Page 3

Up in Flames

The following morning, Damir rapped on the door.

Velinka opened it and welcomed him into the living room. She set an iron key on the table and returned to her armchair.

“These are for you, as promised.” He nodded to the stack of pine wood in his arms.

“Oh, thank you, dear.” She gestured to a dark brown wicker basket at the base of the stairwell.

“Set them in there for now. Daro left for work an hour ago, and I’ve been mending some of the girls’ poneva skirts.

They should be down any moment now, but while you wait, you can keep me company. Take a seat.”

As she brought a piece of thread through the eye of a needle, he removed his coat, hung it on the stand, then reclined into the wooden chair closest to the stove.

Once he’d slipped off his gloves, he rubbed his hands together for warmth.

He frowned—why in the realm wasn’t Adelina downstairs? It was well past dawn.

“Where’s Adelina?” he asked.

“She didn’t sleep well. I heard her pacing throughout the night—the walls are thin.” Velinka brought the red thread through the fabric, setting about her work of mending a poppy petal. “I went to check on her and she assured me she was fine.”

Pursing his lips, he nodded once. If something was bothering Adelina, she’d confide in him. Right?

Someone came clomping down the staircase beside Damir.

“Ah. That’d be the girls,” Velinka said.

Tihana hopped off the bottom step, cradling a tattered bunny in her arms. She climbed onto her seat at the dining table, then positioned the toy in her father’s vacant chair. “Where’s Pa?”

“Work, dear. He’s taken breakfast with him.”

Damir resisted the urge to crane his neck to get a glance up the stairwell. Instead, he tapped his foot. The rapid beat of his heart slowed as soft footsteps echoed through the floorboards above his head.

Moments later, Adelina emerged in her nightdress, rubbing her eyes.

Her mother gasped. “Darling, we have a guest!”

Damir clamped his palms over his eyes. “I saw nothing.” But the corners of his lips twitched.

“Sorry, Ma. I tossed and turned all night. Bad dream.”

“Go and change at once.” Velinka tutted.

When she padded back up the staircase, Damir opened his eyes.

Although he’d said otherwise, he’d glimpsed the ruched fabric beneath her breasts, the delicate lace hem around the neckline, and her bare collarbones peeking over the top.

He cleared his throat and reverted his attention to the pile of skirts. His cheeks cooled.

“Adelina is twenty years of age. You’d think she’d know by now to dress before leaving her room. If Tihana can manage, so can she.” Velinka gestured to her youngest daughter, who sat patiently beside him. Her clothes were neatly pressed, and her hair plaited down the length of her back.

“It’s no problem at all,” he said. “Is there anything I can help you with while we wait for Adelina?”

“In fact, there is. We are out of water. It is usually Tihana’s chore to take the pail to the well and fill it. Can you accompany her, please?” Velinka asked.

“Of course,” Damir said as Tihana shoved her feet into her boots, then wrestled with her bulky overcoat.

“Thank you.” Velinka smiled, turning her attention back to her work.

Damir slid into his coat, then took Tihana’s from her and held it out. “Here.”

Grinning, she slipped her arms into the holes. “Thanks.”

He opened the door and guided her out. It clicked shut behind them.

∞∞∞

Adelina entered the sitting room as her mother placed a tin of loose tea leaves on the dining table .

“I’ve sent the others to fetch some water for tea,” her mother said.

“Sorry for earlier, Ma. I wasn’t expecting Damir so early.” She yawned.

“Dear, you look dreadful.” Velinka patted her arm.

“Didn’t sleep well.” The images from her vivid dream taunted her, and the scar tingled on her left shoulder. She needed to tell Damir—he’d reassure her. Most importantly, he’d believe her when she told him she thought it was connected to the test somehow.

“A good mug of tea will make you feel better.” Velinka slipped onto a seat at the dining table as Damir and Tihana hurried in through the door, pail of water in hand.

As her mother poured the tea, she dragged a hand over her face. Gods, she was tired.

“I have a list of items I’ll need you to fetch me from the market, dear. Perhaps Damir can accompany you.” Velinka wiggled her eyebrows, setting a steaming mug in front of her.

Adelina’s cheeks warmed. “ Ma.”

“What was that?” Damir asked, although Adelina was positive he’d heard. Afterall, he was only a few feet away. Perhaps he was pretending he hadn’t to be polite.

“Would you escort my daughter to the market, please?” Velinka scooted past Adelina, picked up an old newsletter from the sideboard, and handed it to him. “I’ve run out of parchment, so I’ve written the items at the top.”

“Of course.” Damir smiled.

By the front door, Adelina dressed in her coat and gloves, then threw her satchel over her shoulder. Her mother waved goodbye from the porch as the pair strolled along the cobbles into town.

“Damir, there’s something I have to tell you.” She gave him a sideways glance. “It feels like I’ve been holding my breath all morning.”

“What’s wrong?” He stopped in front of her and placed a hand on her arm as his brows knitted into a frown.

“Maybe we should go somewhere more private.” She surveyed her surroundings. The market ahead bustled with locals. What would people think if they overheard her talking about a dream that affected her in real life, mere days before the test?

He nodded and placed her hand in the nook of his elbow.

On their way to the market, they passed a group of locals clearing away the remnants of the previous night’s festivities.

Further down, the street was lined with stalls selling fabrics, herbs and spices, fruit and vegetables, and chickens clucking in their coops.

Fresh bales of hay were stacked outside the barn, and Adelina glimpsed the owner brushing a horse’s tan coat.

On the other end of the market, past the town’s famous bakery, was a trail leading to a scenic route along the stream flowing straight through Aramoor. Snow-covered pines dotted the flat ground, and a bench was positioned next to the body of water.

Damir wiped the snow away with his gloved hand, then took a seat. A heavy sigh escaped Adelina’s lips as she relaxed beside him. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

“You’re starting to worry me, Ad.” He leaned closer, pulling her hands away from her face. “What’s happened? ”

She hastily told him about the dream, then tilted her head back and looked up at the thick white clouds. “I’d show you the mark if it wasn’t so cold out here.”

“I believe you,” he said. “But what does it mean?”

“I have no idea.” She swallowed. A dull headache crept into her temples.

He pressed two fingers to his chin. “Why the mark of the new sun? Is the mark connected to the test itself or to astral magic?”

She knew what it would mean if she possessed the magic Filip Tarasov had spent the last decade searching for.

He’d want her with him to reunite the divided people of Temauten, Toichrist, and Saintlandsther.

“I don’t know the answers to those questions.

What I do know is the people have been separated for so long over money, land, and power.

What if I can help? Filip says his desire is to bring peace.

If I do have astral magic, I couldn’t walk away from that. ”

Damir drew her close and stroked her hair. “I know, but to live here without you…well, it’s not a fate I wish to explore. When I imagine the future, one thing is constant. You. You’re always there.”

“If Filip took me with him, he would never let me leave.” She pulled away. A curl tumbled loose from her bun.

A moment passed as a thick crease wedged itself between his eyebrows. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“What is it?” Her chest tightened.

“We’ve known each other forever, right?” He swallowed. “We could leave. Live somewhere. You and me. I’ve spent so much time with the carpenters—I’m sure I could find an apprenticeship, and you’re good at needlework—you could work for a seamstress.”

Adelina’s lips parted as she digested his rambled words. Whatever she thought he was going to say, it wasn’t that.

“You know we can’t leave. They would find us wherever we go. Filip and his men have a register of every person in every town,” she said.

He tilted his head to the sky and sighed. “I just…I can’t risk losing you.”

“What are you not telling me?” She clasped his hand, willing him to utter whatever weighed on his mind.

His cheeks reddened as he lowered his gaze back to her. “The thought of you leaving me is crippling. If you told me you wanted to run away to escape Filip—if you feel this mark has sealed your fate—then I would go with you.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she blinked slowly. Her heart soared.

“Damir, I…” She shook her head. “I don’t want to be apart from you either, but whatever is in store for me, I won’t run from it. But I’m glad I have you to help me through it.”

A slight smile tilted the corner of his lips, but it wavered. “Come on. Let’s get your Ma’s things. Maybe a walk through the market will clear your mind.”

He rose, then stuck out his hand.

She clasped his palm with hers, and he hoisted her from the bench. With his arm draped around her shoulder, they followed the trail towards the busy stalls.

∞∞ ∞

Daro dabbed his sweat lined forehead with a rag, then tossed the scrap of material onto his workbench.

In the two hours since opening, he’d already received three orders for refurbishment and a further two for services.

As a good stove maker, he held a positive reputation amongst the villagers, and often he would receive tips or small gifts in gratitude.