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Was this truly growth, or had I just traded one all-encompassing, selfish need for another?
A knock at Valerian’s door sent me shooting out of bed. There was a pause, a moment of silence, then I heard his voice.
“It’s me,” he said, before opening the door.
Gullie buzzed up into the air, half asleep and flying lazily. She yawned loudly. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Almost morning,” Valerian said.
“Did you find him?” I asked.
“Not your brother,” he said, “But we have an audience with the Huntmaster later today. Go back to sleep.”
Gullie yawned again. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” she said, and she let herself fall at the foot of Valerian’s bed with a light thud.
“Is it… safe to speak to him?” I ventured.
Valerian simply nodded. “He knows who I am. He’s been waiting for me.”
“That sounds ominous. Did you learn anything else?”
“No,” he said, removing his coat. He threw the coat onto the floor and fluffed it up to make a pillow for his head. “You should rest. We’re going to need it.”
“You’re sleeping on the floor?” I asked.
“You keep the bed. I’ve slept in worse.”
When it was clear he wasn’t going to change his mind, I sat down on the bed again. “Do you really think the Huntmaster will know where my brother is?”
Valerian laid down on the floor and looked up at me. “If anyone does, it’s him.” He paused. “We’ll find him, Amara. I promise.”
I nodded at him, then let myself gently down onto the bed. Barely a moment later, I felt one of his hands climb up along the side of the bed and go searching for mine. I held it, and like that I fell asleep, giving finally into exhaustion.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Things were happening quickly. I wasn’t upset by that. Before I knew it, morning was upon us, and I could hear the hustle and bustle of the world beyond the door to the room we were in. It was unreal, listening to the voices of Fae, the pushing of carts and wagons, the clip-clop of hooves. It was nothing like being in London with its horns, and its engines, and that almost suffocating thickness in the air.
By the time I woke up, Valerian was already awake. I caught him fitting himself into the suit of leather armor he had left hanging on the back of the chair the last time had been in here, sliding his powerful arms into the sleeves and buttoning it closed at the front. He then picked up a long sword and slipped it into a sheath, following that by pushing daggers into his boots.
Wherever he was going today, he was ready.
I sat upright on the bed and yawned. Valerian turned to look at me. Gullie was still lying face first on the bed, snoring lightly. “Morning,” I said to him, maybe a little sheepishly.
“Good morning,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”
“Surprisingly, yes. How long were we out?”
“Long enough.”
I watched him grab another longsword and test the weight of it in his hand. “Do you think you have enough weapons?” I asked.
“If it were up to me, I would bring more. It pays to be prepared.”
“Clearly.”
He stretched his hand over to me, presenting the longsword for me to pick up. “Take it.”
I shook my head. “One, I can’t use that thing. Two, I can shapeshift.”
