Page 43 of Sunsplitter

“It’s fine. Let’s go home. We’ll figure this out.”

She took his hand.

Antal begged his restless energy to settle, focused on what parts of his lifeweren’tshattering into tiny splinters.

Avroz knew—but he’d allowed them to leave.

Yme had begged Antal to stay—but she’d brush it off like every argument, would disappear into her garden until the sting molded over.

He’d upset Fionamara—but they’d survive this. He’d swallow all these unexpected wounds, bury the pieces of his life that he couldn’t afford to yearn for any longer, focus on keeping this new life safe. Here. With her.

Even if she wouldn’t look at him.

Even if, as he pulled them into the teleport home, the brush of her fingers felt more strained than usual.

“You let himtouchyou?” Kashvi whispered, as vicious as low syllables allowed.

“I reiterate,” Fi whispered back. “I did notlethim do anything. The bastard was fast.”

“You let him get your guard down.”

“He was conniving.”

“I’d have taken his head off.”

“Yeah. Well…” Fi blew a rainbow strand off her cheek. “All clearer in hindsight.”

They sat in the back of the governor’s office, Fi attempting to recount her visit to the Twilit Plane without being too loud. A difficult task, thanks to Kashvi’s interruptions for expletives each time Avroz came up. “Twig-headed dusk fungus” was one to save for later.

Antal perched on a sofa near the windows, tail curled, a mug of coffee in his lap. Across from him sat the new council member from Sunip. Thanks to their early return from the Twilit Plane, Kashvi had rescheduled the meeting. She and Fi were on hand for emotional support, a reassurance that the Lord Daeyari would meet with goodwill, not teeth.

Unnecessary, judging by the councilwoman’s easy posture. Most people warmed to Antal on their own, once they had a chance to speak with him.

Soft creature. Always bending himself backward just to earn basic decency.

“Are you sure that’s the end of it?” Kashvi said. “This daeyari, Avroz, won’t come here next?”

Fi had no idea. It had only kept her up most of the night. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Kashvi let out a low breath. “I’m glad you made it back in one piece. You are in one piece, right?”

“Don’t worry, Kashvi. I’m fine.”

Fi wasn’t fine. She’d been helpless against Avroz, outplayed and outmatched, her two least favorite outs. Antal had told her to Voidwalk as a last resort, but she hadn’t had time before Avroz grabbed her. Also, hurling herself into the abyss between realities didn’t seem like a perfect fallback, especially as she was still ironing out the kinks.

“You don’t have to do that,” Kashvi said. “Pretend like nothing can hurt you.”

The audacity. Fi’s bristles raised on instinct, a dozen defensive counter-arguments about how she could look out for herself, she’d fought daeyari before, she… sighed.

“I know,” Fi said. “Bad habits.”

“Hm.”

Kashvi rubbed her chest, fingers idling with the silver buttons of her governor’s jacket. Fi had seen her do it before, massaging muscles aching with silver sickness.

“How are you holding up?” Fi asked.

Kashvi scowled, inspecting stiff fingers. “Hurts like shit. Hospital here is superb. They’ve got damn fine pain meds, some Shapers experimenting with drawing out the excess energycurrent before it can burn. Takes the edge off. Still hurts. Worse, with busy days.”