Someone called her name, but Nina ignored it and closed her eyes. Calmed her breathing. Let the water carry her weight.
There.Nina felt her sister like a tether to her heart. Felt the essence of her life, not strong and bright and on the shore where Sacha always stayed, but flimsy and quiet and floating nearby.
Nina swam faster than she ever had, but it wasn’t fast enough.
Taytareached Sacha first, scooping her up, then Nina, and raced to shore. Sacha’s body was still, her lips blue, her light dimmed further to a barelythereflicker.Taytapushed on her chest and breathed into her mouth while Nina watched, and whispered, and tugged on that weak, gossamer light.
Sacha flared to life with a gasp.
Nina let out more air as she sat on the sandy floor and the memory washed over her. Her hair floated around her head like a halo. Streams of sun penetrated deep enough to touch her hand, and she curled her fingers through them, considering the threads of golden light that appeared at random and what they truly meant.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm and dragged her up. Shebroke the surface with a gasp. Kasik stood before her, his eyes wild as he held Nina’s upper arms in a bruising grip.
“What are youdoing?” she sputtered. Hair clung to her face and neck. She used rough hands to shove it out of her eyes.
“You were down there for so long. I thought you weredrowning.”
“It’s called swimming, Kasik. Haven’t you ever done it before?”
Kasik abruptly let go of her. He ran his hands through his hair and turned away. She caught sight of his back and swallowed down a flood of guilt. He was in pain because he had saved her life, and it was clear his nerves were frayed. The least she could do was reassure him that she was all right.
Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his shoulder. Kasik looked down at her hand, and then followed the path of her arm to her shoulder, her neck, her jaw, her cheeks, and finally, her eyes. It was as if he was inspecting her to ensure that she was whole and hale.
“I’m all right,” she said softly. His shoulders relaxed as he blew out a breath, the warmth of it skimming the top of her hand and sending shivers up her arm. She yanked her hand away before he could see and pointed at his back. “We should clean this properly.”
“It can wait,” Kasik said, heading back to shore. Without thinking, Nina grasped his wrist. His pulse beat hard against her fingertips.
“I don’t think it should,” Nina said. “I’ve seen injuries less severe than yours get infected from much less.” When it looked as if he might argue again, Nina gently pulled him closer. “Please,” she added. His eyes traveled to hers, and Nina saw in them that she had won.
Kasik allowed himself to be guided. She gently turned him, his back facing her, and plucked the bottom of his tunic. “This needs to come off.”
Kasik’s hands curled around the hem and tugged. Nina slipped her hands underneath to protect his wound and tried not to focus on the way his muscles rippled with movement. How the water sluiced over theridges carved into his browned skin. The urge to run her fingers over each scar was so strong that she curled her hands into fists by her side.
The tunic hit the water with a slap. Nina cleared her throat. “Kneel, please,” she asked, and Kasik obeyed easily.
It was different than she had imagined, him on his knees at her feet. Instead of feeling powerful, she felt pleased that he trusted her enough to give her his back and determined to help as much as she could. Gently, she swiped the long, dark hair from his shoulders. A thin, leather cord she hadn’t noticed before rested against his neck.
Then she lifted a sleeve-covered fist to the uppermost wound and carefully wiped away blood that had dried beneath the dirt. Kasik didn’t so much as twitch as she worked. She went slowly, ensuring that there was nothing left to irritate once she could place a poultice. As soon as she was done, she would search the surrounding forest for the right materials and she wouldn’t stop until she found them.
It was a quick and thorough job, and she tried her best not to touch him more than absolutely necessary. Every time she placed her fingers against his shoulder blades to steady herself, his skin would jump beneath her touch. Either he hated this, or he was in more pain than she thought, but with each handful of water that ran down his back in rivers, Kasik’s shoulders lowered, his head falling farther back, until he was relaxed and entirely at Nina’s mercy.
That thin, golden light appeared again, brighter and louder than before. Nina stumbled away and pressed her hands to her chest.
“All done,” she said, and winced at the pitch of her voice. She marched out of the water and into the brush to find the proper plants for a poultice.
Any excuse to wipe the feel of him from her hands.
13
Kasik’s skin was on fire, and it wasn’t because of Nina’s hands on him, though he had to close his eyes against the feel of her, small and soft and kind. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been cared for so thoughtfully, sogently.
Any injuries he’d had were treated quickly and discretely by the kancha healer, his tayta none the wiser. The man would’ve stabbed him before providing any comfort.
This yearning for touch wasn’t a desire he was aware he had, and he hated Nina for bringing it to his attention.
More than that, he hated himself for wanting it. For failing his mission so miserably. They had gotten far off course and added days to their trip. Days he wasn’t sure he had. The wound and muscles around it burned, and if he didn’t find a healer soon, he knew he would succumb to the infection spreading through his blood.
A short distance away, Nina flitted from plant to plant, feeling and smelling their leaves and stems, until she yelled, “Aha!” and snapped several stems in half. When she came closer, he could see that she held small branches, grayish white in color and dripping a red liquid that looked eerily like blood.
