Bold Realities

Disseus cradled Nim’s head in his lap and peered down at her. Silvery blue hair falling around their faces in a secretive curtain. “Yes.”

“That’s what happened to your back?” She recalled when he’d nearly lit on fire.

“Yes.” He sighed and dropped his head back against the wall with a thunk. “You’ve nearly killed me, more than once.”

She grimaced at those words. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you? You didn’t stay long enough for me to tell you?” But his usual accusing note was gone. Instead, there was only sadness.

“That’s impossible.” Bernus stared at them wide-eyed.

“Why?” Disseus’ lip curled in contempt. “At the end of the day, we are still fey, contrary to what you First Water like to tell yourselves. We still love, still yearn, still grow lonely. The efforts of your kind to isolate us only darkened us and sent us to others, for comfort. The loss of your Harbingers is your own doing.”

That accusation dropped in the air like a b