Page 22 of The Great and Terrible

“Surprised the heartless executioner and the unwitting substitute have something in common? Yes, I was eight when my mother vanished.” Perhaps to visit this world. A thought too reactive to ponder now. “Unless I return home with the serpens-rosa, I’m going to lose my father too. He’s dying of cancer. It’s a terrible disease, and I will do anything to save him.” On that note. “Take me to Lux, protect me from bounty hunters, give me a serpens-rosa, let me look at you whenever I want, and I’ll give you the compass.” Start high, and as necessary, let go of what I could live without.

He flicked the tip of his tongue over an incisor. “Very well. A deal is struck.”

Wait. He wasn’t going to negotiate? I’d done it? Facilitated another quick turnaround? Yes! I opened up to thank him, but a yawn took over, nearly cracking my jaw. Now that I’d eaten and secured medicine and passage, there was no staving off fatigue.

“Sleep,” my companion muttered.

“No reason to look so gloomy, Jash. I’ll be an excellent addition to your team roster. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m like a houseplant.” I fluffed my hair. “I only need food and water to thrive.”

He appeared unimpressed.

Okay, how about this? “If you want, I can tell you stories about your mother’s homeworld along the way.”

Intrigue might—might!—have glinted in his sunset eyes. “There are already two bounty hunters on your trail, and they’re closer than you think.” He dug inside his backpack, withdrew a shirt, and tossed it my way. Then he stretched outflat, still clad in his armor, and used the pack as a pillow. “We’ll need to leave before dawn.”

I twisted each direction, examining the sphere of light for any hint of a coming invasion. “You can’t just say something like that and go to sleep. We should remain awake and alert.”

Minutes passed, but the quiet endured.

Well. Obviously this was going to be a long night—for me. Not only did I need to watch out for hunters, but I must also guard my compass. If Jasher stole it and abandoned me…

No, he wouldn’t risk the crimen. Would he? Did he own a stable?

I was just annoyed enough to mutter, “I would’ve agreed to give you the compass for an escort to Lux alone.”

“I’m headed to Lux, anyway,” he piped up. “I’d have taken you for free.”

CHAPTER 6

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

The most tantalizing aroma lured me from a hazy cloud of peace, warmth, and safety. I blinked open my eyes, frowning as different facts crystalized on after the other. Bright morning sunlight meant, well, morning arrived. I lay on a blanket, on my side. Last thing I remembered, Jasher was snoozing, and I was making an inner vow to remain on guard.

Clearly, I’d fallen asleep. At some point, he’d woken up and covered me with a small blanket. A kind gesture from a not so kind guy. Despite his movements, and the threat he presented, I’d remained deep in slumber. Vulnerable. The thin but soft material currently draped my curled-up form.

More surprising, the compass still hung from my neck. He hadn’t stolen it. Guess he didn’t have a stable.

Now, the heartless executioner sat before a fire pit, roasting last night’s catch: the skinned boar-thing. A far uglier beast than I’d realized. A flight of those three-eyed rainbow birds circled overhead, as if they waited to pounce on the meal. Green flower petals floated and twirled in a gentle breeze. Rushing water provided a lovely soundtrack and aneven better backdrop, only a short jog away. Every so often, a horned fish breeched the surface.

Shirtless, Jasher remained deep in thought. Discarded armor had been piled near his feet. I didn’t mean to notice his beast-killing muscles, but they wereright there. Well-defined, packed under dusky skin, and covered in ornate tattoos. Goodness gracious, were they covered in ornate tattoos. Images spanned his entire chest, both arms, and dipped below the waist of his leather pants.

From here, I could make out a handful of faces among the inked canvas. They appeared raised, like scars, and a part of me really, really wanted to study each one up close and personal. To help my cause, not for any other reason. The more I knew about him, the less likely I was to irritate him into ditching me. The pulse fluttering in my throat and wrists meant nothing.

Fine! It meant something. My fingers itched to draw him, okay. To capture his essence while he tended the fire. Beads of sweat dampened his rough and tumble features, causing locks of black hair to coil at the ends and stick to his temples. Those incredibly long lashes cast shadows over the sharp rise of his cheeks. A necklace with small black stones hung from his neck, and two ax handles extended over his broad shoulders.

I’d only ever desired to draw the monsters. Or rather, the monstra. Why deviate now, with him?

“Hungry?” he asked without glancing up.

Startled, I scrambled upright and noticed two unconscious people gagged and bound with thin silver bands hidden in the shadows behind him. A man and a woman.Are you kidding me? I had slept through their capture, too?

“While I whiled the night away, you apprehended the bounty hunters, dug a firepit, and prepared breakfast.” Dang. Anyone could’ve snuck up on me at any time and done anything, and I would’ve been defenseless.Do better.“Theonly thing you didn’t do is set off before first light, as promised.”

“You refused to stir,” he informed me. “I attempted to wake you up, but you repeatedly patted my face and muttered the wordsnooze.”

“No, I did not.” My brow wrinkled. “Did I?” And he’d let me?

“You did.” He skewered pieces of meat onto a thin stick.

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