Wild Sky - Zaya Feli Page 0,178

Tauran knew how much he treasured the books he’d never had access to before, and likely wouldn’t again. Kalai’d had to leave a lot of the Sharoani books behind when they left Valreus, but no doubt Kalai would see to having them delivered back to their rightful place, too, if they ever returned.

Placing the books down carefully, Ushai-Kala removed the top-most one to reveal something small and shiny that had slid between the books. In the corner of Tauran’s eye, Kalai flinched.

Ushai-Kalai held Kalai’s dragon master pin, studying it with a puzzled expression. He spoke slowly, thoughtfully. When Kalai answered, his voice was tense.

Tauran sat up straighter. He reached for Jinhai and tapped him on the leg. “What are they saying?” he whispered.

Jinhai looked between Ushai-Kala and Kalai for a moment. “Ushai-Kala wants to know how Kalai-Ahala got the pin. Kalai-Ahala said it is a gift. That he is a…” He narrowed his eyes, searching for the word.

“Orphan?” Tauran supplied.

Jinhai nodded. “Kalai-Ahala asks if Ushai-Kala know his peoples.”

Before Jinhai could translate the rest of their hushed conversation, Kalai and Ushai-Kala rose and exchanged a Sharoani greeting Tauran hadn’t seen before. Kalai stuck the dragon pin inside his breast pocket.

“Well?” Tauran asked, curling a hand around Kalai’s elbow as they left the shaded antechamber together. “Does he know your parents?”

Kalai shook his head, but he didn’t look burdened by what Ushai-Kala had told him. “I guess some questions never get answers. I’m okay with that.” He placed a hand over Tauran’s and smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for a better family than the one I have.”

Tauran returned his smile.

“Will you be all right?” Kalai asked.

Tauran blinked. “Why wouldn’t I be all r…” With dreadful realization, his voice trailed off. He’d been so focused on Kalai he had forgotten himself. They were going up. Near the top. In an elevator. He felt himself grow several shades paler. “I’ll be fine,” he said, swallowing. “I’ll have you with me.”

* * *

Tauran was going to die.

Without a doubt, this fragile, groaning wooden construction was not meant to carry the weight of four people. Surely, there was a weight limit, and Tauran was definitely larger than the average Sharoani. Jinhai closed the latch of the elevator, the cage shifting when he moved to the crank. Tauran’s breath bottled in his throat and he stared at the planks below their feet. The cage was made of nothing but wood, rope, and a few nails. Granted, the rope slowly pulling them upward was as wide as his forearm, but how many times had it been dragged across the same wheel? When had it last been inspected? The wood groaned again and Tauran’s hand shot out and clamped around one of the bars of the cage. His other hand clutched Kalai’s so hard he was no doubt hurting him, but he couldn’t release his grip even if he’d wanted to. Kalai didn’t complain, but held his hand with both his own, and Tauran was thankful for it. At least, if they plummeted to their deaths, they’d have each other.

Ushai-Kala did nothing to ease the tension on the way to the top, seemingly not even noticing it. He stood in the corner with his hands folded and his eyes closed, as if he was moments from sleep. Tauran stared at the man as if he could leech some of Ushai-Kala’s calm demeanor if he simply tried hard enough.

The elevator jerked to a halt, and Tauran couldn’t help the yelp of fear that left him too fast for his jaw to clamp shut around. Jinhai gave him an odd, faintly amused look, and Tauran turned his face away so the boy wouldn’t see the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Follow me,” Ushai-Kala said, stepping out of the elevator first, and Tauran did his best not to jump from the construction like a cat dunked in a barrel of water. His legs felt like jelly under him when he followed Ushai-Kala into a stone corridor, only realizing he was still clutching Kalai’s hand with bone-breaking strength when Kalai adjusted his fingers in his grip. He relaxed his hold, smoothing his thumb over Kalai’s knuckles in silent apology.

The dark corridor did nothing to imply that they had to be at four-thousand feet above ground level. The first thing Tauran noticed when the corridor opened into a larger chamber was the blessed lack of windows. He relaxed a little. If he couldn’t see outside, he could trick his mind into thinking they were on

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