thirty-six #2
The male voice startled Mira so badly that she thumped the top of her head against the back of the pew as she scrambled to sit up and face the man behind her.
Sulim groaned, kicking one leg in the air and standing up with such agility that Mira almost missed her movements.
Should I do something? Mira’s heart raced as adrenaline prepared her to attack, but Sulim was so comfortable around the man standing at the end of the pew that she sat up with her tunic askew.
“Yeah, well, you’ve got a dozen, so fuck off.”
“To be fair,” the man said to Sulim, who rolled her eyes, “you could totally kill me if I were with a woman, too.”
“Yeah, I know! How many times have I dragged your naked ass out of some bed with a woman attached to it!”
“Why are you so upset? Or is it because you don’t like letting your guard down?”
“Somebody has to stay alert all the time! Oh, but forgive me for having my outlet around here. I’m always told it’s necessary to survive this life.”
The adrenaline abated. Mira pushed herself up to her feet, fixing her hair and clearing her throat so both humans looked in her direction.
Oh. God.
It wasn’t just any man. The one Sulim was so comfortable around, whom she teased as if they had grown up together, gazed back at Mira with a perpetual mixture of curiosity and scorn.
It’s not my fault, buddy. Even the Mira of both worlds knew that much.
Not my fault that she’s just not that into you.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Sulim asked Sonall, who also wore the black mercenary uniform of Cerilyn’s Second Tribe. “Besides stalking me, I mean.”
“I’m not stalking you. For the Void’s sake, you told me we’d meet at the tavern, but when you were fifteen minutes late, I paid my tab and came looking for you. First place I checked, Sulim, and here you are, getting more jollies than a boy in a brothel for the first time.”
“Stick it up your ass if it pleases you.”
“That doesn’t even make sense!”
“Are you drunk already? God, you sound drunk.”
Mira was left out of this—Altercation? Banter? Animated discussion? All she could do was resume doing her chores while trying not to think about a man, of all people, walking in on her and her soulmate going to Temple on each other in a fucking pew.
“Well! Hope you liked what you saw.”
“It’s the most I’ve seen of you since Karm-Fol V, that’s for sure.”
“Oh, the place where I had to wear that awful dress to get close to the man you had to assassinate?”
“It would have worked on me, too, is all I’m saying.” Sonall caught Mira’s gaze as the two of them happened to look in the other’s direction. “Anyway, I guess we’ll have our chat back in the fortress later. You’re clearly busy.”
“Hey, I’m sorry I forgot. Guess I was following other pastures.”
“Clearly.”
“Would you both shut up?” Exasperated, Mira let the words flow as she closed a cupboard. “You sound like an old married couple.” The irony didn’t hit her until a moment later, but it was too late by then.
“Hmph. He wishes.”
Mira turned toward them. “You know, according to the theory of multiple worlds, you two are married. Many times.”
“Don’t put that curse on me,” Sulim said. “He couldn’t handle me as his wife.”
“The hell I couldn’t.”
“You might be even the venerable Lady Gardiah in some worlds.”
Sulim cocked her head in confusion while Sonall’s jaw tensed and his arms slowly lowered to his sides. Struck a nerve, I see. Mira would apologize, but how was she to know? Never mind the fact that he’s here means…
Well, he hadn’t come willingly.
“You two go on,” Mira said. “I’ve got a lot to do to prep for service tomorrow.”
“Another sermon about living life to the fullest?” Sulim asked, lightening the mood.
“Close. I have pivoted to the topic of finding meaning in chaos.”
“Should be a stunner,” Sonall mused as he turned around and sauntered back down the aisle. Sulim slowly followed. “Too bad I’ll miss it.”
“You should go to Temple more often!” Sulim called after him, since he was quicker. “Would be good for you!”
“It’s a bit awkward with you so busy around here, Sul!”
“Not as busy as you in a brothel!”
She didn’t even look back at Mira as she left with him. I’ve got to figure this out. Mira hurried to put the last of her supplies away and closed up the Temple. She had a sermon to finish… and a message to check on her communicator.
Finding meaning in chaos. Yeah, that was her. Including the chaos of her own existence.
Something was going on with Mira, and Sulim would figure it out if it was all she did for the rest of the week.
Which wouldn’t be hard to do, because since coming back from her last mission several days ago, it sounded like there wasn’t anything else lined up for her to do.
Nobody required her corporate espionage services.
Nobody wanted a singular person assassinated.
And nobody was in the market to have something small and innocent pilfered out of a high-security location.
While Sulim wasn’t keen on killing, her partner didn’t mind, as long as he got a bonus.
A drink landed in front of her as she perused the Terra III Tribune delivered that afternoon.
She wasn’t only interested in the goings-on of the Federation—often, she found incredible information about any of her missions.
Besides, it was Sulim’s job in Second Tribe to be a font of trivia and general knowledge about the human world.
Even other mercenaries often came to her as part of their research for a mission.
I should charge for my services. Instead, she let them pay for her knowledge via drinks and decent food in town.
“You’re kidding.” Sulim plucked the stone fruit out of her drink and left it on a napkin. “They didn’t have—”
“No.” Sonall eased back into his side of the booth—the same one they commandeered every time they came here, and the locals knew to make way for their spot.
That night, the place was half-empty, and Sulim didn’t have to kick anyone out of her seat for once.
“Said they’re clear out of your favorite Sarrahite spirit. Apparently, there’s another blockade on the planet.”
“Aw, come on.” The man knew her favorite drinks like she knew he would drink whatever lager was freshest that week, but the least he could have done was ordered her some juice to go with this. I know, I’m so entitled. When it came to her partner? Yes.
“Anything good?”
She realized he meant the paper, which she put down on the end of the table. “No.”
“Suppose nothing compares to what you would rather be doing.”
Sulim tossed her abandoned stone fruit right at his face, nailing his mouth. He futilely tried to catch it with his teeth, but was too slow. The man’s reflexes never compared to hers.
“Married…” Sulim muttered as a server stopped by with their side dishes. “Can you believe it? Why would she bring something like that up?”
“To taunt me, clearly.” Sonall grabbed the extra plate the server left them and began dividing up their low-sugar tart and the roasted vegetables with dressing.
It was Sulim’s favorite hormone-related snack, and her partner indulged her by helping her eat so she experienced no shame.
“In whatever universe you and I are married, I bet I’m still doing this, your Ladyship.”
“What? Feeding me? Getting me my sustenance?” She laid right into him. “Pining after me, knowing you still can’t have me?”
“Hey, if we’re married somewhere, I totally had you. At least once.”
She finished taking her first generous sip of alcohol and slammed the glass down harder than either of them anticipated. “Fuck off.”
After one moment of silence, she burst into laughter, which made Sonall start drinking.
“The thought of marrying you,” she said between fits of chortling, “is crazy. I just can’t believe she’d say something like that.”
“It’s because she’s threatened by me.” After he took a generous bite of the tart, Sonall stretched his arms over his head and slid farther into his seat. “She knows I can steal you away whenever I want, julah be damned.”
“Get the hell over yourself before I laugh so hard I choke.”
It was the usual banter they shared, particularly when Sulim’s relationship with Mira was on display once more.
He’s the only one who knows. Much like Sulim was the only one who knew about Mira’s true identity.
But of course he knows. Sonall knew more about Sulim than anyone else in Second Tribe.
They had been friends since his arrival several years ago, when he was barely sixteen and had lost his whole family in a raid.
Sulim was likewise a survivor who struggled to find people to trust in a fortress built for secrets, violence, and all sorts of depravity.
She never saw herself getting attached to a boy, let alone a man, but within a few months of Sonall’s induction into Second Tribe, they were friends.
Within a year, they were lovers. Within another year, Sulim confided her attraction to the priestess in town, ending her relationship with Sonall, who went on to become quite independent in his love life as well.
The fact that they were later made mercenary partners because they got along so well wasn’t surprising.
The fact that they were still together, and all that entailed, was.
We just make too much money together. Sulim was the cliché brain to his brawn, making them the go-to specialists for assassinations, pilferings, and temporary bodyguarding.
They rarely brought back spoils, because they rarely participated in raids.
Instead, they made thousands on expertise alone.
But he knew about Mira. He knew that she was in love with Mira, not him.
And Sulim did not ask him to stop teasing her about it, because she got him back about whatever courtesan he had fallen for now and for acting like a sloppy drunk with maids, servers, and innkeepers around the Federation.
Because while I traded in my trauma for love, he’s still dealing with the horrors he saw on Arrah.
Even if Sulim hadn’t fallen in love with a priestess, she and Sonall would not have stayed together for much longer.
It would be too much drama. She preferred being close friends and coworkers.
Even when he jibed about stealing her away from Mira, knowing full well that he was no match for a sorceress.