Page 66 of Acedia

The floor rugs were layered because this was the first floor and the ground was stone and cold to the touch. I pulled them around until they were in a single layer and less of a trip hazard. I didn’t feel great about it still—I wanted them secured to the ground somehow. Even better would bemyfloors, which were smooth wood.

Could I suggest Iris move into my rooms instead? Was it too soon?

She emerged in loose trousers and a matching sweater—in pink, of course.

“More comfortable?”

Iris nodded. “I prefer loose, flowy dresses—maybe I’m just used to them because that’s what Nana would always get for me. But these are comfortable too.”

Loose, flowy dresses, I noted. I could make one of those out of shadows, but that was an enormous act of trust. Even more so for Iris, who wouldn’t be able to see if the shadows disappeared.

“What did you think of Cora and Jade?” I asked.

“I liked them,” Iris said enthusiastically. “They sounded quite young.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I wonder if I’ll find them easier to relate to in some ways. When Meera or Tallulah talk about their jobs, or Tallulah talks about things that happened at college, I feel a little… behind, I suppose. Like I haven’t done all the things that I was meant to do.”

Iris said it like it was a mere observation instead of one of the most devastating sentences I’d ever heard. She was on a roll with those today. Not intentionally, of course. She was just relaying her experiences.

But the experiences had been terrible, and I needed to rectify them immediately.

“What would you like to do? I can make it happen. Do you want a job? You’re already practically work in the nursery—we can arrange compensation—”

“Oh no, please don’t. What would I even use money for? Unless I have to move somewhere else, I guess.”

“You have a home here for as long as you want it,” I said firmly. “You’ll neverhaveto leave the palace. And, of course, you will never need to pay anything to live here—no one else does—but you should have your own income. And you’re giving so much time to the nursery, if you enjoy it and you’d like to keep doing it, it would very easy to turn it into a job. But only if you wanted to,” I stressed, not wanting to put any pressure on her.

“I quite like the idea,” Iris said after a short pause. “If only to have that experience ofworkthat I never got to have in the human realm. And I can’t imagine anything else I’d rather do—spending time with the children is so rewarding. Thank you, Damen. That’s really thoughtful of you.”

It would have been more thoughtful if I’d thought of it sooner. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner? That’s what I should havebeen doing instead of trying to find more productive uses for my time.

Then again, maybe I could do both. It would cut into the several hours I’d allocated for naps each day, but I could probably spare it.

“I’m afraid it’s probably harder to replicate some other human-realm experiences. We do have a higher education facility, but from what I know of the human realm, it’s very different from yours,” I said regretfully, meeting Iris halfway as she came down the few steps into the main room and lightly touching her arm so she knew I was close.

The Itrodaris was basically a silent mausoleum where Shades drifted between stacks of books, never speaking or looking one another in the eye. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone who got any modicum of enjoyment out of conversation.

Really, Allerick should have enjoyed it there a lot more than he did.

“That’s okay,” Iris reassured me, patting my arm. It wasn’t a gesture anyone else had really done for me, and it had come to be very comforting for me. “I don’t want to relive a life that Icouldhave had. I just want to enjoy the life I have now.”

“I intend to make sure of that.”

“You already do, Damen. I don’t know what I would’ve done here without you, do you know that?”

“You’d probably be fine,” I replied, a little disheartened by that fact. Iris was brave and kind and resourceful, and she didn’t need me at all. As demonstrated by the fact that we’d spent some time apart and she’d promptly made herself a beloved fixture at the nursery without any help from me.

“No, I don’t think that’s true at all. You were so unfailingly kind to me, right from the moment I got here. It really gave me faith that I’d made the right decision.”

“You did.” From what I knew of her life in the human realm, Iris had definitely made the right decision. “Shall we go learn about dishwashing and other miscellaneous palace administration before dinner in the dining hall? It can be a day of the most mundane exploring you can imagine.”

“Promise?” Iris laughed.

“I promise. But let me tell you about the changes I’ve made to your room first. How strongly do you feel about those drapes around your bed? They seem like an obstacle you could do without.”

Iris’s scent sweetened into something so perfect, I wished I could bottle it and keep it forever.

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