But that was foolish, wasn’t it? To assume that everything he’d said on that ship to be a lie? A trick? He’d seemed far too sincere when he asked her to come back–
No,she thought.Stop this. You are not here for romance. You are here to learn how to help the people calling on you. That isit.
Desi watched her with a knowing look, her mouth knocked down at one corner. “Would you prefer taking your meal in your rooms?” She asked. “We can always go upstairs with you and–”
“I need to do this.” Nymiria placed her hand over Desi’s hoping that the look on her face gave a semblance of reassurance. It did not, seeing as Desi kept looking at her like…that. As if she were some pitiful creature in need of a hug.
Shedidneed a hug.
But that was neither here, nor there.
“Ineedto be here.” She said more firmly this time, more sure of herself. “If I keep running from them, they will never accept me. Not formeand not as…”
The word“goddess”simply could not leave her mouth. Even if she would have loved for all of them to know that she cared for them and wanted to regain their trust, she couldn’t dare claim to be something she had no control over. Perhaps, after a while of Aziel’s help, she’d be able to bear the weight of her title with the same unyielding confidence as Aziel. “I’ll be alright.”
Much to her own agitation, Desi and Trio exchange looks before turning back to their food. The conversation resumed. Both of them asked their questions about her trek across Gaellagh. She told them stories of her run-ins with Dorid’shuntsmen, how they’d cornered her in a run-down Tavern outside of Newhaim, where Oran had vanished to when he’d taken to the bottle.
She found him in a state that was unbecoming of him and forced him to sober up. Eventually, it led to him writing to his betrothed, explaining everything that was happening in Yaar, and requesting if he was still welcome in Shidosha. Nymiria, then, began to tell them of the beasts they’d come across in the mountains, how forest nymphs and river sirens chased them every day, how a winged creature with purple skin and sharp teeth flew after them through the dense forest, all the way to the bogs and swamps that bordered O’Shae.
“But you decided to return?” Desi asked, her silver goblet of wine hovering in front of her mouth in preparation for another deep swallow. “After all you accomplished, why turn back?”
Nymiria’s eyes darted to Trio. She could see the knowing look in his eyes, the humorous gleam lingering in their depths. “Perhaps yourbrothermight know the answer to that.” She chuckled, eyes playfully narrowed in his direction.
Trio lifted his hands in front of himself in defense, shaking his head. “I was just an innocent bystander.”
Nymiria lifted her goblet in his direction. “So you do confirm that youwerestanding by. An accomplice, perhaps?”
Trio scoffed. “Accomplice? I would say that the termhostageis more fitting for that situation.”
Desi frowned. “What the hell are the two of you going on about?”
“There was only one way for Aziel to know that I was on that ship with Oran. Given that I could sense Trio’s shadows, I just assumed that he had something to do with Aziel’s sudden appearanceanddisappearance.” Nymiria stated with a small laugh, placing a gentle hand on Trio’s arm. “I’m not angry at you. I know he can be very persuasive.”
Trio rolled his eyes and took a sip of his absinthe. Straight from the bottle. “I was just tired of him moping around like some sick puppy. He said he wanted to see where you were, just to be safe, and the next thing I knew, he was walking through the shadows.” He plucked a piece of bread from his plate and plopped it into his mouth. “He took advantage of my kindness.”
Nymiria eyed him for a moment, a knowing grin on her face. “What about last night? Did he take advantage of your kindness then, as well?”
“That…” His eyes flickered to the absinthe. “This is just to defend myself. By no means am Igossiping, is that understood?” Both Desi and Nymiria nodded, urging him on. Upon their eager agreement, Trio released a sigh. “I was half-asleep and he came running into my room at the Willow, naked as the day he was born, proclaiming that you were in danger. So, I let him see you.”
Naked?
Nymiria’s stomach twisted.
It shouldn’t have mattered, but her mind drifted to the nagging thought of him sharing himself with someone else. Itdidn’tmatter. She’d all but told him to forget about her and whatever it was that they shared—he was free to do whatever he wanted with his nakedness. In fact, she thought that it was probably for the best that he move on.
If you truly believe that, then why does your stomach hurt so much?
Desi nudged her elbow, drawing her from her thoughts. “What is wrong?” She asked as she glanced down at the poor goblet that was now dented and bent all to hell in Nymiria’s hand.
Nymiria let out something akin to a laugh, but the siblings seated on either side of her did not believe it at all. Their features were now veiled with concern—almost solemn. She did not like the way that it felt. She didn’t want their pity, as that was not the reason she returned. “To answer your question,” Nymiria began.“I mostly returned to learn more about what I am. I’ve been hearing things and seeing things that I do not understand, nor can I control them. Aziel offered to help me.”
Biting at the inside of her cheek, Desi nodded and lifted her fork. “Well, now’s as good a time as any. Especially with the wretched state the world is in currently.”
Nymiria nodded in agreement, frowning as she pushed carrots around on her nearly-empty plate. “It was hard finding a place in Yaar to sleep comfortably, what with all of the soldiers and footmen running about. I take it you all are giving Yaar absolutehell.”
“We are,” Desi confirmed. “It feels unfair at times, depending on the number of soldiers we are up against. Some of them dabble in magic, but not all. The smaller groups of powerless soldiers hardly stand a chance.” She shook her head. “But, alas, war is war.”
Perhaps it was the nature of her being, but Nymiria was inclined to agree. Itdidfeel unfair at times. She’d heard a multitude of prayers, shaking and quivering from the lips of Mystic and Yaar soldiers, alike. And the only thing that was unfair about it was the fact that, majority of the time, she couldn’t differentiate between the two. In the end, all of them begged for the same things.
