Sienna Du’for's Arc

Chapter 13 of 19

They stayed under the tree until the stars came out. Sienna lay on her back in the moss. Clementine lay beside her, close enough that their arms touched. The blue blooms above them looked black against the sky. For the first time in months, no one was watching. No pilgrims. No Elk. The statue at the center of the grove kept its stone face turned toward the path. Sienna knew Sarec was still listening, and she did not mind. They talked about everything they had not been allowed to want. Clementine wanted to see the sea. Sienna wanted to learn to bake bread badly and then well. They named a house with two rooms and a garden that was mostly weeds. They named a dog. They argued about the dog's name and then agreed on one and then forgot it and picked another. Clementine said, flat as ever, "I've never eaten a peach." Sienna promised her a peach. They fell asleep like that, shoulders touching, the roots warm under their backs. In the morning Sienna walked back to the mill and dug through the small chest under her cot. She pulled out a folded robe she had sewn over the winter months at the tree, when Clementine was still bark and she had nothing to do with her hands but talk to wood. The robe was earth-colored, wide at the sleeves, tied with a soft sash. She had never meant to give it to anyone. She had made it for a woman who no longer had a body. She folded it into a clean square and carried it back to the grove. Clementine sat on the roots and opened the bundle in her lap. She ran her fingers along the stitches. She put the robe on over her dress and tied the sash twice because it was too long. She did not thank Sienna with words. She lifted a chain from around her neck and held it out. The pendant hung from it, a small gold shape with eight faces, warm from her skin. "My mother gave it to me," Clementine said. "It kept me safe in the wood. I want you to have it." Sienna bent her head. Clementine fastened the clasp at her nape. The pendant settled against Sienna's collarbone and stayed there. They smiled at each other for a long time without speaking. That was the day the thing they had both wanted finally arrived and stayed. In the days that followed they met at the tree each morning and each night. They ate together. They walked the grove. They fought once about nothing and made up before supper. Sienna stopped counting how many days she had been hiding. She had a friend who knew her real name and had chosen her anyway. The rest of the world had not yet come for them. For now, that was enough.