Thoughts of Mercy’s father race into her mind and she has to push them away. She’s a Seeker! This isn’t the time to be pining for her dad.
Corbin dips his large fingers into the jar and removes a pod. Dangling it in front of Grace’s face, he grins at her.
“Do I dare eat this, my love?”
Grace smiles. “The clever one says it’s safe.”
Corbin looks from Sam to Gust then back at Mercy’s table. “If I eat this and die, then every last one of you will have your throats sliced open, do you understand?”
Luca slides his hand across to Mercy’s leg and squeezes it. They both know Corbin won’t die from eating a pod, but his brutal threat is unsettling. Like he’s looking for any excuse to kill them.
Corbin throws the pod into his mouth and chews. Closing his eyes he winces as if it’s causing him pain to swallow it but he gets it down.
“Not bad,” he announces, pushing the jar in Grace’s direction. “Try one.”
“No, thank you.” Grace shakes her head.
“The Commander insists.” Corbin waves the jar at her. “Eat one, wife.”
Mercy puts her hand on Luca’s and squeezes, hating seeing Grace being humiliated like this.
“Very well.” Grace dips her hand into the jar and retrieves a pod. Putting it in her mouth she chews it for what feels like an eternity before swallowing it down.
“Did you like it?” asks Sam. “They take a while to get used to. But you’ll feel terrific tomorrow.”
“It was unusual.” Grace gives Sam a tight-lipped smile before shooting a glare at Corbin. Mercy can only hope he doesn’t punish her for that later.
“Let the feast begin!” Corbin announces, standing up and beating his tattooed chest.
Mercy cringes. These men are so animalistic. Nothing at all like Luca. It’s hard to believe he was born in the Outlands.
Four women emerge from the Round House holding wooden trays with what looks like a roasted hare on each. Corbin pulls back his shoulders and smiles proudly.
“Is that the feast?” Mercy asks Luca.
He nods. “This is likely to be the most these people have eaten in a long time. Meat is rare in the Outlands.”
The women move between the tables, taking a small leaf and depositing a chunk of meat on it and passing one to each person. It’s impossible not to notice that those on Corbin’s table get a larger serve. At least Sam will be eating well tonight. Luca’s right. She is still pale. She needs all the sustenance she can get.
“Is Sam okay?” Mercy asks Hawk.
He shakes his head. “She’s putting on a brave face again. I won’t relax until she gets color back in her cheeks.”
“Same here.” Mercy shakes her head. “What’s the deal with Raiden?”
“Might be a question for Sam.” Hawk takes his portion of meat and eats it in three bites.
Mercy and Luca take their serves and chew on them quietly.
“Sam loves you,” Mercy tells Hawk quietly. “I know she does. She’s just doing what she thinks is best right now.”
There’s no way Sam would be interested in the likes of Raiden, no matter how much attention he’s lavishing on her. Surely, Hawk knows that. Then she remembers how possessive she’d felt of Luca when she’d looked at Alyx, who was nowhere near him at the time, and a wave of sympathy washes over her. This must be really difficult for Hawk to watch. Raiden is clearly enamored with Sam.
She looks around, trying to find Alyx in the clearing, certain she isn’t here. She’d have noticed her if she was. Perhaps she’s in the Round House cleaning up from the feast? She had said she needed to help Grace with the food.
Corbin stands and claps his hands. “As a special treat tonight we have a second course to serve you!”
There’s a murmur of excitement as the people speculate what it might be.
“Shark fin soup!” Corbin calls out, licking his lips. “Made with fresh water from our new well.”
Two men emerge from the Round house carrying the bucket that the Seekers had used earlier to collect water. Only now it has steam rising from it and a pungent fishy smell floats across the clearing.
The people cheer, bouncing on their heels as they lick their lips.
Mercy gags. There’s no way she can eat any of that foul-smelling soup.
“A leatherskin was found washed up on shore today,” says Corbin. “All praise our fallen Commander, looking over us even after his death.”
“All praise the fallen Commander,” the people repeat. “Thank you for this blessing.”
Luca looks to Mercy and Hawk and raises his eyebrows. “Wonder how the shark died.”
Hawk smirks. “Yeah, I wonder.”
“I didn’t think leatherskins were edible?” Mercy’s brows shoot up. If they were, they’d have been eating them in Askala for years.
“They’re not,” says Luca. “But their fins are sometimes used to flavor soup.”
Mercy blanches. “The smell is making me sick. Think we can sneak away?”
Hawk shakes his head, his eyes returning to Sam, who is even paler now that there’s the smell of rotten shark in the air.
“I think it’s nearly finished anyway,” says Luca. “Food’s almost gone, and it’s not like there’s any wine to fuel the festivities.”
People are milling about now, moving between tables as they talk and celebrate having fallen on such good luck as to be eating two meals instead of one. A line has formed in front of the bucket of soup as they take turns to drink a cup full of steaming liquid. Clearly, they don’t have enough cups to go around.
“If we stay, we’re going to have to eat that soup.” Mercy looks at Luca, the firelight flickering over their faces.
Luca grimaces. “Smells delicious.”
Hawk leans into them. “Why don’t you two head back to camp? I’ll wait for Sam. We can meet you there. People are starting to leave, anyway.”
“Good idea.” Mercy turns to Hawk. “I need to pay a visit to one of the trees and I’m afraid to go alone. I don’t like the way those men look at me.”
Luca rolls his eyes as he stands. He knows full well she’s saying whatever she needs in order to get him alone. “We’ll see you back at camp, Hawk.”
“Don’t wait for us,” Mercy whispers in Hawk’s ear before kissing him on the cheek.
She can hardly believe her luck that Luca’s agreed to this.
They leave the clearing and hit the tree line, and Mercy slips her hand into Luca’s.
“So we don’t get lost,” she tells him.
“Mercy—”
“No, Luca. Stop it. Don’t speak.”
They walk further into the forest.
“That tree looks good,” he says, pulling her to a stop. “You go and I’ll wait right here.”
“I don’t need to go anymore.” She grins in the dark, knowing he can’t see her in the shadows. “False alarm.”
“Should we head back then?”
“I was hoping we could go to the beach to talk.”
“Talk?”
She nods in the dark. “Talk.”
“You just told me not to speak,” he says, as she pulls him in the direction of the beach.