Page 47 of Tempt

She raises her chin and mimics him. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Malice grins. Ever since their stroll through the restricted section yesterday, they’ve reached a truce and agreed to join forces. Yet she cannot celebrate because if they accomplish their goals, the spell will break. He’ll get his heart back, and she’ll put a leash on hers.

The only mystery is, who will succeed first?

13

But no, there are multiple mysteries, a million mysteries. One of them occurs right now, as they make themselves comfortable on the branches, squandering valuable time by talking.

Just talking.

She doesn’t know who starts it. Perhaps they simply need a break. But what begins as a flimsy chat continues as a discussion, growing roots and vines. What’s tentative in the morning becomes introspective as the sky changes color with the hours, arcing toward noon. It’s the seed of a moment pushing through the soil, unfurling and spreading its arms.

They abandon legends, speaking instead of books and research, and of the Archives.

“What do you love about it?” Malice asks from his perch.

Wonder scrubs her heel against the bark. “I love the possibility, the gateway between the known and unknown. I love that I can be one thing or many things. I love that there are choices. I love the safety of making my own decisions.”

“Christ, I just love the rush of a good page-turner.”

She chuckles. “Be serious, for once in your misbegotten life.”

“It’s not about safety for me. It’s about risk. Finding out the truth can be a blessing or a shit storm. You won’t know until you find out, but then, you’ll finally get a grip on what you’re dealing with instead of life keeping information from you. You’ll be able to hold the facts in your hand.”

“And decide what to do about them.”

“Exactly. I like the sound of your laugh, by the way. I could lap it up by the spoonful.”

Wonder bites the inside of her cheek, stifling a retort. As for safety versus risk, she suspects that he understands her as well. Finding a haven in books takes trust; facing the risk in books takes courage. She has never considered this before, but each has merit.

She asks, “So you believe in free will over fate, then?”

“Why choose between one or the other when I can have both? I can be a mishmash of action and reaction, which is much more interesting anyway.” Malice counts off his fingers. “The Archives prove it. Humanity proves it. We misfits prove it. We have cognitive thinking, and we have nature, and they coexist. It’s not rocket science, just chemistry.”

“If that were true, finding a common ground between choice and destiny wouldn’t be this difficult.”

Malice juggles that in his mind. “I guess not. But it doesn’t mean we’ll never solve the puzzle, right? Be gone, little tyke.” He swipes a hand, batting a young dragonfly from his ear. “So what do you hate about the Archives?”

That’s a new one, and Wonder feels guilty when she dwells on it. “The same things.”

Malice nods. “I’m with you.”

They love and hate the Archives for the same reasons: possibility and risk. And it turns out, they adore and loathe their upbringings, their intended roles as archers. The servitude and the entitlement of it turns them into equal parts servants and superiors of mortals.

Being classified as neither is better. It feels right.

Inquiries pour out of Wonder and Malice, a staggering amount piling atop the boughs. Each quandary is the criterion of another, one thought bouncing to the next.

He dares her to question: Would she value answers, truths, possibilities, if they were dark, or flawed, or disturbing? What good are legends, if they teach nothing? What help are they, if they’re only meant to please or coddle? What’s the point of knowledge, if it’s only there to validate assumptions?

She dares him to question: Would he value research if it didn’t grant him absolutes? Would he keep faith in the unanswerable? Would he ever be content to merely speculate? Would he appreciate a legend, if it had nothing to do with him but benefitted other people?

“What answer are you really searching for in the Chamber?” Wonder broaches. “Why is it so important?”

“How about you? Are you binging on this sacred ground for the answers you just want to hear?” Malice volleys. “Are you looking for the ideal instead of the truth?”

They fall silent, tripping over those questions. Perhaps they’re aware that visceral responses will result in shouting matches, which will desecrate the companionable mood.

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