Page 18 of Naga's Essence

“I knew you were following me,” he says, sounding somewhat groggy.

It would be best to keep him talking. If he lets himself fall asleep, I’m not totally sure I’ll be able to pull him back.

“You have good ears,” I tell him. “Most people wouldn’t have noticed.”

“I came here looking for you.”

I had wondered if that was the case. I couldn’t think of any other reason he would want to go through the forest the way he did. Suddenly I realize that he probably went towards the river in order to draw me out into territory it’s harder to hide in. A clever move. Just the kind of thing I would have done if I thought someone was following me.

“Tell me about yourself,” I command, cleaning the wound on his back. “I want to know about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Start with your name.”

“Slyth,” he says.

Slyth. I test the name, rolling it over my tongue without voicing it. It’s a nice name. It seems fitting.

“What’s yours?” he asks.

“Lorelai,” I tell him. “But let’s focus on you right now. You’re the one who nearly got killed.”

“I already know about me,” he answers. “If you want to keep me interested, you should tell me about yourself.”

I smile at that. He’s certainly not lacking in dedication.

“I don’t know if I feel like telling you about myself right now.”

“You’re willing to save me from dying, but you don’t want to tell me anything about yourself?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve told anyone about myself.”

That’s certainly true enough. There have been two, maybe three people who I’ve shared my real name with since my mother died. And none of them knew much more than that about me. I don’t know if I like the idea of someone understanding me. It’s much easier to stay a mystery.

“So you won’t tell me what brings you to this country?” I prompt.

“Not if you won’t.”

“Then I suppose we’re at an impasse.” I pull out bandages and start to wrap up the wound on his shoulder. He’s already sounding a little more sturdy. Once I’ve got him bandaged, he should be able to stand the journey pretty well.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he manages. “I can promise you that. On my honor.”

“Your honor is important to you?” I say.

“It’s the most important thing.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t know that.”

It’s the cautious thing to say, but I do believe him. Maybe it’s the way he said it. Maybe it’s the way he just fought for his life. Maybe it’s just that I want to believe him.

I tighten the last bandage. “How does that feel?”

He lets out his breath in a hiss. “Like I’ve just been mauled by a pack of worgs.”

“Fair enough.”

With that, I slip my arm around his waist and lift him up to stand. He’s heavy, but not as heavy as I thought he might be given his strength. I’ll make it.