I made my way through dark and quiet corridors to Kel’s room. I didn’t know if he’d been up or if Harik had woken him, but faint light outlined the door. I didn’t knock, just went in.
Kel’s room may have been large compared to some of the other quarters in the barracks, but they were far from extravagant: a standard bed and large wardrobe, three stacked chests on one side of the room, the other side held a large desk. Kel sat behind the desk, a lantern flickering before him. He motioned to one of the three chairs in front of the desk.
“Tisera,” he said softly.
Interesting. He must have also sensed that I wouldn’t have come now if it wasn’t important. He’d used my full name, not Sera. He hadn’t tried to goad me.
I looked at the chair, but I couldn’t sit. Instead, I went and grabbed the back of it, leaning forward a little. “I’ve come for the truth, Kel.”
He raised a brow. “Which truth would that be?” he asked, his tone cool. I could see his perceptions shifting. He’d thought this was business but was becoming aware it wasn’t.
“I need to know, Kel, where did you go when you left Vestrea?” My throat constricted, my jaw tightened. “You… you left me and you never came back. You… What the fuck did you do? What was so important? Why did you leave me!” I couldn’t stop myself from shouting.
He blinked at the vehemence of my outburst, but his surprise only lasted a moment. Then his face turned hard.
“Is that what you think?” he said. His jaw twitched. “You thought…” He laughed, a harsh thing. “You thought I left you?”
“You did!”
He slammed his fist on the desk, then rose in a rush, leaning forward, looming and outraged.
I matched him stare for stare. I didn’t know whyhewas so upset.
“You’re the one who shacked up with Sergeant Tomas the instant I was gone!”
I blinked.
“Tomas?” That threw me. Yes, I’d had a single — not particularly rewarding — night with Tomas, but only after… “You’d been gonefive days!”
“And that’s all it took for you to forget me!”
I blinked again.
This wasn’t going how I’d thought it would. I needed to take control.
Charging out from behind the chair, I circled around behind the desk, next to Kel. He was taller than me by a head, but that didn’t stop me from getting up in his face.
I spoke quickly, giving him no room to break in.
“No, Kel,youleft. You said you had something you needed to do, and you’d be back, but you didn’t say how long. You didn’t say you’d be gone for one day or two, let alone months! I waited for you, first for hours, then one day, then another.”
A righteous wrath filled me as I railed at him. “You say five days like it was nothing, but it was aneternity! Vestrea was an open wound. It was horrible. Ineededyou and you weren’t there!”
Feeling the need to do more than just shout. I punched him — nottoohard — in the shoulder. It didn’t make me feel any better.
Tears leaked from my eyes as I tore more of those vicious memories from my soul and spoke them aloud.
“I’d been shredded by… by… youknowwhat we went through! And I’d thought maybe our moments in the dark had meant something. But then you left and took my heart with you and never came back.”
Tears streamed over my cheeks, despite my desire to contain them.
“Yes, I hadoneless-than-satisfactory encounter with Tomas, but that was because I needed something fromsomeoneKel. And. You. Weren’t. There!” I poked his chest hard with each word.
“Those five days felt like fivelifetimesfor me. The war may have been over, but I needed you more than ever and you’d run off, never to return! What the fuck, Kel? What the gods-damned bloodyfuckwas so important? Where did you go?”
His shoulders fell, the fight going out of him. He looked at me, mouth agape but with nothing to say.
Ha!
