Rain pattered and tapped against my window in a delicate and rhythmic symphony. I was crouched, barefoot, in front of the unlit hearth, immortal flame in hand.
I stared, watching the logs burn, feeling the fire’s warmth against my outstretched palms. A realisation struck me. I had been lighting fires using the immortal flame, and not even once had I considered the possibility of the secondary flames being immortal, too. Thank the gods, they didn’t follow the same rule as their white parent flame; they burned red and died in time. I imagined Ilma burning once more to the ground, its new vegetation succumbing to white flames caused by my inattentiveness. A knock came at the door, transporting me back to Sijar.
“Hello, Lady Wildheart. I’m Flora, one of the servants here. I came to bring you fresh towels.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said, taking the towels from her hands.
“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything else?” she asked with a wide smile that had me wondering if it was fake or if it was just the way she normally grinned.
“Actually, there is. My clothes are all wet, is there—”
“Oh! Don’t you worry about that. I can get them dry for you in no time.”
“What? How? Is there someone who can wield water here?” I whispered a bit too quickly.
“Of course not!” She laughed, covering her mouth. “We use dried tearcatcher leaves.”
“Oh…I’ve never heard of such a plant before.”
“You haven’t?” she breathed. “How else do you keep your undergarment dry when you shed?”
“Can I buy some of these leaves?”
“Of course! You can buy the seeds, too.”
“I’ll get both, then. Thank you, Flora.”
“I’ll be right back, Lady Wildheart.”
I covered my florally scented, clean skin with my fully dried clothes and reached for the door handle. I would rather have stayed cuddled up in my cozy room eating dinner in bed than join the others at the tavern, but Vinnie and Braun had travelled day and night, land and river, sun and rain, for me. Having my final dinner with them was the least I could do.
The others were already downstairs. The empty wooden tankards scattered haphazardly on the high table and Vinnie’s slurred speech told me that the men had been drinking.
I took the empty seat next to Marshen and gave him a small smile. I was afraid that he wasn’t going to join us. His mood was off and he was clearly masking it by laughing at every one of Vinnie’s jokes.
Earlier, I wished to have dinner in peace, alone, but instead I found myself in the midst of chaos, nibbling on my food, as people circled our table.
Just like Marshen and Braun, they, too, listened intently and laughed at Vinnie’s punchlines. All right, I admit it, he did tell a few that cracked me a little, too.
I swirled my glass of dry red and sipped on it, savouring its rich, velvety taste. From the corner of my eye, I could see a broad-shouldered man with red hair that reached his shoulders, often glancing my way. I noticed he got closer and closer each time the tavern echoed with laughter and clinking tankards.
“Oh! I have a good one,” a slender, unkempt male with a missing tooth said, before rasping the opening words of his eerie, never-ending joke.
I covered my face, laughing at the disgusting but hilarious punchline. When I lowered my hands, I noticed that Red was standing at my side. He rested his hand on the back of my chair. His light green eyes moved from my mouth to my eyes when he said, “I have to admit that I enjoyed your laughter more than the joke itself.”
“And that wasn’t even my best laugh,” I replied flatly.
He barked out a laugh of his own that ended with him biting on his lower lip.
“Then perhaps I could get a listen or two of those beautiful laughs of yours while we danced?” he asked, offering me his palm.
I was fairly certain that any other woman in here would have taken his hand, walked him towards the crowd, beyond it, up the stairs, and straight into the bedroom. Whereas I—with a broken heart that still burned for a different green-eyed male—stammered.
“Oh, I—uh—”
“Sorry, pal, she’s with me,” Marshen said, leaning closer and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. He let it down the second Red turned on his heels.
“I hope I didn’t ruin a good night for you,” Marshen said.
