Flux

little paper packets of herbs, but they didn’t let anyone in. Miner would duck inside until they left, keeping careful watch over Ennek.
    When night fell, his hosts lit the lamps. They fed Miner yet again—he’d eaten a huge amount over the day, but in small doses—and tended to Ennek, and then they extinguished the lamps and disappeared. Miner dragged his pallet along the floor until it abutted Ennek’s. After a brief hesitation, he removed his clothing and neatly set it aside, then pulled the blankets over them both. It felt good to have Ennek in his arms again.

    ***

    “Miner?”
    The whisper in his ear was barely audible, but it woke him up immediately. He sat up, but the room was dark and he couldn’t see much of anything. “En?” he whispered back.
    “Where are we?” Ennek moved a bit as if he were trying to sit up as well, but Miner pushed him firmly against the pallet.
    “We’re safe for now. Are you all right? Gods, Ennek, you nearly killed yourself!”
    “I had to…. I couldn’t just let you die. Not like that.”
    “You’d already used far too much magic.”
    “I know. But what else could I do? I tried to make the waves carry us to shore.”
    “They did.” Miner lay back down again and pressed against Ennek’s solid, warm body.
    Ennek squirmed around until they were face to face. “But where are we?”
    “Some people found us.” He decided that the tale of the talking bird could wait until later. “This is their house. They’ve been caring for us and—”
    “You were hurt!” Ennek groped blindly at him. “Your arm, your hand….”
    “My arm is fine and my wrist will heal.”
    Ennek let out a noisy breath. “But these people…. If they see us together like this, or— Gods, your collar!”
    “They already have. They don’t…. I can’t understand anything they say but they’re very kind. But how are you feeling?”
    “I’m…tired, I expect. Weak.”
    “Then rest. You’re safe and I won’t leave you.”
    “You won’t, will you?” Ennek’s voice was filled with wonder and he stroked Miner’s cheek. “I never said it back. I almost lost you and then I almost died and I never said it back.”
    “There’s no need.”
    “Yes there is. I love you, Miner. I’ve never said those words to anyone before because they’ve never been true, but gods, how could I have lived so long without you?”
    Miner smiled at him, even though he knew Ennek couldn’t see. “Sleep. We can adore one another in the morning.”

Chapter Six
    h

    E nnek could speak a little of the local tongue, although not well. And by the way their hosts winced and laughed, Miner suspected that Ennek’s version, which he’d learned from sailors, was a little saltier than they were used to. But at least he could communicate with them and the next morning he did, gleaning information about where they were and what their prospects might be. As they spoke Miner hovered nearby, feeling stupid and useless.
    “We were fortunate,” Ennek said to Miner a little later as they both sat on the bench, eating bowls of coarse, cooked grains flavored with slivers of meat and vegetables. Ennek was wearing an outfit almost identical to Miner’s, but without need of the scarf. “This area is sparsely settled and it’s more or less independent, midway between two larger realms. The state to the north doesn’t get along well with the state to the south, so they’re a sort of buffer here, I think. And more tolerant than their neighbors are likely to be.”
    “They seem peaceful.”
    “They are. They’re under the protection of a powerful wizard. I’m not certain whether she’s…friendly. Perhaps she could remove your collar,” he added thoughtfully.
    “She can’t. Her element is air.”
    Ennek turned to look at him with surprise. “How did you know?”
    Miner looked down at his bowl. He hadn’t actually intended to have this conversation yet.
    “Miner?” Ennek asked sharply.
    “There was a bird,” Miner whispered.
    “A what ?”
    “A…a seagull. It…it spoke to me.”
    Ennek was silent a moment. “You were delirious,” he finally said. “Luli told me you had a bad fever, that you would have lost your arm if you hadn’t been treated soon.”
    The arm would have been the least of his losses if Hai-Shui and the others hadn’t come along, but Miner didn’t say that. He kept staring at his nearly empty bowl. And then Ennek stood and stretched and patted his shoulder. “I don’t want to