Page 88 of Heart’s Rescue

I sigh. The booze has made me feel numb and fuzzy, but it’s also opened a door for the crushing exhaustion that’s been chasing me for days. If I close my eyes, I’ll probably pass out right here in this chair.

“You would’ve done the same,” I say. My voice feels strange, high and light. “Anyone would’ve.”

“I’m not talking about the monster attack.”

My eyes snap back to my brother; the room pulses around him. Phaedron takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling, at those red and blue and yellow stars he’s painted across our rafters.

“When Mom died,” he says, and he’s speaking slowly, as though he has to cast a net and retrieve each word separately. “And, we were down here. It was— It was difficult.”

“An’ you had a damn baby to take care of,” I add. “Must’ve been awful.”

“Rowan.”

Phaedron is giving me that look, the one that says he’s had enough of my bullshit. I don’t get it. I’m not trying to bullshit him here.

“That’s just the thing,” Phaedron says. “It wasn’t awful. Because I wasn’t alone. I had you.”

Something inside of my chest squeezes tight.

“I don’t know if I could have done it alone,” Phaedron continues. “But I wasn’t alone. I was with you. I couldn’t fall apart, because someone needed me.”

My vision goes blurry as the tears start up again.

“Shit,” I say, and that’s got to be the very worst response in all the Lands Below to something like that.

“So,” Phaedron says, leaning back on the pillows, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay. If I had to choose between the Royal Guard or my brother, I’d choose my brother every day of the week.”

“Shit,” I say again, only the word gets swallowed by a sob and comes out a muffled sort of gulp. I take a deep breath and try very hard to pull myself together.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” I say.

Phaedron shrugs, then winces. “Yeah. I probably should’ve said it earlier.”

Something pops deep inside the fire. I close my eyes and let the room spin around me.

“You should get some sleep,” Phaedron says. “In your bed.”

“Yeah,” I agree as my eyes close.

And then the world goes black as sleep claims me.

Someone coughs behind me. I spin around, one hand on the hilt of Skyfire, Phaedron’s massive sword. I knew someone was following me, but the voids alone knew why that someone would haul their ass all the way out here. I’ve been doing sentry duty for three long, painful days, ever since I pulled what was left of myself back to the World’s End, and I know for a fact there’s not one thing of interest in this stupid frozen forest.

“Sentry duty?” a man asks.

A tall figure steps out of the shadows. I roll my eyes, and it’s a damn shame Acting Captain of the Royal Guard Aloserin probably can’t see it under my hood.

“I’m getting my life together, just like you suggested,” I snap. “And, since no one from the Royal Guard will deign to patrol these woods, well, I guess it’s my job.”

“How insufferably noble of you,” Aloserin replies.

He’s got his arms crossed over his chest, and he seems horribly amused. I’m not sure I care for that particular expression on Aloserin’s ugly mug.

“You run out of people to insult in the Crystal City?” I ask. “You had to come all the way out to the World’s End to make snide comments?”

“This is quite literally the very last place in the Lands Below I want to be,” he says.

He falls silent. The woods feel very quiet. I stomp my feet to bring some warmth back to my toes.