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There was no war at the moment. We were in the midst of peace, so I guessed it was okay that Nylah wasn’t with us.
The truth was, I wanted her here. It was how things had always been. She belonged here with us, talking and laughing and giving me a hard time.
I shoveled the food into my mouth, listening with half an ear as Ren and Ellie made small talk about how well Vanya was doing in Palgia.
“I think she’s the best person for the job, and she can be close to Hazel now,” Ellie said. “I would have loved to have them here, but I think Hazel needs Vanya there.”
Ren squeezed Ellie’s hand. “We can see them in a flash if you want, but I think you’re right. Vanya and Hazel have always been together, and Vanya has grown more and more powerful. She’ll do the country a lot of good as the high priestess.”
Ellie and Ren kept talking, but I tuned out, and when I was done eating, I stood.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have business to tend to.”
“Oh, you’re already leaving,” Ren said.
“Yeah, we’re not our full party, anyway, and you’re talking amongst yourselves. I figured it’s okay for me to get going.”
Ren nodded.
Ellie hesitated, and then she nodded, too.
When I left, I heard the last part of their conversation.
“Are you sure she’s going to be okay?” Ren asked.
“I don’t know. She looked shaken up. She’s strong; she’ll figure something out. It’s just a bad patch right now.”
Something was wrong, and they weren’t telling me about it. It irritated me. We were supposed to be a family, closer than blood relations, especially Nylah, Ren, and me. When Ellie had come into the picture, I’d thought she would take Ren away from us, but we’d found a happy balance as time had gone and she’d taken her place by his side as his queen.
The Queen’s arrival had completed our little group, making us four rather than three. Now, we were down to three again, and I wasn’t in the mood for being the third wheel to whatever went on between Ren and Ellie. I was happy for them, of course, but I didn’t like being stuck in the corner without someone to talk to.
I grinned at myself, shaking my head. I sounded a bit like an asshole. Maybe I just had to admit to myself that I missed having Nylah with us.
I walked to the cathedral and stood before the tall doors. They were a dark wood, with intricate carvings depicting battles of old and a floral design all around it, bringing together war and peace, struggle and victory.
When I pushed open the door, the cathedral was silent.
My footsteps echoed on the stone floors as I walked through the long hallways, passing the windows. The gray sky outside made everything seem gloomy, and the cathedral looked even more gothic than usual.
Nylah wasn’t in the living room in front of the fire where I usually found her, curled up on one of her sofas with a book. She wasn’t in her kitchen, either. Finally, I found her in her office, bent over her desk, a frown on her face.
“Hi,” I said.
Nylah jerked her head up.
“Oh, Dex.” She sounded flustered and a little short.
I nodded slowly. “You weren’t at breakfast this morning. You haven’t been at breakfast in a while.”
“Yes. I’ve been busy.”
“Ellie mentioned as much. Do you need someone to talk to?”
I liked it when Nylah reached out to me and told me what was going on in her life. I didn’t always understand it, but I liked the soothing sound of her voice.
Nylah shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. It’s complicated. I just don’t want to be around people. I prefer solitude.”
I frowned. “You’ve been seeing Ellie a lot. Or doesn’t she count?”
