Page 52 of Shadows in Bloom

She was behaving so recklessly that I struggled to find the words to question her. “Why… why are you hiding this? Why are you so against calling it quits while there is still time?”

Zorinna dropped her head, scrunching her eyes tightly closed. “This is the last choice I will ever get to make for myself… so, please. After we find this stupid flower, I have no choice but to return home to the stupid castle to be married off to some stupid prince for my parent’s political gain. I will spend the rest of my days in service to a male I do not love, while the one I do love forgets my existence.” She brought her eyes to mine. “The wounds on my back will heal with time, but I will regret it forthe remainder of my days if I do not spend every last moment with my closest friend.”

With him. In an instant, it clicked. The male she loved was the very same one I’d tied my heart to. “You haven’t told him your feelings…”

“And I will not. We have had centuries together, and he has made it abundantly clear over those years that I am no more than a dear friend. I do not wish to complicate our last days together by forcing something that isn’t there. I only wish to have a proper goodbye before I must fulfill my parent’s demands. So, please, Nairu, sew me up the best you can and I will manage to stay alive. I promise.”

I allowed myself only a few seconds of jealousy, justifying it with how brilliant and stunning Zorinna was, and how impossible it seemed that anyone would be immune to her charms. Only a few seconds to internally whine and doubt myself, before I felt only tightness in my chest. Pain at both how similar and opposite Zorinna and I were, and at how much I’d grown to care for her. I would not let a male, even one I loved so deeply, make me hate her, or doubt the friendship that had bloomed between us. Zorinna was facing her duty. I was abandoning mine, and yet we both suffered for it. I would not hate her for hanging on to one piece of normality in the midst of her darkness. I could not. But I also would not lie to her any longer.

“I… Alandris and I—”

“I know.” Zorinna smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I have known for some time. I would be a fool not to noticeit—which is why I know it is selfish to ask you to hide this from him… my injuries and my feelings.”

Before I could regret it, I spoke. “I think… he would appreciate knowing—your feelings, that is.”

“You would be fine with that?” Her lips twitched into a half smirk. A playful jab that annoyingly made me like her even more.

“I will not pretend I am without worry,” I grumbled. “Look at you—but he deserves to know.”

“He has never looked at me the way he has looked at you.” Her smile was genuine this time, but it held the faintest trace of sadness. “You have nothing to worry about, but perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is better that he knows, so that I may say goodbye to these lingering feelings once and for all.” She took my hand and smirked. “I will walk bravely into rejection, and I expect you will be there to dry my tears, should they fall. With years of court training, I may be immune to such a thing, but I expect you to be at the ready. It is the least you could do.”

It was impossible for me to refrain from smiling. I sifted through our medical kit, pulling forth a needle, silk, and fresh cloth. “I will be there,” I assured her, handing her the cloth. “Now, bite down, and try not to scream. We must first ensure you live.”

“Thank you,” she mouthed. She threw her arms around me, wrapping me in a warm, albeit bloody, embrace.

I didn’t mind the grime. I welcomed the hug, looping my arms behind her waist, careful to avoid her cuts, and breathed a laugh against her hair.

She pulled away with a grin and shoved the balled cloth into her mouth before turning her back to me.

I sterilized the wound as best as possible with what little materials we had. To Zorinna’s immense credit, she did not scream when the alcohol touched the raw gashes. She didn’t even scream when the needle first broke through the skin, or when I had to tug the flesh together to stitch. I was terrified she may have passed out from shock, but her body continued to shift and tense as I worked. She had more will and pain tolerance than a seasoned soldier, and if I was honest, it was downright terrifying.

Exhaustion pooled in her face as I finished my work and helped her move to the middle of the room with the dais. Alandris, Kallistra, and Kaz had just reemerged from their search by the time we reached the center. Zorinna had eased herself down onto her butt, unable to stand any longer.

“Is she alright?” Alandris asked, looking to me for confirmation.

Zorinna waved her arm in the air. “I’m not a child. You can ask me the question.”

Alandris rolled his eyes. “You are indeed not a child, but you are a liar with a penchant for putting yourself in harm’s way and pushing yourself far beyond your limitations. Since I wanted an honest response, I opted to ignore the patient.”

“It wasn’t as bad as it looked. Improved healing—courtesy of your Elven bloodline, as I’m sure you know,” I quickly spoke up. The lie burned at my tongue, but I ignored the guilt and pushed to change the topic. “Did you find anything?”

Kaz sighed. “Not a damn thing. The hallway led to a dead end. And according to our Mage, these aren’t Elven symbols.”

“They are reminiscent of the Fae language,” Alandris added. “Though they seem far more ancient than anything I’ve ever seen. I could likely translate them with enough time.”

I didn’t feel comfortable explaining that I had the ability to recognize some of the symbols at first glance. “I can help you. I learned some of the Faerie language from reading along my travels.” Another lie that, hopefully, only Alandris would catch. He already knew I didn’t know Faerie from our time searching for books back in Fernfallow. “Why don’t we take turns resting? I’ll study the symbols while I take first watch.”

Alandris gave me a quizzical look, but thankfully did not point out my lie. “Shall I join you?”

I shook my head. I wanted to give Zorinna the opportunity to speak with him in private during the second watch, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’ll watch with Kallistra or Kaz. You can study from my notes during your watch.”

Before Kallistra could volunteer, forcing me into a confrontation of my own that I wasn’t yet ready to have, Kaz spoke up to save me. “I’ll keep you company, girl. I won’t be of any help deciphering those fancy lines, but I’ll watch your back.”

I dared to glance at Kallistra. As expected, she was brimming with anger, sadness, and beyond that, disappointment. “You can rest then, Kalli…” I mumbled.

Pulling paper and ink from my bag, I sat cross-legged in the center of the dais while everyone else fussed with their bedrolls and belongings around the edges. I would have to pretend to contemplate the meaning of the symbols since I was fairly confident I’d already deciphered five of them with no effort. It was the remaining three that had stumped me. The worst part was that I had no idea how to figure out what they were, considering I had no clue how I’d even understood the other five in the first place.

Once I was sure that everyone was sound asleep and Kaz was occupied with observing the entrance, I retrieved my paper and drew a picture of the dais and its symbols. I marked each of the symbols with their respective translations. They were all names of cities within Lustria. Kingshaven, Ebdongarde, Tempestas, Val’Naerith, and Rajandi. If it was possible for me to decipher how each of the lines or shapes corresponded to a letter of the common tongue, I would be able to assemble the remaining three together. They would likely be cities, as well. If I could get just a hint, I could probably guess from there.

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