Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
So…why am I leaving her?
I ask myself that even as Noj’me falls gracelessly to the floor in the center of the room. “Someone grab her,” Tal’nef calls out even as Harlow squawks some of her human words and lurches forward. Rukh grabs Harlow before she can slip, and Set’nef grabs Noj’me’s limp hand before she can slide into the wall.
Then they look at me. “Yerturn,” Harlow says.
Tia meets my eyes, her expression determined, and gestures that I should move. She gives me a thumbs-up to reassure me that all is well.
I step forward, the movements difficult due to the slant of the floor. Every bit of me wants to turn and tie myself back to Tia. Not because I am frightened of this Oracle, or of the beam it will send into my head. I want to return to Tia because it feels as if I am going to lose her.
Yet…I am supposed to, am I not? I have vowed to return. I have declared that my people must come first.
So I step forward and grab the rope that dangles in the center of the floor. I take it in hand and straighten, standing on the mark that Harlow points at. She makes another gesture, indicating I should put my shoulders back and keep my chin up. This is safe, I tell myself, even as I shoot an unnerved glance over at the fallen Noj’me. This is not some trick…
But I think of my Tia. My sweet stranger. I am keeping my promise to her.
A bright red light flares in front of me and a sharp, hot flash streaks through my skull. As I sink into darkness, I wonder…would I do such a thing for any of my people?
Or just Tia?
My head throbs, a pulsing heat behind my eyes. I groan, reaching for my brow, only to have my hand gently pushed aside.
“Here, let me.” A wet cloth is pressed to my brow, cold and unpleasant instead of soothing. “Actually, I don’t know that it’s helping. Do we have any warm water, guys?”
“The fire is down below,” says another voice. “Once they are fully awake and can climb down, we can heat water.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t help now,” the sweetest of voices says, close to my ear. Warm fingertips brush over my skin. “If you can understand me, open your eyes slowly, Rem’eb. The light might bother you and make the headache worse.”
Tia.
Even as I recognize her voice, I notice that she speaks a different language than mine…and yet I understand it well. There is no confusion, no hunting for meanings. I know her words as well as I know my own. I open my eyes and wince at the light that streams in, blue white, unnatural and without warmth.
“I told you to open your eyes slowly,” Tia chides, leaning over me. We are still up in the heights of the ship, upon the slanted floor. My foot rests against a wall, my shoulder against Tia’s hip, and we are still anchored together. Her worried gaze skims over my face and her fingers caress my jaw. “Did it not work? Say something to me, Rem’eb.”
I lick my lips. “You are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
Her eyes flood with tears of relief and she gives a watery chuckle. “Oh, thank god. I was going to ask how many fingers I’m holding up, but that sounds better to me. Say something else too, so I know you’re not just being randomly romantic.”
“My weight could have pulled you out of the ship. It is dangerous for us to be tied together. I do not like it.”
“I kept you anchored.” She flicks the rope attached to her waist, and I notice there is a second one attached to a railing on the wall. She is tied to the ship, and also tied to me. “I wouldn’t let you fall.”
My lips are dry, so I lick them again. “I do not like it. Your safety—”
One of her hands goes to her hip. “Are you really going to pick a fight now? When we can finally talk clearly?”
I struggle to sit up, managing after a moment. The tilt of the floors is making me dizzy, and I remain where I am, waiting for my mind to settle. “I do not want to fight at all.”
“Right. Because you’re leaving soon.” Her voice catches. “You’re right—”
“I do not want to fight because it is foolishness.” I take her hand in mine and press a kiss to her wrist. “Because I would rather say other things to you.”
She glances around the room. “Perhaps we should wait until we’re alone.”
I can see others lying nearby, being tended to by the human females that journeyed with us. Do I want to wait? Perhaps. But the desire to never cause another moment of pain to Tia overrides the need for privacy.