I reached up and touched my hair, only to feel it sticky and matted, the bun a permanent fixture now.
Great. Let’s hope I don’t have to cut it all off.
I shuddered at the thought.
There was no extra water for bathing and no additional clothes for me to wear, so I kicked the box under the bed, promising to read the books later, when I had time, before leaving the room.
When I had time. I snorted at the thought.
The people in the inn were relatively relaxed today now that the threats of the Warlord’s Mages and then the rebels were neutralized.
How strange that we were once disgusted by the Warlord’s Mages and are now accepting their help.
I chewed my lip at the thought but didn’t have long to dwell as one of the Henshaw kids—Tal, I thought—came barreling toward me, a leather sack clutched in his hands.
“Fay! You’re awake!” The normally reticent boy threw himself at me, wrapping my body in the type of hug only a child could give. I clutched him back eagerly, relishing the warmth of another body.
When was the last time I hugged someone?The morning Ben and I separated . . .My mind trailed off when my heart panged at the thought of Ben. I didn’t want to think about him, not yet, not when I had so much to accomplish here.
“Here! The General brought you back some of the things from your house!” Tal pulled back from the hug before shoving the bag at my chest.
I caught it with anoomphbefore opening it and peering inside. “No Cotton?” Tal frowned at my question.
“We can cut up our shirts if we need to.” He pulled at his ratty and dirty shirt as an example, and I laughed. A true, joy-filled laugh.
“No, silly.” I ruffled his hair. “My cat, Cotton. I promised him a new book and I haven’t gotten to see him.”
Tal smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know nothin’ about a cat, Fay, but you can ask that General! He seemed to like you. He carried you back here andeverything. Set you down in your bed and tucked you all in like a princess or something.”
My cheeks heated a bit at his confession, realizing that the body I burrowed into when I was unconscious wasthe General’s. I winced slightly and closed my eyes briefly.
“Well, I’m no princess, Tal, but that was really nice of the General, hm?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! And then his friend Sasori came and played games with me and my sisters. They didn’t really understand because they’re little, but I did because I’m bigger. Andthenone of her friends came in, I think it was her boyfriend or something, and then his palm got all glowy and now we all feel really happy again! Isn’t it so nice to feel happy again?”
I smiled at his enthusiasm, though I was a little taken aback by his admittance to the use of magic at the inn. “Everyone was okay with that?” I asked hesitantly.
Tal nodded again. “Oh yeah! We all want to feel happy again. Old man Jerome said that it’ll help us all get going and back to our lives again.”
I thought about that for a moment, realizing that Jerome wasn’t wrong. The boost from the Pleasure Magic would inevitably help everyone get moving. If they wanted to clear their village and farms to start over, that was completely up to them.
Tal bounced on his toes, a ball of endless energy, and I smiled softly at him.
“You can go play again, if you’d like, Tal. Thank you for bringing me my bag,” I said, bending to give him another hug. He squeezed me tight before turning to run off.
I smiled as he ran to his sisters and another woman dressed in the black tunic and pants of a Mage. I guessed that was Sasori since she was playing little hand games with the Henshaw girls. I nodded at her in acknowledgment before exiting the inn in search of the General.
My mission was momentarily forgotten, however, when I saw Market Street and the village. I didn’t recognize the landscape in front of me. What was once decimated and reduced to ashes was now cleared of debris, the streets scrubbed of blood, the bodies removed. The villagers were taking stock of their livelihoods, deciding what to keep and what to toss, discussing how to rebuild. And all around, the Mages and Vessels workedwith the villagers to repair buildings, wash away the evidence of battle, and offer condolences.
This is not what I expected.
“Fascinating what a little magic and cooperation can do, isn’t it?” the rumbling voice of the General sounded from my left and I jumped a few inches, my heart thundering in my chest.
“Don’t scare me like that!” I yelped, whirling to face him.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face before it was replaced by one of worry. “Are you alright? Saving Sol seemed to . . . take a lot out of you.”
“I’m fine, just overextended myself is all.”
