Shadows
Chapter Twenty: Sink or Swim

Angie woke early the next morning, the sun beating down an uncomfortably oppressive blanket of heat. It was barely past dawn and already she could see the heat haze shimmering in the still air. She was sweating heavily; the cloying embrace of the gambeson making her squirm. Angie considered slipping it off, but that would mean her walking around in nothing but her white underdress and she didn’t feel comfortable with that thought either. There was a spare underdress in her supply bag but what was the point in changing into that if she wasn’t clean herself? How many days had it been now that she’d gone without a proper wash - three, four days? She would perhaps be able to get away with that in winter but in the height of summer, with the slightest touch of sun eliciting sweat – she risked a sniff under her arm when she was certain Robert and Kel were still sleeping.

Rising to her feet and carefully pushing Polo off her lap, who himself was a little bundle of heat, Angie stretched in the morning air, trying to catch a whisper of a breeze. Alas, the air was still and every step through it was like walking through heated treacle. Even the shade provided no respite from the warmth. Angie didn’t feel like doing anything – every breath dried the back of her throat, and she felt a desperate need for fresh, cool water.

Trying a few tentative steps without the crook, Angie tottered over towards the sounds of a nearby river. The clear trickling of the water cut through the muted heat like a bell, and as Angie lowered herself to her knees on the river bank it almost felt like some sacred ritual.

At least until she dunked her face into the waters. A wave of ice cool tranquillity washed over her and she had to stop herself from opening her mouth to sigh in relief. The river wasn’t deep enough for her to fit her whole head in, but Angie rolled her head side to side to maximise the amount of coverage she could achieve. Eventually she had to surface for air and gasped as she threw back her head, droplets of water running down her neck that already were beginning to evaporate. Angie scooped handfuls of water into her mouth, gulping down the refreshing liquid gratefully.

It was a wonder anything could survive in such heat – the birds were quiet in their nests, squirrels sheltered amongst the branches; fish lay still in the river. Only the sound of crickets chirping lazily and the gentle trickle of the river could be heard.

“Warm, isn’t it?” came a timid voice. Angie looked round and saw Kel – saw Kel naked. She whipped her head back round so she was looking intently at her wide eyed reflection in the river.

“Uh, yes – it is rather.” Angie gulped awkwardly, blushing.

“Why are you wearing such heavy clothing, then? Surely it’d be cooler to slip out of it?”

“Well yes, but it’s not really decent to not wear clothes, you know?”

“Oh. Well that doesn’t make a lot of sense though, does it? If you’re too warm in clothing, shouldn’t it be acceptable to not wear any?”

“You’d think that wouldn’t you, but surprisingly no. Didn’t your father-” Angie cut herself off too late. She risked a sideways glance at Kel, who was looking downcast once more. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring him up…”

“No, it’s okay,” mumbled Kel. “And he did tell me about clothing, that’s why I was wearing the rabbit furs, but they’re very warm in this weather and… Look, I’m the one who should be sorry. I acted out of turn last night, and I wanted to thank you for trying to help.”

“It’s understandable,” shrugged Angie, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you and your father – it seems like there’s a complicated history at work and I don’t think I’m the best person to talk to about all that. It must be quite a shock, though. Going to sleep and waking up in a strange, unfamiliar world… having a great duty placed upon you… falling out with your father.”

Kel sat down silently on the river bank next to Angie, her knees held tight to her chest.

“I wouldn’t say I’m the best person to talk to about feelings either, or relationships, or anything of the sort, but years of working at an apothecary gives you some insight into human nature. I know you say you’re an – Olossa, was it? – but the principles still apply – you’re a person, just like me. I can’t say if I were in your position I’d be taking it all in my stride either.”

“I’m only half Olossa,” shrugged Kel. “My mother was human.”

“Was she now?” asked Angie with interest. “You’ve not mentioned her before.”

“That’s just because I know even less about her than I do my father. I don’t even know what she looked like. I was in that cave for as long as I can remember, and all I can remember is the cave.”

“Forgive me – but if your race, the Olossa, hated and oppressed the humans so much, why did your father marry one?”

“Not all of the Olossa hated the humans,” replied Kel. “Apparently. Oh, I do so hate only having second hand knowledge of my race! I feel so detached from them... For the only remnant of their civilisation I can’t help but feel so apart from it all…”

“I can sort of understand that,” smiled Angie sadly, “on a much smaller scale. I don’t really remember my parents at all, as they died when I was young too. All I know about them I learnt from Verne, but even then these people who were my parents feel like… strangers.”

“That’s just it! And to be told that I have to dedicate my life to guarding that Orb, spend my time looking after something I don’t feel a part of… I can’t imagine anything I’d want to do less.”

For a while Angie and Kel spoke about life; attitudes to life, people, parents – though Angie was mostly doing the talking with Kel occasionally providing a quiet interruption. Ultimately Angie ran out of words to say, and the two of them sat staring out into space with only the sounds of the river in the background. Angie still wasn’t sure she wholly liked Kel, but there was something about the girl that reminded her of herself. If she hadn’t had Verne to look after her, raise her and make sure she had a good job and a good work ethic, would she have turned out like Kel? If their places were switched would Kel be sat where Angie was giving her advice, and Angie sat listening?

“I suppose that there’s one good thing about you only being half Olossa, though,” Angie said eventually.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, it means you’re half human, doesn’t it? And if you can’t feel a part of the Olossan race, you can try and feel a part of the human race instead, don’t you think?”

“Huh. I guess I’d not thought of it that way before. My father was always going on about keeping myself safe and hidden away from the humans – never that I could be a part of them.”

“Well forgive me for saying, but for a man who took a human wife and wanted you to be a ‘child of two worlds’, he’s being quite hypocritical. I can understand him wanting to keep you safe, and preserve your Olossan heritage, but he can’t hide you away from the world forever. Neither can you hide away in the woods playing about with magic forever, however much you might like to. Sooner or later you’ll have to join our world. Like it or not, you’re a part of both.”

“I guess you’re right,” nodded Kel. “It’s difficult balancing both.”

“Life is a balancing act, I’m afraid,” sighed Angie. “And if we’re getting to the bare bones of it I suppose I don’t always manage to get the work/play balance right even now. I’ve never really had anyone to ‘play’ with. Plus with Verne gone, I feel more alone now than ever…”

“That’s sad,” said Kel. “We’ve all got each other now, though.” She leaned in cautiously for a side hug, and Angie hastily scrambled to her feet as the naked girl moved towards her.

“We’d uh, best get you some lighter clothes then, hmm?”

“Do I have to wear clothes?” sighed Kel, standing up and stretching. Angie averted her eyes. “It’s so much more freeing not wearing any!”

“Yes,” said Angie firmly. “However freeing it is, we can’t let you turn up in front of Robert like this.”

“Why not?”

“Just because!” Angie snapped, blushing fiercely. She didn’t think it was possible to feel much warmer, but her body was endeavouring to prove her wrong. “Look, I’ve got a spare white underdress in the supply bag, let me go get that and you can put that on.”

“You look very warm, Angie. Wouldn’t it make more sense to take off that heavy green dress? Have you got anything lighter to wear?”

“It’s a gambeson, and technically yes I do, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, I’m just not comfortable only wearing an underdress.”

“I don’t mind.” Kel shrugged.

“You might not, but I do.”

“Well okay, but you do look very warm. There’s a lake not too far up towards the mountain, we could go up there once Robert’s up and have a swim?”

“That… would actually be a really nice idea.” admitted Angie, nodding her head. It would be heavenly to sink into some cool water, particularly on a day like this. Plus she could give her leg a soak and redo her bandages which would be a welcome change too. “But no skinny dipping!” she instructed, waving a finger at Kel accusingly.

“I don’t actually know how to swim,” Robert explained as the trio hiked up through the forest. “I’ve read b-books about it of c-course, but I’ve never tried it myself.”

“Me neither!” beamed Kel, skipping along happily, her white dress billowing behind her. At some point she had swapped her rabbit furs for the dress, and Robert had to admit it was an improvement. She seemed to have perked up a bit since last night, which made Robert more comfortable and thus happier too. Angie seemed happier as well after a good night’s sleep, though Robert could tell the heat was taking its toll on her. He himself could feel sweat dripping down his forehead, and the idea of dipping into a cool lake was undeniably appealing. He carried his jacket over his shoulder and had rolled up his shirt sleeves, but even then he was still feeling the heat. Polo plodded along between them, also moving slowly to avoid getting too hot.

“I’ve swum before,” said Angie, “though only when I was younger. Verne taught me to swim in the harbour in Velayne. Mostly just how to survive in case I was ever at sea and fell overboard. Thankfully I’ve never had to use that knowledge, but I’m sure I remember how to swim.”

“You could teach us?” smiled Kel.

“I suppose,” nodded Angie. “It’s pretty simple really; your body doesn’t want to sink to start with and then from there it’s just a matter of getting your limbs to move properly to keep your head up.”

“S-sounds simple enough,” smiled Robert. “We should p-probably check the water temperature first b-before we get in though.”

“I think it’ll be warm enough,” said Kel. “I think everything is on a day like today – even the ground is burning my feet.”

“Ah, that’s the mistake people make though,” said Robert sagely. “Large bodies of water warm and cool a lot slower than the ground does. This lake might be d-deceptively cool.”

“But surely we want it to be cool?” asked Kel, confused.

“Not too cool,” replied Angie. “Otherwise you could get hypothermia. I’ve seen it happen in past summers when children have jumped into the harbour waters unawares.”

“Oh. I wasn’t aware swimming could be so dangerous.”

“Only if you d-don’t know what you’re doing,” said Robert.

“That’s a general rule for pretty much everything, really,” added Angie.

After a short while of more walking they crossed the brow of a hill and looked out across an idyllic looking lake. Kel gasped in delight, Angie smiled contentedly, wiping sweat from her brow, and Robert couldn’t help but smile too. Polo darted out from beneath his legs, nearly knocking him over, and leapt into the lake, splashing up glittering droplets of water.

“Polo!” sighed Angie, but chuckled to herself. Kel followed shortly after the dog, running to the edge of the lake and jumping in gracefully. Robert looked across at Angie, who looked back at him.

“W-well, after you.” Robert gestured.

“I just need to take this gambeson off and then I’ll be right with you,” she replied as Kel frolicked in the water. “Hadn’t you best check the water is the right temperature before our friend here gets hypothermia?” Robert nodded and knelt down at the water’s edge to dip an elbow in. He wasn’t entirely sure this was the right way to check a lake’s temperature, but this method had always worked for baths and technically, what was a lake but a large bath?

Well, technically there was a lot of difference, thought Robert, but the heat must have been fusing his mental circuits as even basic thinking seemed too much effort today.

“It seems alright,” shrugged Robert, standing up and beginning to unbutton his shirt. He turned round to look at Angie who was struggling to pull the gambeson off from over her head. “D-do you need help there, Angie?”

“I’m mmming mmght,” came the muffled response.

It was a wonderful afternoon. Angie began to feel relaxed for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. At first she had felt guilty for allowing herself to enjoy the sun and relaxing waters, as if she should be devoting her entire time to the Orb, but she tried to convince herself that allowing herself one day off after the tumultuous past few days wasn’t awful. She’d even admitted to Kel earlier she had difficulties balancing work and play, so was determined to try harder to get the balance right today. Even so, she kept looking back every now and then towards the lakeside where the Orb lay amongst Robert’s clothes, just to make sure it was still there.

More than once she’d been tempted to swim over and touch it, but she’d been fighting the voice in the back of her mind. It seemed to be growing stronger – was that because she was allowing herself to relax? She didn’t even know why she wanted to touch it – everyone but Robert who had touched it had burst into flames, and even Robert had seemed to pass out when he’d first touched it. Nothing good seemed to come from the Orb, and yet… And yet she kept looking over towards it, and every time she looked she wanted to touch it a bit more. She wondered if Robert and Kel were having the same problems?

In an effort to distract herself she’d attempted to teach Kel and Robert how to do the breaststroke, with varying degrees of success. Robert had unexpectedly shone under her tutelage, replaceing swimming came much more naturally than running. Kel meanwhile, despite her apparent natural grace, had struggled to co-ordinate her limbs properly and instead preferred to propel herself around with a happy doggy paddle, which she had apparently copied from Polo.

Currently Angie was sheltering under a low hanging tree, resting her leg whilst the others swam about. She’d unwrapped her bandages and still found the wound looked jagged and angry. It was no longer bleeding profusely, but wept slightly as she dabbed it dry. It would take a long while to heal from the looks of it, and Angie grimaced at the thought. She’d already had plenty enough of hobbling about using the crook like an old lady, but it looked like that would have to be a part of her future for the time being. Maybe once they’d reached Alderbay and Angie could purchase a proper walking stick and new clothes she could return the crook and gambeson to Mrs Gambol. Or leave them with Godfrey or another merchant to take back to her…

“Hey, you!” grinned Kel, paddling towards her. “What are you sulking about?”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Well, you look like you’re thinking too seriously anyway. Come have fun!”

“I’m just resting my leg, is all.”

“Ooh, that looks nasty! How did you do that?”

“It was the Skadirr. Caught me with its blade as I was trying to escape from it.”

“Ouch. How long will it take to heal?”

“That’s what I was thinking about before you swam over. It’ll take a while I fear, so it’s no use worrying about it now. It’s just a pain.”

“Well come paddle about with us for a bit, it’ll help take your mind off it at least.” Kel smiled. “Robert seems to be enjoying himself, don’t you think?”

“Definitely.” Angie nodded. “Um, Kel – I know I said I was going to try and enjoy myself today, but I can’t help thinking about the Orb. This may sound silly, but do you ever feel… drawn to it?”

“Yes,” replied Kel after a brief pause. “I do. Do you?”

“Yes. Back when I first saw it back in Verne’s cabin I thought I could hear it speaking to me, but the voices went away when I wasn’t looking at it anymore. Now it’s as if I can hear it almost constantly – as if it’s getting…”

“Stronger?”

“But what is getting stronger? And how? As far as I know the Orb is just a powerful magical item, so how can it speak to us? What does it get out of people touching it and getting incinerated?” asked Angie.

“I don’t know. All my father said was that it was the source of our people’s power, and our life-blood was tied to it. I don’t know why it should be speaking to us.”

“Just a thought – if your people’s ‘life-blood’ is tied to it, what happens when you die?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do your people die like humans do, or does that relationship with the Orb change anything? What does ‘life-blood’ mean? When you die, does the part of you tied to the Orb… return to it?”

“Are you suggesting the Orb is filled with the souls of dead Olossa?” asked Kel, horrified.

“It’s just a thought. I can’t pretend to know how it works, but what if they’re the ones trying to speak to us? What if they’re getting louder because you’re nearby?”

The girls shared a look, looked over at the Orb, then shuddered.

“All I wanted to do was swim and have fun…” sighed Kel.

“Well I mean, it is a trail,” conceded Arrow, shrugging his shoulders and nodding. “But I’m not sure it’s the trail of the girl we’re looking for.”

“And why is that?” asked Art, his chin resting in his hand and his temper short. “They’re human footprints aren’t they?”

“Well yes, but there are three sets,” replied Arrow, “and a dog’s paw prints as well, a little one given the spacing. And, um… one of them seems to be walking using a walking stick.”

“The girl from the road!” barked Hamish. “The one with the dagger I wanted!”

“The girl, the boy, and the witch?” asked Art.

“It’s entirely possible,” shrugged Arrow again. “I wasn’t with you when you held up those wagons, but if you said there was a girl with a walking stick and a boy with an awkward gait, that third set could well be the girl I saw.”

“Well, well…” mused Art, a flicker of a grin on his face. “I wonder if our old acquaintances from the coast have happened across yours, Arrow? How fortuitous.”

“How so? Surely if there’s more of them it’ll be more difficult to get hold of the magical girl?”

“The girl from the wagons carried something valuable – that fool Verc-Lean let her get away without so much as checking what it was. Now it seems that fate has delivered her back to us, and believe me I shan’t make the same mistake Verc-Lean did. Even if this magical girl of yours turns out to be a bust, Arrow – and you’d better hope for your sake she doesn’t – looks like this endeavour won’t be entirely fruitless either.

“Do you hear that men?” Art called, turning to face the group of bandits following him. “Looks like we’ll be seeing our friends from the coast again soon. I have no desire to keep them alive longer than necessary, so if they look like they’re going to cause trouble don’t hesitate to kill them. The only one I need left alive is that witch girl.”

Much later, after a full day of swimming around and alternating between enjoying the sun and trying to hide from its rays, the trio settled down in a clearing and had a rudimentary dinner. Angie’s supplies contained bread and some fruit and vegetables, as well as some salted meat that they decided to leave for now, feeling dehydrated under the sun as it was. They chatted and laughed, trying to push thoughts of the Orb from their heads and just spent time enjoying themselves. To a casual observer, the serious burdens lying on their shoulders wouldn’t have been obvious. Kel was in her element.

Eventually night wore on and they all curled up to go to sleep. Although Kel was too excited to drift off straight away, Angie’s snores were soon filling the clearing, reverberating through the air and rebounding off trees that suddenly feared they’d been transported unawares into a sawmill. Kel breathed deeply and rolled onto her back, smiling to herself at the memories of the amazing day she’d just experienced.

“Nice to see you feeling a bit happier,” came the voice of Ambriel, flooding back into her mind with a wave of relief and gratitude. Kel tried to stop herself from crying again.

“You’re back!” she smiled.

“I never truly left. But I could tell that you needed some time alone to think things through. Some time to be free. It looks like your friends helped you with that too.”

“I guess,” breathed Kel.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I know I was being a bit overbearing. The Air Spire was always about freedom, and in trying to control your actions I was going against everything I’ve ever believed. Like Robert said, though, it’s only because I care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you, but then again if nothing ever happens to you I guess that would be an equally sad and boring life. Can you forgive me, my daughter?”

“It’s not you who needs to ask for forgiveness,” Kel wept, “it’s me. I can’t believe how rude I was to you, when all you were trying to do was keep me safe. Can you forgive me, father?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Kel!” came a whispered voice from across the shaded clearing that made Kel jump. It was Robert.

“What is it, Robert?” she asked into the dark where his voice had come from. Soon Robert’s bespectacled face appeared before her, his nervous face lit by moonlight.

“W-who are you talking to?”

“It’s my father,” Kel smiled. “He’s returned.”

“T-that’s good,” Robert smiled back at her. “I c-couldn’t sleep. I w-wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“It’s not s-something I’ve ever told someone else before…” Robert trailed off.

“Oh?” Kel replied, her heart beating faster.

“I think I can do some sort of magic too.”

“Oh. Right,” answered Kel, wondering why she felt a tad disappointed. Then she realised she should probably show more enthusiasm. “Really? That’s amazing! Why do you think you can do magic too?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure it’s m-magic, so to speak. But it’s a talent I discovered quite a few years ago. I can read the history of things I touch.”

Kel gave him a blank look.

“So… how does that work?”

“Again, I’m n-not entirely sure, but the basics of it is that if I place my hands on something, I can enter some sort of vision that shows me the history of the object. For example, when I touched the Orb I saw how it was discovered, and what it was used for.”

“Most interesting,” mused Ambriel. “I’ve never come across a talent like that. If he does know the Orb’s history, I wonder if he knows what happened to it in the last moments of our empire? Perhaps he knows what happened to the rest of our race.”

“Um, my father was wondering if you knew what happened to the Orb in the last moments of our empire. Did you see what happened to my people?” Kel asked. Her mind crept back to Angie’s thought that when an Olossa died part of them became one with the Orb. Would Robert be able to confirm or deny this theory?

“I c-can’t be entirely certain, but from what I saw there was this group of w-what I thought were cultists who held onto the Orb for a long time. Could they be your people?”

Kel and Robert talked for a while, with the occasional interruption of Ambriel asking questions, until Robert had relayed the entirety of what he had seen within the Orb’s history.

“I can’t pretend to understand what happened before our people found the Orb,” whispered Ambriel, “but the boy does indeed seem to be telling the truth. His account correlates with what I know about the early origins of our people, and of our civilisation, and subsequent downfall. What a curious power he has, and what insight it enables him. I’m most intrigued as to what that ceremony was that was performed on the Orb before our people disappeared. There’s no doubt from the description he gave that that was Fortis leading the chanting.”

“When you say ‘disappeared’, father – I wanted to ask, is that normal for our people? Angie was asking earlier what our life-blood being tied to the Orb meant. When we die, do we become one with the Orb?” asked Kel.

“As far as I’m aware, no – we die just like humans do. I always wondered what our life-blood being tied to the Orb meant as well. All I know for certain – and even then it’s technically theoretical – is that if the Orb is destroyed our people would die. As I said before though, it’s mostly speculation, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’d keep the Orb safe out of caution, however.” Ambriel added.

“What, um – what happened when you died, father?” asked Kel hesitantly.

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” sighed Ambriel. “I am only a shade of your father, after all, and only share his memories up to the point he hid you away and placed the spell on you. When I hid you – or rather, when he hid you – he was being chased by a pack of wolves. There were also human soldiers who were likely chasing him too. I’m afraid to say one of those groups likely got me – him.”

“Oh,” said Kel sadly. “You – he – couldn’t have escaped?”

“It’s unlikely, I’m afraid. From what I remember, he was very tired and casting such complex spells would have drained him further.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologising to me?”

“Well, because even though you say you’re not him, to me you are. I’m sorry you had to die that way, father.”

“It’s okay, Keliashyrr. I know he would have done anything for you – I’m sure he would have been proud to die protecting you, just as I would be. I’m sorry I can’t do more for you as just a voice in your head.”

“You’ve done plenty, father.” Kel smiled. “I just wish I knew why we can hear the Orb whispering to us.”

“Me too,” nodded Ambriel. “Maybe your friend Angie was right? I’m afraid I don’t know for sure. The Orb never whispered to us before. I won’t lie; I’m intrigued that the last of our people ‘disappeared’ during that ritual with the Orb – Fortis has to have done something to the Orb. Maybe he did replace a way to hide away inside it…”

“S-so what do you think?” asked Robert, who had patiently waited as Kel spoke with Ambriel. Kel jumped and almost immediately felt guilty – she’d almost forgotten Robert was there.

“Well, my father says that what you’ve told me matches what he knows about our people. He’s very interested about the ceremony you saw performed on the Orb before the last of our people disappeared. Can you remember anything of what was being said?” asked Kel.

“I’m afraid not. I r-roughly know a fair few languages, including Old Elthric, but they were speaking in a language I didn’t recognise.”

“That would likely be Aranish,” interjected Ambriel. “The mother tongue of the Arahiene.”

“My father says that must have been our mother tongue, Aranish.”

“Oh, okay,” nodded Robert. “I can’t say I’ve heard of it in any records. How c-come you speak Old Elthric then? I never really asked.”

“I beg your pardon?” asked Kel, confused.

“Well, since I m-met you you’ve spoken nothing but perfect Old Elthric, though I have to say you’re picking up the more modern pronunciations wonderfully. Shouldn’t you be speaking in Aranish?”

“I… guess so. Father?”

“Well, you’re more than able to speak Aranish if you wanted,” acknowledged Ambriel. “But it is rather different to Old Elthric and wouldn’t do you any good for communicating. I learned the human language of our time so I could speak with your mother. She tried to learn a bit of Aranish too, but I don’t think she ever really got the grasp of it.” Ambriel smiled.

“Apparently I could speak in Aranish if I wanted,” shrugged Kel, “but my dad learned the human language so he could talk to my mother, and well, that’s why I’m using it to talk to you.”

“Oh? Because you, um… w-want to, um… me and you…” he stuttered, trailing off.

“Pardon?” asked Kel, confused. Then the spark of realisation leapt up. “Oh, I didn’t mean it quite like that! I just meant, for communicating with humans it… um… well,” flustered Kel.

“N-nevermind,” replied Robert hurriedly. The pair sat in mild embarrassed silence for a few seconds, with only the sounds of Angie’s snoring as a backdrop.

“So, um… I guess the thing to take away from all this is that you can look into the past?” said Kel, attempting to break the awkward air hanging around them.

“B-broadly speaking, yes,” nodded Robert.

“That’s pretty amazing, really. Does Angie know?”

“N-not yet. As I said earlier, you’re the only person I’ve told about it.”

“Why tell me before Angie, though? You’ve known her longer, and I see the way you look at her.”

“W-what?! I d-don’t know what you mean!” Robert blushed, his eyes darting to the ground. “B-but I guess I told you first because, well, you’re magical too. I know what it can feel like to be alone, or feel you’re the only person like you out there. I d-didn’t want you to feel that way.”

“Oh,” smiled Kel. “Thank you.”

“D-do you think I should tell Angie?”

“I don’t see why not. I can’t say she and I got off on the right foot, but she seems a nice enough person, and fairly accepting of magic. I doubt Angie would turn against you if you told her.” Kel looked between the sleeping form of Angie and Robert, who was gazing over at the former. “I won’t lie, I’m a bit jealous of her.”

“Oh? Why?” asked Robert, turning back to Kel. She looked up into his brilliant blue eyes, piercing but oblivious at the same time.

“No reason,” smiled Kel.