Page 23 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

At first, I try to ignore it. I’ve gone longer without water in Sombra, but that’s only because there’s a running tap in every home to quench our thirst and fill our baths. I have a fondness for javitz—or coffee in Human—which is also made with water. Whenever I’m thirsty, I can have a drink… only not in Noctavara.

We pass streams. Thane off-handedly tells Binx that he’ll toss him in the next one if he thinks of biting him again, but just when I think I should give him a shove into the muddy stream, he offers me his hand to help me cross it.

He does not, however, give me the chance to stop and see if the water is drinkable.

Once I start thinking about how thirsty I am, I remember that I never had anything past the midday meal, either. The thirst is a bigger concern, but I’m going to need to eat soon, too. I don’t even realize how much it’s affecting me until my steps have slowed just enough for Thane to notice.

“You’re dragging,” he point out.

“I’m not,” I reply, the lie scraping my dry throat on the way out. Crud. My words are raspy, my throat pinchy enough that I wince.

His amber eyes flick down to my mouth, then back up again.

Without a word, Thane shoves back his cloak. Earlier, I noticed the sheathe that holds his blade, but nothing else. As his hand goes to his waist, I see that he has at least three bundles or satchels attached at his hip. There’s something else, I notice, and I realize what it is when he pulls free a dark leather canteen, worn smooth from use.

He uncorks it, offering it to me. “You look like you need a sip.”

I hesitate.

Every story I’ve ever read about fae realms flickers through my mind at once. I don’t know whether they’re true or not, but apart from learning that the fae can’t tell a lie, I remember the warning that you should never eat or drink anything that comes from Faerie.

Faerie is the main realm for the fae. Other worlds, like Arcadia or Noctavara, branch off from it; they’re usually neighboring worlds, like how Brille Rouge and Soleil are so close to Sombra, even with a few differences between the types of demons. I don’t know how many of their rules transfer here, but if I accept his canteen—if I take that sip—and I end up being bound to this world?

No, thanks.

I only hope that’s not the case. I’m not so thirsty that I’m willing to wager my freedom, but it’s only been a couple of hours. What if it takes a lot longer? Days? Moons?

I dart out my tongue, dabbing the corner of my mouth. “Depends. What is it?”

His eyes flicker in amusement. “If I had faerie wine, I wouldn’t be sharing it, if that’s what you mean. It’s water, demoness. Fresh spring water that I gathered this morning instead of risking a bellyache from the shadowed streams in the woods.”

“And it’s safe?”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “As safe as anything in Noctavara can be. Go on. Take what you need. I can always refill it later.”

He has a point. So, snorting despite myself, I take the canteen, careful not to let my fingers brush his any more than necessary.

The water is cool and clean, just like the water from home. I take one swallow, then another, greedier this time, until the ache in my throat eases and my shoulders finally loosen.

When I hand it back, he corks it again, then tucks it away.

I don’t feel any different; other than my thirst being quenched, that is. If I can trust the water, then maybe… I think of the bundles on his waist. “Do you have anything to eat? That’s safe for someone like me?”

“You’re right to be cautious,” he says. “Eating in Noctavara can be… tricky. Just don’t eat any faerie fruit, or accept anything from Queen Celeste, and you should be fine.” Again, his slender fingers go to his waist. He grabs one of the bundles, giving it a jingle. Something metal clanks together. “That would be my gold.” The next one makes no sound. “Ah. Here we go.”

Thane removes it from his belt, tossing it to me. The leatherskin pouch has a drawstring. I open it, Binx climbing down my arm so that he can stick his twitching nose inside.

“I borrowed it from a bandit cache. In case I can’t go hunting or haven’t bought fresh food from one of the traders on the main road, I always make sure I have something ready to eat. Dried meat. Cured cheeses. Salted roots. Things that don’t spoil. Have some. Binx, too.”

I already hear crunching as Binx finds something in the pouch that interests him.

Me? I’m more curious about what Thane just said. “What exactly is a bandit cache?”

Thane shakes his shoulders, letting his cloak fall back in place. “I told you, Alana. There are plenty of creatures that haunt these woods. Some of them are like me. Bandits. We have a code. We help each other when we can. That’s the caches. If you have extra meat you can’t carry, leave it behind. If you need a new cloak, someone might have one for you. It’s how we all survive the woods.”

I want to ask him why they’d even want to. Trudging through the dark woods, avoiding any unseen beasts that might think that we’re a snack… there has to be more to Noctavara than that.

However, before I can ask—or because he can sense I’m about to—Thane pulls his hood up, covering his dark curls, his handsome face, the knowing look in his amber eyes.