come tomorrow and find out. Sheâll be disappointed if you leave early. Like it or not, she thinks of you as family.â
âShe is family.â He sighed. âIâll go, but only for you and Sylvie.â
She beamed. âGood!â
Good for everyone else, maybe. He shoved his discomfort aside. âYouâre feeling better, then?â
âPhysically, yes, but my head hurts when I try to imagine how I wound up in that shape.â Her slender eyebrows drew together. âYou were going to tell me.â
His mind went blank. She watched him with a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.
âItâs complicated.â
Her brows arched. âHow?â
âWe argued.â He dug his fingernails into his hips. It was a poor lie, as far as they went, but heâd never been good at it. âYou stormed away and I was busy with Eliakim.â
âYou let me walk out of the clinic?â She crossed her arms. âItâs still dangerous around here at night.â
âI had to talk to the angel. Iâm sorry.â He stared past her out the window so he could still see her, but didnât have to look at her directly.
Her eyes narrowed, letting only the slightest hint of green show through her lashes. âWhy?â
âThereâs trouble with the Pit and I thought he could help. Wystan ordered Tell to call the three demon lords whose seals are broken. Weâre going to try and fix it once and for all. Nothing will be able to get through.â
âOh.â She tilted her head. âThatâs a good thing. Berner would really be a safe haven then.â
âThatâs the idea.â He withdrew his hands from his pockets. âKeep yourself hydrated. Itâs bad enough with the heat around here, but the liquor will dry you out worse than one of those hot winds.â
âI will.â Her keen green eyes never left his face. âWhat did we fight about?â
âAh, about⦠Leaving. You donât want me to go, remember?â He dabbed his sleeve against his forehead. âItâs hot in here. Maybe we should go for a ride, see if we canât stir up a breeze.â
âI donât want you to go, but I canât recall fighting about it. Itâs your choice, of course.â She fiddled with a button at her collar.
âYou havenât been here long enough to understand what itâs really like.â New frustration overtook his nervousness.
âI like it here.â
âBecause you donât know any better. If youâd grown up here, youâd see what a mess this place is.â
âItâs not without its charms.â She moved toward him, then rested her hands on his shoulders. A glimmer of mischief colored her smile. âIf thatâs what we really argued about, I donât want to do it again. Letâs have a picnic. Just the two of us. Weâll talk about things more pleasant than living and dying in Berner.â
Relieved she was giving up the conversation, a half smile tugged at his lips. âI like that idea.â
Beryl lay on her back, soaking in the warmth of the ground in Bernerâs park. The oak tree overhead moved in the breeze, making the sunlight sparkle through wide leaves. Eban had his back against the trunk, staring out at the grassy lawn in front of them. He looked lost in thought.
Over the crumbling adobe wall surrounding the park, she heard people talking and the jingle of harnesses. Business was better in town and the citizens seemed less afraid to move around on the streets than they had been before the Heckmasters banished Noem. Almost like a real town.
She put her hand over Ebanâs. He smiled, the same smile sheâd fallen in love with when she saw it the first time. She wanted to crawl into his lap, curl against him and let the rest of the world fade away. Perfect, kissable lips begged her to cover them with her mouth, even if the rest of him feigned
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