Shorter than she’d expected, but he’d tried several new things; that probably wore on him. She couldn’t be too disappointed when she was having more fun now than she’d had... perhaps ever.
“Your control of their movements is even better than yesterday,” Theira said as he landed and walked toward her. “I’m amazed you can direct them all to make minute adjustments while the rest of your army still accomplishes multiple tasks.”
“It’s the balance that’s the tricky part,” Varius agreed. “The golems aren’t all the same shape on the outside, which I don’t really feel through my awareness. I have to adapt.”
Hmm. Maybe she could use that next time.
Varius grinned at her. “Yes, make me practice. I don’t want you to get too bored with all the same things. I’m amazed how quickly you can come up with new ideas.”
“I’ve always had plenty of ideas,” Theira said. “Testing was the limiting factor.”
He laughed, running a hand through his curls. “Well, I’m glad to assist you with some real-time feedback.”
Itwasuseful. Theira judged her success rate by how quickly Varius could counter her, and in what way. If he relied on invincibility, she had a winner. If a spell worked on him once, another general would struggle with it. If he countered immediately, it wasn’t worth investing time into, even if it was only because he knew her well.
If she went back to war, it would only be once.
“I want to show you something,” Varius said.
Theira raised her eyebrows and gestured for him to hop back in the golem.
“Upstairs,” he amended. Even more curious. “Let’s get something to eat.”
He kept doing that. Knocking on the door to her lab and bringing her water when she’d been focused on her experiments for too long. Cleaning up dishes after she cooked. Asking her if he could wash her blankets while he was doing his.
Every time, it startled her, and made her feel... soft, perhaps. She shouldn’t get used to it. He’d make some Aurelian woman a fantastic husband, and she tried not to resent that but didn’t succeed.
Theira followed him to the kitchen, but he stopped before they got there. She raised her eyebrows again, and Varius shifted on his feet and took a breath.
He was nervous?
He angled toward the wall and Theira followed his gaze, only then noticing what he wanted to show her, so intent she’d been on watching the line of his back.
Her breath caught.
Her painting of the sky above the Tridentis was mounted on the wall, and she recognized the wooden frame. Varius had been busy cutting, sanding, carving, and staining bits of wood for days.
Right in front of her, and she hadn’t understood.
“I loved this painting first.” Varius’ voice was rough. “It’s so full of color and life, and I can practically feel your wonder looking up into the sky. And selfishly, it’s a place where our paths didn’t quite cross, but were still entwined. My world, with you always moving through it.”
Theira couldn’t say anything around the lump in her throat.
Varius swallowed. “You deserve for your home to be beautiful, Theira. And for it to be your home, your mark should be all the way through it. Even if you think it’s messy. I know my frame here isn’t perfect either—“
“It is.”
Varius stepped forward and took her unresisting hand. “Exactly. We made this.We made this.It would be beautiful anyway, but it’s also beautifulbecauseof that, and every time I see it you remind me to dream bigger. So I put it on the wall, and I hope, in the future, I can keep covering this house with more of us. If you want.”
In the future.
Keep.
Oh, she’d been wrong. He wasn’t saving himself at all.
The general was biding his time until he had the perfect play.
And he hadabsolutelybeen torturing her on purpose.
