The Wind and the Horizon (Book 2 in the Starborn Series)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Content Warning: Strong language

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The party reached the town of Luxton by mid-afternoon the following day. As the one least likely to find her face on a wanted poster, May volunteered to source out accommodations, and came back with keys to a rented flat shortly before dinner.

After days in the woods, everyone was more than eager for access to clean running water and soft places to sleep. They took turns showering and crammed the washing machine to bursting with dirty clothes. After making a stealth grocery run, May dropped onto the plush living room couch and immediately declared it her favourite place in the world.

While Connor took to preparing dinner, the others explored the flat, calling dibs on different bedrooms and making themselves more comfortable than they had been in days.

"Hey, Maybe!" Em called from another room. "Guess what I found?"

Before May could venture a guess, Em sauntered into the living room holding a well-loved acoustic guitar. "Do you think you remember anything from the crash course that hippie gave you?"

Of course she remembered; it was a cheeky remark that May had to stop herself from chirping back at lest she accidentally mention her own special Wish ability. In only a couple of hours she had all but mastered the basics of strumming and fingerpicking. Em handed her the instrument and with a little bit of messing around she was able to recall the chords she had learned in that first and only lesson.

She strummed and plucked until the notes for a song Em often sang came back to her. With fingers as nimble as her feet when she danced, May strummed the familiar tune just to make Em smile. In return, Em curled on the floor at May's feet and sang along in a voice she normally reserved for moments when she thought she was alone and - somewhat surprisingly - for drunken karaoke.

Rue and Priva applauded when they finished.

"You two have great harmony," Rue said with a wink.

May blushed but Em was quick to accept the compliment. "Yeah, we're pretty cute."

From his seat across the room, Jeremy grumbled something beneath his breath. Just as Connor stepped into the room to announce that dinner was ready, Jeremy maneuvered passed him and disappeared into the flat.

Connor looked at Priva, who rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," he drawled, gesturing toward the kitchen. "Who's hungry?"

May, Em, and Rue followed him but Priva hung back. The four hadn't even finished dishing out when the sound of raised, angry voices erupted in another room.

"Oh shit," Em said, casting a wide-eyed glance at the rest of the group. "Should we do something about that?"

Rue and Connor frowned at each other, but before either could respond, Jeremy stormed through the flat and out the door.

"Should we stop him?" May asked, unnerved.

"Let him go," Priva growled as she stalked into the kitchen. "Can't talk any sense into him right now anyway."

Nobody asked what happened, nor did the press the issue. Together they settled in and ate their dinner in a silence reminiscent of their first day together.

When everyone had finished, Connor and Rue chased the others from the kitchen, swearing they hand clean-up under control. Priva retired to a bedroom, leaving May and Em alone to whisper.

"That was about us, wasn't it?" May asked, eyeing the door to the hallway down which Priva had cloistered herself.

"Most definitely."