Tobias #2
“I’ll be optimistic enough for the both of us, Maris,” she said finally. “I’m used to it by now.”
Her shoulders slumped, and her hand dropped to her side, though the pressure from her finger remained in an ache above my heart.
It was an effort not to reach for that hand as she closed her eyes, taking a deep, stabilizing breath.
We were all terrified for Eva, but Quinn had the added strain of not only her best friend’s life but the fate of the realm resting on her shoulders.
And here I was making things harder for her.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, knowing it was nowhere near enough.
“I know.” The disappointment in her voice hurt like a physical blow. Quinn didn’t even look at me before she walked over to Eva.
It took more effort than usual to hide my fears away—to bind them with iron chains inside the cells where they belonged. When I was sure my face was impassive, I glanced over at my sister. “Should we get back to—”
“Quinn?”
Eva’s voice was a dry rasp, barely loud enough to hear. Bash rushed toward her, but Quinn placed a steadying hand on his arm as she passed him to reach Eva’s side.
“Hey there,” Quinn said softly. She lifted a glass of water from Eva’s bedside table and brought it to her lips. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m—” Eva swallowed thickly, then took a large gulp of water. The room was so silent I could hear each swallow. “I’m okay. Just thirsty.”
She took one more sip, then shook her head slightly. Quinn set the water back down.
“I can get you something to eat too now that you’re…”
Quinn trailed off as Eva blinked, staring up at Bash with bewilderment. The fog whitening the irises of her eyes had gotten worse, like a winter frost creeping across a windowpane. Her breathing accelerated as those eyes searched his.
“I don’t understand.”
Bash reached for her. “I’m here, hellion. It’s going to be okay—”
Eva reared back. Bash immediately pulled his hand away as the surprise in his expression turned to pained understanding. I winced. Whatever my issues with my sister’s betrothed, it was obvious how deeply he loved her.
Eva looked around in confusion before refocusing on Bash. Her eyes were wide as they scanned his face.
He had gone utterly still, like the smallest movement might spook her. Even his shadows retreated, wrapping around his forearms like a snake.
Her brow furrowed, her tone halting as she murmured, “I feel like I know you.”
The room seemed to freeze at the confirmation that all our fears had been right, the evidence like a dagger in my gut.
I was glad I was mostly out of sight in the other room, especially as I shifted behind Marin.
If Eva didn’t know Bash, I didn’t want the shock of my return from the dead to drain her further.
Quinn had been her constant, not me.
The flash of heartbreak across Bash’s face was there and gone in an instant. “You do.”
“Hellion…” Eva whispered, her voice tinged with confusion. “Is that supposed to be a nickname?”
The shadows in the corners of the room surged forward like a storm of night, swirling agitatedly around the bed just outside Eva’s view. Their master remained perfectly still.
“It’s not any worse than ‘freckles’.” Bash’s tone was forcibly light though I could hear the underlying strain. His throat bobbed. “But you can call me Bash.”
“Bash,” Eva repeated. Her tongue darted across her chapped upper lip. “I feel like I…like I should…”
Her face crumpled. Bash started to reach for her, before resting his hand on her pillow. His fingers curled in a fist, trembling with tension—the sole betrayal of his composure. A single strand of shadow slipped past his hold to weave within the tangles of her hair.
Eva stared at Bash, confusion knitting her brows. “Why do I feel like this?”
Bash’s mouth parted but no sound came out. He blinked rapidly though it did nothing to dispel the sudden sheen in his eyes.
“You have a fever,” Quinn said evenly. “One that’s affecting your memory.”
“When you feel better, I’ll explain everything, I promise.” Bash’s voice had gone hoarse, worn thin with emotion, but he managed a strained smile. “Right now, food and rest are the best cures.”
“No,” Eva whispered. “That’s not what I mean. Why do I feel like you’re…”
She tilted her head, the question hanging in the air. The hope in Bash’s eyes may have broken what was left of my heart.
“I’m whatever you need me to be, Eva,” Bash said, his tone unwavering.
“Your nurse, currently. Your protector, though you rarely need it. Your friend, though Quinn might fight me for the title of ‘best’. Your anima, though that’s a term better saved for another time.
There’s no me without you, and I never want there to be. ”
The cloudiness in Eva’s irises seemed to clear for a moment. “Tell me something…”
“Anything,” Bash prompted, his shadows stilling in anticipation.
Her voice was hesitant but clear. “Tell me something…true.”
Bash jolted slightly, his wide eyes darting to Quinn before quickly returning to Eva. His voice was miraculously steady as he asked, “Something real?”
Eva’s lips curved in a small smile.
“I love you.” Bash’s voice broke, just slightly.
A line formed between Eva’s brows, and I found myself holding my breath as a hint of that familiar gold flickered behind the unnatural cloudiness in her eyes.
“I feel like I’m lost,” Eva whispered. “Like there’s something I need to remember. But I know that I love you too.”
The shadows faded back to their corners, except for the few still trailing around Bash’s arms. His voice shook as he vowed, “We’re going to fix this, Eva.”
He glanced at Quinn, who went still at the pleading in his gaze before nodding. Her jaw set with resolved determination, though I could see the doubt behind her eyes. It was all I could do not to step between them.
Didn’t he realize the pressure wasn’t helping?
Marin sidled up next to Eva, a steaming bowl of broth in her hands. “Let’s get some food in you while you’re up, okay?”
Eva’s eyes immediately darted to Quinn. Marin gave Quinn a tight smile as she passed her the bowl, then added another pillow behind Eva’s head. She was so weak that Quinn helped her bring the spoon to her lips while Bash’s hand supported the back of her neck.
Quinn already knew what was at stake. She had been carrying the weight of it since the moment Eva had first fallen sick.
After all, she had taken responsibility for my sister long before that.
Following my supposed death, our parents, and Quinn’s, it had been just the two of them for years—the only family either of them had left, at least to their knowledge.
And while I was sure Eva looked after Quinn in return, Quinn had been the only one to know the whole truth—and thus the one to bear the burden alone.
I owed her far more than I could ever repay for all she had done to keep Eva safe, both mentally and physically—and I would do anything I could to ease her burden now. But the weight of this? I knew without a doubt that if Eva didn’t survive this, Bash wasn’t the only one it would ruin.
Quinn helped Eva to the bathroom, only our joint helplessness filling the silence as we waited. When they returned, Bash gently lifted Eva onto the bed.
“I trust you,” Eva said sleepily, her words slurring together as she let out a yawn.
Bash carefully arranged the blankets around her, his fingers trembling as he lifted a glass of water to her lips. He waited for her to swallow before asking, “Do you need anything else?”
Eva’s eyelashes fluttered slowly, fighting a losing battle to remain open. “Will you stay with me?”
“Of course,” Bash said softly. “Rest now. You’ll need your strength to fight this.”
Shadows pulled the covers higher, fluffing Eva’s pillow as she sank back against them. Her eyes shut instantly as if she lacked the strength to keep them open.
They should have gotten married today. They should’ve been happy—laughing at their ceremony, dancing under the starlight, and being celebrated by their friends and subjects alike.
Instead, Bash was barely holding himself together, and my twin was fighting for her life in this godsforsaken castle once more.
“If I forget when I wake up, remind me again…” Eva let out a sigh, her next words so quiet I almost missed them. “That I love you.”
Bash’s chest rose sharply as he swiped the back of his hand across his eyes.
His voice cracked as he promised, “Always.”