Page 18 of Sins of the Stone
Ursulette
T he time passed by in a flash. It felt like only a few moments between affectionate evenings, making meals for each other, and late-night bedroom romps. Though Ursulette expected to be excited, in reality, she had the opposite feeling. The sun was bright in the sky, indicating the day was in full swing. She was finishing cooking breakfast over the fire—some eggs Ramuz had gathered—while her stony companion observed.
The little crackles and pops of the charring logs below brought little comfort. She looked at the food like her thousand-yard stare would bring it to temperature. Ramuz’s eyes tried to catch on hers, but her gaze was lost in thought. The edges of the eggs were deep brown when he wandered over and slid the pan off the fire.
“I think they’re done, my treasure,” he said. Ursulette shook her head quickly, glancing at him as he slid the spatula from her rigid grasp.
“Thank you, Ramuz,” she replied with an uneasy smile. Ramuz returned a bow as he wandered over to the kitchen, dividing the food onto plates and setting it on the table. The chair squealed against the wood floor as Ursulette sat down, folding her hands in her lap. Ramuz popped a bite in his mouth, eyeing her from across the table as she moved the cooling food from one side of her plate to the other.
“Ursulette.” She snapped to attention. “Today is the day we go back, correct?” She took in a breath, then nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m quite nervous. ”
“I noticed.”
Her face flushed, setting her fork down as her eyes veered to the side. The food on Ramuz’s plate was rapidly vanishing, but Ursulette’s remained full.
“I know it’s going to…” She struggled to not choke on her words. “It’ll, um, be painful. Even though I wasn’t accepted, it was still my home, my people. I had a friend…” Her eyes fell as she pushed her plate away. “I-I hope he’s okay. Him and everyone else. Even the librarian, Maritza. And maybe even Omar and Kent. But I know that’s… unrealistic.” Ramuz’s shoulders slumped as he pushed his plate to meet hers. Then he stood, heading over to Ursulette’s frozen form.
“I will be there for you, you know,” he said, placing his clawed hand on her trembling shoulder. Her brow furrowed.
“What? No, you won’t. They’ll hurt you.”
“No, they will not.” Ursulette opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Ramuz continued. “But if it will ease your mind, then I will do what you ask, my treasure.” Her face burned from something other than her nerves for the first time that day. She placed her hand atop his.
“Yes, it would make me feel better. Not everyone is so open to being around creatures, you know.”
Ramuz smirked. “I am well aware,” he said, brushing her hair from her neck. “I will listen, though, and watch. Even if your village is crumbled, I am still quite skilled at sneaking amongst you. While we were there, I scouted many excellent hiding places.” She blushed again.
“You’ll watch…” she muttered, her blush deepening. His brow raised, tracing the conch of her ear. Ursulette’s skin broke into gooseflesh.
“Do you not enjoy it when I observe?”
“No!” she blurted. “I mean, yes. I do. Very much. Probably too much.” Her face heated more as she tried to stop the tremble in her hands. “I am a mess.” A nervous chuckle slipped from her lips.
“You can be as much of a mess as you want. I do not mind your blunders. In fact, I enjoy them.” Ramuz leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then wandered off to prepare for the big day ahead.
* * *
The pair landed near the edge of the ruined village. They shared a quick hug before separating. Ursulette watched as Ramuz glanced around for a hiding spot with a smile, then began her short trek to the center of the village.
She twiddled her hands together, pinching the ties of her dress between her fingers in hopes of quelling her anxiety as she walked. She passed the broken gargoyle statue and nodded at it, praying they would not end up like that. Once the center of the village came into view, a comfortably familiar shadow was lurking behind every corner. When she was pulled from her racing thoughts, she picked up speed and approached the small group of people gathered near the gallows.
The gallows.
Her heart rate sped up. She stopped abruptly as they came into view, realizing exactly who was left. Yes, there were familiar faces, almost too familiar. Despite what she said about hoping Omar was okay, she was still wary as he turned toward her.
It would’ve been better if he just popped off the face of the world, but things were never that easy. Her face flushed as her eyes met with his, him giving her a soft smile. Ursulette gave him a wave and continued to walk, almost wishing she turned around and left before being spotted.
As she scanned the handful of chattering people, she saw a sight that made her heart soar. Giles was there, conversing with someone. It didn’t shock her that she didn’t recognize some people. There were many citizens she never encountered. Before Omar could reach her, she sprinted over to her old friend.
“Giles!” Ursulette shouted, throwing her arms around him. He laughed heartily, and a sound struck her ears as she pressed her face to his shoulder. A long stick had fallen to the ground, and when she looked down to observe it, his leg appeared crooked. A sorrow took root in her stomach but quickly dissolved upon hearing his croaky tone again.
“Gods, Ursulette, I thought you were dead,” he said .
“I’m strong, you know that,” she beamed as they separated. Their joy was electric until a set of footsteps interrupted their reunion. She turned, and her heart skipped again.
“It’s nice to see you, Ursulette,” Omar said, a strange glint in his eye. Ursulette avoided his gaze. She noticed almost everyone around had some cast, wrap, or scar adorning their body, but not Omar. She wondered why that would be.
“It’s, um, nice to see you too,” she said, pulling her gaze back to him. “Truly.” She wasn’t sure if she meant it, but even someone as wicked as he deserved some sympathy. Even if he had made her life a living hell for the past few years. But even then, he didn’t deserve suffering or death. No one did.
“How have you been? You look like you’ve lost weight,” he said. Ursulette fought the urge to scowl. It would possibly be one of the hardest things she would have to do, but it was necessary if she wanted to keep the peace and maintain her relationship with Giles. Omar’s brow arched, his face begging for a blow.
“Perhaps,” she said. “It’s hard being on your own.”
“I’m sure,” he replied. Ursulette chomped down on her tongue, going back to fiddling with the tie of her dress. Her heart fluttered, feeling like every eye in the universe was on her, observing her lies—seeing through them.
“T-that’s why I’m glad I found you all.”
“Of course,” Omar said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Ursulette pinched the knot in her tie, causing her fingers to ache until his hand was removed. “We are glad as well, aren’t we?” His voice got louder, drawing leers and making her want to shrink away.
When she looked over, Giles was giving Omar a pointed look. A wave of nods flowed through the group as their attention was pulled from their conversations. Then Omar leaned in so only she could hear.
“I’m delighted you’re okay, Ursulette. Truly. ” The snide grin on his face made her stomach curdle. Her skin felt like it was covered in insects, but out of sheer panic, she returned him a nervous smile.
Just keep the peace.
“We have much to discuss, don’t we? Reunions and such,” he said. Ursulette bobbed her head. “Let’s go back to our camp, then. You look like you could use a meal.” Omar turned away, motioning for everyone to follow. Giles shot her a puzzled look that made her eyes fall to the ground, and his shoulders drooped in response. They followed Omar as Ursulette lagged behind.
Once everyone was ahead of her, she glanced behind them, scanning the ravaged houses for her beloved gargoyle. Finally, after a moment, he peeked around the corner of a half-charred home. Ursulette gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to get that scowl etched in his expression to fade. She waved her hand, urging him to tail the group. He nodded and vanished behind the home.
Just as Ursulette spun back around, Omar glanced over his shoulder, his eyes burning holes in her. She gave the same reassuring smile she gave to Ramuz, of course with less sincerity, and continued their walk.