In most circumstances, she would be one of the last people I’d feel comfortable venting to. Aside from her being Lorian’s sister and the few conversations we’d had—mostly in the presence of others—I’d rarely talked to her and knew little to nothing about her. In fact, it was almost as though she went out of her way to avoid me. But right now, a near stranger seemed like the best person for the job.
I followed her through the hallways until we made it to a large room I assumed to be hers. Its decoration surpassed even that of Alandris’ quarters. Her dresser held golden trays overflowing with jewelry and gemstones; fine gowns, too numerous for the nearly bursting wardrobe, hung in every corner of the room. Incense burned at a table in the center, filling the room with rich, fragrant smoke.
“Tea?”
I nodded, taking a seat at the small table.
“This is a black tea made with berry leaves and spice. You’ll enjoy it.” She poured us both a cup and took a seat beside me.
I wrapped my hands around the sides of the cups, relishing the heat. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“I do not envy your position any more than my own,” she said. “You came from Alandris’s quarters. I imagine he did or said something stupid, given the look on your face back there.”
“I think I’m the stupid one, unfortunately,” I sighed.
“Oh, I doubt that. I think you’re doing the best you can with an awful situation.”
“He rejected me… more or less.”
She gave a pitying frown. “He has a, well, complicated relationship with love.”
I sipped at the tea. “It wasn’t exactly a matter of love.”
“Oh.” Zorinna looked down at her cup, her ears turning pink. “Things have progressed farther than I had imagined.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It is quite obvious he cares for you, is it not?” She tilted her head with a hum. “Despite being told to keep his distance on multiple occasions, he continues to involve himself with you directly. Jyuri offered to help train your magic, but he insisted on doing it himself. He is the most selfish of us all. Kaz and I have done our best to keep away from you, but he is incapable of following through. It’d be infuriating if I didn’t feel quite so… badly.”
I frowned, my frustration growing. “You aren’t making any sense. Do you understand how infuriatingthatis?”
“No, I suppose I don’t.” Zorinna took a sip of her tea. “I’m sorry, Nairu. I brought you here to listen to your worries, and I ended up burdening you with my own. The next time we talk, I hope it is real.”
She stood without giving me the opportunity to answer or question the strangeness of her words. “Stay as long as you’d like, but I have somewhere to be.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d felt like someone had been having a conversation with someone who wasn’t me.
Alandris’s absence didn’t surprise me when I arrived at the instructed time to meet him. After what happened between us, I fully expected him to avoid me for as long as possible. What I hadn’t been expecting was for him to send Kaz and Zorinna in his place. I was especially surprised to learn that the ‘thing’ Alandris wanted to show me was located on a small island outside Nil’Faerith, and that he’d permitted me to travel there without him on the Phoenix Heart. I supposed they were intended to be my personal bodyguards. Though if I legitimately intended to escape, I wasn’t sure what two people could do against my entire crew and I.
I couldn’t pretend to be mad. Not when I tasted the familiar salty ocean breeze on my tongue and felt the wind whip wildly through my hair. No, I loved this, and I’d missed it dearly. That Mage whose name I refused to speak for the duration of the trip was the furthest thing from my mind. Definitely.
“It will take a majority of the day to make it to the island,” Lorian said, coming up behind me. “I know you’re supposed to take it sparingly, but you should take another dose when wearrive, so I’ve been told. You can let it lapse during the journey back.”
Wherever we were going, Zaelos wasn’t meant to see.
“Yes, captain.” I beamed. “I’ve missed saying that.”
Lorian scoffed before grinning. “I’m still your captain, on both sea and land, got it?”
“Yes, captain!”
The last time I’d seen my crew, we’d just mended our relationship after arguing over secrets withheld. There was a part of me that was still upset, but if I had to cut off every person who was presently keeping things from me, I wouldn’t have anyone remaining by my side at all. If I wanted peace of mind, I’d need to forgive some of it and have a bit of blind faith that they were doing what they needed to protect me.
I spent most of the trip lounging on the deck, basking in the sun, with my face turned up to the sky. The weather was mild; the waves behaving themselves, so my crew didn’t need much assistance. They’d been taking advantage of my one bodyguard’s strength to help with the sails, though he didn’t seem to mind. Aside from Makatza, who viewed everything as a competition with Kaz, he was getting along with everyone swimmingly.
Kaelias plopped down beside me and I turned to look at him. “You’re going to burn,” he signed.
“Oh, let me have a bit of fun. It’s been too long. I barely get to go outside at the Consortium. I’ll regret the sunburn later.”
