Late afternoon light slanted across the dry pasture, casting long shadows from the posts they'd been reinforcing all day. The rails were sun-bleached and splintered in places, but solid now. No more sagging under pressure. No more wandering livestock. Dust kicked up in little spirals across the paddock where a few bram grazed sluggishly. The thick-bodied cattle beasts were native to Mol'eyne, and produced rich milk and hearty meat. But they liked to ram their horns into each other and often missed, sending all that momentum into the nearest solid object.

  The team had been in Boadicea a week as of yesterday, it had been mostly quiet and productive other than the first scuffle. Brana was working her magic on the south power grid, so the fluctuations that had been plaguing the town were less frequent. And the eastern bridge was cleaned up and awaiting supplies to begin repairs. There was still an extensive list of things they hadn't even started yet, but it felt good to at least see one task crossed off. The barrier was finally holding.

  Soren leaned against the pasture fence, his forearms atop the railing and one foot on the bottom rail. He and Aurania were taking a brief moment to catch their breath from the day's heavy labor. It felt like magnetic gravity was locking his gaze on her, he couldn't stop staring.

  She was leaning with her back against the fence, both elbows propped up on it, causing her massive chest to push forward. She wore her usual two-piece robes, today's were a royal emerald color, damp, darkened by sweat, contrasting against the bronze of her skin. The top kept at least the most sensitive parts of her chest covered, but her shoulders, collarbone, and midsection were all bare. A long, light-cut of fabric draped down below in front and back, held at her hips by a thin gold chain belt.

  Soren stared, mouth slightly open, completely stricken. His thoughts had vanished, and all he could do was watch as the light traced over her body.

  She stood with one leg bent, her hoof propped casually on the lower fence rail, posture relaxed but still somehow regal. A light coat of red dust clung to her legs and hips, softening the gleam of sweat that traced down her bare abdomen. Beads gathered along her entire body, catching the late sun like droplets of gold. Her skin shimmered in places where the dust hadn’t settled, heat drawing a fine sheen across the curves of her chest and the firm lines of her arms. One droplet broke loose and slid down her neck, trailing her sternum before disappearing between her breasts.

  His gaze followed without permission, more out of reverence than lust. It was like he had been hit with a blunt object, or looked at a piece of sacred art too long and now couldn’t look away.

  A quiet sound slipped out of him—barely more than a breath, something between a hum and a stunned exhale. He didn’t even realize he’d made it, but she did.

  “If you keep your mouth open like that,” she said dryly, “you’re going to attract flies. Or swallow a bug.”

  Soren blinked, startled back into himself. “Right…” he swallowed, but still couldn't seem to look away.

  She shot him a glance that looked like irritation, but then raised both arms overhead to adjust her hair, slow and fluid like a stretch. The movement drew her shoulders back, arching her frame slightly, the gold chain at her hips catching the light. down her back and past her hips, but she took her time adjusting it—and when she was done, it looked exactly the same. Soren was pretty sure it didn’t need adjusting at all.

  It was a pose—It had to be a pose, she was just fucking with him.

  His expression tightened, and he said in a combative tone, “You know, Elias told me that lacravida know full well the effect you have on people, even when you pretend not to.”

  That finally got her to laugh. “Maybe, but you're exaggerating with the way you're looking.”

  “Bullshit,” Soren said.

  Amalia was walking past not too far away and Soren called out to her, beckoning her over to where he and Aurania were.

  “Help me out here,” Soren said when Amalia strode up. “She claims I’m exaggerating about how good she looks.”

  Aurania cocked one eyebrow at Amalia while the bubbly girl looked her up and down.

  “Sorry,” Amalia finally said to Aurania. “I’m with Glowstick on this one. All this,” she pointed up and down Aurania’s body. “That is one of the hottest fucking things I've ever seen in my life.”

  Aurania just stared back, unsurprised. Then she said, “Ok but he still doesn’t need to stare at me like someone worshipping the sun until they go blind.”

  Amalia glanced between them casually and then shrugged. “He came from a black hole, didn’t he? Don’t black holes drink sunlight?”

  Silence hung in the air as they absorbed Amalia’s sass.

  Aurania blinked long and slow, a grin creeping onto her face before she eventually rolled her eyes.

  Soren leaned slightly towards Amalia, eyes still on Aurania. “Damn, that was smooth.”

  “I know, right? Just thought of it on the spot.”

  Soren quickly bent one arm and held out his hand, palm up.

  Amalia immediately flowed right into a low-five, giving it a satisfying smack like they had rehearsed the entire thing. Then they both stared at Aurania and tried not to laugh.

  Aurania just exhaled slowly and raised one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose while losing the fight against the grin on her face.

  Amalia turned and started casually skipping away.

  Aurania called out after her, “Traitor!”

  The laughter faded, leaving behind a dry breeze and the low grunts of grazing bram in the distance.

  Soren settled back against the fence again, watching the sun stretch long shadows across the paddock. “You think the town’s warming up to us?”

  Aurania gave a faint shrug. “Some of them, maybe. The kind of attitudes that exist here won’t change overnight.”

  “Yeah,” Soren said quietly. “Doesn’t mean they’re not worth trying to show a better way.”

  Aurania just responded, “Hmm.” Not a question, more like she was thinking on what he had said.

  They stood in silence for a moment before he asked, “What ever happened with that local lacravida? The one Violet went to check on a few days back.”

  “Amaryn,” Aurania said. “Violet and Tamiyo found her and chatted I guess. Said the girl’s quiet. Shy. Not trained for combat. Apparently she wasn’t raised among our people—lost her mother young and got passed around by d’moria caretakers until she ended up here.”

  Soren’s brow furrowed. “Must be hard for her to not be around familiar people.”

  Aurania nodded, but stayed quiet.

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  “She alright?” Soren asked after a moment

  Aurania hesitated. “She’s... fragile. But not weak. There’s a difference. It’s a delicate situation, but Violet knows what she’s doing.”

  The sound of boots on gravel crunched in from behind, and Soren didn’t need to turn to know who it was. The scent of sweat, leather, and stale chewing sticks usually arrived a second before he opened his mouth. Tarnik, the loud-mouthed shorn who ran the ranch they were standing on. He had been mostly cordial over the past several days, he must have learned his lesson after Veolo introduced his face to the table.

  “Fence is lookin’ damn solid,” Tarnik said, strolling up with an easy grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Appreciate the help. Thought we’d be dealin’ with loose bram for another month or two.”

  Cale, another shorn, trailed behind him. Something about Cale rubbed Soren the wrong way, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Tarnik was loud and abrasive, but at least he said whatever bullshit was on his mind, even when people preferred he didn’t. Cale seemed like he kept it all inside, and not in a healthy way. His features, but mainly his demeanor, reminded Soren of a slimy insect.

  “Wasn’t just us,” Soren said, turning only halfway. “We’ve all been pulling our weight.”

  “Still,” Tarnik said, “good work.” He gave Aurania a longer look than Soren liked, then glanced between them. “Now, I heard you too chattin’ a minute ago. How come you don’t mind him lookin’, but you do me? That 'cause I’m a shorn? You got a thing against shorn?”

  Aurania’s jaw tightened, but she gave a smooth, flat reply. “Nope. Actually, one of the last guys I had sex with was a shorn.”

  That threw Tarnik off just enough to make the silence feel awkward.

  Then Cale spoke up, voice a little too eager. “Well where’s he at? Waiting back home for ya?”

  Aurania slowly turned her gaze to focus on the little shorn. “Nope.” She casually gestured one thumb towards Soren. “He killed him.”

  Tarnik’s mouth opened slightly, no words ready.

  If not for their mental link, Soren would have thought a nerve had been struck, and that the painful memory had made her angry at even him. But she intentionally let him glimpse into her mind for a second.

  She just wanted them to shut up.

  A beat of silence hung awkward in the air.

  One of the nearby bram sauntered up behind the fence, sniffing lazily at the wood post before giving it a dull thunk with its horn. Dust kicked off its flanks as it exhaled in a heavy huff.

  Cale glanced at the beast, then at Aurania. His eyes lingered a little too long on her ears before he gave a dry little snort. “Huh. Y’know… you kinda got the same ears as that bram there. All soft and twitchy.”

  The fuck did he just say?

  Soren stayed completely still but focused on the shorn’s leg, the same way he had on Philos when Amalia had started chucking rocks at him.

  Aurania was trying to keep her temper in check, but it looked like she was about to lose it.

  Cale’s foot suddenly shot backwards out from under him like a rocket was attached to it. He pitched forward with a surprised yelp, the top rail of the fence broke his fall right between his eyes with a loud crack.

  He staggered, grabbed the post for balance, and struggled to stay standing. His eyes were wide and watering.

  Tarnik took a half step toward him. “What the—Cale, what the fuck was that? You been drinkin’?”

  Cale blinked and looked down at his boots, like they’d betrayed him.

  Tarnik muttered something under his breath and helped Cale straighten up.

  “We’ll leave you two to it,” he grumbled, shooting Soren a side glance as they turned to leave.

  “Yep,” Soren said. “Watch your step.”

  He watched them as they started to leave. Then he felt like he was being watched.

  Looking over, he caught Aurania looking at him with a halfway affectionate look. She didn’t immediately look away when he caught her, she let it linger for a moment. Then she finally looked off towards the horizon.

  Soren smiled to himself, letting the moment stretch for as long as he could.

  He looked back to make sure Cale and Tarnik had left. They weren’t in sight anymore, they must have slipped behind the building they were walking towards.

  But he did spot Violet coming towards them from the same direction. She had Tamiyo with her, as well as a tall woman in a simple gown. A moment later, he caught sight of the woman’s hooves, and realized who it was.

  “Hey,” Aurania said quietly. “Come stand on the other side of me.”

  “What’s up?” Soren said, moving to where she directed.

  “Violet said Amaryn might have had some rough run-ins with the men in town. You might make her uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, right,” Soren said. “I can leave if you want.”

  “No,” Aurania answered, eyes watching the trio approach them. “I don’t think that’s necessary yet. But maybe stay quiet.”

  “Will do.”

  Violet waved as she approached, her stride careful but casual. Tamiyo followed at her side while the third figure walked just a little behind both of them, head slightly bowed. The woman wore a simple slate-blue gown—plain but clean—and her long, auburn hair was tied into a loose braid. Her posture was careful, reserved. Her eyes flicked up only once as they neared, then quickly dropped again.

  Soren didn’t speak. He kept his body relaxed and his gaze somewhere else, just like Aurania had said.

  “Hey Aura,” Violet said. “I wanted to introduce you to Amaryn.”

  “Thank you, Violet,” Aurania responded.

  Violet turned and said, “Amaryn, this is Aurania Enderchild. She’s one of the leaders of our village back home.”

  Amaryn looked up wide-eyed at Aurania. Even amongst lacravida, Aurania was towering. “Hello, ma’am,” the woman said, her voice barely audible.

  “Please,” Aurania said gently. “Just Aurania. Or Aura. No need for formality.”

  There was a pause. Amaryn looked up again, this time lingering. Her eyes darted briefly to Soren, then back to Aurania, visibly tense.

  Aurania didn’t push. She simply offered a calm smile and folded her hands in front of her. “Violet tells me you've been through more than your share, and that you’ve handled it with grace. That says a lot.”

  Amaryn looked uncertain how to respond, but her shoulders eased just a little.

  Aurania glanced to Violet, then back. “While we are here, please feel free to seek any one of us out, for anything you need. I understand you were not raised among lacravida, but that does not make you any less one of us. We are sisters.” Aurania’s voice was both commanding and gentle at the same time.

  “You don’t have to answer now,” Aurania continued. “Or even anytime soon. But when we leave this place, there will be space for you on our ship—if you’d like it.”

  Silence followed, but it wasn’t heavy.

  Amaryn finally murmured, “Thank you,” eyes down again, but the words sounded real.

  Violet touched her back lightly. “We should get going. I want to introduce you to my goofball sister, gods know what she’s up to.”

  They turned and headed off together.

  Tamiyo quickly looked at both Soren and Aurania and raised her eyebrows, as if wondering how things were going between them. Then she lightly waved with a smile and fell in step behind Violet and Amaryn.

  Amaryn looked back once at Aurania. Then she faced forward and kept walking.

  Soren exhaled and released the tension he hadn’t realized was in his shoulders. “That was really kind of you. You handled it well.”

  “She’s not mine to handle,” Aurania said quietly.

  Soren studied her face. “Still. The way you talked reminded me of your sister. All three of you have an amazing way of influencing people.”

  Aurania was silent for a few seconds.

  Soren added: “Felt like you were holding something back though.”

  “Violet has taken Amaryn under her protection. The girl is hers to care for, and it’s not my place to step between that.”

  Soren nodded once, then looked out toward the fence again. He spent several minutes thinking about how his interactions with the woman next to him had evolved over the past several months. From their violent beginning, to their shared connection, to now starting to feel somewhat like friends. Hopefully more, eventually.

  “Nice of you to let her call you Aura,” Soren said casually.

  “The girl needed softness,” Aurania responded. She didn’t take the bait, but she knew what he was thinking.

  He finally just said it aloud. “So can I call you Aura?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh, come on.”

  She smiled genuinely at him, almost laughing.

  The sun had nearly touched the horizon, and the bram were still grazing. The repaired fence cast long, unbroken shadows across the pasture.

  Aurania pushed off the fence and began to walk back into town, her hips swaying as she went. She looked halfway over her shoulder and said, “Come on, Little Boy. Let’s get some food and check on the rest of our people.”

  He couldn’t help but smile and pushed off the fence.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

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