Chapter Nine #2
His eyes went so wide that I swore they were going to burst free of the sockets, the bright grey irises fading as his pupils grew. Once pink, his cheeks became a deep red, his nose matching the color.
I thought back to that day I’d opened Talon’s door in only my towel. What had he said then?
“Tershetta, what are you doing?” he asked, coughing when his voice broke on the last word.
“Giving you your precious clothes back since you seem so annoyed that I’m wearing them.
Sorry to upset you, oh hospitable savior.
” I walked forward, surprised when he matched my steps, following me.
His eyes were glued to mine, as if he was attempting not to look at my nearly naked body. Was I truly that repulsive to him?
“You need to put some clothes on.”
“Stars, Altair, grow up. I’ll get dressed in a second.
” I reached up, grabbing one of his glass cups from the cupboard for some water.
The second I stretched onto my toes, Altair let out a heavy groan.
I listened in glee as he stormed away, his stomps nearly as loud as the slamming of the bathroom door. “And he says I’m dramatic.”
***
The Farigh District was huge. I’d only ever heard stories about it, but I’d researched it enough for the type of sand worm in the southeastern dunes that Mama liked to use to produce adhesives.
Their blood was also oxygen-rich, which was helpful in a pinch for a blood substitute if someone was injured.
Mama was no healer, but she did her best to provide solutions for everyone, made easier by my annoying desperation for knowledge as a child and the many traveling merchants who passed through the Sham District.
Altair had also clearly never been to the westernmost district. In fact, he looked outright terrified as we landed amongst tiny cottages and vibrant green vegetation. A thick smell permeated the air, making my nose scrunch. At first, I couldn’t place it, but Altair was quick to identify it.
“It smells like dead bodies here.” His voice cracked on the word bodies, causing the hairs on my arms to rise. Yes, that was what it was. Death.
“There’s a market not far from here. We can get what we need and go.” Together, our hoods on and magic thrumming through our bodies like violent storms, we walked through the large, coastal village. Silence seemed to hang in the damp air, though people walked around.
All of the eadi passing by had a bit of a hunch to their stance, the rare exposed collarbone, forearm, or calf revealing thin skin stretched over bones.
I couldn’t help but picture my parents, thinking of what their life had been like before the apothecary.
Though I didn’t trust the man on my right, I did find myself sharing the thought out loud.
“My parents grew up in this village. That’s how I know there’s a market.” I offered the words in a hushed whisper, as if daring them not to be heard. Or maybe I was challenging Altair to speak poorly about the area. I wasn’t sure. With him, I rarely was.
Like he had so often since I held a knife to his throat that first day in his cottage, the snake surprised me.
Turning my way, he looked down into my eyes and pursed his lips. “Did they like it here?”
I could tell he struggled to picture it—someone enjoying the poverty that dusted every surface.
The houses were close together, made with plastered walls and thatched roofs, most of them sagging slightly.
One open door showed dirt floors and a singular room, the worn furniture lit by burning candles.
Though everyone looked hungry and tired as they milled about, there was a sense of happiness there too.
Perhaps it was that those with less appreciated far more.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you have any food?” Eyes flicking down, I caught sight of a tiny girl’s fist wrapped around Altair’s lush cloak.
Her nose was a bit dirty, her mousy brown hair thin.
She was missing her top two front teeth, just as she was missing both shoes.
I could tell by the way her thin dress seemed to consume her frame that she must be a younger sibling, cursed with hand-me-downs and new-to-me items. But it was the way her wide brown eyes and thin pale lips looked longingly up at Altair that had me nearly breaking down in tears.
And I thought we had it bad. I knew nothing.
Would Altair shove her away? Grow angry at the way the dirt on her hands began to cling to his cloak? Yell? Threaten?
“No, but I have this.” He reached into the pocket of his trousers, a few wisps of shadow tendrils leaking from the cloth, and then he tugged out a silver velvet bag.
Swallowing the gasp that crawled up my throat, I watched in awe as he squatted down, took her hand, and placed the entire sack into her palm.
“Take it straight home and don’t show anyone but your family, okay? ”
The girl nodded, a smile spreading across her face.
She moved to step back, but at the last second she leapt forward and placed a kiss on Altair’s cheek, turning around after to dash home.
My eyes flicked to Altair of their own accord, watching as he stared after the girl, his cheeks pink and his grey eyes wide.
“You know, Altair. These people don’t need a savior to offer them a bit of coin every few years.
What they really need is change. They’ll never see better if Dajahim continues to treat them like animals raised for labor.
” I wasn’t sure why I said it, especially when I hadn’t been any better, but it seemed to stir the core into action, his legs lifting him back to his full height and face falling into its natural, emotionless mask.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
With that, we were back to our brisk pace and silent existence, not stopping for anyone else.
We wove through the village, arriving at the market near the center with ease.
Just as my village had, a stone shops center held a haunting row of wooden gallows.
Three bodies swayed in the chilly, rain-soaked air, crows eating at their rotting flesh.
I could feel Altair’s horror, his stiffness like an alarm at my side.
Though I loathed to do it, I reached over and gripped his arm, squeezing the tense muscle.
“Keep moving. We’ll get my things and go quickly.”
And so we did. We stopped at stalls, overpaying for clothing, herbs, vials, and food.
Each time, I’d have Altair go find the next booth while I paid, asking booth-owners what I hoped were nonchalant questions regarding the rebellion.
And every time, I was met with suspicion.
With glares and silence. With anything but clues.
I didn’t blame them. Trusting strangers got my family killed. I’d never do it again—not fully.
By the time we shadow walked back to Altair’s cottage, I was drowning in failure.