My pulse thrashes as I look for something that could aid me, but I don’t find anything.
Think, Sol.
Think.
Desperation grips me as I tip my head back, staring up at the ceiling and the gaping hole.
For the first time in three weeks, I’m grateful for that damn hole.
I maneuver the table underneath the opening in the roof, climb on top of it, and grasp a timber poking through the ceiling. After several attempts, accompanied by some grunts and colorful curses, I shimmy through and find myself perched atop my cottage.
An owl hoots in a nearby tree as I crawl across the roof, hoping it won’t stage a sudden rebellion and collapse. Fortunately, it remains steadfast, and I reach the edge closest to the nearby cobbler shop. I step over the small void that separates the buildings, cross the much sturdier, larger roof, and drop to the street on the other side.
When my feet hit the ground, I straighten Hector’s cloak around my body and walk away, leaving behind a part of my life that was just a chapter.
A dark, lonely chapter, but still, nevertheless, a chapter of my life.
ChapterSeven
Happiness blossoms inside me as I approach the boat dock and strain to see the figure standing there bathed in moonlight. It threads through the clouds, embracing her as she runs toward me. I do the same, sprinting as fast as my legs can carry me. I embrace Everly as she throws her arms around me.
Finally.
She’s here.
She speaks the moment we separate. “I knew I would find you.” She grabs my hands, tethering me to her, as though she expects me to disappear.
My heart soars as I speak in a rush. “I looked for you every day. Where have you been?”
“Near the docks, mostly. I found work in a nearby alehouse. I looked for you too,” she says, her words as hurried as mine, as if neither of us can wait a second longer to fill in weeks of missing information.
Her eyebrows knit together as she sweeps her stare over me. “Are you only wearing a cloak?”
“It’s a long story.” My skin heats as I think of Hector and remember the way he kissed me.
She smiles. “I can’t wait to hear it.”
It’s good to see her smile again.
Her expression shifts as she glances at our joined hands and turns them, so my palms face up. She gently runs her thumbs over the cloth bandages.
“Sol…” she says in a ragged whisper.
“I’m all right,” I say, trying to reassure her.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.” I squeeze her hands and release her. “I promise you. I’m well.”
She slips a satchel from her shoulder and sets it on the ground. “Kahlia told me how difficult things have been for you. I’m so sorry, Sol. I did not know we would be separated.”
“It’s all right,” I say, even though nothing has been all right. But none of that matters now that we’re reunited.
“What about you, Evie?” I look her over, needing to know she’s well and nothing bad has happened to her. “Are you well?”
Her curly brown hair bounces against her shoulders as she bobs her head at me. “I’m well.”
She leans down, reaches into her satchel, and pulls a clean surcoat free. I take the soft garment from her and remove the bag from my waist. After a quick look around, I shrug out of Hector’s cloak and yank the surcoat over my head.
