My nose runs, and at first, I’m excited—this might be a sign that I’m getting closer to him, if my body is showing signsof sickness. Someone hands me a handkerchief and I wipe my nose, only for the fabric to come away bloody.
Oh.
Ohgod.
More blood gushes out, unstoppable. Kalos can fix this, I tell myself, holding the handkerchief to my nose. He can make this all better.
I just have to find him.
“Kalos?” I cry again. He wouldn’t leave me behind…would he? I wander down another candlelit hall, feeling alone and afraid. “Kalos!Kalos!”
“Elsie.”
Rough hands shake me awake, and I bolt upright, screaming.
“It’s a dream,” murmurs a familiar voice. “Look where you are.”
I stare out into the darkness of the bedroom. There are no candles lit here, no servants waiting. I’m not dressed. I recite all these things to myself and somehow my brain still won’t focus properly. My hands flutter to my face. “I’m bleeding!”
“You’re not. Touch your nose.”
I do, and it’s dry, even though I could swear it was bleeding a moment ago. I couldfeelthe wetness on my lip. “I don’t understand.”
“Another waking dream. You’re all right. I’m here with you.”
I turn my head and stare into Kalos’s eyes. He’s here. He’s been beside me all along. “I was looking for you.”
“I didn’t go anywhere. I wouldn’t.” He gently touches my shoulder. “It’s the middle of the night. Go back to sleep.”
Nodding, I lie back down again, feeling marginally better when he wraps his arms around me. I touch my nose one moretime, just to make sure, but my nostrils are dry. There’s no nosebleed.
Just a horrible nightmare. It’s not reality.
We agreeto meet Belara over breakfast the next morning.
I want to say that I’m more rested after a night in Kalos’s arms, but I remain utterly drained. It’s probably going to take a few days to shake off as we adjust to our new normal. Since we’re meeting the goddess, though, I take great care with my appearance. The mayor’s wife acts as a maid for me and helps me dress in one of her fanciest gowns, and she layers me with necklaces. My hair is braided and twined into a crown with a few loose strands to tickle the neck, and I look very regal.
Tired, but regal.
“I have just the thing for those under-eyes,” she says, taking a tiny pot off her vanity. She dabs a finger in white powder and holds it to my face. “Just a dab of lead under your eyes and we’ll get the color evened out.”
I grab her hand before her finger can touch my face. “A dab ofwhat?”
She gives me a curious look. “Lead. All the latest cosmetics have it.”
Shaking my head, I give her an apologetic smile. “It’s okay. I think I’ll skip it for now.”
“If you say so. Maybe just pinch your cheeks a bit more for color.”
I do, and peer into the mirror one last time before I leave my room. I look good. Composed and no longer disheveled. Kalos watches from a chair nearby as I get dressed, smirking at the level I’m going to. “You know you’re not going to impress Belara no matter what you do?”
“I don’t care about her. I just know I’ll feel more confident if I don’t look as if I’ve been sleeping on a street corner for the last month.” Which, prior to Omos, I had been.
“She’s not a threat,” he reassures me with a lazy smile. “I’m not interested in her in the slightest.”
I pause, absorbing that. “And is that Lies speaking?”
Kalos’s expression twists. “You know better, Elsie. The only one that interests me is you, and I can’t look away from you.” He uses the tip of his boot to push my heavy skirts up, as if trying to get a glimpse of my ankles. “And I’m feeling much better about Lies, today. It’s not tangling my tongue at all.”
