Page 29 of Forsaken Secrets

"Wouldn't that be handy?"

She smiled at me, but her eyes were guarded.

"Are you a Reaper, then?" I asked. If she wasn't a mage, it was one of the few other answers that would make sense.

Her eyes widened, and she stood up. "A Reaper? Me? Ha! Not in my wildest dreams …" she looked down at her hands, picking at something I couldn't see. "No. I'm just an apprentice seamstress."

"Really?" I cocked my head to the side. "But you were so good back there! Have you thought of testing?"

"Some things aren't possible for everyone." Her voice was tight.

"Perhaps I could help."

"Trust me. This is not something you can fix." She reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me up gently. I winced and moaned a bit to make it seem like the injury wasn't as healed as it was.

The bread excuse might work for a moment, but I had a feeling she wasn't that gullible.

"Besides, I don't accept handouts."

I watched as she gathered a long rope, coiled it neatly, then threw it over her shoulder.

You know … I'd been half joking before, but she really might be the perfect solution for my project. She had skills, but no connection to the Reapers to double check my story.

The gods couldn't have planned it better if they'd tried. "What if you worked for me?"

"You already offered that once," she said, rolling her eyes.

I slipped my pack onto my shoulders and studied her.

Mud crusted her windswept hair, and she had a small smudge to the right of her lips. I slid my hands into my pockets to keep from wiping it away.

She was capable, spirited, and beautiful, too. Even Jaiel would have to agree that she was something special …

"You said you'd consider it …" I gave her my best smile.

She scoffed, "Well, consider it considered and rejected. I don't have the time or gear."

I gestured to her pack — the one she'd been cradling and protecting like a baby ever since we woke up. "That sure looks like a climbing bag."

A slow smile spread over her face. "You're right. That could work. You loan me gear, then I'll go do the work for you! Whatever hunting you need to do, I could do it. Then, you could pay me, I'd return your gear, and you'd claim the credit."

I grimaced. That would defeat the purpose in me actually seeing the ruins. "Not possible, my lady. I'm afraid that I need to go, as well."

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked me up and down. "If you came along, you'd just be a liability. Besides, I work better alone."

"Well, as much as I'd love to have you do my work for me, it just isn't possible."

She shrugged and fixed a flyaway piece of hair. "Well, then that's that. Let's get going. My maid will look at your head and then you can go back to wherever you came from."

I grimaced. Perhaps I shouldn't have pushed quite so hard. "I'm sorry. While I'm sure your maid knows what she's doing, I think I'm well enough to just return to my rooms. I'll be just fine, my lady."

I dipped into a quick bow and winked at her, hoping she'd grace me with one more of those lovely smiles of hers.

She pointed a finger at me, though, shaking it gently. "Not ‘my lady'. My name is Kaiya. Or at the most, Miss Maderoth. Remember?"

The way her lips quirked at the corners was close enough to a smile that I'd consider it a win, though. "You may not be an official lady, but you'll always be a lady to me."

She just tilted her head to the side and rolled her eyes. "Gods. Do those lines usually work out for you?"

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