“Why?” Assistant asked. She let Ari go. Her eyes were still burning. “Why did you step in? And why in God’s name did you send him away? He deserves to be punished.”
“Are you crazy? You know what would have happened. I wasn’t there when he met you. It would have been his word against yours about what you were doing, and my father would have believed him. He would have dismissed you.” Ari looked into Assistant’s eyes. Didn’t she understand? “I’m supposed to let you get sent to the mines because you had to go to the bathroom? I mean, what would you even want with a data control center?”
“I…” Assistant pressed her lips together. She brushed a tendril of hair away from Ari’s face. “I wouldn’t. He was a small man who needed to feel big. That’s all.” She inhaled, then exhaled a deep breath. “Back to your quarters. I’ll take a good look at you and decide if you need to go to sickbay.”
“I’m fine. I’m getting better every second.” Ari looked around for somewhere to dispose of the handcuffs and key. There were no trash receptacles or garbage slots, so she dropped them in one of her skirt’s pockets and felt the weight of the cuffs strain the delicate fabric. “You just watch, I’ll be dancing by the time we get back.”
She wasn’t dancing, or even close to it, by the time they returned to her quarters. Her head had cleared completely, but her side still ached, as if she’d taken a very hard fall. She was fairly sure nothing was broken; shock rods in and of themselves weren’t terribly heavy or dense. That was why it was so easy to beat people with them.
Ari keyed in her entry code. As soon as the door had shut behind them both, she staggered toward a kitchen chair with a groan.
“No,” Assistant said. “To your bedroom. I need a good look at you. Lean against me.”
Ari longed to protest, but by now leaning on Assistant sounded like a very fine idea. “I feel pathetic,” she grunted as she put an arm around Assistant’s shoulders. “He only hit me once.”
“You’re not used to physical pain.” Assistant helped her to the bedroom. “It comes as a shock to people who are so unprepared.”
“Pun intended?” Maybe a joke would help.
Assistant glared. Maybe it wouldn’t. Ari sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Let me see your torso,” Assistant ordered.
I’m not the one bleeding. We should do your wrists first. You could get infected.”
“Ariana.” The tight note was back in Assistant’s voice. “Let me see.”
All the authority Ari had mustered with the guard was draining out of her along with her energy. She reached for the zipper on the back of her dress, but Assistant beat her to it, sliding it down and then pushing Ari’s dress off her shoulders, down to her waist. The red fabric puddled in her lap. The handcuffs still weighed heavy and hard against her thigh.
Assistant lifted Ari’s left arm as she inspected her skin. Ari looked down, too. There would be a bruise—a big one that would turn ugly shades of purple and green. It was already forming. Assistant touched the edges of it. “Tender?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm.” Assistant’s touch wandered up and down her side, but not like it did during sex, when she was driving Ari to distraction. Now she was careful, clinical, almost as impersonal as a physician—except for the dark look that was back in her eyes. She pressed gently at a couple of different spots.
“You were able to walk relatively well, and you’re not screaming or pushing me away, so I’m guessing you haven’t broken any ribs. Look into my eyes.” Now she took Ari by the chin and squinted at her. “Your pupils aren’t enlarged.” Took her by the wrist. “Pulse is steady. I would have checked on this before, if you hadn’t been in such a damned hurry.”
“We had to get out of there,” Ari reminded her. “I’m fine. Really. Now can we please take care of your wrists? And, um…anything else. Did he do anything else?”
Assistant straightened up and stuck her tongue in her cheek. “He didn’t do anything to me at all, unless you count pointing his gun at me so I’d permit him to put me in handcuffs.”
Assistant could have fought off the guard once he’d gotten close enough, whether he had a gun or not. Ari had no doubts in her mind about that—she’d never forget how quickly Assistant had thrown her to the ground on the night Ari had awakened her. But what would have been the point? Slaves had no right to defend themselves from guards. She’d only have made things worse.
Ari swallowed hard. “Would you please bring the salve from my shelves? Then go and wash off the wounds, and I’ll put it on you.”
“I can put it on myse…” Assistant trailed off. Then she sighed and left the bedroom, heading back out into the garden toward the shelves. When she returned, she tossed the pot onto the bed next to Ari before detouring to clean her wrists.
Ari opened the pot and sniffed its contents. Still fresh.
When Assistant came back, she also brought the standard first-aid kit that sat beneath the sink. All the private quarters had them. Assistant opened the kit, and Ari winced to see that she’d already used up nearly all the bandages and gauze inside. “I should have ordered a replacement by now.”
“It’ll do. You put it on my face when that sentry struck me, didn’t you? Remember?”
How could Ari ever forget anything about the day Assistant had come into her life? “Yeah.”
Assistant smoothed the salve over Ari’s bruised skin, and now her touch was less clinical than before. It wasn’t arousing, either, though. It was tender. Even kind. Assistant had never touched her quite like this before. What did it mean? Did it mean anything at all?
When she’d finished, Assistant extended her left wrist to Ari. Not only was Assistant’s wonderful skin damaged, this was the only opportunity so far Ari had really had to touch it. She’d wanted to touch it for so long. Why did it have to happen like this?
“Shh,” she said, though Assistant had said nothing. Ari gently daubed the salve over the wounds, trying to replicate the way Assistant had touched her. They weren’t as bad as they had looked at first, now that Assistant had washed the dried blood away. She hadn’t had a chance to struggle for long.
“You weren’t going to break those chains,” she said, not looking up from her task. “You know that, right?”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. Some reactions are instinctive.”
But Assistant hadn’t been struggling when Ari had first seen her chained to the rail. She’d been braced for impact. She kept her eyes on Assistant’s wrist when she asked, “Reactions to what?”
Assistant said nothing.
After a few more seconds, Ari sighed, “Okay. Doesn’t look like you need stitches.”
“No. Just pass me the—” Assistant paused. “I assume you know how to apply bandages.”
“Yep.” Ari still wasn’t looking at her. She didn’t know why she couldn’t. Just that her throat was thick, her lips were trembling, and her eyes were burning. Would she cry? Why? They were both safe now. Maybe it was a delayed reaction to the shock rod.
At least her hands were steady. She wrapped Assistant’s right wrist, and then her left. “Do you know how long these will take to heal? We might need to get you a long-sleeved tunic or something for when we go…” Go out? Ari couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less than leave the safety of her quarters again.
“A week, perhaps more.” Assistant’s hand cupped Ari’s face. Her thumb brushed back and forth over Ari’s cheek. It was more important than ever before to hold back tears. “Ariana—”
The door buzzer rang. Assistant dropped her hand at once, and Ari gasped. Oh, no. What if the guard had turned himself in and somebody had arrived to investigate?
“Wait here,” she said. She stood with a groan and straightened her shoulders. Assistant zipped her dress back up. The fabric stuck a little to the salve, but there was no help for it. “Right. Do I look okay?”
Assistant’s mouth had gone tight. She reached into Ari’s pocket and took out the handcuf
fs and key. “You look fine. Might I urge you not to do anything else incredibly stupid in my defense?”
“You can urge all you want. Just wait here. If they ask for you, I’ll…” She rubbed a hand over her forehead. “I’ll say I sent you on an errand. You’re not here.”
“Then they’ll check the databanks and track me. They’ll see I’m still here. That will only make things worse.” Assistant put a hand on Ari’s shoulder. “Tell the truth: I am an exceptionally well-behaved slave. The guard is poorly trained and lacks control. You were hurt, though not badly, by him. I think you’ll find you’ve got the upper hand here. Just remember that.”
That made a lot more sense. “Okay. Wait here,” Ari repeated, and headed for the front door as the buzzer rang again.
Instead of opening it, she pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
A woman’s voice answered.
“Lady Ariana? I’m here from the kitchen with the food and drink you ordered.”
Ari’s mouth opened. Then she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the wall. She laughed, unable to help it. “Oh, that’s wonderful. That’s great. Come on in. Assistant?” she called over her shoulder. “Dinner’s here!”
By the time they’d set the table and laid out the food, even Assistant was smiling.
“What a relief, huh?” Ari asked.
Assistant shook her head as she opened the chilled bottle of Blue Bubbly and picked up their glasses. “It would have worked out. But I admit, I’m looking forward to a drink.”
“Me too,” Ari said feelingly. She took a big gulp before she touched her food and coughed. Was there even more alcohol in it this time?
Assistant sipped hers and made a face.
“What’s wrong?” Ari asked.
“It’s…sweet.”
“Duh. That’s why I like it. I’m not much for wine or beer or…” What did her father call liquor? “The hard stuff.”
At that, Assistant laughed out loud. Ari beamed. Relief was more intoxicating than any drink could possibly be, and the sound of Assistant’s laughter only made her feel even more lightheaded.
“Pirates drink something called grog,” Assistant said. Her mouth still had a merry twist to it.
Assistant was volunteering information? This seemed a lot more benign than the story about slaughter. Ari sipped her drink more carefully and tried not to seem too interested in case Assistant clammed up again. She asked, “Have you ever tried it? What’s it taste like?”
“It’s hard to describe. Imagine a combination of rum, bitters, blood, and piss, and you might come close.”
Ari shuddered. “Ew! Why would anybody drink that?” With all the raiding pirates did, surely they could steal better alcohol.
“It’s something of a rite of passage. Once you can drink a whole pint without gagging, you can…” Assistant frowned. Then she shrugged. “Get drunk on grog, I suppose. I’ve never known that it made anyone a better soldier, though there’s something to be said for a touch of liquid courage. Just a touch, mind you.”
“A better soldier? Don’t you mean a better pirate?” Ari couldn’t imagine the eyebrow her father would raise at someone calling pirates “soldiers.” It would rival Assistant’s best efforts.
Assistant narrowed her eyes. “I told you, I lived among Mír’s crew. They are different. There’s no need to say anything else about it.”
“But…there might be.” An idea occurred to Ari then, maybe knocked loose out of her brain by the relief and the Bubbly. “Hey! Why don’t you tell my father about them?”
Assistant froze. “Why don’t I what?”
Ari leaned forward, and then regretted it as her side ached. “Tell my father about what you know. There has to be something good. Right?”
“No.” Assistant pursed her lips. “Didn’t you hear at the banquet? I was thoroughly interrogated when I was brought on board. I knew nothing useful to them. Do you think they would have sent me to you if I hadn’t been vetted?”
“Whoa. Calm down.” Ari held up her hands. “I was just thinking it might—you know—” She swallowed hard. “Well, they might free you, if you knew something good enough. Maybe it’s something you haven’t thought of before.”
“Believe me, I have nothing to say to your lord father about Mír’s fleet.”
The lighthearted mood had vanished. Ari sighed. She should have just kept her mouth shut. “I vote that next time we wait to use the bathroom until we get home.”
Assistant’s mouth quirked. It wasn’t the real smile she’d given before, but it was an improvement over the pursed lips. “Or perhaps I just should study the station maps and directories more closely.”
“Or that,” Ari agreed. It was silly that Assistant had been here for so long and knew so little about her environment, all thanks to Ari’s own reclusiveness. “I’ll download a couple for you.”
“I’d appreciate it.” Assistant took a bite, then dangled her fork over her plate. “You were very foolish. But also very brave.”
Ari almost choked on her mouthful of Wistel fowl. Her face flamed again, and she managed to swallow it down. “I wasn’t brave. I wasn’t thinking at all.”
“Now you know how I felt when—” Assistant stopped. Her cheeks pinked a little, too, and she took a bite of rice. “Well, never mind that. Maybe this sugar water ‘drink’ will have improved now that I’ve got some food in my stomach.”
Now you know how I felt. Assistant could only be talking about one thing. She’d said she wasn’t thinking when she’d tried so hard to free herself from the cuffs. All she’d wanted was to get to Ari.
What did that mean? Didn’t it have to mean something?
Assistant sipped her drink. She grimaced. “No. Still dreadful.”
“If I’m all that brave, maybe we ought to order some grog,” Ari suggested. She ventured a smile.
At that, a gleam appeared in Assistant’s eye. Her lips turned up in a smile that looked almost mischievous, but not quite. Mysterious—that was better. Ari wondered if she should just start keeping notes on the mental catalogue she was making of Assistant’s facial expressions.
“Maybe we should, Lady Ariana,” Assistant said. “Maybe we ought to see how well pirate life would suit you.”
Ari snorted. “Or maybe I’ll just stick with my sugar water.” Her eyes widened as inspiration hit her, unpredictable as a lightning bolt. “Oh my gosh. You know what I just thought?”
“Is it about…” Assistant’s brow puckered. Then she shook her head. “I don’t have the least idea, do I?”
“Hummingbirds!” Ari slapped her hand against the table as her heart began to race. “Maybe we could get a couple in here. They’re so pretty, and I’ve been thinking about moving more into flowers anyway.” It wasn’t like her pea project had led her into anything but trouble. “Wouldn’t that be exciting?”
“I hope I’ll be able to sleep.” Assistant took a really long swig of her Blue Bubbly.
“Oh, you’ll love them. We both will. They’ll add a nice touch—of course, we’ll have to clear out some stuff. I’ll start making up a plan. Do you have any favorite flowers? I’ll see if I can get some of those in, depending on how well I can regulate the temperature conditions…”
She trailed off. Assistant was looking at her with a resigned, but undeniably affectionate smile as she said, “Keep on chirping, if you must.”
Ari’s chest warmed. She lifted her chin. “At least hummingbirds are quiet. You’ll like that.”
“Indeed, I will.” Assistant raised her glass. “To hummingbirds, cricket.”
Ari didn’t even bother trying to repress her grin. She clinked her glass with Assistant’s. “To hummingbirds.”
CHAPTER 11
As it turned out, it would take a while to get in some hummingbirds. They weren’t exactly native to a mining planet, and they would need to be shipped from halfway across the system on the next carrier that could support animal life. Then they’d have to sit in quarantine for
a month before they were allowed inside the station.
“How long do hummingbirds even live?” Assistant asked when Ari told her the news.
Ari bit her lip as she re-read the datapedia entry. “A few years in captivity if they’re properly cared for. More in the wild. I only want two to start with.” Better to start small. She could just imagine a score of dead hummingbirds lying all over the place because she hadn’t known what she was doing.
Assistant peered over her shoulder. “Sounds like we better not get too attached to them.”
“I’m trying it anyway.” Ari slid her finger over the touchpad, taking in the pictures of all the lovely birds. “I’ll do my best. And even if they don’t, um, do well…” A snippet of something flashed into her mind and she quoted it.
The experience is better lived than not / better the bones than the untilled grave.
No response. Ari glanced up to see Assistant staring down at her.
“Well. That was suitably grim,” Assistant said.
Ari blushed and looked back down at the datapad. “It’s part of a, uh, poem I know.” It had been one of the famous ones she’d downloaded. No wonder Assistant hadn’t heard of it, even if it was well-known. Pirates weren’t known for being poetry lovers. “I guess it sounded kind of morbid, but that’s not what the whole poem’s about. It’s about—um—”
It was about love. About how it was better to know love, and lose it, than never to have known it at all. Even if the loss was painful. It was the sort of thought Ari would never have agreed with before, but now that Assistant was in her life, she couldn’t imagine not having known her—even if she was freed someday. Even if she left.
“Poetry, hmm.” Assistant backed away from Ari’s chair as if it had caught fire. “Can’t say I know much about that. I’m going to go check on those cuttings.”
Ari couldn’t help a chuckle. It figured. Even if Assistant did know about poetry somehow, it probably wouldn’t be her favorite thing, especially sappy love poetry. It hadn’t been Ari’s thing before, either. “Sure.”
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