Page 110 of When the Woods Go Silent

“I’m telling you so much more than you want to hear,” I threaten with a smile, although an edge of sadness still slices at my chest. Even though I believe in our friendship, what’s happening is going to change it, no matter what words I use.

She links her arm in mine, and we head back inside, locking the door behind us and locking the world out while we take the night off to sort our shit.

“Pizza?” I suggest as we head upstairs, and Ruby groans.

“Yes please. I haven’t eaten all day. Extra cheese and so much garlic sauce.”

Dusk is falling as the pizza is delivered, and Ruby piles blankets and pillows in our upstairs living room like a proper pillow fort. I see the worry in her dark eyes, the downward pull of her mouth, but we’ve sort of silently agreed not to begin until we have food and creature comforts. I note the over-full glasses of wine Ruby pours us both, and I don’t comment as she takes a long drink. We’re probably going to need the whole bottle.

“So, you were right. About everything,” I admit when she finally sets down her glass and fixes her eyes on me, the signal that we need to break the ice. She smiles a little, taking a huge bite of pizza without answering. I pretend to admire the cheese pull as I take my first slice, deciding just to jump straight in.

“Kier showed me magic, and it blew my fucking mind, and all I wanted was for things to go back to normal so I could pretend it wasn’t real. And I’m sorry for that reaction, because it made me hesitate to come to you. I should have, and I’m so sorry.”

Ruby still doesn’t say anything, and for a minute, I think I’d rather have her yell and get angry than give me this silent zombie look.

“Did Torrence... what did he tell you? I assume you confronted him.”

She nods, swirling the wine in her glass. “He showed me his magic. He makes icicles and little fire balls.”

I can tell she’s holding things back, but I have no room to press yet. I make myself hold in my questions, waiting for Ruby to open up more.

“What does Kier do?” she asks, and I tilt my head back to stare at the shadowy ceiling.

“This is a crazy conversation, you know?”

Ruby laughs a little, although the sound is hollow. “And it’s barely started.”

“Kier does stuff with plants. Like he can make them grow out of nothing. Vines and roses and flowers I’ve never seen before. He can use fire too, but I guess his mother was some evil dictator and hurt a lot of people with her fire magic, so he doesn’t use it as much.” I’m babbling, trying to fill her silence.

“He’s a fae?” Her voice is wistful.

I nod. “And Torrence is a gobbelin, whatever that is.”

“Half fae, too,” she adds, and I frown. Kier didn’t tell me that part.

But it’s time for another piece. “And apparently they’re at war, or going to be soon. Gobbelins against fae. Torrence against Kier,” I add, suddenly sick to my stomach again. If Ruby stays with Torrence, and the fae believe I can help them, it would put us on opposite sides of this conflict. This war, if Kier can be trusted.

“Torrence hasn’t had a chance to tell me anything like that.”

Ruby’s brow draws together, and the mood in the room slides closer to despondency. My heart aches for her, that she’s finally found magic, and it’s nothing like what she wanted it to be.

“Maybe it’s not that serious,” I suggest, but it sounds lame. Kier was pretty clear when he described the war - weapons, armies, and death. I don’t know Torrence’s part in all of it, or why they didn’t kill each other on the porch the other day, but I’m so afraid of the distance that could come between Ruby andmyself if she continues seeing Torrence and I let Kier try to teach me magic.

She’s silent for so long that I finally look up, anxiety churning in my stomach when I see she’s crying. Fat tears slide down her cheeks, and her lower lip trembles. Her hands shake, and she spills a few drops of wine before clanking the glass down on the coffee table.

“It’s so fucking serious, Rosey,” she whispers, dissolving into great hiccupping sobs. I scramble across the blankets and wrap her in my arms, rocking her like she’s a little kid. I’ve never seen Ruby this broken up about something. Not even when her mother died. Her breathing is wet and shaky, and I realize her whole body is trembling.

Ruby’s terrified, and her fear bleeds into my mind.

“What is it, Ru? What happened?”

She tries to take a gulping breath, but the sobs still come. Heart pounding, I wait it out with her, holding her tight until her body has worn itself out. Ruby wriggles out of my arms and leans back against the couch, her head flopping onto the cushions as she tries to wipe her face with her sleeve. I grab a box of tissues from a shelf and she blows her nose loudly.

“Christ, Rose. I don’t even know where to start.”

I watch her, my worry growing into desperation. A good cry usually helps Ruby feel better, but whatever she’s afraid of hasn’t lessened one bit.

“Start with what happened when you left the first time today,” I suggest gently. “Where did you go?”

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