Page 71 of Wicked Curses
“I’m not washing your laundry for you.”
He straightened up as his head tilted to the side. “You don’t think I can do it myself?”
“You definitely can, but are you going to?”
“Of course. Come on now, cranky pants, let’s clean us some clothes.”
Unsure of how to react to his playful demeanor, and more than a little convinced he would try to get her to wash his clothes, she lifted her basket from where she’d set it beside her. She eyed him warily as she walked down the stairs to join him.
He was still smiling as he sauntered behind the library with her at his side. She couldn’t stop staring at him as she tried to figure out his game.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Fine. Yours?”
“Great.”
Sahira rolled her eyes as they walked around a home where the backyard ended on a hill. The hill was mostly rocky, but dirt kicked out from beneath her feet as the ground shifted while she descended.
Altering her hold on the basket, she rested her fingertips on the ground to help keep her balance on the steep hill. Beneath her hand, the dirt pulsed with the life flowing through it; its presence helped soothe her.
“The ground here feels different than other outer realms,” she murmured.
Orin glanced back at her. “Why is that?”
“In other outer realms, there’s not a lot of life in the earth, and sometimes, there’s notany,but there is here.”
“Which is why they can grow crops and keep livestock alive.”
“Which is also why it’s not really an outer realm.”
“What is it, then?”
When they made it to the bottom of the hill, Sahira surveyed the rocky, sandy land with all its many surprises. “I have no idea.”
She hated admitting that. She’d been here long enough that she should have discovered some answers, but all she had were more questions.
“Perhaps this is the way this realm is, and we’re seeking answers that aren’t there,” Orin suggested.
“Maybe.”
“You don’t want to believe it?”
“I don’t like not having answers.”
“But that is your answer. It’s just not the one you expected.”
Her grip on the basket tightened, and she met his steady gaze. “Are you beginning to think we’ll never escape?”
“Fuck no. One way or another, I’m getting out of here.”
Sahira didn’t reply as they crossed more rocky terrain, but after a hundred feet, dozens of trees started springing up, and the inhospitable earth gave way to tall, thick grass that brushed her waist.
Grass!She hadn’t realized how much she missed live plants and color until she stood amongst the green grass.Thiswas where Zeth came for food for the animals.
She stopped walking and closed her eyes to listen as the wind soughed through the tall blades. They brushed against her skin in the most delightful ways.
When she opened her eyes again, Orin had stopped walking. He studied her with his head tilted to the side again. All his carefreeness had vanished; his eyes gleamed with something she didn’t understand, but the set of his jaw and the tenseness of his face finally revealed his hunger.
