Page 112 of Moon Chosen

“Tits of the Mother! It’s a Companion!” Sora gasped from behind Mari.

Mari stepped closer, staring at the man’s face. With a sick start, she recognized him. It was Nik! The Companion who had been tracking Rigel.

“He’s dead,” Sora said. “We should get his knife. See, there? It’s belted to his waist. And let’s look around. Maybe we can find something else that floated here with him.”

Mari nodded. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do this.” It seemed grisly, but she had to agree with Sora. Wasn’t that why Rigel led them to this body? Knives were precious, especially as this one looked to be an actual metal knife. His leather belt was worth taking, too. She glanced at his feet. Mari wouldn’t strip him—she couldn’t make herself do that—but she could take his boots. Mari steeled herself, ignoring the queasy feeling in her stomach, and bent for the knife, which was when Nik coughed, and with a pain-filled groan puked water down his shirt.

“Great Mother Goddess, he’s alive!” Sora said, and then she fainted.

32

When the Companion vomited river water all down his shirt, Mari scrambled back, slipping on rocks to get away from him. He didn’t open his eyes, though. He just lay there in a broken heap, breathing in short, shallow pants and trembling.

From the corner of her eyes Mari saw Sora stir. “Are you okay?” she asked, not taking her focus off the man.

Sora sat, rubbing her elbow. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

“I fainted?” Then her eyes flicked to the flotsam pile and the man and they widened. “Oh, Goddess. I didn’t dream it. It’s real and it’s alive.”

Rigel padded up to the Companion, whining softly.

“Rigel! Stay back!” Mari said, moving forward to grab the pup and pull him back.

The Companion opened his eyes. Mari watched him blink several times, as if he was having trouble focusing his vision, then he saw Rigel and his lips tilted up. “I found you.” His voice was weak and it sounded as if he was speaking through gravel. He lifted his hand, reaching for Rigel. Pain flashed across his face, which blanched so white that it made his lips look blue. He squeezed his eyes closed and breathed in short, panting gasps. Rigel sat, looking back and forth between the Companion and Mari with a plaintive expression in his intelligent eyes.

“Kill him.” Sora was standing beside Mari, staring at the wounded man with ferocious disgust. “He’s hurt. He can’t stop you. Take his knife and slit his throat.”

“I can’t do that,” Mari said.

“Then I’ll kill him.” Sora started forward, but Mari snagged her wrist.

“No, wait.”

Sora stopped and cocked her head, studying Mari. “It’s crueler to leave him here to suffer. Come sunset the roaches will find him. They’ll eat him alive. It’s a mercy to end him before they get him.”

Mari moved past Sora and approached the man. Rigel was sitting beside him. She patted his head and murmured softly to her pup, not liking the anxiety that radiated from him. She studied his face. Yes, she was sure it was the Companion named Nik—the one who had been searching for Rigel. While his eyes were closed she reached out and took his knife. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he made no response.

“Is it metal?”

Mari passed the knife to Sora. “I don’t know. You check.”

“It is! And it’s amazingly sharp. This is a really lucky find.” Sora inhaled deeply and then let the breath out in a rush with her words. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll kill him.” She moved around Mari, striding to the fallen man with a no-nonsense attitude.

Mari was going to stop her, but Rigel was faster. He stood between the man and Sora, then he backed a few steps and lay across the man’s legs, baring his teeth threateningly at the girl.

“Your creature has lost his mind,” Sora said as she stepped back several paces.

Mari went to Rigel, who whined piteously and thumped his tail, but he didn’t move from his protective position across the man’s legs. Mari crouched in front of Rigel and looked into his eyes. The young canine flooded her with emotions—anxiety, excitement, and worry—lots and lots of worry.

Mari cupped Rigel’s face between her hands. “We shouldn’t. Plus, he’s in bad shape. He may die anyway.”

Rigel whined again and licked her face. He didn’t have to use words to communicate clearly with Mari, and she was growing more and more certain about why he’d led her here, and what he wanted her to do.

“All right. For you I’ll check him out.”

“What? Why would you do that?” Sora asked.