Page 36 of Enchantment of Silver and Sea
And one headed down the street, right for us.
“There you guys are!” a booming voice exclaimed.
The man who stopped in front of us appeared to be in his mid-thirties and was well over six-foot. He not only towered over us all, including Nya and Kieran, but had a wide, stocky frame. In the moonlight, I could see that he was blue-eyed and fair. His hair fell in wild waves to his shoulders, and he had a bushy beard to match.
I expected him to address Nya and Kieran, but instead he extended a hand to me.
“Hey, there!” he said with sincere enthusiasm. “You must be Maila. I’m Cecil. As you can see, my name doesn’t really fit me, so you can call me ‘C’ if you want.”
Nya looked to the sky. “Literally not a single person ever has called you ‘C.’”
I held my hand out, and he shook it vigorously while giving a hearty laugh. “Every nickname has to start somewhere, Nyathera.”
Kieran chortled as Nya punched Cecil in the arm.
“Welcome to Ersa Estates,” Cecil continued. “That was the name of this neighborhood once, and we loved the irony.” He gestured to the ruined street around us. “So we decided to keep it. It’s not much compared to what you’re used to, but it’s somewhere to call home. For now, at least.”
“Thank you for having me.”
I suddenly felt uneasy. Why had I insisted on coming here? On intruding in Nya’s and Kieran’s lives? I shifted on my feet, looking past Cecil to the crackling bonfire. I wondered if the fire was for warmth or to keep animals and other creatures at bay. Or if it was just a way to make the dark, dying streets feel a little less lonely.
Two women approached just behind Cecil. One looked to be in her late twenties and was short and curvy, with cropped dark hair that framed her face. In contrast to the tapered edges of her hair, I could see that she had soft features, a pert nose, and wide copper eyes.
The other woman also looked to be in her mid- to late twenties. Her body had the same tone and definition as Nya’s, and her chest-length hair cascaded down in natural curls. Although her dark features were sharper than the other woman’s, the two were clearly related.
“Maila, let me introduce you to my wife, Rubi,” Cecil said affectionately, wrapping an arm around the shorter woman’sshoulder and squeezing. Their height difference was so drastic that he had to stoop just to reach her.
Rubi smiled, creating charming dimples in both cheeks that reminded me of Zander’s.
“And this,” Cecil continued, gesturing to the other woman. “Is my sister-in-law, Xiomara.”
I had heard that name before. Xiomara smiled, but unlike her sister, the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. My attention shifted back to Cecil as he began asking about our trip, but not before I saw Xiomara’s eyes flick up and down my body.
In the same moment, something soft brushed my arm.
The fabric of Kieran’s shirt. As he and Nya filled Cecil in on our journey, he had stepped forward to idly stretch his leg, moving almost imperceptibly in front of me.
Cecil was just remarking on what good fortune we had that the skies were clear and cloudless, when something else caught my attention. I couldn’t stop myself from interrupting.
“A baby.”
The bundle in Rubi’s arms had escaped my notice somehow. Now it was all I could see.
Rubi tilted the bundle forward, allowing the blanket to slip down and reveal a small, sleeping face. “Her name is Filimena.” It was the first time Rubi had spoken, and her voice was gentle and sweet. I had also never heard a voice so full of complete and total adoration. “She’s three months old.”
As if aware that she was being talked about, Filimena flung a pudgy arm out of the blanket, revealing more of her tiny body, and let out a snuffling noise.
Everyone was quiet, mesmerized by the little sleeping person.
“Have you ever seen a baby before?” Rubi asked, gently rocking her from side to side.
“No,” I said quietly. Almost reverently.
“Surely you’ve got babies in the city.” Cecil patted the downy fluff on Filimena’s head. The baby didn’t even stir.
“We do, but—” I stopped myself.
I was about to say that maintaining our population was one of The Council’s highest priorities, so babies were kept in a special facility on the southern end of the city until they were at least a year old. According to The Council, babies needed to be carefully monitored and protected at all costs during their most vulnerable time of life.
