Cloud Piercer

Ten

I sleep the rest of the day, waking only when Casimir shakes me and forces me to eat, but he leaves early the next morning to help prepare for Jyro's memorial on Monday. To replace him, Cadence shows up minutes after he's gone.

I don't leave the bedroom; I barely leave the bed. Cadence brings me anything I need—food, drink, she even brings Jakob and Raven for company at one point, and I'm surprisingly grateful for the company. As much as we bicker, Jakob has a kind heart buried underneath the snark. Very far down, but it's there. I can tell by his gentle smiles when he first comes into the room, the concern in his voice. It's a Sunday; we don't have class, he and Raven could've gone anywhere, but they chose to be here. It means more to me than I can say.

After they leave, the sky grows dark and my eyes tired. Cadence stays by my side, tending to all my needs and talking my ear off. She fills the silence for us both, rattling on about mindless subjects—her mother's new fabric, Raven's crush on Jakob, Jakob's crush on Killian, Killian's apparent and probable crush on another in our class. I don't point out the way her cheeks pinken at the mention of him.

I can't blame her. When I think of the last time I saw him, I remember the way his clothes stuck to his skin, the electric pulse I felt as he stood inches away, taunting me. There's a gravitational pull around him I can't explain.

Cadence leaves only once Casimir returns. She kisses my cheek and promises to be back in the morning. I'm barely able to keep my eyes open when Casimir settles on the mattress by my bed, his breath deepening as he falls into a deep sleep. And yet I lie awake, staring out the window through the branches at the stars dotting the sky. The sun shone the entire day, not a cloud in sight, a stark contrast to the vicious storm that tore through Veymaw only a couple of days prior.

An irritating thought presses at the back of my mind. I shoved it aside all day, but now, looking back at Casimir, I can't repress it any longer. I'd been mad at him that day of the storm; he'd lied to me. The anger has burned away, replaced by a warmth.

I trust Casimir with my life. I know him, no matter what Killian thinks. When we spoke to Jyro in the forest, he'd been distracted. He could've easily confused Casimir with someone else. His mind was preoccupied with the incoming storm.

The storm that took his life.

Cadence said Killian found me only one mile from the lake where Jyro drowned. And I can't help but wonder what would've happened if I'd been at the lake—if Killian hadn't found me when he did.

The thoughts that follow leave me feeling icy cold. I don't remember anything after watching that shifter drag a lifeless Samu into the black cloud. I don't remember seeing Killian, or him carrying me back. But as I think of Jyro, I can't help but wonder if there was something else in that storm, and if Killian was the only reason I wasn't its next victim.

***

"Everybody would understand if you didn't come," Casimir says, watching me with concern as I brush my hands down my dress.

"I'm fine, Cas." I take a few steps forward to prove the point, ankle stinging. "See?"

"I still think you should rest."

"If you had it your way, I'd be resting till I turned eighty."

A soft grin crosses his face. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

"Come on. We're going to be late." He opens the door, lifting the bottom of my skirt to ensure it doesn't get stuck as he closes it behind us. "If I'd known almost dying would turn you into a gentleman, I would've tried it sooner."

He flicks the side of my face. "Not funny."

I thread my arm through his and we make our way into the centre of Veymaw. Golden light bathes the cobblestones as the sun begins its descent. The side streets are quiet, most of Veymaw already at the memorial service.