9: The Iron Temple Read Free

annoyed.
    “Lafi’shir wants you downstairs,” John said.
    “Tell him I’ll be down after I get out of these wet clothes.”
    John didn’t see much point in going downstairs without Saimura—not when Lafi’shir had told John to get him. John leaned against the wall and waited. After five minutes or so, John knocked on the door again.
    “I think Lafi’shir wanted to see you sometime soon.”
    “I thought you went back downstairs,” Saimura said through the door.
    “No,” John replied. “I’m still here, waiting.”
    “You don’t need to stay. Go downstairs and enjoy your dinner.”
    John scowled at the door. “Saimura, this is getting childish. Just come to dinner.”
    There was no response and John briefly considered burning the lock apart. Then the door opened just slightly. Saimura peered out at John through the crack. His eyes were wide and bloodshot.
    “You did something to me,” Saimura whispered.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “In the stable, when you used my talisman, you…did something.”
    John realized that Saimura had to be talking about the strength John had taken from his talisman.
    “I didn’t mean to do anything,” John said quietly. “I just needed strength. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
    The muscles in Saimura’s jaw clenched. John tried to meet his eyes, but Saimura lowered his gaze.
    “Saimura, you’ve been a friend to me,” John said. “You brought me into the Fai’daum. I would never hurt you intentionally. I’m sorry for what I did, but I didn’t know it would happen. I don’t even know how it happened.”
    “You don’t even know what happened, do you?” Saimura sounded both strained and accusatory.
     “Not really, no,” John admitted. “But I didn’t mean to harm you.”
    “You didn’t harm me,” Saimura responded tersely. “You didn’t even hurt me.”
    John frowned at him, unsure of what Saimura meant.
    “You broke through the barriers between myself and my talisman,” Saimura said. The muscles of Saimura’s jaw flexed again. “You were in me. You were there inside me, taking what you needed, and I couldn’t stop you.”
    John felt his face go hot and red. The words Saimura had used made the whole thing sound like a rape. Then John remembered the warm, quivering gasps of Saimura’s talisman. He remembered the sobbing that had stopped him. A sick feeling of horror sank through John.
    “I didn’t mean—I never—” John couldn’t think of what to say. He needed some way to make things right with Saimura, to take back what he had done.
    He could outrun a tahldi. He could devour a storm, but he could do nothing to retract this.
    “I’m sorry,” John said, but the words fell terribly short of the shame John felt.
    “I know,” Saimura cut him off. “If I thought you’d done it purposefully, do you think I would have treated your injuries?”
    “No. You wouldn’t have.” John stared down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Saimura. I’m really sorry.”
    “I know. You’re a very decent man. But it’s still hard to be near you right now.”
    “Of course.” John retreated from the door.
    “I’ll get over it,” Saimura said.
    John removed Saimura’s talisman from his coat pocket. Saimura flinched, seeing it resting in John’s palm.
    “You should take this back.” John offered the carved bone to him.
    “You may need it,” Saimura responded.
    “No, I won’t,” John said firmly. “I want you to have it back.”
    Saimura snatched the talisman from John’s hand and something like relief showed in his features.
    “Tell Lafi’shir I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Saimura said.
    John left Saimura and rejoined his fellow Fai’daum at their table downstairs. As he had predicted, Lafi’shir gave him a questioning look when he returned alone.
    “Saimura’s changing clothes,” he explained.
    “Takes him long enough,” Fenn remarked.
    “Oh, but he’s always worth the wait,” Pirr’tu responded jokingly.
    John ate the