But it was more than that. Here she was surrounded by people who were ready to fight, and she’d never felt such a sense of belonging before. Of community.
When she’d first learned of her Tidecaller abilities, she’d balked at the idea of belonging to House Eclipse, had fought desperately to hold on to her identity as a Healer. She’d wanted to be accepted by the Selenic Order, to be seen as valuable by people she believed would protect her and the truth of her magic. But that mindset had shifted over time, until lying about her identity had seemed more daunting to her than anything else.
And now that she was finally back here, nothing had ever felt more right than being part of House Eclipse. Fighting for justice alongside them.
Emory found herself looking at her New Moon tattoo. In this moment, she wanted desperately to have an Eclipse one.
Maybe there was someone here who had experience with tattoos. If anything, Baz had talent with drawing—though, remembering how queasy he’d been the first time he’d stuck a needle inher arm to draw her blood and test it in the selenograph, he was maybe not the best person to ask.
She searched for Baz now but couldn’t find him. As Virgil plopped down on a chair next to her, Vera, and Nisha, a sudden solemnity fell over the four of them. They hadn’t been alone together since coming back from the sea of ash, and it struck Emory that no one here could understand what they’d gone through—the worlds they’d traveled, the people they’d met and lost along the way.
As if the same thought crossed his mind, Virgil lifted his glass of moonbrew. “To the keys.”
“May their souls find the rest they deserve,” Nisha whispered with tears in her eyes.
The four of them drank as one. Emory felt hollow. She could scarcely believe they were gone. Aspen, whom she’d grown so close to, whose own mother and sister—the latter likely still in a coma—didn’t even know she was gone. Tol, whom she hadn’t known for long but admired all the same. And Orfeyi, whom she’d been robbed of knowing at all.
She’d failed them. Hadn’t been able to save them from sacrifice. And though Romie wasn’t among them, she may as well be, if Emory didn’t find a way to separate her from Atheia.
Nisha’s gaze found hers. “Tell me we can save her,” she said in such a broken voice it made Emory want to curl up and cry.
“I don’t know,” Emory said in earnest. “But I’m not giving up on her.”
Nisha gave her a wobbly smile. “Me neither.”
Later, when the celebration had mostly died down, Emory found Baz outside sitting in the tall grass, watching the nighttime waves. She plopped down next to him, realizing with a giggle how unsteady she was after all the moonbrew.
“Careful,” Baz said with a laugh of his own. The moonlight reflected in his glasses, outlining him in silver.
“I can’t believe we’re back on this beach,” Emory said.
“Feels like this is where it all started.”
Baz leaned back on his elbows, long legs splayed out before him. He gazed at the sky with such longing, Emory couldn’t help but do the same, reminded of the time they’d been in Romie’s greenhouse watching shooting stars together. Romie’s absence had been as stark then as it was now.
For a time, they were silent, with only the rhythmic crashing of waves between them.
“You know what I miss?” Emory said. “The Noviluna Hall coffee cart.”
Baz made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. “That coffee tasted like cardboard.”
“I don’t care. I loved it. And it was always funny seeing you pretend to drink it when I brought you a cup.”
Baz grinned. “I miss the Decrescens library.”
“Of course you’d miss thelibraryof all things.”
“What? I miss the quiet. The early mornings when there was no one but you and me.” He glanced back at the safe house. “There are so many people here. I’d give anything for a good library to escape into.”
Emory smiled. At least some things about him hadn’t changed. “I miss the Eclipse commons,” she said, keeping this little game going. “I didn’t get to spend enough time there.”
“I miss Dusk,” Baz sighed. “I hope he’s being taken care of.”
“Yeah, poor thing.”
“I thought you hated him.”
“I don’thatehim. It’s not my fault I kicked him in my sleepone timeand the damn cat never forgave me.”
