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“Did you have the witch last time we spoke?”
“I, uh, I didn’t want to tell you till I knew she could help you. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
Just like that the magic of the moment evaporated, like a shallow puddle in the hot sun. “And do you know now for certain that she can help me?” I snapped, my voice rising just enough.
“No,” he admitted quietly.
“So, what is this then? Is this just another ploy to get me to do what you want? Was that all an act?”
“No, it wasn’t.” There was conviction in his voice, and pain and sorrow too. “I didn’t tell you then and I should have, but I was scared and drunk and I wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me from the solution to my problem?” I scoffed, standing and slinging my pack over my shoulders. This time my boots broke every twig they found with loud, angry crunches when I stormed away. “I don’t understand you, Dace.”
I wanted to scream, but everything from the necessity of keeping our location a secret, to the fact that Dace had lost his parents, quelled my anger and made it quiet.
“Are you not coming now?” He sounded panicked as he bolted forward to follow me.
“I’m still coming. I want to talk to that witch.”
Shavarra sat up from where she lay as she caught the sound of my approach. She stared at me before her eyes darted to the stormy figure that loomed behind me. “Dace?” she called.
“Yes, Dace has come to ask me to go back to the Twinity Court with him.” I forced myself not to sound like I was mad, but my tone was nowhere near pleasant.
“You’re not going are you?” Shavarra stood, dusting off her pant legs and looking between us as Dace caught up and stopped next to me with his hands on his hips. “You get worse every time I see you, my gods.”
“We’ll have to catch up about that soon,” he said, one hand nervously scratching the back of his head.
Conversations around us had gone quiet and prying eyes lingered in our direction. I twisted, giving them my best ‘fuck off’ glare in hopes they would at least pretend like they weren’t eavesdropping. It worked for a few as they turned their backs on us and whispered once more.
“Dace has a witch I would like to speak to,” I said bluntly.
“Thank the gods, you told her about the witch!” She smiled, looking up to Dace.
“By the gods,” he growled under his breath, looking down at the ground.
What I expected out of Shavarra was shock and interest. Something more along the lines of ‘Woah, what are you talking about? A witch?’
Not this.
“You know about the witch?”
“Well, um, yeah.” She shuffled, glancing between us. “Dace told me about his dream after it happened.”
“So, she knows?” I whipped around to get a good view of Dace. He didn’t bother to lift his shameful face.
“Who else knows? Everyone but me?”
Dace cringed at the heavily sarcastic tone in my voice. “Jesseline and that’s it. I swear.”
I lowered my face to force him to make eye contact. For once I was not taken in by the lovely pools shining in his eyes. “Now, tell me how I'm supposed to trust you?” I said.
“I’m sorry. I’m a thousand times sorry.” He looked up at me. “What else do you want me to say?”
“Do you have any more secrets?”
Shavarra crossed her arms, curling into herself. Her fingers drummed against her own arms as she watched us fight, helplessly. Why would he share this information with Shavarra and not me? I’m the one he felt like he could talk to about everything, except for the one thing I needed to know?
“No.” His jaw corded as he cut the word short.
