Chapter 13 - Golden Kingdom

My knees buckled, but I refused to allow weakness to overcome me. Kintle had been Taio’s friend and fellow warrior. Taio needed me to be strong right now. I lurched to Taio, hauled him back from the ledge and the sight of what was left of Kintle, and wrapped my arms around him. Taio’s body shook, and together, we sank to our knees. Taio buried his face against my neck and heaved in shallow, stuttering breaths.

“I know,” I whispered. “I know.”

I clung to him for a long time, offering what comfort I could and trying to murmur loud enough to mask the sounds of the feast below. I hadn’t seen the aftermath of the rock Taio had dropped on Kintle’s head, and I hoped he’d taken at least one Hollow with him. But others had survived or climbed to the outcrop. We could hear the squish and slurp as the Hollows feasted on Kintle’s body.

I didn’t know how much time passed before I looked about for somewhere we could shelter. The sky had grown dark, and we wouldn’t be able to leave this ledge tonight. We’d deal with how to escape it tomorrow. I spotted a fall of rocks from the wall above. At some point, a small section from above had broken off, and dirt and rocks—some small and some quite large—had tumbled down in a vertical pile. Just behind that was a dent in the rock formation. The fallen rocks would offer some protection from the elements if we moved into the cavity. I took Taio’s hands. “Come.”

Without a word, he followed me away from the ledge. I squeezed past the pile of rocks into the hole, which was wider and taller than I’d expected. Taio grunted, but finally he pressed past the rocks as well. Inside, I could only just stand, while Taio had to stoop. But there was enough room for us to sit or lay, our backs against the wall, side by side.

Even though the sun was down and the temperature had fallen, I removed my coat. I couldn’t stand the stench of Hollow blood and flesh, and I pushed it away, taking a deep breath of somewhat purer air. Taio removed his coat too and, after some adjustment and stepping on toes, we lay our bedrolls under us and settled with his coat over us. I pulled Taio into my arms and held him. I was never any good at offering words of comfort, and I didn’t try. All I could do was hold him and let him know I was there with him in his grief. I felt it keenly. Kintle and I had become friends the last few days, and in an instant, he was gone.

“What am I to tell his parents?” Taio murmured in Zulenii. “What am I to tell Ngaro? He has been in love with Kintle for years, but Kintle was unsure of his feelings. On the trek to Highcastle, he realized he did love Ngaro. Now they will never be together.” His voice broke.

I squeezed Taio again, forcing back the tears that burned my eyes. “Tell Ngaro and Kintle’s family the truth. Kintle died saving us. He was a brave man and a skilled warrior. He was a good friend.”

“I should have gone last,” Taio said. “Kintle was my responsibility. I should have made him go first.”

“No.” I grabbed Taio’s shoulders and looked into his eyes, which were little more than dark pools in the dim light of the half-cave. “You cannot think that way. I have lost friends, and I have had dark times. If you begin to think of all the what ifs you will drive yourself mad. Kintle knew the risk he took, and he accepted it. If you second-guess him, you take away the honor of his sacrifice.”

“I cannot believe he is gone,” Taio said. I put both hands on his face and kissed him gently. I understood his pain, and there was nothing for it but time. Finnrey’s loss was still so raw and fresh. Sometimes I forgot she was gone and turned to look for her or thought of something to tell her because I knew she would find it amusing. Then the realization that I’d never speak to her again hit me like a knife in the chest, and the pain I thought had dulled washed over me fresh and raw again.

I gathered Taio close. “I will never forget the first time I saw Kintle that day the four of you walked into Highcastle,” I said. “At first, I only noticed you. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

Taio made a low noise to indicate he’d heard me.

“But next I saw Kintle. I’d never seen hair that shade before, and he wore it plaited down his back. With his height, his shaved face, and his tattoos, he looked so foreign to me. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to his appearance. But just yesterday, when I looked at him, I realized I didn’t see the hair or his coloring any longer. I just saw Kintle, and I thought of him as my friend.”

“He would have liked to know you considered him a friend,” Taio said. “He thought you the most frightening person he had ever met.”

I let out a soft bark of laughter. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Over time, I think it did become a compliment.”

“When did you first meet him?” I asked, hoping that speaking of Kintle like this would ease some of the pain, if only for a little while.

“I’ve always known him,” Taio said. “I do not remember a time when I did not know him. But when we began to train with Leed together was when we became...I do not know if friend is the correct term because I was always his superior in rank. In Zulenii, we have another word that is between friend and subordinate. That is what he was to me. More than an acquaintance or a subordinate. I respected him and trusted him with my life.”

“That trust in him was a gift, and he showed you that he deserved your trust.”

“I wish I could have protected him.”

“In the end, you saved him. You ended his pain and suffering, and I know that was not an easy thing to do.”

We did not speak again for a long time, and after a while, I heard Taio’s breathing soften and grow regular. I’d slept by his side enough to know when he was deeply asleep. But sleep eluded me because I was afraid. I was afraid Kintle’s death had been for nothing. If I’d translated the cure incorrectly...if we needed the wolf saliva after all...if we tried it on any Hollows we captured and it did not work, then was Kintle’s death in vain? He could have stayed home in Zleyval. He could have been in Ngaro’s arms right now. Kintle had saved me because he believed in the cure. Taio and Omira and Yung and Leed and all Zleyval trusted in me. What if I let them down? What if Taio had gone all the way to Highcastle, risked his life to win me, risked all our lives bringing me back, and it was all for nothing? What if the cure was just a story written to entertain a king?

I tried to imagine what Taio would say if I voiced my fears to him, but I knew exactly what he’d say without even thinking. He’d tell me that if there was even a small chance of success, we had to try. That the cure was worth any cost. I didn’t know that I agreed with that. I didn’t know if I thought the loss of Finnrey and now Kintle too high a cost. And yet, I wanted to persist because I wanted their deaths to mean something.

Eventually, my thoughts turned to the morning. Taio had shared the little water left in his canteen, and we’d eaten some dried fruit from our packs. I had more dried fruit, but neither of us had more water. I almost wished it would begin to snow again, so we could melt the snow into water, but the sky remained steadfastly clear. Without water, we could not linger on this outcrop. We had to find a way down, and we had to do it before our bodies and minds began to break down from lack of water.

I wasn’t exactly certain what we were up against, but I had to assume there were between four and ten Hollows on the ledge below. We couldn’t climb down, and we couldn’t climb up. I didn’t have a bow and arrow, so we had to find some way to kill them from up here. My gaze wandered to the pile of rocks at the entrance to our makeshift cave. Some of the rocks were small and would do nothing more than irritate the Hollows, but others were large enough to inflict actual damage. Kintle and I had poor aim with the rock we’d thrown, but Taio had shown that if employed correctly, one of these larger rocks could be effective. Best of all, we had more than a dozen rocks, so if we missed once, we had more ammunition.

Unfortunately, these rocks were very heavy and moving them required great strength. My arms were already sore from the climbs, and I imagined they’d hurt to lift tomorrow. But I’d have to work with Taio to crush the Hollows below so we might climb down.

By the time the sky had lightened enough that I could see Taio’s head on my shoulder clearly, I had a plan. I carefully extricated myself from his arms, went to the far side of the ledge to relieve myself, then took a shallow breath of fetid, Hollow-scented air, and moved to the edge of the outcrop. I did not want to see whatever remained of Kintle, but I had to see what we faced.

Over the edge, Kintle’s body lay in pieces against the rock wall. Several Hollows were on all fours, eating his flesh, though they’d stripped much of what was left of him to the bone. Taio’s large boulder had landed almost directly on Kintle’s head, and Taio had killed two of the Hollows with that blow as well. Kintle had killed another Hollow, which left six feasting or milling about on the outcrop below. I waited a few minutes for the sky to lighten further so I could see the base of the rock structure. The Hollow we’d pushed off the wall was still attempting to crawl up, even though both of its legs hung at strange angles. Another wandered in circles, and two others made somewhat serious attempts to crawl up to join their cohort, but they did not seem capable.

Ten Hollows. We’d have to crush or dislodge the first six and then we’d have to do the same to the four below them. Moreover, we’d have to hope that whatever noise we made didn’t attract more Hollows. And if our efforts took hours, and I feared they might, we’d have to find our way back to the camp in the dark and fighting hunger, but more importantly, extreme thirst. I heard movement behind me and turned with my hand on my skullcrusher. But it was Taio pushing his hair out of his face as he ducked out from the cave. He took one look at my face and said, “How bad is it?”

“Six on the ledge. Four on the ground below.”

“You already have a plan.” It wasn’t a question. He knew me well enough by now to know I’d thought everything through.

I gestured to the rock slide. “You took out two when you...yesterday when you dropped the rock. We do that again, knocking these six off the ledge or crushing them.”

Taio grunted and lifted his arms with a wince. I knew exactly how he felt. My own arms screamed with pain every time I moved them.

“Do you have anything to eat?” he asked. We both knew the water was gone.

“Dried fruit in my pack. Let’s eat that before lining up as many suitable rocks as we can. Then we’ll start throwing them.”

The sun was in our eyes by the time we’d amassed our pile of rocks. The air was so cold I could see my breath, and I’d been forced to don my coat again. I tried not to inhale deeply. The Hollows below had taken note of our activity and while some still gnawed on Kintle’s bones, others scrambled up the side of the rock wall. None made it more than a few feet before falling back. I wished they would fall all the way down, but with some frustration I noted each one of them landed back on the ledge.

“That one first,” Taio said, indicating one right at the base of the ledge. It would be an easy matter to shove a rock from our ledge right on to it as it was still and directly below us. We chose a large boulder, rolled it to the edge, and pushed it off together. Then we held our breaths as it crashed down. It hit the side of the wall and bounced slightly off-course, but it landed on the Hollow’s shoulders, pushing it down and pinning it. Its limbs still moved, but for all intents and purposes, it was no longer a threat. Its companions hissed and made wet growling sounds—those that stopped feeding long enough to notice—and Taio and I chose our next target.

By noon, we’d stripped off our coats and had to stop to swipe sweat from our brows. I was near tears with fatigue, and Taio’s face looked pale and shadowed. We had one Hollow left on the ledge, and the thing had managed to evade all our efforts either because we had poor aim or it moved slightly at the last moment.

“I’m ready to climb down and just use my skullcrusher,” I said with a huff of frustration.

“It will sink its teeth into your leg before you even have a chance. One more time.”

I groaned and helped Taio lift another heavy boulder. We carried it to the edge, but the Hollow had moved out a bit and we’d have to swing it. “Stand back,” Taio said. I didn’t argue. If he wanted to throw the boulder himself, I’d let him. He braced his legs apart and swung the rock back and forth, letting its momentum grow. I didn’t know where he found the strength, but I could imagine the way his muscles flexed as he worked now. I closed my eyes and cursed myself for a dusthead. Why was I lusting after him right now? Was I truly that addled or was I growing delirious from lack of water? Hours ago I’d ceased licking my lips and forced myself not to think about my dry, scratchy throat.

Suddenly, Taio gave a cry, and I opened my eyes and rushed to the ledge. He’d hit the Hollow, sending it toppling over the ledge. Now it lay at the base, motionless. “You did it!” I jumped into his arms and kissed him. He kissed me back and we both laughed for the first time in what seemed like days. Then reality set in. “We have to do it all again from down there.” I motioned to the ledge, now littered with dead Hollows and fallen rocks. “And we have to climb down.”

“Down is easier than up,” Taio said.

“If you say so.”

We took an hour or so to rest and pack, then Taio went down first—at his insistence, of course. Somehow, he made the climb down look easy. I watched his path and tried to follow it as I made my way down. I knew Taio had wanted to go down to catch me if I lost my grip, but if I lost it at the top, I’d just kill us both. I tried to ignore the ache in my arms and the way my legs shook as I eased over the ledge and felt for footholds.

To his credit, Taio didn’t try to help me down. I would have secretly been thankful but also embarrassed. If he could do this, I could do this. The stench on the ledge was a mixture of the sickly, sweet rot of Hollows and the tangy odor of blood—Kintle’s blood. His ravaged body was just a couple of feet from me, and my throat closed and my eyes stung when I saw up close what they had done to him.

“Once we deal with those”—Taio indicated the Hollows below—“I will make a cairn for Kintle with the rocks we have left and say the death rite.”

I reached for his hand. “I’ll help you.”

We unloaded our packs and began, again, to pile rocks at the edge of the rocky outcrop we stood on. Four Hollows watched and snapped at us below. For whatever reason, they hadn’t been able to climb up the rock wall to the ledge with the others. Seeing us just above them, seemed to revive their enthusiasm and all but the one Kintle and I had tossed off last night attempted to climb again. That one lay motionless at the base of the rock.

When one of the Hollows made it more than three-fourths of the way up the wall, I hefted my skullcrusher in my hand and waited until it was within striking distance. Then I brought the metal spike down on the top of its head, killing it instantly. It fell back and landed with a crash and a spill of black ooze. That left two Hollows, which should have been easy enough, but each took our tossing about half a dozen large boulders at them before we finally either killed or incapacitated them.

Taio and I covered our mouths and noses with pieces of cloth and pulled on extra gloves so we both wore two. Then we pushed the Hollows on the ledge with us down to the base. Finally, we tried to gather the pieces of Kintle into one area and began to cover him with stones, large and small. When that was done, the sun was beginning to set, and a pretty pink glow spread over the land before us. Taio removed his gloves and his face mask. I did the same then took his hand and bowed my head. Listening to him recite the death rite was like listening to an ancient language. I understood basic Zulenii, but these words were not basic. I comprehended only the articles and some nouns. But the way Taio said the words made them sound almost like a spoken song or a musical chant. Tears slid down my cheeks, and I didn’t wipe them away.

I’m sorry, Kintle. You did not deserve this end.

“We should go,” Taio said after we’d stood in silence for a long time. “It will be dark by the time we return to the others.” He didn’t say, if they are still there. I was thinking it, and I imagined he was as well.

“I go first this time,” I said. Before he could object, I slid my skullcrusher into my weapon belt and shouldered my pack. This climb was the easiest yet, but nothing I asked my trembling muscles at this point was easy. Not to mention, if I took too long, Taio would be climbing down in the dark. At least one of the Hollows we’d killed below had not been there yesterday before dark, so we couldn’t be sure more weren’t milling about. The sooner we could find Leed, Omira, and Yung, the better. Even though my hands were raw and blistered, I didn’t put my gloves back on. They were slimy with the remains of Hollows, and I’d probably never wear them again. I could also get a better grip with my bare hands. Of course, curling my scraped raw hands around jagged rocks hurt so much I had to swallow my groans. I told myself I would never so much as climb a ladder after this.

My foot slipped once, but as I was near the bottom, I just jumped down. The landing was hard and tore the breath from me.

“Mara!” Taio called in something of a whisper-shout.

I raised a hand to indicate I was fine. I stared up at the graying sky above and moved first my arms then my legs. Finally, when it seemed everything worked, I sat. Taio was climbing down the rock wall and making good time. With a groan, I crawled to my knees, and finally, my feet. Everything hurt. I was cold, thirsty, hungry, and tired. And what was all of this for? We’d lost Kintle, and we were no closer to trapping our test Hollows. Somehow Taio and I would have to go out and act as bait again tomorrow. That was assuming we could find the others and the traps were still good. I didn’t want to consider that we might have lost more than Kintle.

I hobbled to the base of the rock wall, watching Taio make his way carefully down. We were losing the light quickly now, and I hoped he could see well enough to manage. “You’re halfway,” I called out just as something clamped onto my boot. I tried to jump back and almost lost my balance because the Hollow who’d bitten into the thick fabric at my ankle hadn’t released me. I kicked out, trying to dislodge it. I’d forgotten about the one Kintle and I had knocked down. It had been lying here motionless, but it wasn’t dead.

Now it looked up at me and hissed, using its sinewy fingers to tug harder on my boot, probably hoping to topple me. Its jaw was wide open, and its thick black tongue flicked at me in a manner that might have been lascivious if it hadn’t been dead. Another moment and it would either upset my balance and be on me or it would work its mouth up to my calf, where only my thinner legging material protected the skin. I fumbled for my skullcrusher, but it caught in the loop. I bounced on one leg, still trying to shake the thing off. Finally, my skullcrusher came free. I brought it down on the Hollow in a glancing blow, which seemed to only anger it. It also caused me to lose my faltering balance. I went down, and the thing released my boot and leapt to sink its teeth into the soft flesh of my belly. I raised my skullcrusher and caught it mid-air. The thing landed across me, heavy, rank, and finally motionless.

Levering my skullcrusher up, I heaved the thing off me just as Taio dropped the last few feet down. He reached me in two steps, yanked me up, and pulled me into his arms. “This is why I go first.”

“I thought you said your people believed in ladies first.”

He looked down at me blankly. “Your people are strange. You make humor at odd moments.”

“I suppose if the options are laugh or cry, we choose laugh. I’m not bitten,” I said, pushing away from him. I intended to check my ankle just to be certain, but it would have taken a bite from one of the extinct lions the Zulenii revered to make it through my boot. Still, I knelt down, eased the boot off partly, and felt for a break in the skin. I could tell my ankle was swollen and would probably bruise, but it was whole. With a wince, I pushed my foot back into the boot. “We should hurry.”

“Stay close,” he said. “I do not want to lose you.”

We moved quickly, keeping out in the open as we couldn’t see what, if anything, lurked in trees or shadows. Now that the sun had gone down, the temperature dropped and my teeth started chattering. My hands were numb where I’d wrapped them around the skullcrusher, but I was still resisting donning the disgusting gloves again. “Over there,” I said through my chattering teeth. Taio glanced at the group of trees.

“I think we go further.”

“No, that’s it,” I said. “If not, we go further.”

“If not, we are eaten by whatever is in there.”

“I’ll protect you.” I brandished my skullcrusher, and with a shake of his head, he followed me. We were still several yards away when I heard the hissing. I stopped, crouched in a defensive position, and waited for an attack. Taio did the same, moving behind me in case the attack came from that direction. The moments ticked by and no Hollows appeared. And yet, we could still hear the hissing and growling. “Two or three of them,” I whispered to Taio.

“They have not scented us?” he asked.

But I knew they had. Their vocalizations grew louder as we’d approached. So why had they not come for us?

Did we go around or did we investigate? And if we investigated, what would we find? I was almost certain that was the copse of trees where we’d set up traps. Were the Hollows caught? Were they feeding on our friends and reluctant to leave their food to chase new prey?

“Come on,” I murmured, moving forward slowly.

Taio followed, his weapon in his hand. My breath came quickly, and I no longer felt the cold or the exhaustion. Every sound was magnified, and the Hollows’ hissing seemed deafening. Something in one of the trees moved, and I stopped. I gestured upward to Taio, who looked at the tree. Then he gave a whistle. The Hollows began to snarl, but above the din they made, I heard a whistle in return.

“Taio?” Omira called quietly.

Taio raised a hand. I raised mine too. A moment later, Omira had left the tree and was running toward us. Taio caught her, and they exchanged whispered words. Then she grabbed me into a hard hug, except she immediately pushed me back. “You stink,” she said.

“It’s the coat,” I told her.

She looked over our shoulders, searching. My belly tightened because I knew what, or rather who, she was looking for. “Where is Kintle?” she asked.

Neither Taio nor I answered. Omira made a low sound in the back of her throat but didn’t ask for details. “Come,” she said, her voice wavering. “We have a surprise for you.”

* * *

TAIO AND I FELL IN behind Omira. I think we were both glad to have someone leading us. The sky was full dark now. A few stars had emerged, but the moon was still too low to offer much light. The sounds of Hollows we’d heard before grew louder as we neared the camp. Even though I knew Omira wouldn’t walk toward danger, my hair still stood on end at hearing them. I would have thought I’d be used to the sounds Hollows made by now. I’d heard little else for almost two full days. But it still unnerved me.

We climbed a rise, and Omira whistled softly. An answering whistle sounded. As we hiked up that last rise (me panting like I’d run the length of Highcastle), Yung came into view. He stood in the center of the small clearing, weapon in hand, eyes on the trees. Immediately, it became apparent why he watched the trees. Two Hollows were secured to them.

“How did you—” I began just as Taio said, “When did you catch them?”

Omira laughed, somehow ignoring the way the Hollows strained against the rope of the nets at the sound of their favorite food. She pointed to me. “How? Believe it or not, they stumbled into our traps.” She pointed to Taio. “When? Yesterday, not long after Kintle left to warn you.”

Leed hobbled into view, using a long stick for support. He favored one leg, and that must be the ankle he’d injured. “Thank the gods,” he said when he saw us. Then, “Where’s Kintle?”

“He is with the spirits now,” Taio said, gesturing to the night around us. I remembered he’d told me that his people believed those who had died remained in this realm and were able to look down upon us, protect us, and guide us.

“No.” Yung staggered back. “No.”

Taio had also told me the Zulenii screamed and tore their clothing when mourning. We would have to stifle Yung if he reacted in that fashion. But Yung put his hand to his mouth and closed his eyes as if in pain.

“I take the blame,” Taio said.

“No.” I stepped forward. “It wasn’t Taio’s fault or anyone’s fault. We were cornered by the Hollows.” I related the story, with Taio adding details in Zulenii. By the end of the telling, Yung was wiping his eyes.

“We must go in the morning and recite the death rite.”

“I agree,” Omira said.

I glanced at Leed and could see by the resignation on his face that he didn’t like this idea and that he also knew it was impossible to persuade the Zulenii that it was a waste of our time.

“Now tell us what occurred here,” Taio said.

“Sit,” Yung said. “I will get you food and water.”

“Water. Yes!” I was so thirsty that I could have drunk ten canteens full of water. We handed our empty canteens to Yung, who went to a bucket they’d filled with snow and which had subsequently melted into water. He returned with our full canteens, the last of the bread, and more dried fruit. I didn’t think I ever wanted to eat dried fruit again, but I chewed and swallowed because I needed the nourishment. By the time the moon was high in the sky, we’d learned Leed had indeed twisted his ankle jumping down from a tree. He’d fashioned the walking stick we saw now and was determined not to slow us down on the trek back. Shortly after Kintle had left to warn us of the approaching group of Hollows, two had wandered into the clearing and been lured into the traps. Then Yung and Omira had deployed the nets. The three of them had managed to pull thick burlap sacks over the Hollows’ heads so they could not see or bite us. The nets were secured tightly around the monsters’ arms, restricting their hands. Leed told us how he planned to secure each Hollow with a long chain to keep them at arms’ length as we led them back to Zleyval. This, in my opinion, would be the easiest part of our task. The Hollows would want to follow our scent. Finally, it was decided that Taio, Yung, and Omira would go at first light to say the death rite for Kintle, while Leed and I would watch the captives and pack the camp. We could start for home as soon as the three returned from the rite.

Leed assigned watches but told Taio and me that we were excused to sleep. He pointed at Taio, then me. “And I do mean sleep. You will not receive a reprieve tomorrow night.”

Taio led me to one of the tents but stopped me before I could go inside. “Strip off your clothing and leave it outside.”

“Leed just said we have to sleep,” I said with a smile.

“I do not want to smell Hollows”—he glanced at the two we’d caught—“any more than I have to while I sleep.”

“What if something happens?”

“Arrange everything so you can dress quickly. I will bring the last of the water so we can wash our faces and hands before we go inside.”

I stripped of all but my underclothes, and when Taio returned, I used my clean spare set of socks to wash the grime off my face and hands. This was not the hot bath I’d been dreaming of, but it was better than nothing. Finally, I shed the last bit of clothing and crawled naked into the tent. Shivering, I immediately dove under my bedroll. It had been lying on the cold ground, so that didn’t help much.

Taio entered and lay down next to me, lifting his arm so we might huddle together. After about a quarter hour, we had both stopped shivering. I thought I would fall asleep immediately. I was so completely exhausted, but instead, I listened to the sounds of the Hollows hissing and groaning as well as Yung calling out clear as he passed our tent.

“What is the first thing you will do when we are home?” Taio asked. Apparently, he wasn’t asleep yet either.

“Take a bath and eat something other than dried fruit. You?”

“Both of those things and sleep in my comfortable bed.”

“We won’t be able to do any of that first. First, we will have to speak to Ngaro.”

Taio sighed. “Leave that to me. I have known him a long time. I will comfort Ngaro and Kintle’s family.”

I thought about telling Taio I didn’t mind going with him, but perhaps it was something better done by a person Kintle’s kin knew well. “You had better not dare take all the blame,” I warned him.

He made a non-committal sound, so I knew he’d absolutely take all the blame for Kintle’s death and more.

He inhaled slowly and drew me close to him again. With my head on his chest again, I could hear his heart beating rapidly. “The Second House will take advantage of Kintle’s death,” he said.

The Second House—Saabin’s family. “How so?”

“They like to take any opportunity to make the First House look weak. The death of one of our best warriors and a popular member of the community will give them much fodder.”

“Another reason I don’t like that Saabin,” I muttered.

Taio looked up at me. “She is not so bad. She is more a victim of her family’s schemes than the instigator.”

I didn’t like that he defended her. “You still feel something for her,” I said.

“Not like you mean.”

I jolted upright, hitting my head on Taio’s chin and causing him to utter a stifled oath. “Taio, when we were apart, did you...” I didn’t know how to ask the question.

“No. I did not share intimacies with anyone while we were apart,” he said, rubbing his chin.

“Not Saabin? Not the dark-haired woman in your training group?”

“Zhava? She is barely sixteen.”

“Is sixteen too young in Zulen?”

“No, but a liaison between the two of us would be frowned upon. I am almost ten years older than her.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I did,” he said, lifting a hand to run it down my bare arm. “I said no.”

My shoulders relaxed. “Why not? My people value chastity and denial of the flesh. Your people have no such strictures.”

Taio’s hand ran up my arm again then slid down my shoulder, over my breast, and back up again. He didn’t look at my face as he spoke. “Because, Mara, since almost the first moment that I saw you, I have only wanted you. I do not want to lie with Saabin. I do not even see Zhava in that light. I only want you.”

I held my breath as he spoke, hardly able to believe what he said and because now that we had opened this topic, more of my fears were spilling out of the box I kept them locked in. “But you were angry with me,” I whispered. “I’d broken your trust with my disloyalty, which as far as I can gather, is one of the worst offenses there is.”

“Even in my anger, I loved you. Do not ever doubt my love for you. And do not ever believe that anything you do will make me want another woman. I only want you.”

I nodded. “I am glad because, Taio”—I leaned down so my face was close to his—“I am not from Zulen. And if you share intimacies with another woman, I will have to seriously hurt both you and her.”

Taio let out a bark of laughter. “You looked very serious when you said that.”

“I am serious.”

He smiled again, seemingly finding it difficult to believe that I could ever be that jealous, then pulled me down to kiss my lips. The kiss was slow and seductive, but I didn’t moan until his hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs flicking over my swollen nipples. Slowly, his hands skated down over my hips, and his knee began to part my thighs.

“You had better be sleeping,” Leed called across the clearing.

Taio and I began to laugh quietly. I snuggled into his arms and closed my eyes, listening to Taio’s heart thudding hard against his chest. We’d be back in Zleyval soon and have privacy there. But whether the cure worked or not, our time was growing short. I still had an army to stave off and my father to face. Sooner, rather than later, Taio and I would be separated again.

I just hoped it wouldn’t be forever.