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I stood in the center of the room. Equipment was the only thing still needed on this floor. “Damn, this is wild.”
“Indeed. Wild.”
The voice came from the second floor. I glanced skyward to see the new lights that had been installed as well as a few televisions. Galanthia appeared at the top of the steps with her wings tucked around her. Either she was about to fly, or she was about to hide herself.
She took a step while holding the railing. “I sent everyone home.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“There wasn’t much left to do.”
I glanced around. “Needs equipment and furniture.”
“We wanted to leave those orders to you.”
“Oh.”
She took a few more steps as her wings folded into her back. The further she descended, the less intimidating she appeared. But her tattoos were glowing. I could tell she had been thinking about a lot of things.
That was probably my fault. “Listen, Galanthia, I know this isn’t easy.”
“I wouldn’t enjoy it if it was easy.”
“Wait, you like arguing with me?”
She blushed, looked off to the left, scrubbed the back of her neck, and took a sudden breath. She started to speak and then stopped. She raised her hand and then dropped it. Everything she did was broken and jagged, unsure.
Good Goddess, I understood that. “I should have called.”
“No, I should have called.”
“Yeah, you should have called.”
Anger flooded her features. “That’s rude.”
“Yeah, I have been rude.”
Some of the ire reduced to a simmer. “We can always talk about it.”
“Can we?”
“Xavier, please, don’t keep arguing with me. I can’t take much more.”
She spoke to my feelings without me having to say it. I was tired too. I was dead exhausted from this weird battle we were waging against each other. I wanted to rest. Was that possible?
She rubbed her hands together. “We’re in agreement then. Let’s talk.”
I swore no scarier words had ever been spoken.
Chapter 22 - Galanthia
I hesitated to sit.
Strain managed my limbs, frightening them into freeze mode, luring me back into that dreadful pit where I had scooped Leo into my arms. Tangled roots blocked the moon, keeping me from reaching the lifeforce I desperately needed to survive. Pressure expanded in my core as I recalled my time spent on the roof.
Izdor had installed a path to the roof for avians and Elderlings. Anyone who benefitted from direct sunlight would be able to access it. For me, I preferred moonlight, but sunlight was much faster as far as absorbing lifeforce. I’d done it at Izdor’s insistence, at Juriah’s pleading request.
My lifeforce had faded in the past week from severe despair. Without Xavier and Leo in my presence, I had degraded rapidly, becoming a gnarled husk that snapped and barked at others. Behavior like that meant I wasn’t getting the right nutrients. I wasn’t spending enough time outside.
