Colorless II: Black & White

11 - Foggy Moonlight

There was a friend of Lyra's and Thayer's who could communicate with people through vials of their blood, and Rinian was incredibly grateful for it. Once he and Lyra had escaped to the woods, she was able to quickly reassure him of the others' safety and arrange a meeting spot for them to reunite. She was even able to relay messages from Nell who had warned them about Corlat nearly an hour too late.

The dark of night aided them in their escape, and they were soon comfortably away from the city of Amber. The group traveled through most of the night, stopping only so that Varick could catch a few hours of sleep.

Varick had returned to his sulking, but with Deliah's help, his temperament had improved some. When he had enough sleep, he was a little more tolerable.

Rinian, however, still refused to sleep. He knew what it was doing to him, though he refused to admit it. He was short with everyone, too slow to react, too easily distracted. Every one of them had made a comment on his lack of sleep for some reason or another. And Rinian would agree that he should sleep and promise that he would the next night and avoid any eye contact with Deliah. He would need to sleep eventually: when he was home, in walls he knew, surrounded by people he trusted.

The rest of their journey took three days. Longer than anticipated, but after the ordeal in Amber, they tried to avoid traveling along roads and rivers and took a longer route to the south. Their path took them straight to Rinian's uncle's house rather than meeting in Letister. Still, Kin and the others arrived half a day before them.

The home—or castle as it was referred to by the townsfolk—was located on the far eastern side of the town. It sat in front of a small lake fed by a high waterfall from the surrounding white cliffs. Like a miniature version of Amber and Amber Lake. The castle itself wasn't as grand as others Rinian had seen. There were signs of disrepair to the exterior, and many rooms inside were closed off as so few people lived there now. When Rinian first moved in, he enjoyed all the rooms he had to explore and hide away from other people, but as he grew older, the history of the house and the family who lived there made all its emptiness sad. He imagined how lively it once would have been. Before Meira.

In the years since her youngest daughter's death, Peri had put a lot of her time into restoring the home. The once overgrown garden was neat and flourishing under her care, and when she traveled with Bel, she brought home tapestries and rugs and finery fit for their new titles of lord and lady. She filled the rooms with visiting friends and took on the employment of more servants to help with upkeep and breathe life back into the home. And she used the space to host parties and feasts for the people who lived in the small town.

She was at the door to greet them when they'd barely set foot into the garden. Her bright rust-orange hair and wide smile were a warm sight. She ran to hug her daughter tight and gently scold her for the worry she'd caused. Then she hugged Rinian just as tight. She smelled like home, and it made his chest ache. Bel wasn't far behind his wife nor any less enthusiastic to greet his daughter and nephew.

All the while, Varick stood awkwardly by. And when they looked to him, he straightened his shoulders and prepared to begin his plea for help. Instead, he was struck speechless when Peri pulled him into her arms. Varick's confusion was mirrored by Rinian's who wondered if Peri hadn't been told about what happened between Varick and Deliah. But Peri's embrace was not brief or half-hearted. She spoke softly to him, but Rinian caught her words. "You don't have a mother to hug you and tell you everything's going to be okay."

Slowly, Varick moved to return the gesture, and a tender smile lightened his face. "Thank you," he said.

Lyra and Thayer were then introduced, and although Bel and Lyra had met before, Peri was very eager to finally meet her. "Kin talks about you all the time," she said, and Lyra laughed, still not acknowledging whatever had happened between her and Kin.