Page 33 of Reap the Night
“Wait. Listen. Most that go do not return. It is a perilous place. A hungry place. Hungry for knowledge and memories and oftentimes flesh. Those that go enter with the understanding that they may never return. Scholars, desperate to have the mysteries of the universe answered, arcane users eager to advance at all costs and all risk. I do not think you are either. If you apply and are accepted, then you risk leaving your family and friends behind.”
“I don’t have any family…well, none that cares for me.” My parents loved each other too much to have any love left for me. I survived on the scraps handed down by extended family until I was initiated into the Order. “The Order is my family now, I guess, and I’ll do anything to keep them safe.”
He leans in, eyes at half-mast. “You love her.”
A burn climbs up my neck and stings my cheeks. “Yes. I suppose I do.”
“Does she know?”
I shake my head.
“If you apply and are accepted, then I suggest you tell her how you feel before you leave.”
“No.”
He cants his head. “No?”
“I wouldn’t want to burden her with my feelings, especially when she doesn’t feel the same way. It would only make her feel guilty.”
“And what if shedoesreturn your affections?”
“Trust me. She doesn’t.”
“Humor me.”
I haven’t let myself hope that she might have feelings for me. I mean, I’m me, and she’s…amazing. Padma…when I think about her, my insides grow warm and mushy, and when I’m with her, I feel complete, but if I tell her and she gets freaked out and I lose our closeness…No. I can’t do that. I won’t risk it.
“Edwin?” Odi prompts. “What if she did feel the same way?”
If…then the answer is simple. “If I thought she might feel the same way, it would be more reason not to tell her. Why start something that I might not return to continue?”
Odi nods slowly. “In that case I shall submit your application and—” He breaks off and cants his head again, but this time as if he’s listening to something. “Ah, it looks like we have some books.”
He taps on his screen. “For you, Edwin. Books on ancient deities.”
Perfect. At least I can help Orina with finding information on Loviator while I wait for my application to be processed.
A slot opens in the wall behind Odi, and he reaches back, somehow bridging the distance with his arm to retrieve my books, and even though my mind tells me he shouldn’t be able to reach that far, my brain accepts it, and the next moment, the books are in front of me.
“An evening of research for the team, then?” Odi says.
“No. Just for me. The team has enough to deal with. I’ll loop them in once I’ve gathered all the information.”
“I suppose it’s time for you to leave now.”
I drain my cup and set it on the counter, and his face falls. But I smile. “Not just yet. I have time for another cup of tea.”
Chapter 13
ORINA
The weekend dawned with rain that didn’t let up till the sun went down, so tonight the streets were slick and the air close and humid. It was a nice change from the frigid cold, perfect for heading out without a heavy jacket to ruin my outfit.
Our taxi dropped us around the corner from Midsommer Nights, and we made our way toward the very long line of people waiting to get in.
It was easy to spot the fae by the strange shimmer that seemed to wreathe them—glamour in most cases to disguise their more inhuman features. But there were those that were simply stunning to look at with perfect dewy skin and piercing eyes. It was the humans who stood out here, dull and mundane, using sparkly clothes and too much makeup to fit in.
Thank goodness we hadn’t overdressed.
