Malum’s cheeks turned pink, and he shook his head like he was embarrassed by the thought of leisure.
“Lie down,” I said, and satisfaction filled me as he sprawled out beside me.
He grimaced.
“Now just stare up at the leaves and flowers and enjoy how they flutter on the breeze.”
I loved that I was giving out life advice like I’d mastered mental health.
It was called being delusional.
This morning, I’d had a panic attack in the bathroom because I’d remembered the twins now had slurs on their backs. We were all mutilated.
Now, I stared up at nature like it could save me.
I focused on the good. The scenery was stunning, and I could fly with ease. Exercise endorphins coursed through me.
I ignored the bad.
Malum squinted at the tree like he had to concentrate on following my instructions, and I laughed at his ridiculous expression.
“What?” he asked defensively. “I’m watching the leaves like you said.”
“It’s not that serious.” I watched a bird flit between flowers.
Time passed.
It was much slower than usual.
There was no warping, no twisting.
I felt a million miles away from my memories of the war. My time at Elite Academy felt like a bad dream. The ungodly didn’t seem real.
“What are you thinking about?” Malum broke the peaceful silence, and instead of watching the leaves, he stared at me.
“How nice it is here,” I whispered, “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
He stared at my lips. “Me too,” he whispered as he inched closer.
Whiskey and tobacco were softened by the sunny, floral scents of summer.
Our fingers touched, and there was a sizzling sound. Cobalt fire spread onto his fingers, and scarlet ice coated mine.
It didn’t hurt.
The alchemy law of extremes: At its hottest temperature, fire mimics the properties of ice. At its coldest temperature, ice mimics the properties of fire.
It struck me just how similar we were.
We were so perfectly in opposition that we were the same.
It didn’t seem like an accident.
It felt like the universe itself had conspired to create us.
Apparently, my antithesis was a flaming homicidal man who breathed fire, had obsession issues, and owned ponies with bows.
It checked out.
“What do we do now?” Malum asked softly.
I stretched my hands above my head. “We lie here and do nothing all day. No war. No training. No stress.”
We were all soldiers without a war.
We knew who we were in times of extreme duress, but we didn’t know who we were in peace.
It was time to discover ourselves.
Silver eyes twinkled. Malum stared at my face like he was memorizing my features. “Can we talk, like we did before?” he asked self-consciously.
His cheeks blushed pink.
The warmth in my chest flared, and I smiled like a fool. “I’d like that,” I whispered. “What do you want to know?”
His expression was serious. “Everything. What’s your favorite hobby? What do you love to do most? I want to know every single thing about my Revered.”
Crossing my arm beneath my curls, I stared up at the trees and told him about how I used to love fashion. I explained how different materials could make beautiful designs. Once again, I admitted things to him that I’d never told anyone.
I told him how I’d made Mother’s gossamer silk dress.
How I’d sneak into the kitchen and help curate different enchanted wines.
Our conversation changed. I told him how the half warriors were my first friends. I told him how my mother made me hurt them. How they hated me for it. I told him about the role they played in mother carving my back.
I admitted that a small part of me thought I deserved the punishment because of how I’d treated them.
When I said that, Malum recoiled like he’d been hit. “No,” he rasped harshly. “They were grown men, and you were a child. They knew about your mother’s cruelty, and yet they blamed you.”
I sighed. “It’s not that simple. They thought I betrayed them.”
He reached over and tangled our fingers together. “Listen to me, Aran.” His expression was dire. “It’s the most obvious thing in the entire world that you are softhearted and nothing like your mother.”
I scoffed.
He shook my hand.
“I’m being dead serious,” he said. “They blamed you because they wanted someone to hate. Someone they could bully. They couldn’t do that with your mother.”