Page 9 of Captive

He put a hand lightly to his chest. “Aruna,” he said. As an afterthought, he waved toward the other one. “Zaiur.”

She had expected him to ignore her. Grateful for the simple gesture, she nodded, and that was the extent of the exchange.

???

Around midnight, they stopped to rest in a clearing by a river. The elves refilled their canteens and quietly ate preserved food from their packs.

Novikke sat in a patch of black grass and violet moss, as far away as she could get without them ordering her to stay closer. Her stomach twisted with hunger and her eyes kept trying to close of their own accord.

She gave in and closed her eyes, and listened to the soft gurgling of the river. She picked at the rope around her wrists. It was rubbing her skin raw.

She sensed someone approaching, and her eyes snapped open. It took a moment to make out his face in the dim. Aruna.

He handed her a small bundle of cloth. She took it uncertainly, and looked inside. There was some kind of grayish bread. She frowned up at him.

“Why bother with this if you’re going to kill me anyway?”

His eyes shone with that eerie catlike glow in the darkness, and his face was more shadow than anything else. Novikke felt suddenly uneasy.

Sometimes they seemed almost human, and sometimes she had a difficult time seeing them as anything other than night-dwelling monsters. The kind of creatures that children feared were lurking under their beds.

She turned her attention to the food. Even if she was going to die, there was no point in starving herself beforehand.

To her surprise, Aruna sat down near her and waited. When she’d finished, he offered her a canteen. Novikke hesitated. She’d seen them fill the canteens from the river. Maybe their constitutions were strong enough for such things, but she preferred to avoid drinking water from strange sources. The last thing she wanted to do was drink some bad water and start vomiting. She was sure they’d just kill her if she became too much of a burden.

When she didn’t take it, he pointed to a marking on the side of the canteen—a small rune that glowed faintly. A purification enchantment, she guessed. Clever.

She took the canteen from him and drained the rest of its contents before handing it back.

They followed the river for a short while before turning toward a gentle incline that led them to a cliff overlooking a deep canyon. The sky brightened with the coming morning, and in the light, Novikke realized that there was a structure ahead of them. An ancient-looking bridge spanned the canyon. She was surprised when they came to a stop in front of it.

To even call it a bridge at this point was generous. It was wood with metal supports, and both materials were in equal states of decay. Moss and grass had eaten into the wood, and the metal was rusting and thin in places. Most alarming was the fact that halfway across the bridge, the entire left side had collapsed, leaving only the railing and enough space for a foothold just below it. They would have to cling to the railing and edge their way across.

“We’re not really going across that?” Novikke said, too shocked to remember not to speak. It didn’t look like it would hold their weight.

“Can you fly, instead?” Zaiur said. “I could give you a push, and we can find out.”

But there seemed to be a disagreement between the elves about how they should proceed. They studied the bridge, the tones in their voices varying from concerned to annoyed. The discussion quickly devolved into bickering, which ended in Zaiur abruptly turning and approaching Novikke.

She flinched away. He grabbed her hands and, with a jerk, untied the knot and unraveled the rope. She stared as he looped the rope into his belt and then went to the bridge.

Aruna was beside her and holding her wrist before she could think to do anything with her momentary freedom.

At the edge of the bridge, Zaiur glanced back at Aruna to say something, which Aruna replied to tersely. He waited until after Zaiur had turned away before he rolled his eyes.

As Zaiur crossed the bridge, Novikke glanced sideways at Aruna, wondering how good her chances would be in a struggle with him. Varai warriors were dangerous in many ways, but they were not known for their brawn. Zaiur was her height, and Aruna was only a little taller. But both of them looked strong. And they were armed. And gods knew it hadn’t gone well the last time she’d tried to fight them.

Aruna’s eyes slid sideways to meet hers, as if he’d guessed exactly what she was thinking. Novikke cleared her throat. Nerves stomped out any notion she’d had of fighting or running.

Zaiur had walked to the middle of the bridge, where the floor disappeared. He turned sideways, held onto the railing with both hands, and began creeping across. Novikke waited for him to slip and fall into the canyon, but after an uneventful journey he stepped safely out onto the other side of the canyon.

Novikke didn’t bother to suppress a disappointed sigh. She heard Aruna exhale sharply, and glanced up at him in time to see his smirk before it disappeared.

He let go of her arm and nodded toward the bridge. Seeing no better option, she started across.

The timber that made up the floor sagged under her feet. She quickly edged to the side, holding onto the railing for support. Zaiur watched her from the other side, arms crossed.

At the halfway point, the floor ended, having long ago rotted away. Looking down, she could still see the remains of the timbers sitting on the banks of the river that rushed far below.

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