Page 11 of Eight Embers

“That sounds like... fun. We could do that here, too.”

His eyes light up as he spins to me. “We could? Truly, you mean it?”

I look to my people again, and they’re very pointedly not looking at me; Delaney is doing her best not to pull out her hair, but I can tell she's in over her head as well.

Hey, if the guy wants to watch paint dry, who am I to stop him? “Yes. As a matter of fact, we were talking about wanting to paint Delaney’s room. Would you like to see it? If you're one of her mates, you’ll be staying there, too. Maybe you could help us… pick a paint color?”

He springs up immediately, clapping his hands in glee. “Iknewthat goddess wouldn't do me dirty. This is wonderful! Oh, I hope you have beige 2.1. If I have to, I'll go with khaki, but that's always been a bit dark for my tastes. We're not here to do anything crazy you, know.”

“Right. I guess we’re... painting the room, then. Great.”

Chapter four

Cory

“You’re not getting tired at all, are you? You’re like a little battery; you just keep on going.” I carefully drop my paint brush onto the paint tray and wipe my fingers off on my jeans. I gave up on trying to keep my clothing paint-free hours ago. Which is almost precisely the time I got sick of painting one tiny little section just to watch it dry.

“It's kind of you to continue to paint with me. Perhaps I should call it a night.”

I study the newest member of our group with my peripheral vision, wondering how it's possible for him to sit cross legged so long without moving at all. He doesn't look like he's ready to quit painting yet. His hand is resting on his knee, paintbrush still covered in thick, goopy beige paint as he stares at the wall in front of him. I do notice though, his hand is shaking just the tiniest bit.

“Hey,” I say quietly. “Are you feeling okay? Nervous?”

A single tear escapes from his eye and tracks slowly down his face. He makes no move to wipe it off, nor do I mention it, but my heart is breaking because he's clearly uncomfortable and I don't know how to help him.

“I was with somebody. Back home? In Glittertopia. I have a girlfriend.”

“Ah. You need to talk to Delaney. Neither one of you asked for this situation, and I know for a fact that she'll help you in any way possible. Even if that means you're not together.”

Saladriel finally places his paintbrush carefully in front of him on the precise square of plastic tarping he cut out earlier, and then he turns sideways and lays his head in my lap. “Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? She's not going want to help me get home so that I can be with somebody else.”

“I think that woman would surprise you if you gave her a chance. I know you're dealing with this soulmate bond, one you didn't plan for, but soulmates come in lots of forms. Just because she wears your mark, doesn't mean your relationship has to look a certain way. Some people are soulmates with their best friends and it's completely platonic. She's not going to force anything that doesn't come naturally.”

“This whole day has just been very overwhelming. I knew our realm was doing poorly, but I didn't think things were so bad that we needed help from an outside source. I don't understand why Fairyunicorn Goddess would seek help from somebody that knows nothing of our realm. Or our people. And has no connection to it. I think I feel betrayed.”

“That's completely valid. I've never dealt with any sort of deity personally, but I imagine I'd feel betrayed, too, if I were in your position.”

“You don't think that makes me a bad unicorn? Shouldn't I be singing her virtues and convincing myself she has some master plan that I know nothing of? Will I be better off in the long run if I just stick this out and do what I'm asked?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I think that's for you to decide.”

A polite knock on the door has us both looking that way, and then there's the woman of the hour with a tray full of drinks. “This is probably really dumb,” Delaney says as she walks in the room a few feet, “and this might completely offend you as well, but one of my dads used to make me unicorn lemonade when I was little, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to whip up a batch. I have no idea if you even like lemonade, but I figured you might at the very least be thirsty enough to give it a try. You've been working in here all day.”

Saladriel looks up at me and I nod, encouraging him. He sits up and then stands, arching his back and stretching a bit after sitting so long. “Thank you,” he tells her as he reaches for one. “That was thoughtful.”

Delaney hands me one as well after grabbing her own and dropping the tray by the door. “Wow, it actually looks really good in here. The new paint really sets off those green undertones in this carpeting.”

We've been painting one of the spare bedrooms today, which actually did need a fresh coat of paint. Even though I thought beige was going to be so boring, it feels brighter in here now.

Saladriel is rubbing the back of his neck, uncomfortable, and I take that as my chance to excuse myself, giving them room to talk. I grab Delaney’s face and kiss her before I walk out of the room, unable to stop smiling as I leave them to it. I make sure to close the door behind me before finding a spot on the couch, stretching out next to Adam.

“There you are,” he says with a goofy grin. “I was about to come drag you out here if you weren’t out in the next five minutes. I missed you.”

I roll my eyes. “I was literally like 30 feet away from you this whole time.”

“Doesn't matter. I couldn't reach you, so therefore I missed you.” Butterflies erupt in my stomach like they always do when he says things like that, and I find myself thinking of ways we can try and help Saladriel, because I don't think he really belongs here.

“You look like you're thinking hard about something,” August says as he grabs a blanket from the back of the couch and drapes it over my legs like it's nothing.

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