Page 116 of Thorns & Fire
Thea frowned.‘Do what?’
‘Stay so strong.During the war, after the war.You’re a powerhouse.You never falter.’
Thea dropped her arms and stared at Wren.‘Is that what you think?’
‘It’s true,’ Wren said, letting her arms fall to her sides and waiting for the next exercise.
But Thea didn’t move on.‘Wren...I hate to break it to you, but I think you’re forgetting a few key moments.’
Wren scoffed.
Thea’s eyes didn’t leave hers.‘You don’t remember me crying on the clifftops about the stupid stable boy?’
‘You were a teenager—’
‘I’m not done,’ Thea replied sharply.‘You don’t remember the year I couldn’t use my storm magic?The entire year I was so convinced that Wilder had betrayed me that I nearly ruined myself?What about when we thought we lost Kipp?Or when Anya died?Or when we saw Sam and Ida on those spikes?You think I didn’t falter then?You think I didn’t despair?’
Wren stared at her sister.
Thea cursed under her breath.‘I thought I made it clear when we were first training together, after whatever happened between you and Torj, that you could talk to me.That Iwantedyou to talk to me.That I’mhere, even when I’m not.’
Thea shifted into another set of stretches, and Wren followed her lead, feeling the burn in her thighs, her calves.
‘It’s...’She trailed off.
‘Not that easy, I know,’ Thea said.‘But it’s not about staying or looking strong.It’s about getting through it in whatever way you can.’
Wren wrung her hands, still not quite comfortable with so much outwards emotion.Thea’s sincerity and concern was forming a knot under her ribs.‘I appreciate it, I really do, but...right now, there are bigger things to worry about than me,’ Wren told her, fighting the quaver in her voice.‘Thea...what’s happening with Delmira—’
‘I know,’ Thea murmured.‘It’s bad.Audra filled me in when I arrived.’
The missive Wren had sent her sister by raven had been vague for fear of it being intercepted, but she was glad the Guild Master had seen to the details.She wasn’t sure she had the energy to rehash the politics.
Thea shook out her arms and legs, her muscles rippling.Shemet Wren’s gaze, her eyes dark with concern.‘Someone will make a play for the throne,’ she said, confirming what Wren already knew.
Wren nodded.‘I think there are several plots already in motion,’ she replied, her voice low.She leaned against a nearby pillar, its cool stone a stark contrast to her heated skin.‘I’ve been talking with Kipp between classes.He has several theories about which parties are putting their chess pieces in place.’
Thea’s jaw clenched.‘So you and I need to talk about whatwewant.’
Wren pushed the loose hair from her face, her fingers lingering at her temples where her headache was worsening.She spoke the words she’d dreaded saying since she’d set foot on Delmirian soil again: ‘I don’t think it’s about whatwewant any more, Thee...’
Thea tipped her face to the ceiling, closing her eyes as though she could block out reality.The torchlight flickered across her face, highlighting the sharp angles of her cheekbones.‘Fuck.’
The curse echoed in the empty gymnasium.When Thea opened her eyes again and grimaced, Wren mirrored her expression.‘Agreed.’
‘Then we need to be honest with each other,’ Thea told her, stepping closer.‘Completely transparent about everything, about what we see for our homeland.’
Wren folded her arms over her chest.‘You go first.’
‘Fine,’ Thea replied.‘I’m fucking terrified.’
A broken laugh escaped Wren, followed by a small wave of relief.‘I’m glad I’m not the only one.’
Thea flicked her braid over her shoulder.‘It was so much easier to dismiss our heritage when Delmira was nothing but a wasteland...No one demanding answers, no looming conflict over the land and its resources.’
‘But that’s changed,’ Wren said gently.‘It’s only a matter of time before someone stakes a claim, or plunders its fertile soil.If it falls into the wrong hands, Thea...we’re—’
‘Fucked, I know.’Thea drew a shaky breath.Her eyes, usually so confident, now held a vulnerability that made Wren’s heart ache.‘I never thought this would happen.The life I’m leading now...It’s one of adventure, of freedom.Isn’t that what we fought for in the war?Isn’t that the victory we won?’
