“Hey.”
Shelooked his way.
Isaacwas already moving towards her.Before he could lose his nerve, he cupped herbreast, found the nipple beneath the fabric, and gave it a gentle kiss.Thelook of surprise on her face made his blush burn all the hotter.
“I wasjust pullin’ your tail, love.”
“Pleasebe careful.”
Shesported a grin, which was now real.“Nothin’ to it.Count my gems nice andproper, would you?”
Isaacnodded stiffly.She began to climb.
Hewatched her ascend towards the broken house, using the loose stack of bouldersas improvised holds.All her muscles were clearly outlined through the fur,and, though the climb was awkward and perilous, she made rapid progress towardthe summit.So far today, her strength had never ceased to impress him.
Isaaclooked back at the cavern.Down past the sloping wreckage, the ossein canopystretched out over a blanket of concrete, studded with boulders, dug throughwith the furrows of massive reptilian feet.Colossal bones littered the floorlike rifts of snow across a mountainside.He could see the pyramid in thecenter of the destruction.He couldn’t see what remained on top of it, but hismind was filling the gaps.
Rotting.
Bakingin the sun.
Looserobes and blood.
Hecould hear Berith’s voice again.The look in his eyes, when the blade—
“Isaac.”
He torehis gaze away.Zaria was resting her feet on the protruding face of a boulder,leaning her body out over a forty-foot drop.“Keep counting the gems.”
Heopened his palm, which was full of citrine, opals, and onyx.“They’re righthere.”He let them fall into the open mouth of her pack.“Done.”
“Great.Keep an eye above, then.Let me know if there’s anavalanche again.”
“Ican’t exactly catch you if there is.”
“Justgive me a warning, would you?”
“Idon’t see how—”
“Isaac,”Zaria said, firmly.“Eyes up here.Not down there.”
Heblinked several times.“Right.Sorry.”
“Don’tbe sorry.Just do it.Alright?”
Henodded.She resumed the climb.
He kepthis gaze focused.
Hedangled his feet off the edge, watching the pebbles bounce and fall.
The sunwas creeping toward the horizon.All day, it had been a constant foe, burninghis skin, drying his throat, aching his eyes to the root.There had been littleshade to offer, and his robes, already stiff with blood, were growing lines ofsalt where the sweat had soaked.He was not sorry to see the day end.
Still,the sunset was beautiful.There was a distant storm off to the west, the bellyof the clouds shining a wine-dark red, a rainbow stretching between thecurtains of rain.By now, they had climbed so far out of the cavern that he wasbeginning to see the tops of the dunes, which ringed the distant cliffs likethe curving crenellations of a castle.From where he was sitting, the distancesseemed so vast they inspired a sense of awe.He had never appreciated how largethe world truly was.
All thesame, he had to keep returning his gaze to the pebbles at his feet, because, ifhe stilled himself to watch the sunset, he would find himself thinking of allthe ones he had seen from his bedroom window, and, like an anchor dragging athis thoughts, his mind would quickly spiral into shouts and pain, the color ofblood on a sword.
He keptkicking the pebbles.Like them, his mood felt ready to fall at the slightestpush.
