She was suspicious of them, as it was healthy to be. They were both wearing new clothes, clean and decently made, but they certainly didn’t look wealthy.
“How much for the room and dinner?”
“Five gulden.”
Seraphina reached into her pocket and pulled out the leather wallet. She opened it and counted the notes. The woman’s attitude shifted when she saw the money, though her greed didn’t fully replace her suspicion.
Seraphina felt these things in her gut. Since she’d lost her sight, she’d become more attuned to people and their moods. Sometimes she read them so well that it was almost like witchcraft, and it had nothing to do with the relic. She’d learned to divine people’s intentions before she’d stolen and implanted Saint Vivia’s bone in her eye socket.
The only time her sixth sense had failed her was when she was thrown into Rune’s cell. The guards had messed with her head, telling her he was a monster who would eviscerate her, but that hadn’t been it. It hadn’t been what had confused her. Now, thinking back to those first few days sharing the cramped space with him, she realized it had been him. He was constantly sending her mixed signals, as if he were a man who couldn’t decide who he was. As if he were – and this thought was utterly ridiculous – made up of mismatched moods and sentiments.
The woman snatched the money from Seraphina’s hand, which effectively brought her back to the present. She tucked it into her generous cleavage and pressed a heavy iron key into Seraphina’s palm.
“Up the stairs,” she said. “The third room to your right.”
Rune hadn’t spoken a single word during the exchange. Seraphina knew this was overwhelming for him, that he was trying to make himself small and invisible, trying to survive an interaction that was beyond his capabilities. She took him by the sleeve and guided him toward the stairs, and they climbed to the second floor in silence.
The door creaked when they opened and closed it.
Once inside, she pulled down her hood and stood still for a moment, listening. The room was quiet, and she could sense Rune behind her, standing like a statue. She shook her head and stepped closer to him, reaching up to pull his hood down.
“It’s all right. What do you see? Describe the room for me.”
“It’s clean,” he said. “There’s a bed against the far wall. It has a wooden frame, the mattress looks worn, but thick, and there are two pillows and a wool blanket. There’s a small table with two chairs near the window. The window has shutters. They’re closed. Do you want me to open them?”
“Not yet. Go on.”
Seraphina had gotten used to him being her eyes. And whenever she asked him to describe something to her, she could feel him relax and regain some of his confidence. It helped him focus. It grounded him in space, especially if it was unfamiliar, and it also made him feel like he was useful to her. Which he was. Endlessly.
Was she becoming dependent on him? That was a scary thought.
“There’s a fireplace on one wall, but no fire. There’s a screen in the corner, a simple wooden frame with fabric panels. Behind it,there’s a wooden tub and a stool with a bar of soap on it. There’s also a chamber pot. There are hooks on the wall for hanging clothes, candles on the mantle, and a small mirror.”
Seraphina huffed. “I’m so glad. It’s been a while since I checked myself in a mirror. I’m not much of a lady, I’ll admit.”
He chuckled, then stopped himself.
She smiled.
“It’s all right, you can laugh. It was a joke.”
“Dark,” he said, but she could hear the smile in his voice.
“All the best jokes are dark.”
“I can tell you what you look like,” he said. He sounded too serious to be making his own joke.
Seraphina inclined her head. “Yes? You’re my mirror now?”
“No… I think…” He hesitated, his voice uncertain. “Sometimes I think you’re my mirror.”
“Huh. I’m not sure how that works.”
“I look at you and I see…”
She waited for him to finish his sentence, but it seemed to take him a while to find his words. Whatever this was, whatever was happening, they’d stumbled into it unprepared. They hadn’t rehearsed it in their heads.
“What do you see?” she prompted him.
