“The Fire Reader is with Tral and Tiptu,” Hyath said, stepping toward the large wooden bowl that held water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. “They’re arranging a small feast in honour of their new son, so we have time to talk privately.”
Using one of the carved cups waiting on the floor by the bowl, she scooped up some water, snatched a strip of supple animal skin that was used for washing hands and faces, then came toward me.
I allowed Niya to lead me to sit on the reed mats around the empty hearth. No one spoke as Hyath wet the animal skin, then held it out to me with a raised eyebrow.
I took it, blinking as water dripped through my fingers.
“Use it to wipe off the blood, Girl,” Hyath said quietly, her eyes tightening with worry. The two women shared a look as I shook my head, dispelling the repeating images of the man being mauled by Syn. The man who looked at me as if I held his very heart.
I shuddered and washed away his blood.
The water was cold on my warm flesh, reminding me of his touch. His fingers had been rough and dirty but cool and refreshing in the sun. And when his skin touched mine...
I gulped.
He’d been right.
It stung.
His touch stung with a power I couldn’t describe. An awareness full of stinging possibilities. It’d been so potent, so painful, that I’d forgotten to look at the sky to see if I’d be punished.
“That’s good; all clean.” Hyath took the sodden skin from me before setting it on the upturned log next to her that was used as a stool or table. “Now...” She narrowed her eyes at me, then Niya. “Tell us what happened.” Licking her lips, she added, “We lost sight of you while we were in the grass. After we separated, I just assumed you’d headed back to camp when we couldn’t see you. What happened? What did you see? What got hurt? An animal?”
“Not what,” I whispered, hugging my now damp belly. “Who.”
Both girls stiffened. They didn’t speak, waiting for me to continue. The steady thud of four paws wrenched up my chin as the entrance flaps parted, moving aside for the sleek lynx to pad her way inside.
Niya scratched Syn on her muscular flank as she passed by but stayed silent as Syn walked right into me, headbutting my chest with her adolescent head and baby antlers. A breath escaped me as she whimpered and collapsed into my lap, her two tails lank over the mats as she lowered her head into my arms.
The silence turned heavy as the two Nhil women saw, just as clearly as I did, the blood staining Syn’s muzzle and white-silvery chest.
“Oh no...” Hyath shuddered beside me. “Did she...did she kill someone?” She fell backward onto her rear, her hands clamping over her mouth. “Who? Who did she kill?”
Syn whined again, snuggling deeper into my arms as if seeking my forgiveness. Part of me wanted to deny her attempts at an apology—she shouldn’t have attacked that man. If she hadn’t, he might have come back with me. He could be here, right now, ready to join us for a feast and most likely be granted the same wonderful welcome as me.
But then again, if she hadn’t attacked him, he would’ve taken me away. He had me over his shoulder, running in the wrong direction, taking me from my new friends—friends who had saved my life and given me a home.
So really, Syn didn’t need my forgiveness because she was the reason I was here and not gone. She’d given me her protection without question and done what she believed was right for her pack.
It was me who should’ve stopped her.
Me who should’ve insisted he return to camp, so the Nhil healers could tend him.
But those shadows...
They’d come from nowhere and coiled sinisterly around his legs. They’d wrapped around Syn until she yelped and fought back, far worse than before.
He was otherworldly.
Magical.
Different.
Sighing deeply, I wrapped my arms around the feline and pressed a kiss to her head. “Thank you for protecting me, Syn, but next time—”
“Next time?” Niya exploded. “What next time? She protected you? From what? From who?”
With the lynx in my arms, words were easier to speak. “I walked farther than I thought. I fell into the rhythm of harvesting and didn’t see how far I’d gone. I heard something behind me. I thought it was you, coming to say our chores were over for the day, but there was a...man.”
“A man?” Hyath’s pale skin flushed. “What man? One of our men?”
I shook my head. “Someone I’ve never seen before.”
“A wanderer then? Someone walking from village to village in Quelis? Sharing our tales and spreading news from afar?”
“I-I don’t think he was a wanderer.” I pictured him again. The wildness of him. The feralness and harshness. He’d smelled of earth and moss, as if he lived somewhere the sun couldn’t touch with beasts unlike us. “He was alone.” I shook my head, forcing myself to keep talking. “He spoke a different language, but I understood him somehow.” I swallowed hard as I looked at both girls. “H-He said he’s been searching like I have. That he lost his memories and didn’t know where his people were.”