Page 16 of Destroyer

“You can’t?”

There was a long silence. Ru sat in the dark, unwilling and unable to accept it. She was dreaming. Or she really was being pranked. It was a very dark night and this strange person only happened to have better eyesight than she did.

She wasn’t blind. She refused to be.

Something soft and comfortingly heavy settled over her shoulders without warning. A cloak. Her breath caught as she greedily pulled it over her body, relieved at the warmth. She realized now that she’d been shivering.

“Thank you,” she said. She felt herself blushing, despite everything.

Her nakedness was last on the list of things to worry about, and yet she was painfully aware of it. The feel of dirt crusted to her skin, her sticky skinned knees; she felt like a lost child. And now a stranger had come across her in this most vulnerable state, offering up the very clothes from his back. She felt she should say something, but she couldn’t begin to fathom what.

So she held the cloak tightly around herself, silent, crouching in the dirt.

“You’re welcome.” The voice was oddly soothing, vowels curved in a way that Mirithans’ were clipped. Ru had never heard an accent like it. “Although,” said the stranger, “I would recommend wearing clothes next time you visit the Shattered City. What’s your name?”

“Ruellian,” she said, automatically. “Academic… Cornelian Tower. I was…” she closed her eyes, willing the tears to go away, willing herself to stay strong. She managed to bite out words in quick bursts, holding back the sobs she knew would come eventually. “I was here with a party of researchers. There were guards… Lady Maryn. Tents, a dig site. Did you see them? Are we near?”

The pause was a bit too long before the answer came. “There are no tents.”

Ru swallowed, and it felt like knives in her throat. “But they were just here. A moment ago. Maybe there are tracks, or… I think I passed out. Maybe they forgot me, and left…”

A hand, gentle yet steady, settled on her shoulder.

Time stopped for a split second. In that moment, Ru felt again the snap of a piece falling into place within her, a light blooming from a dark depth, the surety that she was exactly where she ought to be.

She breathed in, slow. Somehow, inexplicably, she felt she could trust him.

“You’re safe,” he said. “I won’t hurt you. But you can’t stay here. Will you allow me to guide you to my horse? We can ride away from here together, and while we ride, I’ll tell you what I know.”

Ru clutched at the artifact, as comforted by it as she was terrified. She felt its soothing hum in return, warm in her chest. She wished it would stop, leave her alone. She wished shewasmad.

“What do you know?” she asked, teeth chattering slightly. “Did you see—”

“I saw a very strange thing from a great distance,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise. As soon as we’re away from this cursed place.”

Ru frowned, ready to argue, when two strong hands took firm hold under her arms and lifted her. The cloak was large enough to cover her completely, and she clutched it close around her with one arm, her other hand holding the artifact. Then she was set gently on her feet and steadied by the stranger's warm grip.

“Who are you?” she asked again. Her thoughts were gradually clearing, and she wondered if she shouldn't feel more frightened, more cautious in the presence of a strange man. Where had he come from, and why was he here at the Shattered City? Travel here was forbidden except to the King’s Riders, or by order of the regency. But he was no rider. If he had come from the palace, he would have said so.

“Call me Fen,” said the deep voice, closer now. She felt the warmth of his body and heard the creak of leather when he moved. He smelled like a winter forest. She still couldn’t place his accent, but something about it made her think of snow and jagged mountains.

“Stay here,” he said. "Don’t move.”

Ru had no intention of moving; she would only embarrass herself, or injure herself further, or both. She heard him move away, the step of his boots on loose dirt. And then a muffled clunking, a murmured curse. When he returned, he pressed a bundle of cloth against her chest.

“Put these on,” he said. “They’re mine, but they’ll cover you at least. I won’t look.”

“You’ve already seen everything,” said Ru. Not that it mattered.

“I tried not to.”

She glared into the darkness and felt she almost caught a glimpse of a dark shadow against shadow, but then it was gone. “And were you successful?”

At least he sounded apologetic when he said, “Mostly.”

Ru turned away from his voice, hoping that her back was to him. She set the artifact gingerly on the ground, doing her best to keep one toe against its cool surface as she dressed. Whatever Fen had given her was far too large — trousers and a shirt, a pair of thick socks. He was tall, then, and broad-shouldered.

Fully dressed, the cloak once again fastened over her shoulders and the artifact clutched tightly in one hand, she called for Fen. His boots hurried across the earth, and he appeared at her side once more. She was struck again by the unearned trust she placed in him, an odd sensation that she knew him somehow. Something at the core of her responded to him, and it wasn't just his deep voice, his gentle strength.

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