Page 71 of Scorched Earth
Quintus glanced at the proffered bead, then shook his head. “I’ll figure it out.”
“He’s my friend, too,” she said. “It would make me feel better to do a bit of good for once. Take it.”
“You’re a dirty negotiator.” He plucked the bead out of her hand and then carefully tucked it away. “I’ll pay you back.”
“Pay me back by one day escaping with Miki to live the life you always wanted.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Go have your bath. Keep something on in case the Fifty-First get curious.”
Discarding most of her clothes, Teriana waded out into the gentle surf, then plunged beneath. The water was clear and warm, and it occurred to her that she didn’t remember the last time she’d swum in the sea. It made her feel strong and whole, washing away her concerns even as it removed the filth of camp life.
Yet when she emerged, reality slapped her in the face as she heard Quintus snarl, “Back up!”
Wiping water from her eyes, Teriana saw him on the beach with his gladius leveled at a hooded figure, but as she watched, the woman lowered the hood, revealing dark skin and a familiar face. One of the hundred she’d freed from Celendrial’s prison.
“Shit!” Teriana swam swiftly to shore. “Quintus, it’s fine! I know her! She’s my cousin!”
He didn’t lower his weapon, and as she stumbled up the wet sand, he said, “Keep your distance until I check her for weapons.”
Elyanna scowled as he checked her over, Quintus removing several sharp knives before he gave Teriana a reluctant nod.
“Gods, it’s good to see you safe.” Teriana closed the distance between them, noting that the other woman’s eyes were storm-tossed seas of grey, her cheeks hollowed from months of captivity. “Your daughters? Are they well?”
“In Taltuga by now,” Elyanna answered. “We sailed immediately to the greater ocean path because no one trusted that the Cel navy wouldn’t pursue us, but once in the West, I came here to find you.”
Teriana’s shoulders slumped with relief. “Part of me had feared that seeing you sail away was too good to be true.”
The other woman made a noncommittal noise, eyes looking Teriana up and down. “They said you were a legion prisoner. You don’t look like a prisoner.”
It struck Teriana then how she must look. Well-fed and healthy, floating on her back in a turquoise sea, only a single bodyguard, who clearly cared only for her welfare. Whereas Elyanna had endured endless months of imprisonment with her young daughters, suffering misery that Teriana couldn’t begin to imagine. “Not all shackles are made of steel. They know I’m not going to run.”
Her cousin was silent for a long moment, then she said, “Does the legionnaire understand our language?”
“Yes, but I trust Quintus. He won’t betray my confidence.”
Rather than easing Elyanna’s concerns, Teriana’s words only seemed to make them worse, the stormy water of her gaze now almost black with fear.
“What’s happened?”
Silence.
Quintus sighed, then took a few steps back. “Make it quick so you’re not seen.”
“Everyone knows the deal you made with the Cel,” Elyanna said. “The freedom of our people in exchange for paths suitable for legiontransport. They all believe you struck a bad bargain. That the cost is too great.”
Teriana’s hands turned cold despite the heat of the sun. “Do you?”
Twin tears trickled down Elyanna’s cheeks, and she shook her head. “No. My husband’s in that prison. My crew.” A soft sob tore from her lips. “The rest of our people already see them as casualties of war. Except they aren’t even dead!”
Reaching out, Teriana took her cousin’s hand and drew her down to the warm sand.
“No one is willing to take any risks to save them,” Teriana said. “Not the Gamdeshians. Not the Arinoquians. And now you tell me that our own people won’t even help?” She clenched her teeth. “I feel… I feel like I’m the only one who is fighting for them. The only one who doesn’t believe any loss acceptable.”
Elyanna’s grip tightened. “You’re not. There are other Maarin who believe we need to do what we can to save them, but we are the minority.”
Silence stretched between them, the only sound the soft roar of the sea.
“Every waking minute, I dig through my mind for a solution that doesn’t necessitate giving Cassius what he wants, at least for the interim,” Teriana confessed. “I hunt for a way to save Maarin lives that doesn’t cost threefold in Gamdeshian deaths. Only I can’t see a way through.”
