When she cupped his cheek, his lips parted. “You’re not broken, Vade. Fractured, maybe. But not broken.”
His eyes flitted between hers before he rolled away from her touch and went back to staring at the ceiling. “You’re wrong.”
“Vade—”
“Get some sleep. We’ll be in Dorsey tomorrow, and we can finally be free of one another.”
Orelia watched him for a few moments, but he never looked at her. Hearing how much he still couldn’t wait to be rid of her formed a crack in her own facade. His walls had gone back up, and she wasn’t sure they’d ever come down again.
She wished he’d talk to her more, but Vade turned his back to her, and she got the message. Orelia wanted to heal him. To heal his physical wounds and his emotional ones. She traced the outline of him with her eyes, watching his side slowly rise and fall as he drifted off to sleep.
She wasn’t sure how long she stared at him, wanting to reach out. Wanting to do something other than just lie there. But eventually, the exhaustion of the day caught up to her and pulled the witch into a deep, dreamless sleep.
She awoke to Vade trembling like he was lying on ice. He had slid down the bed, head resting on her chest with an arm wrapped around her so tight that she was afraid to move for fear of waking him. He mumbled something onto her skin, legs tangled in hers.
Ever so slowly, Orelia draped her arm around his back and held him to her.
He continued mumbling incoherent words, his muscles twitching occasionally. She’d never seen him have a nightmare in all thetime they’d spent in the woods, and feeling him shake tugged at her heart strings. Orelia gently ran her fingers through the length of his hair.
“Please . . .don’t,” he mumbled.
She lightly scraped her nails against his scalp with one hand and swept her thumb across his back with the other, offering him what little comfort she could. Orelia wondered if he was dreaming about being thrown from the mountain. She pictured a young Vade, frozen and abandoned by the people who were supposed to care for him most.
She hugged him tighter, and he began to soften in her arms. When she slid her fingers through his hair again, he moaned.
There was so much to Vade and his past that she didn’t know and never would. Come tomorrow, they’d reach Dorsey, then go their separate ways. The mysterious Myrker from the mountains would go back to following the names on his stone, and she would go back to her life in Minro and beg Beron for her job back.
Vade had given her enough coin to secure passage home, but the thought of going to Ricaboro tempted her like honey on warm bread. Surely, she could find work there in a tavern, or another brothel as a healer, perhaps. Or maybe she could try growing a garden and selling her food on the main street next to the witch who’d sold her the necklace she had yet to take off.
Orelia was torn from her thoughts when Vade’s lips brushed her chest just above the neckline of her chemise. He whispered what she swore was her name. His body had relaxed, but he kept his armdraped over her waist. She went back to trailing her fingers in his hair, and he nuzzled her neck, sidling up to her.
With a careful touch, she snuck her hand under his shirt, thankful he was lying on his right side. She placed her palm on his ribs and let her light come to fruition as she healed his ribs. When she was through, she held him tight, enjoying his warmth.
Her sleepy smile grew, knowing if he were to wake, he’d surely shoot out of bed and chastise her for healing him, let alone getting so close to him. Orelia’s heart swelled when her whispered name slipped out of his mouth for only her to hear.
twenty-one
The terraced pyramids ofDorsey sat tall against a blue sky, and palm trees decorated the wide streets. Orelia marveled at the limestone making up the truncated pyramids, perfectly level and perfectly symmetrical. Dirt had given way to bedrock as they strolled through the city, and even though they were miles from the sea, salt air filled her nostrils.
“This place is perfect for you, Bute.” Orelia glanced at the jar tucked under her arm to see the frog was finally outside his moss home. Since he hadn’t dragged his leg behind him for the past two days, she was determined to find a safe place to let him go once they got the spell reversed.
Surprisingly clean and bright, there was an inviting openness to Dorsey. Not crowded like Ricaboro, despite the bustle of the open-air market as people dressed in flowing silks went about their business in the early afternoon.
Vade purchased a few spices from a merchant’s stall, telling Orelia that Dorsey had the best flavors he’d ever encountered. He’d stuck to her side all day, never letting her out of sight. She wasn’t sure if it was because of what happened in Fink, but she enjoyed this versionof him. The version that wasn’t making fun of her, but talking to her like an actual person, even buying a few spices for her to take back home to Minro.
She’d awoken with him draped across her in a deep sleep. Even though his body heat had her sweating through the sheets, she laid there studying him. Watching the way his lips would sometimes twitch on a deep exhale, or how his brows would pinch together occasionally.
Orelia found herself thinking who he would have turned out to be had his parents not been the cold-hearted villains they were. Would he have stayed in the Points? Would he have ventured out of the mountains just to see what else was out there? Would he laugh more? Would he be happier?
Her fingers had made their way into his hair, and his eyes had flown open at the first touch. As expected, he shot out of bed and glared at her. Orelia didn’t miss that he was blushing though, even as he chided that they needed to stop wasting time and get ready to leave. He hadn’t thanked her for healing his ribs in the night, but that was to be expected. She decided then that pride was a man’s greatest weakness.
As they walked through the streets, Vade told her the history of Dorsey’s architecture and how the tropical city became known as the place for knowledge.
“The largest library in Nivinia is here,” Vade said. “Scholars from all over of every race come to Dorsey to study various intellectual paths. Most go back to their homes and bring their newfoundknowledge to their towns, but many stay here and study at various magical schools for years at a time.”
They stopped and waited for a horse and cart to pass, then continued down the main street.
“How do you know all this?” she asked.
