I nod. “I can’t guarantee you that the Fuegorra will pick someone for you, man or woman, but I know it wouldn’t choose someone you wouldn’t love,” I say with finality. “But the Enduares are dying out. There are less thanthree hundred of them left. When I get back… I think I will have a child. Maybe more than one.”
She balks at my admission. “And you’d want that?”
“I raised my brother,” I say. “I’ve seen how the Enduares treat their children, and it’s nothing like the breeding pens. It’s nothing like how the giants treat their offspring, either. Everyone helps, even those without babes.
“They adore the younglings—they are their future. If I had a child, it’s not like I would be sequestered in a hut until that poor creature was old enough to work. I wouldn’t even stop my duties in the caves if I didn’t want to. I could still be a queen, grow my undermountain garden, and learn my letters. Having a child in Enduvida means adding to my life, not subtracting.”
Melisa takes a deep breath, processing my words.
“That does sound… different.” She opens the door of my cage.
I don’t even worry if the water has gone cold. It feels good to talk to Melisa—it chases the shadows away. A part of me wonders if it is the same for her.
“You’re learning to read?” she asks as she helps me out of my clothes.
I nod. “Enduar letters. There’s still a lot I don’t know.”
She doesn’t guide me into the tub, nor does she pick me up and plop me down. She watches as I approach the water. I tremble when I reach the metal lip, and take a deep breath.
Then I step in.
The panic crashes over me again, and I thrash a little as I fight to breathe, but then, sitting in a ball and squeezing my eyes shut, I’m able to handle it.
Not enjoy it.
Endure it.
Melisa is right behind me, ready to wash my body. Eachsecond feels like agony, and then, she tugs on my shoulder and pulls me up.
Relieved, I burst out of the water and start to breathe again.
Stepping out of the tub too fast, I nearly slip, but Melisa holds me in place and slides a towel around my chest.
“No more falling on me. I’m afraid you’ll break in two.”
“Gracias?2,” I say.
The next few moments are a blur, but all I know is that the fire is warm, and the new clothes feel nice on my skin. Then she holds something out to me.
I look down and see the glittering jewels in her hand.
“Sing to them. It seems to help you,” she murmurs.
I reach out at the exact moment that the door slams open.
Faster than lightning, Melisa shoves the jewels into her pocket as Rholker makes his way into the space, visibly upset.
His yellow eyes land directly on me. “Good. You’re ready. Come, we’re going to dinner.”
I brace myself for the leash, but he doesn’t have one. He seems to notice this, too, because he curses in giantese under his breath.
“Get out, whore,” he barks at Melisa while staring intently at me.
A part of me feels the loss of her and the stones she carries, but she’s proven trustworthy. I can only hope to see her soon.
I let out a shaky breath as the door closes behind Melisa. Rholker watches me.
The hulking giant king steps further into the cottage, taking up every inch of space and stealing the breath from my lungs as I look up at him without the bars to keep me away.
