She sputtered and pushed her hair out of her eyes to glare at the giantess, who grinned devilishly. While it seemed that she wouldn’t be killing Lia this day, Flyka wasn’t beyond being petty.
“You’re a mess,” Flyka grouched, her nose wrinkling as she set the pitcher down and snagged the soap from Lia’s hand.
Unease skittered down her spine when the Haunt moved behind her, just out of sight. Dahlia wrapped her hands around the edges of the tub, preparing to bolt. Flyka rested her hand on Lia’s undamaged shoulder.
“Be at ease. I’m only going to wash your hair. You’re so suspicious,” she muttered.
Lia huffed. “Wouldn’t you be on edge if it were you?”
“Yes, because I am terrifying.”
“You are.” A small sneaky smile tried to break free when a pleased grunt escaped the Haunt. Lia turned around and curled her knees up to her chest, slowly releasing the sides of the tub. Gray suds floated on the water, slipping down from her dirty hair. The black powder was leaking into the water, turning it into an ugly color.
“Changing the color of your hair was a smart trick, but your skin tone is masterful. I doubt anyone suspected you of being fully human.”
“If the Asterans hadn’t struck here, I doubt I would have been discovered. I guess I am just that unlucky.”
“Discovered?”
Dahlia snapped her mouth shut. While Olwen was the enemy, he was the least of the three between Flyka, Neve, and himself. She would always be thankful for the extra time he’d given her to say goodbye. And for not hurting her family when he was well within his rights to do so.
Flyka rinsed Lia’s hair and then began scrubbing it a second time, surprisingly gentle. The Haunt tossed the bar of soapinto the water. “Scrub that off your skin. It’s disgraceful,” she snapped, her tone completely at odds with her touch.
Lia did as she was told, gritting her teeth as the sugar scratched harshly against her sensitive skin. She lifted her hands and stared at her palms. They were dotted with scabs and pink little scars. Next, she lifted each of her legs to inspect the damage. Her right had a scar from her burn. The left, a bruise in the shape of a giant hand. She dropped it quickly, not wanting to revisit the memory of where it came from.
Pushing away the bubbles, she stared down into the water and traced three long scratches that ran across her navel to her right hip. More bruises dotted her stomach and chest. The ache from the bite at her neck never went away. She was just thankful for thenonnaewho had cleaned and stitched it that first night. She touched the shallow cut along the bottom of her jaw. It would soon form a scar.
She was a mess.
Flyka dumped more water over Lia’s head but this time made sure not to slosh it in her eyes. More gray soap filled the tub. There was something therapeutic about it. Like it was washing away the person she’d been pretending to be.
“Why did you come back?” Flyka asked. “You could have gone anywhere for help.”
“Because I knew it was the right thing to do.” She wrapped her arms around her chest. “And because I couldn’t let what happened to... to me happen to any of the good people of Mizar.” Another half-truth. While she wouldn’t wish what she’d experienced on anyone, she couldn’t allow them to get to Loshika again. Tears threatened to fall at the thought of her dear friend. How was she doing? Was she recuperating well? Did she know how much Lia loved her? She sighed. “There wasn’t a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” the giantess murmured. “Now wash your face.”
Lia slipped beneath the surface with her eyes closed. The water clogged her ears and silence descended. It was as close to peace as she could get. She imagined she was in the warm waters of the Star Sea, safe with her family. It was a beautiful image until she was yanked upright.
She blinked the water out of her eyes and scowled at the glaring Haunt. “What?” she grumbled, pushing a wet lock of hair out of her eyes.
“I could hear your heart rate slowing. You’re not dying on my watch.”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “It was intentional so I could stay under the water.”
“To drown.”
“No, to find a moment of peace.” The two women stared at each other. Lia swallowed and braved reaching out to lay her hand onto Flyka’s much larger one. “Thank you for the kindness.”
The Haunt glanced away. “It wasn’t for you.”
“I’m thankful anyway.”
Flyka met her gaze again before her attention narrowed on the bite. She stood up and retrieved a clean rag on the stool near the small wash basin by the bed. Once again, the Haunt knelt and very carefully began to clean the wound.
“This is nasty,” she muttered.
Lia nodded, her vision blurring at the twinge of pain. “It’s not as nasty as the giant who gave it to me.”
