Page 18 of Spirit Rites
He throws his bones into the fire. “It’s going to come whether we want it to or not. So, we’ll just deal with it when it does.”
“Will we sleep or stay awake?”
“You can sleep, and I’ll keep watch.”
“You can take the first watch,” I correct. “And then I’ll take the second.” I expect him to argue, but he nods in acceptance. “How did you manage sleep when you were alone?”
“I slept with one eye open,” he says easily, and I smile.
“Seriously.”
He shrugs. “I slept the best I could. An hour here, an hour there. There wasn’t anything else I could do.”
“Well, I’m here this time; so, we can take turns keeping watch.” He turns those bright green eyes on me and looks at me contemplatively. He doesn’t say anything, and I fidget under his stare. “Well, I guess this is as good a time as any to try to get some sleep.” I walk over to the shelter he made. “You did a really good job with this.”
“Thanks.”
His voice right behind me makes me jump. I whirl around. “You need to make noise when you walk like the rest of us lowly humans. You must drive your people crazy because they never hear you coming.”
He smiles. “You have to admit, it’s a great way to find out how people really feel about me.” I shake my head and step inside the small enclosure and settle on the ground. I’m thankfulthat between the heat and the fire, my clothes and hair are completely dry. I settle on the ground.
“Here. This is all I have for a pillow.”
I eye his outstretched hand holding his shirt. “I’m fine.”
“Take it.”
“I’m not going to take your shirt; you’re going to need it.”
“Just use it,” he argues and then tosses it on my lap and walks away. “Sleep while you can, Kinsley. I’ll make sure you stay safe.”
His words stay with me as I lay down on the hard ground and try to get comfortable. I wonder how in the world I’m going to sleep. But between the fire crackling, the sheer exhaustion and overwhelm of everything that happened today, and knowing that Kaldar is keeping watch nearby, I find myself relaxing. I’m pretty sure it’s that last one that helps me fall asleep quickly. A growling sound wakes me from a dead sleep. I shoot into a sitting position and try to process what’s happening. I pull out my knife and crawl on my knees towards the entrance to the small shelter. Something blocks my view of the fire. It takes me a moment to realize it’s Kaldar. He’s crouched in front of me with weapons at the ready. I don’t say a word; I just pat his shoulder and he moves his body so I can fit next to him. We’re shoulder to shoulder, ready to take on whatever is coming our way. There’s a screeching sound and something that sounds like a hiss. It gets louder, and then there’s silence. My legs are cramping in this position, but I don’t dare move. Finally, Kaldar stands silently to his feet. He looks down at me and puts his finger to his lips before slipping into the darkness in the direction the sounds came from. I barely keep from calling out after him. I wait a couple more minutes and then stand to my feet as quietly as possible.
The fire has died down, so it’s not creating a lot of light. It’s just enough to cast shadows on everything. I turn in all directions, knife in hand, watching and waiting. My heart isbeating so loud, I’m sure any creatures nearby can hear it. “Whatever it was is gone now.”
I jump at Kaldar’s sudden voice. “Would you stop doing that?” I whisper hiss at him. “You are seriously going to give me a heart attack.” I blow out a slow breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “You can sleep now. I’m wide awake and won’t be sleeping anytime soon.”
“You sure?”
I nod and poke at the dying embers of the fire and add some more kindling. “Positive.”
“I just need a little bit; I won’t be long.”
“Go get your beauty sleep, Your Highness.” It takes me a moment to realize he hasn’t moved. When I look back at him, I can see his unimpressed face in the light of the waning fire.
“Beauty sleep?”
He sounds so affronted, it makes me want to smile. He leaves me a moment later and settles in the makeshift sleeping area. I can’t help my grin. The fact that I think this is funny at all is a testament to the fact that I’m probably losing my mind out here and am sleep deprived. I pull out the knife Kaldar gave me and study it a moment. It’s a good blade, but it’s short. I glance over to where he’s disappeared into the darkness.Surely, he’s not asleep this fast.I stand quickly and walk over to the sleeping area. “Kaldar,” I whisper into the darkness. I can’t really see more than a dark shape. “Are you sleeping?”
“Not anymore.”
I frown. “You couldn’t have gone to sleep that fast. Right?” I frown. “Did you really fall asleep that fast?”
“Is there something you needed besides asking me about my sleeping habits?”
His voice reminds me why I’m here. “Oh, sorry. Since you’re sleeping—”
“Not anymore,” he butts in.
