Tainted

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Done," Braxos says. He turns down a path between the tents.

I slump to the ground, my feet aching. The sun has sunk low in the sky, and now I'm chilly, cooled sweat coating the inside of the robe. Rogue was true to his word and came every two hours to give sun protection and change out the aloe socks, but he seemed distracted and not keen on conversation.

I let myself catch my breath, before looking up toward the fenced-in area with the animals.

Sailor is still there. He's brushing the horses' coats and making them shine. Even from here I can hear them whinnying.

I force myself to my feet. My knees wobble and my calves burn as I trudge over to Sailor. The sling is damp from sweat and crusted with sand. I can feel a grain uncomfortably grinding against the bandages and my skin.

"Hey," I say, unable to muster anything else. I slump against the fence, lifting up on my toes to give my heels a break.

"Mira!" Sailor says brightly. He grins, his mood not at all dampened by a day in the hot sun.

"Did yae have a good day wi' sentry?" Sailor asks, his hand on the snout of a brown horse with a white stripe over its nose.

The horses are much bigger up close. I take a small step back.

"I had a day alright. There was nothing to see, which is probably a good thing."

"Aye. Glad yae had a good day. Would yae do it again tomorrow?" Sailor whispers something to the horses, then pushes open the gate and steps through, closing it shut behind him.

No, I think. "Maybe," I say.

Sailor brightens even more at this. "So yae wan' to stay through tomorrow a' least!" he says.

I look off toward the setting sun. The air temperature's dropping. I pull my robe more tightly around my shoulders.

"I suppose so," I say, slowly. "But I still do want to go home."

"I know. Bu' i'll be nice tae have yae while yae here."

I follow Sailor back toward the central clearing, weaving in and out between various tents, and I can feel exhaustion settling thick and fast over my shoulders.

"I might need to go to bed," I admit.

Sailor's shoulders droop. "Yae don' wan' tae stay for stories?" he asks.

I try to perk up at the thought, but my muscles are too sore and tired. "Not tonight. I think I should just turn in."

Sailor nods. "Well we can a' least get yae some food."

My stomach growls in response.

There's a gentle rumble of conversation as we move closer to where the chairs and tables were set up for the class. Everyone seems cheery. Mugs clink together, Traigh bread is laid down in the center of the tables, and all manner of people sit collectively side by side.

I recognize Braxos—he stands with a young girl in line for stew. Her mouth is moving a span a minute. The Educator is standing behind her, and every once in a while the girl looks back to make sure she's saying the right things. The Educator nods encouragingly every time.

The two women I waved to earlier are uncorking a bottle of wine. A tall woman with a brightly-patterned turban smiles with them.

Rogue's fiery red hair can be seen in the middle of it all. He's talking to the Elch he smiled to before, his arm resting loosely over her shoulders.

I look away.

"This is all wonderful, truly, but I'm so tired. And I don't feel...comfortable meeting this many people when I'm tired," I say. I can already feel my eyes getting sore from roving over the different people and instinctively looking for weaknesses. I need another evening to rest and relax.