Lux [h.s]

twenty-five

Cora spent the following day holed up under the blanket of Harry's bed. She watched the faint golden glow of the bonfire coming in from the window turn into the bright silver light of the sun, immersed in the scent of pine trees that came from the dried plants hanging on the walls. The Fair was still going, and no one came to bother her.

When the sun dipped behind the greenwood at last, she pulled herself up and wandered outside in search of food. Her stomach was grumbling its disappointment at having been ignored for the whole day, and she was certain she'd start screaming if she stayed in Harry's makeshift bedroom one more minute.

She found an orange and leaned back against a cart while peeling it. The clearing was nearly empty, and the voices in the distance told her the Fair was about to open for the evening. She put a wedge in her mouth and shivered at its sourness. It bit nearly as much as the cold evening air.

"Look who crawled out at last."

Cora's eyes snapped open. Aster was standing in front of her, looking at her as if he thought her a curious little animal that had wandered into his line of vision. He was taller than her, but not by much. "Did you lose the tail at last?" she bit back, and his eyebrows raised.

"Just how much does Harry tell you?"

Not enough, a voice in her mind replied. She didn't say it out loud but he seemed to pick up on it anyway, because he smiled. "Why are you here?" Cora asked. "Don't you have anything better to do than hanging out with people you dislike?"

Aster tilted his head. "I don't dislike you."

She let out a sour laugh.

"I heard there was an accident yesterday." His eyes glinted with curiosity. "How lucky they were Harry was there to save them all."

Cora glanced away. She had the feeling he was trying to get a reaction out of her.

"I've been wondering. Have you heard—"

"Cora."

Cora's head snapped up. Harry was walking towards them. For some reason, he didn't seem happy to see her talking to Aster.

Harry's hand stopped on her shoulder when he reached her. "I've been waiting for you." He sent Aster a glance as he pulled her away from him. "You're back. Supervise the Pavilion tonight."

Aster nodded. "As you wish."

They stepped away, towards the burning embers of the dying bonfire. She hadn't seen Harry since earlier that morning. They hadn't talked about her magic again, and she couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want to overwhelm her or because he believed there was nothing more to say. She couldn't tell which of the two was more alarming.

Now, though, he was taking her away with him as if he'd been trying to talk to her for the entire day. He sent a glance around, ensuring they were alone.

"I need you to do something for me," he said. "Will you?"

A cold wind hissed through the clearing, making the leaves of the nearing trees crinkle like crumpled up paper. Cora said, "Yes."

Harry gave her a smile that didn't soothe her in the slightest. "I need to talk to someone."

"Who?"

"A man named Gael," he replied. The name rang a bell in Cora's mind, but she couldn't remember when she'd heard it before. "I used to know him and I've been looking for him for quite a while, but he doesn't seem to be fond of people."

"He disappeared?"

"You could say that."

"The last time you asked me to find an address for you I was almost executed."