Heart Asunder (Dear Dahlia Season 2)

Chapter 7

Saida was getting more annoyed, the more Dahlia kept glancing at her. Finally, she turned her head.
"Can you stop doing that?"
"What?"
"Glancing at me!"
"Oh."

Dahlia turned her head to the front, even when she kept bumping into her sister. She couldn't walk in a straight line, after all. The otkazat'sya didn't look at Saida again until they found a place to camp for the night.

"Can't we go to an inn?" Dahlia asked, looking around.
"Used to the Little Palace?" Saida asked, almost accusatory. "No. The First Army has turned against grisha. And we're Suli. We have to make sure they don't kill us."
"Perfect," Dahlia muttered.

The two sat down in tense silence. Saida still didn't know how to feel about Dahlia attacking her. She got Dahlia didn't trust her, but still.

The goose crackled over the fire. Dahlia stared into the flames. Saida looked to the side, peering into the darkness. Suddenly, a twig snapped.
"It's just me," Dahlia said hastily when Saida stood up, hands in front of her. "I accidentally broke one."

Saida sighed and sat back down. "There's talk of The First Army turning against grisha. Apparently they're hunting them down."
"Saints," Dahlia muttered. "Is it 'cause Alina wanted for..." she gestured with her hand, "you know, expanding the Fold with Kirigan?"
"Don't tell me you believe that."
"I don't," Dahlia replied gravely. "Something happened there, but I don't know what."

The goose was now cooked, and the two sisters tore into their supper of meat and berries they'd picked on the way.

"If the First Army is searching for grisha, we'll have to move early in the morning. We can't wait until dawn," Dahlia said after she finished her portion.

"...we'll find an inn tomorrow night," Saida sighed. She was sick of camping now.
"Finally, we agree with something." Saida ignored her sister's tone. Dahlia stood up. "You rest. I'll watch."
Saida shook her head. "No." She needed time to think about Dahlia's attack, and what had happened at the house. "I'm the grisha. I can defend myself."

Dahlia pursed her lips. "B-"
"No buts. Rest."

The otkazat'sya sighed. Saida watched her sister take off her cloak and lie down. When she saw Saida looking at her, she frowned.
"What?"

Saida remembered Dahlia snarling at her. But then, the heartrender supposed, she wasn't great either. She'd been so angry at Dahlia after the attack that her heart rate had skyrocketed - a sign of fear.

But she'd understood why. It wasn't just Saida's anger, no - it was her power. It fluctuated, always had. It wasn't too powerful for her body, of course, but sometimes, it felt like it was. The power to slow down hearts, stop movements without ever touching someone, unstable? That was dangerous and unpredictable. She knew Dahlia hated unpredictability, and in time, she'd come to hate it too.

What's happening to me? she thought.

"Nothing." Saida turned away. She rubbed the sticks again, and the firewood burst into flames. Tears came to her eyes unbidden. Ahead, a lone fox stared at her. Saida stared back, feeling the hairs rise up on the back of her neck and her arms. Then, the animal turned and left. Saida wiped her tears away. She couldn't wait for the morning to come now.