“Who?” I asked, perplexed.

“Chu,” she answered, and my stomach clenched.

“Serena,” I whispered, having had no idea, wishing I had talked Cassius away from this idea before it took root, and scooting closer to her. “Oh goddess,” I breathed. “What have I said?”

“You have told me the truth.” Her gaze came to me. “It is high time for that between us, Elena, and it will be necessary in the future. You will need to trust me, and I you. Not that you ever did anything that would make me not trust you, but I need to earn that in return. I will endeavor to do that in our time ahead. But as you said, what is done is done. And Chu and I are done.”

I did not like the rock-solid manner in which she said that.

“I could have stopped this,” I admitted.

“Oh, but I am glad you did not. For I would not have met Gal and Brix and dealt a crushing blow to a pack of insidious malcontents if you hadn’t,” she replied, sounding partly serious, and partly caustic.

“Still, I—”

“And had a number of mind-scattering orgasms.”

I decided to leave it at that and move on to something more important.

“Did he…also, with you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. He did not fall in love with me. He followed orders. He is a Trusted One after all.”

“I fear what should have been a much different conversation between us, I have ruined,” I stated miserably.

“No,” she disagreed. “It is the first time you have spoken unguarded to me since we were girls. It is all now gone. There is nothing between us. No intrigues, no lies. And as it was only me who pushed these things between us, I feel relief that they are gone. Thus, here we start.”

“Here we start,” I said uncertainly.

“I have learned to be a friend, Elena. It is new to me, as it is not to you.” She tipped her head to the side. “Perhaps you will help to continue to guide the way?”

“I would…that would be…” I drew in breath to pull myself together. “That would make me happy.”

She nodded briskly and turned her attention to the view.

I followed suit.

I gave it time before I said, “Thank you for bringing Melisse.”

“Mother needed her, Melisse needed to see Mum, and you needed Melisse.”

A triple win in thoughtfulness for my sister.

Yes, she had changed.

We fell silent again.

Not long later, the gnomes joined us.

One walked to the very edge of the cliff and sat there with his back to us.

The other one, to my shock, dropped down by Serena. She straightened her legs when he did, and thus, when he fell to his back, his head was resting on her ankle.

By the goddess, she had very much changed.

“All right, you’re going to have to share about Galbdor and Welbrix,” I declared, even if they were both right there.