Yu swallowed and repeated, louder this time. “She is just a human. She is not a tairan.”
“Yes,” Bubs said. He did not look up.
The borman looked down on Yu.
Yu’s feathers rose as he edged closer to the other cot, the one holding the selder. He made sure to keep five careful steps between himself and the borman, and then one more for good measure.
“I mean, … so you can start with him,” Yu steadied his voice and added what he hoped to be something like care. “With … this person.” He emphasised the last word, putting all the compassion there.
This time, Bubs’ hands halted. His head lifted and turned, and for the first time, he looked at Yu. The mianid’s wide, black eyes locked onto him. For a long second, all urgency drained from his movements.
Yu froze too.
There was no ridicule in that stare, no frustration and no anger. Not like the times Bubs had treated him an imbecile over cleaning mistakes. No, this was … the opposite. A serious look. Alert. Measuring him. It was the look Lib and Url gave Tria when they had messed up, and knew that she knew. Cautious.
He’s wary of me, Yu realised. Of how well I can hear. Of what I might overhear. His stomach knotted all over again. Of what I might read in someone’s mind.
And then his stomach dropped.
He had no idea what they must all be thinking after the shaman spoke of Transcender mind reading. Did she say that to make them fear me? To make them think I can uncover their plan? To make them kill me, because I’m too dangerous?
Desperate to shift the focus, Yu flared his wings towards the beastkin’s bed. “I just thought … I mean, should we not … You, I mean, you could see if he’s injured?”
“We will”, Bubs said, and then resumed his work. On the human.
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