Page 42 of The Weaver

He trilled and drew in a deep breath. Her scent wasdiminished by the rain, but it was still there, still sweet, still comforting, still Ahmya.

“You are not hurt?” he asked.

She laughed. The sound eased his hearts, even though it was interrupted by another bout of coughing.

“I hurt. A lot.” She leaned her head against his jaw and cupped his face with her palm. Her words and breathing were short and shallow. “My chest feels like it’s on fire and I feel so weak, but…but we’re alive.”

Rekosh glared out at the jungle, where leaves and branches whipped violently in the wind, where danger lurked in every shadow, where every moment presented new threats to everything he cared about.

The world around them lit up with a flash of lightning, which was followed swiftly by booming thunder.

“As we will remain.” He pushed himself up. His left foreleg throbbed even without bearing any of his weight, and he could not count the other wounds now adding their aches to the agonizing maelstrom encompassing him.

But he could not rest, could not stop.

Not until they were safe.

Rekosh helped Ahmya stand. “We must find shelter.”

Keeping hold of one of his hands, she slitted her eyes against the rain and nodded. “I guess we’re lost?”

“No.” He guided Ahmya closer, hooked his arms behind her, and lifted her off her feet, cradling her against him. “We know we are here. Just…not where here is.”

“Which is another way of saying we’re lost.” Ahmya wrapped her arms around his neck, letting out another cough.

Rekosh’s mandibles drooped, and a fresh shudder rippled across his hide. Though it didn’t sound nearly as bad as it had before, her cough was unsettling, and she was still trembling. He needed to get her out of the rain. Needed to get her dry and warm.

“Yes. Lost, but alive.” He lifted his mandibles in a smile. “We will find home, Ahmya.”

Lightning arced across the sky again. Rekosh set into motion as rumbling thunder vibrated the ground beneath him.

He strode as swiftly as his stilted gait allowed, keeping his eyes in constant motion to watch for danger and scout out a shelter. The river lay behind him. To one side, rocky cliffs stretched onward; to the other side and ahead, the jungle loomed, as dense and dark as ever.

“Rekosh?”

“Yes?” He shifted his gaze to Ahmya.

Her features were strained with concern as she stared down. “What’s wrong with your leg?”

He grunted, shifting his foreleg a little more to the side. “Small hurt. It will heal soon.”

“But you can’t walk on it!”

Rekosh chittered. “Urkot is good with three arms. I will walk with five legs. Still more than you,vi’keishi.”

The concern remained in her eyes. “You can put me down. I can walk. I don’t want you hurting.”

“The hurt is small if I carry you, small if I do not.” Rekosh cupped his hand over the back of her head and drew her closer, shielding her from the rain. “So I will carrykir’ani vi’keishi.”

He continued onward, keeping close to the cliffside. They would have to find a way back up eventually to return to Kaldarak, but in this weather, the climb wouldn’t have been safe for even the most capable vrix.

And Rekosh wasn’t exactly in peak condition at the moment.

The silk strand still connecting him to Ahmya brushed against his hide as he moved. Its purpose had been served, but he could not bring himself to remove it yet. It was part of his physical connection to her, a tether that bound their bodies,that offered him some comfort, some security. Yet it was nothing compared to the other connection he felt with her.

His heartsthread had been interwoven with hers, bound tighter than he could ever have imagined possible. It was stronger than any thread, than any rope, than any wood, stone, or metal, and he would protect it—would protect her—with all his being.

But that dedication could not fend off the agony of his wounds. Each step came with fresh pain, and his limbs became stiffer, his aches deeper. An unfathomable weariness crept into his spirit, growing and growing. It was Ahmya who kept him going, Ahmya who kept him strong, who stoked the flame in his core.

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