“What do you mean the Giant is a spy?” The soldier was easing away from Riley as she spoke. He stole glances at Nikolai.
Lissie was barely listening to Alexander and Riley’s mounting lies. She trusted them. There were black spots forming at the edges of her vision. Black spots that grew, fractured and spiraled.
You don’t even know what you have, girl. You’re gonna waste it.
Why should I care what you think? Lissie thought back.
You don’t know your own history. Nelli’s voice was creaking and rough in her head.
Lissie tried to keep focused on the scene in front of her. I’m making my own history.
“Look, if you want to take this up with your commanding officer, be my guest!” Alexander was getting in the soldier’s face. “But you’re going to be involving yourself in things beyond your ken.”
The black spots merged and blotted out her vision completely. She was in the cave again. The Temple. Alexander’s voice was muffled and fading.
Lissie’s hand went to her pocket and her fingers wrapped around the foreign Dust Box. She thought of what was inside. She imagined opening it in the light and she removed her hand from her pocket.
A thousand years of Dust Women in your box, fragments. An entire generation in mine. And mine were not burned. One is still alive.
Lissie gasped, Mother? Her hand went to her pocket. She did not put her hand inside.
I called her daughter.
“Come on, Lissie, they are giving us a room for the night.” Riley grabbed her shoulder, and her eyes materialized through the darkness. She let herself be led inside. Niko was not with them.
Lissie looked around and said, “Where is Niko?”
“Were you paying any attention?” Riley looked concerned. “Are you okay? He’s in the stables.”
“I’m going to see him.” Lissie turned away from Riley. “I want to check on Peach anyway.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I eat. Aren’t you starving? I bet they have whole chickens again!” Riley had moved around and was staring into Lissie’s face.
Lissie did not meet her eyes. “I’ll eat soon, I just want to check on Niko, are they sending him food?”
“Lissie, you were standing right there! They said they’d bring him some cabbages.” Riley made a face and said, “It’s what he asked for. Are you sure you’re alright?” Riley laid a hand on Lissie’s shoulder.
“I will be. I promise.” Lissie left Riley standing inside the doorway and made her way through the swept snow around the outside of the tower. The black spots were gone.
Her dirty cloak whipped and spun around her feet as she ran. She smelled the stable before she saw it.
Niko was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the aisle. Lissie’s eyebrows rose and she said, “Didn’t they give you a stall?”
“They told me to wait in the stables. I did not want to bother the horses.” He gestured at the rows of rough-hewn slats around him. The horses were all staring at him.
Lissie looked up and called, “Peach! How are you, old boy.” She eased past Niko and petted Peach. “Here, meet Nikolai.”
Peach’s ears wiggled around happily and the horse snorted and lipped at Lissie’s hair. She giggled.
Nikolai got to his feet. “This is your horse?”
“He actually belongs to the Llanarth Stable. That’s Riley’s family. We uh—” Lissie looked at Niko and then glanced away. “Borrowed him.”
“Borrowed?” Niko asked.
Lissie took a deep breath. “This is Peach,” Then she walked to the other horses. They all had their necks craned over the stall gates. “Anvil, and Sugarsnap. Sugarsnap is Riley’s and Anvil was actually Riley’s father’s horse. But Cora rides him now. That’s Monsieur D’Cirque.” She pointed. “Cora’s mother, Lady Maribelle gave him to Alexander.”
“You will all be taking these beasts home, now?”
“We have to ride south to Terndowns to try to propagate the blue mushrooms.”
He took a step closer to her. “Do you all have to ride south?”
Lissie looked up at him. “Let’s find you your own stall. I think this one’s empty.”
He followed her into the stall.
“I don’t know where I could go other than with my friends.” Lissie’s voice caught.
“We all have places we belong.” Niko sat down and crossed his legs. “Or do not belong.”
“Your home… It seemed lonely.”
Niko closed his eyes. “I have the rabbits.”
“There are rabbits in the south, too.”
A man’s voice called out down the aisle. “I was told to bring raw cabbages?”
Lissie waved a hand to gesture to Niko to stay seated. “Yes, thank you!”