Metta takes hers off and flings it around my shoulders. “Done.”
“We brought a pack of supplies,” the blacksmith says. “It’s not much. Varina had an extra set of clothing she left behind, and I thought you might need it. A few pieces of fruit and some bread, and two coins.”
“And a knife,” Metta adds.
I could kiss her. “That’s perfect. That’s amazing. You’re incredible.”
“You can eat while we go back to the village,” Metta says, grabbing my arm. “Come on. It’s late.”
I really want to. I want to more than anything, but I meet Kalos’s gaze and it’s full of melancholy. He blames himself for all of this, but it’s what I signed up for. I smile at him and gently tug myself free from Metta’s grasp. “We can’t go back with you.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because if we go back, it’s not safe for anyone. The other aspects won’t stop looking for us. They’ll follow our trail and once they find out you helped us, I don’t know what they’ll do. It’s best for everyone if we leave.”
“But…your book isn’t done!” She purses her lips, distressed. “You said it was important for you to finish.”
I nod, managing to keep the pleasant look on my face. “I know. I wish I could. If I go back, though, we’ll be hunted and others will be put in danger. Will you tell Omos that I’m sorry? And that I hope he can take care of Dingle for us?”
My throat closes with tears, but I keep on smiling, because this is how it has to be.
Metta’s lower lip quivers. She manages a jerky nod and waves at the blacksmith. He slings the pack off his back and unbuckles the short sword from his waist. She hands them to me, and as she does, her cold hands grip mine. “Be careful.”
“Of course. I’ve got Kalos with me. I promise we’ll be safe.”
She studies my face, her eyes shiny. “You’re a good girl. I hope the next world treats you better and heals your sadness.”
My…sadness? I keep smiling, even though it feels like parts of me are breaking inside. I’m not sad, I think automatically. What do I have to be sad about? I gave my brother a second chance at life. I’ve spent the last few months with a man I’m wildly in love with. I’ve gotten everything I wanted in the bargain I made…I have no right to feel sad at all. “You’ve been a good friend, Metta. I hope I can repay it someday.”
“Just keep yourself alive.” She gives my hand another squeeze and lets go. “I’ll visit the monk, I promise.”
I nod, clutching the sword close. I want to invite them to stay. To spend some time with us before dawn, but it’s cold and dark and most likely dangerous for her. “You should go home. Lay low for the next while. If anyone asks, you haven’t seen us.”
She flutters her lashes. “Seen who?”
Exactly.
Chapter
Forty
“I’ve been thinking,” Kalos says, waking me from my slumber. “About our parlay.”
I rouse from sleep, rubbing my face, and tuck the borrowed cloak tighter around our tangled limbs. “What about it?”
“We need to think it through. I imagine my other self will be curious as to what I’m up to, just as I am with him. And he can’t hurt me. We’ll meet, jab at each other a little verbally, and he’ll be looking for you to kill, just as I’ll be looking for his Anchor. Which means we need to protect you. Keep you tucked away someplace safe.”
“But…where?” I make a face. “We can’t be separated by much distance.”
He nods, thinking. “We need a distraction of some kind. Something where he won’t be able to find you, but you can determine where his Anchor is and get rid of them.”
“There’s also Belara to think about.”
“Mm.” Kalos’s lips thin. “We need a good plan.”
And that’s just the problem. I have a sword and the god atmy side, and pretty much nothing else. It’s hard to plan around that. I glance at our surroundings. “We can’t ask them to parlay here. He’d find me in a heartbeat. All he’d have to do is scour the area near you.”
“Another town, perhaps.”
