Page 249 of Carousel

“I… agree. It won’t be easy.”

“It will, for Drake and I.”

She gasps, an expression of complete shock on her face. “You have united with him. The magic is entirely stable. I can feel it.”

“Of course,” I say, a little confused.

“What about Cosmer?”

“Cosmer?” I echo, even more confused. “He’s in the infirmary.”

And I’m not sure why she would ask me about him.

Cosmer was one of my keepers, up here on the ship. I knew him vaguely from my village in Hevalla – he lived next door to me.

It’s a shame, really, how his life has turned out. He’s troubled. He fought his way back onto the ship when we set sail for Rhavna – almost died trying to get back on – and it surprised us all at the time.

But we all know now it was just so he could get back to the osimidite.

Something passes over her eyes.

“I see,” she murmurs.

Then she glances up at the air above my head.

“And you’re aware Drake’s magic is all over you?”

“He helped me through my grief.”

“Your grief.”

“I asked him to.”

She reaches up, over my head, touching something I can’t see.

Rapidly, her hand smacks back down to her side. As if whatever she touched up there burned her.

“The magic you made together is strong. Steadfast. I doubt I’d be able to remove it. If you ever asked me to.”

“I wouldn’t.” My brow furrows. “Why? What’s wrong?”

She turns away from me. “I need to get back to work.”

It’s like she can’t get away from me fast enough.

But I steady myself. Because I know Drake would have only done something to me if I’d asked him to do it. And if he thought it would help me.

After enjoying a long bath in the communal baths, which I have completely to myself, I sleep well. Dreamlessly.

And Drake doesn’t visit me in my mind. Why would he? We have the rest of our days in the real world to spend together.

I’m already awake when Meg knocks on my door the next morning. The dress she’s picked out for me is simple yet elegant, and red. Red as the rubies that will soon adorn the fourth finger on my left hand. She has also brought red paint for my lips and black for my eyes.

“They’re perfect,” I tell her. “Thank you.”

She helps me into the dress and starts doing it up at the back, and I ask her the question I’ve been meaning to ask.

“Why did you try to get Drake onto your side, Meg? Encourage him to pursue me? I’d trusted you until then. And you knew I was rebuffing him at the time.”