Page 71 of Raven's Dawn
Laila dropped down beside Amara, sweeping her out from the kelpie’s leg space. I plunged my first stab. It hit bone, and pain shot up my arm into my neck. I wrenched back on the blade, ready to land another blow, but Amara yelled, “Stop!”
I did.
The kelpie bucked.
I wrenched hold of the hair along its neck. A current of wind circled around me at my command. If I stayed on much longer, I would lose my grip.
“Kill the damn thing!” Iliantha’s voice.
For the third time that day, I did.
I stabbed, and I stabbed, and I stabbed.
It squealed, and it cried, and it bucked, but I held on, and I stabbed some more. I stabbed until it collapsed. I collapsed with it, but caught myself on a cushion of wind.
Collecting my bearings, I grabbed onto a root along the edge of the swamp. With that leverage, I pulled myself onto the muddy Earth.
“The fuck did ye do that for?!”
I was barely on my feet, and Amara was already inches from my face. “Excuse me?”
With both hands, she shoved me in the chest. “I had it. I was fine. I didn’t need?—”
“You almost just got trampled to death.” Wide-eyed, I stared at her in disbelief. “You were not fine.”
“I was?—”
“About to die an excruciating death,” I said. “‘Thank you.’ That’s how you respond when someone saves your life.”
“Ye didn’t save shite.” She stepped in again, toes so close that they were almost touching mine. Blue eyes glowing, she raised her hands to push me again. “I didn’t need?—”
“Amara,” Iliantha said, voice a threat.
“Touch me again,” I snapped. “I fucking dare you.”
Using her pointer finger, she extended it slowly toward me. “Aye? That right? What are ye going to?—”
“What the hell is your problem?” I smacked her hand away. “Is this about Graham? Do you want to fuck him or something?”
She snorted. “Ye’re kidding.”
I raised my arms at my sides. “I can’t think of another reason for you being such a cunt to me. I haven’t done anything to you. Never been rude, never insulted you, but you’ve done both to me I don’t know how many times, Amara. You were a bitch when we were coming in here, you were a bitch to me the moment we met, and you’re being a bitch to me right now when I just saved your fucking life, and I don’t understand why?—”
“Because ye’re weak!” She stepped in again. “Because ye don’t have any fucking right to be here! We don’t need ye. We don’t need any of ye.”
“Oh, you don’t?” Laila asked. “You don’t need us for anything.”
Amara’s stare broke mine. She turned to Laila, mouth agape, glow in her eyes receding. “I—I didn’t mean ye, do grás.”
“No, you meant Rain. Who has helped us far more than you have on this trip.” Laila’s voice was pointed, but quiet. She didn’t yell, she didn’t scream. She didn’t need to. “What have you done aside from what you’re told? Which I appreciate, don’t get me wrong, but to say that we don’t need her after she just saved your life is a slap in the face that I won’t accept from anyone I work with. If not for her, we wouldn’t have known about the magic that the air an tagadh are using. We wouldn’t have known where that poor soldier disappeared to. His family would have never found his body, but they did. They get closure, because Rain found him.” Stepping closer, between us, it was her eyes that glowed this time. “Now explain to me what your problem is. Say it aloud. Tell Rain why you don’t like her.”
Swallowing hard, Amara looked at her, then looked at me, and gritted her teeth. Silence sat between us for a long moment.
“It’s Graham, isn’t it?” I asked. “Are you in love with him?”
Something between a laugh and a huff left her mouth. “I’m a lesbian.”
Oh. That I hadn’t suspected. In hindsight, maybe I should have. She didn’t wear particularly feminine clothing. I’d yet to see her look at any of the very attractive men we traveled with in a particular way.