Page 62 of Something Human

She plucked the puppy out of his hands and tucked it under her own arm. But she didn’t move to climb back up toward the paddock.

“What did you think of the Phemians?” she asked. “You stayed at the feast, didn’t you? I left early with the children. Did you talk with their headman?”

“Yes. A little.” He was out of breath, his heart pounding. He couldn’t quite believe she didn’t notice.

“He’s handsome,” she said, as if she were telling him something he couldn’t be expected to have noticed. “What’s he like?”

“Ah, well. Very charming. I didn’t really … ” He trailed off, unsure how to end that sentence without a colossal lie.

“You should have stayed and talked to him more. Do you think he will be a good ally for the tribe?”

“Yes,” said Rus, with feeling. “I am sure of it. Yes.”

“Well! You feel strongly about it. I didn’t know. I thought perhaps after you fought his people … ” She shrugged.

“That was not my idea.”

“Ah, no. I suppose it wasn’t.”

He opened his mouth to say that they should go back up to the village, but before he could, Genet gasped and pointed behind him.

“Look! Is that not one of the Phemians?”

“Is it?” Rus turned reluctantly.

Adares was coming up the hill toward them. There was something odd about the way he held his cloak wrapped around himself.

“It is,” said Genet after a moment. “It is their headman. What is the matter with him?”

“Hello!” Adares called in Luth. “Excuse me!”

He scrambled up the last stretch of hillside to where they stood.

“I am very glad to see you,” he said. By this time Rus could see that he was dripping wet and shivering with cold.

“Lord archon,” said Rus, barely resisting the urge to reach out and put his arms around Adares. What had he been doing? “We didn’t know you were there. This is Genet, our vahat.” Was he talking too loudly?

“Oh, yes! The one who does the tattoos!”

“Did you meet with an accident, lord archon?”

“Not an accident.” Adares hitched his cloak higher around his shoulders. It was rather carelessly wrapped, and he was wearing nothing else. “I was trying to … in the stream … ” He gestured vaguely. He was looking for the Luth word for swim, Rus realized. There wasn’t one.

“Bathe?” Genet’s voice rose with astonishment. “In a mountain stream, my lord? In the dead of night in spring?”

“I’m used to much warmer water where I’m from. I was … surprised.”

“You might have been drowned,” Genet said severely. “Come. You may warm up at my house. It is not far.”

“You are very kind,” said Adares meekly. “I hope I may also borrow some clothes? I have lost the rest of mine.”

“Of course. Come.” She beckoned to Rus to come too, which he’d had every intention of doing whether she liked it or not.

“We were talking about you,” Genet said, looking back over her shoulder as she led the way up to her house.

“I thought so,” said Adares. “I do not know so much of your language, but I thought I heard ‘very fine fellow’—did I not?”

“I think it was ‘very vain fellow,’” Genet sent back without blinking. “They do sound alike.”