Flux

endearing.
    “You must be going crazy locked up in here all the time,” Ennek said softly.
    “But I’m used to it. Besides, I have my books. My reading’s getting much better.”
    Miner smiled again. “So why don’t you read to me tonight?”
    They arranged themselves on the mattress with two or three thick blankets to keep out the chill. Miner reached into the canvas bag that contained all his worldly belongings and pulled out a volume with a slightly battered blue cover. He didn’t know whether Ennek had chosen this particular book on purpose when they’d fled the polis, or whether it was simply the closest one at hand, but either way, Miner liked it. It contained a series of morality tales and was clearly meant for children, but Miner was able to puzzle out most of the words himself and there were line drawings to help when he got stuck.
    They leaned their backs against the wall, cushioning their skin from the splintery wood with two pillows, and Ennek snuggled in against Miner’s chest. Miner wrapped one of his long arms around Ennek and opened the book to the page where he’d left off. He’d marked it with a white and gray gull feather that Ennek had brought him a few days before.
    “The Tale of the Cat and the M-Mouse,” he began, stumbling slightly. “There once was a Mouse who lived in a great c…cas….”
    “Castle,” Ennek prompted.
    “Castle. The Mouse lived in the scull…scullery?”
    “That’s it.”
    “Scullery wall, and he ate the…the crumbs of fine food that the cooks per…pre….”
    “Prepared.”
    “Prepared for the King. And the Mouse th…. What’s that word, En?”
    “That’s a tricky one. Thought.”
    “And the Mouse thought he was very fine indeed.”
    Ennek turned his head and kissed Miner lightly on the cheek. “Your reading really is improving.”
    Miner blushed a little under the praise. He continued the story then, Ennek patiently helping him with a word now and then, until the Mouse allowed his pride to make him foolish and the Cat, naturally, ate him up. He was going to continue on into the next story then, The Tale of the Miller’s Daughter, but the feel of Ennek’s skin against him proved too distracting. He abandoned the book and they made love in their quiet, sweet, still slightly fumbling way, until they fell asleep in one another’s arms.

    ***

    Ennek looked slightly worried as he brought Miner some lunch the following afternoon. “The weather’s looking a little iffy,” he said. “Captain Eodore says it’s too early to tell if we’re in for a bad storm. Could be just a little bit of a blow.”
    Miner nodded and wondered whether he was going to be able to eat at all with that new worry gnawing at him, making his stomach tighten and roil. But Miner handed him a cup of grassy-smelling tea. “Drink this. It has some herbs in it that Cook says help with seasickness. Just in case. I think it has some lambs-ease in it, and maybe some spineroot. Thelius had those in his jars, and when I was cataloging I read that they ease nausea. It’s relaxing, too. Slightly sedative.”
    “Thank you.” Miner took the mug and warmed his hands around it for a moment. It was thick and gray and not very well made, as if the potter were new at his craft. But it was heavy and sturdy, and he supposed it worked well enough for on board a ship. He sipped cautiously. It didn’t taste much better than it smelled, but someone had added a little sugar to it and that made it slightly more palatable.
    Ennek took a big bite of his own bread, which had been soaking in the cup of meaty-smelling soup. “Look, if we do get a storm, stay in here, all right? You don’t want to be underfoot when everyone’s rushing around, and things can get pretty…exciting up there.”
    “The last place I want to be during a storm is above deck.”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    Ennek slurped down the last of his food and rose to his feet. “I’m going back up. There’s a lot of preparation to be done, just in case. You’ll be all right down here?”
    “I’m fine. I’m going to find out what sort of trouble the miller’s daughter gets into.”
    Ennek bent down for a quick kiss, which eased Miner’s worries more than the tea ever could. It still surprised Miner when Ennek showed these momentary sparks of affection, and it pleased him as well, because he knew that showing how he felt didn’t come easily to Ennek.
    When Ennek left, Miner read for a while. But the tea made him sleepy and