way. Make her watch me with other girls.”
I shake my head. Idiot. “That only works if she already cares.” And she doesn’t, or this thing with Tella would have stirred up a load of Styx.
“She cares. Maybe not about you yet. But about something related. Figure it out.” He pushes up and waves to Dian, motioning that they should dance.
Everyone has advice to give me, but none of it will work if I can’t get Trea to even look at me. Right now she’s wearing Pallis out - if I squint my eyes it looks like her hair is a streak of flames chasing them around the room. Her energy is expanding rather than running down, as though she’s a ball of fire feeding on the surrounding oxygen.
I need to talk to her before she explodes something. With my luck, throwing fireballs is her secret power and she’ll figure it out tonight.
Glancing around the room, I catch Garna’s eye, and she raises her eyebrows, then nods towards the dance floor. She’s always been a good distraction. Flirty without truly expecting anything from me.
I shrug and walk her way.
After that first dance, it seems like the girls come from nowhere and I have plenty of dance partners. I don’t even talk to most of them, just smile and let them ramble on. I even tolerate Tella for a couple of the slower dances. A few times I spot Trea giving Pallis the time of his life. And a few times she sees me watching and glares.
She must care about something. What in Hades is it? Then a realization breaks through and I forget to dance for a second. The girl in my arms blinks up at me, startled, but I just smile halfway and shrug, stepping back into the rhythm.
She cared about the woman, and the punishment. Was that because the punishment was too strenuous for the crime - it wasn’t just? Perhaps the fallen star inside her memory calls for justice like the one inside me calls for balance?
Maybe she’ll talk to me if I do something to balance the injustice of the shopkeeper’s plight. But that hope flees as soon as it came: anything I could try would be viewed as a direct attack on Keirna’s authority. And therefore punishable.
Trea will be lucky if she avoids any sort of retaliation from Keirna after questioning her in public. Anger begins to wind through my body as I think about how little she cares for her own safety - and therefore for Asphodel’s future. If she can remember the fallen star she once was, then she’s trying everything to deny who she really is.
She isn’t a believer, and that suddenly makes me furious with a raging sort of despair. Who cares if she doesn’t get a choice in this nightmare - none of us do. My father didn’t have a choice. My mother didn’t have a choice. Firene didn’t have a choice.
Trea isn’t as special as she thinks she is.
Suddenly the girl in my arms stops short, tripping over her feet, and I realize Trea is standing in front of us, blocking our progress.
“May I?” Trea directs the question to the girl, but she’s glaring at me.
My own anger is now so strong I can barely see, and I don’t waste a second before hauling her amongst the dancing couples, even though my body takes the time to notice how small she feels against me. She seems a little unsure of herself - an emotion that she’s obviously uncomfortable with.
But that doesn’t make me feel bad for her. Whatever charm I brought with me tonight is summarily gone.
“What exactly are you doing?” I bite out the words.
I see the rage pass over her face, but then she masters it and answers me calmly. Which only makes me more furious.
“I didn’t expect you to be jealous of my dancing. After all, you-”
“I’m not talking about Pallis, you idiot!”
She stops dancing, and I see her hands trembling slightly. “Excuse me?”
I put on my asshole half-smile and force her back into the rhythm of the music. The crowd is loud tonight, but I lean closer to her ear so no-one can hear us.
“Why would you ever challenge Keirna? Has Brenn
I shake my head. Idiot. “That only works if she already cares.” And she doesn’t, or this thing with Tella would have stirred up a load of Styx.
“She cares. Maybe not about you yet. But about something related. Figure it out.” He pushes up and waves to Dian, motioning that they should dance.
Everyone has advice to give me, but none of it will work if I can’t get Trea to even look at me. Right now she’s wearing Pallis out - if I squint my eyes it looks like her hair is a streak of flames chasing them around the room. Her energy is expanding rather than running down, as though she’s a ball of fire feeding on the surrounding oxygen.
I need to talk to her before she explodes something. With my luck, throwing fireballs is her secret power and she’ll figure it out tonight.
Glancing around the room, I catch Garna’s eye, and she raises her eyebrows, then nods towards the dance floor. She’s always been a good distraction. Flirty without truly expecting anything from me.
I shrug and walk her way.
After that first dance, it seems like the girls come from nowhere and I have plenty of dance partners. I don’t even talk to most of them, just smile and let them ramble on. I even tolerate Tella for a couple of the slower dances. A few times I spot Trea giving Pallis the time of his life. And a few times she sees me watching and glares.
She must care about something. What in Hades is it? Then a realization breaks through and I forget to dance for a second. The girl in my arms blinks up at me, startled, but I just smile halfway and shrug, stepping back into the rhythm.
She cared about the woman, and the punishment. Was that because the punishment was too strenuous for the crime - it wasn’t just? Perhaps the fallen star inside her memory calls for justice like the one inside me calls for balance?
Maybe she’ll talk to me if I do something to balance the injustice of the shopkeeper’s plight. But that hope flees as soon as it came: anything I could try would be viewed as a direct attack on Keirna’s authority. And therefore punishable.
Trea will be lucky if she avoids any sort of retaliation from Keirna after questioning her in public. Anger begins to wind through my body as I think about how little she cares for her own safety - and therefore for Asphodel’s future. If she can remember the fallen star she once was, then she’s trying everything to deny who she really is.
She isn’t a believer, and that suddenly makes me furious with a raging sort of despair. Who cares if she doesn’t get a choice in this nightmare - none of us do. My father didn’t have a choice. My mother didn’t have a choice. Firene didn’t have a choice.
Trea isn’t as special as she thinks she is.
Suddenly the girl in my arms stops short, tripping over her feet, and I realize Trea is standing in front of us, blocking our progress.
“May I?” Trea directs the question to the girl, but she’s glaring at me.
My own anger is now so strong I can barely see, and I don’t waste a second before hauling her amongst the dancing couples, even though my body takes the time to notice how small she feels against me. She seems a little unsure of herself - an emotion that she’s obviously uncomfortable with.
But that doesn’t make me feel bad for her. Whatever charm I brought with me tonight is summarily gone.
“What exactly are you doing?” I bite out the words.
I see the rage pass over her face, but then she masters it and answers me calmly. Which only makes me more furious.
“I didn’t expect you to be jealous of my dancing. After all, you-”
“I’m not talking about Pallis, you idiot!”
She stops dancing, and I see her hands trembling slightly. “Excuse me?”
I put on my asshole half-smile and force her back into the rhythm of the music. The crowd is loud tonight, but I lean closer to her ear so no-one can hear us.
“Why would you ever challenge Keirna? Has Brenn
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