Page 57 of Shifter King

She coughed again, her eyes watering and her head already pounding. "I'm fine."

"Doesn't sound like it." He strode toward the entrance and climbed up the ladder. From the heavy thud and thunk, it sounded as if he opened the bunker door. "Come on. It'll take me a bit to clear this out. Air flow is poor in this place. Another thing to fix before the Grey Season since we all know someone here is going to set something on fire. I'm not saying names."

Her eyes streaming with tears, she made her way to the ladder. Finding the cold metal rung, she started to climb. A large firm hand seized her by the upper arm and lifted her up easily.

QueQoa set her down inside the sheltered opening, smoke streaming up around them. They'd built it well so that it was disguised from prying eyes on the outside, and a few cracks between the stones allowed a little air flow beyond the main slanted opening. "Maybe just sit up here a bit while it airs out down there."

She continued to cough as she tried to breathe in the fresh clean air. "Thanks."

"Doesn't seem like anything is up here. Stay under the rock shelter. I'll be right back."

He dropped down into the bunker again, more smoke streaming up, lighter and thinner now but still stinging.

She rubbed her eyes again, annoyed that it had overcome her so quickly. Outside the carefully stacked and camouflaged rocks, golden sunlight streamed, only slightly red as compared to some days. A beautiful day that seemed to hold no signs of ill weather. That was odd with the Grey Season so close, wasn't it? Not that she wanted bad weather. But it felt as if there should be…something.

QueQoa emerged a few moments later, wreathed in smoke. He thrust a canteen into her hand. "Water."

"Thank you." She fanned her face as the smoke continued to rise up. "I don't think that smoke is going to leave fast, especially not now with the rock shelter up here."

"This is when having an air Shivennan would be useful," he said. "But it isn't as bad as it seems right now. Linbock liver and quarter straps are very fatty and oily. They catch fire easily. Stew will be good tonight though. It does give a great taste."

"It was good this morning."

He chuckled, his arms folded over his chest. "True. But it also makes it so we don't have to eat as much. Makes us all stronger."

She took a long swig from the canteen and then secured the lid. The cool water soothed her dry and scratchy throat. That sunlight was far brighter than she had expected. "Is it after midday?"

He nodded once more. "You were in whatever you call that mindreading state for a long time."

Apparently. She blinked, startled. She hadn't thought she'd been in the deep mindreading for more than half an hour. "Oh."

"Is it getting easier to see things or read thoughts?"

She laughed. "Right now I'm working more on getting it so that they aren't crashing in on me. Everything seemed to get really thin and fragile there for awhile."

"Could you hear mine?" he asked, studying her. Concern was apparent in his dark-blue eyes and furrowed brow even if it didn't ripple off him.

She bit her lower lip. "Not much."

The nod that followed as he sighed suggested he had thought as much. "You should know that though I am…drawn to her, I would never risk yours or our family's safety."

"I know." She put her hand on his arm. "QueQoa, I trust you. And Naatos does too. You've known him longer than I. He gets agitated sometimes, right?"

"He does. And he is right to worry for you. But I did not want you to worry that I would let my feelings betray me in that way. You are my sister, and I will fight for you and protect you as blood."

"You've shown that time and again, QueQoa," she said, smiling. "And from what I glimpsed of Laachtue from your thoughts and the others, she does seem very special."

"She is. That does not mean she is my veskaro or that we are even compatible. The time is bad. And she is Abliato. Naatos says that we do not yet understand why she has helped us. And he is right. It could be that she does so because she is kind. But there may be other reasons as well. And now is not the time for anything to develop."

Yet still his thoughts drifted there.

She took another long drink from the canteen. "I guess we just take this one step at a time then." Another coughing spasm followed as more smoke wafted up.

"Speaking of which." QueQoa peeked out around the entrance. "Let me check." He moved out, turning into a bulky copper lizard with red eyes and then scuffled away. The sight of the red eyes made her shiver as she remembered the Okalu. Sometime, when all of this calmed, she needed to talk to someone. If only Kepsalon were here. Naatos would probably just want to go into her mind with her, find the spot, and then fight the Okalu. Whatever they were.

She drank more water, her eyes welling up and her throat burning again.

That smoke was tenacious.