Chapter 15
Ekkire
I hated how transparent I’d been about the situation with Joxra.
My instincts to claim her, to dislike any male who might be a rival, were so strong.
I had underestimated how much the drive to mate with her would influence me.
It was almost impossible to resist her because she was so…
independent, and I admired that very much.
Her smile was a delight too, and it kept startling me how incredibly beautiful she was.
This small, exquisite female couldn’t possibly be mine, could it?
Now I was even more caught in her trap, simply because she’d strung her bow with such capable hands.
She had done it exactly as I would have, and she’d been quick, too.
It was clearly something she’d done more than once, and as she fine-tuned the weapon, it was obvious she knew the ins and outs of archery.
It struck me then that taking her to Sun Fang was a risky move.
The archers from that clan were the best in Serant.
What if one of them caught her eye? She said she did not want to feel trapped, that she did not want a mate for those reasons.
What if she’d changed her mind? I did not think Jasmine had a mean bone in her body; she was much too kind.
But she was a female, and females did not feel the mate bond the same way males did.
She could leave me and think nothing of it.
I had not convinced her yet that I wanted her, that I did not think I could let her go now that I knew her. Think? No, I knew it.
She’d requested another Hura strip to chew before we’d set out, and I’d felt terrible for not realizing her pain was getting worse again.
She was so good at hiding it, especially when sitting still, with her leg slightly elevated and the cast keeping the break securely immobilized.
I was running low on the concentrated bark concoction too, and switching to the fresh stuff was not as good.
It got stronger with drying, but that took months.
Perhaps I should cut strips from a tree when we crossed one anyway, just to make sure I could replenish what we’d used.
“How many arrows did we manage before we had to go?” Jasmine asked me.
She had curled her arm around my neck and was actively looking around.
The Hura bark had perked her back up, giving her strength now that the pain wasn’t overpowering everything.
We’d only taken a short moment to craft some very simple arrows, the wooden tips hardened in a small fire I’d stoked for just that purpose.
She’d also had a cup of warm tea, and though I hadn’t needed it, I’d had some too.
The skin of her ankle had felt too cold for my liking.
“Six,” I answered, which was the bare minimum.
With this more powerful bow, I had no doubt she’d do serious damage.
It might be enough if we encountered trouble.
I was extra vigilant as we traveled anyway, worried that Msera might be persistent enough to keep looking.
Perhaps he believed we’d both died in that fall, or that I had and it would spell the end for Jasmine anyway.
Yet I could not shake the feeling we had not seen the last of him.
“Okay, I can work with that,” she muttered, but she sounded troubled.
That smoothed away when she began filling the quiet with questions.
Not in an annoying way, but thoughtful ones.
“What tree is that? What do you use it for?” And so on.
Each time a plant or feature of our surroundings piqued her interest, the questions came.
She was trying to learn, and as fast as she could.
My Jasmine did not like feeling vulnerable; she controlled her world by knowing exactly how to use it.
After a while, I could predict her next questions, and I found myself quietly pointing out the less obvious things: the still-budding Exar berry shrubs by the edge of a small stream; mushroom veins glittering faintly on the side of a tree, not yet fully sprouted.
That would have to wait until the next rainfall.
The little things, the things that could make all the difference if she was ever forced to survive on her own.
“Hey, Ekkire,” she said in a hushed tone after we’d been traveling a while.
“Am I imagining it, or is that blue sleara following us?” She was not imagining it.
I’d sensed him for some time, fluttering overhead, though keeping his distance.
Sometimes he’d land and watch us from a high branch or hidden beneath a bush, but he was definitely following.
Watching. He should have been hunting to feed himself, but he was hunting us instead. Or maybe it was Dove he was after.
I’d caught a small rodent for Jasmine’s white sleara earlier, and with her belly full, she was content to sleep on Jasmine’s chest. The small female was entirely oblivious to her surroundings, clutching a gnawed-on, mossy twig to her chest. It smelled like dead things, which was probably why she liked it.
“He thinks he can still entice the female,” I answered.
“He can try, but she seems thoroughly bonded with you.” It was uncanny how powerfully some of these sleara appeared to bond with a human, or even another naga.
Buzz was all Farah’s, but he was extremely fond of Zeidon too.
I had always believed there was something special about Zeidon that made animals like him—a natural gift he had.
Now, I began to wonder if I had just not given any of the animals around me enough thought.
“When we make camp tonight, I will leave some food out for him,” I added.
He’d devoured my ration bar in only three bites, but I wasn’t certain whether that was because he liked it or because he was that hungry.
Dove certainly showed no interest, but the diet of slearas covered a very wide range of things.
She reached up to pat my cheek, but she was quieter after that.
I worried because she’d gone pale too, and a red hue marked the slopes of her cheeks.
She felt hot at the back of her neck, beneath her hair, and I was very tempted to flick my tongue against her forehead.
When very sick, one could get a fever, was that what was happening?
I needed to find her a healer, but we were now so far from the sky wreck that it would take us days to reach it.
I was beginning to worry it wasn’t just about pain now; she might not have days if she was getting a fever.
“There is still a little Hura bark left. Do you want it?” I asked her.
She shook her head, telling me to save it, and my worry only increased.
Was she being tough, or concerned it was going to get worse and she’d need it then?
I started to open my mouth to ask, though I struggled to find the right words.
I’d never been so concerned about another person’s well-being before.
A sound that definitely wasn’t from the sleara reached my ears.
A voice. At least, I thought it might be one, but it was just the faintest murmur.
I froze and cocked my head to listen, while searching the air for any new scents.
The wind came from above us, channeled down through the pass.
It meant anything coming from behind us was hard to detect, but it wasn’t impossible.
I feared Thunder Rock warriors right away, and that meant we needed to take precautions.
“Jasmine,” I whispered, “there might be company. I’m going to put you somewhere safe with a vantage point.
I’m trusting you to watch my back while I check it out.
” There was a ridge with some elevation to my left; it was partially shrouded by bushes that had already started to sprout a fairly dense cover of leaves.
Their soft, purple fronds would serve well to hide her, but there was another reason I picked the spot.
“Bruise these,” I said, tapping the leaves as I carefully set her down.
I shrugged out of my backpack and hid it next to her.
She immediately did as I said, not questioning my instructions, and a slightly pungent, powerful scent began to fill the air.
It would mask her scent, at least for a short while, but I hoped that was all we’d need.
She was definitely warm to the touch, and I really did not like that.
All action, she’d stuck her arrows in the dirt in front of her for easy access while sitting, and she’d already notched one of the six to her bow.
Her eyes focused on the way we’d come, searching the trees for any sign of danger.
“Thunder Rock?” she asked as I fussed with her broken leg, carefully propping it on a fur I drew from my bag to make sure it was supported correctly.
“Yes, perhaps, though there’s another possibility.
” It could also be the Sun Fang war party—those who had survived the earthquake near the sky wreck.
They would have seen what I had: the rock slide that had swallowed their outpost. If I were their leader, I’d rush to render aid and forget all about a war with sleeping humans and a distant clan of outcasts.
It surprised me they’d been willing to join with Thunder Rock in the first place; this kind of thing might have swayed their sentiment…
or it might not have. Did they still want to get rid of the “invading” humans or not?
“Go, I’m good. If they try anything, I will shoot them.
This bow’s accuracy is probably best within a hundred and fifty feet, though.
Don’t go too far.” She pointed at a section of trees clearly visible below her hiding place.
From here, she’d have a great vantage point while still staying hidden.
Yes, it was the right spot to wait for the approaching naga.
I could taste their scents now and was certain they were coming.