Page 96 of Our Radiant Embers

Liam and I were slotted to move on to the next site. Just as we turned to leave, I halted as though something had only just occurred to me. “Hey, Gale? Someone mentioned…It seemed odd, but are there cases of people’s magic growing stronger even as adults?”

Gale’s face shifted with a flash of wistfulness before it smoothed out. “There are cases, yeah. But as far as I could tell, it’s really rare and limited to people who moved communities. Like, it can take a while for their magic to adapt and connect with the new place.”

Liam made a small sound of intrigue, his tone light. “Interesting. And makes sense, I guess. Wonder if that’s the kind of thing that could take multiple generations?”

Multiple generations? I carefully didn’t look at him.

“Probably.” Gale shrugged, exhaled. “Not something I’ve looked into in any detail—hardly relevant to our family.”

There was nothing I could say. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him in the first place, but other than my father, Gale was unparalleled in his familiarity with our library.

“Okay, so Liam and I should move on. You’re in charge here, all right?” I shot him a gentle smile, and the tense line of his mouth relaxed a little.

“Thanks.”

“Thank you,” Liam told Gale. “It’s a great help, knowing you’re handling things around here.”

Maybe I loved him.

No.

Gale’s features brightened noticeably. “My pleasure.”

Funny, wasn’t it, how both he and I liked feeling useful—a result, perhaps, of how we’d grown up under the weight of expectations that neither of us could truly fulfil.

After a quick further exchange, Liam and I headed towards the exit. With security cameras all over the place, I was acutely aware of the relative distance between us, the hazy light that filtered through the veil adding a sense of abstractness to the moment. We were quiet until we emerged onto the road and into the brightness of a sunny morning, our cars parked a couple of minutes away.

As we started walking, I brushed my fingertips over Liam’s palm for a fleeting point of connection. He slid me a warm look.

“Hi,” I whispered.

”Good morning,” Liam whispered back before I could begin to feel silly or sentimental.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, still hushed as a harried man in a suit stepped around us and continued his speed-walk.

Liam tilted his head to the side, sunlight slanting over his face. “A little calmer. And there’s also…Nan Jean told us some stuff last night.”

”Stuff?” I echoed.

“About…” He paused, then shook his head. “Later, okay?”

“My flat?” A chance to be alone in a space that I’d always thought of as mine—yet after just a few times of Liam staying there, it felt like maybe he belonged there too. At least a little.

He sent me another warm look, laced with a promise. “Yes.”

I didn’t know how to put words to the bright, weightless feeling in my chest. So I stayed silent and kept walking, perhaps a tad closer than before.

* * *

When we arrived at the Finsbury site, George was already there. Responsible for the planting aspects in what would become a green oasis with a central community cafe, he went to greet us with a knowing smirk and a, “So! Great weekend, I’ve heard.”

“Please raise your voice,” Liam said. “I’m not sure everyone on the other side of London heard you.”

“I am as subtle as a ballerina on her tiptoes,” he declared grandly, and I bit down on a laugh. There was something disarming about George, an easy air of acceptance that meant I didn’t worry about what he knew. Anyway, he’d kept my secret for over a year already.

“Seems there’s a bit of a perception gap between your own self image and how others see you.” Liam’s focus moved from George to me. “But also, yes. It was a great weekend.”

I met Liam’s gaze and inhaled, warmth rising to my cheeks. To draw attention away from myself, I asked George, “So, any further dating disasters lately?”

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