Page 254 of Hunters and Prey

Of course, I’d known it was strange that I stayed with them there, given who they were. I figured that out the first time I got stuck here, and Allie and I would go to town together. I saw how a lot of them treated her. I knew she was someone important here.

I also quickly picked up that she and Revik––probably Revik, especially––were known for being private, maybe even a bit reclusive.

I realized something else about Revik’s anger in the same instant.

It felt almost… protective.

Of me, that is.

I was still looking at him when I felt an angry surge of light from across the fire.

Turning, in surprise as much as anything, I found Black staring at me. I blinked at him, bewildered, then saw him turn, staring with an open aggression at Revik.

Before I could wrap my head around what his problem was, Black’s mind rose.

Unless you want to see me get in a goddamned fist fight right now… in front of a bunch of monks, with someone who can probably put my head through a wall or crack my spine with his telekinetic powers… stop staring at that piece of shit, Miri.

I blinked at him, more bewildered than anything.

I considered telling him I hadn’t been looking at him that way, then I wondered if Allie thought I had and turned, looking for her in the group now seated around the fire.

She sat directly across from her husband, just like I did with Black.

Moreover, she was looking at us, clearly watching the interaction between me, Black and her husband. Meeting her gaze when she turned in my direction, I felt myself pale.

I saw her eyes flicker over my face.

Then she firmed her mouth, shaking her head and rolling her eyes a little. From her expression, and the faint amusement mixed with annoyance coming off her light, it was clear she wasn’t worried about me hitting on her husband.

Closing my eyes, longer than a blink, I decided I wasn’t going to think about this right now. There was nothing I could do about it right now anyway, and the last thing I needed was to make another unplanned dimensional jump in the middle of this ceremony.

I stared at the fire.

That fire wasn’t a regular campfire, like I’d thought from a distance.

Instead it burned inside a square, stone box, one dug into the floor, somewhere between one and two feet below the height of the rest of the floor. The dense, white stone with pale blue flecks was decorated with no scorch marks, no smoke stains, no dirt or ash––despite the heat coming off the coals burning a few feet from where I sat.

I watched green, red, and orange guttering flames lick over the trunk-like bark and ash-colored pieces of wood. The wood burned strangely––hotter and slower than the wood at home, like it was made of a denser, more fully alive material.

I kept my eyes on that fire instead of on Black.

I didn’t really let myself think about why, or the fact that I’d never answered him when he spoke in my mind, or really, when he spoke to me outside. I still felt sparks coming off his light, anger and frustration and that feeling of helplessness––along with that same tangible and guilt-laden worry I’d felt while we were outside, standing on that grassy hill.

I felt bad about that. I felt bad I hadn’t given him a real answer.

Truly, at that point, I just wanted all of this to be over with.

I didn’t really believe they would be able to help me.

Not in any way that mattered.

I didn’t really believe anyone would be able to help me.

I was still staring at the flames when the seer sitting next to me cleared her throat, causing me to turn.

“I am Zarat,” she said simply.

I stared at her. It occurred to me that I’d understood her as if she’d spoken English, even though, from watching her lips move, and hearing her words, she clearly hadn’t been.

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