The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 27: Hospitality

The stew was every bit as delicious as I remembered, and after savoring the first bite, I downed an entire bowl in a matter of minutes. Lira sat across from me. The bowl in front of her remained untouched, and I pointed my spoon in her direction.

"Are you not hungry?"

She shrugged, and the bowl squealed as she pushed it across the wooden table. "I think I may have done too much sampling while I was preparing the dish. You should eat it."

A surge of apprehension washed over me, but I hid it with a weak smile as I dipped my spoon into the bowl. Lira's tufted ears flattened against her head. She picked up her utensil, dipped it into the savory brown liquid, and popped the heaping scoop into her mouth.

"Yep. I'm too full for more than that, but it may be my best batch yet."

Sheepishly, I dug into my second helping. If Yoko was here, she would be furious that I hadn't considered the food might be drugged, but honestly, I was more heartbroken that I even had to think about such a thing in my homeland.

Eager to break the suddenly tense silence, I said, "You said your father helped pave this road. Where is he?"

Lira's shoulders drooped. "He died almost twelve moon cycles ago."

"Oh."

Empathy flooded me. I knew what it was like to lose a parent. Both of them. And from the looks of things, Lira had lost both of hers. She was all alone in this world.

"I'm so sorry."

I closed my hand over hers. The bench beneath her scraped over the dirt floor as she pushed it back to stand. She picked up the bowl and took it to a makeshift sink on the counter, keeping her back to me while she pumped water into the bucket.

"You have nothing to apologize for since you didn't know. Some would say it was his fault."

The low elf peered out the window in front of her. The warped glass distorted her reflection, so I could not see her expression, but I could imagine the sorrow that would be there.

"Why would anyone say that?" I exclaimed.

"Because he wandered too close to the Grim. Our crops failed because we had no rain, and the rivers dried up. Everyone knows that the lakes in the Grim stay full no matter the weather because the Kelpies make it so. We were desperate."

"Lira..."

I went to her and reached out a hand. She jerked away, keeping her head down. Poor thing. Was she crying? It looked like it the way her shoulders shook.

"Perhaps I should go now. I'm very thankful for the meal."

"No!"

The girl spun around. Her hand covered her mouth, and her lashes fluttered. Had her eyes always been so dark?

She dragged in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that. It's just...I've been alone for so long, but I understand. You have friends waiting for you."

Apprehension returned. It was a nagging sense that something wasn't quite right. Perhaps if I had listened to my instincts before, instead of being so filled with self importance, I might have realized the danger we were in when Mafta appeared, but this girl was nothing like the shifter. Sure, she was a little odd, but I might go a little mad myself if I had spent the last twelve moon cycles in this cabin all by myself.

Keeping my hands at my side, I asked, "Have you considered going to Radia? Surely it would be better for you to live there than out here all alone?"

Her ears stood up straight, and she tilted her head to the side. Something, somewhere, hissed. "Is that where your friends are going? To Radia?"