Page 108 of Cherish

For a second or two, she stays tense as hell, but then slowly—so slowly I barely feel it—she lets her guard down a tiny bit.

I wish I had just the right thing to say to get her to open up. I know she’s in a rough spot, know she’s hurting. And I know from experience, you can’t just goaroundpain… Eventually, you have to wade through it. But it’s not my right to tell her when that should happen. It’s hers. Still, she deserves to know she doesn’t have to walk through it on her own.

“You’ll find your way through this, Macy. Onyourterms,” I whisper. “But I need you to know you are not alone. I’m here for you. Pink comforter and all.”

Eventually, she nods, bending her head to the side so that she can rest her cheek on the top of my head. Then whispers back, “I know.” Right before she pulls away.

It’s not a lot, but I hope it’s enough for now. Hope she knows that I’ve got her, no matter what.

We make it to the town square a couple of minutes later, and though it’s past midnight, there are people everywhere. Eating in sidewalk cafés, shopping in stores that have stayed open late, listening to music in the center of the square. It’s obvious Starfall is coming—the streetlamps are decorated with colorful purple flower baskets, and food tents are starting to set up downtown.

For a second, I consider suggesting hanging out in the square and listening to music for a while—but I think that’s just the memories getting to me. I can’t believe I forgot Hudson sitting in front of the crowd and singing “Little Things” to me. It’s got to be one of my top ten favorite moments from our time here.

“Nyaz is at the front desk,” Hudson says, nodding toward the picture window of the inn. “Want to try and catch him now?”

“Absolutely,” I agree. “We need to make sure we can find the Shadow Queen. Because if we can’t, the whole plan falls apart.”

Hudson turns to the others. “You can head upstairs if you want, get some sleep while we figure out if this is going to work.”

“And miss out on all this?” Flint asks, nodding toward the way people keep getting closer and closer to us, as if being in the same general area as Hudson will make him fall in love with them. Or at least get him to offer up a picture or twenty. “I’m just waiting for one of them to work up the nerve to approach you. Once that happens, I’m betting you’ll end up at the bottom of a dogpile before the night is over.”

“Your concern for me is overwhelming,” Hudson responds dryly.

Flint shrugs. “I just call ’em like I see ’em. And I’m definitely not missing it.”

We head to the inn, where we’re met at the door by a grinning Nyaz. “Out showing your friends the pre-Starfall activities, I see, Hudson.”

“I took them to the midnight market and the Mark.”

Nyaz’s smile grows even wider as he turns to the rest of us. “The Mark is my oldest son’s favorite place. Did you enjoy it?”

“Loved it. The whole town is idyllic,” Heather tells him with an answering smile.

“We work hard to keep it that way.” He ushers us to the array of empty tables at the small restaurant in the corner of the lobby. “So I hear you need some help with something. How can I be of service?”

58

Time to

Face the Music

Before any of us can answer, Nyaz spends a minute waving down the lone employee in the place and ordering us drinks and some pachos and spicy punnion pings.

Once that is done and he’s settled into the empty chair near Jaxon, I just dive right in with, “Arnst told us you might know where the Shadow Queen’s secret fortress is located?”

His eyebrows shoot up as his shoulders stiffen. “Why in the world would you want another encounter with the Shadow Queen?”

“We have business to conduct with her,” Hudson answers. “No fighting this time.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Nyaz says, settling back into his chair again. “She has several fortresses spread around the realm, and we never know which one she’s residing in.” He cups one side of his mouth as if to share a secret with us, and I find myself leaning forward to hear it. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a bit of civil unrest in Noromar, with a rogue faction sending assassins to kill the queen.”

“That’s why she’s in hiding, right?” I ask, nodding. “Because of the attempts on her life? We heard a rumor.”

“And the disquiet through much of Noromar. She hasn’t made life as pleasant in the rest of the Shadow Realm as it is in Vegaville, so most wraiths elsewhere want the curse ended so they can leave.” He shrugs like he can’t fathom it. “I don’t know why they don’t just come here. Or turn their own towns into a place like this.”

I’m not sure a cushy place to live is enough to placate people who want freedom, but what do I know? Nyaz knows the wraiths here way better than I ever will.

“What do you suggest a person do to get her attention, then? To lure her from her fortress?” Hudson asks after Nyaz’s rhetorical question hangs in the air for a few seconds.

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