Saer lifted a brow but didn’t take his attention off Wrath’s deft fingers.“She said it was because of something Alus said.Did you ever—?”
“I have no idea what she meant,” Arek said.“It must have been something he told her when they were together.”
“Trust Alus to convince Runeak to do anything.”The admiring comment came from Errshek at Arek’s right hand side.
Runeak’s voice carried over to them with ease.“You are distracting me.”
Arek raised his chin and lifted his voice.“What did Alus say?”
The query hung as Runeak molded a fine bit of soft metal into a particular shape.Once she’d set it where it pleased her enough to move on, the demoness’s shoulders relaxed some.She answered with disinterest while reaching for more scrap metal, “He said I needed a hobby.”
The sentence brought out a surprised bark of a laugh from Arek, a chuckle from Saer, and a snort from Errshek.
Pausing, Runeak’s gaze snapped up to watch the three just in time for Arek to cover his mouth and stifle the sound.The twin attempted to keep the mirth out of his voice when he pressed, “And you said?”
Her jaw tightened, but Runeak resumed her work, heating more metal in her hands until it glowed and softened.“I said making weapons is my hobby.”
“That’s the weirdest weapon I’ve ever seen,” Errshek said.
Shaking her head slowly, the prompt had its intended effect, and Runeak continued with a frown.“This is no weapon.His words were…” She paused as if recollecting, and then resumed with the same tone of voice, though Alus’s words sounded absurd coming from Runeak’s throat.“Sweetie, making weapons isn’t fun for you—it’s an extension of you.You need ahobby.”
It was too much.Arek broke first, followed by Saer and Errshek as they gave in to laughter.
Pulling the molten material into another long, thin line, Runeak allowed only her soft growl and words of dismissal to betray her irritation.“Men are idiots.”
The other three hadn’t laughed so long and hard since they’d reunited.
Runeak kept to her work until Arek, wiping steam tears from the corner of his eyes, could form words once more.“Don’t keep us in suspense.What are you creating?”
Face lined deep, Runeak’s low reply almost couldn’t be heard over the crackling fire.“It is almost done.”
Less than an hour later, they came to the same realization at the same time.
“Is that—?”“The likeness—” “Frenzied Hells…”
Siphoning the last vestiges of heat from the shape in her palm, Runeak held it for all to appreciate.
To Saer’s amusement, pride drifted off her in gentle waves.
Runeak had made a tiny, wire-and-metal horse.
Time spent with Runeak wouldn’t have been complete without her challenging them to training and sparring matches.
They fell into a pattern of survival and time passage.
During one of these sparring afternoons a few weeks after Runeak’s arrival, the ground erupted in spontaneous flame for the last time.
Errshek sat at the fire pit tending to a particularly nasty contusion he’d received to his ribs.Runeak had been refereeing Arek and Saer’s match with dual-wielded wooden short swords when the roar interrupted them.
Amongst the blazing flurry, Saer caught Greed’s breath hitching.His own heart rate picked up as he turned.
Alus arrived with Kalia, holding hands.
“Alus…” Arek dropped his practice weapons and took a step forward but faltered when he saw Gluttony’s face.
It wouldn’t have registered as odd on anyone else.If Arek appeared serious, no one batted an eye.On Alus, the dark expression shrieked with unfamiliarity.
The steel-eyed twin moved with slow purpose, coaxing Kalia to step behind him.He still held her hand in his, but at his lower back.Even hidden, Saer could see her trembling.
