Page 92 of A Promise of Peridot
Kane’s voice was low. “We should leave before any of those Amber men come looking for the source of the commotion.”
“We should fly for Crag’s Hollow,” Griffin said softly. “There’s nothing left for us here.”
But Mari held her ground. Nightdress soaked in rain. Bare toes in cold mud.
Kane and Griffin exchanged one more look before stalking ahead of us toward our makeshift camp.
“You all kept that from me? For weeks? I’ve looked like such a fool.”
“No, you haven’t. Not at all—”
“It’s... it’s... humiliating.”
“Nobody thought that—”
“Finally, I think I’ve made one real friend—”
“Of course I’m your friend. So believe me when I promise you, youwilldo magic without the amulet. You already have. And you’ll be better for it now because you’ll finally face your fear of... failing.” My words trailed off, but it was too late. I had already said them.
Mari winced before pushing past me and making her way into our camp.
Bleeding Stones. Not phrased right. Not at all.
I had seen her angry before, many times. But never hurt. Hurt was so, so much worse.
Kane and Griffin were already packing up our bags when I followed her back to our camp, incessant rain still pelting my face.
“I heard shouting,” Fedrik said, limping from his tent.
“Your leg—you’re putting weight on it.” One small mercy in a catastrophically dreadful night.
“I know. I didn’t think I’d be able to walk again. You are some healer, Wen.” Fedrik shot me a warm look.
Our chaste, heatless kiss flashed in my mind, and I said nothing.
Fedrik swallowed. “What’s going on?”
My head swam. I didn’t know how to begin to explain all of it to him. My vicious fight with Kane. The bandits... That I had been lying to Mari.
That I had hurt her.
I went with, “Everything’s fine.” And when he frowned, Iadded, “Are you able to pack up? We intend to leave for Crag’s Hollow.” Mari milled past us before he could respond, stuffing wet, rain-covered mugs and tins into a large canvas sack. “I can help you in a moment, I just need to talk to Mari.”
“Please don’t,” she said, grabbing her dress and blouse from the clothesline we had rigged between two palms.
“Mari, come on—”
She scoffed, turning to face me, the barest hint of hesitation twinkling in her eyes. “I have wanted to be a witch my entire life. I finally find a way to do so—to feel that glory, that success, to feel close to mymother—and it’s all a fraud? That’s painful. But what’s worse is my closest friend, who I have stood beside through countless tragedies, lying about it to me for weeks and then saying I’ll bebetter for it.” She shook her head. “I know you don’t care about yourself anymore, but I thought you’d at least give a shit about me.”
I felt the words across my cheek like a slap. “What?”
“Damn it,” Griffin huffed, discarding his half-filled pack and sitting down on a tree stump as if to say,All right you two, get on with it.
“Oh, come on. You don’t care about anything these days, least of all the people around you. Watching you toy with Fedrik and Kane? Whodoesthat?”
Something stickier than shame ran through my veins. “Youwere the one that encouraged me to pursue something with Fedrik.”
One of the men swallowed a noise of surprise but I couldn’t tell who. I didn’t want to.
