Dead Lines

21: Family, pt. 1

Unedited.

Chapter Twenty-One

No one talked to us.

Not when they brought me clean clothes.

Not at the bonfire while we ate dinner.

Not even when Andrzej said it was time to turn in.

It wasn’t that big of a deal. Neither of us were talking to them either. Andrzej was busy studying everyone while he ate and I was caught up in my own thoughts and trying not to be unnerved by how odd the Between was. The whole place felt…wrong. I felt like a doe who had just walked into a clearing with a hunter up in the trees on the other side. Everything felt backwards and upside down and like I had to be prepared for anything.

When we got to our assigned caravan, I was a little shocked by how small it was. There was enough room for two people to lie down, not comfortably, and that was it. I wasn’t complaining and neither was Andrzej. Both of us were too tired and alert to complain about the lack of space.

But I had to ask as we settled in.

“I scared them, didn’t I?”

He snorted and plopped down on his pallet. I was already laying on mine, facing the ceiling and studying the woodcarvings that made it up. There was no light as the fires outside had long been extinguished but I could still see most of it. Not the small details but enough to know what it depicted “You stirred the pot a little, yeah.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Instincts, rakli. We all have them. Even the Virgin Oracle. All you did was follow them and there is nothing wrong with that.”

“They don’t know, do they? That I’m the Oracle. You skated around it pretty well.”

“They suspect. Still do. That’s what Fiance meant by dropping the Lycaon Guard label.”

“Fiance? That’s her name? That woman?”

“That’s the one.”

“She’s not fond of outsiders.”

“She’s not fond of anyone. Not even her husband.”

“Who is her husband?”

“Was. Yanko was her husband.”

“Well, no wonder she’s cranky.”

He cracked a smile. “I’m glad you came.”

“Because I’m taking off some of the heat?”

“Because I would feel very much alone if you hadn’t.”

I rolled to my side to face him. “Why do you hate them so much?”

Without missing a beat, he replied, “I have plenty of reasons.”

“Don’t give me the bullshit answer. You told me once you didn’t have a family, that you were an orphan. Clearly, in some way, you have a family. You’re not an orphan.”

He took a deep breath and released it. “This isn’t the time to revisit those demons, rakli. Ask me again when we’re back in our world.”

I wasn’t surprised by his answer but I was still a little hurt by it. I’d thought by now he would trust me with his history and in a way, I knew it had nothing to do with trust. It was something else entirely.

“All you have to say is you don’t want to tell me…”

“Rakli.” He suddenly sounded very tired and rolled to his back so he didn’t have to look at me. I knew what that meant even if he didn’t. It would be easier to lie to me if he wasn’t facing me. “It’s just—now isn’t—it’s time for bed.”