Morning came and went. Every ring of the shop bell sent her heart a flutter, brought a warm smile to her face, only to have it crushed into something smaller, colder, when she would realize it wasn't Emrys standing there in his scholar robes with his soft smile and crooked spectacles. This wasn't like her. Yet this also wasn't like him. Even if he was going to be late, he sent the runner that stayed at the inn to let her know. She tried not to think about it. Surely he was just resting. He was sick.

  Fretting was not something Solenne was used to. In fact, she didn't even know if she could really call this fretting. Is that what you called constantly looking at the door while pacing the middle of the shop floor? She knew she could leave, go to the inn, demand to see Emrys if he was sick. It wasn't as if she could catch Bloom. Would he have gone to the Ecclesium to get healed when he realized what it was?

  Of course he would. There was no reason to come to her. He had no idea she was a seraphic healer. She still had her suspicions that the Aureate had sent him here to try to expose her for what she was but she'd been careful. Hadn't she? Yes there had been close calls. She had even lied to him. Solenne chewed at her lower lip. What was she going to do? Her hands came up to the brunette braid she always had her hair in. Carefully, she began to take the braid out. Then she braided it again.

  Undo the braid. Redo it. Undo. Redo. Undo. Redo. The last time she had done this was the night after she saved that man when she thought the Pale Order was going to send an assassin after her. Solenne had undone and re-braided her hair so many times that night she had tied it into a knot. That had taken three days to brush out without cutting her hair. Taking in a deep breath, she dropped her hands from her hair and then exhaled slowly.

  The bell rang again. Solenne whipped around to see Roxa standing in the doorway. The blonde looked healthy, happy, and she held a hand against her stomach. Solenne had almost forgotten Roxa was pregnant. She hadn't seen her since the day Emrys showed up. Solenne made her stay until nightfall just in case the scholar had been stalking the shop. She'd almost forgotten about that. Had that really only been a month ago? Why did it feel as if it happened yesterday yet also like it was a lifetime ago?

  "How are you Roxa?" Solenne forced a smile.

  Roxa's was genuine. "Oh I'm lovely, Solenne. How are you? I heard you took on an apprentice?" She looked around a bit before looking back at her.

  Solenne kept the smile as much as she could. "It was just a temporary situation. Emrys was here learning my trade for the Aurifer to have in their archives." That was what he had told her so that was what she had made herself believe. He'd also taken enough notes to make that seem very plausible.

  "That must have been exciting! I've heard the scholars are usually older. I was surprised when I saw you two out that he was young." Roxa's smile turned sly as she walked over to Solenne. "So... Did you two..."

  She felt her face instantly heat up. "Wh-what?! No, Roxa! We didn't do anything like that!" Solenne quickly looked away while Roxa giggled.

  "You really don't have any fun, do you?" Roxa rubbed her stomach. "I came in for some nausea tea. Maybe something to help make the baby strong too?"

  "My definition of fun is different from yours, Roxa. Come now. I'll make you something to help." Solenne motioned for Roxa to follow her as she started walking over to the wall.

  The pair of women spoke of trivial things as herbs and florals were gathered. Solenne informed Roxa of what each one was and what they did. Roxa told her about how the pregnancy was going. Truth be told, Solenne didn't entirely listen. She never planned to grow a life within her so knowing about the process beyond what a pregnant woman could and couldn't ingest was of no interest to her. Not only that, her thoughts were still on Emrys. She could imagine him asking so many questions while scribbling in his notebook.

  "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

  Solenne looked up at Roxa. "What?"

  "That smile. You were thinking about the scholar." Roxa's voice was soft, knowing, and unaccusatory.

  What was she supposed to say to that? She didn't want to keep lying to people. Solenne nodded. Saying it out loud would just make her miss him more. It would be some confession that perhaps she did have some kind of feelings for this man that had potentially been there to spy on her.

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  "When I saw you two together, you looked so happy Sol. I've never seen you that happy before. Not ever and I've known you a long time."

  Solenne tried to ignore the ache in her chest that Roxa's softness exacerbated. She wanted it to go away, not to grow further along her ribs, towards her heart. If it were to wrap around that still beating organ, taking hold, she would have to admit to those feelings she wasn't even sure about.

  "Thank you. I did enjoy his company but he is back at the Aurifer and I'm sure much happier than he was here." There was hurt in the apothecary's voice.

  Roxa stared at her with an eyebrow raised but said nothing. Solenne packed the tea mixture into a jar, adding a bit more than she usually would. She handed it to Roxa.

  "Now go on. I'll come by later to get the payment. Its growing close to meal time and you're eating for two. So go. Shoo." Solenne teasingly shooed Roxa towards the door as she came around the counter.

  "Alright. I will see you later Solenne." Roxa smiled as she picked up the jar and walked towards the door. She turned slightly to look back at her. "Don't let him get away. Even if you think you're cursed and unholy, you still deserve happiness."

  There was no time for Solenne to reply as the pregnant woman left the shop. Was she right? Did she really deserve to be happy despite what she was? Rolling up the sleeve of her shirt, she looked at the thin feather-shaped lines. Her other hand ran along them, feeling the raised skin. Looking up, she stared in the direction of the Basilica. Could she even touch consecrated ground? The last time had caused the Mark to flare and she'd been forced to leave.

  Before she could make a decision for herself, the door flew open. Solenne didn't even have time to pull her sleeve down. Panic ripped through her.

  "Gwen?!"

  The young girl was panting heavily. Her cheeks were red and she stared at Solenne.

  "Its Emrys. His infection is bad, Sol. I saw him walking in the Center. You have to help him!" Gwen's eyes filled with tears. "Please."

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  She cursed whoever decided Caelora needed to be on a cliffside. Its streets became steep at some points on the way to the Center. Solenne stayed on Gwen's heels. She envied the child's stamina. It was as if she wasn't even breaking a sweat as they ran up a hill. Her lungs were on fire as she sucked in a deep breath only to exhale roughly as she kept moving.

  "This way!" Gwen motioned for her to follow as they cut left down an alleyway.

  Solenne had no idea where they were. She hadn't even come to the Center since she was a teenager before the Mark had made itself known. After it all happened, she'd tried to come back. The searing pain hadn't been worth the journey. Even now they would cut certain corners and pain would flare along her shoulders and the back of her arms. The thought of Emrys being sick was what kept her going.

  Gwen came to a stop in front of a taller building. She looked back at Solenne. "We have to go in here." She said as she opened the door and waited.

  Solenne walked past Gwen. As soon as her foot landed over the threshold, fire raged along her shoulders. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard she could almost instantly taste blood. As she tried to step back, a hand shoved her inside. Then she heard the door click closed behind her.

  "Please Sol! You have to get to him!"

  She heard the crack in Gwen's voice. As she looked at the girl tears were streaming down her cheeks. Were these two closer than Solenne knew? It almost felt off that Gwen wanted her to save him but maybe Roxa was right and Gwen saw the difference too. So of course she wanted to save Emrys. Gwen had always said she just wanted Solenne to be happy.

  "Take me to him." Solenne told Gwen without questioning how she knew where his flat was.

  The stairs were almost worse than the hill. She was breathing hard by the time they got to the floor where Emrys lived. Solenne stopped at the top of the stairs. It took her more than a few beats to even out her breathing, gasping in air, and letting it out slow before repeating the motions. Looking up, she noticed Gwen staring at her a little oddly, her head tilted as if she was confused. Before Solenne could ask, Gwen moved to her, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her to Emrys' door.

  Solenne threw the door open to see Emrys laying in his bed. The room was cold but even from where she was, she could see the sweat covering his body. At some point he'd stripped down to nothing but his undergarments. If it wasn't for the direness of the situation and the burning in her back, she would have blushed heavily seeing him in such a state.

  "Close the window. Get me towels and a bowl or something similar of water." She didn't bark the command but the power in her voice let Gwen know she was the one in charge now.

  Emrys groaned, tried to roll. Solenne rushed over to him. She sat on the bed next to him and placed her hands on either side of his face.

  "Emrys. Its okay. I'm here." She cooed softly, letting him know that she was here with him.

  She watched him blink a few times. His eyes were unfocused. His entire body shook but she knew she couldn't cover him with anything. He reached up towards her. Solenne moved her hand to his arm to lower it back down.

  "Shhh. Its okay."