“Why?”
“So you can’t slit my throat while I slumber.”
Isaac glanced down at the rope, rubbing it through hisfingers.“I, uh....”
“What is it?”
“I....”
“Spit it out,” she said, pressing the dagger close.
“I don’t know how to tie a knot.”
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
All at once, Zaria burst into laughter, letting her daggerarm fall to the sand.She tried to speak, managed a few breathless words, andfell to cackling again.It echoed loudly across the dunes.“Of course youdon’t,” she said, still snickering.Her canines pressed against her snout in atoothy grin.“I mean, why should you?Probably wipe your arse with magicinstead of leaves.”
Isaac couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or relieved.
“Scoot your legs out.I’ll do it.”
She returned the dagger to her hip and began to tie several knotsinto the rope, fast as a sailor.She formed two loops, fastening them aroundhis ankles.By the end, his legs were as bound as his arms, and both wereconnected together by a single line of rope that ran along his torso.It wasn’ttight enough to force him to bend, but he would certainly have trouble doinganything other than flopping on his belly.
Zaria returned to her position on the slope.“Why do youhave to make me say things like that, Isaac?I was enjoying our talk.”
He tested the new range of his limbs.It was not very far.“This is my fault, is it?”
“Oh, quite so, squire.Just so things are clear—if I weren’tgrowing fond of you, I’d have you hogtied and spittled.”
“Ah,” Isaac said, calm as he could.“Well, then.I willcertainly ...continue my charm.”
She gave him a smile that wasn’t entirely false.“I hopeso.”She nestled herself into the sand, folding her arms and closing her eyes.“Well, good night.Don’t let the sandwyrms bite.”
Isaac watched her for several moments.“Is ...that it?”
“What do you mean?”she asked, not opening her eyes.
“You just threatened me with a knife, and now you’re goingto sleep?”
“Sure.”
“...really?”
“Isaac,” she said.“For you, that might’ve been the firsttime someone’s imperiled your life.For me, that was a standard greeting.”
He blinked a few times.He tested his restraints again.Hewatched her chest rise and fall.
“Stop staring at my tits, by the way.”
He quickly lay down in the sand, trying to pull hissweat-soaked shawl into a blanket.“Right, yes.So ...goodnight?”
“Sweet dreams,” she replied.
Isaac felt his body sink into a shallow depression.By now,the sand was pleasantly warm.The liniment had soothed his burns.For the firsttime in nearly a week, he had slaked his thirst and calmed his hunger.Aroundhim, the dying light crawled its way up the dunes in rich shades of pink andorange.
He watched the sky until the stars appeared.After a while,Zaria began to snore.A short time later, exhaustion finally took hold, and hefell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Five
