sides and lifted, taking the strain off the strap, which allowed Riette to quickly unbuckle it and move on to the next. Dashiq gave a woof of appreciation.
"Now around back here," Tuck said when the last buckle was released. "We just grab here, lift, and walk." The dragon slipped nimbly from beneath the carriage and immediately flew back to the vortex. "And down," Tuck said.
Though lighter than expected, the carriage was still bulky and awkward, and Riette was happy to lower it to the ground. What worried her was having to put the carriage and saddle back onto Dashiq before they could leave. She tried not to think about it. When a snake slipped into the scraggly weeds surrounding the campsite, watching where she stepped became much more important.
"Don't let none of the snakes around here bite you," Tuck said. "They won't exactly kill you, but you won't live too long neither. And avoid the spiders. And when you go in the water, stay away from eels and deep water. Trust me. Shallow water is bad enough."
Trembling, Riette stood frozen and tried to watch everywhere around her at once.
"Oh, don't worry . . . What was your name again?"
"Riette," she said. "And—"
"And he's Emmet," Tuck said. You've mentioned him a couple times. "It's just that he don't never really talk back to you that way."
"No. He doesn't. Except sometimes. I look into his eyes, and I see him there, trying to tell me something important but he can't. And what he does say doesn't always make sense, or it's poorly timed. I don't know why or how, he just has a knack for saying the exact wrong thing at the exact right time."
"Such a nice kid," Tuck said.
Riette looked to see Emmet stripping down to his long shorts and following the captain, who had done the same. Shaking her head, she was ready to shout for them to stop when Emmet reached out his hand. The tall man stopped, and Emmet's hand disappeared into his oversized grip.
"He'll be fine," Tuck said.
Taking a deep breath and wiping away the tear that slipped from her eye, Riette let Emmet go. She trusted the captain and Tuck and Dashiq. It was not a small moment in her life. Much of what she had loved and trusted had been taken from her, and few had ever managed to penetrate the barriers she erected around herself.
Sitting down next to her, Tuck extended his fully formed hand and took hers. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she didn't want to this time. She didn't want to hide for the rest of her life. She wanted someone to truly know who she was and want her for that, rather than what she chose to show the world.
As night fell, the captain and Emmet returned, soggy and tired but bearing fish, salty fruit, and sparkling leaves.
"Are you hurt at all?" Tuck asked Riette.
"A few scrapes and bruises," she said. "But Emmet might be worse off than I am. I'm supposed to do inspections for cuts and bruises, but I haven't yet. So much has changed, and I just forgot." Familiar guilt returned.
"He already had some saltbark leaf by the looks of him," Tuck said, and the boy grinned back.
The captain stoked the small fire Tuck had built while Tuck offered Riette a single glittering leaf encased in translucent crystals. He held it as if it were a great treasure. "Place this on your tongue, and let the crystals dissolve, then chew the leaf and swallow. It won't hurt you neither way."
Riette decided proper grammar was not always required for communication, though it pained her to do so. The leaf was so beautiful and the presentation so intriguing, Riette accepted it and examined it thoroughly before opening her mouth. Even the smell was magical: sweet, tangy, and salty. Before any of the crystals fell off, she slipped the leaf onto her tongue. The saltiness was almost overwhelming at first, but that soon passed, followed by a light sweetness. In a few moments, only the leaf remained, and she savored its citrus tang.
Resting next to the fire, she and Tuck watched the skies, amazed to see bits of
"Now around back here," Tuck said when the last buckle was released. "We just grab here, lift, and walk." The dragon slipped nimbly from beneath the carriage and immediately flew back to the vortex. "And down," Tuck said.
Though lighter than expected, the carriage was still bulky and awkward, and Riette was happy to lower it to the ground. What worried her was having to put the carriage and saddle back onto Dashiq before they could leave. She tried not to think about it. When a snake slipped into the scraggly weeds surrounding the campsite, watching where she stepped became much more important.
"Don't let none of the snakes around here bite you," Tuck said. "They won't exactly kill you, but you won't live too long neither. And avoid the spiders. And when you go in the water, stay away from eels and deep water. Trust me. Shallow water is bad enough."
Trembling, Riette stood frozen and tried to watch everywhere around her at once.
"Oh, don't worry . . . What was your name again?"
"Riette," she said. "And—"
"And he's Emmet," Tuck said. You've mentioned him a couple times. "It's just that he don't never really talk back to you that way."
"No. He doesn't. Except sometimes. I look into his eyes, and I see him there, trying to tell me something important but he can't. And what he does say doesn't always make sense, or it's poorly timed. I don't know why or how, he just has a knack for saying the exact wrong thing at the exact right time."
"Such a nice kid," Tuck said.
Riette looked to see Emmet stripping down to his long shorts and following the captain, who had done the same. Shaking her head, she was ready to shout for them to stop when Emmet reached out his hand. The tall man stopped, and Emmet's hand disappeared into his oversized grip.
"He'll be fine," Tuck said.
Taking a deep breath and wiping away the tear that slipped from her eye, Riette let Emmet go. She trusted the captain and Tuck and Dashiq. It was not a small moment in her life. Much of what she had loved and trusted had been taken from her, and few had ever managed to penetrate the barriers she erected around herself.
Sitting down next to her, Tuck extended his fully formed hand and took hers. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she didn't want to this time. She didn't want to hide for the rest of her life. She wanted someone to truly know who she was and want her for that, rather than what she chose to show the world.
As night fell, the captain and Emmet returned, soggy and tired but bearing fish, salty fruit, and sparkling leaves.
"Are you hurt at all?" Tuck asked Riette.
"A few scrapes and bruises," she said. "But Emmet might be worse off than I am. I'm supposed to do inspections for cuts and bruises, but I haven't yet. So much has changed, and I just forgot." Familiar guilt returned.
"He already had some saltbark leaf by the looks of him," Tuck said, and the boy grinned back.
The captain stoked the small fire Tuck had built while Tuck offered Riette a single glittering leaf encased in translucent crystals. He held it as if it were a great treasure. "Place this on your tongue, and let the crystals dissolve, then chew the leaf and swallow. It won't hurt you neither way."
Riette decided proper grammar was not always required for communication, though it pained her to do so. The leaf was so beautiful and the presentation so intriguing, Riette accepted it and examined it thoroughly before opening her mouth. Even the smell was magical: sweet, tangy, and salty. Before any of the crystals fell off, she slipped the leaf onto her tongue. The saltiness was almost overwhelming at first, but that soon passed, followed by a light sweetness. In a few moments, only the leaf remained, and she savored its citrus tang.
Resting next to the fire, she and Tuck watched the skies, amazed to see bits of
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