Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [188]
‘Blow what Kreshkali says. I’ll make that choice myself.’ Rosette felt much like she had on her first day at Treeon—lost in a strange place, overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity. Only this time there was no An’ Lawrence coming to give her a lift. She didn’t even know where her father was. She ran harder.
The Lupin comes, Drayco warned her. He offers to guide us.
‘Why would he?’ she said between gasps for air.
A few reasons. Mostly he wants to get away from something too.
‘You’re talking to Lupins now?’ She slowed her pace.
He’s talking to me. He has a nice voice.
She looked over her shoulder and spotted the young man running towards them. He was handsome, vibrant, his aura a mix of light and shade. Intriguing. ‘He’s Kali’s new apprentice, isn’t he?’
We saw him in the sewers under Half Moon Bay. Drayco stopped by her side and she rested one hand on his warm pelt; the other braced her ribs.
‘What’s he running from?’ she panted.
Kreshkali.
Rosette laughed aloud. ‘Perfect! Just the company I’m after.’ She smiled as he approached. ‘You’re the new apprentice?’ She greeted the Lupin with an outstretched palm.
‘Aye. Call me Teg,’ he said, matching her gesture.
‘Can you get us out of here?’
He cocked his head to the side and winked. ‘This way.’
She set off at a jog to match his, feeling the warmth of the sun on her shoulders and the wind in her hair. This is good, Dray.
That it is. Let’s run!
The sun was moving westward when they stopped to rest, the intense heat of the afternoon making the land feel like a cast-iron pot boiled dry. They lounged under a leafless tree, sharing Teg’s waterskin. Rosette closed her eyes and sighed. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t face…things back there.’
‘Sometimes running away is the best choice.’
She flashed him a look, about to retort. He passed her the water; his face was soft and open. She laughed instead. ‘And it’s good to find a guide who remembered to bring refreshment.’
She’d left without a thing, not even her buck knife. She would have had to return hours ago if Teg hadn’t come along. Aside from resourcefulness, his presence comforted her. He had a calming influence. She didn’t feel like she had to talk or explain herself. With Teg, she could just be.
And he’s a demon of a hunter. Did you see how he moved, Maudi?
I did. Impressive. I can’t wait to meet him on the training ground.
They conversed more as the day wore on, mostly about the rigours of being Kreshkali’s apprentice—their common lot—and fortune. Rosette had detected the lilt in his voice when he said her name and suspected he’d fallen for her with more than a student’s admiration. She liked the idea. The dilemma it would present her mother filled her with delight. He would be hard to resist.
She stretched out her legs, leaning back on her elbows. It felt good to be in the body—an adjustment certainly, but worth the effort. The tangible world was seductive, filled with secret scents and myriad textures. She could no longer see auras as well as before, but the colours of the sky, the touch of the hot red dust beneath her hands, the feel of water in her mouth, droplets clinging to her lips, the sound of Teg’s voice, the tickle of Drayco’s whiskers on her neck—each sensation filled her with pleasure. Not so bad, having a body, eh, Dray?
Nothing bad at all, Maudi, except you have to feed it. Drayco sent her the message from a short distance away. He had a bone braced between his front paws and was gnawing at it like a child with a honey-pop.
Good advice, Drayco. But unlike you, I prefer my game cooked.
So cook it.
She looked at Teg. ‘Shall we?’ she asked.
He hadn’t mentioned his ability to follow her and the temple cat’s mental communications, probably out of politeness, but she knew when he listened in. She could feel it the same way she knew when someone else was in a dark room—like a wisp of wind in her mind. Drayco didn’t care, so why should she? It gave her a chance to practise her mind-shielding skills, something she hadn’t done while disembodied. At that time no one but Drayco could hear