Page 60 of Taken to Lemora
“Of course. You’ll be the first I contact. But…until then.” I swallow and it feels like swallowing kintarr splinters. It hurts. “Promise me you’ll stay in our chambers until I send for you?”
I can see a flash of pain in her eyes as she remembers the last time I locked her in, and she locked herself in. And then it’s quickly doused by a flare of defiance. “I’ll barricade myself in.” She juts her chin out at me and I grin.
“That’s a little unnecessary. Gorman will stay with you.” I give him a pointed look. “Armed.”
“Armed?!” They both shriek together.
Gorman’s face loses all of its color, turning a sickly yellow. “I don’t think so.”
“That seems wholly outrageous.”
“Just,” I growl, ready to burst. I stomp my foot on the ground, ready to move away from them and investigate these mysterious visitors. “Go in our chambers and barricade the door then! But don’t open until I call for you.”
Essmira is silent for one pregnant pause before she nods, takes my arm, and lifts up onto her toes. She leans in toward me, her breasts pressing against my arm in a way that’s far too distracting. Then she kisses my cheek like she loves me. I love her. Does she know that? I should tell her. Maybe now…maybe later. Maybe…
“Alright. I trust you, Raingar.”
I inhale a breath of pride that I wish I could feel fully, but that feeling of offness keeps me from it. I touch her chin as she drops back onto her heels, coercing her gaze to reach mine. “As soon as I’m sure these ohring fuelless idiots are no trouble, I’ll send for you. I’ll offer them an extra lunar’s stay in my keep, too. That way, you’ll have time to ask the human all the questions you’d like.”
She perks at that and clasps her hands together before unleashing the power of her hug all over me. She pulls me deeper and deeper into her chest and for a moment, I simply close my eyes and let all three of my hearts pulse to a punishing beat.
“Alright. Off with you then! Come back quick, Rainy.”
“Rainy,” I gasp, horrified. “Rainy!”
She giggles and when she starts away from me to the left corridor, I swat her behind. She titters with laughter all the way past the threshold. It’s often that I see Essmira excited, but rarelythisexcited. It makes me feel excited too, but also like a rat bastard all over.Maybe, I should just bring her…
Nob.
“You truly think something’s amiss, Raingar?” Gorman’s voice is troubled.
Yeffa. “I’m not sure. Just keep an eye on her while I’m gone, alright?”
His teeth worry his lower lip. He nods tentatively and for the first time, I worry that he thinks this task is too great. “It’s alright,” I reassure him, taking his sloping shoulder in a firm grip, “I trust you with my life. I trust you with hers.”
He nods again, gaze unfocused and distracted. “Just hurry back.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
“And take a pad pad.”
I growl, “Never!” And a short while later, find myself on the back of a blasted pad pad, racing from one village to the other.
I arrive a short while later only to find Bebette’s keep a flurry of harried commotion. Merquin is there, too, rushing through the keep’s open doors as I guide the infernal beast through them.
“Merquin, hey! What’s going on?” I shout, lifting my hand to my gaze to ward away the rain that’s just started coming down.
Merquin looks up at me in a daze, like I caught her mid-thought. “Raingar, what are you doing here?”
“Essmira heard there was a hybrid-human in the party with the Egama. She wants to meet one of her own species, but…”Everything is wrong.“I wasn’t sure if the rumors were true.”
“We need ohring life drives.” Merquin curses and wipes rain from her forehead.
I frown and dismount the pad pad, giving its nose a good pat before letting the reins drop to the ground as a stable hand comes to take them. I notice a flurry of activity in Bebette’s keep, which is four walls surrounding a large open space, fit for a variety of purposes.
There’s only a cluster of small stone huts at the back where she sleeps and houses her guests. Smoke is coming from one of them. It’s windy out and I can feel a storm approaching, but it’s only drizzling so far and the temperature has yet to drop. Why would there be a fire this early in the lunar?
