Page 25 of The Lost Art of Finding Where You Belong (Lost Arts #2)

Renny got a mutinous look on her face. “They aren’t like you! They won’t believe! They make things worse!”

Cormal had yelled at her that her brother was dead, Perian remembered suddenly, when he’d thought she was alluding to being with Kee.

Now, Perian would never hold Cormal up as the rational example of how people would behave, but Brannal had explained to Perian how they all thought it was simply an outlet after her brother’s death, and they weren’t quite sure what to do now that she was so much older and still claiming the same thing.

They knew about it, but Renny was right, they just didn’t believe.

Carefully, he said, “I just mean that there’s probably ways we could prove it, if you wanted.

Like, I could write something on a piece of paper while you were standing across the room, and Kee could tell you what it said so you could recite it for them.

Or someone who’s not me could do the writing, in case they thought we’d made it up beforehand.

Or he could read from a book that I was holding that you couldn’t possibly see, you know? ”

Renny still had a stubborn expression on her face. “They’re still not like you, Perian. You believed us before you thought of all that, and you didn’t ask us to do it.”

Huh. It hadn’t really occurred to Perian to make Renny prove it. He’d just sort of… found himself believing her.

She smiled faintly at the realization that must have shown on his face. “You treat us just like we’re people, even though we’re royalty and you can’t see or hear Kee. Even if we forced the others to admit it, what would happen?”

“Well, I imagine the Queen would want to talk to him,” Perian said, the first thing that occurred to him.

“So she could be all upset?” Renny paused as Kee evidently said something, and then she frowned. “You wouldn’t be!”

Perian said, “He wouldn’t be what?”

Renny looked distracted, but after a moment, she clarified, “He said he doesn’t want to be an invisible, soundless liability for the crown—which obviously he wouldn’t be!”

Perian supposed it was awkward to be the crown prince in that situation.

“We’re all right the way we are,” Renny told him. “Promise.”

“If you’re sure,” he said.

She nodded emphatically, her expression earnest. “So sure. It’s so much better with you here with us, and we want to keep it that way.”

“Yeah, all right,” Perian agreed.

He’d brought it up, at least, and maybe if they thought it over longer, they’d eventually decide they did want to prove it to everyone. And, he supposed, if they really didn’t want to, it was their choice.

After the picnic, he swung by the doctor’s room in hope of finding Nisal.

“Not hurt, I hope?” the doctor asked.

“No, no,” Perian assured her. “No training, nothing more strenuous than giggling at picnics, I promise. I’m actually looking for Nisal.”

“I believe they have training with the Mage Warriors this afternoon.”

“Thanks.”

He made his way back to the Mage Warrior wing, contemplating whether or not he should interrupt training for something that was probably objectively not that important, it just felt important in Perian’s mind.

He would just… walk up and down the corridor outside of the training rooms a few times, and if someone happened to look out—

“Perian, is everything all right?”

Yes!

Perian turned to Nisal. “Everything is totally fine, and I have a totally ridiculous favor to ask. It could probably wait, but I’m impatient, so I was just going to walk up and down the hallway and see if I could lure you out without actually asking.”

Nisal snorted with amusement, stuck their head back in the room to tell the other Mage Warriors they’d be back in a minute, and then joined Perian in the hall.

“Well?” they asked.

“Oh, knower of all things,” he began.

They snorted. “You’ve already got me on tenterhooks, get to the favor.”

“If I wanted to ‘accidentally’ run into Chamis the Warrior, where would I have to be and when? Preferably tomorrow, I guess, since you look busy right now.”

They eyed him for a long moment. “Seriously?”

Perian made a desperate face. “He and Bennan are pining. It’s painful to watch. I need to help .”

They continued to eye him for a moment, and then their face creased into a broad grin. “That’s really what has you so worked up? You want to get Bennan and Chamis together?”

“So badly!” Perian confessed, feeling the truth of it to his bones. “I tried talking to Bennan already, but it didn’t work. I’ve got to take the next step. ”

“Bennan doesn’t strike me as the shy type.”

Perian shook his head. “Too worried to rock the boat. And I know there’s a risk if I do it, but at least it’s not him doing it, and I will make clear he has no idea what I’m doing, and we can pretend it never happened if I’m wrong, but seriously, you’ve seen the two of them, haven’t you? How can I be wrong?”

They were still looking amused. “I’m not sure the rest of us see everything you see.”

Perian stared at them, aghast. “Are you saying you didn’t notice all the pining at dinner?”

They shrugged. “I noticed an occasional glance or two. There might have been some mutual appreciation.”

Perian couldn’t even explain it. “It’s all I can see now. It’s like I can feel it sympathetically, you know? And I just want it to be better for them.”

Nisal patted his arm. “All right, all right, I’ll see what I can do. But he really is shy, remember.”

“I know,” Perian said, nodding hurriedly. “That’s why I want to talk to him alone and casually if I can. I don’t want to embarrass him or upset him.”

Nisal nodded. “I’ll update you at dinner if I find anything out, all right?”

“Thank you. I owe you times ten thousand, as you already know.”

They shrugged this off. “I’m happy to help.”

“I’ll let you get back to lessons. Sorry to interrupt.”

They waved this off too. He went back to Brannal’s rooms and pulled out a book, but then he decided the bed was calling his name.

He pulled off his boots, eased out of his coat, and crawled under the covers.

He buried his face in Brannal’s pillow, but he didn’t think he could detect the smell of him anymore.

Perian needed those smells (and looks and touches and feelings and everything ).

And then, because he was lying in bed, daydreaming about Brannal, he slipped his hand in his trousers and jerked himself off, pretending it was Brannal pleasuring him.

He lay there for a moment, letting his breathing fall back to its normal rhythm, and then he sighed, cleaned himself up, and curled up next to the pillow once again.

Only two more nights. They would be together soon, and it could definitely not be soon enough for Perian.

He dozed but woke in time to get himself properly clean once more and even sit down in front of the fire with a book before Molun and Arvus showed up.

“No escapades today?” Molun asked. His eyes narrowed. “Or is this you covering up the escapades?”

“That seems entirely more likely,” Arvus said, lips curving into a smile.

Perian laughed. “No escapades, I’m afraid. Renny says I’m getting very boring.”

And then, of course, Nisal arrived.

“Perian, there you are. I have that super-secret information you requested.”

Molun looked outraged. “Escapades! And you were trying to hide them from us!”

“Do you not understand the meaning of ‘super secret’?” Perian asked teasingly. “It means without you knowing, obviously.”

Molun pouted. “Why don’t I get to know?”

“Because it’s none of your business,” Perian told him loftily. “Now go away, and let Nisal tell me the super-secret information.”

Molun’s pout deepened. Perian relented.

“Go wait in the hallway, and you can come with me to dinner in two minutes.”

Arvus snorted and grabbed Molun’s arm and towed him out into the hallway, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Perian laughed. “So?”

Nisal was grinning. “You are such a tease. I love it. Early morning is your best bet, apparently. Leaving his room on the way to breakfast.”

“And you know where his room is?”

“I do now,” Nisal said. “I’m pretty sure it’s now being assumed I have designs on the man.” They shrugged. “He seems nice enough, and he is pretty.”

“Right?” Perian was nodding. “I’m not actually certain it’s normal to have this many pretty people in one place together, but I’m so very grateful for it.”

“Agreed,” Nisal said with another smile.

They described how to get to Chamis’s room, confirmed what time he was usually at breakfast, and now Perian had a plan for tomorrow.

Then he and Nisal headed out into the corridor and put up with Molun’s good-natured attempts to find out their secrets.

Arvus put a hand on his arm as they reached the dining hall, and he fell silent just in time. Perian liked watching their dynamic. It spoke of a great deal of familiarity and trust.

While they ate, Perian was careful not to spend much time looking at Chamis, so as not to make anyone suspicious.

He continued to flirt with Bennan because that was easy, and he could actually watch it putting the other man at ease.

Yes, this was definitely a way that Bennan expressed himself and interacted with the world.

It would throw him off to have Chamis not respond to it.

Perian was still sure there was something there. If Chamis didn’t want to do anything, Perian swore he would leave it alone. But if they could be together but weren’t because they each thought the other person didn’t actually want them… Perian wasn’t going to stand by and let that continue.