“What?” I asked, as Daisy blurted the same. Our tones varied wildly.
It had to have been important for her to reach into a fire for it and risk burning herself like that.
“My favorite book,” my closest friend in this whole godforsaken village whispered anxiously. She was fidgeting, awkward. That wasn’t all there was to the story.
“How did it get in the fire in the first place?” Daisy questioned.
My gaze darted from Dace to Berkr. He made a noise that told me he knew, and I had a feeling from the pained look that slipped it wasn’t Dace that had committed the act of tossing her book in the fire. Dace has briefly mentioned they had a very complicated whatever it was because she didn’t even know. When I tried to ask her about it, she started crying saying their kiss didn’t count but she wished it did. I got nothing else out of her after that and am not nosy enough to pry more.
She loved him. I had no idea how or why, but Berkr and that Sorak she called Sorry had a piece of Dace’s heart.
Neither of them were deserving of it, if the things I’ve been told by everyone but Dace are true.
Dace’s gaze darted around helplessly, struggling to come up with an answer that suited Daisy. “I didn’t do it,” Dace blurted.
“Truth,” one of Daisy’s mates rumbled.
Daisy looked surprised by the fact. “Who would throw your favorite book in the fire?”
“Doesn’t matter. You have your answers,” I bit out sharply. “Dace never hurt herself intentionally so cut that shit out. It ends now. You want to hate her, fine, but check your facts before you go spouting off with your poisonous nonsense.”
“I didn’t hurt myself on purpose,” Dace blurted quietly, for only my ears.
“I know. It doesn’t matter. She’s just mad that Berkr didn’t want her. She thinks he wants you and she doesn’t like you so she’s trying to punish you. I have no use for someone that petty.” Motioning for us to leave, I moved past her. Dace followed, her gaze darting from me to the group behind us. I didn’t need to look to see.
Berkr was still standing there, frowning at Daisy so hard I hoped she felt it.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” Dace admitted.
“Don’t have to say anything,” I said simply. Daisy’s nonsense said it all. She’d pulled a Candy, to borrow from Dace’s old persona’s bologna. There’d been a lot. She wasn’t proud of any of it but I think it gave her a sense of release to tell me it all, in all of its ugly glory. She got it all out there tearfully, regretfully. I wouldn’t have liked Dace when she went by Candy, her old life, the old her.
“I like that plan.” Dace nodded and we quietly made our way back to our hut.
With Doogie’s help we’ve not only learned some new skills but had plans to make the hut big enough to comfortably fit two people and a mess of pinky-sworn-to-secrecy tebbimenk.
It’s been a cram-packed crash course in village life since I got the wherewithal to get this all going and get to it.
It was a nice distraction but short lived. Too much time spent in my head, with my thoughts, was eating at me.
I missed the hell out of Kehl. I hated myself for admitting it. A part of me was pleased he’d given Daisy what-for, but itcame at a price directed at me, however unintentional that may have been.
“Do you know how to read and write Creeson? Their language?” I asked. Calling it Lo denaii didn’t sound right. They took on the moniker after being deemed unworthy. These hardworking beasts were anything but unworthy. Daisy’s males’ dedication to her despite her nonsense felt commendable. Sunny said they were from Creeson Nine, so I shortened it to Creeson.
“Is that what it’s called?” Dace asked as she shook her head.
“No, but that’s what this place is. Sunny, Elm and Cy’s mama, she’s a Lepyr and that’s what her people call this place.”
“I’d like to learn, if I can. I don’t always catch on so fast,” she admitted.
“We’ve got all the time you need. I need a break from peopling.” The face I made said it all.
Dace laughed.
We were almost to our hut when she asked, “Was there a fight? Was someone hurt? I saw Noyel with his bag.”
“Yelled at Daisy. It made me dizzy. I fell. Karen Cottontail panicked and sent her males for a healer.”
Dace stopped dead in her tracks to look me over. “Are you okay? Do you need to lie down? I can-”
