When she joined Eyden by the fire, he was about to throw something into the flames. Something small enough that she couldn’t see it as he clasped it tightly.
Eyden slowly opened his hand but his eyes were focused on the flames. Lora wasn’t sure he was even aware she was there. She caught a glimpse of his object before he threw it into the fire. It was a tiny silver flower ornament that reminded her of the one attached to his pen.
Maybe it belonged to his mother. The thought made her think of her own. Lora pictured her mum as she held the iris in front of her face. The purple flower looked bright and hopeful even against the flames raging behind it. Sometimes beautiful things had to burn to create something spectacular. With that in mind, Lora let the flower drift into the flames and watched as it burned until midnight blue smoke was the only thing left behind.
She turned to Eyden. The fire from the pyre was reflected in his eyes, red mixing with blue, turning his gaze to melted ice. Lora wondered what he saw in her reflection. If he noticed her emotions were a mix of conflicting colours.
Eyden quickly glanced away then back at her. “I’ll be back,” he said and with no explanation, he walked off. Lora imagined he might go to the house and come right back but instead he walked across the field until he disappeared into the woods.
“He does that sometimes,” Ilario said. She hadn’t heard him approach but she’d been distracted, looking at the spot where Eyden had vanished into the night.
Lora backed away from the fire and replied, “Does it not bother you?”
“Not really. I’m sure he has his reasons and it has nothing to do with me. He’s always there when it counts.”
“But doesn’t it drive you mad? The not knowing?”
He gave her a half-grin. “I’m curious, sure. But that’s Eyden. I can tell it drivesyoumad, though,” Ilario said, a teasing light in his eyes.
Lora stared into the fire, now a healthy distance away from her. “I just don’t like not knowing.”
“That’s all it is?”
“Of course.”
“I think you care more than you’d like to admit.”
Lora gave him a look as if to say the thought was absolutely absurd. She tried to find something to change the subject and spotted Ilario’s parents holding each other as they watched their guests enjoy the festivities.
“Your parents seem happy,” she said.
Ilario followed her eyes. A look of content washed over his face. “Yeah, they are. They’ve been married for almost 120 years.”
“That’s a long time.” The reply slipped from her lips before she could reconsider. It was an impossible number for humans.
Ilario didn’t seem to question her statement. “I suppose so. They had me quite young.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
They couldn’t have been that young then, but she figured fae had a very different way of looking at age. She wondered if it had anything to do with the complications of fae pregnancies that Eyden had mentioned.
Suddenly music started playing, elevating the joy in the air. Lora searched for the source and spotted a small band playing on the edge of the garden. Fae started gathering in the middle of the green lawn as they moved to the joyful music, enjoying themselves.
Ilario took a step forward and then back again as he knelt on the ground. A crushed iris was in front of him. He’d probably stepped on it by accident. Ilario cradled it in his hand and the flower righted itself, blooming brighter than before.
Lora stared in wonder and the expression was still written on her face when Ilario stood up and looked at her. “Earth magic,” he said, his tone questioning.
She realised she shouldn’t be surprised to see a display of fae magic. And she shouldn’t find it fascinating either. Ilario might not use it for anything bad, but he could. She knew from history books that high-level fae with earth magic could harm others easily. For instance, through dangerous earthquakes. “Right, of course. For some reason, I didn’t imagine you having earth magic, considering you’re a trader.”
“I suppose you’re right. I don’t need earth magic for my work. I’ve never enjoyed gardening that much, if I’m being honest. My mum loves it. It brings her joy, the solitude of it. Just her and her garden. I would much rather be surrounded by people than plants.” Ilario looked towards the flowerbeds and the fenced-off vegetable garden. “Although it does help every now and then. I sell a lot of things my parents grow here and sometimes I help my mother out when I visit. But for the most part, I let her do the gardening while I focus on the trades.”
“That’s a good system.” The thought of them working together as a family and using their strengths to their advantage made Lora smile. An image took form in her head. Her mum was cooking in the kitchen at her Buffalo Diner, Oscar was by her side, dropping a healthy amount of spices into the pot on the stove, while Lora made the rounds, banished from the kitchen for good reason.
“It works quite well,” Ilario answered before his gaze drifted over her head. “Look who’s making a reappearance.”
Lora turned around and her eyes immediately found Eyden. His eyes met hers and didn’t move from her face as he walked towards her with a newfound urgency. She noted the shift in his eyes when he was in front of her. Something had changed, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
