“Because he’s scared and he misses his parents and everything’s out of his control,” Siri said impatiently. “Because beings don’t always behave logically. This is the Living Force. It’s unpredictable.”
“I hate unpredictability,” Obi-Wan said.
Siri smiled. “I know.”
“So what should we do?”
“Are you asking me? That’s a first,” Siri teased.
“Yes, I’m asking you.”
“I don’t know. Let me think about it. I’ll take the first watch.”
Siri crawled to the entrance to the cave and positioned herself against the curve of the wall. He watched her curl into the wall as if it were the most comfortable of cushions. The moon was so big that night that he could see her profile illuminated, the crystal clarity of her eyes, the gleam of her hair. She managed to look both alert and perfectly comfortable.
For the first time in days, Obi-Wan slept deeply. When he awoke, Siri was gone.
CHAPTER 10
Dawn was still at least an hour away. It was cold in the cave. Obi-Wan wrapped his thermal blanket around his shoulders and sat at the cave opening. Even if he had wanted to search for Siri, he wouldn’t leave Taly.
The light was shifting to purple when Siri reappeared, running soundlessly toward the cave, never making a wrong step even on the stony ground. When she caught sight of Obi-Wan she slowed. He saw her shoulders rise slightly, as if bracing herself for his attack.
She crouched down in front of him and removed a small sack from her tunic. “I got food for Taly,” she said. “A muja muffin, some bread, some fruit.”
“But I’m carrying all the credits,” Obi-Wan said.
“I traded for them,” Siri said. “My warming crystal. I sold it to a vendor who was opening up his shop early.”
She looked embarrassed. She had sacrificed her most prized possession for a boy she hardly knew. It was a gesture full of sentiment. In the past, Obi-Wan would have thought it unlike her. Now, he knew better.
“Go ahead,” she said. “Yell at me.”
He didn’t say anything. He’d always admired Siri for her fierceness. He had never known how strong her connection to the Living Force was. She always seemed to hold herself above other beings. Now he saw that her brusqueness was a kind of distance she kept, but even so, she was watching. Feeling.
“He’ll like these,” Obi-Wan said. “It was a good idea. You can go to sleep now. I’ll keep watch.”
“I can’t sleep,” Siri said gruffly. “Mind if I sit for awhile?”
Obi-Wan moved over to make room. Siri sat next to him.
“It’s cold,” she said. “But it’s going to be a nice day.”
He threw the blanket over her shoulders so that it was covering them both. He felt her leg against his, her breath against his ear. Warmth spread through him. He saw the sun begin to touch the rocks outside.
“One more day,” she said. “I hope Qui-Gon and Adi make it back in time.”
“If they don’t, we’ll be okay,” Obi-Wan said. “We can handle anything if we’re together.”
“I know.” He felt the whisper against his skin. They sat together and watched the light come up.
Qui-Gon and Adi did not return, and they did not send another message. Obi-Wan and Siri began to pack up their survival kits. They would have to do this on their own.
“If the bounty hunter is still on Quadrant Seven, he’ll be watching to see if we board,” Siri said. “We’ll have to sneak on somehow.”
“Qui-Gon always says that when you’re trying to sneak in someplace, go where the food is,” Obi-Wan said. “They load it separately through cargo, and security is sometimes pretty loose. Let’s try there first.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Siri said. “Ready, Taly?”
Taly shouldered his pack. Once again, Obi-Wan was struck by how resolute he could look. He had accepted Siri’s gift of food gratefully and had tried to share. Obi-Wan and Siri had both taken a small piece of fruit but insisted he eat most of the fresh food. He had been more cheerful after that. It wasn’t so much the food, Obi-Wan thought, as the caring that had improved his mood and given him hope. Siri had been so right. He had things to learn from her that went beyond a new fighting stance. He had things to learn about the heart. About giving.
“I’m ready,” Taly said.
Siri put her hands on his shoulders and squatted so that she was eye-level with him. “Here’s the most important thing, Taly. You have to do what we say. Your safety depends on it.”
He nodded. “I will.”
Obi-Wan could see that he meant it. Siri had won his trust.