Crossing the Syrah 10.4

Nea nodded slowly. In any case, she had no choice. She would have to do as he said or her life would be unbearable for weeks to come. It was as if he had done it on purpose to make her agree to follow him wherever he wanted to take her...

-All right then! Anything else? he drew her out of her thoughts.

Nea watched him for a moment before asking him the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind since they left.

-Why did you allow Kio to come with us? This expedition isn't for children and we're surrounded by professional guards, so we clearly didn't need him! And it's dangerous too...

This time, Hakim's smile was enigmatic.

-I let him come because he would have followed us anyway," he finally explained.

-What do you mean?

-Hmmm... This young man is extremely stubborn," continued the Shouk. Once he's got an idea in his head, it's impossible to change his mind. And don't take him for an incompetent. Despite his young age, he already knows how to survive in the desert, alone, unlike others...

Nea had clearly heard his last sentence and gave him a murderous look.

-Anyway, that's not a good enough reason! And I doubt that's the real reason why you brought him with us. Be honest with me or our deal is off.

Hakim looked at him for a moment before answering surprisingly quickly.

I took him with me because he has the same short-term objective as me. I thought I could use some extra help.

-What do you mean by that?

-Kio wants to protect you, that's why he asked to come.

Hakim's statement was like a bolt from the blue for Nea. How could the cold, distant young teenager want to protect her? And how could he be sure of that? She felt the questions spring up in her mind like mushrooms in the rain.

-Kio, he's from the desert, like you," said the Shouk, seeing the questions in the young woman's eyes. He just arrived, as if by magic. It was years ago, he was just a child, and the others think he's an orphan like them, but the reality is that there's a good chance that you and Kio had the same background....

Hakim left his sentence hanging in the air. Nea felt her heart pounding in her chest. Kio came from the desert like her? The same route as her? What did that mean? And what did Hakim know?

-You mean... he was abandoned by his caravan too?" murmured the young woman between her lips, petrified with fear.

-Certainly," replied Hakim evasively. Heretics like to leave their members behind, it seems...

Nea felt a hot flush come from her stomach and travel up her oesophagus to her mouth. She was suffocating. She needed to get out and get some fresh air. As she turned to open the tent and get out, she was stopped in her tracks by an arm that held her back.

-What are you doing?" asked Hakim in an authoritative voice.

-I'm going back to my tent...

-The second moon is up, do you want to die?

Completely lost, Nea looked up at the man who had grabbed her by the forearm and forced her to stay put. She couldn't understand what he was saying.

-The moon emits toxic gases, even if you only have a few metres to go, you'll be poisoned for life if you go out there now," the man warned her.

Nea cast a distraught glance at the tent door. She had completely forgotten this detail and felt stupid. Luckily it was Hakim and he wasn't questioning her inconsistencies, otherwise her cover would have been blown.

-So what do I do? I can't stay in your tent until tomorrow morning...

Hakim smiled as he lay back against his pillow.

-I'm afraid so," he quipped. Do you have another solution?

Nea remained silent. She had no other solution. She felt terribly stupid. Finally, her host sighed and grabbed a small pack, which he placed next to him, where there was still room for someone to lie down.

-It's a good thing I always have a spare. Strangely enough, I had anticipated this kind of situation.

Lou grabbed the package and unzipped it. It was a sleeping bag like the one she had in her tent, made of Corbal feathers. This equipment was necessary for the night in the desert. She looked at it hesitantly, then put it back on the ground.

-I can't, I'll stay awake until daybreak and get back to my tent before the others get up, it's safer," she said after a moment's thought.

-And freeze to death in the process? Weren't you the one who said you wanted to get to Yerm alive just now? Go to sleep, I'll wake you at sunrise, I'm always awake before then.

Nea looked at the sleeping bag again, then unzipped it. He was right. If she didn't protect herself properly from the cold, she'd end up as an ice cube the next morning. Without further thought, she crawled into the duvet and settled down next to Hakim. The close quarters of the tent left them little room to sleep, and she could feel their arms touching through the thick fabric.

-Thank you," she finally said, looking away.

Hakim didn't answer, but he turned on his side and leaned over her, reducing the space between them to just a few breaths.

-You'll thank me when we get to Yerm," he said with his usual playful smile. And if you're cold, don't hesitate... I've got room for two in my sleeping bag.

Electrified by the tension Hakim was putting on her by leaning over her like that, Nea didn't quite control her reaction. She straightened up so that their noses were touching and she felt his breath on her lips as she responded to his provocation.

-I know that's not what you want, Hakim. So stop playing this game with me or you'll lose," she threatened in a hoarse voice.

She remained like that for a moment, then turned round to the other side, leaving the Shouk alone over her shoulder. Slowly, he returned to his bed and lay down, hands behind his head, a smile on his lips. If this young woman continued to respond so strongly to his provocations, he was likely to prove her wrong soon enough...