Page 14 of Veinblood
But the soldiers? Where are the soldiers?
My sleep-fogged mind is still half-stuck in the dream, while the pounding continues.
Realpounding. On my front door.
“Ellie?I know you’re in there!” It takes me a second to recognize Kate’s voice through my lingering confusion. “I’ve been texting you for hours. Are you ready to go for brunch?”
Brunch? What brunch? When was she texting me?
Wait. My phone. She doesn’t know I lost my phone in the Sunfire Dunes. That I’ve been away for months.
I push myself up from the couch where I collapsed last night, movements slow while my mind still fights to shake off the dream. When I finally make it across the room and open the front door, Kate is standing there, bundled up in a hat, scarf, and a thick winter coat. I blink at her. She hasn’t changed at all, and I have to remind myself that for her it’s been less than twenty-four hours since she last saw me.
“Jesus, Ellie, did you—” Her eyes widen as she scans me from head to toe. “Did you do something with your hair?” She steps inside without waiting for an invitation, unwinding her scarf. “It looks different.” Her gaze narrows. “Are you wearing colored contacts? There’s something silver in your eyes.”
I touch my hair, fingers seeking out the silver streaks, and lower my lashes to hide my eyes.
“Yeah, Christmas gift to myself.” What else can I say? “And no to the contacts. I’m just tired. I put in eye drops, maybe it’s that.”
“We’re meeting everyone in twenty minutes.” She frowns at me again. “You look … I don’t know … different. Why didn’t you answer my texts?”
“I lost my phone yesterday,” I reply slowly, closing the door and turning to face her. “What’s happening in twenty minutes?”
“Brunch. We didn’t get to have a Christmas party this year, so this is the next best thing. You’d left work before we arrangedit, so I texted you to let you know.” Her frown deepens. “How did you lose your phone?”
“I tripped on my way home yesterday.” Not a lie. “I think it fell down a storm drain.”That,on the other hand,is. Hopefully, it sounds mundane enough that she won’t dig deeper.
“That’s awful. Have you got a replacement? I might have a spare one at home, if you haven’t.”
My mind is still struggling to catch up. One day I’m in another world, surrounded by warriors, and magic, and now I’m standing in my apartment discussing brunch plans and lost phones. How do I explain that I’ve been gone for months, fighting a war in another world? That the person she knew before no longer exists?
“I think so. Somewhere. I just haven’t looked for it yet.”
Kate drops onto my couch, checking her phone when it dings. “Brian just texted to say they’re leaving now. You should get dressed.”
“Right.”
I retreat to my bedroom, opening my closet and studying its contents. I settle on a fresh pair of jeans, and a sweater, then go into the bathroom to freshen up. Kate is flipping through a magazine when I return to the living room. She glances at me while I crouch to tie the laces on my sneakers.
“That hairstyle really makes you look different. I like it.”
I shrug. “I felt like a change.” Straightening, I pull on my coat, and grab my keys. “I’m ready.”
I want to find Sacha, but I can’t think of any reason I cangive Kate that would make her go to brunch without asking a thousand questions I can’t answer first.
Maybe I’ll catch sight of him while I’m out with her. Or, at the very least, this odd connection to him I have might get stronger if I’m moving around. It’s better than sitting in my apartment and wondering what to do for the best.
Once we’re outside my apartment building, we have to tread carefully. The streets are snow covered, with patches of ice, and every step forward is a game of trying not to slip. It feels surreal listening to Kate as she fills the silence with talk of holiday plans and last minute shopping, while I keep testing that faint connection. I try to nod at the right times, while struggling to remember why any of this mattered to me. But she doesn’t seem to notice my distraction.
“So anyway, my mom’s flight got delayedagain,” Kate is saying when I try to focus on her voice. “Now she’s not coming until tomorrow, which means I have to go and pick her up on Christmas morning. It’s going to be utter chaos!”
“Chaos,” I repeat softly.
If only she knew what real chaos looked like. My mind goes to the ambush at Glassfall Gap when we rescued Sacha.Thatwas chaos. A delayed flight is just an … inconvenience.
I pull my coat tighter around me, and wonder again where Sacha is. Maybe I should call the hospitals and police stations. But what would I say?
“I’m looking for a tall, dark haired man who doesn’t speak English, and is dressed like something out of a renaissance fair.Shadows might gather around him, and there could also be a raven somewhere.” Somehow, I don’t think that would result in finding him, only in people questioning my sanity.
