“You know, I’m not sneaking you any more snacks past your bedtime since you stabbed me.”
After we returned from our training this afternoon and cleaned up, we said goodbye to Samkiel, Dianna, and Reggie as they went in search of the Otherworld. Now it was just the two of us, and we were rummaging through the kitchen. I paused and patted at the mask covering my face. Dianna had shown Miska how to make the green concoction, which was what the little terror had requested as our activity for tonight. She had made numerous demands for this week while they were away. At this point, I could addfull-time babysittertodecorated ancient warrioron my resume. Although Miska wasn’t a baby. She was a preteen of her race, and from what I’d learned of Jade City healers, we had at least two years before she shot up like a damn tree and matured. I wouldn’t lie. I’d miss her little brat phase. So, I would indulge the tiny creature with snacks we probably shouldn’t eat, games I would fake losing, and trampling through the city until she wore herself out.
Miska’s eyes narrowed, the edges of her face mask crinkling as it dried, and her hair was still damp from her shower. “Fine, then I’m telling Dianna and Samkiel how you sneak out some nights after stealing the maps from his study.”
I turned slowly, my eyes narrowing on her. She wasn’t wrong, just damn nosy. Every lead I followed got me no closer to finding Xavier, and I had a feeling I was missing something. So, I’d started revisiting places and asking around, hoping I’d find someone, somewhere, who knew something. My recent training sessions with Dianna were helping me remain hidden even as I searched. I had gotten better at compelling, so I could handle anyone who became too suspicious. I stayed within the borders to avoid alerting Nismera’s legion and always ensured I was never followed when I flew back home. Dianna and Samkiel wouldn’t be angry. They would understand, but they would worry if they knew how little I had been sleeping.
I snorted at her nerve and sass. She was getting good at putting me in my place. “You are a tiny demon, you know that?”
Her smile was filled with fledgling arrogance at her win.
I grabbed the jar of roasted snacks off the counter and stalked past her. Miska followed after me, skipping as she went, her flowery white nightgown twisting around her ankles.
“SHE’S SO PRETTY,” Miska said as she stood looking at Neverra.
Neverra’s celestial blue eyes glowed in the gloom of the dungeon. Whoever had been in charge of Neverra had done the bare minimum regarding her basic physical needs. Dianna had taken out the twisted, dirty braids, letting her naturally curly hair spill past her shoulders. She was clean and no longer smelled like the barracks where they must have kept her. Warmth spread through my chest at the level of care Dianna had shown toward the people who meant so much to me. She made sure that they were bathed and their clothes were changed daily.
Samkiel had eagerly agreed to Dianna’s requests for their holding space to be comfortable. He had remade the cells to include sitting areas where we could come to be with them, comfortable beds, and facilities to relieve themselves. Not that they needed them anymore. They didn’t eat, drink, or gods, even blink. They were the perfect stoic soldiers without physical needs.
“Don’t tell her that. I try to keep her humble,” I said with a laugh, trying to disguise the sorrow ripping through me.
Miska smiled at me. “Were you guys all really close?”
I tilted my head, looking at my fallen friend. “The closest.”
Miska grabbed my hand, her small fingers squeezing mine, her healer’s heart hearing what I couldn’t say. “I’m sorry, Cameron. Dianna said we can get them back, and I’ve been trying a few different concoctions as well. Sometimes the brain needs different things to help it heal.”
I smiled down at her hopeful expression and gave her a reassuring smile. I knew the truth, but I wouldn’t tell her. It was far too painful to put into words. “Maybe so.”
Samkiel had created the sitting area between the cells. The table was low to the ground and large enough to accommodate the games and food we brought down. A few fluffy, pillowy chairs surrounded it. It was the perfect place for Neverra and Logan to see us, even if they didn’t truly see.
“Dianna said this is helpful,” Miska said, flopping into her seat. I pulled my gaze from Logan and joined her at the table. “Her sister was a healer, too. She said that sometimes when people are sleeping because they are really sick, they can still hear you.”
I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. “Yeah, Dianna is pretty smart. Her sister was, too. At least from what I’ve heard.”
Miska unfolded the board she had brought down and laid it out on the table, turning it toward me. “Did you meet her?”
I placed her totem on one of the colored squares and then added mine, making sure they were not too close together. “No, unfortunately, I did not. By the time I met Dianna, Gabby was already gone.”
“Oh,” Miska said, her smile fading as I leaned back and pulled the small pouch that held the dice from the bag.
“Oh, is right,” I said. “But from what Logan and Neverra said, she was really smart and funny, just like Dianna. Maybe even nicer.” I whispered the last part as Miska laughed.
“Dianna has always been nice to me,” Miska said. “Her coming to Jade City changed everything. The healers acted differently when she was around. Without even meaning to, she made the bad people go away, and then she protected me. I love her.”
I smiled warmly and winked at Miska. “You’re not the only one.”
Miska’s smile brightened, and she folded her arms near the board’s edge. She never really talked about Jade City, and I didn’t press her. From what Dianna and Samkiel had said, they were cruel to her in addition to the neglect.
“What about you?” she pressed. “What was it like when you and Dianna first met?”
“Well,” I said as I palmed the dice and rolled them, “she gutted me.”
Miska’s eyes widened as I moved my piece around the board.
“The only reason I am alive is because my …” My throat closed at the mere thought or mention of him. Miska picked up the dice, waiting patiently for me to recover. “She’d kicked me off the balcony, and Xavier jumped after me, saving my life.”
Miska clenched the dice in her palm, more interested in the story than the game. “She hurt you?”
