“If you’re talking about yourself, then I’d rather not get food poisoning.”

She smacked him on the shoulder and the lights in her eyes danced.

“It’s good to have you back,” she said.

Wesley smiled at her, best he could.

He’d wanted to get here so badly and resume business as usual, fall back into the routine and feel as at home with these people as he did in Creije. He thought that once he got here it would be like putting on an old suit.

It had seemed so simple when he stood at the edge of the window with the Onnela Sea and all the dead of Tisvgen calling out to him from below. Surely the torture was the hard part. Surely being back with people he trusted was easy.

Except that wasn’t true.

Wesley couldn’t let his guard down here any more than he could with Zekia, because these people needed him to be okay and if they knew how weak he felt, then they wouldn’t rely on him.

If he wasn’t strong, then he was no use to anyone.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tavia asked, searching Wesley’s eyes for all the things he hid.

Wesley swallowed and kept the smile strong on his face.

“I’m always okay,” he said.

15

TAVIA

It was raining in Rishiya and Tavia sat with her legs hanging from the tree house edge. The Uncharted Forest was beautiful and when the water hit the leaves just right, the entire city looked like it was made of stars, deep green leaves glistening and tree roots stretching across the muddy sky to stow their thirst.

Wesley had just finished up in his shower and was currently trying on the new suit Tavia had gotten him from one of the buskers in camp. She’d been prepared to trade her knife for it, but it turned out that being a leader meant free gifts as a perk. Besides, when the guy had heard it was for Wesley, he’d all but stripped off in the middle of the clearing.

Tavia unscrewed the cap from the bottle of Cloverye and placed it on the floor beside her, next to a single glass.

“This is a little tight around the shoulders,” Wesley called from the spot in the corner where he was changing behind a makeshift curtain.

“Must be from all those bulging muscles you have,” Tavia said sarcastically.

“Must be,” Wesley said back. “I did see you noticing earlier.”

Tavia took a drink to keep from killing him, but she was surprised when she brought the bottle to her lips and realized that she was somehow smiling. She’d missed this. She’d missed him, from the warm husk of his voice to his irritating sense of humor.