“What?” Gin’s hand flew to her face, and her eyes widened as her fingers groped for a thin scar that was no longer present on her oaken-tinged skin. “Where…how did…” She was round-eyed as she looked up at the growling Qatu.
Sath glowered at her. “You are not my…how…?” Gin got to her feet, stopping him cold mid-sentence, and stepped toward him, her hands outstretched toward him to stop him from talking. “Oh, no, no you don’t,” he hissed as he stood up quickly, his staff flipping up into his hand as he did. “Who are you?”
“Don’t be stupid, Sath. You know who I am. But who healed my cheek?” Her fingers still skimmed over the skin on the side of her face. “Where is my scar?”
“My Gin has a scar on the side of her face, a scar I gave her once a long time ago…who are you?”
“It’s me, you daft Qatu,” Gin hissed. “I don’t know what happened to my scar, but it is definitely not there anymore.”
“Prove to me you are my Gin,” he said. Gin recognized the tone the Rajah took with impertinent citizens and frowned. She thought for a moment of the right words in Qatunari before she began to speak.
“Sathlir, I am Ginolwenye Clawsharp, the same troublesome druid that stayed behind in Bellesea Keep to kill Dorlagar—I left you behind another time after that, so that I could go look for your son and you have yet to forgive me that one.” Sath’s expression remained angry, and she rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You doubt that I am me just because my scar is gone?”
“Of course I do,” he hissed. “Anyone could know those facts. You must do more to convince me.”
“Oh, this is ridiculous!” Gin threw her hands up in the air. “Sath, you know who I am.”
“Not enough,” he said. His eyes flashed with anger even as they were widened with fear. “It is a trick, and I curse that I did not notice until now. Your healing magic has been enough to heal the most heinous wounds, and yet you have purposefully left that scar, you said, as a reminder of what?”
“Dear spirits, is that all? It was a reminder of who we used to be…” Gin paused a moment but decided that this was as good a time as any to start being honest. “It was a reminder to me of who YOU used to be, Sath. You scared the life out of me that day in the tunnel. I left the scar so that I would never forget the animal that resides at your very core.”
“All right. Stop talking,” Sath said, his expression pained.
“No, you asked, so you will listen,” she said, moving closer and planting herself in front of him. “Once I got to know you, it was a reminder of how far we had come, Sath. That scar came from the Bane of the Forest—the same animal that locked me in the cells below Qatu’anari while hiding behind the name Rajah. I have never, ever intentionally hurt you, Sath, but you have hurt me more than once. That scar was a reminder to me not to become too complacent in case one of your less desirable personas decided to surface.”
“I said stop talking,” Sath said, the familiar growl becoming present behind his words.
“Even now, since you rescued me from Ben – and yes, I will say his name as much as I like because every time I do, I take back a little of the power the wizard took from me. You rescued me, gave me a place to live in Qatu’anari, and let me spend time with Khujann, whom I adore even though his mere presence reminds me EVERY DAY of the treachery of his mother and how she led you to kill my only sister…even now, Sath, I feel the distrust coming off you in waves when it comes to me, and I don’t know how to fix that, so HOW CAN I POSSIBLY PROVE TO YOU THAT I AM WHO I SAY I AM??” Sath leaped to his feet, knocking her backward and to the ground, and crouched on top of her. He held her face still, one giant hand wrapped around her mouth.
“I said, stop talking, Gin!” he whispered. “We don’t want to call attention to ourselves until we are certain of where we are!” Sath hovered above her, supporting his weight with one arm and keeping her silent with the other. Her ice-blue eyes stared up at him, burning with anger…and fear. “Ikara’s TEETH, if I had any doubts about who you are, you have just put them all to bed. NO ONE but my Gin could possibly talk THAT MUCH.” Their gazes locked, he growled low in his throat. “If I take my hand away, do you PROMISE to be quiet?”
Gin nodded, and Sath released her mouth. “So we agree then? I am who I say I am?” she snarled at him as she wiggled out from under his substantial furry body. Sath only snorted in response. “Did you ever think that perhaps when I healed us BOTH when we arrived in the Void that maybe something was different with my magic? Maybe I wasn’t paying attention for once and forgot to keep the magic away from the scar?” She was whispering, but the emotion behind her words was loud and clear.
“And yet, she is still talking,” Sath sighed as he returned to his seat against the opposite wall. He turned to look out the entrance to the tunnel and smiled, relieved to see the sun rising over the horizon. “Now then, if I ask for food, will it be thrown at my head?”
Gin picked up her pack and rummaged about, finally finding the sandwiches at the bottom. She tossed one to him and then opened one for herself. Taking a bite, she chewed for a moment and
