Tender #2
She glanced down and realized that Aaryn's fingers were still threaded with her own. Thea skated her thumb over the back of Aaryn's hand absentmindedly. She blinked slowly as the day caught up to her, the skin of her face tight from the heat she'd been so close to, eyes itchy from the smoke.
They sat at the table in silence, and for once it was comfortable, easy, as she stroked a pattern into Aaryn's skin. Thea wouldn't dare be the one to break the contact, and she began to wonder just how long she could get away with it.
Maybe it was seeing Runa again. Maybe it was the curiosity she sensed from Aaryn, answering her questions and revisiting things she'd long forgotten. Or tried to forget.
Maybe both were the reason memories followed her to the mattress and kept her awake even while Aaryn slept soundly beside her.
I can fit through that.
Thea, too young to be considering doing dangerous things, considered doing a dangerous thing.
The healer's stall in the market was empty—for now. All that remained to watch over it was a chicken, squawking randomly at those that passed by, a warning.
One Thea couldn't afford to heed.
Her mother's cough haunted her. She could still feel the heat of her brow on the back of her small hand, her voice rasping weakly.
But Thea knew this healer, though she seemed an eccentric woman, usually carried things to ail those in need. Now was the perfect time. She'd stepped away, out of sight, and her stall was empty.
Save for that stupid chicken.
Thea met its gaze, beady eyes locked on her own, and she glared, shuffling closer in the crowd.
As a cart went by, making the chicken squawk in alarm at the noise, Thea knelt and rolled beneath the table, the cloth falling to the ground behind her, the perfect cover.
It was hot, and sweat beaded on her forehead, making her hands damp as she yanked the healer’s unattended bag closer and began to rummage.
She knew the shape of the capsules she needed, little white ovals. She just had to find them.
She had to.
But the first bag did not hold what she needed, and her breath raced, sweat dripping from her forehead to splatter to the dusty ground.
Her hands, just as dusty, left a smear on the canvas bag as she traded it for another, searching—searching.
Her gasp was small as she found what she searched for: a tiny jar with a collection of the exact white ovals she needed.
Quickly, she poured some into her hand and stuffed them into her pockets. But just when she was replacing the jar, something grabbed her foot and she was yanked from beneath the table, her hands scrabbling at the ground to no avail.
"You little brat! What are you doing?" the healer shouted, drawing the attention of the surrounding stalls.
The color left Thea's face when presented with such anger, and she felt tears well in her eyes.
"I was—I was—" She couldn't get the words out, couldn't even come up with a lie on the spot. She just wanted her mom to feel better, but if she said that, the healer would know she'd stolen something and—
"There you are! Found you!" a small voice called, and Thea felt a tap against her shoulder. "Tag! Now it's my turn to hide and you have to find me!"
Thea turned her big eyes over to a familiar face, smile wide and hair wild. Runa.
Thea knew her. Her parents had a fish stall, just like Thea's. Except Runa's parents were better at fishing. Her parents weren't sick. Her dad hadn't—
The healer released her with a harsh shove. "Get out of here, and quit playing around my stall! Great Dragon help me," the healer grumbled.
Runa took her hand, dragging her in the opposite direction, and Thea glanced over her shoulder in disbelief. The chicken watched her escape with beady, knowing eyes.
Thea was crying by the time Runa pulled her to a stop far away, beneath the shade of a tree.
"What were you under there for? You know that healer is really mean!"
"I know," Thea whispered.
Runa, no older than Thea, seemed so wise then. "Is it for your mom?"
Thea nodded, and Runa beamed, pushing her gently in the direction of their tiny home. "Then go make her feel better. Be more careful next time, okay?"
Thea wiped her face and nodded. "Thank you."
Runa hugged her tightly. "If my dad was sick, I'd want him to feel better too. Good luck. Maybe we can play soon, like we used to."
"Okay," Thea agreed, and ran off.
Those medicines hadn't been the ones her mother had needed. They'd eased her pain for a bit, but eventually she'd succumbed to the illness.
Thea had been left alone.
And she'd never managed to play with Runa again.
Thea had never forgotten the little girl's kindness. She'd also never seen her again, because their stall had been robbed clean with no one to man it, and someone else took their place.
Thea got better at stealing after that, stale bread or cheese or whatever else she could snag from the market vendors, when she was still small enough to blend into the crowd.
As she'd grown, it had become more difficult, and it was when she was most desperate that Vaelen had found her.
Now it was Thea finding Vaelen, knocking on the door twice before pushing in.
"Thea!" she greeted, smiling—stressed—as she waved Thea in.
"How're things?" Thea asked.
"Bad, as usual," Vaelen answered.
Thea appreciated that Vaelen never hid the truth from her. "What's going on?"
"What isn't going on?" Vaelen whined. "I have no idea what Evergale is doing, aside from causing problems. The new isle is already cramped and I'm worried about taking advantage of our people's kindness and patience."
"And your shoulder?" Thea drawled as Vaelen attempted to smooth out a map with a huff. Her glare was enough to make Thea swallow her words.
"My shoulder is fine. My people are not."
Thea hummed sympathetically. It was true that their people were cramped now; even the training barracks had been repurposed to house whoever would fit.
"Should we start on a new isle?"
Vaelen lowered her head into her hands. "It's barely been weeks since the last one. I hate to expend those resources, exhaust our magic users. What if something happens and they're all depleted?"
Thea began to heat the kettle atop the wood stove. "Well. We can risk it, and make our people happy. Or we can wait. I think only one will give us results."
Vaelen sighed. "Who the hell made you so smart?"
Thea glanced over her shoulder. "I think you know."
Vaelen's smile was downright affectionate, and it warmed Thea's heart as she prepared their cups for tea. She noticed a new chip in Vaelen's favorite mug and made a note to herself.
"We can start slow, I suppose," Vaelen mused aloud eventually. "Only send a few magic users at once to scout for land, that way at least someone is always prepared."
"Sounds like the beginning of a plan," Thea said. The kettle began to whistle and Thea pulled it off the heat before pouring into their mugs.
"How are things with you?" Vaelen asked.
"Good. Skymore is clear. We got everyone out who couldn't get themselves out. And even though Evergale appears to have abandoned it, it feels like a trap to stay any longer. I don't think there's much more we can do there, so we can use those resources too, if we need them."
Vaelen accepted the cup Thea handed to her and offered a knowing smile. "I know we're almost wrapped up in Skymore, Thea. I meant you."
Thea pursed her lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Vaelen blew on her hot tea instead of responding right away, and Thea groaned as she sank into a chair. "You've been to visit me thrice in two days."
"You were shot."
"I've been shot before."
Thea's cheeks heated with the knowledge of being seen. "Yeah, well. You're old now, so, someone's got to look after you."
Vaelen barked out a loud laugh. "Old! I'm barely twice your age."
"That has nothing to do with it," Thea said, unreasonably.
"I'll have you know I have a dragon, and she plans to make sure I live as long as she does."
"I know. She and I have an understanding, you see."
Their chuckles died down and the tension of waiting lingered in the air like the steam from their mugs.
Then Vaelen's hand was on Thea's, and she was squeezing in that fond, motherly way. Thea's throat went tight.
"I really am alright, you know. Are you?"
"Of course," Thea said stubbornly.
Vaelen stared at her.
Thea lasted about ten seconds before she threw her hands up in the air and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
"Fine! I was just—worried. I saw you get hit and I…
froze," Thea admitted. It flashed through her mind anew, and it made her entire body tense.
"That's never happened before. And then Aaryn—" Her eyes slipped closed in frustration.
"For a second I thought—I thought she was going to him.
And that made me panic, too—not the fact that you'd literally been—" Thea's words got choked in her throat, and she swallowed sharply. "I feel so stupid. I'm not. I'm—"
Her gaze skated over Vaelen’s, expecting to find blankness or frustration or pain. Instead, humor gleamed in the earthy rich depths of her eyes.
"In love?" Vaelen supplied, and Thea's mouth dropped open. "Makes it hard to think about anything else, doesn't it?"
"Who's—No one's in love," Thea said, voice pitched higher than intended. She cleared her throat, equal parts relieved and pleasantly annoyed by Vaelen's antics. Like usual.
It was comforting.
She drank her tea in the silence. It was too hot. She suffered anyway.
"It's okay to fear two bad things happening simultaneously.
So stop feeling guilty about it," Vaelen drawled, all knowing and amused as she leaned back in her chair.
It creaked beneath her weight. "Anyways, despite that, you seem…
happier," Vaelen said finally. "That's all. It's a good look on you."
Thea's heart raced at the information and she tried to recall what might be so different about her. As if it weren't obvious.
"I've been sleeping better," Thea admitted, because that seemed safe. Safer than confessing it was because Aaryn made a delightful little weighted blanket.