He rose and moved away from the others, who were beginning to settle down on their bedrolls.I put everything back in my pack except my bedroll then rose to join him.The herbs were already working.I felt a bit better.If I hadn’t been so angry at Taio, I might have asked if they’d helped him.
I joined him at the highest point of the rise Kintle had chosen for our resting place.It was high enough to see above the grasses spread out before us.The darkness meant anything coming through them would not be visible until the danger was a few yards away.But I knew the sound and smell of a Hollow, and they’d give themselves away long before we saw them.
Taio stood with his legs apart and his arms crossed.I stood beside him, my legs also braced so I could turn my body to survey the area to my left and behind me.He was on my right and would keep watch on that side.I thought he might tell me to stand further away, but he didn’t.In fact, for a long time, he said nothing.The outpost was quiet, and in the fading light, the tree trunks that made up its walls looked like dark fingers stretching to the starry sky.I heard the murmur of voices once in a while or the scrape of a spoon on a plate, but the cadets stationed there were obviously well-trained.Behind me, I heard the shuffling of the other Zulenii and then a quiet snore.The outpost must also have guards on watch, but I couldn’t see them, and it felt like Taio and I were the only two people awake in the world.
“You want my trust.You have not earned it.What will you do when your loverboy tries to kill me?”he asked again.For a moment, I thought I’d imagined the question.His voice was very quiet, and he didn’t turn toward me or tap my shoulder to get my attention.Instead, I turned toward him.He was a tall, solid shape in the starlight.
“I’ll answer that question if you answer one of mine first.”
He looked at me.“Go ahead.”
I had so many questions I wanted to ask him that it was difficult to choose.But the most pressing one was easy to pluck from my thoughts.“Why did you choose me?Was it because I was the only princess who spoke to you?”
“That is two questions.No, I did not choose you because you were the only princess who spoke to me.My turn.”
“You didn’t say why you chose me.”
“I answered your question.”
I blew out an irritated breath.“Has anyone ever told you that you are difficult to talk to?”
“No.And that is yet a third question.I’ve answered two and you’ve not answered my one.”
“But you didn’t answer the one question I can’t stop thinking about.”
He moved closer to me, and I caught the clean scent of Omira’s ointment on the breeze.“Do you wonder why I chose you often?”
The way he said it made it seem as though I was constantly thinking of him.Normally, I would deny that, but I was distracted by his warmth.The night had grown cold, and now that he’d moved closer, I realized I was chilled.I had the urge to move closer to him, to burrow into his warmth.I wouldn’t do that, of course, but the thought distracted me.“You said you wanted a warrior.All my sisters are warriors.I wasn’t even a good enough warrior to defeat you in the Claiming Rite—”
“You came much closer than the other sister.There was even a moment when I thought you might defeat me.”
I cut my gaze to him.“Only a moment?”I heard his soft chuckle and shivered.“If you wanted strength, my sister Broga—”
“Would have never spoken to me as we speak now.I wanted a warrior and a partner.”
I felt my face heat.“A partner?
He moved closer again.“You are thinking about our marriage.Or perhaps the marriage bed.”
I was thinking about that, but I wouldn’t admit it.
“I do look forward to that aspect of our marriage,” he said.I refused to step back, though I suddenly felt too warm and couldn’t take a deep breath.“But that is not all I need in a partner.You showed me you have what I need.”
“What is it you need?”My voice sounded hoarse and raspy.
“You will see in time.”
I wasn’t certain whether to take that statement as a promise or a threat.Tension crackled between us, and I stared out at the grasslands before us, trying to catch my breath.Taio didn’t move away or look away from me.I was afraid he might try and touch me or kiss me.I was afraid of how I might react.
“I can see why you wouldn’t want to take Broga to bed,” I said, my voice sounding lighter but still strained.“Seeing her naked would be enough to make anyone ill.”The joke was the sort of thing Broga and I would have hurled at each other, and I almost missed her in that moment because she would have retorted with something worse about me.
“All of your sisters are lovely,” Taio said, taking my quip seriously.“But you are the only one I felt...”He trailed off, and I glanced at him.He was looking at me.I couldn’t see those blue-green eyes of his, but I could feel his gaze on mine.“You are the only one I feltthiswith.”He gestured between us, somehow making the tension between us seem palpable.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Yes, you do.”
Yes, I did.Since the first time I’d seen him, I’d felt a pull toward him.In school our teacher had once demonstrated which of the Earslehen metals had magnetic properties (peneldium: yes; tertanium: no).She’d placed small samples of metals in a row and passed a magnet before them.Some had no reaction, like the tertanium.Some moved slightly toward the magnet.The peneldium made us all exclaim because as soon as the magnet neared it, the peneldium sample seemed to fly up and latch on to the magnet.It took considerable force for the teacher to dislodge it.
