Chapter 5
Chapter five
For a Phase
Once I have checked every piece and connection in the hub, I inhale deeply, quieting the forbidden magic coursing through my veins until the hum in my hands fades, then shimmy out and fail to stifle a groan as my aching ribs protest. My face twists into a grimace as I roll to my side, clutching my sore arm around my belly, and slowly stagger to my feet.
My body is stiff from the beating it took yesterday, and the time spent lying on the cold rock while I checked the components.
Caius frowns at me, and if I didn’t know him as well as I do, I would think he held genuine concern for my well-being.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
I take a long drink from my water flask before answering.
“Just perfect, thanks.” I bend to pack my tools, and while I manage not to make a sound, I’m certain my face betrays me as my lips twist with the agony.
“Liar,” Caius says as he stoops to collect my tools for me. Once everything is packed away, he holds the bag out to me, his gaze inspecting me as my fingers wrap around the strap. He’s barely let the weight fall into my hand when he snatches the bag back.
“You’re not fine.”
I hold my grip firm on the strap. “I am. Now give me my tools so we can move on to the next inspection.”
Caius glares at me. “What were you doing yesterday in the gardens when I found you?”
“Nothing that concerns you.” I tug on my bag, but it may as well have been stuck in the cavern wall. Caius counters, pulling the bag and forcing me a step closer.
He drops his voice. “Dom had bandages. Are you hurt? Do we need to go to the clinic?”
“No.”
He lets out a heavy breath, then drops the bag in my hand. I let out a yelp at the sudden change, and just as quickly as the bag is mine, Caius snatches it away, swinging it over his shoulder in one fluid movement.
“Are they broken or just bruised?” he asks.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But I rub my fingers along my sore ribs before I can think better of it.
Caius raises an eyebrow. “I’ve seen plenty of busted ribs in the guard.” He bites his lower lip, considering his next words. “Do you want me to wrap them for you?”
“Absolutely not.”
He rolls his eyes but falls in line as I stomp over to the cave wall.
I begin to trace the connection that will carry water to Bǎodela proper.
Carefully, I run my fingertips along the edges of the stone channel, checking for contamination or leaks.
Everything looks perfect. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
My father was meticulous in his work. If he said that the system was designed to last for generations, then it damn well would.
Every so often, I have to press up onto my tiptoes and run my fingers along the edges of the line, and each time I suck in a sharp breath.
I try to school my features and keep quiet.
I don’t want any further discussion of my injuries with Caius.
But after a dozen or so sharp breaths, Caius grabs my extended wrist and gently guides my hand back down to my side.
He keeps his loose hold as he stares me down.
“You will let me wrap those ribs.” His prasiolite-green eyes are ablaze. He’s used to getting his way. I try to snatch my wrist away, and his grip tightens just enough to keep his hold.
“They’re fine,” I say.
“They are not fine, and your stubbornness is slowing us down.”
“Slowing us down? You know what is slowing us down? You standing guard instead of helping.”
Regret flashes through Caius’ eyes, and he bites his lip again before speaking. “I can’t help you with your work. But I can help you with your injury.”
I search his eyes and now I know for certain there’s something he isn’t telling me. I shake my head.
Caius lets out an exasperated breath, but when he speaks again, the words are soft. “Will you let Dom do it?” he asks.
I consider for a moment. My ribs are killing me, and as much as I didn’t want to let Dom wrap them yesterday, I want Caius’ help even less. I make Caius wait a moment longer before I finally nod.
Satisfied with my answer, he finally releases me and extends an arm. “Let’s go then. It’s nearly time for the mid-meal, anyway. We can get those ribs wrapped and grab something in the commons.”
“I’d rather avoid the central commons.” There’s a reason I live on cricket bars and algae shakes; you can get them from the sub-cavern commons, but real meals require a trip to the city proper, where people whisper and stare, convinced my father’s magic drove him mad, and wondering if I will share his fate, even all these years later.
“And I’d rather not eat cricket. It’s not up for discussion.”
My ribs ache, and my belly growls, and I find there’s no fight left in me.
That alone is enough to make me agitated.
Is Caius Amarala going to annoy me into submission every day for the next rotation?
No, I don’t think I can take it. He can have today, because I’m hungry and a real meal does sound tempting, but this is the last time I submit to the will of that arrogant man.
No further words are exchanged on our walk to the gardens, for which I’m grateful. Only one day on this assignment and Caius is already driving me mad.
When we enter the Lorategián sub-cavern, I find Dom hovering over a stilted mushroom stack, a deep frown carved into his features as he studies his notebook.
“Dom!” I call out as we approach. Caius has fallen behind, ostensibly inspecting the crops.
Dom snaps the notebook shut. “Back so soon?” he asks playfully.
I smile back, happy to have a moment of normalcy where I don’t have to have my guard up. I stop before Dom and run the toe of my boot over the ground. “So…it turns out I can’t wrap those ribs myself.”
Dom snorts and motions toward the shed. “I told you so.”
I can tell by the way Dom pulls his shoulders back and stands to his full height that Caius has caught up to me.
“Captain,” Dom says, then his eyes dart to me.
My gaze drifts around the cavern as I search for the words to say. “Um, I took a job with the council.” I finally spit out, not sure how much to explain with Caius hovering over my shoulder.
Dom narrows his eyes at me, then shifts his gaze to Caius. “Is that so?”
“It is,” Caius confirms. “A very important job, ensuring the integrity of our entire aqua system.”
If Dom looked concerned before, there’s no questioning it now as a shadow falls over his features. But my best friend knows when to keep his mouth shut, and so he simply throws an arm around my shoulders and guides me back to his work shed.
“Well, I guess we better get you fixed up then,” Dom says a little too loudly as we duck inside.
“What in the hells,” he whisper-hisses.
“Do you really think he can’t hear you?” I bite back.
“Right,” he says, then drops his head to whisper into my ear. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
Keeping my voice low, I reply, “I don’t know yet.”
He pulls back just enough to look me in the eye, and I know from the expression on his face that he can see my own worry reflected there.
“I’ll be careful. I promise.” Is all I can say. “There are forces at play beyond my control, but I’ll do my best to stay out of trouble.”
Dom snorts, and he can’t help the tentative smile from pulling at his lips. “You? Careful? When did we start lying to each other?”
I slug him in the arm in response, but then I gasp at the sharp pain and the playful smile falls from Dom’s lips.
“Right, let’s get you fixed up,” he says.
Caius hovers in the doorway of the shed while Dom wraps my bruised ribs. While I know he is listening, he is strangely respectful of my privacy. Just as he was at the bathing chamber with his back to me, never chancing a glance over his shoulder.
“That should do it.” Dom secures the end of the bandage, and I tug my tunic back down. I take a tentative breath, and while it still hurts, some of the agony eases.
“How do you feel?” Dom asks.
“Like I was hit by a landslide.” I grin up at him. The worried look he gives me is enough to make me feel guilty, and I add. “It’s all prime. Thank you, Dom.” My stomach rumbles, and Dom lets out a laugh.
“Why don’t you stay for the mid-meal—”
“You’ve done plenty, Gardner Adonay,” Caius cuts in.
“We have already fallen behind schedule. We’ll just swing by the commons on our way back to work.
” Caius is using his Captain Amarala tone, which brokers no argument, and so I shrug at my best friend, pat him on the arm, and silently follow Caius.
He doesn’t look back or say a word the whole way there, but once we reach the commons, he stops and sweeps the curtain aside, waiting for me to enter before he follows.
I hesitate at the threshold, nerves turning my hands slick.
To his credit, Caius doesn’t rush me. He watches patiently until I finally step inside.
The commons is always busy, but we’ve just missed the mid-shift rush. Caius stalks right up to the counter, orders two meals to go, and slaps down a palm full of coins. Before I have a chance to even ponder what I want, he has shoved a wax leaf-wrapped meal into my hands.
“I can pay for my own meal.” I glare at him.
He returns my stare. “You have a stipend for meals.”
“Oh.” I falter for only a moment. “Well then, I can order my own meals.”
Caius is already heading for the doorway, and I have to jog to catch up.
Once I’m back in step with the captain and his overly long legs, I begin again. “I said—”
Caius waves a hand to silence me, and heat flares across my cheeks.
“Just try it,” he says.
As much as I would like to stand my ground, my stomach rumbles, and I have trouble denying how much I want whatever is in the leaf-wrapped package.
The protein bar Caius brought me this morning had been barely enough to last me to mid-shift, and I would make both of us miserable for the rest of the afternoon if I refused the meal.
As much as I would love to torture Caius, I wasn’t up for making myself a casualty for the cause, so I pull at the twine and carefully unwrap my food.
My mouth waters as the savory scent of spiced meat wafts up from the packet. I take a bite and am met with fluffy flat bread, slow-churned spiced meat, and pickled vegetables topped with tangy yogurt sauce. I don’t even try to stifle my moan. It’s been a long time since I’ve had something so good.
Caius chuckles. I find the sound unnerving.
“I told you,” he says with a half grin and I don’t like the way my stomach flips.
“How much is that stipend anyway? Meat isn’t cheap.”
The smile falls from his face as he shrugs. “It’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
“How do you know that?” I snap.
“I took a chance. It was your favorite—”
“Don’t do that.” The taste of my favorite meal sours on my tongue. “We aren’t doing that.”
“Oliviana—”
“No, we are stuck together for this assignment. Neither of us is in a position to go against the council, but that doesn’t change what you did.”
Caius clamps his mouth shut, the muscle of his jaw feathering as he locks his eyes ahead of us. He doesn’t try to broach the subject again. Instead, he stands silently watching over me, a sculpted sentry, for the rest of the afternoon, and this time I’m grateful he has refused to help me.