intermittently. It put Rhapsody in mind of tiny minnows, their scales twinkling in the water of a dark lake, pursued by misty white predatory fish that consumed them and moved on.
'Rhapsody?" Ashe's voice broke her solitude. She turned in the direction of her shadowy companion. He was sitting at the fire's edge, its light flickering off his misty cloak, wrapping him in haze.
'Yes?"
'Do you feel safe here with me?"
She considered for a moment. "As safe as I do anywhere, I suppose."
The hooded figure looked up. "What does that mean?" His voice was soft, almost gentle.
Rhapsody looked into the sky again. "I guess I don't remember what feeling safe feels like."
Ashe nodded, and went back to his thoughts. A moment later he spoke again.
'Is it because of the dreams?"
Rhapsody pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"Partly."
'Are you afraid of meeting Elynsynos?"
She smiled slightly. "A little."
Ashe picked up the kettle and poured himself another mug of tea. As if to |
make up for his rude behavior earlier in the trip, he was now drinking most of the pot over the course of a night, which she found amusing. "I could go in with you, if it would help."
Rhapsody thought about it, then shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise, but thank you."
'Have you ever felt safe?" He took a sip from the mug.
'Yes, but not for a long time."
Ashe thought about asking her what he wanted to know directly, but decided against it. "When?"
Rhapsody inched a little closer to the fire. She was feeling chilled suddenly and pulled her cloak around her shoulders.
'When I was still a young girl, I guess, before I ran away from home."
Ashe nodded. "Why did you run away?"
She looked up at him sharply. "Why does anyone run away? I was stupid and thoughtless and selfish; especially selfish."
He knew of other reasons people did. "And were you beautiful as a young girl?"
Rhapsody laughed. "Gods, no. And my brothers told me so constantly." Ashe laughed too, in spite of himself. "That's a brother's main job, keeping his sister in line."
'Do you have sisters?"
There was a long silence. "No," he finally answered. "So you were a late bloomer?"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
'Isn't that the term for a girl who was, well, not beautiful as a child but becomes beautiful as a woman?"
Rhapsody looked at him strangely. "You think I'm beautiful?"
Beneath his hood Ashe smiled. "Of course. Don't you?"
She shrugged. "Beauty is a matter of opinion. I suppose I like the way I look, or at least I'm comfortable with it. It never really mattered to me whether other people did or not."
'That's a very Lirin attitude."
'Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm Lirin."
Ashe let loose a humorous sigh. "I suppose this means that telling you you're beautiful is not a way to get into your good graces."
She ran a hand absently over her hair. "No, not really. It makes me uncomfortable, especially if you don't mean it."
'Why would you think I don't mean it?"
'There seem to be quite a few people in these parts that think I'm odd-looking or freakish, but that doesn't really bother me most of the time."
'What? That's ridiculous." Ashe put down his empty mug.
'It is not ridiculous. I have to endure strange glances and curious looks more often than you might think. If you saw me walk down a street, you'd see what I mean."
Ashe wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed at her lack of grasp of the obvious. "Rhapsody, haven't you noticed that men follow you when you're walking down that street?"
'Yes, but that's because I'm a woman."
'I'll say."
'Well, men do that—follow women, I mean. It's their nature. They live constantly primed to mate, and they are almost always, well, ready for it. They can't help it. It must be a very uncomfortable way to live."
Ashe swallowed his amusement. "And you think any woman has this effect on any man?"
Rhapsody blinked again. "Well, yes. It's part of nature, the cycle of propagation, of
'Rhapsody?" Ashe's voice broke her solitude. She turned in the direction of her shadowy companion. He was sitting at the fire's edge, its light flickering off his misty cloak, wrapping him in haze.
'Yes?"
'Do you feel safe here with me?"
She considered for a moment. "As safe as I do anywhere, I suppose."
The hooded figure looked up. "What does that mean?" His voice was soft, almost gentle.
Rhapsody looked into the sky again. "I guess I don't remember what feeling safe feels like."
Ashe nodded, and went back to his thoughts. A moment later he spoke again.
'Is it because of the dreams?"
Rhapsody pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"Partly."
'Are you afraid of meeting Elynsynos?"
She smiled slightly. "A little."
Ashe picked up the kettle and poured himself another mug of tea. As if to |
make up for his rude behavior earlier in the trip, he was now drinking most of the pot over the course of a night, which she found amusing. "I could go in with you, if it would help."
Rhapsody thought about it, then shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise, but thank you."
'Have you ever felt safe?" He took a sip from the mug.
'Yes, but not for a long time."
Ashe thought about asking her what he wanted to know directly, but decided against it. "When?"
Rhapsody inched a little closer to the fire. She was feeling chilled suddenly and pulled her cloak around her shoulders.
'When I was still a young girl, I guess, before I ran away from home."
Ashe nodded. "Why did you run away?"
She looked up at him sharply. "Why does anyone run away? I was stupid and thoughtless and selfish; especially selfish."
He knew of other reasons people did. "And were you beautiful as a young girl?"
Rhapsody laughed. "Gods, no. And my brothers told me so constantly." Ashe laughed too, in spite of himself. "That's a brother's main job, keeping his sister in line."
'Do you have sisters?"
There was a long silence. "No," he finally answered. "So you were a late bloomer?"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
'Isn't that the term for a girl who was, well, not beautiful as a child but becomes beautiful as a woman?"
Rhapsody looked at him strangely. "You think I'm beautiful?"
Beneath his hood Ashe smiled. "Of course. Don't you?"
She shrugged. "Beauty is a matter of opinion. I suppose I like the way I look, or at least I'm comfortable with it. It never really mattered to me whether other people did or not."
'That's a very Lirin attitude."
'Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm Lirin."
Ashe let loose a humorous sigh. "I suppose this means that telling you you're beautiful is not a way to get into your good graces."
She ran a hand absently over her hair. "No, not really. It makes me uncomfortable, especially if you don't mean it."
'Why would you think I don't mean it?"
'There seem to be quite a few people in these parts that think I'm odd-looking or freakish, but that doesn't really bother me most of the time."
'What? That's ridiculous." Ashe put down his empty mug.
'It is not ridiculous. I have to endure strange glances and curious looks more often than you might think. If you saw me walk down a street, you'd see what I mean."
Ashe wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed at her lack of grasp of the obvious. "Rhapsody, haven't you noticed that men follow you when you're walking down that street?"
'Yes, but that's because I'm a woman."
'I'll say."
'Well, men do that—follow women, I mean. It's their nature. They live constantly primed to mate, and they are almost always, well, ready for it. They can't help it. It must be a very uncomfortable way to live."
Ashe swallowed his amusement. "And you think any woman has this effect on any man?"
Rhapsody blinked again. "Well, yes. It's part of nature, the cycle of propagation, of
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