Page 41 of Mikoto and the Reaver Village
Why the sudden urgency? Tenma reached out, inadvertentlysmearing pollen across gray freckles. He shook his head. “I don’t have anydeep, dark secrets.I’mthe secret.”
Salali bit his lip, then gruffly said, “You’ve touched theBroken.”
That was the label given to Amaranthine who’d becomeaddicted to the hit of power they received by touching a reaver’s soul. Somefrom constant indulgence. Usually tied to a quest for power. But Tenma hadencountered several Amaranthine whose Broken status was a result ofsubjugation. Under certain circumstances, tending could be used as a means ofcontrol.
“Yes. They come to me, or I go to them.” Tenma startedtapping fingers, counting up the years. “It’s all I’ve done since graduation.”
“So you would know.”
Tenma shook his head. “Know what?”
“If someone was nearly there.” Salali seemed pale under his freckles.“Near to breaking.”
“Isthatwhat you’re afraid of?”
Salali scowled. “I’m no coward.”
“What do you want to know?” asked Tenma. “I’ll help if Ican.”
“You? You are so very young.”
Funny. That’s what Tenma had been thinking, looking at allthose little kids getting off the buses. “And here, I was feeling old.”
“Mister Subaru, you cannotcomprehendold.”
“I can,” he protested. “I love old souls like yours. Try me,and you’ll trust me more.”
Salali tweaked his nose. “Trust is meant to come first. Anda proper reaver waits to be asked.”
“I’m not really a proper reaver.” Tenma quietly repeated,“Try me.”
The squirrel clansman grumbled under his breath, thensketched sigils in the air over their heads. A puff of wind cleared Tenma’shead even as a barrier shimmered into place, holding the scent of flowers atbay.
“Do you understand what it means if I tell you that my firsttaste was a beacon.”
Tenma did. “For most, it’s theirlasttaste. There’sno going back once someone’s touched the rarest of souls.”
Salali placed one finger over Tenma’s heart. “I’ve neverforgotten that long-ago sip. And I haven’t dared take another.”
Pondering that for a moment, Tenma asked, “How are you sostrong?”
Salali snorted.
“I mean no insult, but someone of your strength gets thatway with the help of many reavers over many centuries.”
He snorted again, then sighed. “This is my nest.”
Tenma considered the implications of that. Their perch was acomfortable mess of soft fur and overstuffed pillows, a haphazard tree fort foran afternoon’s lounge on a sunny summer afternoon. But not any kind of house. “Thisis your home?”
“I have few requirements.”
The nest’s shallow bowl was comfortable, but there wasbarely room for the two of them. “Alone?” Tenma asked.
“Gent is good company.”
Tenma had almost forgotten the Kith. “Where is he?”
Salali’s smile regained its teasing twist. “Giving me someprivacy.”
