The Curse of the Blessed

Chapter Twenty-One

We stood there for a long while, sometimes talking, sometimes simply enjoying the view that spread out before us as the sun dipped lower and lower, beginning to send streaks of orange and pink across the sky.

The clear tone of the dinner bell rang out beneath us.

Bran glanced downward. "I don't suppose you know how to get back to the dining hall?"

"Uh..." I hesitated. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Probably," I amended.

"Hm." He frowned, motioning toward the door. "Better, but not by much. Lead the way?"

"With pleasure."

The corridors below deck were a maze. It had been easy enough to find my way up, since as long as I had continued upward as much as I could, I'd know I was going in the right direction. Downward, though... that was a different matter. I found my way fairly easily for the first five or so minutes, and then we began to get thoroughly lost. Luckily, by that time we were close enough to the dining hall that I could hear and follow the buzz of conversation that came from the dining hall. We entered just as people began to get food from the tables.

Bran nodded slowly. "We made it. Nice."

"Fyra!" said a voice. I turned to see Sharla squeezing her way toward us through the crowd. She was slightly breathless when she arrived. "There you are. Lark and I wondered where you'd gone."

"Sorry," I said. "I went to find Reed. Maybe I should have said something."

Sharla waved away my apology. "It's fine. You left with Captain Rayan, so we figured everything was okay." She turned to Bran. "You're back. Where'd you get to?"

Bran shrugged. "I hung out with the other Blesseds for a while, ate lunch, then went to the upper deck to think."

"Cool," said Sharla. "Did you get to see some of the sunset? It's always really pretty, especially the first time you watch it."

"Just a little bit."

Sharla grinned and turned back to me. "Do you want to come sit with me again? Bran can come too. Lark and Reed'll be there."

"I'll come," I agreed. "Bran?"

"I'll come too."

Once we'd gathered our food, we followed Sharla to a new table, this one shaped like an S. I sat in between Sharla and Lark on a squishy, backless, square-shaped chair—which was surprisingly comfortable.

"So," said Lark, not meeting Bran's eyes, "you're back for your last meal with us."

She didn't seem angry, just sad, and trying hard not to show it.

"Actually," said Bran, "I'm thinking about coming with you after all."

Reed nodded as if he'd known it all along; Lark looked up, eyes wary, as though she wasn't quite sure if it was true. "But I thought you were staying here. I thought you wanted to stay here."

"I said I was thinking about it. But, in the end, I'd rather come with you guys. My friends."

Lark grinned. "I'm glad."

Bran turned to Reed. "What about you? Are you okay with me coming?"

"Sure," said Reed. "The more the merrier."

"Thanks," said Bran.

Reed seemed slightly taken aback at that, and for a strange moment, he hesitated, seeming unsure of what to say. In the end, Lark said it for him.