He had almost toldher that he’d never spoken at such a length before.His hired instructors wouldonly stay for morning lessons, the servants of his tower were instructed not tolook him in the eye, and his uncle was often away for days at a time, lecturingat colleges or petitioning for membership to various councils.Even when he wasaround others, Isaac was always expected to listen more than he was expected totalk.It was no exaggeration to say that his time with Zaria might genuinely bethe longest singular time he had ever spoken with anyone.
But, of course, hedidn’t say that.He was growing wise to the fact that she would use such an admission against him.The teasing would never stop.
And she was stillhis enemy.
He couldn’t forgetthat.
He tugged on hisrestraints again, trying to harden himself.
“Oh, come on,” Zariasaid.“Say it.”
“No.”
“I wanna hear it,squire.”
“I’m not yoursquire.”
There was anothersilence.The sound of their shuffling footsteps filled the valley of dunes.Just when Isaac was about to concentrate on the horizon again, he heard achange in Zaria’s step.Before he could react, she clapped him on the back witha furry hand, squeezing deep into his shoulder.He nearly lost his balance.
“Alright,” Zariasaid.“I understand the problem.”
Isaac attempted towriggle from her grasp, filled with annoyance and some other veryunidentifiable feeling.Her grip was strong.She was tall enough that he couldstand completely in her shadow.
“You know,” shecontinued, “I was thinkin’ we’d be all the better for airing our tensions, asit were.Squabbling’s a good way to know where things stand, even if one of uspulls a knife.”
“One of us?”Isaacasked.
“It don’t matterwho.”
“Oh, it very muchmatters who that was.”
“Look,” she said,shaking him by the shoulder.He teetered and wobbled through his step.“I’mwise to your perspective.There is a great—how’d you say—imbalance to ourgrievances, against one another.I aim to rectify it.”
He looked up,meeting her eye over the length of her snout.“Does that mean you’ll untie me?”
“Don’t be daft.”
He looked away,grimacing.He tried to walk ahead of her, making for a small mountain of dunes.Her hand pulled him back.
“However,” Zariasaid, “I realize that you require catharsis.You’re coiled like a duck’s cock.You need to let it out.All of it.Your thoughts, your woes.Release thefrustration.”
Isaac was not surewhere this was going.“Let what out?”
“Everything.”
“What do you mean,everything?”
“Squire,” she said,very seriously.“I want you to insult me.”
He was flummoxed.“What?”
“You heard me.”
He looked up at her,confused.
“Go on, then,” shesaid, shrugging off the hood of her shawl.Her ears perked up into the morningair, and the dark line of her snout curled with a smile.“Do your worst.”
He kept walkingthrough the sand, twisting to the side, stumbling, blinking, his hair fallingloose to his face, feeling dwarfed in her shadow.It was the same feeling ofbeing barked a question and not knowing the answer.
