AllFreeNovel
Share Us
25
RHIANNON
I waited on that hilltop for hours, some part of me believing that Nikathy would come back and apologize, but I knew he wasn't coming. I kept expecting the battle to take a turn, and I didn't want to miss my chance, so I held watch through most of the night. But by morning, I was starving and worried. I supposed it was good that the Patrol had gotten no closer in the hours that passed, but my nerves were frayed. I needed a break.
Eventually, I crawled out of the bed of the truck and dragged my legs slowly behind me until I reached the cab, throwing myself into the front seat more than climbing up. I drove back down the mountain, assuring myself that I could find my way back up here and get the weapon in position, if it should come to that. But there was no sense in my staying up here all alone without food or any other comforts.
I wound my way down through the streets of Kychek, absently looking around for any sign of Nikathy. I half expected to see him still marching stubbornly toward his estate, intent on getting away from me as fast as he could, but it seemed he had vanished into thin air. I tried not to worry, reminding myself that he hadn't seen fit to worry about me when he had abandoned me up there earlier.
Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find my way to the principal estate once I reached the town. It was so large and out of place that I would have stumbled upon it no matter which way I turned.
I made my way up toward the entrance and parked the truck, letting myself out and dropping onto the ground with a groan. At once, Cosma came rushing out to greet me, her eyes wild and her lower lip quivering.
"Have you seen Nikathy?" she asked, on the verge of tears.
I blinked stupidly. "I was about to ask you the same."
She let out a tremulous gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. I would have gone to her, offered her a friendly hug, if I could have. Instead, I sat lamely, watching her from a distance.
"We were preparing to shoot down a Patrol ship," I explained. "But he left me hours ago. I thought he came back here."
She shook her head. "He hasn't been here at all. I've been searching everywhere for him."
I sensed a sort of animosity in her words. Even on the days when she wasn't outright abrasive toward me, I still got the sense that I had encroached upon her. Only now did I realize I should have asked Nikathy to elaborate when he told me they weren’t together. "Let's go inside," I said softly. "I'm sure he'll turn up."
Cosma didn't seem so sure, but she didn't offer any other ideas, so she held the door open for me and took my arm as I stumbled my way into the house. I sat with her a while, wishing I could go to bed, or take a shower, or do anything else at all, but eventually, she stopped crying and stood up.
“It was stupid of me,” she said suddenly, her watery gaze on a photo in the corner. “When Pops died, I… I knew Nikathy would take his place here. And somehow, in my stupid head, I thought he would take his place with me, too. Like he would just pick up where Pops left off.” She laughed ruefully, shaking her head and wiping her tears away. "I'll go make us something to eat," she announced, and straightened herself.
I watched her go and finally let myself relax. Whatever their relationship now, I wasn't going to allow myself to be the wedge pounded between them, and I would not allow him to ignore the tension either. If he came waltzing in here right now, I was prepared to let him know that this was the end of the road. He owed the both of us an apology, and I meant to get it from him.
After a while, Cosma returned with two plates of food and handed me one. We shared a meal with few words, and just as I was dusting the crumbs off the front of my shirt she said, "You should go get cleaned up. You look like you've been in a fight with a tornado."
Taking the hint, I cleared my throat and asked her to bring me my walker. When she returned, pushing it ahead of her, I excused myself back to the garden where I had begun my stay. At least out here, I was as far from Cosma as I could get, and she couldn't suggest that I had implanted myself improperly in the estate. I went to take a bath, and took my time washing my hair, making a face as I noted the water growing dark with all the soot that had been clinging to me. Perhaps I had been in worse shape than I thought.
With the last of the grime washed away, I climbed out of the tub and went back to the little bedroom with the view of the gardens. I sat on the bed, staring out the windows and feeling a unique sense of loss. Nikathy still hadn't returned. Wherever he was, he was avoiding me. And perhaps Cosma, too.
I felt abandoned, and I didn't know what to make of it. If I hadn't been so exhausted, I might have cried or raged into my pillow, but I did none of that. I just closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep, believing that Nikathy would return by the time I awoke, and he would have answers.
