The lies she told tasted worse than the taste that saying a prayer left on her tongue. She'd rather sing an entire hymn through the burning of her Mark and the ash in her mouth than lie to him like this again. Solenne knew she didn't have a choice. It was lie or confess. Lying made her want to puke. Confessing would end her life. Between the two, she could handle the extra bile in her stomach and the burn in her throat.

  Solenne sniffled. She buried her face into his chest. Her hands came up to rest on his sides. She felt him tense for a moment when her nails ran along him as she gripped at the gray fabric of his tunic. Her own heart skipped as she inhaled deeply, playing it off as a calming breath, to try and remember this scent; Hylarin and incense. How was it he still smelled of a scholar even though she was sure he hadn't been back to the Aurifer since he started working with her? Was it just a part of who he was after so many years of the incense smoke flowing through his robes and over his skin?

  Her eyes closed as she exhaled slowly. The two of them stood in the silence of the shop. All she could hear was his heartbeat and she wondered if he could hear hers too. This was one of those moments that she would hold onto. There was nothing grand going on, no declarations. Just a boy holding a girl, a set of humans comforting one another in a moment of need. She almost wished it wouldn't stop. Yet, like all things, even this had to come to an end.

  "Let me make you some tea."

  Solenne didn't turn down the offer. She usually would have asked for coffee instead but it was too much work to make and she was curious as to what blend he may put together. All she did was nod against his chest. Slowly, the two of them separated from their embrace. She took her time releasing her fingers and stepping back. Looking up, she met his gaze as he looked down at her. They stared at one another for a few more heartbeats before he looked away and went to gather what he needed for their tea.

  She went back to work on getting the tinctures ready for the order. There had been a loud knock on her door the night before. She'd opened it to find a courier standing there, panting and waving a piece of parchment at her. It had taken the lanky man a moment to catch his breath before he could inform her that this was a rush order and needed to be completed by midday the following day. Solenne had started putting it all together right then. As of now, while Emrys was making her tea, she had about two hours to finish putting it all together.

  She grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill. Steadying her hand, she slowly scrawled the names of various tinctures that would be cut from the sheet and placed onto the vials once they were full. Once she finished that, Solenne moved on to standing each of the flat bottomed vials onto the countertop. She picked up the large pitcher of the veilthorn and rosen mixture, setting it closer to her workspace. The work was going to be delicate given the small stature of the vials so instead of pouring it directly in like she would with larger containers, she grabbed a dropper. This was where things got tedious.

  Each time the dropper would be filled, squeezed into a vial, filled again, over and over and over until each one was full. Her fingers ached. Over the sweet scent of the tincture she could just pick up on the floral aroma of whatever it was that Emrys was steeping. She'd barely registered the sound of him walking up the stairs, the kettle hissing as it came to temperature, or the clicking of the metal ball against the ceramic of the mugs. As she filled the last vial, her tea was placed in front of her.

  Emrys didn't speak as he gently grabbed her at the waist. He led her to the stool she should have been sitting on, picked up her, and placed her atop of it. Solenne felt her entire body get warm. She knew her cheeks had to be a deep shade of red as he handed her the mug. There were no words needed as he brought it up to her mouth and sipped it slowly. She looked down at the tea and then over to him. He was taking over the orders even as he sniffled.

  Solenne watched him cork the vials. He then grabbed the small knife she had to cut the labels out. Emrys frowned a bit. She knew it was his frustrated frown. Putting the labels on was a delicate task. They were easily torn and could be placed any way but straight if you weren't patient and careful. Emrys had the patience and the care but he lacked finesse. She sipped more of her tea. The warmth combined with whatever he had put into it calmed her nearly instantly. It wasn't even that sleepy kind of calm she usually got when making a tea for herself. This was calming her thoughts while leaving her aware enough to still continue working.

  "Do you want some-"

  "No. You stay there. I can handle this." He sounded somewhat confident though she could still hear that undercurrent of self-doubt.

  "They don't have to be perfect."

  Her words were a simple reminder. She wasn't expecting anything on this rush order to be immaculate. Even if she was doing it by herself the labels would still be on a little sideways and she was sure that she wouldn't seal the vials as good as she would if she had another day or so. Emrys looked over at her. He seemed to study her face for a while before turning back to the labels in front of him. Pulling his eyes away from her, he gave a curt nod before going back to work.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Solenne was not used to just observing in this way. Even when she was teaching him, she was hands on so he could see things done and if needed she could take over. This time every time the stool creaked he would look over to make sure she wasn't moving from where he had put her. She had finished her tea and sat the mug on the counter. Solenne waited until he was finished with the label he was putting on before she stood up. Before he could scold her, she brought a hand up to stop him.

  "I need to check on your robes and hang them." Solenne knew he would want his robes back before leaving for the day. The material they were made of took forever to dry.

  "Alright..." Emrys allowed her to pass by him to head to the cellar. "I do need your help sealing the vials."

  Solenne nodded. "Of course. It will go faster if we are both sealing them." She smiled at him as she passed by. Just as she made it to the end of the counter, he turned and sneezed loud enough it made her jump. She looked at him as he groaned loudly, grabbed a nearby rag, and blew his nose into it. Her face scrunched up in disgust but she also knew that rag would need to be burned after he left for the night.

  She walked to the cellar door, opened it, and disappeared into her safe place. Down these stairs was where she felt the weight of everything fall from her shoulders. Solenne felt herself untense. Even her jaw relaxed as she made her way to the spinning tub that held his robes. She pulled the wet fabric out and held it up. As she checked it over, she was glad to see that the antibacterial additive she'd used hadn't stripped the colors. She was getting better at diluting it to suit what she needed it for.

  Solenne grabbed a length of thick rope from nearby. She walked back up the stairs with the robes and the rope. Once back in the shop, she made her way past where Emrys worked and into her flat above. It was up there she would hang the rope in her bedroom right over the heater that kept the place warm. She turned it on low before draping his robes over the rope. Now all they needed was time for it to dry. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long. She wanted Emrys to rest.

  Part of her wanted to make him stay here since he was sick. The other part knew once he realized he was infected, he would question why she wasn't getting sick. It was for the same reason that the Ecclesium healers didn't get sick; seraphic magic burned Bloom before it could settle in the lungs. Still she hated sending him back to the inn knowing he could spread the infection to the others there. Solenne checked to make sure that the robes were hanging properly before going back downstairs.

  She didn't stop once she hit the bottom of the stairs. Solenne went to grab a large metal pot and a brick of wax from where she stored them just inside of the cellar. Once she had those, she put the pot onto the coil, started it, and then dropped the brick of wax into it. She could hear Emrys mumbling behind her. He was still working on getting the labels onto the vials. She allowed herself to softly smile while he couldn't see her. It hurt knowing this couldn't go on forever but for now she was going to enjoy their time together.

  "Can you make sure the corks are tight in the vials?" Solenne asked him as she looked over her shoulder at him.

  There was no reply but she watched as he picked up the one he had just put a label onto and pressed the cork into the vial more. He tipped it upside down, waited a few seconds, and then turned it right side up again. Emrys nodded in approval before putting it back down. Solenne wanted to kiss him and cry all at the same time. This could have been her life...

  Solenne shook her head a little before looking back to the wax. Once it was ready, she transferred the pot over to the counter. "We have a little bit of work time before we have to reheat the wax." She told him as she picked up a vial and double checked the cork stopper. Then she dipped it into the wax, turned it a few times until the wax hardened a little, and then repeated the process until she was pleased with the seal it had. She noticed Emrys watching her before he did one of his own. He smiled at her when she gave him a nod of approval.

  The two of them spent the rest of their time that day in a comfortable silence. Each one of them dipped a vial a few times, set it down, and did it again until each one was sealed and ready. Solenne prepared the box they would be packed in. Emrys placed each vial inside, careful to make sure it wouldn't shatter during transit, and he closed up the box, wrapping twine around it neatly to keep it securely closed. Then he cleaned up their workspace while Solenne waited on the courier to pick up the order.

  It was strangely familiar, easy, and stirred a feeling in her chest she hadn't felt before. Solenne had been content her entire life with being alone. No one would fully understand her curse and even if they did, the Aureate lingered too close. The Pale Order stalked the shadows. Anyone she tried to love would never be safe. Yet, as she watched Emrys putting up the wax pot, all she could think about was how she wanted him at her side, in the shop, for the rest of whatever life he had left. Surely she could have that. She could love a dying man, couldn't she?

  The courier came and went. The two of them fully cleaned up the shop, went to Rolan's for food, and returned to eat on the stairs between the shop and her flat. Solenne went and got his robes when she noticed how tired he was while he tried to eat his sandwich. Bringing it down, she noticed the confusion on his face. If she didn't know any better, she would say it was mixed with a it of hurt.

  "You need to rest Emrys. I am going to close up early anyway. That rush order took it out of me." She admitted as she felt her own exhaustion settling in. Solenne gathered up what he had left and went to pack it for him.

  Emrys followed her up the stairs. "You know best. I mean, you're not a sanctioned healer, but you keep people healthy here so I guess I better listen, huh?"

  "Exactly." She grinned. It was a very rare expression to grace her face yet he earned it from her.

  Solenne handed him his robe that he slipped on before giving him his leftovers. The two walked down the stairs. She walked him to the door. "Please be safe and get some rest. Goodnight Emrys."

  He smiled at her as he stepped outside. "Goodnight Solenne.”