AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a good friend,” Spiran quietly comments. “She needed you.”
I pause, but I don’t glance back. “She was like a sister to me when we were young. Sometimes we have to remember that with every dispute, there are three sides to the story. Yours, mine, and the absolute truth.”
I push through the ornate doors of the palace, and my dream fades, leaving me lying in bed with Imryll. The moons beam through the window, basking the room in an ethereal glow that makes my heart feel full.
Indigo’s soft clicking echoes in my mind as I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
Imryll catches my hand. “Where are you going?”
“To check on Madi,” I tell him softly. “We’ve just had a visit from Spiran, and I’m not sure how she’ll process the confessions of a lonely Light Goddess.”
“Do you want me to walk with you?” He sits up in bed, rubbing at his face.
I kiss his cheek. “I’ll be in the dining hall. We’re just going to get some tea.”
“Let me make it for you,” he says, climbing to his feet. “I won’t linger. I’m just not sure you want to go hunting around the kitchen for the tea when you don’t actually know what you’re looking for. You may find something—”
“Fair point,” I interrupt, trying to keep those thoughts out of my mind. “I would love it if you made us some tea.”
* * *
I sit at the back corner of the table, blowing steam from my tea cup as Madigan drags herself through the door.
“Do you want a cookie?” I ask in greeting.
“No,” she grumbles.
“Fine. We’ll get to the heart of our late night rendezvous.” I slide her a tea cup and take a sip. “Have you talked with Spiran before tonight? Something about the way she asked for you made me think you’ve been ignoring her.” I hold up my hand. “No judgment. I’m just curious.”
Madigan twists her fingers together. “It’s not that I wasn’t willing to talk to her. I was living to survive, Ada. I didn’t see her the same way you did.”
I frown. “You didn’t see the bugs?”
She takes a sip of her tea, grimaces, and then drinks more. “All I saw were the things and people trying to kill me.”
I hate that she had such a difficult time before she got to the Mongrel village. But if there is one thing I know about Madigan Wilde, it’s that she’s the strongest person I’ve ever known. Stubborn, too.
Fire is a fitting element for her.
While I like to flow around the rules, searching for technicalities to get through… Madi burns straight through the rules like a wildfire.
This is important for the coming war. We don’t know how the other two women will react, though my guess feels solid.
Air will sway one of two ways, either disregarding the rules completely or following them with too much logic.
Earth will be steadfast, rooted in her beliefs. So, I hope Madi can get her on our side.
It’s not that this war—or any war—will have rules, but the way one chooses to overcome obstacles they don’t believe in shows a lot about that person’s character.
Madigan’s brother, Harrison, once described this thought process to me using the analogy of a coloring book.
I like to stay inside the lines, but I will fight to pick my own colors. Madi scribbles over the entire page and says fuck the lines.
And that is why our friendship was so well-balanced. She made me take risks, and I kept her out of trouble.
It’s funny how so many things stay the same but so many others have strayed from their course. Now, I’m the one pushing her to take a risk while she tells me to chill out.
Madi looks up from her tea cup. “I’m a goddess.”
