[Longlisted!] -Ghosts of Galena- [#Wattys2018]

King

I don't know what you're talking about.

The words are on my lips, a fierce denial at the tip of my tongue, but it never gets the chance to slip by, because Lyran's gaze tilts up over my shoulder, drawing my attention away, and when I turn my head, I'm reminded of the guards standing sentinel at the gate.

I'd almost forgotten them.

I'd almost forgotten myself.

"Marcus," Lyran calls to one of them. "You and Tate take the kid down to the stream so he can wash off. Then show'm where the food is, huh? I'll watch for the others."

One guard nods, moving away, moving toward us, and the second one follows. They both take steps toward Ree and I'm forced to place my body between theirs and hers.

"I said no," I snap, to nobody in particular.

To everyone at once.

"Give over, Jesse," Lyran says. "You really can't take any more of a beating today."

He's right, but it's not what I want to hear, and they're going to have to go over my dead body if they want to do Ree harm. There's a staring contest between the two of us, Blue vs. Silver until Lyran rolls his eyes and sighs, shifting those grey-sky irises of his just slightly so that he's talking to the dark head of clipped spikes peering over my shoulder.

"Ree," he starts to say, "would you give us a minute? I'd like to have a word with your guard dog, preferably alone. My guys'll keep you safe, and set up a cry if Con tries to start somethin'."

I feel her body shift at my back, then the place where she was radiating heat goes cold.

"Okay." One word spoken, but I feel the betrayal to my toes.

When I spin around to stop her, I find myself staring at her retreating form. Ree, her small body bookended by Marcus and Tate, disappears into the darkness at the edge of the enclosure. Disbelief, shock, and a little, tiny bit of hurt well up in my chest, my belly, boiling with anger and desolation.

She left me.

After all I did.

After all I've been through--

"She's only protecting you," Lyran says, as if reading my thoughts. His voice is a smooth rumble over my shoulder when he adds, "she knows you don't have anymore eyes to blacken."

A sharp sound of disbelief escapes is the only sound that finally ekes past my lips. "Protecting me?"

"Yeah." Lyran folds his arms over his chest, taking two steps closer to the light of the fire so that we're standing side-by-side watching her go. "Guess she figures she should return the favor."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, finally, and I can feel Lyran staring at me, can see the occasional flash of silver-grey out of the corner of my eye. The fire flickers in the near-distance, casting red-orange hues across his tanned-dark skin. After a moment, my refusal to acknowledge his stare nets me a slow nod, a heavy sigh.

"Pretty smart of you, I guess. Kinda stupid, and you're gonna feel it tomorrow, but... smart." he says, then waits for me to slant my gaze in his direction before he explains, "creating a diversion."

Lyran waits for me to say something, but I don't offer up an explanation. I don't owe him that and he knows it.

"Creating a lot of diversions," is his would-be humorous observation. "Guess I can't fault the logic. If everyone's staring at you, it keeps their eyes off of her, huh?"