Orin Nightshade's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Orin sat across from Marina at the kitchen table, watching her stir honey into her tea. He'd been thinking about the full moon ceremony for weeks now, turning over how to explain what it meant. Not the romance of it — Marina already knew he wanted forever. The binding part. The part that didn't end. She set down her spoon and looked at him. "What do you think happens to love after someone dies?" The question came out of nowhere, casual as asking about the weather. But Orin felt something shift in his chest. He'd carried the ring box in his coat pocket for three days now, waiting for the right moment to start the conversation he'd been avoiding. Now she'd opened the door herself. He didn't answer right away. Outside the window, he could see the edge of the Nammes Tythwear site where the old stones circled the bonfire pit. The ceremony ground. He'd walked past it yesterday and pictured Marina standing there under the full moon, pictured the words that would bind them past death and into whatever came after. "I think it doesn't stop," he said finally. "I think it's the one thing that gets to stay." Marina nodded slowly, like she'd expected him to say exactly that. She reached across the table and took his hand. "Good," she said. "Because I've been reading about the full moon ceremonies. The old ones." Orin's breath caught. She knew. Or she was close enough that the conversation he'd been dreading might actually be one they could have. He pulled the wooden box from his pocket and set it between them on the table. The star diamond caught the morning light. "Then we should talk," he said.