Isaac stared at her.
“Might be you want to say that back,” Zaria said.“Bein’polite and all.”
“I’m not a very good liar.”
She snorted.“Are we to be enemies, then?”
Isaac yanked on his restraints.“You’ve tied me to a boat.What else should we be?”
“Well,” Zaria said, “I suppose I could be grateful to youfor rescuing me from certain torture and death, even if you did so by flippingthe gods-damned ship I was chained against.”
For a moment, Isaac considered telling her about hismission.
“Of course,” she continued, eyes roaming over him, “eventhen, one has to wonder how thankful they should be to someone who didn’t evenmean to help them.One has to wonder if, given the opportunity, they’d justturn around and burn her alive, like everyone else.”
Isaac decided not to tell her.In fact, he resolved himself to keep his mission a secret.Nothing goodwould come from telling a cutthroat his plans.
“One could have a sense of honor,” he replied, regainingsome of his voice.
She grinned at him, like he had told a dirty joke.“Honorsupposed to replace common sense, is it?Suppose I feel so good about lettingyou go that I don’t even notice you tossin’ anotherfireball my way?”She shook her head, eyes never leaving his face.“No.Whatone really has to wonder is—what’s some well-to-do mage like yourself, armedwith vials and book-learning, doing all the way out here, in the wasted sands?”
Isaac did not reply.
Zaria stood up to her full height.She towered far abovehim.“Feeling thirsty, Isaac?”
“What?”
The hyena gestured towards his own pack, which had beenupturned and ransacked near his feet.“Couldn’t help but notice you got emptyskins in your pack.Nothing but salt meat and chemicals for nourishment,neither.”
Isaac felt incensed.“Did you steal from me?”
“Oh, I would have, but I can’t rightly eat your parchment,can I?”
His maps and ciphers gently fluttered in the desert breeze.Isaac wondered, fearfully, if she had managed to read them.
“You really are a special fool,” she said.“The sun out herekills men nearly as fast as the wyrms.I’ve seen people go mad from thirstinside a day.And you’re marching along on foot with barely a few cock squirtsof liquid, merry as you like.”
He felt the urge to lick his lips.They were horriblychapped, and a white scum was beginning to form at the corners of his mouth.
Zaria watched him carefully.
“There’s an oasis,” Isaac said, shrugging his shoulder towhat he thought was the northwest.“According to my map, it’s only a few milesaway.”
She chuckled.“Oh, aye, there was a spring there once, trueenough.It’s been dry a few odd years now.Safe tosay, if we hadn’t stumbled across each other, you’d be gasping your last.”
Isaac tried to swallow.He had no saliva left.
“I’ll ask again.You thirsty, Isaac?”
He looked up at her.“Yes.”
“Want me to give you some water?”
He did not respond.
“Come now,” Zaria said.“It’s freely offered.Quiterefreshing.A human like you might get the shits, but, you know, that’s therisk we take.”
“Yes,” Isaac said, gasping out the word.“Yes, I would likesome water.”
