White Heart of Justice (33 page)

Ari continued to stare at the bracelet, his expression opaque and impossible to decipher. I'd tell Ari the truth, of course. Eventually. And he could have whatever reaction he was going to have. Maybe he wouldn't care. Although seeing him now, I knew that he would. But I'd done nothing wrong. And Rafe had done nothing wrong. Hopefully, with time, we'd all be able to forgive one another.

“And a barghest,” Ari said finally. “Yours?”

I nodded. “Her name's Nova,” I said then, suddenly grinning. At least there was
something
I could safely show my emotions about.

Ari stared long and hard at me, thinking of Nova and smiling at him. Then he said in a soft voice: “You know what Nova means, don't you, Noon?”

“A star that's a thousand times brighter than all the rest, although it eventually fades,” I said, reciting a definition I'd learned long ago.

“Yes,” Ari said, his voice softer still, “but every now and then, there's one that's a million times brighter—that
never
fades.”

He struggled with some inner emotion. His hand twitched. I made no further move toward him. I wasn't ready to touch him. Or for him to touch me. Maybe I wouldn't ever be. He walked over to the window that overlooked Timothy's Square. I joined him and together we looked down at the Hyrkes in the square. They all carried lit candles. This evening, they were symbolic gifts of life and love.

Ari and I stood together, inches apart but not touching, watching the revelers. I remembered that Ivy and Fitz, my father, and likely Fara too, were all over at Lekai. Suddenly, I wanted to join them. I said good night to Ari and started walking out. On impulse, I called back to him.

“I'll bring you a lit candle,” I promised. “When I join you up in Rockthorn Gorge.”

The look on his face was almost enough to have made everything—
everything
—we'd been through worth it.

Then I left the demon I loved in darkness and made my way toward the light.