Five
Istood in front of the mirror as I contemplated the soft cotton nightdress I wore. It sure as hell hadn’t been designed by Siret, because it covered my breasts and fell to my thighs. It was also loose and comfortable. Since it was a pale pink colour, I could only assume that Pica had supplied my new wardrobe. It felt strange to be wearing normal clothing again instead of the Trickery-designed cloth that hugged my skin and adjusted to my movements. I wondered how long it would be before Siret burned everything of mine in our combined dressing room. I’d be back to wearing leather and silk in no time, I was sure.
The glass that I was staring into spanned from the plush carpet of the dressing room all the way to the ceiling, and it covered the entire width of the wall. I could see more than just myself in the reflection—I could see the shelves and drawers that decorated the other walls of the room, along with a marble bench in the middle. There were several smaller drawers set into the bench with tall velvet stools on either side. I had no idea what the bench was for, but there were crystal vials, candles, and several other small boxes lined up neatly on the surface.
I could also see Aros: he was a few paces behind me, settling a pair of pale gold pants around his hips. The material was light and thin, the colour so faded that it almost looked white, but the yellow was definitely there.
“You guys wear your colours more … consistently here,” I said, leaning back against the glass and crossing my arms.
I could hear the others in the bedroom and sense the traces of them remaining in the dressing room; they had changed while I was in the bathing chamber with Aros. I was surprised at my ability to read their energy signatures, but the truth was that I had been doing it for some time … I just hadn’t realised exactlyhowI was doing it. It felt like it was stronger now that I’d sealed the bond completely.
I had been attributing my sense of them to other things, like a hint of their smell in the air, or the sound of their muted voices in the next room, but the truth was that I could actuallyfeelthem. If my sight and smell had been stolen, I would still see and smell them. I would still know which robes Yael had run his hands along, which drawers Rome had opened, and which part of the glass Coen had leaned against. I would still be able to hear them moving around next door, and I would still know exactly what they were doing.
They felt tired, and their movements were more sluggish than usual.
We hadn’t had a full night of sleep in a long time. For me, it had been when I passed out after turning Emmy into a god. For them, it had been much longer.
I could also feel that they were waiting. Trying to stay awake.
For me.
“Did you hear me?” Aros asked gently, closing the distance between us.
He had left his shirt off, and that made me happy for more than one reason. There was a fire crackling in the sitting room, and the door had been left open to allow the warmth to seep in. It was still snowing outside; the weather aberration didn’t seem to be willing to let up anytime soon. Even with the cold weather outside, though, the bed was sure to overheat with so many huge bodies pressed in closely together.
“I was concentrating on the soul-bond,” I admitted. “I feel it so strongly now. What did you say?”
“I said it’s an important symbol in Topia: your colour. It’s your identity.”
I nodded, our hands brushing. I lifted the fingers on my left hand, and he turned his palm, allowing our fingers to twine. We shared only a brief moment—a memory of what we had done. There was gratefulness flowing between us, and it warmed me, along with the almost constant burn of his powers. I was growing used to the feeling already, and I was sure that it had something to do with the bond. He was a part of me … or I was a part of him. I wasn’t sure which way it worked, but it was undeniable. They would be able to pour their powers into me without end. Without harm.
“Thank you, Willa,” he whispered, his eyes flicking between mine. “You didn’t just ask for all of us. You showed us that it was our only choice, and then you made it okay. You made it good. You made it amazing.”
I wanted to thank him, too. To thank all of them. They were the ones who had agreed to give me everything—it worked both ways—but I was too choked up. I squeezed his hand and he seemed to read how overwhelmed I was, because he only led me to the other room, where the rest of my Abcurses waited. I was usually very vocal about what I wanted and needed, but I was suddenly too exhausted for words. I was also too exhausted to take another glance around our bedroom. I had eyes only for the main feature: the giant, sprawling bed.
The others were all spread out, except for Coen and Yael, who were close together in the centre, only a small sliver of space between them. I wondered if they made it look that inviting on purpose as I crawled up onto the mattress and wiggled my way between them. Aros took care of the lanterns, dimming everything until only the faint flicker of fire from the next room was visible, and then he claimed his own space on the bed.
Goodnight, I thought, as two sets of strong arms wrapped around me, cocooning me in.
* * *
The next sun-cycle passed too quickly as we pored over possible escape routes from the location that Pica had chosen for the party.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Cyrus muttered from where he stood at the edge of Pica’s garden. “The Garden of Everlasting isn’t exactly everyone’s favourite vacation spot—”
“We were reading a book last night about old-world vacation spots,” Emmy whispered to me, leaning over the picnic table that we sat at with Pica, Coen, and Siret.
I smirked, glancing up at Cyrus and speaking in a normal tone. “What’s wrong with the Garden of Everlasting?”
“There are no beaches. Or lakes. Or rivers. You need water to appeal to people. They might not attend the party unless you give them a desirable location.”
“We can dig a hole, fill it with water, and call it a lake,” Siret offered with a shrug.
“It won’t matter,” Pica interrupted, before they could start fighting. “They will come, no matter where it is. They will come to see my Willy.”
“That’s whathesaid,” Cyrus muttered.
We all turned to stare at him, perplexed—but Emmy burst into laughter. “It was in one of the books last night,” she explained, grinning at Cyrus.
