“You’re okay.” Disbelief was thick in her words as she looked at me as if I were a ghost.
“Yes,” I said, knowing she meantalive, notokay.
“I thought…” Her voice cracked, wrapping her arms around me.
It was my time to pull away and take her in. “I’m sorry I didn’t write,” I said, pushing through my grief and sadness as tears welled again. “I couldn’t risk it.”
How had I known back then to protect her, to keep this precious woman a secret? The wordgratefulfell short of what I felt toward whatever part of me that had never quite trusted them with all my truths.
“Where have you been?” she asked, wiping my cheeks free of the never-ending dampness. There was such genuine concern and love in her words, which felt foreign to my ears—now used to the falsehoods whispered to me in the king’s court.
Damn it. I couldn’t stay here. They’d surely begun searching for me—or, rather, their precious spark.
I gathered her delicate, soiled hands in mine. “Mrs. E, I don’t have much time. I wish more than anything that I could tell you everything, but I can’t.” My words were quick, bordering on frantic. A sense of urgency had settled in my marrow, and staying idle chaffed. “They’re going to come looking for me. Please, please,” I pled, shaking her hands firmly with each word, “I need you to leave. It’s not safe for you here.”
“Nyleeria,” she said with fondness that didn’t match the situation. Releasing my grip, she gave me a sad smile and caressed my cheek with her fingers. “I’m an old woman. Besides, I have nowhere to go.”
“Eithan,” I blurted. “Eithan and his family will take you in. I know where he is, and I know you can afford the passage. Please. Please, Mrs. E.” Tears of desperation escaped me as I begged, unable to endure the thought of her becoming their next victim.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, the sun catching the beauty of the soft wrinkles etched into her snow-white skin. Her hazel eyes caught mine, and she let out a low sigh. “Okay, Nyleeria, okay,” she said in a whisper.
“Oh gods, thank you. Thank you,” I rasped, and I pulled her close.
I stepped away and grabbed Luca, who was lazily grazing in the tall grass.
“Luca,” I said gently as we approached. “This is Mrs. E, my favorite person on Lumnara.” Luca chuffed as if understanding her importance to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luca,” she said, then reached into a deep pocket of her apron and slipped an apple from it, offering it to him. His ears perked forward, and his tail swished with long, exaggerated movements as he accepted the offering.
“He’s the most stunning creature,” Mrs. E said with deep reverence.
“He is.”
“And much too large for you, Nyleeria,” she chided.
“Believe me, I know.”
I tied Luca up by the back patio, where he happily munched on Mrs. E’s roses.
“Luca!” I scalded him, and he gave me a huff.
“It’s fine,” Mrs. E said with a quiet sadness. Right, it didn’t matter if he ate her roses or not; she was leaving.
Guilt heavy and sharp settled over me, and my lip quivered as I faced her. I knew my voice would betray me, but I forced the words out anyway. “I am truly, deeply, sorry for all of this.”
“Oh, darling, you’ve done nothing wrong.” It was true. And her knowing as much was evidence of the love and understanding we had for each other, although it did little to assuage that burning guilt.
She squeezed my hand in reassurance and turned to go back into the house. Following her, I paused at the door, bending over to take off my boots.
“Don’t mind that now, darling,” she said.
Damn it, I kept forgetting. These things no longer mattered—she was leaving. And for the first time since we’d met, I stepped into her home wearing footwear and loathed the finality and change it instilled, wishing more than anything to feel the soles of my feet against the warm, rich mahogany flooring one more time.
“You’re not coming with me, are you?” she asked as she hunched over the sink to wash her hands.
“No.”
“And I don’t suppose there’s anything I could say to change your mind?”
