Kai had been waiting for this question for thirty minutes since Morlie had awakened.Even in the short time her sister had slept, Kai had tried to think of how she would explain their situation to Morlie.And damn, she hadn’t come up with any way to ease her sister into it.
“Tip your head back.”
She helped Morlie slide away from her so she could hold her head back for rinsing.However, her sister surprised her by submerging herself and lying flat on her back at the bottom of the tub.
Kai stared down at her sister through the murky water.Morlie’s eyes were closed as if she were in another world below the surface.A few bubbles rose from her mouth before Morlie broke through the surface.
“Is it that bad, sissy, that you don’t want to tell me?”Water streamed down Morlie’s face, thickening her long lashes as she glanced up at her.
“No, no, no.Of course not.”Kai plopped back down on the tub’s edge and poured a small amount of the moisturizer into her hand.
“Maybe we can start with an easier question.Who was the big guy?”
Easier?Nothing about Aodh was easy to explain or take.She forced out a laugh to cover her groan.“His name is Aodh.”
“Did I imagine it, or was he somewhere around eight feet tall?”
Kai chuckled for real this time.“Yes, he is big.But perhaps closer to seven and a half.He is the...leader of this area.”
Morlie looked over her shoulder and frowned.“Area...in the district?”She made a glance past the door.“Or are we in the providence section?Is that why this apartment is huge?”
She could understand her sister’s confusion, especially considering their extremely humble environment.Kai got up and grabbed a towel from the cabinet beside the sink.“Neither.We are beyond the Wall.”
“What!”Morlie’s quick rise caused water to slosh and splash over the side.
Fast, Kai grabbed a second towel.She handed one to her sister before she bent down and cleaned up the spillage to keep Morlie from slipping on the stone floor.“Careful.We’ve already added to Tana’s responsibilities by being here.No need to give her more to do.”
“Tana...?”
Kai waved away her question.
“What do you mean we’re outside of the wall?” Morlie asked instead.
“Exactly that.”Kai moved the jar of moisturizer to the counter by the sink.“Make sure to put this on your skin, too.I’ll get you something to wear,” she instructed while she hung up the damp towel on a rack and then carried Morlie’s dirty clothing from the bathroom.
She was happy to find a loose pair of pants and a top.Like the items she wore, the material was soft.She held them up to check against her body to see if they fit her sister.Both were much smaller than her curvaceous form, leading Kai to believe they would work for Morlie.
She went back to the bathroom.“Here, put these on.”
Barely giving the items more than a passing thought before putting them on, Morlie continued with her questions.“How did you sneak me out?I thought there were man-eating beasts in the wild forest.
Oh, there are beasts, alright.But Kai would keep the information about Aodh and his people shifting into dragons and flying a secret to herself for a bit longer.
“Come eat.”Kai led the way toward the small table before the empty fireplace.She wished she would have asked Aodh or Tana to put a flame in the hearth.She wondered if she should grab a blanket from the bed.“Are you cold?”
“No.”Morlie sat across from her before the tray of covered dishes.She leaned toward the lids and sniffed.“I’m starving.Whatever it is, it smells so good.How is the food in this place beyond the Wall?”
Instead of answering, Kai removed the lids to reveal the dishes to her sister.“I think you’re going to like it.”
“What...wow...oh, gracious,” Morlie mumbled in wonder as her eyes stretched wide while she gazed down at the mounds of food.
Kai was stunned to see the piles of food underneath the lids.There was more food than she got the first time.On the days she was with Aodh, their platters of meat, bread, goat cheese, vegetables, and fruit looked like this, but it made sense with him present.And dragon-shifters consumed a lot.
“You don’t have to eat all of this.You have been ill for a while.”Kai didn’t need to remind her sister that they had been out of food and money for sustenance for a long time.She wasn’t even sure her sister recalled they hadn’t eaten more than a cup of onion broth soup for weeks before escaping.Kai had to spoon in small sips to her sister to put something on Morlie’s stomach as her body fought the disease.“Do what you can for now—”
Her words were cut off as she watched the enthusiasm with Ih Morlie was consuming the meal.Her younger sister grabbed fistfuls of the seared meat and gnawed off chunks of bread from long rolls, not bothering with utensils.Kai watched gravy run down her sister’s hand as Morlie reached toward the bowl of vegetables.Bits of food covered the lower half of Morlie’s face, and breadcrumbs piled up in her lap.
“Slow down, Morlie.Your stomach is not ready for all that.You’re going to make yourself sick—”Or me ill.
