Page 52 of Synodic

“A memory for a memory,” I panted.

“Copeland, just talk to me before you pass out.”

“Not unless you tell me something too. It’s only fair.”

“Fine,” he agreed begrudgingly, crossing his arms. “You first.”

“Good memories are rare for me but there is one that sticks out,” I said, willing the memory to wash over and calm me. “The first time I went to the observatory.”

“What is the observatory?” Rowen asked.

“It’s a building to help you see the stars.”

“Why would you not just step outside?” he asked perplexed, gesturing to the ever-glowing heavens above.

“It’s different where I’m from. The sky it’s…it’s hidden from us,” I said, thinking about all the artificial light, smog, and pollution that masks the magic of the sky. And how you have to drive hours from any city to see more than a light smattering of stars.

“For all that is wrong and dying in Luneth, at least we have the sky. To gaze up and know we are not alone, to know we are made of the same cloth as the heavens. I can’t imagine not being able to witness that every day.”

“Most people couldn’t imagine seeing this all day, every day,” I said, never tiring of the constant visibility of space. “At the observatory, you can look through a special lens that brings you right to the stars. They are so close you can almost feel the stardust inside you, letting you know that somewhere, something is free. My parents had to drag me out at closing, and I would constantly beg them to take me back, but they were always too busy. Eventually, they bought me a telescope to keep from bothering them, but us being there together was what I really wanted.”

“You miss your parents?”

“My parents rarely had time for me. They tend to throw money and pills at their problems instead of time and understanding, but yes, I do miss them,” I said as my throat constricted with emotion, and I made the mistake of glancing up. Rowen was watching me intently, too intently, and I cleared my throat. “Anyway, it’s your turn. Time to give it up.”

He hummed in contemplation, and I swear I could feel his deep vibration through the soles of my feet. “Mine would be the first time I threw this blade,” he said, reverently gesturing to the ax at his hip. “When I was brought to the Wyn village, all I had was the clothes on my back, nothing more, not even a life I wanted to live. I desired only to disappear into the forest. Takoda saw I needed a purpose, however small and placed this ax in my hand. He said I could leave once I severed a single leaf from a billowing tree and that I was to present it to him in perfect condition.”

My chest tightened. So what Ven had told me was true. Rowen had lost his will to live. I was tempted to ask him about the woman who’d been taken from him, but it wasn’t my place to ask such an intrusive question. He would tell me when he was ready.

“Having never trained with a blade such as this, I started with the targets on the training grounds. The first time I ever threw it, it was as if the air from my throw was the breath I’d been missing from my lungs. Takoda knew what he was doing with such a request, though I don’t think he expected me to stay this long.”

“You haven’t been able to retrieve the leaf?”

“It took me nearly three moons, no doubt looking an absolute fool, but I finally succeeded. Though I have yet to present it to Takoda. I find I’m not ready to leave here just yet.”

An unexpected laugh escaped my lips, and Rowen’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What. You mean to tell him?”

“Tell him what?” I asked, stepping towards him, and for once it was his body that shifted uncomfortably. “That it took you so long to do something so simple.”

“You think you can do better?”

“Hand me your blade,” I said, dipping my chin towards his single-handed ax. “And let’s find out.”

Too curious to resist, Rowen handed me his weapon with glinting amusement.

Extending up to my tiptoes, I reached overhead, Rowen’s eyes tracking my every movement. I clasped onto a branch swaying in the thick canopy above and pulled the lush limb down until it rested in the small space between us. Careful not to lose my concentration, I nicked a single perfect leaf with his blade and handed it to him innocently. “He never specified how to retrieve the leaf now, did he?” I said, releasing the bough back to its rightful place.

He laughed another one of his deep belly laughs. “Well, you’re a sly little one, aren’t you? Full of surprises.”

“I have my moments.”

He took his weapon from my hand and replaced it with the leaf that was Takoda’s promise of a new beginning. “Keep it,” he said, smiling. “You earned it. But can I trust you with my secret?”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” I said, touching the leaf to the tip of my nose in a sealed promise, confident he wasn’t pulling one over on Takoda.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, his gaze brushing over my skin like a cool cloud.

“A little.”

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