Page 20 of Hope Forged
Ziameecouldn’tsleep.Somethingniggled. She’d say it was guilt at having lured Illan into the head and locked him in there with no blanket to ward off the chill. With a huff at that nonsense, she punched her bedding and rolled over. He didn’t deserve comfort, nor did she know whether he was undeserving of it either. Still, she had to treat him as the stranger he was, while assuming he was out to kill her. The first rule.
His beautiful gaze trailing her around the clearing rattled her, though. And when she spoke, he gave her all of his attention, like what she said mattered to him.
She shivered, liking his interest far too much.
He hadn’t revealed his intentions in a kill-her direction, acting exactly as he’d said he’d intended—responding to their distress signal. Except it had been so long since the crash that she couldn’t trust him. After all, he could be scouting for a salvage. She half snorted. TheHailehad no cargo to offer a scavenger—nothing of worth anyway.
If only Padya was here.
“Temperature in the head?” she asked Oz.
“Four degrees colder than the mess.”
She grimaced. If she opened the door to toss him a blanket, he’d strike. That’s what she’d do if she was in his good pair of boots. She gazed at her bare feet—dirty, mud-splattered. So were her pants, with one patch peeling off. She fiddled with the fraying edges, then lifted her tunic for a sniff. Despite having bathed yesterday, she still smelled of ceaza, Seba, and herself. Mudya had used a few petals to create a perfume of sorts. Which flower was that?
Ziamee tapped her chin, then gritted her teeth. Smelling nice for whom? What did it matter?
She was procrastinating. With a muffled growl, she clambered to her feet, then gripped the edge of a warped steel panel to lean out of the ship. She peered at the sky. Dawn would be here soon, and she hadn’t found solace.
“Oz, open the door when he stirs.”
“The male is not in there.”
Ice slithered down her spine and snatched her breath. “What?” she gasped, bolting for the head. She halted outside. This could be a trick. “Are you sure?”
“He left shortly after the door sealed.”
“How?” Did she want to know?
She cursed at having lost sleep over the ass. Good. He was gone. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. A sense of loss teased the walls of her heart. She was being silly, but his help finding Padya would’ve been wonderful. She scoffed. As if Illan would’ve stayed after she’d imprisoned him. Still, to lower herself into the crevice without someone there if she needed them would be stupid.
Shaking herself from her dark thoughts, she checked out the slab. Its clean state meant Seba had come through at somepoint. Odd that he hadn’t sought her out. Instead of heading to the lake, she veered northwest to where tiny lilac flowers grew. Mudya had gathered the petals, then mashed them until droplets of oil pooled. She’d cap that in a tiny glass tube that had survived the crash. Ziamee wanted to check if the flowers were in bloom.
Smelling like anything other than fish and sweat would be a pleasant change.
The unopened buds said it wasn’t time yet, but she plucked a few, returning to the campsite to place them on a stone beside the fire. Its dying heat would soften the hard outer shells of the buds. With a toweling cloth, she hiked the path, stretching her stiff leg. A sweep of the pristine lake promised a chilly bath, worse than normal. The sun cast its muted rays as it climbed the changing sky, offering her little warmth. She draped her garments and cloth over boulders to gather what heat they could. Already, shivers summoned bumps across her skin as she stripped. Wading into the waves took all her courage. By mid-thigh, she muttered a curse and dove in.
Only to burst out on a cry, “Elorach, it’s cold.”
She made quick work of the scrubbing, wanting this torture to be over. And yet, once clean, she found the chill not so bad. She floated onto her back, gazing at the sky while relishing the enclosed silence as she bobbed.
“This is magnificent,” she mumbled, even as her stomach grumbled.
Movement on the shore snapped her to her feet. For a moment, she hoped it was Padya. Disbelief had her splashing her face. She had to be seeing things.
“Illan?” she gasped and trudged toward him. “What in Hikos’s abyss are you doing back?”
Mud squelched between her toes when she waded out of the water to stand there, hands on hips.Why doesn’t he speak?Heran his gaze over her body like a naked female was odd for him. Nudity had never bothered her before, but under his interest, something unfurled in her core.
“Lost your voice?” she asked, snatching up the sunbaked toweling cloth. Wrapping it around her made her moan.Oh, to be warm.A fire and a tisane would be on her agenda this morning.But first, she had to get rid of Illan. His unwavering gaze unsettled her. “I thought you’d left.” She huffed, tying the cloth around her to gather her garments. Deep down, she didn’t dare admit that his return sparked an inexplicable joy. “I don’t know how you escaped the head.” She met his gaze and held it, determination raising her chin. “Don’t tell me. Just…leave.”
The male had too many secrets. She needed…someone she could trust to stay even when she demanded he abandon her. She bit her lip, not wanting to beg for his help.
“Oz tells me your father is missing.”
“Now he speaks.” She picked taisra leaves on the way home. “Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at him trailing her. He looked well rested, his garments clean. “Padya’s been gone for too long.” She studied the horizon, trying to recall how many mornings she’d awoken without her father nearby. “Twenty-five days.”
Squatting next to the fire, she poked it back to life, feeding a few sticks for fuel. She threw the leaves into a metal bowl, scooped in water, and placed the bowl at the center of the flames.
