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“Nah, something cute like Sliver. On account you’re like a tiny bit of nothing.” That was Yaanik’s suggestion.
“I take after my mother who was originally from Jaaman, by the coast.” I repeated my cover story.
Jord nodded. “Good choice. They’re short like you and Jrijori.”
I’d never considered myself short before. Willowy. Leggy. Statuesque. But short? “I’m going to grab my things and we can speak more as we travel.”
Only as I entered my tent and the cool shade hit my skin did it occur to me I’d had it exposed that entire time. A glance in the mirror showed me already pink. Ew.
A good thing we’d packed a hat with a veil Qynn sewed on and promised was an actual fashion in the southern countries. I felt ridiculous with the tent draping my head and face, but at least I had some semblance of privacy, even as the thin veil didn’t entirely block the sunlight.
Daisy provided me with some background that I could use. Local foods. Industry. In the preplanning stage with Jrijori, he’d insisted my backstory have my family dead in a dragon attack.
Dragons. It was like they wanted me to fail.
But I agreed. A monster attack gave me a good story as to why I was with Jrijori and why we might not know each other well. He would tell anyone who asked that he’d brought me along to take my mind off my grief.
We followed the stone-cobbled road that linked all the various cities of note. A boring trudge under a merciless sun.
A change in the air lifted the hairs on my arms, and my lips parted as I muttered, “A storm is coming.”
Not just any storm. A sand one. And of late they’d been vicious, arriving out of nowhere and doing some severe damage. As in a flay-the-flesh-from-bones kind.
“We need to find cover.” I slid off the beast and glanced around. There was not much to see. The road kept going, right into the approaching cloud of dust.
As for behind us, there was no protection. It was Daisy who pointed. “Is that a house over there?”
A glance showed a structure partially peeping from a dune. I’d have sworn it wasn’t there when I passed by earlier that morning. I’d also never heard anyone mention it. If I believed in superstition, I’d have been leery, but I saw it as the biggest stroke of luck. “Let’s take cover.”
We walked the beasts to the building, the rising wind whipping at it and clearing more of the sand, revealing a door large enough for us but not the corshmels.
“Let them go.” The riding beasts were better equipped for storms than us. They’d either hunker it out or head for safety, which, for them, would be their stall with its food and water.
The giants unloaded the beasts first, slinging the bags over their shoulders. I carried my own as we neared the door.
I expected it to be stuck. What I didn’t count on was someone opening it and saying, “Looks like you made it just in time.”
CHAPTERSIX
Ididn’t like surprises. The boy who used to like to scare the girls when Palla and I lived on the streets got punched for his effort. As a teen, I’d kneed a few more who thought they could swoop in for a kiss. I had a trigger reflex when startled.
My fist never connected. The stranger held it and offered a strange smile. “Is that how people say hello these days?”
“A lady can never be too careful.” I offered a smile and shrug of apology as I perused the man. Taller than me and broad of shoulder, he had hair of deep midnight and a square jaw that softened when he smiled.
“Then I should apologize for startling you.” He swept me a deep bow. Not something that happened often in my line of work. Unless that was a particular kink of a client. I had one believing I rode him like a sand lizard, galloping around the room. I even had him bruise his knees doing circuits while he was dazed and susceptible.
“Flirt later.” Daisy flanked me. “Let’s get inside. Storm’s moving fast.”
The man’s gaze flicked to Daisy then past us to the other giants. He arched a brow. “Quite the honor guard.”
“What can I say? My uncle loves me.”
“Enter. Although, be warned, the accommodations are rather sparse.”
He understated. The buried stone hut didn’t have any fancy accoutrements. A lantern hung from a hook on the wall and showed it off in all its lacking glory. Rock floor. Walls. Roof made of stone braced with wood. Old wood. No windows, one door, and a hatch in the floor. Closed. Good. Here was to hoping the cellar was made of stone.
Jord and Daisy entered without pause and explored the corners, but I remained a moment by the entrance. I didn’t like the idea of being trapped.
