Under the Roses

91 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

AUSTIN

Austin sat on top of the bathroom sink with one too many letters in hand he still had to read and an awful headache. He was just exhausted.

Though he was sure Rome had to be feeling at least ten times worse than him. The faerie was sitting in the bathtub, still dressed in his dusty, bloody clothes, his knees drawn up to his chest and his wings wrapped around him like a blanket. The tub was filled shallowly with water, which had turned an alarming dark red.

Rome had his head down on his knees, and the only thing that kept Austin sure he was alive was the slight quivering of his wings every time he took a breath.

Alice looked down at the letter in his lap with bleary eyes. He pulled at his lashes and slid his thumbnail between the shiny wax seal and the brown paper envelope. The envelope cracked open cleanly, and he pulled out the letter.

Silently, Austin cursed the letter's author for having such neat and tiny penmanship. The words looked like little ants crawling across the page. More details about the banquet, and he still hadn't finished his speech yet.

"Hey." The word was more of a sigh than anything.

Austin looked up, rubbing his eyes. "Hi. Are you feeling better?" That was a stupid question. As if Rome could get better just from sitting in a shallow tub of water.

"No," said Rome, which was the expected answer. He turned his head, resting his cheek on his knee to look at Austin. His eyes were half-closed, his heavy lashes shadowing his eyes. "I have a question for you, Austin."

"...Yes?"

"Are you a liar?" Rome blinked slowly and shifted his wings, the feathers rustling.

Austin blinked at him. "What?"

Rome opened his eyes all the way, staring straight at Austin. It was unsettling. "Are you a liar?"

"I...try not to be."

"Have you lied to me?"

Austin frowned. He didn't know where this was going. "I don't think so. Have I?"

"Yes," said Rome. "Tell me when." He closed his eyes.

Austin tried to think. "I don't know." He was too tired for this. "Just say it."

Rome's eyes were still shut, but they flickered a little. Austin was reminded of when Rome had hit the ground, which wasn't a very good memory. "Before I went back to Korev, you promised you wouldn't come. For whatever reason. You wouldn't come back for me." He paused, and when he spoke again, it was more a mumble. "And I believed you."

This...irritated Austin. He got that Rome probably hadn't had a lot of people care about him before, he did. But he was tired, and he was...and he was tired.

"Well, I didn't come back because I was worried about you," Austin snapped. "I came back because I need something from you for my sister."

He instantly felt bad for saying the words, but he couldn't very well take them back.

Rome opened his eyes and stared at Austin for a moment, then said, "What do you want?" He sounded resigned.

"I..." Austin didn't know what to say now. "It...It can wait."

"You can tell me what it is first. Or at least which sister wants it."

"It's Alice," said Austin. "My youngest sister." Though that was quite obvious. If it wasn't Lory, it was Alice. "She wants the Artifacts. The Artifacts of the Fates. The Crown of Faith. You know where the Central and Southern parts are, don't you?"