“It’s no one’s fault. Bryn would have tangled herself up with runes whether I liked it or not.”
“But I was the one who said we needed fire.”
“You weren’t the one who unbound it.”
Mara finally lifts her gaze to me. “She will survive. Anything else is in the past. I have my daughter and, by some miracle, my boys back.” I nod at her in understanding. “If I question it and dwell on the how and the why, I worry something might take them away from me.”
I can understand her. She has her family back. Does it matter how, as long as they’re here? The thought settles heavily in my chest. Would I trade answers for that kind of certainty? If Sam were here to take me back, would I go willingly, no questions asked?
We sit in silence, the soft thrum of conversation coming from the kitchen. I wonder how Rowan is feeling. We have barely spoken since the meadow, but his hand didn’t leave mine the entire walk back from the meadow. Bryn shifts briefly, a soft breath leaving her lips as her eyes flutter open, blinking fast. I smile at Mara as she leans into her daughter.
“Bryn. Oh, thank God,” she says, kissing her forehead. Bryn lets out a tired moan.
“I told you I’d be fine,” she croaks with a soft smile. Mara laughs, an actual laugh, the sound both relief and joy in one.
“Let’s not call it ‘fine’. We’ll address this after you’ve regained your strength,” Mara says in a stern, motherly tone.
“I’ll tell the boys,” I say.
“Boys?” Bryn manages to say weakly. I smile down at her, nodding at Mara before rising to my feet and leaving them to talk. I pause at the kitchen door only for a second before knocking gently and pushing it open. All three of them turn immediately.
No one speaks.
“Bryn is awake,” I say, my voice sounding small in the wake of whatever war they were just fighting with words. Kael is the first to move, pushing out of his chair and through the door in a rush.
Rowan’s eyes meet mine instantly.
His face tells me everything.
The Warden who defends this castle is still a boy underneath it all. A boy who just had his heart made whole, but the remnants of anger still linger. He looks between me and Sam, his jaw set tight.
“It seems I was jealous of a ghost.” Sam looks between us, confused, before understanding dawns on his face.
“I’ll leave the two of you to talk.” He moves past me, leaning in to whisper in my ear, “I’ll be here for you when you’re ready.”
He presses a soft kiss to my temple before exiting the kitchen. Leaving me alone with a man I wasn’t sure I’d see again.
“What is going on?” The words fall out of my mouth. “How long have you been lying to me?”
“Elodie, I’m sorry. Truly. You must know before I explain everything. From the beginning until now, our friendship has been real and never forced. Okay?”
What does he mean by that?
“You’re from here?”
“Yes.”
“You knew about that gate in the overgrowth.”
“Yes.”
“Sam, I worked with you nearly every day. We had coffee dates on our weekends. Went to the farmers’ market on Sundays. Played chess during our lunch breaks. We had board game nights with the crappy takeaway down from my flat.” He bows his head, his eyes finding the floor. “And what? This whole time you were this knight from another realm? Were you watching me or something?” My mind flicks through the countless smiles, laughter, embarrassing times we shared.
How I could turn to him when I’d had a bad day.
How I could cry on his shoulder whenever I felt alone.
How he taught me to be the botanist my grandmother would be proud of.
