“Standingpretty tall now, huh?”
“Isuppose so.”
“Yougot any reason to stick around?”
“Not atall.”
“Alwayswanted to travel the world, haven’t you?”
Henodded, looking into her eye.
“Thenwhat’re we waitin’ for?”Zaria asked.“It’s worth a shot, far as I can tell.”
“It’sworth a shot?Is that it?”
“That’sall we’re getting, love.The outlaw life is not one of safety.Best you getused to it.”
Isaacgazed over the endless waves of sand.He took a breath, feeling the heatalready stirring before the day.He realized he had made adecision.
“Alright,”he said.
“Great.Onwards.”She began to turn.“Gotta say, first thing I’m grabbin’ at town is afat, juicy steak.”She made a low, weary whoop.“Oh, gods, get it made right,with all the trimming—”
Hehugged her.He did it so suddenly, so lurchingly hard, that it almost made thezoanthrope stumble.Yesterday, her vest had torn open at the collar, owing to aparticularly stubborn summit of rock, and Isaac buried his face directly intothe gap of her clothing, feeling soft fur on his cheek, the top of her breaston his chin.Underneath it all, he felt a solid core of muscle.
Zariagave a soft snort of surprise as she recaught her balance.Her hand hoveredawkwardly at his back.“Well, don’t celebrate yet.”
Isaactightened the hug.He pressed his cheek against her chest, burrowing throughthe hairs, smelling the animal-like musk he had once despised.In a quiet,whispering voice, he said: “Thank you.”
Therewas a slight hitch of breath.Some words were almost spoken.After a fewmoments, Zaria returned the hug, squeezing him against her larger frame,holding him just as tightly as he was holding her.Isaac hoped the moment wouldnever end, he hoped he would never have to let her go, and he marveled at theidea that, in this pirate, the same cutthroat that had taken him hostage notfive days prior, he had found more warmth and care and understanding than hehad ever known before.Right then, he could not hug her as well as his heartdemanded.
Aroundthem, there was nothing but sand and sky.The sun was a searing heat on theirbacks.Their rations were low, their wounds were aching, they were tired andbeaten and had miles upon miles to travel before rest could be found, and theircoming life would only be fraught with danger.
Therewould be fleets of pirate ships scouring the dunes.There would be teams ofsorcerers whose sole purpose was to hunt down and assassinate rogue mages, lestthey threaten the sovereignty of the Diet of Nine.There would be aconstabulary at every town, there would be vicious criminals they would have tocall friends, and there was no telling what kinds of lands and peoples theywould meet out there, in the world at large, if they managed to escape at all.
Theirfuture was far less than certain.
Theywere lost.
Abandoned.
But,right then, standing above the ruins of an ancient empire, they had each other.And, despite it all, it didn’t feel as if they needed anything else.
Isaacfelt a hitching in Zaria’s breath.When he looked up, she was wiping her oneremaining eye, wetting the back of her hand with tears.
“Nothin’,”she said, stepping slightly back.“Don’t mind me.”
“What’swrong?”
“Oh,it’s nothin’.Just....”She broke out into a toothy grin.“Just got my Lemagain.Just got that pride in me, for the first time.”She tousled the mop ofhair on his head, and she kept doing so even after he swiped at her hand.Sheonly stopped after pinching his cheek.“I mean, gods, shame on you.Don’t youknow not to consort with a pirate?”
Shecleared her throat, looking down.
“I’mjust a no-good thief.Never had any prospects otherthan what I could steal.Never done much good for anyone my whole life.Exceptfor Lem.And now you, too.”
Isaacfelt that his mouth was aching from smiling.
“Glad Icould be here,” Zaria said, wiping another tear from her eye.“Glad I could dosomething nice for a change.I’d be glad to keep being nice, if you wouldn’tmind.”
