yourself in the dark?”
“Yeah, actually,” he answered. “Sort of. There was a lot of smoke.” Kaie was very confused. It only got worse when she tugged and twisted the shirt until it sat more loosely around his shoulders.
She scoffed and started doing up his buttons again. “Of course you did. Gods help me, you’re not going to be happy until we’re all dead, are you?”
“Well, I’ve heard it’s important to have goals.” He suffered her frittering at his shirt, but when she reached up to his hair Kaie put a stop to it. He grabbed her hands at the wrist. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to save my life,” Kissa said. “Which, at the moment, means making sure you get out of Lindel.”
She tried to tug her hands free. Kaie tightened his grip. “You don’t like me.”
Her scowl deepened and she slowly shook her head. “You’re right. You’re an ass. And, since you’re here wearing that, I’m guessing a murderer too. If you count putting a Hollow down murder. Either way, no I don’t like you.”
“Then why?” he asked.
Kaie was sure he could trust her in this, but he didn’t know where the certainty came from. His feelings toward Kissa were unchanged, the tightly wound ball of hatred living in his stomach twisted at the thought of putting his faith in her, just to remind him it was there. But he knew that she wanted to help him, and that he was going to let her. It was disconcerting and he needed some kind of explanation; some rationalization for what he was about to do.
“Because I need to be able to sleep at night a little bit more than I need to obey the Namer.”
He sneered. “Too bad you didn’t think of that before she went ripping through my mind.”
Kissa sighed and tugged her hands again. This time, he let them go. “You think you’re the only one in danger? I’m a mage, Kaie, just like you. I’m not wearing a brand, but I’m every bit the slave you are. There’s no such thing as a free mage in the empire. I just got to choose my prison. Hollow or Namer. Which one would you pick?”
Kaie scowled. There was no reason to answer. No one who understood what it was to be Hollow would choose any differently than she did. He didn’t need to like it though.
Kissa went to work on his hair. It was strange. She was shorter than him, so she needed to stand on her toes, and he actually rested a hand on her hip to help her balance. Her fingers were just as small as Peren’s, and they worked through his hair with gentle dexterity. The moment was filled with a surreal intimacy.
When she was done, she held her fingers over his temples, so close he could feel the heat of them without any actual contact. “I know a spell that will make your face numb for a while. A week, maybe two. It will work, even while you sleep. So long as you keep your mouth shut for a change, it should be enough to get you out of Lindel.” She stared into his eyes, her face asking permission, adding to the strangeness of the moment.
Kaie wanted to say no. Putting magic to use to get him out was one thing. Letting it touch him again, that was another. There was no way for him to calculate what he lost to this girl and her spells. He would never know what magic stole from him. He would rather head back into that burning shack than let her back into his mind.
Slowly, his skin crawling, he nodded.
Her fingers closed the distance to his temple in less than a blink. Kissa’s eyelids fluttered close and, for a moment, Kaie thought it was all some sick ploy to kiss him. That certainly wouldn’t make the exchange any weirder. Instead, her lips parted and more of that strange, half-whispered language he remembered from the last time she touched him slid out.
“ Ladda rost . ”
A tingling started at his temples. It wasn’t painful, not exactly, but it was decidedly unpleasant. Two breaths later, the sensation encompassed his entire head. Kaie fought to keep his hands where they were, to not shove her away or
“Yeah, actually,” he answered. “Sort of. There was a lot of smoke.” Kaie was very confused. It only got worse when she tugged and twisted the shirt until it sat more loosely around his shoulders.
She scoffed and started doing up his buttons again. “Of course you did. Gods help me, you’re not going to be happy until we’re all dead, are you?”
“Well, I’ve heard it’s important to have goals.” He suffered her frittering at his shirt, but when she reached up to his hair Kaie put a stop to it. He grabbed her hands at the wrist. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to save my life,” Kissa said. “Which, at the moment, means making sure you get out of Lindel.”
She tried to tug her hands free. Kaie tightened his grip. “You don’t like me.”
Her scowl deepened and she slowly shook her head. “You’re right. You’re an ass. And, since you’re here wearing that, I’m guessing a murderer too. If you count putting a Hollow down murder. Either way, no I don’t like you.”
“Then why?” he asked.
Kaie was sure he could trust her in this, but he didn’t know where the certainty came from. His feelings toward Kissa were unchanged, the tightly wound ball of hatred living in his stomach twisted at the thought of putting his faith in her, just to remind him it was there. But he knew that she wanted to help him, and that he was going to let her. It was disconcerting and he needed some kind of explanation; some rationalization for what he was about to do.
“Because I need to be able to sleep at night a little bit more than I need to obey the Namer.”
He sneered. “Too bad you didn’t think of that before she went ripping through my mind.”
Kissa sighed and tugged her hands again. This time, he let them go. “You think you’re the only one in danger? I’m a mage, Kaie, just like you. I’m not wearing a brand, but I’m every bit the slave you are. There’s no such thing as a free mage in the empire. I just got to choose my prison. Hollow or Namer. Which one would you pick?”
Kaie scowled. There was no reason to answer. No one who understood what it was to be Hollow would choose any differently than she did. He didn’t need to like it though.
Kissa went to work on his hair. It was strange. She was shorter than him, so she needed to stand on her toes, and he actually rested a hand on her hip to help her balance. Her fingers were just as small as Peren’s, and they worked through his hair with gentle dexterity. The moment was filled with a surreal intimacy.
When she was done, she held her fingers over his temples, so close he could feel the heat of them without any actual contact. “I know a spell that will make your face numb for a while. A week, maybe two. It will work, even while you sleep. So long as you keep your mouth shut for a change, it should be enough to get you out of Lindel.” She stared into his eyes, her face asking permission, adding to the strangeness of the moment.
Kaie wanted to say no. Putting magic to use to get him out was one thing. Letting it touch him again, that was another. There was no way for him to calculate what he lost to this girl and her spells. He would never know what magic stole from him. He would rather head back into that burning shack than let her back into his mind.
Slowly, his skin crawling, he nodded.
Her fingers closed the distance to his temple in less than a blink. Kissa’s eyelids fluttered close and, for a moment, Kaie thought it was all some sick ploy to kiss him. That certainly wouldn’t make the exchange any weirder. Instead, her lips parted and more of that strange, half-whispered language he remembered from the last time she touched him slid out.
“ Ladda rost . ”
A tingling started at his temples. It wasn’t painful, not exactly, but it was decidedly unpleasant. Two breaths later, the sensation encompassed his entire head. Kaie fought to keep his hands where they were, to not shove her away or
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