Page 65 of Feathers and Thorns

“What is the cost?” Rook asked.

Her brows pressed together in confusion. “I’m sorry, I did not catch the meaning behind your question.”

“If your power is finite, like you say, what does it take from you?”

“Years,” she said simply. “I have lived a long life, you see. Each time I heal, I age backward. Since I am the only one of my kind, it is hard to guess what would happen should I empty the well, but I would imagine I would just cease to exist.”

“Thank you,” he said, nodding toward Soren, “for giving a piece of yourself to save her.”

“I would give her the last of me, if I had to,” she said honestly. “Her mother was a light in my life, and I would die happy knowing I saved her child.”

Luscinia jumped in surprise when Soren’s hand squeezed hers, and she looked at Rook with wide eyes. “She is coming back to us.”

Rook tried to ignore how the word us made him feel coming from this stranger’s mouth. She was his, and he did not relish sharing her with anyone else when he already had Baz and Enara to contend with.

He tucked his jealousy away and walked over to take Luscinia’s place at Soren’s side, replacing her hand with his.

Soren’s petite hand flexed in his, and he was happy to notice that the warmth had returned to her fingers.

Her eyelids fluttered open to meet his. The browns and golds in her irises met the cloudless skies of his.

“You love me?” she asked breathlessly.

“Always, little bird.”

Before she could articulate how those words made her feel and what she wanted to say in response, her body stiffened. She sat up swiftly, the fingers of her free hand searching for her dagger as she glared at the soldier in the corner.

Rook placed his hands on her shoulders, dragging her attention back to him. “She is a friend,” he said in a calming tone. “She healed you.”

Soren narrowed her eyes at the woman, still hesitant to trust someone who bore the armor of Anistera. “Why did you heal me?” She had a feeling that the woman’s actions would have a cost, and she wanted to know what bargain had been struck while she had drifted between the living and the lasting.

“Because you,” Luscinia started, looking to the both of them, “are the only ones who can defeat Adriel.”

“Not anymore, not without the Oculus,” Soren said, the cool hands of guilt crawling under her skin like a cluster of spiders waiting to catch her in their webs. “It was stolen in the battle to leave Thorncrest.”

“Fucking Corvus,” Rook growled, baring his teeth.

Soren nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said, disappointed for letting that happen. “I didn’t know it was taken until it was already too late.”

“I know, little bird, it’s okay,” Rook told her. “We will find another way.”

She gave him a small smile. She liked this softer side of him. She did not see it often, only in glimpses so small she usually thought the moments were imagined. His entire life, he had been trained to be strong, to not show emotion, and to endure pain without flinching. Now, he was free to feel what his heart had fought so valiantly to hide, and it warmed her from tip to toe.

“There is no need for that,” Luscinia said, reaching behind her.

Rook placed himself between the woman and Soren, fingers inching toward his weapon, just in case. He didn’t want to be unprepared for any surprises.

The woman noticed his change in stance and chuckled lightly. “I believe this may help,” she said, holding the metal artifact in her palms.

Soren’s eyes widened, and she gently pushed on Rook’s hip to move him aside so she could take a better look. The metal eye peered up at her from Luscinia’s fair hands, and she could feel the buzz of energy that emanated from the otherworldly metal. She was surprised she hadn’t noticed the sensation before. The loss of blood must have temporarily muted her body’s response to the item.

Soren hopped off the table, feeling better than she had in weeks, and took the artifact for her own as Luscinia offered it to her.

“What did you say your name was again?” Soren asked.

The woman chuckled again, her gilded eyes glinting. “It is Luscinia, but you may call me friend.”

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