Chapter Ten
Ten
Aesira
After a few dizzying twists and turns from the Apothecary, Stone stopped in front of a ram-shackled building with darkened windows and a red painted door. “Here we are,” he said, “the one and only Outpost Inn.”
“What a unique name.”
“Thought you might like it.” They ushered inside, paid the surly woman behind the counter, and took the three flights of narrow stairs until they reached the door to Aesira’s room. “I’ll be back with your water.” Stone handed Aesira the satchel before trotting back down the stairs.
Inside was sweltering but simple; a mattress on the floor with worn but seemingly fresh linens. A window which overlooked the docks that Aesira immediately opened, hoping for a hint of a breeze to cool down the space.
The Aquila loomed in the distance, hovering several feet above the bank of sand. There was a small bathroom with a single astra sconce, a basin for washing and a bar of yellow soap which smelled similarly to the flower Soo had turned to dust.
Aesira tore off her armor, replacing it with a long shirt and leggings, then she stripped her boots and sank onto the mattress.
It was larger than the one back on the ship, but thinner.
Either way, she was glad to be on land for the night.
From her pocket, she pulled the extra tea from Soo.
Its sweet smell hit her first, but there was something there at the end she couldn’t place. Something sharp. Medicinal.
She tossed the satchel aside, landing next to her armor that was piled on the floor. She stared at it, resenting it, but before her mind could drift to that dark place, a knock at the door had her jumping to her feet. “Come in.”
Stone joined her with a small iron kettle and two porcelain mugs. “Was able to find water, didn’t come cheap though, bastards.” He set the kettle down on the countertop near the bathroom. “Do you have the tea?”
Aesira set aside the sweet tea and pulled the second satchel from her pocket and tossed it to him. “Are you sure this is safe?”
Stone set to work, heaping a spoonful of loose leaves into one of the mugs and topping it with steaming water.
“Soo has been making tea longer than we’ve been alive.
If she says it’s safe, it’s safe.” He handed her the mug and a pungent waft of sewage hit her.
She wrinkled her nose at the brown water.
“Not a fan?” Stone asked through a laugh.
“Can’t say that I am.” Aesira sniffed the tea again and then regretted it. “So all I have to do is wait three minutes then drink and it’ll show me where Desmond is?” She looked up from the muddy water to see Stone readying a second cup. “What are you doing?”
“Joining you,” he said. He held the mug to his nose and took a deep inhale, the steam fogging over his spectacles. “Better we both drink, double up our chances of it working.”
“I have a hard time believing finding King Desmond is what you desire most.”
Stone froze, his hand clamped around his mug. “If I do my job correctly, Birdie, Bee, and Patch are free. We all are. So, in a way, yes. I wish to find him as much as you do.”
In all of the excitement the last few days, she’d forgotten the deal he made with Kamari. She cleared her throat, eyeing the murky tea again. “Nora will need to know where I am.”
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Stone said. “You underestimate me, Commander.” He shot her a look. “She has a room down the hall.” Aesira’s mouth hung open and Stone laughed. “Time’s up.” He nodded to her tea. “You’re first, I still have another minute.”
Aesira studied the tea again, the color dark enough she could see the mismatched reflection of her eyes staring back at her.
She decided it would likely go down better if her eyes were closed so she pinched them shut and downed the dreadful liquid in a single gulp.
When she finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Stone chuckled. “That bad?”
“Dreadful as expected. Your turn.”
Stone sniffed his tea, made a face Aesira completely understood–disgust–then drank. “Wow,” he said through a cough.
“I told you.” Aesira smiled, unsure what came next. “So, does it just…”
“Tonight when you sleep,” he said. “It’ll show us what we most desire.
” His eyes flicked to hers. “It should show us where to find King Desmond, I mean.” Stone’s stare stayed pinned on her even as he set his mug on the countertop.
“It could be a place or even words, I’m not really sure, but tomorrow we’ll reconvene and map out our plan. ”
“You talk like you’ve drunk this before?”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his scarred lip. “Maybe once.” He shrugged. “Maybe twice.” Aesira’s brows leaped to her forehead which made Stone laugh, a deep rumbling sound tied to that memory that made her skin heat.
“And did it work for you? Did you find what you desired most?” It was an innocent question, but for whatever reason she could feel the tension between them growing with the silence, stretching and pulling until it ran taut.
He ran his tongue over his bottom lip then smiled, a true smile this time. “In its own way, yes,” he said. The tea sat like poison in her stomach, heavy and unsettling. “I should get back to Aquila.”
“What about seeing that man Soo suggested?” Aesira asked. Stone’s grip around the tea kettle tightened. “She said there was a man who kept the desert's secrets. Maybe he might have answers. Might be able to tell us if Desmond’s been seen.”
He relaxed his grip and smoothed his hair back. “Like I said at Soo’s, he isn’t fond of outsiders.”
“Or is it that you don’t want to see him?” She crossed her arms and waited.
“Vic and I have a history, he’d speak with me even if he was reluctant to. I can go–”
“I’m going too, then.” She wanted to trust Stone, but there was a larger part of her that knew deep down she couldn’t trust anyone. Not really. And there was too much at stake here to leave everything in his hands.
Stone ground his teeth, his eyes veering past her, settling on her pile of discarded armor in the corner. “There are certain measures we’d need to take to make that happen,” Stone said. “Give me until morning to think of a plan and see if I can arrange a meeting.”
She nodded, satisfied that he hadn’t completely shut down the idea. Any bit of information regarding the king was vital. She wasn’t willing to pass up a lead just because it might be difficult.
“Birdie and Bee will be just down the hall from you if you need anything.” Stone opened the door and stepped out. “Though I’d say it’s wise to let them have their privacy. And Nora is just one door past them. Patch and I will be on the ship. Goodnight, Commander.”
Music from the Phoenix filtered into the washroom, muffled by the thick iron door.
Hands grazed Aesira’s waist, lifting her shirt just enough so that a slice of skin peeked through.
Lips pressed against her neck, raising the hair on her arms. “You taste so good,” the voice said.
She tilted her head back, giving him a better angle on her neck.
His tongue slid against her hot skin before pressing another kiss to her throat.
“Aesira.” Stone’s eyes met hers, lids heavy, lips parted.
“I’m going to kiss you now.” She nodded, giving him her full permission.
Then his lips were on hers, his hands gripping onto her hips.
His teeth sank into her bottom lip and when she pressed her hips forward he rewarded her with a pleasant hiss. “You’re going to need to stop that.”
“Why?” Her words came out breathless. She grabbed his shirt, pinning him between her thighs. “Kiss me again.” He didn’t hesitate. His mouth was bruising against hers, his hands no longer just curious, but ravenous. On her hips, her back. Between her legs.
She moaned and threw her head back, pushing her hips forward again. “Keep doing that,” she breathed. His fingers pressed between her thighs and she wished now more than ever that she had worn a dress and not pants.
Curse the fabric between them.
She reached for him too but he pulled away.
She needed more. She wanted–
Aesira jolted up from her bed, skin slick with sweat, hair a nest of curls. Her breaths were heavy as she rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes.
Only a dream.
She relaxed back onto her pillow, urging her heart to slow with deep, intentional breaths when the memories of last night slammed into her.
Stone.
The tea.
Her deepest desires.
No, no, no.
Groaning, she pressed her face into her palms. The tea was meant to give her a clue to find Desmond and she had wasted it dreaming about Stone Odega.
The bottom level of the inn had been shrouded in darkness when they arrived, but in the full morning sun Aesira appreciated the cleverness of the space.
The sandstone was bright against the sunlight dripping through the open windows.
There were old wooden hubs placed atop metal barrels being used as tables, mismatched chairs stuffed around them filled with people of all sorts.
Gears hung from invisible strings from the ceiling, swaying in the small breeze, ringing out a soft clinking sound.
She heard them before she saw them. Stone sat with Birdie, Bee, Nora, and Patch around a small barrel table.
“You really have lost it, haven’t you?” Birdie chided. Aesira managed to find an open chair and pulled it over, settling next to Nora. Stone’s eyes shot to hers briefly before he went back to pointing at a map he had sprawled out on the tabletop.
“I promise I’m just as sane now as I was when you trusted me last.” There wasn’t an ounce of arrogance in his voice, it was as if he was reading something already written.
Factual. Calm. Aesira tore her eyes away from his face, for more reasons than one, and found on the map where his finger was pointing.
“Ravki?” Four very pointed “shh” sounds were directed her way. She mouthed sorry then glanced back to Stone. “I thought you said the maps were–”