She doesn’t acknowledge me, just continues her pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth…
I step into her path, forcing her to stop. “Look at me.”
For a moment, her eyes focus on mine, and I see a flicker of recognition. I hold my breath.
As swiftly as it seemed Arina recognized me, the expression is gone, and she tries to step around me.
“No.” I take her shoulders gently but firmly. She stills, but her chest heaves with barely contained breaths. “Gregor said you’ve been at this for hours; you need to rest.”
She tries to step back, but I don’t let her. She could, if she really wanted to. I’m barely holding her. But she doesn’t rip herself free. She whimpers, small and frustrated sounds that shatter my heart. It takes all my strength to keep calm, to keep smiling so she sees a friendly face, even though I’m still not sure whether she recognizes it as me ormerely a kind stranger. Arina lets me guide her back to the bed. But even when she sits, she fidgets constantly, hands picking at the blankets.
“I’m going to feed you now,” I say, holding a hand behind me. Gregor understands and quickly crosses to put some bread in my waiting palm. She opens her mouth, and I place a tiny piece on her tongue. I speak to him even though my focus is on her. “This is good. It means she’s becoming more coherent, she’s trying to come back.”
Gregor steps closer. Arina doesn’t even glance his way. “Maybe…But this activity makes me more worried.”
“How?”
“What if she hurts herself when we’re not looking for even a second?”
I pause, then feed her the last piece of bread. Before answering, I encourage Arina to lie down. She does, even though her eyes are wide and alert as I settle the blanket back up to her chin.
“Let’s talk outside,” I say softly, and Gregor follows me out.
“I can bring a Worldkeeper,” he says after he cracks the door. “We can add more people to the rotation so that—”
“No.” The word comes out sharper than intended. “That’s a variable I do not want.”
“Clara, it’s what’s best for her.”
“The best for her is not having strangers around her right now. Think of how she might react if she wakes up alone in a room with someone she doesn’t know.” I’m very glad when he does not point out that my face is probably a stranger’s.
“She’ll get to know them,” he says.
“It’s not worth the risk when she’s showing signs of progress.”
He studies me. Sees through me, more like. “You can trust them.”
I glance away, as though that’d stop his inspection. I hate that he pinned my unease. “I don’t know them.”
“ButI do.”
“Youhardlydo.” I roll my eyes.
“Better than you,” he points out. I can’t argue with that. “Turns outI’m good at this whole Worldkeeper thing. Even better is Ilike it.” He shrugs. “They trust me and can be useful. Let me help you make genuine inroads with them—get resources we need,sheneeds. It’s not often I get to be the diplomat; that’s always been Twino’s role. It’s my turn now.”
I sigh softly at that. “Fair enough. And thank you for it.”
“You’re welcome.” He has the tug of a smile, but it barely sticks and isn’t close to reaching his eyes. “I…I should’ve done more for Jura. Let me do more for you, and Arina, and everyone.”
The words are a blow to the chest. One that has my eyes stinging. There’s no romantic love in what he says or the way he says it. But there is love. And loyalty. The same I have for my sister, when I swore she’d never suffer again.
“You’re really passionate about joining them, aren’t you?” I say softly.
He nods. “I believe they’re going to help save this world, Clara. So, will you let me bring in more Worldkeeper help for Arina?”
“Maybe, in time…But for now I don’t trust anyone but you.” I look him dead in the eyes. He looks away, hesitant. “Gregor.” I draw his eyes back to me. “Give it time. For now we’re the only ones we can really be sure of.”
“What about Kaelis?” The question seems genuine, but it instantly makes me uneasy. Gregor can’t keep the note of disgust from his tone.
