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“THEY’RE FOLLOWING US. A fire is a bad idea,” a girl’s voice was saying.
Why did she have to be so loud? I just needed one more minute of sleep. Just one more minute to clear my head a bit.
Wake up, trout, or you won’t get any say in what happens next.
Memory crashed in like an uninvited guest. Oh yes, my bossy dragon friend, Saboraak. It sounded like her threat skills were as bad as her joke skills.
I felt the equivalent to a mental sigh.
I’m looking out for you. Do you want others to decide your fate for you, or do you want to be master of your own fate? We are ruled by our choices, but also by the choices of those around us. As much as possible, we should influence those choices for good. We must refuse to only look out for ourselves.
It would be nice to be master of something. Other memories were flooding my head now. Had my heroic moment really been when I ran away from a guy named Shabren the Violet?
Precisely.
Ugh. It would be hard to hold my head up high with that on my mind. But I’d never pretended to be a hero.
I think you will find that character isn’t always what’s impressive about a person from the outside. It’s an inner mettle they possess that shows itself in the middle of great difficulty. Together, we will hammer some character into you.
The only thing inside of me was a trace of beef jerky. My stomach rumbled to emphasize the point and my eyes shot open.
I was lying against something hard and hot – Saboraak, no doubt. She was faithful, it would seem. I had no idea before meeting her that dragons were so affectionate to humans.
Don’t mistake my nurturing spirit for affection, trout. It’s not about who you are. It’s about who I am.
I also had no idea that they were so bad with nicknames. Trout? Really? Just because my eyes went big one time?
Flames licked sluggishly along wet wood in a circle of rocks just in front of me. Bataar – my new ally – leaned over the flames, blowing into the embers a little too aggressively. We had a dragon here. Why didn’t he ask her for a fire?
He is too independent to ask for help. A trait you both share.
Beside of Bataar, a pair of girls watched nervously. They were mirror images of each other from their tousled curly hair – barely brushing their chins in length – to their wide golden eyes. I’d never seen girls like them before. And they were a puzzle. They were holding hands as if they were afraid of letting go.
Well, first things first. Always lead with a grin.
I sat up, offering my very best grin. “I expected to rescue just one girl. Zyla.”
The girls exchanged a glance, but they both looked away from me, as if they weren’t going to say another word. So much for gratitude.
You need to get over yourself, Tor. This isn’t all about you. Compassion is the door to wisdom. Open it, and you’ll find that you see the world more clearly.
I didn’t sign up for a second conscience. Saboraak could keep her moralizing to herself.
I’m not sure you have a first conscience! Stop whining about what you signed up for and step up! Start with compassion.
I drew in a deep breath. Skies and Stars! I thought nagging authorities on the outside were a problem but now I was going to have one inside my head for the rest of the foreseeable future.
The rest of your life.
Don’t remind me!
I must have been silent for too long because Bataar stopped blowing on the fire and spoke.
“The other girl is Zin. They’re sisters.”
“I can see that.”
They were staring at me with twin glares, like cats who had just been doused with water.
“And are we being followed?” I asked Bataar.
“It seems like it.” He looked over his shoulder nervously and I stared past him, assuming he was looking in the direction of the camp. How far had we flown? It was too dark to see anything, so it must still be night.
Not far. I was worried about you. We fled less than an hour ago.
“So why the fire?” I asked, standing up. “Won’t that show them where we are?”
There was a gasp when I stood, and I turned to see the girls with mirror looks of surprise on their faces. Seriously? Did they do everything in tandem? Were they just one person in two bodies?
“Where did you get that?” the one on the right said, her deep voice musical. I could get used to that voice. Maybe she could sing ...
She was staring at me. Those golden eyes were like glittering gems. They were fixed on my chest, probably looking at the tiger’s eye pendant that slipped out of my shirt, but I was very conscious that I was under her gaze.
“Well?” she asked.
Oh. Yes. Speaking. I should do that.
I never signed up to deal with your hormones.
“Ephretti Oakboon gave it to me. She’s the Castelan of my city – Vanika.”
Bataar shifted his weight and cursed quietly at the fire he was trying to build but the girl’s eyes widened even further.
“Vanika?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I scratched the back of my neck. Why did it itch like that when I was uncomfortable? It wasn’t the new cloak. Even if it was, I wasn’t giving up this cloak for anything.
“Hubric took me from there. He said I was supposed to find Zyla and that she would know where to go next. He didn’t say anything about a sister.”
“I think it should be obvious where we go next,” Bataar said. In the moonlight, his chiseled features stood out starkly. I didn’t like that he seemed so in control of the situation. Confidence was my thing. “We go further than this. Even taking the hills into account, those Magikas will be here before morning. Anywhere is better than sitting here.”
“If they’re following us,” I said. Best to remind him who was boss here. “We don’t know that they are.”
You’re boss now?
“They are following us,” the musical voice of one of the sisters said again. There was a deep burr to her voice like she was always slightly growling. I could really get to like that...
Mind on the task!
“How do you know?” I asked.
“They ... want ... things from Zin and me.” She looked down, her lower lip quivering.
Compassion. Remember?
“Look, ummm ... are you two okay?” That was my very best compassion. Saboraak should be proud.
That is your best? Skies and stars, Tor! We have soooo far to go with you. Courage in physical danger is a great asset – and one you possess – but courage in emotional danger is another essential for a life of bravery.
The girls both looked away. I ran a hand through my hair awkwardly. How did you even talk about this stuff?
By talking about it!
“Ummm ...” I looked to Bataar for support, but he was suddenly very interested in the leather satchels at his feet. The girls must have grabbed those two satchels I’d been delivering to Sabren the Violet as part of my cover. “Are you physically hurt? Do you need bandages or hot water or something?”
I drew in a deep breath. Eggs and bacon, how did you ask a girl if she had been tortured?
“No,” Zyla said quickly. “The things they wanted weren’t physical.”
I shuddered. Why did her voice make it sound like that was somehow worse?
“So, umm, Hubric didn’t say anything about your sister,” I said, crouching down in front of the girls. Maybe if I was closer, I could do a better job at connecting. I felt so clumsy, like I was too tall – though I was only average height, too bulky – though I was slight in build, too full of thumbs – though I had the normal number of thumbs. Girls. They made you feel weird.
“He didn’t know she was there. Neither did I. I thought Zin was dead,” Zyla said. “I thought she died with my parents. I didn’t know that she was captured by Magikas.”
Zin’s eyes were far away, not even acknowledging that we were talking about her.
I nodded, trying to look like someone you could talk to. Serious. Reliable.
You look like you have stomach problems.
What did Saboraak know? She’d only known humans for nine days.
Eleven days, now.
“And does she talk for herself?” I asked looking at Zin who wouldn’t look at me.
Zyla made an exasperated sound in her throat. “Just leave her alone, okay? Talk to me.”
“Okay, well, Hubric and I went to the House looking for you but there were a bunch of Magikas there with weird magical rods and stuff.”
“Items with magic in them?” Bataar interrupted, suddenly interested in us again.
Zyla frowned, looking between us like we were discussing something we shouldn’t. When her eyes caught mine, they looked intent, like she was trying to say something with them.
“Anyways, he sent me to find you. He had an important message for the Dominar so he had to go south.”
“To Dominion City?” she asked. Those eyes looked so intelligent, like she was thinking a thousand things at once. I nodded, distracted by the way her lips made a perfect archer’s bow at the top. “Then he won’t be back here for two weeks at the very least. Maybe more. That means we need to make our own decision about what to do.”
“And it needs to be fast,” Bataar said, offering us torn pieces of bread from the loaf he was holding. I snatched the one he offered me quickly, gulping it down as he raised an eyebrow.
“What?” I challenged. Couldn’t a guy eat without being judged?
He shook his head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zyla gently offering a piece of bread to her sister. Zin took it with a faraway look in her eye.
“We have a little while to decide,” I objected.
Bataar shook his head. “Look south.”
I stood and followed his pointing finger. I had no idea which way south was without his help.
In the distance, an eerie green light bobbed along the ground – like a lantern being carried by men hurrying.
“I think they want these girls back. Unless these bags have something more valuable in them than Kav’ai clothing and bread.”
“They’ll do anything to get us back,” Zyla agreed.
I watched the bobbing green lights for a moment more. There were more popping into existence by the minute. Far too many to fight. I swallowed and looked at Zyla.
“Why do they want you so badly?”