“Why are you here?” I whisper.
He looks familiar, but ashy, exhausted, and haunted. He opens his purple mouth, but no words come out, trying again and again, clearly growing more worked up with each attempt.
“What do you need?”
He gestures to follow, flying to the left, and I look through the frozen window.
“I don’t understand!”
He circles me, shouting wordlessly, then suddenly lunges. The impact knocks me out cold.
???
I left you for half a day, and in that time, you managed to pick a fight with Chief Gerald’s army, teleport to the desert again, and build some kind of snowmale palace. If I’d known, I would’ve brought some carrots and a broomstick to make it proper.
I stir as a beautiful voice pushes through the blackness in my mind. My eyes snap open, and when I see shimmering bluemarble all around me, my guts twist — this wasn’t a weird dream.
“I can assure you, it wasn’t.” Aidon squats, his fingers brushing over my chin, and I lean into his warm touch.
“And I saw a ghost,” I mumble.
“And you saw a ghost. Cool. Let me pick you up, we’re setting off tomorrow.” His chuckle is like the ringing of bells.
They instantly become my favourite instruments.
???
Someone must have deactivated the heat-regulating charm in my room. The sheets cling to my skin, and unfortunately, I remember exactly what happened. The scent of dry sand drifts through the open balcony doors, and beneath it lingers the faint perfume of the date palms in the courtyard below.
I do not have to open my eyes to know I am not alone. Two familiar presences sit in the quiet, one calm and warm, the other not. Probably the culprit behind the heat problem. She is spiteful like that.
“I know you don’t sleep, Sels,” comes Nulok’s low, teasing voice. I open my eyes. He’s sitting cross-legged at the foot of my bed, red hair glowing like embers in the magical lamplight.
I groan and rub my face. “I messed up.”
“Like always,” Samira mutters from the chair near the balcony. The breeze toys with the ends of her light braid as she folds her arms. “Honestly, at this point, I’ve come to expect that.”
“Sam, stop.” Nulok’s tone is quiet, but the warning in it is unmistakable. He glances at her with that long, patient look that speaks of too many arguments, then turns back to me. “You two need to bury that hatchet.”
“You honestly can’t expect me to just forget she wasn’t there.” Samira’s words hit harder than her fist ever could, and she had a mean left hook.
“How many years have you known each other?” Nulok asks softly, but she doesn’t answer.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, the words tumbling before pride can stop them. “I’m really, really sorry. You two are precious to me. I should’ve been there.”
Nulok shifts closer, resting a calloused hand on mine. “You’ll always be my friend, no matter how many times you screw up.”
Pathetic tears sting my eyes before I can stop them. Gods, it means so much.
“Oh, come on!” Samira’s chair scrapes sharply against the floor. “Sorry doesn’t fix anything! You left me hanging. The entire court laughed when the queen abandoned me at my mating ceremony.”
“Stop!” Nulok’s voice cracks like a whip, quiet but commanding. “You were never in the same situation as Sels, and I’m grateful every day for that, my love. But you can’t keep clinging to this resentment.”
“Ah, fuck you!” she snaps, her voice breaking. She storms towards the door, silk skirts whispering furiously, but before she leaves, she decides to punch me one last time. “Chief Gerald will retaliate, and it’s your fault.”
The door slams so hard that I wince. She’s right. But what else was I supposed to do? Leave that poor girl?
“Where are Jestin and the others?” My voice sounds small. I really don’t want to face them.
