Poplar slunk off back to the dorm.
Pebble came to me, followed by Hearth. “What were you going to do?” he asked me. He still seemed so very tentative and reserved in voice and posture.
Hearth spoke up. “Like we could just… relax!” she said, sounding as frustrated as I felt.
“We have to try,” I said. “Crown’s right. No one ever Bonded out of frustration. Maybe we do need to give ourselves a break today. It scares The Pits out of me, but I’ll try anything right now.”
Hearth looked at me, then shrugged. “What do you plan to do? That bath sounded good.”
I had looked over at Pebble to see if he’d say anything, but I caught the bright red blush on his cheeks before he quickly turned away. Someone had just been thinking of Hearth and me in the baths. Poor awkward young man.
“I like walking, I think I’ll go for a long walk… then maybe have that bath,” I said. “You’re both welcome to come with me.” I was curious to hear how things had gone for Pebble… and to learn about Hearth.
They both nodded. Hearth said, “That sounds wonderful.”
“But let’s get out from behind these walls,” I suggested and marched to the gates, then out onto the hills around Silverveil, the other two in my wake.
It was a gorgeous early summer’s day. I took several long inhalations of the fresh, warm air and found the other two following suit. We walked in silence for a while before that started to feel awkward.
“How have you been, Pebble?” I asked.
“Good.” His voice was soft. He didn’t go on. I sighed. It was clear that the events of that night still weighed on him.
Hearth drew me aside a moment later. She spoke, voice hushed. “He probably wouldn’t say it, but he’s very grateful for what you did that night.”
“You know?” I asked in a whisper.
She nodded. “I had been… out for a walk and he nearly bowled me over as he’d run around our dorm. Then he… he just burst into tears and I held him. He cried in my arms for some time and then, once he could speak, asked if I knew of any place he could hide, he didn’t want to go back to his dorm.”
Spirits that was awful. Would they have found him there? Probably. I hadn’t even thought of that.
“So, I… ah… I sort of took him to my room.”
I raised a brow at that.
“Oh, it was nothing like that, I was just giving him a place to hide. And, well… he never left. A couple nights later, we snuck into his room and grabbed his things and his mattress. He’s been sleeping on my floor ever since. We tuck his mattress away under my bed during the day and I… I have to sneak him down to the baths in the middle of the night. It’s been awkward for him, for both of us.” She looked me right in the eye as she said, “but we’re just friends, that’s it, nothing more.”
“Oh?” It wasn’t like I had some claim on the young man. “I would understand if you were… more,” I whispered.
She smiled. “No… I think he’s got feelings for you. He just… has never liked anyone like that before and he doesn’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried to talk him through it, but he gets all flushed and awkward and…” She sighed. “Poor boy.”
I had to agree. “Thanks for letting me know all this,” I said. Then, trying to include Pebble again, I raised my voice to ask both of them: “What did you two use to do before… all this?” I asked.
We waited, but Pebble remained quiet. So Hearth went first.
“I was the daughter of a baker,” Hearth said with just a hint of longing in her voice. “I used to sit on a thick carpet to one side of the baking ovens and watch my father and mother work. I loved the smell of fresh breads and pastries.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh, patting her slightly rounded belly. “I… may have had a few too many.” She gave a pleasant sigh, then a heartier laugh. “I don’t regret it. Everything they made was delicious. And when I was old enough, I joined them, helped them. My older brother worked too, and we were told early on that only one of us would be allowed to partake in The Choosing. My brother went for two years but wasn’t Chosen. Then I went for three years and was Chosen in my last year.” She looked at the small green-brown mottled glowing bear that ambled along beside her. “Seioa Chose me, and I was so happy that day.” She reached down to pet the oddly colored fur. Auwei hadn’t grown much when she’d taken the avatar form, but it had been a spider, so that wasn’t too surprising. It seemed Seioa had grown considerably, now half as tall as Hearth. We’d be safe on these hills. Few things were likely to attack us with a bear as our companion. “Still…” Hearth sighed again. “I do miss that warm oven and those tasty treats.” She was silent for a long time after that.
I looked at Pebble, hoping Hearth’s story would prompt him to open up. Yet, still, he took some time before he spoke. When he did, his voice was so soft I had trouble hearing him.
“My parents died when I was three.”
Spirits!I knew what that was like, what that did to a child. Luckily the Clarks had taken me in.
“I went to live with my aunt, but… she died when I was seven.”
Oh… Blessed Spirits! Wow.
“That’s terrible, I’m so sorry Pebble,” I said, heartfelt. I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if the Clarks had also passed while I’d still been young.
