The Offering (Lesbian, Gay, Girlxgirl)

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Thanks to the blue stones they collected in the pond, Talin and her group didn't have to stumble in the darkness. It was a poor substitute to a torch, but at least they could see each other and the path they were taking.

They couldn't separate for many reasons. If only one of them explored while the others stayed behind, the time between finding the exit and retrieving the rest of their group would be doubled, allowing the enemy to catch up. They couldn't split up either, for caves had many tunnels, and they might not find their way back to each other. And what if one group stumbled upon an enemy? They would be sorely outnumbered.

So as planned, Xander had taken the lead. Ossi was right behind him, then Ayah, Mei, and second to the last. . .

Talin glanced at Brielle's back. The ghost had been outfitted with loose, sleeveless garment for The Offering, yet she knew that what was underneath the cloth was something else. A striking silhouette, a flat stomach, a fragile body, a delicate heart. She'd glimpse it accidentally the night before as they huddled in the chamber, sharing their warmth.

Talin glowered at herself for having imagined those things. For knowing them in the first place.

She'd been used to skin. The soldiers, though most of them were men, were often brusque enough to leave nothing to the imagination. She herself strictly changed in her quarters, but they often forget that they were amongst women, even a child. These things shouldn't be new to her.

Think about other things, damn you.

Her eyes sought the surroundings. There were damp walls on each side of her, and weathered rocks every now and then that they had to avoid. Loose pebbled stones littered on her feet. The ceiling dripped with water.

There was an absence of light. It was nothing new. She'd been in one too many caves like this with Gem when they weren't in the city.

"Where do you think they'd conduct The Offering, huh?" he said one time. They've been roasting game outside a cave, a fire lit between them.

Talin had shrugged at the question. All day she had to walk. All day she thought of what Mei was doing in the factory with the other kids. The last thing on her mind was where The Offering would be done. She just wanted to rest.

Gem poked the orange glow with a stick. "No wonder the soldiers don't talk to you," he said. "You don't make an effort."

"But you're a soldier," she pointed out. "And you talk to me."

"I'm also your teacher. I'm obliged to." He placed the stick to the side, and putting his hands behind his head, lay down on the bare ground to look at the stars. "The venue of The Offering changes each time," he said. "Sometimes it's on the wasteland where our forefathers destroyed their homes. Sometimes it's in a cave. That's why we're often away. Don't think we've separated you from your sodales because we wanted to. It's because you need to focus your thoughts away from those kinds of things and learn how to survive wherever you are."

Talin's expression was blank as she glanced to him. "What kind of things?" she asked.

Gem's mouth slowly formed into a grin. "You're almost sixteen. You know what I'm talking about."

"I do not."

His eyebrows rose. "Really? There must be someone you're interested in by now." He turned to his side when she shook her head. "No one? Not one man I have? Not even Mei?"

Talin crossed her arms. "Of course I am interested in Mei. She's all I ever think about."

"Well there you go," Gem said. "If you live together, all you'll ever do is run in the bedroom with her. And as a defender, you have to be vigilant, very vigilant. Duty comes first."