by Ellie Margot
He didn’t look at her, but Riette knew he was aware that she was awake now. The tension in his shoulders let her know.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, still not looking at her.
If he knew, if he so much as guessed her thoughts, she’d have to kill him. She wouldn’t have a choice. The guys would have a field day. Well, Mekhi would, but Cassian would be as mortified as Riette felt right then.
“No, it’s hard in a new place.”
“It doesn’t get easier, you know,” said Guy. He still looked out of the window to the streets below. “People like to say it does. You find a new place. Eventually, the new places aren’t new anymore, but it’s not true. Sometimes, the newness never wears off.”
Riette listened to his words, not sure of what to say at first, but she saw something that made her pay attention. His tattoo glowed on his shoulder. Even through his shirt, she could see it. The water sign shone like a beacon.
It couldn’t shine so brightly if he wasn’t powerful. Why hadn’t she seen him before? If he had power like that, she would have been aware of him. Wouldn’t she? He wasn’t that much older. No doubt, she would have known. All Elves had markings. No matter where they were. It spoke of powers they wouldn’t even have full access to in their lives outside of Vitan. It made her sad in a way, them having a reminder of something they didn’t really have. Never being able to fully understand it.
“Do you have any secrets, Riette?” Guy’s voice was soft. The weight of his question was heavier due to the darkness.
“Most people with secrets wouldn’t say,” she said.
“You’re right,” said Guy. “I just wonder sometimes, when I can’t sleep, which is worse: the secrets we keep or the actions that led to us keeping it a secret?”
“It depends on the situation,” Riette said.
“Sometimes, I think that’s true. And then other times, I feel the weight all the same. Right here.” He pushed his palm against his chest. “It’s like a wild fucking animal trying to rip you apart from the inside for thinking you were strong enough to keep it in.”
“Guy,” Riette said. Her voice was quiet. “Are you okay?”
“Do you believe we all go to Heaven when we die, or are some people doomed to never see it?”
Riette paused. What she knew about Heaven, or Etherean as legends called it, was limited. Her culture was different. Etherean factored in, but only after the departed was taken into the earth. Something disrupting that cycle, good or bad, wasn’t something she spent a lot of time thinking about.
“I don’t know,” she said after moments had passed. “But it’s worth being good enough to find out, right?”
Chapter 20
Riette found sleep after that, but it was broken. It came in fits and bursts. If they’d had pillows, she thought someone would have thrown one at her by now. She wasn’t hit by anything though, and by the time morning broke, she was relieved she didn’t have to think any more.
“Eat up, buttercup,” said Guy. He tossed some sticks of his Vitan ration at her that landed near her feet.
“I don’t take it this way.”
“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for you to heal up in time. We’re leaving.”
“I’m good.”
“You’re shit. No offense. I don’t want any of us to not be on our game when we leave here.”
Riette wiped the sleep from her eyes. She stretched her arms over her head and looked at Cassian and Mekhi. Well, where they should have been.
“Breakfast. They’re getting something for all of us.”
“They left me here with you?”
“I’m not a total leper. Your boy wasn’t pleased with it, but Mekhi reminded him you’d burn a member off of me if I pulled anything. That seemed to bring him some kind of joy.”
“They aren’t lying. This one guy—”
“Please. If we could not, that would be ideal.”
Guy shuddered, and Riette didn’t stop the laugh from tumbling from her lips. She shrugged and settled back into the headboard on her small bed.
“Did Corin burn you?”
“No,” Guy said. He didn’t hesitate.
“Did she like you?”
“She had the stars in her eyes.”
Riette took the bark in her hand. It was older, not pliable, but she took a bite and chewed. Turned out, it was spicier than she remembered. She hadn’t had it since she was a child, and it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. It wasn’t related to chocolate at all, but it had the bitter notes of it, mixed with pepper and the licorice Mekhi always claimed that it had.
Riette stood and grabbed her bag before heading to the small bathroom attached to the room and closing the door behind her. She did what she needed to do and then took Bark and the monkey figurine out of her bag.
When she sat them on the counter, Bark looked at her and hissed.
“What?” Riette whispered.
He gestured to her teeth.
“Don’t look at me like that. You know people re-up this way.”
He grumbled. Then he kicked the monkey figurine.
“That’s not nice either, Bark.” The monkey didn’t move, even though she expected it to spring to life after being assaulted.
“I’m never going to chew on you. Not until you’re in the ground and bigger than all of the other trees in the forest.” He looked at her again and crossed his small twigs over the main part of his body.
“I promise.”
“You okay in there?” Guy knocked twice on the door.
She tucked Bark back into her bag with the monkey. Riette could have sworn that he tried to give her a papercut when she shuffled him in, but she didn’t have time to confirm it.
“Good. I’m great.”
“Liars speak twice,” said Guy. “Besides, the guys are here. I just wanted let you know.”
“I’ll be right out,” she said. She threw the bag on her back for an easier carry and felt Bark push back against her. “Okay, fussy britches.”
When Riette walked out of the bathroom, Cassian raised an eyebrow at her, and Mekhi looked back and forth between them.
“You all always do that?” asked Guy.
“Do what?” said Mekhi.
“Talk with your eyes. ‘Yes, Cassian, I did do well in the bathroom and without supervision.’ ‘Good for you, companion.’”
“Shut up, Guy. No filter having—”
“We need to go,” Cassian said. He took another bite.
They finished eating and did a quick collection of their things before heading out to the ground floor.
There were people all over the streets. Some were selling things from carts they wielded through the center. They were hard to move around, and they pushed into you on purpose, making the walker acknowledge their wares. Riette tried not to get trampled when they came close, but Guy led them, moving fluidly around them like they weren’t there.
They started to walk. Guy was in the lead. He was going to take them by the seaport side of town and then inland, stating that was the fastest way to go by foot. They’d take what could be considered one of the main roads to get to the other parts of Esper, but there would be fewer people there.
As soon as Guy mentioned they’d be edging against Fairy territory, Riette shuddered, making her bag shift, and though she knew it was probably Bark, she turned around quickly. She wasn’t going to let one of those biting Fairy bitches get her again.
“Keep up,” said Guy. “This is going to be a treat. For me. For humanity. I get to walk around with the three of you quasers.”
“Three who?” Mekhi asked.
“I could fill books, tomes, with the shit you all don’t know.” Guy rolled his eyes and moved farther ahead. The rest of the party looked at each other. Riette didn’t know who had it worse, them dealing with Guy, or Guy being forced to deal with them.
When Riette saw the seashore, she almost jolted to a stop. Her breath came quicker. There was a humming in her ears that sh
e wished she’d never felt before. She swayed a little where she stood, but she forced her feet to keep moving.
Cassian kept a constant eye on her, and she feared he wouldn’t miss this change in her, the way her body felt like it was being shifted on a granular level. Somehow, she pushed through it. She even managed a smile when Cassian looked back at her. To be honest, that made her look more suspicious, but she couldn’t lose focus, her cool, or her mind. Even if the siren sickness tried to take her.
Later, when she thought back on that, she would blame the sickness for stopping her from noticing the footsteps that fell behind her. They were persistent, and the guys were talking and must not have noticed it.
In a crowd of so many, it was easy to think that whoever was behind them had nothing to do with their group. Guy was the first to say something about it, but it was long after the stalking had begun.
“Don’t turn around,” he said. They were in a two-by-two formation. Riette and Mekhi formed the back. Cassian stood by Guy, leading the pack. Cassian stiffened.
“No, don’t do anything to tip them off,” said Guy.
“Who are they?” asked Cassian.
“There’s no way to tell without me facing them, but I’d say there’s at least three,” said Guy. “One of them has a rope.” There was harshness to the end of his words that surprised Riette. She would have thought he was used to being stalked.
She knew she would never be. There also was a burning in her stomach that followed from the magic that was brewing inside of her. If she had said something when she first felt it, when she first sensed someone there, maybe they wouldn’t feel like they were being closed in on now. They were outside of the main part of the port, but there were still small houses and collections of people on the streets.
Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference at all.
“Flame up?” asked Mekhi. He elbowed Riette when he said it, and Riette shook her head, stifling a laugh. The situation didn’t call for it, she knew, but that was when they needed to laugh the most, she thought.
“No, we can’t show everything, not this close to town,” said Guy. “We don’t want other people knowing that you have powers. I told you I didn’t normally trade in people, but there are lot of people out here who do.”
Cassian nodded. “He’s right. It shows our cards too soon.”
“I can’t hide them forever,” said Riette. “It’s getting harder to keep them down. The fire especially.”
“You need to use them more,” said Guy. “Gain better control, but it has to be when we’re not around others, okay?”
“You’re right,” Mekhi said. “Let’s keep them close to our chest, and then, when we’re dead, we’ll really be able to show them.” He made a noise in the back of his throat.
Riette’s tattoo tingled. It was practically a vibration on her shoulder. Then, she felt her jaw tic.
“Is it everyone’s job to fuck with us?” she asked.
“They want to test the newness,” said Guy. “That’s what people do when they see someone they don’t know. They see how they would line up against them. It’s the Esper way.”
“There has to be newness all the time to play with.”
“They’re normally not in big packs like we are or with a pretty lead.”
Riette felt the urge to kick him in his shins.
Guy must have sensed that. “Easy, you’re not even my type, but for a bunch of guys at sea? I’m sure you’ll do.”
“Ass.”
“Yes, that’s probably their focus since they’re behind us.”
Mekhi snickered.
“No, this is bullshit. I’m handling this. Now.”
Riette turned. Cassian touched her hand, but there weren’t any flames for him to extinguish.
There were three of them, but only one was something she thought she could recognize as being human. The one on the right had orange eyes and a purple tint to his skin. Scars crossed his face, or lines were etched in. She couldn’t tell from the distance, but they almost looked like stripes on his face. He showed his teeth, this creature, and each one was pointed.
“They’d fetch a good price,” said the one with the teeth. He pulled out a knife the length of his forearm.
“Back away, guys,” said Guy. “We’re not looking for trouble.”
“We’re not looking for permission,” said the human looking one. “You come with us, or we break you into pieces and take you anyway.”
The one on the right was shorter than they were, and wide—wider than she’d ever seen. His body twitched.
Riette and the others turned back to each other.
“We need a plan,” said Guy. “These aren’t your normal criminals.”
“I should try my powers.” Riette’s tattoo hummed. She was surprised the others couldn’t hear it. If they did, they didn’t comment.
“We’re not sending you to fight for all of us,” said Cassian. His voice was low.
“I can fight them from here,” said Riette. She didn’t know if she could, but something inside of her wanted to try. The men in front of her were the kind of people she pictured having Corin. She wanted to do something.
Mekhi’s face split in a smile.
“You can’t win the battle like that,” said Guy.
“Riette,” Cassian started, but she had already turned. Her tattoo burned on her shoulder, and the other people on the street had mostly cleared. Their paths kept them moving forward on their journey. Their groups were the only ones that let the world stand still.
Riette pulled the strings inside of her. Images of her mother flashed behind her eyes. She took a breath, and on letting it out, her right fist struck the ground.
The ground shook. The world felt as if it were bending, and then the cracks began to form. The first one was small. It was a rip in the earth, but the tear got bigger. It fissured and split, and the spider-webbed lacerations ripped through the ground all the way to the other group.
They had seconds to react, but shock stunned them still. They didn’t move until it was too late. The earth didn’t swallow them, but they met it. Hard.
Riette stood at the sound of hearing at least some of their bones break on impact.
“Or that works,” said Guy.
“Shit,” said Cassian.
Riette stretched out her hand, and the power inside of her stretched too. It bent inside of her skin, filling every inch of her from her fingertips to her smallest toes. It roared to life, but it was a life bigger than Riette knew she had, and even though she still felt the tingles of worry around her spirit, she only had one primary thought.
Maybe she should eat the knock-off Vitan more often.
Chapter 21
Most of the day was spent putting one foot in front of the other. They were still on a road, but it was a dirt road made by feet pressed into the earth, not by hand. It was well traveled, and there were woods that started and stopped in a choppy pattern as they continued. Mekhi stayed by Riette, and she liked it that way. He kicked the rocks beneath his feet. They made jokes, but eventually, his stilled. His steps didn’t go slower, but his shoulders were lower to the ground.
Riette kicked the side of his leg. It was soft, but it was also enough to get Mekhi’s attention. The other two were farther ahead, a few yards of needed space.
“She’s okay,” said Riette. “We’re going to find her.”
Mekhi made a choked noise that someone who didn’t know him would call a bitter laugh. Since Riette knew every variation of Mekhi’s laughter, she knew better.
“We will.” Riette analyzed the taste of the words on her tongue.
“How does he keep it together?” asked Mekhi. It came out one word at a time, as if it was being ripped out of his throat. They both looked ahead to Cassian.
“He keeps his emotions in.”
“Everything. Like he’s not even real.”
“He’s worried about her too. He just doesn’t show it, not in any traditional ways.”
> Mekhi’s eyes cut to the left at Guy. “And that fucker?”
Riette swallowed. She knew Guy couldn’t be a good person. Not really. Sure, in the last couple of days, they had gotten along, but decent people didn’t sell other people. That was a baseline.
“I don’t trust him either,” said Riette.
“He knows we don’t trust him, and he’s still coming along for the ride. All that stuff about him wanting to get home doesn’t sit right with me. He acts like we’re from another world.” Mekhi took a breath. “If it wasn’t for his tattoo, I wouldn’t even call him an Elf.”
“He’s not the traditional sort. That’s for sure.”
“That’s why they’re getting along,” said Mekhi, and he shook his head.
“Getting along is probably a stretch. Cassian is the least trusting of all of us, but he also knows that making things harder isn’t our best bet.”
Mekhi ruffled Riette’s hair to make her smile. She hadn’t bothered doing anything with it, and it was as wild as she felt on the inside after unleashing a full taste of her power.
She shrugged him off.
“You’re the most level-headed box of matches I’ve ever met,” said Mekhi.
“Box of matches?”
“Hey, you make water jokes. I’m allowed to make fire jokes.”
“But mine don’t suck.”
“No, fire normally burns more than sucks, right?”
“Ugh, you’re such a child.”
“Hey, we need to stop,” said Guy. The two of them had stopped long enough for Riette and Mekhi to close the small gap.
“We need new supplies and some new clothes,” he continued.
Riette looked down at the other outfit she was wearing. It was dark like her original one, and though she had tried to clean it, it felt stiff in places with sand and dirt as well as the ocean water. The salt in the air even made her skin itch, despite the baths she had taken.
She still didn’t like the idea of slowing down, though. Any moment they were stationary was another moment Corin got ahead.
“Is that really necessary?” she asked Guy. Assuming they’d already discussed this, she looked at Cassian, who shrugged.
