Free Summer Ruins by Trisha Leigh

whatever, but if you’re not a little bit nice to us, why would we help you?” I fold my arms across my filthy chest, pinning Zakej with a gaze that’s much braver than anything inside me.
    We don’t have the upper hand here; we’re prisoners. But if we work things right, maybe we can be prisoners with running water.
    He stares back, and after a moment, a smile twists his lips. It’s not the kind of smile that makes me want to smile back or that promises he’s going to make our stay at the Harvest Site more comfortable.
    It’s a smile that says he can’t wait to kill me.
    Blood drains from my head into my feet until I sway, my dizziness returning. It makes me think twice about trying to go toe-to-toe with Zakej again in the intimidation game.
    “I see no reason we can’t begin a civil imprisonment. Your parents lost the right when they disobeyed the rules, but seeing as though the three of you are not Deasupran, there are no such restrictions placed on you.” He drops our bracelets on the desk behind him, and I can’t help but stare at them. They’re our only way back to South Dakota; he’s surely aware of that fact.
    “You can no longer travel, since the Spritans revealed that particular ability is not yours, but theirs. I see no reason for you to be separated or to be caged any more than our other guests here. You will supervise their work. Less for us to do that way.”
    I have no idea what any of this means, but the not being separated part sounds great. We already knew the enchantment that makes us travel disappeared with Cadi. The bracelets still hold Spritan magic, but without them we’re stuck.
    All of sudden exhaustion winds through my limbs. I feel Deshi’s eyes on me, and when I look up, I see the brief consternation that’s become familiar. He looks away after a moment, and though it’s not clear exactly what he’s thinking, for some reason I feel a little better.
    “Would you like me to show them to a furnicar?” he asks Zakej, a strange, shy smile sneaking across his face.
    “Yes, that’s fine. I’ll be returning to the Underground Core the day after tomorrow, and so will you, Deshi. We can get them settled into their duties before then.”
    “Yes, sir.” Deshi drains his glass and sets it gently on the table, then turns to the three of us. His kindred. The people he should be intent on helping.
    I remind myself that we still don’t know where he stands. He saved our lives; he might have been to the cabin and scratched Wolf behind the ears and believed every truth Brittany told him. Even if that’s the case, we haven’t been out of the Prime’s or Zakej’s sight, so Deshi hasn’t had a chance to get us any kind of message without revealing himself.
    It makes me feel better to think he might be working from the inside. But something about the way he acts around Zakej tells me that whatever’s going on is more complicated than I know. That, as usual, we’re still missing a piece of the puzzle.
    “Let’s go.” Deshi sighs, sounding almost as tired as I feel.
    Pax looks at Lucas, who shrugs. We all follow Deshi out of what turns out to be a fancy tent constructed out of thick canvas. Outside, a blast of frigid air hits me like a punch in the gut. I’m painfully numb from my head to my toes. I struggle to keep my eyes open. Pax’s hand clamps onto mine, hard enough to relay the fact that he’s struggling as much as I am with the conditions, while Lucas is fine.
    Through the panic and icy pain, Deshi’s voice finds its way to my ears. “Use your abilities. We can push a bubble around our bodies that stays the temperature we’re most comfortable. Stop panicking and focus. Push it out of your pores.”
    It doesn’t make sense, but then I stop struggling forward and take a deep breath. Heat flickers in my center, but another inhale and exhale pushes it outward until my blood warms, and then my skin. Pax’s hand falls out of mine. Then I’m warm, and the air brushing my face