The Alchemy of Desire by Crista McHugh Page B

don’t care to run into Hinkle and his men again.”
    Diah glanced at her one more time before helping Cager fashion a sling and mount his horse. When he was done, she still hadn’t moved. “I’m kind of worried about her staying on the horse in her condition.”
    “Wounded here. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle her and my horse.”
    “Fine. I’ll take her.” Diah bent down to help her up and felt the sting of her fingernails raking down his arm. “What the heck?”
    Cager laughed from his horse. “The last thing she remembers is you knocking her down.”
    Four lines rose on his arm and red liquid trickled down to his hand. “She drew blood.”
    “You should be thankful I put her dagger away, then.”
    He looked down at the scratches on his arm and then back at her face. Her swollen lip trembled. “I’m sorry I pushed you, Oni. I didn’t understand what you were doing.”
    Her amber eyes locked with his. “Don’t ever do it again.” Her voice rose barely above a whisper, but the anger in it was crystal clear. She took his hand and staggered to her horse.
    “Will you be able to ride alone?”
    “Yes.” It took her a couple of tries before she mounted the pinto.
    “Where to?” Cager’s horse danced as if it were ready to run over the plains once more.
    Oni stared at the sky and then at the river. “Upstream until we come to the next river. Then follow it to the west.”
    “And that will take us where?” Diah asked as he climbed on his horse.
    She didn’t answer his question before she rode off.

    Diah pulled his jacket around his chest and shivered. The sky had decided to open its floodgates on them shortly after midday, and now that the sun was setting, the cold crept into his bones. His breath formed icy clouds around his mouth every time he exhaled.
    Oni pulled them away from the river and veered northwest. She still hadn’t told them where she was taking them, but he hoped some sort of shelter would be available. Her responses had been one or two words at the most whenever they asked her a question. He wasn’t sure if she was just exhausted or still angry with him. Maybe both.
    Even Cager was beginning to slump forward after the long, hard ride. He only hoped it was worth it and that Hinkle wouldn’t find them.
    Oni held up her hand, indicating they should stop. She slid off her horse and stared at two mounds of earth. “Jim,” she called out into the wilderness.
    His brother leaned closer to him. “I think she’s hallucinating.”
    A man’s voice called back, “Who’s out there?”
    “Maybe I’m hearing things too.” Cager raised his good arm and stuck his finger in his ear to clean it out. “Or maybe I lost more blood than I thought.”
    She ran in the direction of the noise and disappeared behind one of the mounds. “It’s Oni.”
    “How’s my little Trickster?” the voice said with a laugh.
    Diah breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever this Jim was, he was real and he knew her. He dismounted and helped Cager down. As he rounded the corner of the mound, he saw her hugging an older man.
    The man looked up. “Who are your friends, Oni?”
    Her mouth formed a tight line. “These are two of my clients, Diah and Cager Reynolds.”
    Being called a client felt like a slap in the face.
    “Well, let’s get them out of the rain, shall we?” He opened a door into the mound. “Welcome to my humble home, gentlemen. I’m Jim Matthews.”
    Diah’s jaw went lax as he peered into the one-room home that had been carved out of the hill. “What kind of place is this?”
    Jim laughed. “A dugout. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer and dry as a bone.” He shook their hands as they entered. “It’ll be kinda cramped in here, but it sure beats being out in that mess.”
    In the warm lantern light, Diah was able to get a good glimpse at their host. He looked old enough to be her father, judging by the deep wrinkles in his suntanned face, but his hair still maintained a faded shade