What is Hibsej going to tell Eneko?
What will Ra'Sa do when he can’t find me?
He spoke to my mind, but I don't know how to do that. But if I could try...
Ra'Sa.
It's just as choked as if I would've said it aloud. Time seems to stretch, each second dragging on painfully. The light streaming in dims. I look up to see one of the giants poking their head in.
“Where are you, little human?” he taunts.
I stand tentatively. But then he starts to thrust his spear toward me. It reaches further toward the ground than I anticipate. Ducking out of the way, mostly out of fear, I slide and trip.
The crack reverberates through my skull as I land on the rotting ground of this stinking place. Then, all of the dim light winks out.
Chapter 27
RA’SA
The imprint of Melisa is etched into my heart. I try to speak to her through our minds, but there is no response.
That is fine. Let her rest.
I'm not prone to outbursts of affection, but something akin to hope is nestled deep in my chest. It's a strange thing to feel after all the death and gore of the night before.
The softness of our romance defies the ugliness of this place.
Thoughts of her mouth on mine shouldn't exist alongside the memories I have of backs ripped open, but life is equal parts pain and joy.
I should be with her now, tending to her arm and holding her through the mornings so that she doesn't need to wake up alone.
Instead, I work.
I help the others check for poison. Fear, anger, and grief blanket all of the slave pens. A woman sits on the corner of the way, weeping for a son she says was killed on the rack. My heart continues to expand and bleed.
I trail along with Nicolás and Abet to the yards.
Nicolás clears his throat. "Are you well, Rasa?"
Pursing my lips, I clap my hand on his shoulder.
"Yes,” I mumble. “Are you?"
The young man looks to the sky, his light brown hair falling in dirty tendrils over his shoulders. "When you disappeared last night, a part of me thought you weren't coming back."
His words are a chill seeping into my bones.
“I am not the kind of man who abandons others,” I say quietly.
Nicolás gives me a strange look. "You don't owe us anything."
But my king had asked for me to help. While Melisa learns about the king, I was meant to learn about the humans.
How to express that without giving up my true nature is a challenge.
So I settle with saying, "I want to help you."
"And why exactly is that?" Abet says, interjecting into our conversation. There's mistrust sparkling in his irises.