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"Ah, I left it to my brother. I just felt like this was where I needed to be." Is he blushing? It's hard to tell under the beard. "When you lot left, it just felt like we should've gone with ya, is all." Definitely blushing.
"We're glad to have you here," Viola says, her smile wide. "I can't imagine why you'd want to come to a town that's barely settled."
"I mean, official chef of the Lady God, that's gotta be the dream, right?" Huck chuffs out a laugh, going back to peeling potatoes. "I mean, if I knew to dream it when I was a boy s'all."
"I told you to call me Viola, Huck."
"Nah, Lady God. It's respect, ya know?" He leans towards me and whispers loudly so she can hear, "And it makes that little vein in her forehead twitch when I do it, and that's right hilarious."
Quade claps Huck on the back of the head, who chortles and rolls his eyes. "What are you two doing in my kitchen?" Quade asks, turning on us and crossing his arms across his broad chest.
"Viola and I help out every few days for community dinner." He looks at me like I've spoken in another language, shaking his head.
"No, absolutely not. No more of that," Quade says, ushering us out of the kitchen into the main hall. "No God is cooking in my kitchen."
"Hey! Everyone pitches in here," Viola says, fighting against his shoving.
"I'm sure they do, but Huck and I are used tocooking for crowds, and we'll pick our kitchen staff, thank you very much. And it will not include a frosty God like you."
"So what, you just come into my city and take it over?" she says, turning around and crossing her arms, mirroring Quade's stance. There isn't much bite in her words, but she has narrowed her eyes on the man.
"That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm the professional here. I don't tell you how to do whatever it is Gods do. I've already seen the amount of food waste you lot have, and that's unacceptable. Stand out of the way, and let me do this." He steps towards her, ducking his head deferentially. "Shadowweaver, you've got enough to handle. I came here because my gut told me you needed me. This is what I'm here for."
The small amount of fight that was in her drains out. "You'll tell me if you need me?" she asks quietly. I know giving up control is difficult for Viola, but in this case, I think even she realizes it's for the best.
"Absolutely. Now, go spread the word that anyone who is interested in working in the kitchen needs to come see me," Quade says with a broad smile.
"Or me!" Huck shouts from the kitchen.
"Not him," Quade says under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Can you imagine a kitchen full of Hucks? I'd ask you to put me out of my misery right then and there."
The sun is long set, themoon high, and I press my back up against the Equinox tree, staring through its strange branches.
"I know it doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but I feel closest to you here," I say quietly. "It's a little morbid, considering what this tree is and what it stands for, but I can feel you the most here."
It's been months since we lost Zeph, and the grief still feels fresh a lot of the time. When it does, I come here and talk to him. It may seem odd to most, but damn if it doesn't feel right. "I'm not getting to enjoy being a high priest as much as you. There aren't any battles to give her devotion, so mainly, I only transfer if she's used too much to build new buildings."
Rainworth has extended outside of the original walls, with more people than expected wanting to live here. Ytopie is all but empty now, with just a few holdouts refusing to leave. It wasn't a strict mandate but a strong suggestion. Trade support has been cut off to Ytopie, and while that may seem harsh, it was necessary for change.
Gone are the days of the fae literally looking down on the humans. They are living side by side, working side by side, to make Krillium a better place. Jaz's boat wasn't the only way humans came over. Huge groups made the pilgrimage across the land and others had their own, smaller boats that they traveled in.
Viola's uncle, Ritter, and her cousin, Bean, arrived not too long ago. Both of them said it felt right to be close to family. Watching Viola try to navigate family has been surprisingly fun. She's trying hard, but it's going to take more than a few weeks for her to get used to it.
"Cirrha is good, though. She's taken to being a high priest. She leads daily devotions, which Viola runs away from every time, refusing to even think about them for fear of becoming like Himureal. Taegan has written down most of what's happened from now back to the battle, and now he's working background for our journey through Krillium. I wish you were here to talk to him about what it was like being Himureal's high priest." I inhale deeply, wiping the tears that are sneaking out of my eyes. "I wish you were here for a lot of reasons, brother. It feels wrong, somehow, to continue to grow and change in my life without you here."
"He's never going to be really gone, you know?" Morrow's deep voice reaches me. He sits beside me, leaning against the tree. "Don't mean to intrude, couldn't sleep. That fucking rabbit of Tulip's is driving me insane."
"At least it's cute and fluffy. I've got a fucking snake that slithers across me at night."
He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's worse. Way worse."
"How's she coming along with her magic?"
"Good, she feels a lot more confident now. It's strange seeing her with it, but I can't deny I'm relieved to know that we've got a lot ofyears ahead of us." He tilts his head against the tree, eyes closed as he faces the sky.
I examine his profile, trying to imagine what it would have been like without him on this journey. I can't picture it. "You've got it bad, huh?"
"Have from the first second, you know that."
