Anomaly (Causal Enchantment #4)(55)
Fiona wrapped her arms around his neck. “No, they just taste dreadful, babe. You’ll wish you hadn’t.”
His brow quirked. “How bad, exactly? Because from what I saw, there have to be at least fifty of those fine beasts out there, waiting.”
“Really bad, like you’ll-wish-you’d-listened-to-Fiona-because-she’s-always-right bad.” She nuzzled her delicate nose against his neck.
Bishop groaned. As happy as I was that they could find some levity in the gloom, it was too much for me right now. I touched Lilly’s forearm.
“Have you heard anything from Isaac?” I asked.
A solemn shake answered me as she stepped over to peer out of a glassless window, shards crunching under her boots. “They were supposed to bring the submarine to the surface and leave, but I don’t know that they got off. None of the signals are working.”
We’d been so focused on the loss of Amelie, I hadn’t heard one kind word spoken to Lilly about her own grief. “I’m sorry about Galen and Kait.” I may not have liked them but they died fighting with us. They deserved that much.
There was a pause and then a sheepish smile, one of a child rather than a deadly creature. “I didn’t think you’d talk to me again after I helped with that.”
Sofie’s head turned toward us slightly and I knew she was listening, even with her eyes locked on the hilly countryside through the window. She had to be wondering the same. Why would I forgive Lilly and not her?
“I trusted that you would listen to Sofie. You didn’t betray me, Lilly.” Lilly had done exactly what I told her to do. Listen to Sofie in all things war-related. It was to her I spoke, but I’m sure everyone standing in that old farm kitchen knew who it was meant for.
Confronting Sofie earlier had been harder than expected. I knew that it would be. When we marched out in a solemn row to face her, I had wavered momentarily. And then she did exactly what we had anticipated. She’d tried to control the situation, tried to ship us away, knowing that we needed to see for ourselves that Amelie was in fact gone. We needed that closure. Sofie knew we needed that closure. Yet, she was going to take the opportunity away from us.
That’s when I knew for certain that I could never trust her again.
Still, when Caden informed her of our plans—that we would part ways when this was over—I saw the veil drop for just a second and her pain revealed itself. I almost buckled.
Lilly’s mouth opened as if to say something but after pausing, she simply nodded. “We need to know what’s going on at all times from here on in, okay, Lilly?” Also meant for Sofie to hear. A warning to not keep us in the dark again. At least casting spells against me would prove difficult from now on. I smiled to myself, in awe of my new abilities.
Another nod from Lilly. “The military is setting up their rescue stations across the ridge. I’m going to go and gather some information and supplies.”
“We can come with you,” I offered quickly, glancing at Caden and the others. We would not be separated again.
Sofie’s head whipped around and her mouth dropped, but she held her tongue.
“No, this is straight reconnaissance. I do better on my own,” Lilly explained.
With my single nod of agreement, she disappeared. I knew we didn’t have to worry about Lilly. She’d survived for over a millennium. She had even evaded Viggo’s reach.
And still, I worried.
She’d become more than an ally in all of this, so ironic given the first meeting with her had ended in a ghastly slash across my arm, followed by a kidnapping. I now considered her a good friend. I hoped that after all this was said and done, she would join us wherever we ended up.
“I suggest you go and clean up. Enjoy the quiet you have now,” Mage said, her tone serene, as she dragged over a kitchen chair. “Tomorrow night, when you see what is left … you will be wishing to unsee it for a long time.” A glimmer of sorrow passed through her eyes as she sat.
Caden’s fingers entwined in mine. With a slight tug, I tailed behind him as he led me out of the kitchen. We grabbed our knapsacks from the hallway. Passing by the living room, I spotted Max, stretched out across a blue floral rug, his chin settling on his front paws in his sad puppy way.
He hadn’t let me heal him as I had healed the others’ emotional wounds. In fact, Max and I had exchanged no more than two words since the mines and I couldn’t stand it. I don’t think he trusted me. My insides twisted. What if he decided he wanted nothing more to do with me?
It would gut me.
“I’ll come find you upstairs,” I said, breaking free of Caden’s grip. I dropped down beside the giant canine body, wrapping my arms around Max’s neck. “Please don’t leave me.”
He made no effort to acknowledge my affections or my words but he didn’t pull away, so I curled up next to him and rested my head on his shoulders. I lay there quietly as Caden and the others took the creaky steps to the second floor. Footsteps above, followed by doors closing and taps turning. Water rushed through the old house’s pipes.
It wasn’t until Julian came down, freshly showered and changed, his hair still dripping, that I pried myself away from my big guardian. “Hang out with him,” I whispered.
A half smirk responded, the sadness visible in Julian’s rich brown eyes. “Who else would I hang out with?”