Page 92 of The Merciless Ones
And that’s that.
Within seconds, my friends and I are climbing onto Ixa’s back, and then we’re soaring up into the air, leaving the walls of Hemaira behind us for what I hope will be the very last time.
The sun’s last embers are dying in the evening sky when Ixa finally lands at the edge of a small desert oasis, exhaustion shuddering through his muscles. He’s been flying this entire time in the blistering desert sun, and he’s more tired and parched than he’s ever been. As he dives into a small watering hole at the oasis’s centre, the rest of us swiftly, methodically prepare to camp for the night. We all know, without having to ask, that Ixa has reached his limit and will not be able to carry us for some hours yet. It’s time to eat and bathe – to refresh ourselves. This is one of the most important things our karmokos taught us: be sure to take any time we have to renew ourselves.
Life for an alaki – for any warrior, in fact – can be brutal and short. So we have to savour moments where we can, find happiness in the small and simple things. We can’t speed the journey no matter how desperately we wish: I tried all day to open a door, with not even the slightest hint of success, which means it’s at least two days until we reach Abeya. We’ll arrive just after Idugu’s army gets there, and that’s assuming we’re still welcome in the city. Considering everything that’s passed, we may very well not be.
Strange how, less than a month ago, I could not have imagined such a thing possible.
As Adwapa and Asha stroll into the darkness to hunt for our dinner, Britta and I, by mutual agreement, quietly head for the furthest end of the watering hole to wash. There’s no soap, no buckets, no nothing except sand and water, but it’s more than enough for both of us. It’s more than we expected, honestly, given the hurried nature of our journey.
We wash in silence, only the odd birdcall or chirp punctuating the quiet around us. So much has happened in the past few hours, the past few days, I think we’re both beyond words now.
Somewhere between scrubbing each other’s hair, Britta stops, puts her head in her hands, and begins to sob. I embrace her, and then I begin to cry too. For endless minutes, we just stand there, crying, releasing all the fear and frustration of the past few days.
When the tears finally run dry, we rise, dress ourselves, and then quietly return to the roaring fire the others have built. Keita nods as he passes us, on his way to take a bath now that we’re out of the watering hole. Behind him, the others are already halfway through the pair of plump gazelles Adwapa and Asha have caught. Ixa is gnawing at an entire leg bone and doesn’t even look up when we approach. Only Lamin and Belcalis have the decency to look sheepish, but everyone else is too busy stuffing themselves to care that they went ahead without us. Kweku, Asha and Li are ripping juicy bits off the meat, and Adwapa is feeding Mehrut little morsels with her fingertips, making happy little noises about “fattening her up”.
“Ye great greedy gobblers, ye couldn’t even wait for us, could ye?” Britta pokes an accusing finger at our friends.
Li just grins. “Well, I have just come back from the Afterlands – literally – and let me tell you, crossing back from beyond the veil makes a man very hungry.” He pulls a leg from the roast and bites eagerly into it, savouring the juicy meat.
Britta walks up to him, then stops, her entire body suddenly trembling with emotion.
Li stiffens, immediately cautious. “What’s happening? Why are you looking at me like that?” He turns to me. “Why is she looking at me like that?”
“Ye silly goose, I thought ye died.” She slaps him on the shoulder. “I thought ye’d died, I thought ye’d died!” She keeps slapping him over and over again.
He tries to evade her hands. “Well, I—OW!—I did die— OW! And now I’m alive—OW!—and presumably immortal-ish like you lot, and—” He never finishes his sentence because Britta launches at him, kissing him so deeply, he couldn’t talk even if he wanted to.
Acalan heaves a long-suffering sigh. “And just like that, another perfectly good meal is ruined.”
Belcalis elbows him. “Hush, you jealous so-and-so.”
“Jealous of what?” Acalan humphs.
“Of all the love in the air,” Adwapa says, lavishing Mehrut another kiss as Britta and Li finally separate from theirs.
Britta promptly bursts into sobs again. Li embraces her, lifts her into his arms, and presses his forehead to hers. His voice is low now, soft and soothing. “Hey, I’m still here, look at me, Britta, I’m still here.” He turns to us. “Excuse us,” he says, rising. He swiftly leads her towards the other end of the oasis.
“That was very romantic,” Lamin says, smiling simply. “Made my heart happy.”
Adwapa, now nuzzling Mehrut’s hair with her chin, looks at the rest of us. “Any other impromptu expressions of emotion? By all means, please let me know so I can leave now.”
Kweku’s jaw drops at the hypocrisy. “Mehrut is literally sitting on your lap. You were just kissing her!”
“Well, we’re allowed,” Adwapa sniffs. “We’re long-lost lovers. Aren’t we, my love?” She kisses Mehrut’s ears, and Mehrut giggles.
Kweku rolls his eyes. “Don’t you two have a bath you should be taking?”
“Same goes for you, you stinker, you’re ranker than the inside of a—”
Kweku holds up a stern finger. “No. Not today, Adwapa. None of your profanities after what I’ve just experienced. I’ve just come back from the dead. That should earn me at least a day’s reprieve from your abuses.”
“But I was just getting to the good part,” Adwapa pouts. “I even thought up a new curse.”
“I’ll hear your new curse,” Mehrut giggles.
“Why doesn’t everyone go take a bath,” Belcalis says. Then she says pointedly to Adwapa. “The far end of the watering hole is quite isolated.”