His arms unwind from me, and he lets me go as I scramble gracelessly from his lap to put some much needed space between us.
'What happens now?' I ask, eager to change the subject, and the mood.
'Now? Nothing. We should stay in the cottage for the rest of the day, give those who weren't there this morning time to learn that you're staying in the village after all. Tomorrow, I'll show you around your new home, perhaps look around the Trading Post if you like.'
'When will Voss summon me for the training?' I ask, wondering how long my reprieve will last from the fae who hurt me.
'After the Council Five meet regarding the mission and what Locke found out. That won’t happen until after Dane and Locke meet tomorrow. We have a week or so, I think, so long as nothing is happening imminently, but we will know more on the morrow.'
‘What are they doing now? Jak and Locke, I mean.'
Morgan looks a little bit uncomfortable. 'They're looking through Locke's books in search of Kismet references,' he admits. ‘Jak wants us to go to the Great Library in Kitore, but Locke has dissuaded him for now. He has books from when hewas learning his magick in Dead City, and he thinks there might be something within their pages.'
'I see.'
I laugh off the sense of unease that they'reresearchingme, or those like me,without me.
‘Well, it's not as if I could help with that,’ I mutter.
The silence stretches on, but I speak before Morgan can give me some useless pitying platitude.
'So, what's at the Trading Post?' I ask.
'Tavish’s shop. He’s a cunt, but he knows his wares, I’ll give him that. It has food, trinkets, blankets, all sorts from the Underhill as well as the Dark sometimes, and regions in the Light Realm as well.'
Morgan gets to his feet and gestures at the door where I slept last night. 'Locke has said that his room is yours for now, until we can sort something more permanent.'
‘Oh,' I say, peering in and wondering what permanence in the village would look like.
Will I have my own cottage? Would I contribute to the village? Do I have any skills that would be useful to them?
I stare at the bed. Or will I simply stay here in this cottage with them, sharing with whomever of the trio wants me that evening?
My stomach coils, and not in disgust, but because of something else that I don't want to name.
My chest twinges, and I close the door for a bit of privacy. I take the vial that Lia gave me out of my sleeve and un-stopper it, sniffing. It's definitely a healing potion.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror opposite. I don't look any different with Voss’ conjure still upon me, but as I probe my chest, I can feel exactly where there should be bruising and swelling, as well as on my arms and on my face, though I can at least open my eye a little now. How odd that none of it canbe seen. My injuries don’t even feel much different from the surrounding areas of my body on the outside, I realize, just the inside.
I stare at the vial, wondering if perhaps I shouldn’t take it. I can move around still, and, as long as I’m careful, my injuries don’t hurt too much. But I’ll probably feel it more in the morning, I rationalize, and it’s definitely a healing tincture. I can smell the pink Ialican flower in it.
I drink the potion.
'Are you hungry?' Morgan asks from the other room.
I put the empty vial under the coverlet to get rid of later and open the door, already feeling better as the potion does its work.
'I could make something for you, or, you can,’ he continues as I step back into the living area.
He shows me where the foodstuffs are kept in the cupboards.
‘Take what you want.'
My eyes widen.
'I can just,' I glance up at him, 'help myself?'
He nods. 'Tell me if we run out of anything, though, so I can procure more.'
