Wild Magic

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A slender Salagaum with the spiky coarse hair of the Cheoshim, Twarra came with quick light steps into the kitchen, snapped fingers in a greeting to Faan who was sitting at a wobbly table sipping tea from a mug. He shook his head when Reyna raised an eyebrow. “We had to give grace to half a dozen women,” he said. “Couldn’t move them, they’d fall apart in our hands. Anyone could crawl was gone. Rest were dead. The STRIKER band, well, looked like animals had got at them. Nasty.”

Reyna emptied the pot into a mug, handed it to Twarra, then hitched a hip on the wash ledge. “Any trouble?”

IWarra gulped at the strong tea, shook his head. When his mouth was clear, he said, “Nayo, Rey. If there’s anyone watching, he didn’t stick nose out. Dawa took t’others to pick up handcarts and they went on to stash. Figured it’d be safer to haul sacks now, STRIKER band and Shinda guards not so apt to be nosing about.”

Reyna and Dawa, Thammir and Furrah pushed the handcarts onto the Approach. Dawa and the others settled down to guard them while Reyna took Faan aside to talk to her.

“Mamay, I…” She broke off, lunged against him as she’d done so many times before, wrapping her arms around him and holding tight while she sobbed and shuddered, her anguish brealdng suddenly through the weary numbness that had held until now.

He said nothing, just held her close, smoothing a shaking hand down and down her tangled hair until the sobbing faded and she lay against him limp with release, then he sighed, took the end of his sleeve and wiped her face. “How many times…” he murmured.

She managed a watery smile. “Count the times I’ve made an idiot of myself.”

“Honey, tell the Bitch God to go jump. Nothing’s worth this.”

She caught hold of his hands, but moved away from him, stood holding them and shaking her head. “Stubborn as a waterpig, aren’t you.”

“Diyo. You should know by now, Mamay.”

“I’ll keep watching, honey.”

“Don’t.”

“Where do you think you learned that stubbornness, Tchi ‘ kee? “

“Ah, well.” She pulled loose. “T’wi’ll have someone for the carts fast as she can manage. Be careful, Mamay.”