My papa used to crush the flowers, mix it with cane juice, and leave it out for the rats." "The flowers, they kill you from the inside out." "Don't let him take it back." "Nice!" "Yeah!" "Good, good." "No!" "M.K., show Oren that armlock." "The one you kicked my ass with." "M.K., what's up with you?" "Regent." "Present!" " Let's go, let's go!" " Fall in line!" "Salute!" "Orders just came down." "We're heading out before dawn for a parley." "Fully armed escort, including the baron." "I need six scouts." "You, you, you, you, you, and you." "Back to your drills." "Scouts, on me." "Hey!" "What about me?" "I'm your Colt." "Baron?" "It's time." "Graveyard's closed!" "Unless you wish to join your loved ones, get out!" "Stay by the gate and keep watch." "Sunny?" "I told you to stay." "You also told me to make the unexpected move." "Trouble with your Colt, Sunny?" "No, Baron." "I'll deal with you later." "Keep watch." "Jacobee." "I had nothing to do with the attack on your transports." "I would never do something so brazen." "Such as lead an unsanctioned raid on another baron's property?" "The Widow was trying to kill my son." " She made it personal." " Personal?" "Then why take the oil fields?" "For our mutual protection." "I wasn't the one who was so willing to recognize her." "I could see the Widow had no interest in preserving our way of life." " And you do?" " Of course." "It was never handed to me." "Your father and I have that in common." "For the record, my old man, he never liked you, Quinn." "He deferred to you because your interests were aligned." "I'm not so sure that ours are anymore." "Those oil fields cost me good men and I intend to hold on to them." "Look out!" "Come back!" "This is your mother's idea of a better world?" "Starting a war?" "M.K.!" "Please." "This is the end, Quinn." "Zypher!" "It was the Widow." "She started this." "You're the one who antagonized her, Quinn." "If you want the other barons to back down, deal with her." "Something's wrong." "Where are all the cogs and the Clippers?" "The fields are deserted." "Baron!" " Mari:" "No." "No, no, no." "All right, no one's gonna hurt you." "What happened?" "The Widow." "She came with a bunch of girls." "They killed all the Clippers." "They promised to give the cogs a better life and offered them gold." "More gold than I've ever seen." "For your loyalty." "I'm holding you accountable, Sunny." "Find the Widow." "And when you do, I wanna spill her guts and hang her from the wall for all the Badlands to see." "Where am I?" "Where's Jacobee?" "You said he agreed to hear my proposal." "You're not here to meet Jacobee." "Easy, boy." "You're working with her?" "I have eyes and ears everywhere." "I'm not interested in anything this bitch has to say." "Come now, Ryder." "You tried to kill me." "I tried to kill you." "Now we're even." "Let's focus on our mutual enemy." "Your father." "He doesn't believe in you." "He never has." "I hear your own mother cast you aside as well." "I know what it's like to be rejected and underestimated." "I admired the fact that you came after me." " It was decisive." " I came here to meet a real baron." "You want the fort." "Zypher wants Jacobee's." "I'll help you get them." "Be smart." "Join our alliance." "I've already stolen his cogs." "I'm going to take him down with or without you." "I see what Zypher and I get out of this." "And what do you want?" "There's a boy in the fort." "He wears this pendant." "If I get him... you'll be a baron." "Isn't that what you always wanted?" "I'm here to see the River King." "Waldo must hold you in high esteem if he gave you this." "What can I do for you?" "I need passage out of the Badlands." "And so you think going to a new place is going to change who you are, save your soul?" "I won't be traveling alone." "So you wanna save someone else, too?" "Now I know you're a fool." "Can you help me or not?" "This favor was for Waldo." "I owe you nothing." "But out of respect for what he did for me," "I'm sure we can come to terms." "A month ago, a shipment of cogs was heading this way to me." "28 in all." "When my men opened the hatch, they found a scene of slaughter." "All but one of the cogs was dead." "Killed in a murderous rage." "Before the last soul passed... she was able to identify the perpetrator." "This boy has cost me money and respect." "I want you to find him, clip him, and bring his head to me as payment." "Do this... and I'll guarantee you and your companions safe passage out of the Badlands to a place where no one will ever find you." "Do we have a deal?"