Nyxlyn Nightbloom's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

The words still hung in the air when a sharp knock struck the front door. Nyxlyn flinched. Solara's eyes flicked toward the sound, then back to her. The cat darted under the table. Two winters of silence, broken open, and now the world wanted in. The knock came again, brisk against the sun-shaped knocker. Nyxlyn knew that knock. Glowlee, the sprite from down the path, always rapped three times before calling out. Any second, her voice would float through the wood. Any second, Solara would stand up and answer. Nyxlyn had a choice. She could let Solara rise, let the moment scatter like petals on stone. Or she could hold the thread before it snapped. "Don't," Nyxlyn said. Her voice came out small but steady. "Please. Not yet." Solara's hand paused halfway to her chair. She looked at Nyxlyn — really looked — and slowly sat back down. Outside, Glowlee's cheerful voice called through the door, something about fresh bread, still warm. Solara did not answer. She kept her eyes on Nyxlyn instead, and the quiet stretched between them like a held breath. "Okay," Solara whispered. "I'm here. Talk to me." The knocking faded. Footsteps crunched away down the stepping stones. Nyxlyn's hands trembled in her lap, but she had done it — she had kept the moment alive. Now Solara was waiting, and there was nowhere left to hide.