“...I think so.”
She made a noise in her throat, turning back.“Good.”
Isaac watched her carefully.“There weren’t any slavesonthatship, right?The one I found you on?The one I....”
“The one you burnt to cinders?”
“I mean, yes, if that skimmer wasn’t your original vessel,then there wasn’t anyone else imprisoned there, correct?There weren’t any ...bystanders?”
She glanced back at him.“Is my squire suggesting he wouldhave stopped his holy mission to rescue a couple kittens?”
“Yes!Of course I would!”He felt startled by the question.“What kind of person do you take me for?I would’ve helped.”
She grunted, still watching him.
Isaac looked away.
“Something else on your mind?”Zaria asked.
“Well....”He thought about her story, picking throughthe details.“How many other ships are loaded with slaves?Who’s paying for allthis?”
“You know,” she said.“I’ve been wondering that, myself.”
“Which Diet kingdom gave you the cargo?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does!Slavery is expressly forbidden under themandate of the nine kingdoms.This king is breaking several treaties.He shouldbe brought to justice.”
Zaria snorted, as if that was funny.
“I....”Isaac fiddled with his hands, working against therope.The wind was very quiet.“I don’t know.”
“Aye.Me neither.”
He gazed off into the distance, over the wrinkled hills ofsand, looking for the rising spiral of smoke or the glowing sails of a skimmer.He saw nothing but sand and sky.
“That satisfy your curiosity, Isaac?”
“In some ways, sure.”
“Good.If we’re done gabbing, then, we should hurry thepace.The more distance we get, the better.”
He looked down at his feet.“Lead the way.”
“Oh,” she said, looking at the horizon, “that I do intend.”
ChapterFour
Heat
Toward the end of the day, after Isaac’s mind had long grownnumb with exhaustion, Zaria suggested they take cover in the shade of a dune.
He turned in her direction and slid down the sand ascarefully as he could, managing to get only a modest amount stuck in his boots.By now, his makeshift shawl was soaking with sweat, most of the skin beneathburned a bright, painful red.The shade here was only slightly cooler than thescorching heat of the sun, but any amount of coolness was more than welcome.
Once he had fully slid to the bottom, Isaac ripped off hispack as fast as his tied hands could manage, digging through and tossing outeverything in the way.He wanted his rations.The pirate grub.It was the samesort of nuts and dried meat and hardtack that he had been subsisting on formost of his journey, but it was now present in much higher quantities, and hewas eager to indulge.He clawed his hands around a hunk of meat and gnawed itwith his teeth— it was pork, probably, and it tasted about as good as hisboots, but he continued to gnash at the colorless flesh until it was soggy andtorn enough to swallow.
“Xotra’s cunt,” Zaria said, sliding down next to him.“Neverthought I’d beat a lord for table manner.”
