Page 53

She turned before he could say anything otherwise, grabbed her bow and arrows, and marched toward the crumbling staircase that would lead her out. She needed a break from the ghosts that haunted this place so loudly she could almost hear them. Food might do her some good.

SOFIA

AGE 14

Gods grant me the resilience of the dragon scale,

the strength of the fangs,

the patience of the feather,

the reliability of the wings.

May your storms light our spirits,

your rain feed the seeds we’ve sown,

your wind fill our lungs,

and your waves always carry us home.

-In Praise of Dragons and Monsters by Maria Nunes

Sofia snuck up behind Gabriel while he was focused on his task. If he’d been working with the horses, she’d have taken more care, but he was sitting in an empty portion of the stables, a leather saddle laid across his lap as he rubbed oil into it.

She crept silently up before wrapping her arms around him.

“Hello!”

He jumped, giving a small yelp that had the horse in the nearest stall letting out a snort of air.

“Sof!” he said as he twisted to look at her, eyes wide for only a moment before his smile stretched wide. She’d learned over the past cycle that when his smile was at its widest, he had two dimples. She enjoyed the challenge of bringing that second dimple out.

He stood, wrapping her in a warm embrace, planting a soft kiss on her forehead and then her lips.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you working?”

She gave a sheepish shrug. She was in fact working, but like most days over the past few blinks, she’d finished the transcribing early, and with Mina out sick, she’d been left in the office alone. It was the peak of the hot season and even the breeze through the wide windows was blistering and stale.

“I won’t be missed for another hour.”

“Jorge might be back before then.”

“He won’t.” Jorge—the head of the stables—was currently in a meeting with the chief commander and general, something she only knew because she’d transcribed the schedule for the chief commander last week.

Gabriel only gave a small smirk and rolled his eyes. She’d never quite confessed what she did in the chief commander’s office for him, but he wasn’t stupid and had picked up over their time together that she wasn’t just dusting shelves.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you know everything?”

“Are you ever going to kiss me without having to give a speech first?” she asked, pressing herself closer to him.

He grinned in the way she knew he would and pulled her in for another kiss, his tongue tentatively touching her lips before he pulled away.

“I do still have work to do, unfortunately. The leathers need to be oiled by the end of the day and at this rate, I’m going to be here until dawn.”

She gave a dramatic sigh, but grabbed an extra rag from the workbench and sat across from where he’d been in front of the saddle. He followed suit, although she saw the glint of disappointment in his eyes that made her heart swell and the butterflies in her stomach dance. He’d have been happier to keep kissing.

Their relationship had started as stolen kisses in the evening after their shifts, but over the past few blinks, they’d spent more and more time together after work. Gabriel had even walked her home a few times, despite living in the complete opposite direction. Her parents had invited him for dinner for the coming week, despite knowing it would cut their rations for a few days following.