Worlds Apart

Chapter 33

G O O D B Y E

Riona found them ten days after her confession.

She marched into the converted storage room Daisha and Elin shared, a determined set to her jaw. Elin had been trying to get some light exercise for her legs—she could walk for up to ten minutes now before she needed to take a break. It had been one of those breaks and she'd been lounging comfortably on the edge of the bed as she talked mournfully about all the plants she had abandoned at home when they got pulled through the Gate.

She paused to look at Riona in surprise when she burst in, then immediately reached out.

"Riona, I've been looking for you for days." She gave the girl a relieved, but guilty, smile. "I am so sorry for that, vennen. I do not hold what you did against you. You were a child—you still are—and I am sorry."

Riona faltered in the face of such a heartfelt apology, apparently having prepared herself for something else entirely. Daisha leaned back against her thin pillow.

"I—uh, yeah. Thanks," she muttered. "But that's not what I came for." She straightened her spine, a strange, dignified air coming over her, reminiscent of the aristocrats in the few period dramas she'd dabbled in, spurred by Owen's overenthusiastic support. "I was rude and selfish. I should have tried harder to prevent...that from happening, and—" she held up a hand to stop Elin's budding protests— "I should have told you guys earlier. I'm sorry...too. So I am going to make up for it. Come with me." She turned, gestured over her shoulder, and sprinted out.

Elin and Daisha shared a look and Daisha just shrugged, getting to her feet. Elin sighed, muttering something about teenagers exasperatedly as she settled herself into her wheelchair.

They followed Riona's bounding silhouette down the bustling narrow corridors in silence. An air of confusion overcame them as the halls emptied and the walls became dustier than what they were accustomed to.

One side opened to rows of arches—they must be on the outer edges of the library—and its shadows of regality were clearer than ever. The arches were carved with figures whose crevices were filled with sand and grime and beyond them was a semi-arid valley. Sand swirled and rose in billows near the ground, sparse vegetation creaking under the glaring sun. To Daisha's surprise, The building was not warm up here; the air still pricked her skin like ice, some architectural feat keeping it cool despite the climate. Further away were towering stone cliffs, dark rock peering out through the more dense foliage decorating their sheer inclines, and somewhere lurking out of sight were the Guardians, readying themselves to tear the place apart.

Riona led them to a grand hall with a cavernous ceiling and cobweb-enshrined chandelier. The floor was marked by chalk circles and intricate patterns. She stopped abruptly before it and turned to face them.

"So," she clasped her hands. "This is my apology."

Daisha raised an eyebrow. "What's 'this' exactly?"

"My uncle taught me how to summon from a place other than the spirit's resting spot so uh...I needed the space. To summon him." For a moment, something rueful flashed on her anxious face. "I really hope you appreciate this because I've never done this before and I never will again."

Riona turned and walked to the edge of the outermost circle, Elin moving in closer as Daisha closed the large double doors behind them. She still felt heavy from yesterday, a knot of emotions in her chest that she wasn't ready to untangle just yet. She hoped whatever the girl had planned wasn't going to make it worse, but somehow, she had a feeling this wouldn't be pleasant.