Page 233 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
“Navara?” Hallie asked, though she was half distracted by the lanterns.
They looked like the ones she was familiar with, but instead of a small golden orange flame inside, the fire was tintedblue. Well,firewasn’t the right word. It was more akin to the Yalven fire she had never been able to conjure.
The tea kettle gave a little whistle before growing to an incessant whine. Jack jumped a little and grabbed a dishcloth from the side of the sink and pulled the kettle off. “Grab yourself a bag there and I’ll pour.”
Hallie inspected the little tags on the end of the bags and chose the one labeled ‘Peppermint’ in her brother’s messy handwriting.
That simple sight nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away and draped the bag into the cup and held it out.
Jack poured hot water into the cup, steam rising in little ghostly spirals. Hallie adjusted the bag and waited for the flavoring to settle and mix with the water. She took a small spoon and stirred it. “No sugar?”
Jack shook his head as he poured his own cup. “We’re limited on sustenance here.”
Hallie was still enamored by the fact that there was any food at all. “It’s all right. I can drink it black.”
Jack took an experimental sip of his before putting it back down. “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
Hallie laughed a little, the first since she’d arrived, and blew on her tea before taking a dainty sip. The hot liquid fanned across her tongue.
Mother of ash.
She blanched and resisted the urge to spit it back out. She tried not to gag as she forced herself to swallow. “Ugh, what kind of tea is this?”
Jack took another sip of his. “I’d wager this is my best batch. Made it about a week ago.”
“You must be joking. This is at least years old.” Hallie pushed the cup away. Jack picked it up and took a sip.
He swallowed and shrugged. “Tastes fine to me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or are you being ornery because I ain’t let you ask all your questions?”
Well, then her brother had no taste at all. Hallie set her cup aside. “Tastes bad, but you’ve never had good taste.” She tapped her fingernails on the side of the cup. “Never understood how you could stomach coffee.”
Jack looked over with a grin before he noticed her hand.
He set his tea down and grabbed it before Hallie could hide it back under the table. “Two things. Where did your finger go, and why is there a ring on that one? A pretty one, at that. Expensive.”
Hallie jerked her hand back and hid it. She played with the ring in question under the table. She’d been able to think about other things than Kase in the last few minutes, but now it was back, and it was about to break her heart. How could she explain it all? Could she even try? She shook her head. “It’s been an eventful three years.”
“Niels? Didn’t think he could afford something uppity like that. Do I even want to know how he squirreled away enough to—”
Hallie shook her head. “Not Niels.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Poor man must’ve messed up something bad. Who then? So help me, if you up and married Willi Heinrich, I’m never speaking to you again.”
Willi had been the mayor’s son who always beat Jack in their mathematics assessments and in afternoon groggon matches. Hallie hadn’t seen him since she’d left for Kyvena. He was more than likely one of the many who hadn’t survived the initial Cerl attack.
“No, not Willi,” Hallie sighed. “No one. I’m not married. Someone…asked, but I told him no.”
“So you’re wearing a ring on that finger because…”
Kase’s last words echoed in her mind. I’ll wait until the stars fall so long as I get to be with you in the end.
A tear slipped down her cheek. He’d get his chance to prove it—he’d be waiting forever now.
“Hal.” Jack’s voice lowered, mischief gone in a blink. “If he hurt you, I don’t care who he is, I’ll make sure he don’t get ferried over. I have a lot of sway now, you know.”
Hallie wiped the tear. “No.”
“No, he didn’t hurt you, or no, don’t ferry him over? I’ll tar an’ feather him, just you watch—well, it’ll be mud, and the girls don’t shed awful much being dead and all, but I’ll get creative. Hey, I know—corn. Roll him in mud, crust him in corn, toss him in the coop—"
