“I meant exactly what I said. Nothing is set in stone. I’m an Ascension candidate, yes, but there’s still a hell of a long way between candidate and councillor. And I… I don’t want to talk about it with you, Ser. I know what it would mean, okay? For us. I know it would mean you’d never speak to—”
She stops abruptly, takes a deep breath, casts her eyes toward the moon above, and blinks rapidly.
When she’s gained a bit of her composure back, she reaches into the satchel she’s got slung across her chest.
“I brought something for you.”
“What?”
“Here,” Soleil says, shoving a finely made leather case into my hands. “Take it.”
“What is it?”
She laughs softly, the sound of it edged by tears that bring a lump to the back of my throat.
“Something that might keep you alive.”
Unzipping the top and peering inside, I find it stuffed to the seams with vials and containers of salves and potions. Herbs, dried flowers, small capsules painstakingly filled with various remedies.
“I asked around,” Soleil continues. “And I’ve got to say, there’s a shocking lack of knowledge around the coven hall about what goes on in other realms and what threats you might face, but this was as good as I could do. It’s all labeled, but uh, you might want to look through it beforehand so you’re not scrambling in an emergency.”
That lump gets even thicker.
I don’t know what to say.
I don’t know why she did this, how to thank her, how to bridge this huge, awful gap between us without—
My momentary spiral is halted in its tracks when Soleil throws her arms around me.
“I know you’re not a hugger,” she says, “but you’re just going to have to deal with it. I get to hug you before you go off and potentially get yourself killed again.”
“Again?” I say with a wet laugh. “Do I have to remind you I didn’t actually die the last time?”
“Not for lack of trying,” she mutters, and hugs me tighter.
We both hold on for a few moments longer. In those moments, I can pretend no time has passed. I can pretend I didn’t turn my back on the coven who raised me and I’m not mad at my sister for choosing to stay. We can travel back through time to a moment that wasn’t this damn difficult and sad.
Soleil breaks the embrace first.
She blinks away the lingering tears in her eyes and sets her shoulders, stands up straighter, transforms back into the kind of witch who should absolutely have a place on the Crescent Coven council.
Hopefully, she’ll be able to make something better of it. Hopefully, she’ll be the change their dusty old halls need.
“You’re going back through the Veil?” she asks, not entirely able to keep the concern from her voice.
I nod. “Yes. To the demon realm, for tonight. After that…”
I chance a glance at Callum, remembering for the first time in a few minutes that he’s here. Standing a tactful distance away to give me and Soleil space, he inclines his head. Not in agreement about where we’ll go after our night of rest, but at least in acknowledgment that we need to figure it out.
“Alright,” Soleil says. “I’d tell you to be careful, but…”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I say with a half-hearted grin.
“Some days it feels like that’s all I do.”
There’s so much more to unpack here. So much we need to say.
But the Veil is waiting, and the hunt hasn’t ended. Maybe when it’s all over we can talk, but for now…
