Page 38 of The Lost Art of Finding Where You Belong

At the table, all of their cups were suddenly overflowing with water, and a gust of wind ruffled their hair and tore through the room.

Arvus squeezed Molun’s shoulder. “Molun.”

The wind and water stopped abruptly.

“Fire and water,” Molun cursed. “Sorry.”

He appeared to concentrate intently, and then all the spilled water gathered together in a ball, lifting off the table, getting bigger and bigger until all the water had been cleaned up. The ball floated into the bedroom, where Perian presumed it was heading to the water closet. Sure enough, he heard a splash a moment later.

“That was so wonderful,” Perian said, grinning.

Molun and Arvus both looked at him in confusion for a moment, and then Molun let out a bark of laughter.

“That was me losing my temper.”

“It still looked really amazing,” Perian said with a shrug. “I would have been mopping it up with towels.”

Molun stared at him for a moment. “You seem remarkably calm about this.”

Perian blinked at him, confused.

“Not the water,” Arvus interjected. “The injury.”

“Oh.” He considered this. “I was a lot worse this morning. Bennan said I was in shock. He helped get me to the doctor and actually, you know, functional again. The attack was fast and unexpected, and I can say truthfully I didn’t do anything to deserve it. But that… doesn’t seem to make a difference? I’ve been attacked on the street and in training twice.”

Arvus frowned. “Are you saying youexpectto get attacked now?”

Molun looked equally unhappy.

“No, no,” Perian said, making a face. “I’m not explaining this very well. I mean, I’m certainly hoping not to get attacked, and as far as I know, most of the people in the castle seem to like me well enough. There are probably a bunch who don’t even know who I am! I mostly know what triggered the attacks, and they’re not things I can control. I mean, if someone is upset I don’t want to have sex with them or that Brannal maybe likes me better than them—still confused about that one, to be honest—or that Iexistin their space and have the audacity to want to be able to defend myself, well… that’s their problem, and if wraiths consumed them, I wouldn’t feel that bad?”

They both blinked at him for a moment, and then Arvus’s face creased into a smile, and Molun laughed and leaned in to hug Perian. He returned the hug with his good arm.

“Uh, pretty sure my vindictive qualities shouldn’t be celebrated?” he asked, puzzled.

“Given how upset you were after what happened with Cormal, we were trying to figure out what was different,” Arvus explained. “If you just needed to let it out or if something was really wrong. You’re still welcome to let anything out, but that sounds like you’re dealing with it just fine.”

“I hope so,” Perian agreed. “I mean, itisupsetting, but Onadal and the Queen took care of getting him out of the castle. And as much as Cormal and I are probably never going to be close personal friends, I think I can guess at where some of his feelings come from. Fomadin seems to be upset more about ‘people like me’, and honestly, I’m more worried about that kind of hate. He’s gone, so I feelsafer.”

Molun nodded. “All the Mage Warriors and Warriors have been informed and will be keeping an eye at all entrances to ensure he doesn’t return to the castle. Should he decide to be stupid, they have permission to stop him with force if necessary.”

Perian nodded. “I don’t know him that well, but I think he’ll cut his losses. I mean, he’ll stew and blame me for this entire thing, but I don’t think he’d come here. He knows he doesn’t have the advantage.”

“Agreed,” Arvus said. “If we go out, you’re not going anywhere alone.”

“He’s not even supposed to be in the city,” Perian objected.

“Do you think we’re going to trust your life to that?”

Perian couldn’t argue with that.

“What are we going to do to pass the time?” Molun asked. Perian eyed him. Molun gestured at the wound. “A couple of hours, you said.”

“I could go back to my room and read a book?” he suggested.

“Next suggestion!” Molun exclaimed.

“Seriously, though,” Perian told them. “You two don’t have to entertain me.”

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