AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I know. What's your plan with her?"
He turns his head to me, one eye open. "Are you asking me for my intentions with her like you're her father?"
"Not her father, but the partner of the person who would absolutely flay you alive if you hurt her."
"She wouldn't kill a high priest," he says, closing his eyes again.
"You say that now. See what happens if you make Tulip cry."
His shoulders shake with laughter. "I'm sure one day I will hurt her, but it'll never be intentional. I love that woman so much I ache sometimes, Mace. How can loving someone hurt?"
"Wish I knew, but I'm right there with you."
We sit in silence, both of us staring at the sky between the branches of the Equinox tree. I'm not upset at him for interrupting my talking to Zeph, not in the least. Morrow has become my best friend through all of this. He calls my shit in the way Zeph used to. He keeps me from wallowing.
"I'm gonna marry her, Mace. I mean, for real this time."
"I figured as much." I can't hide my smile. "Viola never wants to get married."
"Never?"
"You know how she is."
"I do, but I figured she'd do it foryou," he says, turning to face me. He pulls one leg up and rests his residual limb on his knee. "Don't you want it?"
"It would be a title upgrade. But I don't know, I don't think we need it."
"I'm just saying, brother, once she sees Tulip get married, she's going to want it. You need to prepare yourself."
"It's gonna be soon, then?"
His smile nearly breaks his face in half. The orange glow of the moon lights up his white tunic and reflects on his face. "Why wait? This is it, no need to wait around."
We sit in silence for another hour, and my mind wanders through my loved ones, my friends, my family. We've lost so many but gained some too. Morrow and I didn't know each other before this journey, and now look at us.
I don't know about fate, but sometimes it feels like we all ended up exactly where we were supposed to be.
"Your thoughts are loud, Nightroot," Morrow grumbles, his voice thick with sleep. "You and Viola are so alike it's nauseating."
"You're one to talk about being nauseating with all that love you were spilling."
"Love is beautiful. Your fretting is not."
"I'm not fretting!" I insist. "And to think I was thinking about how grateful I am for you, you ass." I shove his shoulder, and he stumbles over, struggling to catch himself.
"Wow, you pushed me on the side with my stub, so I can't catch myself. Real class act there, Nightroot." He cannot hold the serious expression on his face for long, and he laughs loud enough to wake up the houses that neighbor the courtyard. Luckily, none of them come out and yell at us.
"We should go," I say, standing up. I look up at the sky one more time, kissing my first two fingers and holding them up to the stars. "I love you, Zeph. I'll hold it all down here, I'm used to carrying your share of the load anyways."
Chapter 53
Viola - 2 Years Later
"I'm not going out there, I changed my mind," I say,struggling to get out of Plume's grasp. "Let me go, I'm not doing this."
She rolls her eyes at me and shoves me toward the door. "Everyone is waiting for you. You look beautiful," she says.
I look down at the dress Mace designed, the sleek black that flares at my feet and shines with woven steel. It's very understated and has shorts underneath, so my holsters don't scrape my flesh, but I still don't want to go. "I don't wear dresses."
