The Stormcrow Cycle [Slow-burn Slice-of-Life Tragic Fantasy Romance]

Chapter Seven: Plans, Part II

That had been a lie.

They had left the little canyon housing her not-vuti for the field of akaikai trees. The key was timing. Once the northernly wind came in, the valley of trees often encountered rain. Not true rain, but little showers, often in bursts. Immediately after, all of the flowering plants in the grove would blossom for however long they could. The wasps in the valley used the nectar to make honey, stored in their nests for lean times ahead.

Ba'an was going to get that honey.

"Let me get this straight," said Lukios. "You want me to...keep this fire going and keep throwing in sambi-sahi leaves? And then...fan the smoke toward...wherever you are?"

"Yes."

"And while I do that, you're going to...just put your stick into the wall and take out some honeycombs?"

"Yes."

"And the smoke will make them too drowsy to attack you."

"Yes."

"...Ba'an."

"Yes?"

"You live alone."

She sniffed and refused to answer his obvious observation.

"This is a two-person procedure." She ignored him, looking between the cracks in the cliff face for tell-tale signs of a wasp nest.

"Ba'an. Ba'an. Have you actually done this before?" Ah-ha! Success. There was a wasp nest, glued tightly into a crack in the cliff wall.

Lukios had come over to stare into the crack too. He made a noise of distress.

"Holy fuck. Ba'an. Ba'an. Those are—those are horned desert wasps. Know what we call 'em? Murder-wasps. Ba'an, let's go back. I'm serious. I don't want to die over honey." She flapped her hand at him, nonchalant.

"It will be perfectly safe. You will not die. I will not die. Not even the wasps will die. And we will have honey. Honey!"

"Ba'an. I'll buy you honey once we get to the city. I swear on my name. This is...a terrible idea. Just...I can't even describe how bad this idea is." She rolled her eyes. Like his name meant anything to her.

"But I want honey now. For dinner."

"We have to survive to have dinner."

She sighed loudly. "Oh. I was wrong."

He perked up. "Yes, yes, exactly! This was a terrible idea. Let's head back."

"No," she said patiently. "I was wrong. I thought you are a man. But no, you are a boy. Afraid of wasps."

"...That's low." He glared at her, crossing his arms. "I can't believe you're calling me a child because I don't want us to get murdered by wasps. This is ridiculous. Ba'an."

She sighed. "Very well." He stared at her, waiting for the other sandal to fall. "You go. I will get honey. Alone."

He didn't look surprised at all. He glared at her with a sort of clenched-jaw look before he ground out, "Switch."

"What?"

"I said switch."

Ba'an stared at him, confused by the sudden change. "Why? You are afraid of wasps."

He sighed at her. "How much sambi-sahi at a time?"

"Only a handful."

"Okay. Whose handful?" He held up his hand, which was much larger than hers. "I don't even know how these leaves work, or how to tell when to throw some in. So switch." She stared at him.