“We haven’t really had the conversation yet,” I admitted, though saying that out loud didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might. Things were surprisingly comfortable between Kieran and I after last night’s… explorations.
“Ah, right,” Sia replied dryly. “Of course. It’s only been eleven days, Laur. Wherever would they find the time to talk about their feelings?”
“Alright, these are some bold jabs coming from you two. You know, the ones who rotate through the women of Sophrosyne like it’s a professionalsport,” I groused. “What’s the overlap in your body count at this point? Has anyone done a Venn diagram?”
The conversation devolved into further jabs, cackles, and screeches for the majority of our meal—so much so that I was grateful that it seemed to be a slow day for Corinne. We made sure to tip generously all the same, just in case we had scared off any of her other customers.
“Gods, I missed you two,” Laurel said. “It’s good to be back.”
“How are things going back home, Laur?” I asked gently.
She had taken about a month off her coursework recently to go home to Samhaven, checking in on her parents after the disappearance of Amir.
My friend sighed. “I don’t know. It’s hard to gauge how they’reactuallydoing right now. Mama’s been putting on a brave face, my dad is just burying himself in work. I don’t have the heart to tell them that I think these private investigators that they’ve hired are total frauds. It all just feels so fucking pointless. I don’t know what they think those hacks could find that Lord Ymir’s men couldn’t. Or the Elder Guard, for that matter?”
“In a way, they might just be paying for their own peace of mind,” Sienna pointed out. “So they can at least know they’re doing absolutely everything they can for him right now.”
“I suppose,” Laurel sighed. “Regardless, I’m glad to be back, I’m not sure how much longer I could’ve dealt with how quiet that house is without him. And I felt like such an asshole, but every time another body would show up and they would confirm that it’s not Amir…”
“You’re not an asshole,” Sia said softly. “There’s still hope.”
Laurel nodded, her gaze going distant and wistful.
The three of us sat in silence for a while, soaking up some much needed sunbeams until the bells of the clock tower sang out to interrupt.
“Gods, it’s already two? I’ve gotta get going,” Laurel said.
“I should probably go reply to my father’s missives,” Sienna groaned, getting up from the bench.
Personally, my day was looking to be uneventful at best. I had one lecture left, but that wasn’t until early this evening, so I was half-tempted just to go home and take a nap. I had admittedly been operating at something of a…sleep deficitlately.
“Oh, and don’t forget, Ark. We’re meeting up for drinks at The Clover next week. Bring Kieran if you want. It’ll be fun,” Laurel called over her shoulder, just before she left.
“Friday, right?”
“Yes ma’am. I think the band that Hanna was talking about starts some time after eight.”
“I’ll be there,” I promised.
“Pfft. You don’t have a choice,” Sienna said with a wink, heading off in the opposite direction.
Walking home, I caught myself smiling, feeling sentimental.
Before I came to Sophrosyne, I had never had friends like this. I loved the village, and I missed them all dearly—Hattie, Willem,gods,I even missed Thistle sometimes—that old daemonic chicken. But save one single soul in the Brindlewoods, nobody else had ever seen the real me. Not truly. And I owed everything to Amaretta, but even my mentor hadn’t quite seen past certain facades I had built in an effort to please her.
Here, in the City of the Gods, I finally felt like I could be myself. I had nothing to prove, nobody who knew the awkward little girl from the forest. I had a handful of dear friends, maybe not much to anyone else in this sea of a thousand souls—but theywere everything to me, because they saw me. They loved me. And I loved them so.
I had already been laying down roots. Slowly, but surely, I felt the leaves of my heart unfurl.
This whole thing had been a shot in the dark, my journey to the Arcane Studium—a blind leap of faith into the unknown. All I had hoped for was to survive it. It had been almost a year now.
We did it, Ark.
I hadn’t just survived. I wasthrivinghere.
Sophrosyne had become my home.
Chapter Sixty-Nine