Page 69 of Kingdom of Rot & Ruin
I winced as I stood.
“We fight constantly in the mud quarter. Don’t take itpersonally. We only practice with those we trust most,” she confided, her voice light.
I paused. Was she saying what I thought she was? The honest bewilderment on my face must have shown through in my expression.
“You have no fucking clue, do you?” she asked. “Was I your first?”
My lips thinned. “No,” I grit out stubbornly, unwilling to offer more.
Shava snorted. “Yeah, I bet. You probably run around to all the maids, showing off with that big brain of yours.”
She meant it as an insult, but I only grinned.
“So you think I’m smart.”
The broom flew at my face again, but I caught the handle, putting my hand on top of hers.
“I will help you,” I promised. “But you must help me as well. We will be partners.”
A small, shy smile escaped her. It was the first time her hardened exterior had shown any cracks.
“Truly?” she asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
I stroked my thumb over her cheek. Despite being chronically underfed her whole life, her face was round and soft.
“Truly.”
I sealed the deal with a kiss.
Chapter
Seventeen
Aweek passed, in which we got the ash and dirt cleaned out of the cave, and replaced most of its necessities. When questioned, Zariah admitted to stealing things from the Seat where he could, though most people knew the areas he could stick his long neck into where the dome didn’t quite cover, and protected their valuables.
“They put all their things, though, in great piles, and most stuff looks broken or full of holes,” Zariah admitted, rubbing a hand down his face. “Sometimes there is no more room, so I simply set it all on fire and burn it down, but they just bring more! Isn’t that curious?”
I thought for a moment, Shava shooting me a look as we came to the same conclusion together.
“Zariah: the great trash dragon,” I intoned, trying hard to keep from laughing. Shava snorted, struggling equally for control. D had no such problem and laughed long and hard.
Zariah scratched his head. “Trash dragon? You mean they leave these things for me on purpose?”
Shava erupted into a fit of giggles. I cleared my throat.
“It’s not stealing, then,” I offered.
Zariah sighed and shifted back into his dragon form, and Shava and I grabbed the goat carcass he’d just brought. Shava knew quite a bit about skinning a once-living creature, and in a way none of my anatomy and medical texts had prepared me for.
Zariah flew off, leaving us to it.
It was bloody business, but I didn’t shy away from it. The skill was useful, and I was accustomed to spilling my blood for rituals—so gutting an animal was hardly any trouble. Shava had a steady hand, and D was eager to learn as well, so between the three of us we made quick work of the animal.
“Did you want to go exploring today?” Shava asked just as we finished spearing a few chunks of meat over the fire, which Zariah had helpfully lit again for us. The goat’s skin lay out in the sun to dry, and D was happily sorting through the larger bones and cleaning them. We’d use them later for anything we needed. The rest of the guts and unneeded bits got tossed over the side of the cliff.
The meat sizzled as it cooked, and juices dripped down onto the rocks, leaving hissing columns of steam to rise into the air. The smell made my stomach rumble.
“Explore? Do you mean the hot springs?” I asked, confused. We were stuck up on a high cliff; what was there to explore besides the sharp drop?
