The Phoenix People

Chapter Forty-Eight

The food tent was large, even larger than Sky's tent. Inside, it was packed with Outlanders getting their dinner. I was somewhat surprised that the many Skimmers pulling the tent didn't just collapse from exhaustion.

Do Skimmers collapse? I wondered idly, following Sky as she cut a snaking path through her people. What does a sleeping Skimmer even look like?

My musings were interrupted when a small child collided with my legs as he ran giggling through the tent. His mother swooped him into her arms, straightening up only to do a double take when she saw who I was.

"I am so sorry. It won't happen again," she assured me, almost fearfully. 

Taken aback by her misplaced concern, I shrugged awkwardly. "It's not an issue." As she rushed herself and her child away from me, I frowned, absentmindedly stroking Jack's head.

Why had she been so terrified of bothering me?

Sky returned just then with a sandwich of that strange blue meat between two thick pieces of bread. She handed them to me along with a bottle of Jack's formula from her pocket. "I'll have water delivered to your tent," she promised.

"Thank you." I smiled faintly.

"What's wrong?"

I almost told her what had happened with the woman and her boy. But then my mind flashed back over all the strange things that had been happening for the past couple of days. I knew that after all the Outlanders had done for me, this suspicion was strange and unwarranted, but I couldn't help it.

The sooner I was out of the Badlands, the better.

"Nothing," I replied, flashing Sky my winning Princess Smile, the same one I had used to always get my way in the palace. It worked even here, apparently, for Sky returned it with a grin of her own and led me out of the tent.

"Where do you wish to dine?" she asked.

"My tent will suffice, thank you."

"Oh, Alexia, I almost forgot. We have enough water for you to bathe if you so desire."

The thought of cleaning myself, of washing away the layers of sweat and sand and grime, was intoxicating  - but I had imposed upon this community too much. That liquid could mean extra water for the Outlanders.

Summoning all of my willpower, I shook my head. "No, thank you. It's very kind, but I don't want to waste your water."

"Nonsense," Sky said firmly. "You are far from home, caring for a such a young child, no less, and we have plenty of water to spare." She waved away my protests. "The little one needs a bath, too."

"That is true," I conceded with a laugh, giving in.

Sky chuckled with me and bade me farewell. I returned to my tent, already selfishly looking forward to the bath.

As I sat on my bed in the dusk of the evening, sharing pieces of the bread with Jack as well as feeding him the formula, I struggled with my exhaustion. Jack was doing the same, obviously - his tiny yawns were adorable.

I listened to the faint sounds of the Outlanders settling in for the night - mothers calling for their children, riders dismantling their Skimmers, men talking in low voices.

What would it have been like to be raised here, I wondered? To be born a child of the sand, raised to Skimmer-riding and utter freedom. It seemed a glorious life.

But then, it seemed like every childhood I had witnessed thus far was preferable to mine. Had my childhood truly been so terrible? Now that I knew Audric for who he was, my memories of him were cast in shadow, and recollections of my sister or parents were tinged with grief - but when I truly thought about it, I realized that my childhood had been wonderful, all things considered.

My parents had been distant due to their busy schedules, but always kind. My brother, when he was younger, had been an eager playmate.

And Alia, of course, had been my best friend, my closest comrade, someone I could always depend upon.

But she had left me. Whether it was intentional or not, I had no way of knowing - and I wasn't sure which path would hurt more.

My somber thoughts were interrupted when I heard the whistle signifiying someone was waiting outside.

The bath. "Come in," I called eagerly.

A woman entered whom I hadn't yet encountered, bearing a large tub of water with relative ease. As she set it down in the middle of the tent and placed a pile of towels next to it, she said shyly, "I like your hair."

"Oh. Thank you." I smiled gently at her. She grinned and left.

Although the tent flaps were heavy and barely moved in the desert wind, I still felt self-conscious about bathing in the most open room I had ever occupied. There was nothing to be done about it, however, so I stripped, undressing Jack as well.

The tub was large enough that I could sit cross-legged quite comfortably with the baby balanced on my calves. He cooed and smacked the water with open hands, splashing some of it out of the tub. I gently grabbed his wrists to prevent him from doing so again.

I used my hands as a bowl to wash the worst of the sand off of my body, paying more attention to cleaning Jack. After I had rinsed out his thin hair and turned his fair skin slightly pink with my scrubbing, I placed him on top of the towels so I had more room to navigate as I focused on cleaning my skin and hair.

After I was finished, I dressed in an outfit quite similar to my last. I also located a small, silken skirt for Jack.

I smiled softly as he absentmindedly toyed with the hem of his new top. The kindness of these "vicious" Outlanders was continuing to astound me.

"Ready for bedtime?" I murmured, holding my arms out for Jack. He readily crawled into them and nestled against my chest.

"You doing okay?" I asked softly, stroking his hair. "By the gods, you've been through so much..."

The baby yawned. He reached up and patted my cheek.

I placed my hand over his. "You are going to grow up to be so handsome and strong," I murmured. "I promise."

Hopefully, Jack would get to come of age in a world where Lowborns and Highborns were equals.