Page 122 of Of Empires and Dust

He pulled on thin threads of fire and lit the wicks of the candles on the desk and on the shelf above the straw-stuffed mattress set against the far wall. Books were piled high on the desk, some he’d brought with him into the Burnt Lands, others he’d sequestered from the Circle’s library.Druids, a Magic Lostsat on top ofA History of Magii– the book he’d acquired in the Milltown markets almost two years ago – and beneathA Study of ControlandThe Spark: A Study of Infinite Possibilities.

He glanced at the wardrobe by the end of the bed that held his armour, clothes, and gear. He truly didn’t have the energy to remove his clothes, fold them, and set them back in the wardrobe. All he wanted to do was sleep. But that wasn’t how his mind worked. This room was his space. If it was cluttered, so too was he. The last time he’d tried to leave clothes lying on the floor, he’d lain awake for hours until finally forcing himself to rise and put everything back in its proper place.

As he stared at the wardrobe, unmoving, his shoulders slumped, a moment of genius struck him. If he didn’t remove his clothes, then he didn’t have to fold them or put them away.

And with that thought, the aches and pains dulled and Rist flopped onto the bed like a dead fish and let sleep take him.

Rist awoketo someone tugging gently at his boot. He didn’t have the energy to roll onto his back, so he just grunted.

Another heave and his boot popped off.

“Really?” Even had he not recognised her voice, the sheer exasperation would have told him it was Neera pulling his boots from his feet.

“What?” Rist lay face down on the mattress, his eyes closed.

“Well, you’re fully clothed for starters, and you left the candles burning. You could have set the whole place on fire.”

“Is it on fire?”

“No—”

“Well, then let me sleep.”

“Stop being a puckered arsehole.” The mattress shifted as Neera sat down. She pulled his other boot off and removed his socks. “I need to remember this night. I don’t like feet. They’re like… hands on the end of your legs. And yet here I am holding your sweaty sock.”

Something soft and a little damp landed on the back of Rist’s head. The smell told him it was his sock.

“Come on, you lug, roll over, and we’ll get these trousers off. You can’t sleep like this.”

“I beg to differ,” Rist answered, his voice muffled by the mattress.

“Roll over, you goat.” Hands wrapped around his waist, fingers tucked into his belt, and then Neera hauled him onto his back. She started laughing as she undid his belt and stripped him down. “You’re honestly such a pain.”

The mattress shifted again, and Rist opened his eyes to see Neera standing with his trousers in her hand. She folded them once, then twice, and started to place them into the wardrobe until she caught his eye. “What is it?”

He wanted to tell her she’d folded them wrong and that they needed to be hung, but he could hear Dann in the back of his mind.“Don’t you fucking dare. Don’t you fucking dare.”

“Thank you,” he said instead.

“Hmm.”

Neera finished putting away Rist’s clothes, then removed her armour, blew out the candles, and climbed into the bed.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she traced her finger along the welts on his right shoulder.

“I’ve been better. How was your watch?”

“Quiet and boring. Just what I’d hoped for.” She turned Rist over so he faced the other wall, then wrapped her arms around him. She traced her hand down the black and yellow skin of his arm. “He’s going to kill you if he keeps this up.”

“One less thing for you to worry about.”

Neera slapped Rist’s bruise just hard enough to elicit a sharp ‘tssk’.

“You shut that stupid mouth of yours.” She slid her arm under his, pressing her palm against his chest. A moment of silence passed. “Don’t say things like that.”

Rist rested his hand over Neera’s, slipping his fingers into the gaps between hers. “Sorry.”

She let out a sigh, nuzzling into the crook in his neck. “It’s fine… It’s just this place. Everyone’s on edge. Uraks attacked one of the scouting parties this evening, just before sunset. Ripped them all to pieces. Then rebels set fire to one of the granaries in the garrison barracks. Do they not understand the city watch will just rebuild it and replenish it from the city’s stores? They’re setting fire to food while we’re anticipating a siege. What do they think will happen if the Uraks or the elves breach the walls? Who do they think will suffer the most?”

---