Page 18 of Evermore (The Never Sky #3)

Paesha

D id I have the strength to open that door? Could I stand in his home, in his study, and not be consumed by the thoughts of him? Could I forget it all? His hands on me, his lips on mine?

Yes. I could. Because fuck him. And the book that lay under my pillow, burning hot and mostly ignored, though I could likely draw the etchings on the spine in my sleep at this point.

If I ever slept again, but as the door slowly crept open and Quill came stumbling in, rubbing her eyes, I simply scooted over and lifted the covers, letting her crawl in beside me.

“Are you fixed?” she whispered, dragging her little finger down my nose.

“I’m working on it, my girl. I promise.”

“Your heart still hurts.”

“Yes, it does.”

She wrapped her arms around me, her breath warm against my skin. “That wasn’t a question.”

“We thought maybe we could go on a little adventure today. Remember when I told you about the children in Stirling?”

“We get to go meet them?”

“We do. But only if you’re on your best behavior, Quilly. No tantrums. No big bursts of magic.”

“I can’t believe there’s an entire house of children. I’m so excited. I could take some of my books and things.”

“That would be kind.”

Quill hadn’t been around many children because there were so few in Requiem, but I imagined it’d be good for her to be around others her age. To see it was okay to be nine with no pressure to be anything more than that. No matter what her power would have her believe.

“Did you sleep at all?” Archer asked as we stood together at the door, waiting for the others to join us.

“No. You?”

“Nope. But I’ve got to face it, I guess. If this is what you’re sure you want to do, we do it together.”

The bands, reminding me I belonged to Alastor, burned so severely, it was hard to ignore them, but I did my best, forcing a smile as I watched Quill come bouncing down the steps toward us, a bag flung over her shoulder.

She held up her pointer finger. “I got a paper cut from one of the books. I don’t have to put the stinging stuff on it, do I? ”

She hated Elowen’s tinctures.

Archer knelt down. “I think a paper cut is probably okay to heal on its own, but I could take care of it for you if you wanted me to.”

I nearly choked on my gasp. Archer hated using his magic.

“Why does that make you nervous?” Quill asked, tilting her head as she looked at Archer. “I can tell, you know?”

“I know.” He took a deep breath, speaking words I’d always known him to avoid.

“My sister used to have a really special power. And one day a bad man took it because of something foolish I did. Ever since, I’ve hated using mine.

It felt wrong, like I was betraying her somehow.

But now she’s gone, and I’ve realized something.

Harlow hated it when I held back because of what happened to her.

She pushed me to embrace who I was, magic and all.

She’d want me to use my gift to help others.

” Archer gently took Quill’s hand, examining the small cut on her finger.

“So maybe it’s time I start honoring her memory by doing what she always encouraged me to do. ”

As Archer’s fingers traced over Quill’s paper cut, time appeared to slow, then stop completely.

Dust motes hung suspended in shafts of morning light streaming through the windows.

The pendulum of the grandfather clock in the hall froze mid-swing.

Even the flames in the fireplace stood eerily still, frozen tongues of blue, orange and gold.

For a breathless moment, Archer, Quill and I were caught in a bubble outside of time.

The cut on her finger remained unchanged, neither healing nor worsening.

Archer’s eyes widened in shock, his fingers still hovering over Quill’s hand.

Her curls were suspended in mid-bounce, her mouth open in shock, likely just like mine.

I watched in stunned silence. The binding marks on my wrists pulsed urgently, as if sensing the disturbance in the natural order of things.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the moment shattered.

Time lurched back into motion with an audible snap.

The dust motes resumed their lazy dance.

The clock ticked on, and the fire crackled merrily as if nothing had happened.

Archer jerked his hand back as if he’d been burned, staring at his fingers.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I… I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Hey, you fixed it. There’s no hurt at all now.” Quill held up her hand.

But neither of us looked away from each other. “Archer, correct me if I’m wrong, but you descend from a healing god of some kind, don’t you?”

He narrowed his eyes, looking at me like I’d grown a second head. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Because it’s time?” I whispered, as if Vesalia could hear me speak her name. “What was Harlow’s power? Before she lost it?”

“She could pause time. Holy shit. She could pause time. Is that what I just did?”

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t. Not for moments, as I replayed what had happened.

“I think the answer you’re looking for is yes,” said a voice from the porch.

Fucking Aeris.

I flung the door open. “When did you get here?”

“I knocked, no one answered.”

“Archer healed my finger,” Quill said, lifting her pointer finger as if Aeris could see the injury.

“Did he now?”

“You didn’t answer my question. When did you get here?”

“About three minutes ago, dear. Forgive me. I was caught off guard by the time halt.”

“You felt that?” Archer asked.

“I did, but don’t worry. Most wouldn’t have. Not unless they were close enough to you. Are we headed somewhere?”

Archer and I didn’t get to answer before Quill. “Yes. We’re going to see the orphans in the new city.”

“Oh,” Aeris said, that wrinkled smile on her face fooling only Quill as Archer and I exchanged a glance. “That’s lovely. I’m sure you’ll have quite the adventure.”

“You should come,” Quill said, bouncing on her toes as Aeris smoothed her hands down her brown apron.

“Gods probably have far more important things to do than follow mortals around the cities,” I tried, hoping Aeris would take the hint.

Though I’m sure she did, she still saw the opportunity and grabbed it. “Oh nonsense. I’d be happy to tag along. See what I can make of Stirling these days.”

“I’m pretty sure Stirling is fine without fancy makeovers and gilded streets,” I said, not bothering to hide the unamused tone in my voice.

“Don’t mind her.” Quill took Aeris’s hand. “She doesn’t trust you. She says we have to be careful with the gods. But I told her you were good, so Thea says she’ll come around.”

“Quill, you don’t have to repeat everything you hear,” I hissed at her.

“I know,” the kid said with a shrug as she stepped past me and walked out the door with Aeris.

“We can’t take her to Thorne’s house,” Archer whispered. “We have to protect those kids.”

I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. “We can’t uninvite her now without pissing off Quill. And after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to risk setting her off again. Her power is too volatile, too dangerous, when she’s upset.”

Archer’s jaw clenched as he watched Aeris and Quill chatting animatedly on the porch. “I get it, but bringing a god into Thorne’s home, into the orphanage… It feels wrong. Like we’re betraying their trust somehow.”

“I know,” I said softly. “But we’ll be vigilant. We won’t let Aeris out of our sight for a second.”

The creak of floorboards drew our attention as Thea descended the stairs with Elowen close behind.

Our small group made its way through the transformed landscape of Requiem.

The city I once knew had been utterly changed, remade into something both beautiful and unsettling.

Dark marble edifices loomed on either side of us.

Ornate carvings adorned the front of every building with twining vines, mythical beasts, and scenes from a history I didn’t recognize.

The streets were paved with gold, real gold that clinked softly with each step.

It should have been breathtaking, but there was an artificial quality to it all, as if someone had tried to recreate a city from a fairytale without quite understanding what made a place feel alive.

It was cold. Missing the fire built to keep a homeless man safe, missing the warmth of an old woman wrapped in layers of threadbare scarves as she watched the hustle and bustle of the people passing by.

And it was still missing the people. All of them.

Quill skipped ahead, her curls bouncing as she pointed out various landmarks to Archer. “And over there used to be an old, rusted bench, but now it’s this amazing statue of a mermaid! The water comes out of her tail and everything. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Archer nodded, looking around in wonder, seeing Requiem for the first time in daylight, though I was seeing it for the first time too. “Sure is, Pencil. Just missing the people.”

“And it’s all thanks to Aeris,” Quill beamed. “Paesha, isn’t it amazing?”

I forced a smile, not wanting to dampen Quill’s enthusiasm. “It’s certainly… different.”