Maybe…
Maybe there was a life for her here. A home.
The thought was absurd. Borderline reckless. But it settled heavily in her chest. Stubborn.
She tugged aside the flap at the top of the ladder.
“Kae!” Her voice rang out into the dim interior. “I got a bottle of last year’s briar mead. Want to share?”
The word tasted strange.Home.
But she’d thought it. And now it echoed through her like a stone tossed down a well, disappearing deep into a place she rarely let herself touch.
Of course, the man would revel in the excuse to get her tipsy. He probably already had some smug comment lined up.
But the room stayed quiet.
There were no herbs scattered across the table, or clatter of mortar, or rush of water from the basin. No sarcastic jibe about her hair or absence of a shirt.
“Kaelith?”
She stepped farther in, eyes adjusting to the dark.
Nothing.
The blankets were undisturbed, and the small shelf of jars untouched. Even the air felt still.
Her shoulders sank as her grip on the flap loosened.
She already knew.
He was gone.
Chapter six
“Dammit,Kaelith.”
She spun, scanning the space for any sign of where he might’ve gone.
It was Five-Day. Most of the village would already be tucked away in that secret gathering she wasn’t allowed to attend. Which meant, if she moved fast, she might catch him before anyone realized he was missing.
Her eyes landed on the peg by the door. Her cloak was gone.
At least the bastard had the sense to cover himself.
She pivoted toward the exit, pushing aside the flap and stepping into the evening chill. Above her, the narrow shaft of sky at the top of the crevasse burned silver-blue. Below, the lower levels of the village stretched downward in tangled pathways and suspended platforms. Empty now—eerily so.
“Up,” she exhaled.
If he knew the village was locked away in the library—or temple, or whatever the hell they called it—he wouldn’t risk moving down where someone might catch him. No. He’d go up.
Toward escape.
Without me.
The thought landed hard, bitter behind her ribs. But she shoved it aside. Why would he wait for her? They were just trapped in the same place, not bound by anything more.
Jaw flexing, she took the ladder nearest the door, fingers wrapping around the worn rope rungs as she hauled herself upward.
