Cannibals, My Lady?
“Ugh, you call them flesh eaters. It seems as if cannibalism on both this world and on Earth has a dark legacy. What if the evil I felt while on the ship and in Gharra is directly related to cannibalism?” Lara looked at Skye. “You mentioned before that there were Gods and Goddesses in the past whose sole drive was to meet their personal desires. Was there anything in the archives on what powers or magic their worshipers gained?”
Skye frowned in thought. Lara looked for the others, but the Tal’Ai pair and Dane were gone. She shook her head with a grimace. They must have left after she fell asleep. She remembered trying to listen to Skye explain his plan, but she’d faded fast.
“It depended on the God or Goddess,” Skye said, “but I paid little attention to that part of the histories.”
Did you not see any magic while there, Solara?
“No, but I did get the sense that not everyone is a cannibal. The ship workers—uh, sailors—both greatly feared and respected the king and his top people.”
Chion hummed. Hoarding the magical power of a God or Goddess is a common practice in other kingdoms. I would not be surprised if your intuition proves accurate regarding the Malirrans.
“Okay, if we don’t know what kind of magic the Malirrans have, then how do we find out?”
Skye chuckled, and the sound lessened the tension within their group. “You fell asleep before I finished sharing my plan.”
Lara tugged on the bottom of her shirt. “Yeah, sorry. Did Neal and Cai leave for Kureto already?”
“You needed sleep more. And no, they did not. Both Neal and Cai agreed to stay to gather information regarding the Malirrans. When the army decamps and marches toward Kureto, they will bring us word. For now, they returned to one of the other hidden entrances in Gharra.”
She frowned in confusion. “Now that your friend knows about the entrance, will they be safe? Your friend was not too happy to see our group.”
“Nowhere is safe right now, Lara,” Skye responded with a sigh. “Dane agreed to provide the Tal’Ai pair news and other information as soon as he learns it. In return, Neal and Cai will do the same for the Pyrannis, though only Dane will know who the information comes from.”
“Oh, so since we have a mutual enemy, we’re… now friends?” Even she could hear how dubious she sounded.
My Lady, I believe the best term is grudging allies.
“Chion is right. Dane and I grew up together, so he’s willing to give me one chance to prove that Kurites are not what he thinks.” Skye reached out and rubbed Eiren’s ear. “The Kurites and Pyrannis have spent too long as enemies to alter the beliefs of an entire people overnight.”
“So, why would Dane help the Kurites at all?”
My Lady, Skye argued that sharing information with each other, becoming allies to an extent, accorded everyone involved expediency against the Malirrans that would not come to fruition otherwise.
Lara turned Chion’s statement over until she decided to simply trust her companions. She still worried that Neal and Cai would be hurt or killed by the Pyrannis. Every encounter she’d had with the Pyrannis showed how entrenched the warriors were in their false beliefs. However, trying to change those beliefs would only make the Pyrannis more fanatical.
The Pyrannis must come to terms on their own that their beliefs are wrong. Unfortunately for the Kurites, changing the Pyrannis’ minds just became ten times more difficult. The arrival of the Malirrans and their despicable actions could lend credence to the Pyrannis’ beliefs that all magic users were the same—evil. Lara hoped not. The war had gone on far too long.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, she asked, “What is our plan? I mean, we do have a plan, right? Are we staying here or walking back to Kureto?”
Chion huffed again. We cannot afford to allow you the time to rest. After you have eaten, and I am certain you are well enough to travel, we must return to Kureto. The Kurite commanders must learn the latest information regarding the Malirran army.
Skye rummaged through his bag and handed Lara a strip of jerky and a roll that she mentally called hardtack. As she took her first bite, Skye ran a critical eye over her. “With my magic I can only tell you favor one side over the other and how stiff you are. Can you travel?”
Lara took a mental tally of her body. “I think so. I can’t run any races, but if we go slow, I think I can keep up.”
A strange look crossed Skye’s face before he offered, “When you need to rest, I’ll carry you until you can walk again.”
Glancing at the others, Lara realized the true seriousness of the situation with the Malirrans. They could ill afford the time it’d take for her to recuperate. Physically, her exhaustion and her injuries were the only remnants of her experience. On the other hand, her brain felt light and fuzzy around the edges, as if the effects of the insanity lingered. Lara slumped. At least this way she’d put some distance between Gharra and herself.
“All right.” She looked down at her clothes and grimaced with distaste. “On the way here, did you happen to pass a lake or pond?”
A pond? Chion’s look of bewilderment made her laugh.
“I need a bath in the worst way. I know I wasn’t in the dungeon all that long, and I know we are all filthy. But I feel like I’m coated in evil, and it’s corroded me from the inside out. I don’t know how else to explain except I feel unclean.” She shuddered. “I know I can’t use soap to scrub my veins and arteries, but I can at least wash my hair and skin.”
Skye and Eiren shared a long look. The warrior cleared his throat before he said, “Eiren remembers smelling water a half day’s walk from here.”
I scented it as well. While you bathe, Eiren and I will hunt for food. Our supplies need replenishing. We left most of our foodstuff with the Tal’Ai. They require it more than us. Chion studied each of them for a moment. Perhaps we all need a bath.
Eiren nodded fervently at the mention of a bath. Skye relayed her comment, “There is still sand in her coat from the Gais Desert.” With a bath as an incentive, they packed their camp and left Gharra behind in record time.
Before they located the small stream, Skye squatted in front of Lara without a word after dropping his own pack onto the ground. She opened her mouth to argue, but Eiren gave her an encouraging nod, and her mouth snapped shut. The starch had long since left her, and her feet were dragging. Tugging the abandoned pack on and tying it in place, Lara climbed onto Skye’s back.
Grateful for her respite, she still mentally grumbled about the man’s smooth stride. Couldn’t he at least show some strain while carrying her? God, she was such a wimp. She couldn’t even walk without help.
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Having scouted ahead, Chion was the first to find the water source. His head poked out from a room set back from the tunnel. He warned, It is a small stream, but it should provide enough water for a quick bath.
“At this point, I don’t think I care,” she confessed when they neared the room. “I don’t even care if it is freezing cold. As long as the water is clean, I’ll make do.”
Looking over Skye’s shoulder, where her arms were wrapped around his neck, she decided that Chion had greatly exaggerated by calling it a stream. But she didn’t dare complain after Chion’s warning, even if a nice, warm bath would go a long way in reviving her.
Finding her balance after Skye dropped her legs, she undid Skye’s pack from her back. It landed with a thud on the ground’s rocky surface. The clear water was welcome despite its sluggish speed.
Solara, if you will?
Lara turned her attention to the paka. “Oh, sorry,” she said, limping over to help him with his pack. He caught her by surprise when he licked her face from chin up to her hairline. “Gross,” she squeaked, pushing him away from her.
You are washing soon.
“There’s no soap,” she exclaimed. “Besides, you have no idea where that dirt has been.”
His ears twitched and a mischievous gleam entered his eyes. Dirt is everywhere. My saliva will not harm you.
“That isn’t what I meant.” She waved a hand down her body. “I’m not worried about me. What’s on me could infect you.”
Ah, My Lady, you worry for no reason. If what is on you has yet to harm you, then I doubt it will kill me. He circled her, around and around, leaving thick clumps of white hair on her clothes.
Now, we do not have long before we must leave. I think it is best if we bathe in shifts. Eiren and I will hunt for our dinner tonight, he said, nodding his head toward the other paka. Chion looked over at Skye. Although the danger to Solara is slight, I will feel better if you would stay to guard the entrance.
After a couple seconds, Skye gave the paka a low bow. “Nothing will harm her while I am here.”
Lara frowned in confusion. Granted, she didn’t want to be left alone, but they acted as if she needed protection.
Seeing her expression, Skye shook his head once, his gaze warning her to keep quiet until the pakas left. Okay. Lara pursed her lips. She had definitely missed something. Eiren nudged her on the hip in a silent goodbye and proceeded to do the same to Skye.
A heavy silence descended in their wake. Skye tilted his head to the side as he kept watch of the pakas’ progress with his magic. Lara sat down on the ground, dismissing the sharp rocks digging into her butt and legs. She untied the shoestrings on her boots and slipped each foot out with a huge sigh of relief.
The smell that met her nose made her gag. How long had she worn the boots without the benefit of letting her feet breathe? If she didn’t have foot fungus, she’d eat her socks.
She was glad when Skye didn’t mention the stench when he kneeled beside her. Of course, Lara bet his feet smelled worse. Focusing on peeling off the grungy socks, she jumped when a fingertip brushed aside her bangs.
Caught and held by his all too serious blue eyes, Lara gasped. A variety of emotions crossed his face too fast to decipher, but she did understand one thing. This man cared for her, really cared for her.
She reached up and clasped his hand in her right one. “Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered.
For a long minute he didn’t say anything, and they stared at each other. At last, he broke their connection, looking down at her clothes with a frown, his stoic façade back in place. “In my pack, I have an extra set of breeches. They are too big for you, but I might be able to construct a belt from these,” he said, motioning to the ones she wore.
He reached over and dragged his bag toward him. He had to unpack everything before he pulled out the pants. Unrolling them, the coil came into view.
“You brought it with you,” she exclaimed.
“Eiren and I could not leave it behind. From our past experience, nothing ever occurs as planned. Leaving it at the Tal’Ai school would have been ill-advised.”
Skye picked up the coil, threading a few fingers into the holes to hold it steady before setting it on top of his pack. “I’ll work on a makeshift pair of breeches for you while you bathe.” He strolled to the doorway, already drawing his knife. “Once you undress, toss your dirty clothing to me. I’ll take a long strip from the leggings to make into a belt.”
Lara waited until he was on the other side of the doorway and leaning against the wall before she stripped down to her bare skin. She couldn’t wait to feel clean. She bundled up her pants and threw them out into the hall. Keeping her back to the door, she tiptoed to the stream and didn’t stop until she was ankle deep in the water.
The cool water chilled her overheated feet, making her hiss and goosebumps rise up and down her body. Not able to wait any longer, she kneeled and scooped water over and over until she was soaked. Without the benefit of soap or sand, she scrubbed as best as she could. Lara watched with dark satisfaction as the water flowing down her body changed from dark red and gray to a murky cream color. Red and puffy, her wounds stood out on her skin.
From the other side of the door, she heard material ripping.
Leaning over, she dunked as much of her head in the water as possible. Swishing her hair back and forth between her hands, Lara then scooped more water up until all her hair was wet. Shivers wracked her until her teeth chattered. She ran shaking fingers through the strands, trying to untangle some of the more persistent knots.
At last, she came to her feet, stepped out of the water, and squeezed the water out of her hair. The rest of her body would dry as soon as she moved around.
With the tips of her fingers, Lara picked up the shirt with distaste. Weighing a cold, wet shirt against a filthy one, Lara took the shirt and dunked it into the water. After scrubbing the shirt for a few minutes, she wrung most of the water out of it.
After taking a steadying breath, Lara pulled the shirt on, grimacing when the cold material touched her skin, dropping her body temperature further. She shivered again and hopped in place, trying to get her blood moving.
Ensuring the shirt covered the most important parts, Lara called out, “Skye, you can come back in.”
Skye stepped into the crude room and stopped in his tracks. When he continued to stare at her, she frowned and looked down. “What?” She was covered from her thighs up. Granted, the shirt stuck to her like a second skin, but there was nothing she could do about it. Jerking his eyes down, Skye held out the pants once he was close enough.
Grabbing them, she held them up. “Wait, weren’t you going to fix them?”
“I thought of a better way to fix them. Trust me. Put them on, then roll the waist down until it rests where you want them. We’ll work on the length after I fix the top.” He gave her his back.
She pulled them on and had to laugh at the sight. “I look like a girl playing dress up. All I need are the high heels.” She received a noncommittal grunt in return. Lara did as he instructed, rolling the waistline down four times before touching his arm to have him turn back around.
Lara eyed the knife in his hand. “What are you going to do with that,” she asked, twirling a finger toward the weapon.
He kneeled in front of her. “I’m going to cut slits into the material on the outside and thread the strip,” he pointed to the material on the ground in front of him, “through it.”
She grinned. “An improvised set of belt hoops. Smart.”
He hesitated with the knife against her pants. “I won’t cut you; however, stand as still as possible.”
She froze, turning only when he urged her to. When he was done, she tied the two ends together in a bow as he stood back up.
The cuffs of the pants bunched around her feet, and she was afraid to take a step for fear she’d trip. Rolling the pants up until she could see her feet, Lara regarded her outfit. She wouldn’t win any contests, but it would suffice.
Skye closed his eyes, a soft grin replacing his solemn expression. “The pakas are on their way back.”
“Already? Well, I thought they might be on their way, but it really hasn’t been that long.”
“Eiren said they found a hidden cache of foodstuff at a waystation a little distance away.”
Lara snorted, rolling her eyes. “I think Chion was looking forward to hunting for our meal. He seems unusually restless.”
“Chion was the most affected by your capture.” Skye rolled his broad shoulders. “He’ll return to normal in a few days, I think. We have the time.”
Lara reached out, her hand stopping Skye from stepping away. Her friend looked down at her with a questioning gaze. The tension between them held her hostage, and she hesitated, doubting the wisdom of her next move. Taking the chance, she thrust all her doubts and worries into the corner of her mind.
Placing her other hand on his chest, she raised up on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his. Startled at how soft his lips were, she tightened her grip. Skye’s body flexed beneath her, tension in every line of his frame.
Oh God, what had she done? The face before her showed only stark surprise, and he had yet to lift his arms. She released him as if her hands had caught fire.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but in a move too fast to see, Skye stepped closer and kissed her back. His large hands cradled the back of her head, keeping her in place. All thoughts of recrimination vanished with the light brush of lips against lips. Lara felt in that single, simple kiss all his yearning for her. Skye took her gasp as an invitation for more.