Page 119 of A Tower of Half-Truths
Mavery crossed her arms andthrew Neldren a smirk.
“That goes for you, too, ma’am,” the constable said. “I have half a mind to fine you both for unvirtuous conduct. Lucky for you, I’m feeling generous today.”
“Lucky foryou, mate, I was just leaving,” Neldren said. With a teeth-aching scrape of metal against stone, he pushed back his chair. Mavery expected him to disappear into the shadows, but he walked westward—the same direction she was headed, unfortunately. She pushed back her own chair and gathered up her bag.
“Bloody gray-skins,” the constable muttered.
Neldren sauntered down the street, keeping to the tree-lined side where the shadows were most abundant. Mavery silently cursed his slow pace, though she was unlikely to get around him. They’d sat at the café long enough for the blisters on her feet to fully develop, and this new bout of movement rubbed her skin raw. At least it distracted her from her other bodily aches.
“Reminds me of old times,” Neldren said, not bothering to turn and look at her as he spoke.
“Which part? Arguing in public, or getting kicked out of the local watering hole?”
“Didn’t the two always go hand in hand?”
“True,” she said, and they shared a laugh.
“Though I don’t remember ever getting booted from a ‘watering hole’ as posh as that one.”
“First time for everything,” Mavery said, wincing. The pain had grown intolerable. She leaned against a tree, prised off her right boot, and nearly cried out from relief. As she changed back into her well-worn boots, Neldren approached.
“Didn’t you say you were leaving?” she asked. She finished tying her laces, then peered up as he loomed over her.
“After all my talk about doing things the ‘proper’ way, I never actually got around to it.” He extended his hand. “Mave, I’m sorry for everything that happened back in Burnslee.”
Mavery eyed his hand skeptically as she stood upright. “You’ll need to be more specific than that.”
“I’m sorry for letting my anger get the better of me, for shooting you, for taking your cut—”
“And losing my cut.”
“Fuck, shetold you about that?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m sorry for being so shit at cards, I lost your cut. And, last but not least, I’m sorry for skipping town before I had the chance to apologize when it mattered the most. I mean it, Mave. If I could go back to that night, I would do everything differently. By the Five-Eyed Mother, I swear it on the memory of Selayne Fel’Danla.”
“But you’re not religious, and youhatedyour actual mother.”
“Like I said, I’m trying to do this proper.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, then gave his hand the most cursory shake. “Apology accepted.”
This was far from the first time they’d reconciled, though something about this one felt different.Final. She thought back to every disagreement that had led to every breakup. Whether by happenstance or by following rumors that carried his name, she and Neldren had always had a knack for finding each other again. He’d always been the one constant in a life where nothing was permanent. But there had been some truth to his words back at the café. Neither of them could give what the other desired most. For Neldren, someone who could give him loyalty through feast and famine. For Mavery, someone with whom she could avoid famine entirely.
“AndI’msorry for making you feel like a backup plan all these years.”
He shrugged. “Looking back on it, we were never a good fit. Like…trying to use a key in the wrong lock. Every time we were together, it was like filing off another tooth until we were left with a skeleton key. Eventually, we made it work, but only after causing a lot of irreversible damage.”
For a brief moment, Mavery found herself unable to speak. “That was surprisingly poetic, coming from you.”
“What can I say? Now that it’s just me and Ellice, I’ve had to get better about using my words.” He glanced away as a somewhat sheepish look spread across his face. “After she learned the truth of what happened that night in Burnslee, I’d never seen her so furious. And that’s saying a lot. Bringing you to the café, giving you a proper apology… All of that was her idea, actually.”
Mavery raised her brows. “Really? I thought she hated me.”
Neldren shook his head. “It was never personal; she only hated how I went back to my old ways the minute I saw you across that tavern a few months back. But now that all of that’s behind us, would you consider joining up again? Strictly as business partners this time.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not. Look, I’ll be frank.” He hung his head, crossed his arms. “Since losing you and then Itri, it’s been a struggle. Ellice’s talents and my contacts have only gotten us so far. Our crew could really use a wardbreaker, and I can’t think of anyone better than—”
“No.”
