Niam

NIAM

I awoke to the warm glow of embers in the cave’s depths. Gone were the chill metal walls and ominous beeping machines of the Temple’s alcoves. My eyes opened not to harsh artificial light, but flickering flames dancing across rough stone.

Two mornings now. How many more could I wish for?

A profound sense of freedom washed over me. No longer was I tethered to the Temple’s will, my mind an open conduit for its systems. I breathed deep, savoring the musty cave air - a stark contrast to the stale, recycled atmosphere I’d known my entire life.

As my senses fully returned, I became aware of a heavy weight draped across my body. Blinking in the dimness, I realized it was Tharon’s thick cloak covering me. The soft fur lining held his rugged, earthy scent that stirred something primal within me.

We’d lost all our supplies when that rockslide hit, burying our bags and leaving us with only the clothes on our backs. Yet Tharon had given up his sole remaining warmth to ensure my comfort through the night. The selfless act of caring filled me with a tenderness I hadn’t experienced before.

Close by, Tharon tended to a small fire, its crackling the only sound in our secluded shelter. He moved with disciplined efficiency, laying out strips of meat from last night’s hunt on flat stones to dry into trail rations. His powerful frame and fluid motions mesmerized me.

With our packs gone, we’d need to get resourceful about carrying provisions. My fingers ran across the edges of the device secured inside my robes - the device I hoped held the key to ending the Temple’s atrocities forever.

I must have stirred, for Tharon’s intense eyes locked onto mine. “You’re awake,” he stated simply, giving me a brief nod.

Rolling onto my side, I shrugged off his luxuriously soft cloak. “I am. Thank you for that.” I nodded toward the fur bundled beside me.

A ghost of a smile played across his full lips. “You were shivering. I required it less than you.”

With the cloak off, the cool air prickled over my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms and back. I suppressed a slight tremble, stubbornly refusing to ask for its return. Bad enough I depended on this shakai warrior’s strength - I wouldn’t allow myself to seem frailer than I already was.

“I preserved what I could of the tserna.” Tharon gestured toward the meager pile of drying meat strips.

Tharon wrapped the strips of dried meat in broad leaves, his fingers deft as he wove stalks of grass to bind the makeshift packages. The meat would keep us fed for a few days at least.

We left the cave behind, striking out across the mountainside. My legs burned with each step up the steep incline, but I refused to slow our pace. The device tucked inside my robes pressed into me with each labored breath, a constant reminder of my purpose. A flicker of movement in the sky caught my attention. I stopped, scanning the clouds.

“What is it?” Tharon asked, moving closer to me.

“The drones. I didn’t expect them.” My hand clenched in my robe. “The Temple never deployed them before, not even when Lita and the others escaped.”

“Why now?”

“Because I’m different.” The words tasted bitter. “Lita, Mila, Denna - they were just girls to be used and discarded when broken. But me...” I swallowed hard. “I was part of the system itself. The Temple needs me back.”

Tharon’s warm hand wrapped around my shoulder, turning me to face him. “That will never happen. Do you understand?” His grip tightened. “You are never going back there.”

“You don’t know what they’re capable of.”

“Neither do they know what I'm capable of.” His thumb traced along my collarbone, sending electric sparks through my body. “I will tear down the Temple stone by stone before I let them take you.”

His fierce declaration filled me with warmth. No one had ever protected me before. I'd always been a tool, a conduit, never someone worth fighting for.

I pulled away from his touch, needing distance to think clearly. “We should keep moving. There can’t be many drones left after all these years, but even one could track us.”

Tharon nodded, falling into step beside me as we continued our ascent. But I could feel his gaze on me, watchful and intent, ready to stand between me and any threat - even ones that came from the sky.

The device buzzed, startling me from my thoughts. I pulled it from my robes.

“What direction?” Tharon asked, stepping closer to examine it.

I rotated slowly, watching the device’s pulsing light as it changed with my movements. “This way.” I pointed down the mountain’s eastern slope. “The signal grows stronger.”

“There’s a valley in that direction.” Tharon studied the terrain ahead. “We should reach it by midday.”

The path down proved easier than our ascent. Small rocks skittered away under our feet as we picked our way between larger boulders. The device’s rhythmic buzzing guided us, growing more insistent with each step.

The harsh mountain landscape softened as we descended. Scraggly bushes dotted the rocky ground, then gave way to scattered trees with silver-gray bark. Their branches reached toward the sky like gnarled fingers.

Tharon stopped abruptly. His nostrils flared as he scanned our surroundings. Before I could ask what troubled him, he pulled my hood forward, shadowing my face.

“Other Shakai nearby,” he murmured. “They’ll see you as a Frostling - a creature of myth. Best to keep you hidden.”

I almost laughed at the irony. The Temple had made me more machine than human, yet out here I’d be feared as some mythical being. All too human, all too broken.

A gust of wind cut through my robes. Without thinking, I pressed closer to Tharon’s warmth. His arm came around me, steady and sure. I was startled by how wholly I trusted him now. Yet I couldn’t deny the comfort his presence brought, how safe I felt within the circle of his protection.

This wasn’t part of the plan. I needed his help to destroy the Temple, nothing more. But my body betrayed me, melting into his embrace as naturally as breathing.

Tharon leaned close, his whisper the slightest sound. “We could circle around. Avoid them entirely.”

My fingers danced along the device’s edges through my robes. Every moment counted now. “That might be best. I don’t want anything delaying us from reaching the pod.”

We veered off the path, picking our way through dense underbrush. The branches caught at my robes, tugging me back with each step. Tharon cleared the way ahead, his broad shoulders breaking a path through the foliage.

The first thunder of hoofbeats froze me mid-step. Close. Too close.

Tharon spun around, scooping me into his arms before I could protest. He ran, his powerful strides eating up the ground as branches whipped past us. My hands clutched his shoulders, feeling the bunching of muscle beneath.

More hoofbeats joined the first, coming from all directions now. The rhythmic pounding drew closer, surrounding us. Tharon skidded to a halt as five villarts burst from the trees ahead, their reptilian hides gleaming with sweat. More riders emerged behind us, boxing us in.

Tharon lowered me to my feet but kept me pressed against him. His arm around my waist anchored me as he drew his sword with his free hand. The blade sang as it cleared its sheath.

“Stay behind me,” he murmured.

The circle of mounted warriors closed in, their villarts’ claws kicking up dead leaves. I pressed my back against Tharon’s solid warmth. The riders’ faces blurred together - all I saw were weapons pointed our way.