Flux

hand on his chest. “I said not to move. I’m not sure you’re all mended.”
    “But I am. I feel good. Tired, maybe, like I’ve been walking for miles. But I don’t hurt.” He turned his head around. “Where are we?”
    “Not far from Akilina’s house. I carried you here. I wasn’t sure how stable the building would be after I shook it like that.”
    “But she’s—”
    “Dead. You killed her. Don’t you remember? With this.” Ennek reached over and picked up the knife again. Miner recognized it—it was his own blade, the one he’d originally found in the jollyboat.
    “I stabbed her,” Miner said, remembering the sickening yet satisfying feel of the knife plunging through Akilina’s body.
    “You did a bloody good job of it, too. Right through her heart, I’ll wager. She just dropped like a stone. And you fell on top of her. I had quite a time dislodging the two of you from me—I nearly smothered.”
    “Sorry,” Miner said, because he couldn’t think how else to respond.
    “Sorry?” Ennek laughed. “You saved us both, and without a speck of magic. I expect that when someone becomes too used to relying on sorcery, she forgets that there are very mundane dangers as well, and that they can be as lethal as any spell. And she completely underestimated you from the start.”
    Miner brushed Ennek’s hand away and sat up. Ennek was frowning at him with concern, but Miner really did feel fine. He poked at his midsection experimentally. He was too thin—gods, he felt like he hadn’t eaten in weeks!—but he was otherwise in perfectly good shape. Except for the blood that had dried on his face and clothing, and his trousers, which were wet with rain and urine. “And you?” he asked Ennek.
    Ennek shrugged. “I’m fine. More than, really. When Akilina died, her abilities flowed into me. Because we were still bound, I expect. I feel so bloody powerful! Like I could rule the world.” But despite his words, he still had a lost little boy air to him. They both looked at his chest, where the feather-shaped scar looked as old as the one on his belly, although the feather was still very visible and detailed.
    “You almost lost yourself,” Miner said gently.
    “I know. It…it would have felt so good, too.”
    “But you didn’t do it.”
    “I didn’t get a chance. You saved us first.”
    Movement at the periphery of Miner’s vision caught his attention. He turned his head to see Akilina’s house, above which hundreds of birds of every imaginable size and description were wheeling and banking. “Do the people here know yet that she’s dead?”
    Ennek shook his head. “I don’t think so. They figured out that something bad was happening and they left. I expect they’ll be back soon, now that things are calmer.”
    “And how do you think they’ll take her death?”
    “I don’t know. We’d best make ourselves scarce, I think. Can you walk?”
    “Yes, I think so.”
    Ennek stood and tucked the knife into his waistband, then gave his companion a hand. Miner’s legs were a little wobbly, more from disuse than anything else, but they held. He put an arm around Ennek’s shoulders and was able to hobble slowly but steadily beside him.
    They didn’t see anyone else as they left Jiangbei, but Miner had the creepy-crawly feeling of being watched. Maybe the locals were spying from nearby, or maybe it was just those circling birds. In either case, nobody stopped them as they continued eastward down the road. Miner grew stronger as they walked, and by the time they reached the steep hills he was striding quite confidently. He was very happy when they came to a large stream, where he drank his fill and washed much of the dried body fluids from his skin and clothing. Ennek had dried blood on him as well, so he dunked himself until he was dripping wet.
    By then the sun was very low on the horizon and neither of them wanted to brave the steep passage in the dark. So Ennek found them a level spot covered in smooth, soft grasses, and they sat there. Ennek wiped the knife blade clean and tucked it away.
    “We’ve lost everything,” he said unhappily. “The bags, the spare clothing…even your sweater. It was ruined anyway.” He sighed.
    “You can buy me another sometime.”
    Ennek’s teeth sparkled in the darkness when he smiled. “Next time I’ll buy you two.”
    They lay down together and Miner tried to ignore the emptiness in his belly. They would find something to eat in the morning; he