Page 3 of At The End There Was You

She’d just lowered her pen to underline the word he’d requested, when he said, “So you can really read.”

She almost choked on her own spit to rush out and ask, “Why did you think I could not?”

“Isn't it your sole duty to adore your God? The more ignorant one is, the more faithful they remain. You can question less when you know very little.”

“Every girl in the Sanctum can read and write in at least two languages. And isn’t it your duty to never question yours either? Not because you can’t read, since all Mages need to first and foremost be educated, but because you aren’t allowed to question the God of Death. My liberties have never walked such fine lines bordering to slavery, only adoration. You might hold a pen and a book just fine even if your eyes are closed and your mouth is shut. But can you use that pen and read that book out loud or at all?” She cleared her throat, and added, “S-sir.” Instead of looking up and waiting for the coming reprimand, she dove to the pages and returned to her task.

“Can you also read Kathran?” came his question a while later, ignoring her rant entirely.

“Yes, it is my mother tongue.”

He nodded and a book elevated in the air, dropping right before her. “Far from Katra, aren’t you?” he asked, not paying any mind to her as he took dark notes in his thick notebook.

It was the furthest Winter could go without feeling the need to return. If she’d gone any further, the food would have been too different from the one she loved and the language would have been too hard to learn, so she stuck to where she was now. The language was not too hard or strange, and most foods were similar to the ones she was used to. She’d thought about it for days before locking her parent's home, not selling it as her old butler had suggested, and then taken the road to join the Sanctum. “Far is every place that is not home.”

She had his attention then, dark eyes meeting hers across the table. Winter wanted to look away but couldn’t. “Wise words.”

Winter waved a hand in dismissal. “Read it somewhere.”

“Thought you were only allowed to read holy scriptures?”

“Well, yes, but I only joined four years ago.”

“Hm,” came his vague reaction, and Winter frowned so hard her brows were about to snap her forehead bone. “If you’re going to throw something at me, might I suggest a pen or a piece of paper,” he said, paying very little attention to her.

“I was not going to hit you with anything.”

“You looked violent.”

“And you look like you’ve not had one good day in your life, but since we’ve met, not once have I thought you’re about to cry on me.”

“Are you always this argumentative?”

“Are you always this sour?”

“My answer is yes, then.”

“So is mine.”

“A pleasing outcome, it seems, since we both got our answers,” he said boredly, returning to his study.

It had been about an hour of silence, or so it had felt, when Winter asked, “What are we looking for exactly?”

“Well, you are looking for the word death in The War History book. As you were when I first told you.”

Winter wanted to curse him out loud. Would he turn her into a cockroach if she did? Did it matter? At least she could hide in here till the end of time. Which was in less than seven days now considering the clock had just struck three in the afternoon. “And you?”

“That is for me to know.”

“I won’t tell Death or anything. We’ve fallen out,” her words dryly rang like the coo of an odd crow, or the squeak of cicadas.

He looked at her as if she’d grown a second head. Maybe she had, considering she was failing to control her own mouth from moving. “Was that a joke?”

She blinked once. “What are the probabilities that it wasn’t?”

“Low.”

Sweetly, she spoke to herself more than to him, “Aren’t we in safe hands with such a distinguished Mage.” He was still staring at her, so she felt compelled to add, “That was a joke.”