Nym's Arc

Chapter 29 of 41

For weeks Nym carried the truth alone. She knew now that the unmaking spell would burn its caster to death, and that the book named her. She had told no one but Titus. Each morning they walked the castle halls together. Each night they shared stories by the tall windows, and she almost forgot the weight in her chest. But the secret pressed harder every day. Zarool healed in the east while she smiled and said nothing to her mother. Titus found her in the library at dusk. The green cat curled on the table beside the closed book. He set his hand near hers, not touching. "You have to tell Drasila," he said. "She carries the same power. She has a right to know what the book asks of you both." Nym did not look at him. "If I tell her, everything changes. She will want to plan, to fight. Our mornings end." She meant more than mornings. She meant the quiet weeks with him, the walks, the easy laughter. Neither of them had spoken of what grew between them. They had both chosen silence. Titus was quiet a moment. His jaw tightened. "I don't want to lose this either," he said. "But you have a destiny. Hiding it won't stop Zarool." He looked at her the way he had looked at her all week, and she felt the same pull back, and neither of them named it. She knew he was right. The cat stretched and pressed its fern-green fur against her wrist. The light steadied in her, the way it always did with the creature near. She closed her eyes and let the calm hold. "All right," Nym said. "Tonight." She sat with Titus a little longer, they laughed together, he took her hand, “These last seven weeks with you have been the best weeks of my life” Nym smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. “I have to agree” she whispered into Titus ear. She pressed her hand into his hand and Titus traced her fingers with his thumb. Both sat silent after that until Nym had to leave.