The Trateri were an interesting bunch. Verydifferent from the Lowlanders and Highlanders. Despite the strangesurroundings they found themselves in, they had no fear of thegreat expanses between villages.
They embraced the wild country, even going sofar as to pit themselves against it whenever possible. Sometimesthey won. Sometimes they lost, but they never gave up thechallenge.
Every person had a job. They imposed orderout of chaos.
Shea didn’t know if she admired or fearedthem. Either way, they were dangerous to the status quo.
“There you are, Shane. Why didn’t you comeback?” Clark’s voice came from right beside her ear.
Shea jumped, almost dislodging the notebookfrom her lap. She looked back to find Clark crouched beside her,Eamon and Buck walking up with towels wrapped around their necksand their hair wet. Eamon’s hair curled slightly as it dried.Buck’s hair was so short it was dry already.
“You mean after you tried to throw me infully clothed?” Shea arched one brow.
Clark had the grace to grin sheepishly. “Ah,we wouldn’t have thrown you in if you’d come back.”
“How reassuring.”
Eamon threw his towel over a branch to drybefore packing away the rest of his supplies.
“So? You never answered my question,” Clarksaid.
He was a persistent little shit. Shea hadnever realized how bloody annoying that trait could be.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel like walking allthe way back there, especially with you two and your grabby hands.”She lifted the notebook. “I thought it was a good idea to update mynotes and study the map a little more for tomorrow.”
Clark huffed and threw himself onto theground, his head landing in her lap.
“You workaholic. You’re no fun.”
Shea shoved him off her lap. “I’m not here tohave fun.”
“Says who?” he challenged.
“Clark,” Buck began.
“Well?” Clark asked again.
Beginning to feel cornered again, Sheareacted defensively. “Your people did when you conscripted me intoyour army.”
She felt bad immediately after saying it. Theboy had been nothing but nice, going out of his way to make herfeel welcome. Giving words of encouragement after the dressing downEamon had given her.
Clark’s face just closed down, all theemotion vanishing, until he was regarding her with the sameimpenetrable expression she’d seen again and again on other Traterifaces.
“Then perhaps I shouldn’t ‘conscript’ yourtime any longer.” He put an ugly turn on the word conscript, nearlysneering.
“Clark,” Shea said.
He didn’t give her a chance to apologize,springing to his feet and walking away before she got more than hisname out.
“Shane-“
“I know,” she snapped, interrupting Eamon. “Ishouldn’t have said it. He just pushed on a nerve, is all.”
She turned the pages in her book, not reallynoticing the words. She hated when she lost her temper and saidstupid shit like that. Saying mean stuff just to hurt people wasn’ther way.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Bucksaid, tossing his towel on the branch next to Eamon’s. “He’s prettyforgiving. Just apologize and that’ll be that.”
Shea grimaced. She hated apologizing.
