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She’d given up speaking with the Outsider They trudged in silence, with only the sound of her book covers crunching over the earth She’d alhed when she’d read The Odyssey on the leather It wasn’t a good omen for their journey But she hadn’t seen any Sirens or Cyclops so far, just scrubby hills with clusters of trees here and there She’d thought there’d be so much to fear out here, but her co around
They spent an hour digging with flat rocks around midday Soround They filled their waterskins and ate in silence When they were done they sat for a while, the Aether flowing cal the sky He’d done it often throughout the day There was so so intent in the way he studied the Aether Like he foundin it
Aria lined her collection of rocks in front of her She was up to fifteen She noticed dirt under her fingernails Were her nails longer? They couldn’t be Nails weren’t supposed to grow Nail groas regress Pointless, so it had been eliht out a flat stone froan to sharpen his knife Aria watched hi boned They drew the blade over the smooth surface in even, sure strokes The ht caught on the fine blond fuzz over his jaw Facial hair was another trait genetic engineers had done aith The Outsider’s hands stopped He peered up, a quick flash of green Then he put away his things and they walked again
In all the quiet, Aria was left to circle in her own thoughts They weren’t good ones Her enthusias the S herself yesterday by observing the outside, but that no longer worked She ht about her e She worried that her feet would get infected Whenever a headache flared, she iined that it was the first symptom of an illness that would kill her
Aria wanted to feel like herself again A girl who chased the best music in the Realms and bored her friends with facts on inane subjects Here, she was a girl with leather book covers for shoes A girl stuck walking across hills with aalive
She made up a tune to match all the fear and helplessness she kept locked inside Aonly in the privacy of her thoughts Aria hated the tune Hated even more how much she needed it She vowed that when she found Lumina, she’d leave this pathetic part of herself on the outside where it belonged She’d never sing the sad ht, she collapsed before the Outsider had the fire burning, wrapped in the blue fleece blanket She rested her head on his leather bag, finding that she needed a pillow more than she feared filth
She had never known this much pain She had never been this tired She hoped that was it That she was tired, and not surrendering to the Death Shop
On the ether, the Outsider divided the last of the food he’d brought fro her way, as usual Aria shook her head He was rude and cold and eerily anireen eyes and his wolfish teeth, but by some miracle they’d struck a deal She could’ve had worse luck than to have crossed paths with hih the inventory of her discomforts A headache, muscle pains, and cramps low in her stomach She couldn’t look at the soles of her feet anymore
"I’ll have to hunt later," the Outsider said, poking at the fire with a stick The her terrain He’d put on a long-sleeved shirt beneath the leather vest It was a tired white color, rife with loose threads and patched holes It looked like soht wear, but she found it easier to look at him fully dressed
"Fine," she said, and frowned Monosyllabicism An Outsider disease, and she’d been infected
"We’ll beto her feet "Well out of my brother’s territory"
Aria shifted the blanket tighter around her He had a brother? She didn’t knohy it was hard to in of other Outsiders And she’d had no idea the land out here had any divisions
"Territory? Is he a duke or so?"
The corner of hislike that"
Oh, this was chah, she told herself Don’t laugh, Aria He was being downright chatty, for hio another day with nothing but that host in her mind
"There are territories," he said, "and there’s open land where the dispersed roam"
"What are dispersed?"
His eyes narrowed, annoyed at being interrupted "People who live outside of tribe protection Wanderers whofor food and shelter andjust looking to stay alive" He paused, his wide shoulders shifting "Bigger tribes claim territories My brother is a Blood Lord He commands my tribe, the Tides"
Blood Lord What a horrible-sounding title "Are you close to your brother?"
He looked at the stick in his hands "We were once Noants to kill me"
Aria froze "Are you serious?"
"You’ve asked me that before Do you Dwellers only joke?"
"Not only," she answered "But we do"
Aria waited for his ridicule She had a fair idea no hard his life was, if finding a drink ofThere didn’t seeh about out here But the Outsider didn’t say anything He tossed the stick into the fire and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees She wondered what he saw in the flames Was it the boy he looked for?
Aria didn’t understand why an Outsider boy would ever be kidnapped The Pods controlled populations carefully Everything had to be regulated Why would they waste precious resources on a Savage child?
The Outsider picked up his bow and quiver, looping thee Not a word, understand?"