Belly fuller than it’s been in as long as I can remember, I lean back and look at our group. Ara’s flush with excitement. I watch as she uses her utensils—a small knife and a fork—to cut the roasted pig and potatoes into smaller, more manageable pieces. She pierces a piece of meat and potato, balancing both on the tines of her fork, then scoops several beans before lifting it to her mouth and eating. She repeats this process, closing her eyes and savoring each bite. Smiling so hard my cheeks hurt, I elbow Garan. “Look,” I tell him. “Look at what she does with her food. She has a little system so she gets a little of everything in each bite.
Garan looks on, chewing as he watches. When she tips her chin and chews with her eyes closed, he comments with a laugh, “I like what she does! That’s cute. She’s really enjoying her meal.”
Ara’s eyes open and she catches us staring at her. “What?” she asks.
“Nothing.” My grin makes me look as guilty as any man she’s ever seen. I can feel it. I’ve been told I’m a terrible liar. I’m sure this time is no different.
“Nice try, Lucas. You’re the worst liar ever. Now tell me,” she demands. “Why are you both looking at me?”
“We like the way you eat,” Garan blurts. “Your brother pointed out that little thing you do where you get a little bit of everything on you plate. And the eyes-closed, head-back thing, too.” He shrugs. “That’s all.”
“It’s adorable,” I add.
“Adorable? Like I’m what…five?” Ara huffs and rolls her eyes but I can tell she’s not as mad as she’s pretending to be.
“No, no,” Garan panics. “Nothing like that!” He leans over to me and whispers, “Fix it! Make her less mad at me!”
“Wish I knew how,” I whisper back.
“Still talking about me? About how adorable I am when I eat?” she arches an eye brow at me.
“I don’t think you’re adorable at all, just so you know,” Xan chimes in. “No even a little.”
Reyna slaps her hand to her forehead and mutters a sentence. The only words I can clearly make out are “idiot” and “Xan”.
Ara whirls on Xan. “Oh really?” she hisses.
Xan, who was chewing enthusiastically with his mouth open, freezes mid-motion. “Uh, yes.”
She drills him with her emerald green gaze.
“Uh, I mean no. No. You’re, uh…” he fumbles. “Oh heck! Why are you girls so complicated?” He squirms in his seat. “How about this: you’re not adorable but you’re definitely not ugly. How’s that?” He smiles, proud of himself.
Ara stares at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Ribbons of color streak Xan’s cheeks. His smile capsizes. He looks truly uncomfortable. “Thank you, Xan.” She speaks the words lifelessly then holds his gaze for a few beats more. During those moments, the air around us is laden with tension. I’m not sure what to say or do. I clear my throat in hopes that by the time I open my mouth and speak something useful will come out of it, but the sound is drowned out by Ara’s laughter. She throws her head back and laughs out loud, surprising all of us. Xan smiles nervously, looking among us. Unsure at first, he smiles. In no time, however, he’s laughing, as well. All of us are.
When the laughter dies down, Xan wipes his face. “Oh man, you’re a scary little thing, aren’t ya?” he says to Ara but quickly qualifies it by saying, “And not in a bad way!” This causes another wave of laughter to erupt.
After all of the chuckles settle and all of the plates are cleared, everyone sits back, relishing in the feel of a full stomach. “I can’t eat another bite,” Pike says.
“Neither can I,” Reyna agrees.
“I ate some of Ara’s, so I’m pretty full myself,” Kai comments.
“I didn’t think it was possible for a man your size to be full. I just assumed you’re a bottomless pit with all the extra muscle,” Micah turns toward Kai, speaking with the sincerity and bluntness of a child.
Kai laughs. “It takes a lot to fill me up, that’s for sure. But so many days without food made it a little easier I guess.”
Everyone nods. We understand his thinking on that subject. All of us experienced it.
The man serving us returns. “Would you like anything else?”
We decline and he places a piece of paper on the table between Garan and me.
“What’s that? Another list of food?” I ask.
“No, that’s the bill,” Garan replies. “The bill is basically the money we owe for the food we ate,” he explains.
“Oh.” I look down at my lap. “You’re paying for it with those gold coins?”
“Yep,” Garan replies and retrieves one from the pack at his waist. He calls out, “Hey!” and gestures to the man with the slicked-back hair and too-pale skin.
The man turns, annoyed at first until he sees that it’s Garan who summoned him. He hurries over to our table. “What can I help you with?”
“Do you have any vacant rooms?” Garan asks.
The pale man scuttles away to check. When he returns, he says, “We have three.”
“We’ll take them” Garan says abruptly. He tosses the coin in his hand to the pale man. “Here,” he says while the coin is midair. “This should cover the meal and rooms for the week.”
The pale man’s eyes round and he practically dives for the gold. “Y-yes. It sure does.” He clutches the coin tightly. “Please, follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.”
We’re lead up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor lined on both sides with doors. “Garan, I can’t let you pay for all this, but where do I get money?”
“You get a job,” Garan replies.
“A job?” I’ve never heard the word.
“Yeah, a job, where you work and earn money. You’re paid for the work you do.” He scratches his chin as he explains.
“I see,” I say but really I’m not quite sure what he means.
This fact must be obvious to him for he continues. “The man who brought us our food downstairs, he gets paid money to do that, to serve people their food. And the cook, he works in the back area and gets paid to cook the food the server delivers to people. Those are jobs.”
His words sink in. The concept of a work makes more sense now. “Where can I find a job?”
Garan considers my question. He rubs a hand through his long cords of hair and sighs. It’s not going to be easy to find a job in Sinsity.” He waves his hand. “But don’t worry. I’ve got you guys covered for now.” I stare at him unsure of what to say and uncomfortable that he’s paying my way with money he has earned. Not me. “I owe you, Lucas. Remember? You saved my life. You got me here.” I open my mouth to protest. He holds up a hand to silence me. “You’re a good guy. I see that. They all do.” He nods toward the rest of the group. “Accept what I’m offering.”
I dip my chin. “Thank you,” is all I can think to say.
“Great.” He claps his hands. In a louder voice, he says, “Let’s see our rooms already. I think it’s time we get some sleep.”
Excitement buzzes, the air charged like the atmosphere before a thunderstorm. Pike, Ara, Reyna and I are ushered to the first door. Xan, Micah and Aaron are shown to the second door. And Garan claims a room to himself, and since he’s paying, no one objects. He’s been more than generous. He’s brought to the third door. We’re each handed a key. “Enjoy,” the pale man says with an awkward bow before he hurries away.
“Good night, guys,” Garan says as he slides his key into the door handle and turns it. The door closes behind him and the rest of us are left in the hallway.
Xan does the same, Micah and Aaron filing in behind him.
I look down at my key. “Does anyone want to do the honors?”
“No way,” Ara says. “You do it.”
“Okay,” I say. I slip the key into the lock. The door handle, rigid at first, immediately loosens once I turn the key. I pull it down and push the door with my shoulder. Beyond the threshold, the room is spacious. Two large beds are flanked by wooden
furniture, polished and shiny and unlike any wood I’ve ever seen. The beds are covered with thick, puffy fabric in a rich burgundy shade.
“Wow,” Ara says. “It’s all so beautiful!” She rushes past me and flops on the bed. She sinks in and bounces. She giggles, rolling around for a moment before her eye catches another door on the far wall. Ara rushes to it and opens it.
“It’s another room,” she says before she turns the knob. She yanks it, and inside is a toilet with a showerhead directly above it and a drain at the center of the floor. Ara steps inside. “It’s a bathroom like the one at the human breeding compound in the Black Forest.” Her eyes are wide. “I wonder if it works.” She reaches out her hand and touches it to the small silver lever behind the pot-like mechanism. After a quick glance over her shoulder at me, she grips the lever and drags it downward. A loud whoosh sounds, and water swirls inside, circling until it is sucked through a hole in the bottom of the toilet, out of sight. “Whoa,” Ara says and steps back. The chamber refills with water. “Where did the water go? Where does the new water come from?” She gapes at the toilet incredulously.
I’m impressed that the contraption works, but less so because I can touch every wall in the bathroom while standing at its center.
“This is crazy!” Pike, who stood crowding the doorway with me, pushes past me. Now, both Ara and Pike stand in the cramped space. My breathing ratchets up at the mere sight of it.
“This room is incredible,” Reyna says.
I turn to ask her why she’s so impressed with the bathroom when I realize she’s facing the opposite direction, facing the room. “It really is.” I place my arm around her. She leans into me, placing her head on my chest and arm around the small of my back. The act feels natural. It feels like home.
As soon as Pike and Ara tire of flushing the toilet and activating the shower, they leave the bathroom and join us in the bedroom. Ara sits down. Reyna joins her. “I’m bunking with you tonight,” she says.
“Yay!” Ara claps.
“I’m with you,” I say to Pike.
“Ok.” Pike nods then tilts his head and looks at me. “Don’t expect me to clap or anything.”
I laugh and shove him playfully. “You should cheer for me. I’m stuck listening to you snore all night. Clapping is the least you can do.”
“I don’t snore!” Pike protests, but even he doesn’t believe what he’s saying.
“Oh come on! You’ve woken yourself up snoring before!” Ara ribs him.
They bicker back and forth, the banter light and playful, until the yawns become too frequent to ignore. Before long, we slip beneath the covers and retire for the night. As exhaustion claims every muscle in my body, I can’t help but wonder what tomorrow will bring here in Sinsity.
Chapter 12
A loud rapping snaps me from slumber. Bolting upright, my eyes pop open. The room is flooded in light so bright it pours through the window like molten steel, blanching everything it touches. I squint against it and my eyes water. Heart battering my ribcage, I freeze, unsure for a moment whether I really heard the sound or dreamed it.
Beside me, Pike’s head pokes up. He scans the room, bleary-eyed and with a tuft of hair standing up on end. “You hear that?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.
“What was that?” Ara springs out of bed and is on her feet. Eyes wide and as wild as her curly, blonde hair, her gaze bounces from me to Pike to Reyna.
“It’s the door.” Reyna clips her chin toward the door just as knocking resumes.
Gripping the hilt of my sword, I tear it from its sheath. The sheath, which leaned against the bed while I slept, falls to the floor. Mind racing as quickly as my heart, I wait until everyone else is armed before I make my way across the room. With my hand on the doorknob, I turn to nod to Ara, Pike and Reyna. When they return the gesture, I yank open the door.
Garan’s puzzled face greets me. His head rears, his obsidian eyes narrowing. He studies each of us before shaking his head, an act that causes his long, rope-like locks of hair to sway. He flashes a crooked smile. “Uh, were you expecting an ambush or something?”
“What?” I look at him, taking in the strange expression he wears.
His brow lifts and his eyes dart from my face to my blade. I hold the handle tightly in my left hand, keeping it at waist-height. “Is that how you always answer the door?”
My gaze toggles from Garan to my sword then back to him. “Oh, this,” I say and smile sheepishly.
He peers beyond me. “And that,” he points to Ara, bow pulled taut and loaded with an arrow, then to Pike, who’s similarly positioned, and Reyna, who clutches her sword between two hands. “You guys are ready to attack.”
Pike and Ara lower their bows. Reyna lowers her sword, as well.
“We’re not really used to having a door to answer,” Ara says.
“And anytime anyone’s ever come knocking, it’s never been good news,” Pike ads.
“So there’s your answer I guess.” I shrug and clear my throat. “We try to always be ready.”
“Okay then.” Garan claps his hands loudly. “Can’t blame you for that.” He sweeps his hair back, wrapping a single cord around the others so that it’s off his shoulders.
“I like your hair,” Ara says unexpectedly. Her voice is a bit hoarse from sleeping.
“Thanks. I do, too.” He smiles again, rocking back and forth for a bit from the balls of his feet to his heels. He stops and an expression clouds his features. His eyes sweep the room. “Hey, did I wake you guys?”
“Uh, yeah.” I smooth my hand down the front of my head to flatten any hairs that stand up. “The knocking woke us.”
“Sorry about that.” Garan rubs his chin. “Wait, when did you go to sleep?”
I turn and look at Reyna questioningly. “Pretty much as soon as we got in here,” she says.
“Yeah, we checked out the indoor outhouse first. The swirly water is so cool!” Ara’s green eyes sparkle.
Garan’s grin is broad in response. “You mean the toilet?”
She taps her index finger to her chin. “Toilet, yes! The toilet is really cool.”
“Haha, if you say so.” Chuckling, his hands land on his hips. “You must’ve been up late watching it.”
“Huh?” Confused by his comment, Ara stares at him.
“We went to bed as soon we got in,” I say.
“All of you?” Garan asks.
“Yeah. Why?” I’m a little lost by his interest in when we went to bed.
“Fifteen hours of sleep.” He rubs the back of his neck and shakes his head. “Not bad.” A hearty chuckle echoes from deep in his chest.
Eyes widening, I lean forward. “Fifteen hours?” Disbelief laces my words. I don’t think I’ve ever slept for six hours straight, but fifteen? It seems impossible. I look around the room, at my brother and sister and Reyna, in shock.
“I guess we were tired,” Pike offers.
“I’d have to agree with that,” Garan says.
“Not sleeping for weeks, the long trip, hunger and nearly dying of thirst caught up with us.” Pike says offhandedly.
“I understand.” Garan bends at the waist. “Oh man. That aches a bit.” He rubs his lower back. “I climbed into bed when I got to my room, too. I slept like a rock. And apparently in the same position all night judging from the way my back hurts.” He frowns then straightens. “After all we’ve seen and been through, I’m griping about my back,” he chastises himself.
“For what it’s worth, mine’s a little stiff also,” I say as I twist right then left. The muscles in my lower back complain a bit. “I’ve never slept on anything as soft as that in my life.” I toss my thumb over my shoulder and gesture to the bed.
“Come on, Lucas, we had some pretty fancy accommodations at the arena, didn’t we?” Pike rolls his eyes exaggeratedly.
“Oh yeah, who could forget the cold, damp stone floors of our cells?” Reyna adds.
“That was great, wasn’t it?” Ara laugh
s, but happiness is absent from the sound.
“Stone floors of your cell.” Garan repeats what was shared then makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “You’d fight in the arena, the only way to survive was by killing your opponent, then be brought back to your cell to sleep on the floor?”
I nod, forcing the encroaching memories of the Urthman arena to the deepest recesses of my brain. Kohl’s death is indelibly etched in my mind and indelibly linked to the arena. To think of one is to recall the other. And I simply can’t do that now.
“You were taken from your village after all the elders were slaughtered and brought there, right?” Garan’s penetrating gaze searches mine.
I look away from him, sliding a quick glance at Reyna before answering. “Yes.” It’s bad enough that his questions threaten to open the floodgates of hurt from losing my mother, father and older brother, I won’t allow the same to happen to her. “What’s your point?” I ask, perhaps a bit too defensively.
“It’s no wonder no one trusted me.” The words pass from him so quickly and quietly, they’re ephemeral wisps of sound, swallowed by the thick silence shrouding the room as soon as they’re spoken. He stares at his booted feet for a long moment then looks up at us. He smiles, but the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Sadness tinges his gaze, in fact. “Why don’t you guys get ready? I’ll come back in a bit and show you around Sinsity. Sound good?”
“I’d like that.” Ara bobs her head excitedly.
“Me, too,” Pike adds.
I turn and look over my shoulder at Reyna. “I’m in.” She smiles at me. I’m so absorbed by the curve of her lips and subtle rounding of her cheeks that I forget I’m supposed to weigh in. Only when I look away and notice that three sets of eyes are on me do I stammer and feel my cheeks flush. Suddenly overheated and self-conscious, I turn back to Garan and mumble, “Me, too.”
Sin City Page 12