Ash Between Us

~13~

For the first time that day, Rynn's silence wasn't from anger. It was from something far more dangerous-something he couldn't name.

Kali shifted behind him, letting her knee rest against the small of his back. Not enough to draw attention, just enough for him to feel the pressure of her presence with every breath.

"You carry too much weight on your shoulders," she whispered again, so soft it nearly vanished under the sounds of Tollis gnawing on dried meat. "One of these days, it'll crush you if you don't let someone share it."

Rynn's jaw tightened. He wanted to shrug her off, to let the words roll away like her usual teasing-but they clung to him, heavy and unsettling. "I don't need anyone carrying my load," he muttered.

Kali gave a quiet laugh that tickled the back of his neck. "See, that's your problem. You're so busy proving how strong you are, you can't see you're already stronger than most. You don't have to prove it to me."

The words almost slipped under his guard, almost made him believe she meant them. But then her hand brushed the back of his shoulder-barely a touch, fleeting-and he remembered: Kali never gave without wanting something in return.

Before he could answer, Gerrick's voice cut through the moment, dragging the group back to focus.

"Listen close," Gerrick said, eyes hard as steel. "The convoy will pass the southern ridge at dusk. Two carts, maybe three. Armed escort, but nothing we can't handle if we keep our heads." He scanned the circle, his gaze lingering longest on Rynn and Jace. "We strike fast. No delays. No arguments. You two understand?"

Jace smirked, tossing his knife into the dirt and pulling it free again. "Crystal."

Rynn said nothing, just gave a tight nod. The weight of Gerrick's warning wasn't lost on him.

"Good." Gerrick folded his arms. "We take the weapons, we vanish, and they don't even know who hit them. If we're lucky, this sets us up for the next month. If we're sloppy, it's over before it begins."

The group fell into silence, each person mulling over the risk. Darric methodically cleaned his blades, Tollis fiddled with his bowstring until it twanged out of tune, and Verrin cracked his knuckles like he was itching for the fight already.

Behind Rynn, Kali leaned in once more, her lips close enough for him to feel the brush of her breath.
"Don't worry," she whispered, voice husky with mischief-or maybe something else. "I'll be watching your back tonight. Closer than you think."

Rynn closed his eyes briefly, steadying himself. It wasn't the battle ahead that had him rattled. It was the fact that, for just a heartbeat, he wanted to believe her. He kept his rifle across his knees, head lowered, trying to focus on the sound of Gerrick's briefing instead of the fire running through his veins. That was when he felt it-Kali's fingers, light at first, brushing along the curve of his shoulder before settling into the muscle.

He went rigid. "What are you doing?"

"Relax," she murmured, voice pitched so only he could hear. Her thumbs pressed in, slow circles working at the tight knots of his back. "You've been wound tighter than a bowstring all day. Anyone can see it."

"I don't need-" He started to move, but her hands dug in harder, finding the exact spot that made his jaw loosen despite himself.

"You don't need?" she echoed, a low laugh curling at his ear. "That's your problem, Rynn. You never need anyone. You just sit there, burning from the inside out, pretending you can carry it all alone." Her fingers slid along the line of his shoulder, kneading deep, purposeful. "But even stone crumbles if no one takes the weight off it."