"Hellooooo," calls out a voice. "I come in peace!"
Margo. How she managed to get out of Seth's clutches is surprising to me, but I don't move from my spot hidden behind Kassam. If Margo is working with Seth, I could be in just as much danger from her as from him. All the trust I had in the world kinda died the moment I did, and I touch the stitches in my chest that are a constant reminder that I'm not safe here. "What does she want?"
"We will know soon enough, little light. I won't let any harm come to you." He keeps me tucked behind him and reaches back to give me a reassuring pat…that lands right on my ass. I shouldn't be surprised at that. "Stay back and let me deal with her."
He doesn't have to tell me twice. I remain hidden behind him, watching as a white-cloaked figure tromps through the forest to get to us. I wince at every twig breaking, at every rustle of leaves, at every crunch of footsteps on the ground. Margo does not know how to be stealthy in the slightest…or Kassam is making things difficult for her. As I watch a vine catch on her cloak and she pauses to pull it free, I suspect it's a little of both.
The moment Margo notices us, she lowers her hood and gives us a bright smile. She looks a little different than when I saw her last. A little more disheveled, a little more windblown. Her hair is a mess and she isn't wearing a stitch of makeup, but her smile is bright with enthusiasm as she looks at the two of us. "Hi there! How are things?"
"What do you want?" Kassam asks, glaring at her as she tries to peek around his shoulder to see me.
"Um, I wanted to say hi to Carly." Her brows draw together at Kassam, and then she looks at me, grinning in bizarre solidarity. "This guy, am I right?" She finds the nearest waist-high root and awkwardly hops up on it, then swings her legs as she looks at us. "I thought I'd come over and say hi since tomorrow's the big day and all?"
"The day after," Kassam corrects. "Carly wishes to save all the innocent from the city. We need one of Seth's messengers to spread the word."
Margo looks surprised. She leans heavily in an obvious effort to peer in my direction. "Carly can't speak for herself?"
"It depends," I interject. "Am I going to get stabbed again?"
She grimaces, toying with her cloak and straightening her bright purple skirt. Her boots look sturdy, her clothes of a good make despite the fact that they're travel-stained. Clearly she's not suffering by traveling with Seth. "So that was him being shitty, I totally agree. I had nothing to do with it, though."
"But you still serve," Kassam points out.
Margo gives me an entreating, helpless look. "What am I supposed to do? I have to if I want to go home again."
She's got a point. I pat Kassam's protective arms and step out from behind him. "Just tell us what you want, Margo."
For a moment, a desolate look crosses her face. "I wanted to chat with you, actually. Sometimes it gets lonely being surrounded by a bunch of religious zealots who have never heard of Earth. I figured you and me, we're kinda in this together. We could commiserate."
Maybe I'm an idiot, but I believe her. "It's okay, Kassam," I whisper, even as he glares at her. "We'll talk for a few minutes and then we can send her back to Seth's camp with our plans. We had to talk to someone over there anyhow, right?"
Kassam smooths my hair back from my face, brushing his fingers over my cheek. "I do not like it." He leans in. "Shall I do the same to her that he did to you?"
I shake my head. "We're not sinking to his level, and she could be innocent." I reach up and pat his cheek. "Maybe bring us some snacks? She's bound to be hungry."
He arches a brow at me. "And leave you unprotected?"
"Well…if I get stabbed again, you're allowed to tell me 'I told you so.'"
Kassam grunts, clearly displeased. He turns and gives Margo a withering glare. "Do not touch one hair on her head or I will ensure your innards are chewed upon by rats for all eternity." With that, he pulls me close, plants a hard kiss on my mouth, and stomps away into the forest.
Margo looks pale as a sheet. "Damn," she says after he leaves. "He's in a mood."
Secretly, I kinda love his mood. "He's been a little bit Papa Bear over me since Seth killed me. You'll have to forgive him for being a tiny bit upset."
She blanches. "I get it. He has every right to be upset. You do, too." Her gaze locks onto me and she bites her lip. "I didn't know, you know. Seth has a million plans and he doesn't share them with anyone. If he'd have told me, I'd have said for him to leave you alone, but…he didn't. I'm so sorry."