Page 29 of Shadows in Bloom

“Don’t look so glum. It made me like you a bit more. It was humorous to witness you drunk.” She threw me a wink as she headed for the door. “You’re not so bad when you let loose. You seem nervous to do that around Kallistra.”

Kallistra. Oh God, Kallistra.

Zorinna left me alone in her room, and I took a moment to fix my disheveled appearance as much as was possible. I opted to change back into my clothes from last night rather than return to my room half exposed in the nightgown I’d been lent. My hair was a knotted mess, so I borrowed Zorinna’s brush to attempt to tame it. After splashing some water on my face, I was ready. As ready as I could be for who I needed to face.

I was not surprised to find Kallistra awaiting me in our room, arms crossed in front of her chest. What surprised me was that she rushed to me and threw her arms around me. I’d beenexpecting a dagger to the head. Some less than tasteful words. Not a hug.

“Nairu…” she mumbled into my hair. “You scared me to death.”

In my shock, I stood there, not returning the embrace. Her words, the shaken, wobbly voice with which she spoke them, prompted me to wrap my arms around her waist. How long had it been since we’d hugged like this? Not since before our pilgrimage had begun. Maybe even since before we’d fully recognized our roles. A simpler time, when we were just us. Not Keeper. Not Goddess. Just Kallistra and Nairu.

She pulled back enough to look at me face to face. “I’m sorry for the things I suggested last night. You’re right, Nairu. We don’t have to become cruel... We can try this thing with the Fae. I’ll find some sort of excuse if our village questions it. We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

I wanted to believe her. The apology appeared sincere. The hurt in her eyes was real.

“I’m sorry, too.” I took a step back and glanced at the floor. “I’ve been short with you. I’m having a hard time with this lately.”

“It’s okay. It’s alright. We do it together.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Please don’t leave like that again. When Kaz came to the room late last night to tell me you were staying the night with Zorinna, I was on my way out to search for you. I wanted to give you space, but it had been hours…”

It felt wrong to lie, but things were finally going better, and I didn’t want to ruin our reconciliation with tales of my drunken adventures. “I just needed time to think. She offered to let me stay with her for the night.”

“It was strange. We’ve not been apart ever, have we? Not even as children.”

All throughout our childhood, Kallistra and I had shared a room. Her family had raised me, and we’d spent nearly every moment together. Even now, during our travels, we always shared a room. It was cheaper, but it also felt natural. Last night was the first time Kallistra hadn’t been within arm’s reach. It was a bittersweet feeling. Freeing, but lonely, too.

I wished I could have my friendship with Kallistra without the burden of our village’s expectations, but I didn’t know if that was possible. Would she even choose me—if it were a choice between me or her duty to them? Or was our friendship dependent on my cooperation? Deep down, I knew, and that only made that loneliness fester.

I gave a half smile. “Yes, it was strange.”

Kallistra offered to finish packing our bags while I headed downstairs to grab something quick to eat. My mouth was still impossibly dry, and I was an awkward combination of both starving and repulsed by the idea of food. We had a long day of travel ahead of us, though, and not eating would be a mistake. I would force myself to nibble on some dry bread or pastry, even if my stomach churned at the thought.

As I finished climbing down the stairs, I noticed Alandris sitting at a small table by himself. He waved me over, spotting me immediately. The embarrassment over my actions from the night before almost had me turning around and running right back up the stairs, but I mustered the courage to go take a seat across from him. At least I could get my apology out of the way.

And then promptly ignore him for the remainder of my life out of shame.

“Help yourself,” he said, pointing to the small assortment of breads, tarts, and honeyed fruits in front of him.

I picked out a mild looking bread. “Thank you… and I’m sorry.”

His eyebrows raised. “For?”

He was really going to make me say it, then. “Behaving… unfavorably.”

“Ah. That.” A humored smile crept up to his face. “Consider it my fault. I should have been mindful of your low tolerance, but I was distracted by the game. Before I could recognize it, you’d downed several glasses.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “Yes, well, it was very sweet… and delicious.”

“Those are the ones that sneak up on you. Drinking Kaz’s sewer water ale may have been best after all.”

“I think so.”

The smile fell from his face then, replaced with a far more serious expression. “Had you ever seen that man before? Theone from last night. Silas.” He seemed disgusted to even speak his name, it falling from his tongue in a hiss.

I shook my head. It’d been my first time meeting either of the two men who’d joined us.

Alandris brought a finger to his lips, pondering. “Hmm… Well, if you see him again, let me know right away. Something felt off about him. His line of questioning was strange to begin with, but the way he kept looking at you… I don’t know. I know you’ve mentioned that people don’t always react kindly to your appearance, but this seemed different.”

“He probably wanted to fuck her.” Zorinna chuckled, plopping down in the seat next to me. She flicked a berry into her mouth. “You worry too much.”

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