voice said, “This is fuckin’ bullshit.”
Triqueta hugged herself against the chill, tried to work her chapped hands into her sleeves and failed. She’d left her cloak inside, and she was cold; her hair was everywhere, scratching at her face. Without turning, she said, “We don’t have a choice – the Kas are coming and that’s all there is to it. Face it, it’s not the most stupid thing we’ve done.”
“It’s fuckin’
insane.
” Ecko paused, as if looking for the words for something, then ventured, “So, now we go to Fhaveon and we tell this ‘Rhan’ motherfucker he has to down tools and leg it across the plains with a host of daemons right up his ass. An’ you – you get to go
home.
”
“To Roviarath, to where the centaurs run.” She glanced slyly sideways, and her smile was humourless. “That’s not why I’m going—”
“You’re still lookin’ for him—”
“I
want
to go home, Ecko!” She dropped her chin, rounded on him. “I miss my family – should never’ve left in the first place. You led us on some Gods-damned dance—”
“Led you?” He bared his teeth. “What’re you, helpless now? You’re a big girl, you made your own choices—”
“Did I? Did
you
?” She snorted, anger and grief, ridicule. “We should never’ve gone to Aeona, whatever Nivvy just said. The terhnwood blade I was given in the pub, that damned brimstone – that alchemist wound us in like fish so he could have
you.
And you near damned us all, our whole
world.
And Redlock…”
The word choked her. She expected,
wanted
, Ecko to fight back, needed him to rise against her raw torrent of words, but instead he backed up, spreading his hands.
“Look, I didn’t come out here to pick a fight.”
“What?” Startled by his lack of resistance, Triq lost her momentum, staggered. Unsure, she sniped, “Makes a change.”
He pulled a face at her. “Put a fuckin’ sock in it willya, I’m tryin’ here. You wanna go home – like, I get it, y’know? I…”
“Yeah, I know.” It was Triqueta’s turn to back up. She shrugged, not sure where this was going. “I’m not used to you being… well, like that, I s’pose. Sorry.”
“Me too.”
For a moment, they stood there like kids, neither of them quite knowing what to say. Then Ecko lifted his chin and looked straight at her, black-on-black eyes like pits, expressionless.
“I don’t…” He paused, seemed to gather himself, to make a conscious, concentrated effort. “I don’t think you should go… ah… alone.”
I don’t think you should go alone.
It was just about the last thing she’d been expecting. For no reason, Triqueta found her pulse jumping, and she stared at him, his ill-fitting clothes wind-tight against one side of his lean body.
He said, “You came after me.” He seemed to be struggling, and, like staring at some deep fear, she was compelled to see where it would end. “You said, ‘We’re your friends, we came here because we love you, because we won’t abandon you, because we don’t walk out on family.’” Flickers passed though the colours in his skin. “I don’t want… I don’t think you should. Not all that way. Not with all the… y’know… critters an’ stuff…” His argument tailed into an awkward silence, but he held her gaze. He seemed fixed to the spot, tense.
“I don’t need an escort.” She mustered a laugh, before realising that really hadn’t been the point.
He was asking to come with her.
Asking…
Don’t be ridiculous
, Triqueta told herself,
you’re imagining it…
Something in her laugh had cowed him, and he dropped his gaze and stepped back out of the wind, into the shadow of the arch’s wall. He shrugged, backed away further. He seemed embarrassed, flickers of anger chased impossible blue lights in his empty black eyes. Muttering, he went to turn away.
Triq heard herself say, “Ecko, wait!”
“What?” The word was a lash, cutting, a knee-jerk reaction to hurt.
She
Triqueta hugged herself against the chill, tried to work her chapped hands into her sleeves and failed. She’d left her cloak inside, and she was cold; her hair was everywhere, scratching at her face. Without turning, she said, “We don’t have a choice – the Kas are coming and that’s all there is to it. Face it, it’s not the most stupid thing we’ve done.”
“It’s fuckin’
insane.
” Ecko paused, as if looking for the words for something, then ventured, “So, now we go to Fhaveon and we tell this ‘Rhan’ motherfucker he has to down tools and leg it across the plains with a host of daemons right up his ass. An’ you – you get to go
home.
”
“To Roviarath, to where the centaurs run.” She glanced slyly sideways, and her smile was humourless. “That’s not why I’m going—”
“You’re still lookin’ for him—”
“I
want
to go home, Ecko!” She dropped her chin, rounded on him. “I miss my family – should never’ve left in the first place. You led us on some Gods-damned dance—”
“Led you?” He bared his teeth. “What’re you, helpless now? You’re a big girl, you made your own choices—”
“Did I? Did
you
?” She snorted, anger and grief, ridicule. “We should never’ve gone to Aeona, whatever Nivvy just said. The terhnwood blade I was given in the pub, that damned brimstone – that alchemist wound us in like fish so he could have
you.
And you near damned us all, our whole
world.
And Redlock…”
The word choked her. She expected,
wanted
, Ecko to fight back, needed him to rise against her raw torrent of words, but instead he backed up, spreading his hands.
“Look, I didn’t come out here to pick a fight.”
“What?” Startled by his lack of resistance, Triq lost her momentum, staggered. Unsure, she sniped, “Makes a change.”
He pulled a face at her. “Put a fuckin’ sock in it willya, I’m tryin’ here. You wanna go home – like, I get it, y’know? I…”
“Yeah, I know.” It was Triqueta’s turn to back up. She shrugged, not sure where this was going. “I’m not used to you being… well, like that, I s’pose. Sorry.”
“Me too.”
For a moment, they stood there like kids, neither of them quite knowing what to say. Then Ecko lifted his chin and looked straight at her, black-on-black eyes like pits, expressionless.
“I don’t…” He paused, seemed to gather himself, to make a conscious, concentrated effort. “I don’t think you should go… ah… alone.”
I don’t think you should go alone.
It was just about the last thing she’d been expecting. For no reason, Triqueta found her pulse jumping, and she stared at him, his ill-fitting clothes wind-tight against one side of his lean body.
He said, “You came after me.” He seemed to be struggling, and, like staring at some deep fear, she was compelled to see where it would end. “You said, ‘We’re your friends, we came here because we love you, because we won’t abandon you, because we don’t walk out on family.’” Flickers passed though the colours in his skin. “I don’t want… I don’t think you should. Not all that way. Not with all the… y’know… critters an’ stuff…” His argument tailed into an awkward silence, but he held her gaze. He seemed fixed to the spot, tense.
“I don’t need an escort.” She mustered a laugh, before realising that really hadn’t been the point.
He was asking to come with her.
Asking…
Don’t be ridiculous
, Triqueta told herself,
you’re imagining it…
Something in her laugh had cowed him, and he dropped his gaze and stepped back out of the wind, into the shadow of the arch’s wall. He shrugged, backed away further. He seemed embarrassed, flickers of anger chased impossible blue lights in his empty black eyes. Muttering, he went to turn away.
Triq heard herself say, “Ecko, wait!”
“What?” The word was a lash, cutting, a knee-jerk reaction to hurt.
She
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