He took a deep breath. This place looked dark and smelled heavily of dirt and minerals. Moisture clung to the rock walls around him. Only a faint glow bloomed from beneath a slate wall where the river flowed in.
He rubbed the bumps along his skin. His wet clothing felt slimy and heavy against his body. He wanted to take it off and curl up next to Rye and feel warm again, but the thought made him flush. Instead, he tried to look around for an exit.
Rye stirred, and his eyes blinked open.
Tahki swallowed. He wondered if Rye would even remember the kiss. Maybe saving Tahki from the river had left his mind raw and fuzzy.
“You should have woken me,” Rye said. His voice sounded groggy and harsh, like he’d swallowed a handful of gravel.
“I just woke up,” Tahki said.
Rye rubbed his head. “We’re under the castle.”
“I noticed, but where?”
“The river carried us to an underground cave.” Rye rose, stumbled, and steadied himself. Tahki had never seen him look so unstable. “Dyraien said there were natural tunnels below the castle, but I was too focused on breaking free of the river to notice our location.”
Tahki hugged himself. “Rye?”
“What?” Rye stretched his muscles and cringed.
“Thank you.”
Rye didn’t look at him. Maybe he’d call Tahki a moron again. Maybe he’d yell at him for delaying work on the castle. Maybe he’d tell Tahki to stay away from him.
“You shouldn’t thank me,” Rye said. He still wouldn’t look at him. “Those things I said to you, that night Hona told you about my past… I didn’t mean them.”
Tahki swallowed. “I was out of line.”
“No, it wasn’t your fault. I overreacted. I shouldn’t have said all those horrible things.” Rye looked at him now. “It’s not that I didn’t want you to know about me. I just wanted to tell you myself, but I was afraid.”
“Afraid?” Rye didn’t strike him as the kind of person who feared anything.
“I was afraid you’d treat me different, either pity me or think I wasn’t a worthy friend, that I wasn’t good enough because my family was a disgrace.” Rye sighed. “I should have apologized sooner, but I was ashamed by my behavior and didn’t know how to approach you.”
Tahki thought a moment. For the last few weeks, he had been the one fighting to prove himself. He never considered Rye might be trying to do the same. “I would never pity you or think you unworthy. You’re amazing, Rye. You’ve overcome so much, and you never complain about anything. Besides, wasn’t it you who told me not to try so hard to impress people?”
Rye smiled. “I guess I did.” Then he said in a slightly timid voice, “When we get out, maybe we can talk more. I’d like to hear what you wanted to tell me that night.”
Tahki thought of the kiss again. He wanted to bring it up, but that might ruin the moment. Instead, he nodded and said, “Is there a way out?”
“The room is sealed,” Rye said. “I walked around last night but couldn’t find any exit. We’re surrounded by dirt walls on every side, too thick to dig through by hand. I’ll have to dive under the wall, swim to the other side.” Tahki felt sick. Rye must have sensed this, because he said, “You stay here. I’ll get Dyraien and some supplies, and we’ll knock out the wall.”
“All right,” Tahki said. It would be easier if he just swam with Rye, but he couldn’t swim, and going against the current would be too difficult for Rye to manage with him hanging on.
Without another word, Rye stripped off his shirt and boots. Tahki forced himself to watch, a wave of dizziness overtaking him as Rye took a deep breath and dove in. Tahki shivered as the icy water splashed onto the dirt by his feet. He picked up Rye’s damp shirt and boots and sat in the dirt. Tahki hugged the clothing for comfort, brought his knees to his chest, shut his eyes, and chanted a silent mantra to the gods.
Something splashed in the water, and his eyes flew open. He expected to see Rye, but no one was there.
“Hello?” Tahki called. Maybe Dyraien had seen them struggling in the river and come to rescue them.
As he peered into the dim light, a low growl rumbled through the cave. Tahki stood slowly and turned his body toward the sound. He knew what he would find before his eyes rested on the dark mass crouching beside the river. The black cat hunched an arm’s length away. There was no place to run, so he faced the animal, his back pressed tight against the rock wall. But the cat didn’t attack him. She moved away from the water, toward a tunnel that hadn’t been there before. He squinted. Maybe the tunnel was another trick.
The cat trotted a few paces and then looked back at him. Another throaty growl escaped her. He could hear Sornjia’s voice telling him to follow her, but he didn’t move. The cat was a monster who’d tried to kill him just hours ago. He searched for anything he might use as a weapon, but the only thing he had on him was his mother’s pencil. It hadn’t fallen out in the river, but a small pencil wouldn’t do much good. He’d lodged a hunting knife in the cat’s side before and it hardly made a scratch.
The cat swished her tail and growled again, this time loud enough to shake his bones. Tahki couldn’t retreat, and there was nowhere to hide and wait for Rye.
