Page 26 of Dark Island: Rescue
She wanted to believe that, but the dream lingered like a bad taste. Those sad green eyes haunted her, making her remember Esag before he'd become the man who had broken her sister's heart. He'd been funny once, kind even.
Had that person been real or just another mask?
"I hate him," she said, but the words felt hollow now. "I hate what he did. I hate what he represented—the careless cruelty of someone who had power over another person's heart and misused it."
"Like Navuh?" Tony asked.
She wanted to lash out at Tony and tell him to stop playing head doctor, but there was something to what he'd said.
"No, not like him. Lord Navuh never pretended to love any of us. He never led us on and made us believe that he might choose any of us over Areana." She shook her head. "Isn't it ironic? The evil dictator chose a higher moral ground than the weak-minded, selfish squire."
10
WONDER
The afternoon rush at the café was finally slowing when Wonder saw Esag walk in. Even from a distance, she could tell that he was troubled. His red hair fell over his forehead, partially covering his eyes, his hands were tucked into his pockets, and his shoulders were slumped.
He looked at her and smiled, but then quickly averted his gaze and walked over to an empty table next to the hedge, private and shaded.
Annani had told her that Esag had given up on getting visions about Khiann because weeks of carving figurines had yielded nothing but frustration and disappointment. Perhaps that failure had crushed his spirits.
He felt like he'd disappointed Annani.
"Aliya." Wonder turned to her assistant. "Can you handle things for a bit?"
"Of course." Aliya smiled, casting a glance at Esag. "Need to console a friend?"
"That's very perceptive of you. He looks down, andhe came here for a reason. He probably needs someone to talk to."
They used to talk a lot back in Sumer when she'd still fancied herself in love with him. He'd been so full of spirit, always teasing and joking and generally clowning around. Life had robbed him of that youthful enthusiasm, of the naive belief that if he only tried hard enough, everything would turn out okay.
Five thousand years was certainly long enough to crush the spirits of anyone but the strongest. Luckily for her, she'd spent most of that time in stasis, so her years of actual living matched her appearance. She was in her early twenties, even though she'd been born only a few years after Esag.
She poured coffee into two large paper cups, put them on a tray, added a few pastries and coffee fixings, and headed to Esag's table. The almond croissants were his favorite, and hopefully, they would help lift his spirits.
He'd always had a sweet tooth.
Strange how some details stuck in memory while others faded. She could still remember the exact way he'd smiled when she'd offered him cookies her mother had baked for her and Annani, the way his eyes had lingered on her face, her lips, and the way her heart sped up every time he did it.
When she got to his table, Esag was staring at nothing, his fingers drumming a mindless rhythm on the metal surface. He didn't notice her approach until she set the tray down with a clink of plastic against metal.
"Oh, hi, Wonder," he said. "I didn't order anything."
"I know. It's on the house." She sat across from him,pushing one of the coffees in his direction. "You look like you need someone to talk to."
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "You could always read me with such ease." He lifted the paper cup. "You've always seen me."
She nodded. "I cared for you, and I still do, just not in the same way."
A blush bloomed on his neck like it always did when he was embarrassed. The curse of the redheads, he used to call it, cursing his pale skin that betrayed every strong emotion.
The acknowledgment of their history sat between them for a moment, a little awkward but also comfortable in the way people who had known each other for a long time felt. Was that how divorced humans felt after the initial hurt and anger faded?
Even lovers who had gone their separate ways could not erase the history they had together, the familiarity.
She and Esag had made their peace, a balance between past and present that allowed them to coexist in the village without feeling awkward around each other. But moments like this, when old intimacy surfaced, reminded them both of what had been, or rather could have been but never was.
Esag took a long time adding the sugar and cream to his coffee and stirring them in. It was a delay tactic so he could organize his thoughts, but he shouldn't bother being so careful with his words around her. Had he forgotten that she knew him better than most?
