Page 69 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“Are you all right? I tried to warn you–skarra pods are hot!”

“Water!” Terra moaned. “Please–I need some water!”

Taurex shook his head.

“No water. That will make it worse.”

“Then what?” she demanded. “I have to have something–I’m dying over here!”

Taurex grabbed a pale blue fruit from the stall beside them, split it open with his thumbs and held it toward her.

“Bite into this.”

Terra didn’t argue. She bit into the soft inner flesh, which tasted cool and sweet– something like melon mixed with vanilla. Almost immediately, the burning sensation began to ease.

“Oh, thank God,” she breathed around another bite as pale blue juice dripped down her chin and fingers. “Oh, that’s so much better.”

Taurex shook his head.

“You humans have a strange relationship with danger. I tell you something will hurt, and you immediately wish to experience it for yourself.”

Terra swallowed another mouthful of the cooling blue fruit, which really was delicious.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“Is that why your face is red, and your eyes are watering?” Taurex asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh, be quiet.” Terra swatted him on the arm and swiped at her eyes. “You should never point it out when a lady is wrong,” she lectured.

Taurex smiled.

“I’ll have to remember that in the future when you are wrong again.”

Terra lifted her chin.

“A lady is never wrong, either.”

“Then I will keep my peace,” Taurex said gravely, but the corners of his mouth were twitching again.

The vendor was laughing openly now.

“Well now, it seems she knows her mind–and yours too, for that matter!” he cackled.

“So she does.”

Taurex paid for the vegetables as well as the cooling blue fruit and the merchant gathered everything into one of the green vine baskets.

Terra watched in amazement as several loose tendrils rose from the sides and wove themselves together, twisting back and forth until they formed a sturdy handle.

“Okay, now that is cool,” she said.

“The basket is alive,” Taurex explained as he accepted it from the vendor.

“What do you do with it when you’re finished?” Terra was fascinated.

He shrugged.

“You plant it, of course.”