“No. I found out he was lost so I called out to him and he…I don’t know…showed me images of where the cave was.” My arms flop at my sides. I really shouldn’t say this, but I don’t know how else I can explain it. “You know, in my head.”
“That is…very interesting.”
My heart sinks. “The other Vyastil don’t talk to each other that way, do they? Like, at all?”
He hums low in his throat, then his lips stretch into something like a smile as his gaze darts to Rathyn and then back to me. “No. They don’t. They haven’t for a long, long time.”
“What does it mean that he and I can?” I demand.
He moves closer to me and looks me up and down slowly. “I will let your VySytheh explain that to you.”
“My what?” Okay, now I’m fucking annoyed. “What doesthatmean?”
The Tarek flicks the tip of one tentacle toward Rathyn. “Him.”
Then one of his tentacles reaches out. It hovers before me, and I stare at it, unsure what to do. Do I shake it? Is he trying to touch me? Is this like an octopus you see at the aquarium, feeling out their environment using their sensory receptors?
“You can shake the way humans do. I will not use my hands as they are not clean,” the Tarek says, and I slowly reach out my hand, taking one tentacle end. It sucks at my skin slightly, and I pull back, the sensation odd and uncomfortable.
But I can tell it meant no harm.
“I am Sabik, son of Kharrek, from the ancient lands of Syel.”
I nod, clearing my throat. “I’m, um, Everest, son of Robert and Mary, from the land of Earth.”
Sabik’s lips curl slightly in what I’m pretty sure is a smile, but then I remember where I am, of what I had to risk getting here. I shake my head and step toward Rathyn, who is still injured on the ground. I kneel beside him, my hands findinghis. Our fingers curl, and he brings my palm to his lips. I feel the brush of them against my skin, and my eyes water.
“What happened?” I rasp, feeling suddenly overcome.
“He was injured.”
“I see that,” I say, my brat coming out a little too harshly, though Sabik doesn’t seem to mind.
“He is tended to. He will recover in time.”
“Thank you.”
I sniffle and then peer down at Rathyn. “Honestly. You can’t do this to me. Running off and getting hurt. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“My Everest. I did not run off. It was discussed. I walked off with your farewell.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. No need to be so literal. God. So, what happened?”
“The Seymosi,” Rathyn says. “It was a simple quest to the Outerlands to subdue an uprising, and I stepped on a nest. A stupid mistake, but I was in a rush…”
“To get back to me,” I whisper, and his eyes flash.
“You are not to blame. It was my mistake.”
“It was careless,” Sabik says and then moves toward Rathyn. His hand reaches down to a bandage on Rathyn’s chest and peels it back. He makes a sound in his throat and sighs. “The herbs have not worked as quickly as I’d like. The Vyastil are stubborn creatures. I suggest you offer him what only a human can. It will only do so much, but it will be enough for him to walk.”
My eyes widen, and Sabik nods.
“We will give you privacy.”
He motions for Cielo to move around a corner, but he’s reluctant to follow. It’s only when Sabik says something in Eretharian that he goes, leaving Rathyn and me alone. The fire crackles behind us, the heat of it warming my shivering body.
“Does my cum really heal you?” I ask.
