Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
How can someone lose a khui? We are born with one wrapped around our hearts. It makes no sense. “Then there is no disease? There is another female like her, and I want to make sure there is no danger to her, or to others.”
I might be besotted by Tia, but I will not risk the lives of the rest of my people, no matter how much my heart speeds when she looks at me.
“No disease.” Set’nef shakes his head again. “Kin’far thinks if the female is dying we should give her to him. The male is very protective of this one, though.”
Of course he is protective. They have resonated, and now there is no one to protect my Tia except me. She has lost her suitor…and I cannot help but be a little glad about that. She’s mine. Kin’far will not touch her. I eye Set’nef the Wanderer, because he seems unlikely to be pulled into Kin’far’s schemes. He is a quiet one, his mien somber, and happiest when he is exploring the tunnels and on patrol. He has a brother, Tal’nef the Swiftest, who is well-liked by all, but Set’nef holds himself apart. “How did you get wrapped up in this situation?”
Set’nef the Wanderer’s expression changes from calm to something darker. “I was checking the tunnels near the surface to see if any of them had been compromised. I have found many muddy footprints on my routes and knew someone was going to the surface. Imagine my surprise when I came across Kin’far and one of your father’s guards dragging the blue one and the brown female down here. Then we put the male behind the bars of the cage and I find out that Kin’far has stolen another female—this yellow-mane one.” He shakes his head. “No good can come of this. We should not antagonize the surface peoples. It is best for us if they forget we exist.”
He is not wrong. I am more troubled, however, by the knowledge that my father has been working with Kin’far prior to bringing the females in. That he lied to me. I had been under the impression that Kin’far had started the trouble and Father then claimed one of the females for me. Finding out that they planned the attack together is…troubling. Finding out that there is another male involved worries me, too. Every other person that knows of Tia means that she is in danger.
The oracle would have something to say about this. In times of trouble, we are to consult the Oracle’s Attendant, but my father does not want me to speak to her.
All of this grows more and more complicated, and I like none of it.
No, that is wrong. I like Tia. I like her too much to do the right thing, and that is most troubling of all.
Chapter
Nine
TIA
Ihave no idea why I kissed a stranger. Insanity? Possibly. Stockholm syndrome? Hopefully not. But the moment that Rem’eb said he’d go find out what happened to R’jaal, I was so full of relief and hope that I reached over and kissed him.
I shocked him, too. Either his people are like the sa-khui and only kiss if introduced to it by humans, or I upset him. I brush my fingers over my lips even as I sit in the darkness, waiting for his return. He seemed to like the kiss, even though it was a stupid move. If he’d hated it, it’s entirely possible he’d have abandoned me to whoever kidnapped me in the first place.
My position’s too precarious to gamble like that. I need to think before I act, even if I feel strange around Rem’eb. Not strange, I decide. Impatient. Like I’m waiting for something to happen.
My gut tells me that it’s resonance, but I could be wrong. My khui is silent and that’s big clue number one that it’s not. And yet…it feels different. Something about him is like no one else I’ve ever met.
It’s impossible to tell how much time has passed since he left. The moss continues to glow brightly, and the gentle light brings me a lot of relief. I move my bunk to the farthest corner from the door and put my back to the wall, clutching the knife in my hand. Sleeping peacefully seems like a ridiculous idea, but I’m going to have to sleep at some point. I tug the strange bronze-gold material over my body to use as a blanket, and I’m surprised at how warm it is. The weave is so tight that very little air passes through and I finger it in the shadows, wondering at how it was made.
Wondering where the hell I am.
Wondering who—or what—Rem’eb is. I need to talk to him more.
I try to make a mental list of questions to ask and the corresponding hand gestures I’ll use, but I’m so tired I can’t think straight. I end up falling asleep while trying to decide if “Who are your people” is best communicated with touches or a gesture of horns. Or extra arms. Or—