by Jim C. Hines
The pain in Faziya’s face eased slightly. “Talia?”
“I’m here,” Talia said. “Don’t move.”
The years had changed Faziya. The lines of her face were deeper, hinting at the wrinkles that would one day mark her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Her hair was long and loose, framing her round face. Talia remembered it all, the dark brows, the tiny scar above her upper lip, the two small moles on the side of her chin.
“She’s so pale,” Talia whispered. Faziya’s skin was damp with sweat.
Faziya tried to push herself up. “What happened to me?” Her voice was hoarse.
“You were taken to Rajil’s menagerie,” Talia said, holding her down. “Don’t try to talk yet. Lie back and let my friend work.”
Snow pulled her bloody hands away from the cut and grabbed one of her mirrors. She held it over Faziya’s arm, and the glass turned red. Talia realized she was using it to look within the wound.
“Very slowly,” Snow said, “ease up on the pressure.”
Talia relaxed her grip on Faziya’s arm. Blood oozed from the cut, but the flow was nothing like it had been before. Stitches of gold now sealed the edges of the wound.
Snow grabbed her scarf and wrapped it tightly around Faziya’s arm. “Give her water. Not a lot at first. Don’t make her cough.”
Danielle hurried to fetch one of the smaller waterskins. She untied the cap and passed it to Talia.
Talia rested the mouthpiece of the skin on Faziya’s chin, parting her lips and squeezing a small stream of water into her mouth. Some dripped down Faziya’s cheeks, but she swallowed the rest.
“Will she be all right?” Talia whispered.
“She’s alive.” Snow rested a hand on Faziya’s chest. “Her heart is beating awfully fast, and her breathing is shallow. She needs rest, time for her body to replenish the blood it lost.”
“But she’ll live.”
“Maybe.” Snow didn’t look at her. “She’ll need to be watched closely tonight. Move her into the cave and keep her warm. Try to keep her on her side, with the wound above the heart.”
Talia slipped her arms beneath Faziya’s body and lifted. Faziya groaned and nested her head against Talia’s chest.
“Thank you,” Talia whispered. Only then did she see all of the blood soaking the sand. Faziya’s blood. Snow’s clothes were covered in it, as were Talia’s own. She steeled her voice. “The smell will carry. Anyone looking for us—”
“You think I didn’t plan for this?” Snow clapped her hands, and blue fire leaped from her mirrors, filling the circle. There was no smoke and little heat, but when the fire died a moment later, the blood was gone. Only blackened earth remained.
Snow retrieved her mirrors and kicked dirt over the circle. “I’d do the same for us, but it wouldn’t be healthy,” she said. “You’ll have to clean yourself the old-fashioned way.”
“If we cover the cave mouth, it should help to block the scent,” Roudette suggested.
Danielle had retrieved a blanket from their supplies. She wrapped it around Faziya, draping the ends over Talia’s shoulders. “Will you need help getting her inside?”
Talia nodded gratefully. With Danielle’s help, they finished bundling Faziya into the blanket. Talia laid Faziya on her side, then crawled into the cave. She reached out to take Faziya’s head and arm, being careful not to disturb her injury. Danielle lifted Faziya’s feet, and together they brought her inside.
Talia lay down behind Faziya, their bodies curled together.
Faziya shivered. Her skin was so cold. “Talia?”
“I’m here.” Talia reached around, taking Faziya’s hand.
Faziya mumbled something incomprehensible and drifted off. Talia closed her eyes, ignoring the muted conversation outside the cave as she listened to Faziya’s breathing. Ever so gently, Talia kissed the back of Faziya’s head. “You’re safe.”
Danielle woke to blackness. She sat up so quickly her head struck the top of the cave, a rather forceful reminder of where she was. Her vision flashed white, and she lay back, groaning and clutching her head.
“I’ll try to remember to steal a helmet for you next time,” Talia said softly.
Danielle wiped tears from her eyes. She could feel blood on her scalp, and there would be a lump, but she didn’t think she had done any permanent damage.
There was no way to tell how long she had slept. With the blanket stretched over the mouth of the cave, she might as well have been blind. Over Roudette’s snores, Danielle could hear the howling that had awakened her, the cries stretching longer than those of any mortal hound. “The Wild Hunt?”
“They’ve been riding for a while now,” Talia said. “So far, Roudette’s cape seems to be working.”
“Faziya?” Danielle asked.
“She’s woken up twice,” Talia said. “She drank a little more water the second time. I don’t think she understands where she is or what’s happened.”
“Should we wake Snow?”
“I already have. Four times.” Talia sounded faintly embarrassed. “Snow says the best thing for Faziya is rest. We checked the bandages, and there’s not much bleeding, which is a good sign.”
“I’m glad.” Danielle lay quietly for a while, uncertain whether to ask her next question. But the others were asleep, and there had been so few chances to talk privately with Talia. “What about Snow?”
“What about her?” The wariness of Talia’s response suggested she knew perfectly well what Danielle was asking.
“I know how you feel about her.”
“Whatever I might feel, Snow doesn’t,” Talia said curtly. “Her . . . preferences aren’t likely to change.”
“Talia—”
“Don’t.” Talia sighed. “You think because I love Snow I’m incapable of loving anyone else?”
Danielle’s face grew warm. “That’s not it at all. I’m sorry, I meant—”
“You grew up locked in an attic, then married a prince. It’s not your fault you have a simpler view of these things.”
Slowly, Danielle smiled. “So you do love Faziya.”
“I would have brought her to Lorindar with me if I could have. She wouldn’t have been happy, though. She’s a child of the sand, far more than I ever was. This is her home.” Talia fell silent.
Danielle frowned. The howls from the desert had stopped. “The Hunt is gone.”
“It will be dawn soon. Faziya needs rest, but Snow said she’ll need food as well. Water will help, but it’s not enough. Fresh meat is best to help her replenish the blood.”
It took a moment to realize what Talia was asking from her. Danielle swallowed her instinctive refusal.
“Snow’s useless when it comes to hunting,” said Talia. “Roudette can’t go out alone, thanks to Snow’s spell. I’d do it myself, but I don’t want—”
“I know.” Danielle could hear the determination in Talia’s voice. She doubted the Wild Hunt itself could drag her from Faziya’s side right now. “I’m glad you found her again. I’ll do what I can.”
She crawled toward the cave entrance, being careful to keep her head low. She tugged the blanket aside, dislodging some of the rocks they had used to anchor it in place. “Faziya will be all right, Talia.”
“She’s not out of danger,” said Talia. “The blood loss could kill her. The wound could turn septic. We can’t stay here, but she’s not strong enough to travel.”
“I said she’ll be all right.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” She could hear Talia’s wry smile.
Danielle crawled out of the cave. She shivered in the morning air and carefully pulled the blanket back over the cave entrance to block the draft. She turned around and bit back a yelp. A wolf sat watching her from the rocks not ten paces away.
“You’ve been there the whole night?” Danielle asked. Now that she thought about it, Roudette had mentioned picking up a few friends while she and Talia were out yesterday. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to fetch something
to eat?”
The wolf sniffed and turned away.
Danielle sighed. The simplest thing would be to call out, asking the animals to come to her. They would obey, trusting her right up until the moment she killed them. But she couldn’t bring herself to betray that trust.
She searched the sky. To the east, a smudge of orange lined the horizon. Not a single cloud blocked the stars overhead. The moon had set for the night. Bats flitted about, invisible save when they passed in front of the fading stars.
There would be other predators too. Danielle closed her eyes, silently asking for help.
Before too long, she heard an answering cry. An owl swooped overhead, and Danielle could just make out the limp form of a jackrabbit dangling from its talons. It dropped the rabbit, which hit the rocks with a wet thump.
The wolf jumped at the sound, then turned to glare at Danielle.
“Don’t blame me,” Danielle said. She hurried over to retrieve the rabbit. “Was the big bad wolf frightened by a little bunny?”
The wolf hopped down, looking hopeful.
“Go get your own.” Danielle chuckled as she pulled a knife from her belt. A few years earlier, the idea of sleeping with a weapon never would have crossed her mind. Thanks to Talia, she had done it last night without thinking.
“Watch over them, Mother,” she prayed. “Talia’s lost so much. Don’t let her lose Faziya too.”
With that, she sat down and began to butcher the rabbit.
Talia could hear Danielle outside, carrying on a quiet conversation with whatever vermin had come to keep her company.
Roudette stirred a short time later. She stretched, passed gas, and crawled out of the cave. Sunlight peeked past the blanket’s edge, but still Faziya slept.
Talia reached out with one leg, kicking Snow in the hip until she groaned and slapped the foot away.
“Faziya’s been sleeping a long time,” Talia said.
“Lucky girl.” Snow yawned and sat up. Her mirrors caught the sun from the entrance, adding to the light of the cave. With much of the gold wire from her choker being used to stitch Faziya’s wound, Snow had reworked her choker into an armband around her right arm.
Snow reached over and pulled the blanket back from Faziya’s shoulder. A splotch of dark blood marred the center of the bandage. Snow clucked her tongue as she peeled back the edge of the bandage to check the stitches. “She’s oozing blood, but it’s not bad. Go ahead and wake her up. Her body needs food and water.”
Snow slipped out of the cave, leaving Talia and Faziya alone. Talia leaned her head close to Faziya’s and whispered her name. When that didn’t work, she kissed Faziya’s cheek and tried again, more loudly this time.
Not a twitch. Talia fought fear. Doing her best imitation of Mother Khardija, Talia said, “Sister Faziya, wake up this instant. Your duties don’t go away simply because you stayed out too late with your hoodlum friends!”
Faziya groaned and started to roll over. Talia held her shoulders, trying to keep her from moving her arm.
“Mother Khardija?” Faziya coughed, then gasped and grabbed her arm.
“I have you,” Talia said. “Try to relax.”
“Talia?” Faziya blinked and looked up at her. “How—” She coughed again. “What happened? Where—”
Talia kissed her. Gently at first, not wanting to aggravate her injury. Faziya wrapped her good arm around Talia’s neck, returning the kiss with a hunger that reminded Talia of their first days together. All too soon, Faziya fell back, panting for breath.
“Don’t try to move,” Talia said, trying not to feel guilty. Even this small exertion might be too much for her.
“I used to pray that God would bring you back to me.”
“God had nothing to do with it,” Talia said.
Faziya pulled her down and kissed her again. When Talia broke away, Faziya smiled. “You taste like salt.” Her lips pursed. “Though you smell like horse and blood.”
“And you have jackal breath,” Talia said.
Faziya frowned and looked down at herself. “I’m also naked.”
“Yes, I noticed.” Talia found herself wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. She did neither, instead doing her best to explain what had happened. She had only gotten halfway through the story when Faziya reached over to take Talia’s hand in hers.
“Thank you for finding me,” Faziya said.
Talia shifted against the rocks, allowing Faziya to rest against her head against Talia’s chest. “How do you feel?”
Faziya shivered. “My arm feels like it’s been smashed with a hammer.”
“I’m sorry.” Talia kissed the top of Faziya’s head. “It was the only way.”
“It worked.”
Danielle coughed politely before crawling into the cave, carrying a skewer of meat and a waterskin, along with an extra robe and head scarf. She smiled when she saw them. “Snow said to make sure Faziya eats the liver and kidneys first. They’re small, but they’ll help with the blood loss.”
“What’s she saying?” Faziya asked. After Talia translated, Faziya frowned. “Her voice is familiar.”
“Danielle helped to calm you when you were a jackal. When I—” She swallowed. “When we broke your curse.”
“I remember,” Faziya said. “It’s hard. Like a dream from childhood. Please thank her for me.” She pressed against Talia’s body. “I remember being afraid. Terrified of everything.” She broke off in another bout of coughing.
“That was the fairy spell.” Talia helped her to sit up and take a drink. When Faziya had swallowed enough, Danielle passed her the meat.
Faziya chuckled. “Liver and kidneys first. Your friend is a good healer.”
“I’ve given her plenty of practice,” said Talia.
That earned another smile. Talia blinked and turned away, fighting tears that came out of nowhere. Danielle was already retreating into the sun, leaving them alone. “What were you thinking?” Talia whispered. “Leaving the temple, going to Rajil’s mansion?”
“You would have done the same thing,” Faziya said.
“You’re not me.”
“I know.” Faziya swallowed. “Zestan-e-Jheg. She’s—”
“Deev,” Talia said. “Father Uf’uyan told us.”
“I left my tribe years ago, but I’m still Kha’iida.” The liver and kidneys were both gone, and she had moved on to the rest of the meat. Talia took her appetite as a hopeful sign. As Faziya chewed, she said, “My people swore an oath.”
“You could have been killed.”
“I went to Rajil the day of the new moon.”
Talia nodded. Every raikh held open court with each new moon. Faziya would have been one of hundreds, all petitioning to speak to Rajil or her adviser. “What did you plan to say? You can’t simply march into the raikh’s mansion and accuse her of conspiring with deev.”
“Now you tell me.” Faziya smiled. “I told her I was a fairy worshiper, and I wanted to serve Zestan. I hoped she would take me into her confidence. Instead, she brought me to Jhukha.”
Talia’s fists tightened. Once she had dealt with Zestan, she would return to Jahrasima to kill Jhukha herself. “You were always a lousy liar.”
Faziya finished the meat and took another drink, then settled back down against Talia. Talia brushed the hair from her face. Faziya still felt cold. Talia pulled the blanket over them both.
“You could help me get dressed,” Faziya pointed out.
Talia smiled. “I could.”
“Mm.” Faziya closed her eyes.
Talia’s back was bruised from the rocks, and Faziya’s weight was already starting to numb her right leg. Her shoulder was cramped, and her stomach growled. She hadn’t thought to ask Danielle for any food for herself.
She couldn’t recall the last time she had felt so content.
CHAPTER 17
DANIELLE WAS TALKING TO ARMAND and Jakob through the mirror on her bracelet when Talia and Faziya finally emerged from the cave. Danielle
kissed the mirror and rose to greet them. “Faziya wanted me to thank you,” Talia said.
Faziya was pale and looked as though she would collapse without Talia’s support. Her lips had no color, and she flinched against the sun. But she was alive. Danielle smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“About time you got up,” Roudette said from the shade of the rocks. She bit into a strip of smoked goat meat, eating half in a single bite. Still chewing, she asked, “Did your friend tell us where we could find Zestan?”
“She doesn’t know.” Talia frowned and looked over at the horses, which were munching on a small, twisted tree. “What did you do with them last night?”
“I sent them away,” said Danielle. “We hid the saddles and supplies. I told the horses to run and enjoy themselves and asked if they’d come back today to help us. Wild horses roaming the desert shouldn’t draw attention, right?”
Talia led Faziya to a spot in the sand by the rocks. The way she held Faziya’s arm reminded Danielle of a lord escorting his lady at a ball. The sun was still low, providing plenty of shade. Talia waited until Faziya was comfortable before turning to answer Roudette. “If Zestan is deev, then we’ll need the help of those trained from birth to hunt and destroy the deev.”
Roudette stood up and shook the sand from her cape. “You mean to find the Kha’iida? You realize that puts us back into the Wild Hunt’s path. Having failed to catch us, Zestan will probably order them to resume hunting the Kha’iida.”
“No doubt,” said Talia.
Roudette bared her teeth. “When do we leave?”
Talia pointed east. “Faziya says her tribe should be at hai’ir tel this time of year.”
“Hai’ir tel?” Danielle asked.
“The Valley of God’s Tears,” said Talia. “An oasis, about halfway between Jahrasima and the Makras River. Two days on horseback.” She glanced at Faziya. “Possibly longer.”
Snow pursed her lips. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to be on horseback so soon.”
“Would you rather wait around until we run out of food and water?” asked Roudette. “Or until the Hunt finds us?”