Chapter 9
Lorali
L orali knew Eldric meant well, wanting to share in the work to keep the household, but she couldn’t have him with her when she went shopping. Most of the stores she had frequented for years no longer allowed her business—Emillian, the butcher, the farmer who supplied her grain and eggs. They all made it clear she was no longer welcome. She doubted they would even listen if she were to speak to them regarding official business, leaving her at a loss for where to go next.
The passing of the last frost brought a sense of relief and gratitude to her heart. She made an offering to Ostara as her garden flourished with an abundance of early spring vegetables that would keep them fed. She kept the reason for the recent scarcity of their food supply to herself, unable to share it with Eldric, who remained blissfully unaware. He was a resourceful and frugal cook, using every scrap and piece of stale bread at their disposal for some sort of meal. Delighted with the assortment of herbs she had stored, he’d made sure every meal was bursting with flavor no matter the contents.
“The weather’s good today, Lor—you won’t even need those gloves. What kind of housemate would I be if I didn’t at least help carry the heavy stuff?” His smile was a gentle breeze that could keep her grey clouds at bay, but only for a moment. “You’ve been busy with work; I’ve hardly seen you. Plus, I’d rather not deal with any… side effects of the bond.”
She tried to return that smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she tugged her sleeves down, making sure every bit of their matching mark was covered. “We’re only low on rice, I’ll grab a bag and be back. It’s not worth the trip for both of us.”
She ignored how his brows knit together, arms crossed in a near pout as she grabbed the woven basket from beside the door and made to leave. He cursed softly as her hand took the doorknob and she paused.
“You don’t even need those gloves,” he whispered, as if it were a realization. “How could I be so stupid? Of course I can’t go to the market with you. It’s because of me, isn’t it? Our bond.”
Lorali turned to face him, pressing her back against the door. She couldn’t look at him as he walked toward her.
“I don’t want to lie to you, Eldric—”
“Then don’t.” He stood steps away, glancing down at her gloved hand. “Tell me. You don’t have to protect me from them; I stopped caring what others thought of me long ago.”
Lip between her teeth, Lorali weighed her words carefully.
“It’s not what they think of you, it’s what they think of me. Many of the usual sellers I’ve gone to for years are refusing my business, so I’m having to find new ones. It should be easier now that spring is here—we’ll grow some vegetables to help substitute. Take any of the extras and preserve them for the winter. It’ll be easier now that it’s not just me alone doing the work—”
She babbled, filling the silence as the knot in his throat bobbed. He stared at her, processing what she said. Putting pieces into place before he finally cut her off, expression unreadable save for his tight jaw and disbelieving voice.
“By the light, Lorali, that’s been six weeks—”
“I know, I know.” She waved her hand as if to clear the air between them. “It’s fine, really. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d do that.”
“Do what?”
“Beat yourself up for it like I’m not the one who dragged us into this. ”
“I’m not—I wasn’t—” Eldric sputtered but couldn’t deny the accusation. “For the record, I don’t think it was you who dragged us into this, but Athanasios. Think the sick bastard got off on watching us get married then shoving us off—”
“Do not speak ill of him in my house!!” Lorali sounded like a tea kettle as she jumped forward and clamped her hands over his mouth. “He is a god . He can hear you , and made sure we knew so the last time we saw him.”
Looking down at her, Eldric nodded with wide eyes as she continued.
“It is fine. If they want to lose my business based on my own decisions and their refusal to listen, let them. It’s their loss. I don’t need you to call the ire of the very generous god who gave you a second chance at life down upon my house. So apologize and leave an offering on the altar. He likes the honeyed whiskey I keep on the third shelf. Got it?”
Eldric gave a muffled agreement. She removed her hands from his lips as he whispered an apology—to her or Athanasios, she didn’t know. All she did know was that as she left, he was reaching for the bottle on the shelf like she’d told him to, and she couldn’t help but smile.
** *
A fresh bowl of starberries and a muddled drink was the last thing Lorali expected to come home to. She wasn’t complaining.
“What’s this?”
“A thank you, and an apology.” Eldric offered her the glass as she set the sack of rice she’d hauled home on the counter. “By far, my life has improved in the last six weeks. I hadn’t thought about how our arrangement might have affected your life. So it’s a thank you for your generosity and a sorry for not realizing sooner.”
She couldn’t help but smile as she clinked her drink to his, their toast from weeks prior unspoken in her mind. To friendship.
“Unnecessary,” she started, taking a sip of the delicious drink and humming her delight despite the slight tangy flavor of a few unripe berries that must have slipped in. “But much appreciated. I’m just happy to have someone else cook for a change.”
“While I’m under your roof, you won’t have to cook a thing. Mostly because I don’t want to subject myself to whatever it is you call cooking again. A little less altruistic and a little more self preservation. But the results are the same.”
“Right, right.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, following him out the door and down the stone path through the garden. “What I’m really curious about is where you found these starberries. Last I recall, I wasn’t growing any.”
Fresh green sprouts erupted from the dark plots of soil, rising to meet the sun. The rough oval leaves of her sage shrub were flourishing, breaking away with ease in her hand from the woody stem. That crisp and earthy smell was bright between her fingers, bringing a smile to her face as she plopped the herb into her drink.
“You learn where to forage when the seasons permit. These are picked fresh from one of my favourite spots near the city, just for you. This patch is rather small—it doesn’t produce as much as I’d like, but it gets the job done. But I was spoiled with one of the best starberry patches in Euphedos growing up in the mountains.” He grinned.
She took one of the tangy sweet berries from the bowl, biting into its yellow skin, giving way to blue flesh as she finished it in two bites, tossing the last bit attached to the leafy green top toward her compost.
“I’d love it if you showed me some time—I haven’t done much exploring outside the city. Ever, really.”
Her eyes lit with joy when she noticed the cheese platter waiting for her on the garden table. She shuddered to think what she’d do if Charline had turned her away like the others—that woman made the best cheese in all of Athera and Lorali doubted she could settle for anything else now.
Fruit, drinks, cheese—this truly was an apology; an unneeded one, but thorough. While having to find new vendors to work with was a pain to be sure, she couldn’t resent Eldric for it. He was thoughtful, kind, a little too hard on himself thinking he had to carry the world on his shoulders. She hoped that maybe during their year, she could show him that it was okay to lean on people. That the Order had the best interests of the people at heart, and that rather than stepping outside the law to make a difference, he could work within it.
“Surely, you have at some point. Explored any neighboring villages? Gone for an evening stroll?”
Lorali shook her head and Eldric looked dumbstruck.
“You’ve never been outside the city? Not once?”
She shrugged, looking out over her small garden and wondering what else outside of this she could possibly need.
“I was nine when I was brought to Athera and taken in by the Order. Lived in the temple for most of that time. During instruction, you aren’t able to leave until it’s complete and after I was done I... just haven’t thought about it.”
“Nine?” His voice was light, but his brows creased as his mind did the math. “That means you’ve been part of the Order for... ”
“Eighteen years.” She nodded.
“What happened to your parents?” There was something in his voice, catching on itself as he asked. As if he knew that for someone so young to be left to the Order, there was only one reason. She shifted in her seat, throat feeling tight and heartbeat picking up. Even after all these years, foggy memories and unpleasant feelings still surfaced, clinging to her like spiderwebs. Not letting her go.
“We were moving to Athera when our cart was attacked outside the city walls. They…didn’t make it.” Her answer was rehearsed, stiff, but it was all she could do to keep herself distanced from those memories that had plagued her as nightmares for far too long. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she didn’t give him time to respond. Time to process what she’d revealed. She didn’t want his pity or his condolences. It was an awful thing that happened to her, but she’d moved past it.
“What about you? I imagine one doesn’t turn to your line of work due to anything pleasant.”
Her words came out more abrasive than she intended, but Eldric took it in stride. He blew out a breath, meeting her eyes with a gentle look.
“I guess we’re not talking about that then?”
“No, we’re not. ”
He nodded, solemn as he tipped his drink back and downed half of it in one go. “My mother was an entertainer. We lived a happy but simple life together until she passed when I was fourteen. I felt the status quo was unjust and found others who felt the same, so we decided to do something about it.”
Lorali eyed him over her glass as she sipped the blue concoction, getting a pleasant surprise of unmuddled starfruit as her drink neared the bottom. She could tell there was more there, and wondered if it had to do with Fulke calling him an oathbreaker. She wouldn’t pry, just as he didn’t. They would tell each other their stories in their own time.
“An entertainer? What kind?”
He nodded, a soft smile crossing his face as he remembered. Magic sparked to life as he waved his fingertips before him, leaving traces of firelight dancing in the air between them.
“She danced, using her magic to create spectacular shows that would draw crowds. I inherited a bit, but it’s party tricks compared to hers.” Those sparks whirled and whizzed around them, Eldric controlling them with the tip of his finger. Where he pointed, they followed. As his chuckle turned into a sigh, his gaze turned wistful. “She was a great mother. We didn’t have much, but we had enough. ”
Lorali watched the glimmer of magic fade, his magic so different from her own. She wondered if she had ever seen his mother dance at any of the Veridian festivals before she passed. Wondered what it’d be like to use her own magic outside of communing with the gods. She’d never gotten the chance, those first specks of true potential only showing after the Order took her in. The thought of using magic for herself rather than others felt foreign and wrong, but she thought about what that freedom to express herself would be like and thought that maybe, one day, she may be brave enough to try.