After leaving Rhys, Iree kept the drinks coming. Facing the council the next morning would be made a thousand times worse by the inevitable hangover, but she’d do anything to stop his cruel words from echoing in her. Was that what he thought of her then, some moping, useless woman unable to move on past the death of her fiancé? Bastard. Showed how much he truly knew her if he thought her feelings were that shallow. It had never been like that. When she loved, she loved with all she had. That’s how it had been with Dale…

Dale Holmfen had had a strength Iree admired. He was, in fact, the only person she acknowledged as stronger than herself. Physically, he hadn’t exactly been her type. Long hair, loose clothes that only made his slim build look smaller, a soft, almost feminine appearance. Dale was one to catch the eye, though. He was flashy and confident, with an infectious laugh and gorgeous smile.

His magic was an even greater sight to behold. Blossom allowed him to control the growth of plants, using them to attack in an ownergrown frenzy. By toting seeds, he could fight in any terrain. The Holmfen family had earned a council spot by using their magic to destroy Ghurian food supplies in past wars.

Dale, unlike Iree, didn’t put much stock in authority. Maybe that was why he’d gotten along with the similarly cavalier Shark Olyen so much. Neither of them seemed to care about anything, and Iree saw this lackadaisical flow of theirs as arrogance. Even quite a while into their friendship, she didn’t understand who Dale really was, taking his carefree mien at face value. Learning that he wasn’t what she presumed came with a chance encounter.

Iree didn’t like to spend too much time at home even before she’d cut ties with her parents and moved into the attic of the Novaks, so she’d taken to wandering the streets at night to get some peace. When she saw a rain of petals falling from the sky beyond the fort wall one night she could only call fateful now, she’d thought she was hallucinating from exhaustion at first. But the petals kept coming, and she just had to investigate.

The watchtower guard waved her by with a casual air when she aimed a questioning look, so she knew nothing was wrong. Still, she was surprised to find Dale in the forest. He could barely stand, and he was dripping in sweat. His breath was uneven, escaping in almost desperate gasps; it was a clear sign of overused magic. A thorny mass of entwined roses the size of the Creed mansion loomed before him, shedding petals like blood dripping from a wound. Iree barely had time to appreciate its terrible beauty, however, because Dale let out a long string of curses that increased in volume until he was yelling at himself.

“Come on,” he seethed at the end, “You can do better!”

She’d thought he didn’t care, not about anything, at least not a lot. But of course he did. Of course he wanted to be strong. They all had to or else they’d get themselves killed.

“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard,” she said without thinking.

Dale gasped and whirled around, letting out a laugh once he saw it was her. “You’re one to talk.” He approached and took her hands, laughing again when she glared at him. She’d been trying to keep things strictly platonic with both Rhys and Dale up to that point. They didn’t need further complications. “Chill out. Just checking out your injuries.” He indicated the burns lining her forearms with a nod. “You have to control your magic and not always go for such huge attacks. You’re not fireproof, you know.”

“Whatever! I’m working on it!” She didn’t have time to hold back. Becoming commander and changing the world… Scars were a small price to get there faster.

He grinned, and her heart actually skipped a beat. Up close, he really was handsome. Annoyingly so. “Good on you.” He backed away and started fishing in the multi-pocketed pouch he carried around his waist. “Gimme a minute. This thing isn’t exactly organized.”

“Okay?” As he went about his mysterious task, she watched the rose collapse until all its vines and thorns had drifted into decay to leave just a tiny seed sitting in the wreckage. “What are you doing out here?”

He arched a brow. “Practicing?” He’d withdrawn some seeds and was making them bloom in the palm of his hand. It was amazing, almost breathtaking. A magic that could create life and take it away.

“Yeah, dumb question. Why so late? And… Again, why so hard on yourself?”

He held up a finger as he concentrated. A second pouch balanced on the opposite hip held a small mortar and pestle among other tools, and he went about grinding some of the herbs he’d cultivated. After he’d arranged the poultice into a plastic jar, he grinned at her. “C’mere.”

“Okay…?”

“Remember this. This one is aloe. Apply it to afflicted areas. That sprig there is lavender. It helps calm the nerves. If you ever want me to make an oil for you, just ask. I’ll need other tools than what I usually carry on me, though. That’ll have to do for now. These flowers are calendula. It’s for lighter burns, so maybe you’ll try to take care of yourself sooner from now on instead of letting things fester, right? Right?”

Iree tried to get out another retort, but he kept talking.

“Boil the calendula with a small handful of them for about half a liter of water. Let it steep after boiling for ten to fifteen minutes at least, and you can leave the flowers in there while it cools. Soak a cloth and apply it until it dries out. Do this as much as you want. Got it? Good.” He let out a wide yawn and went to retrieve his rose seed. “Well, I’m going home.”

“You never answered my question!” she protested, giving chase.

He laughed as she fell into step beside him back on the city streets. “Do any of us need a reason to train? I don’t wanna die out there, do you?”

“Obviously not.”

“So there you go.” The corners of his mouth fell somewhat, and she realized for the first time that he always seemed so unflinching. She’d never seen him falter, but she’d never gotten to know the things he cared about enough about to feel deeper emotions either. “This whole thing got foisted onto our shoulders. If I was on that council, none of this would have ever happened. I would have found a way, you know?” He laughed all of a sudden, making her jump. He’d drawn her in with this flip in his persona. “But it’s whatever.”

Her passion was ignited by how similar his attitude was to her own. “I know how you feel! Getting onto that council after the war is all that matters, and I’m gonna get there!”

He tilted his head, not smiling to show that he was taking her seriously. “All that matters?”

“This is all about power. If my parents hadn’t let go of the power we had when we were nobles, I’d be so much better off. That’s why I’m going to become commander and get my own council position. It’s all about the power you gain by proving your worth in the only place it matters. I’ll make my mark on the battlefield and claw my way back up, no matter what it takes. If you say you would have done things differently, then make a better council with your own two hands! Your lazy bullshit is annoying!”

He stared at her for a second before he cracked up, laughing to the point he almost fell over.

“What’s funny?” Iree demanded, hands on her hips.

“I believe you,” he gasped, catching his breath and straightening out. “I believe you, I do.” Again, that charming, lopsided smile. “You’re right. I don’t have what it takes to head anything big. I’m just a stupid guy with vague ideals.” There was a spark in his eyes that caught her up and made the fire in her burn brighter than ever before, somehow. He looped his arms loosely around her neck and bent down to her level, a twinkle in his eyes. “Maybe I should be following you for good, huh?”

Her heart had never pounded that fast before. “Obviously.”

Things fell into place. They’d gain power and change things as they wished. That was what they wanted, and there was only one way to do it. Iree had only meant to focus on this; she never meant to fall in love with Dale. But she did.

The beginning of their courtship two years after that night was marked by a guilt she’d never quite gotten rid of. The bar she was alone and miserable in in the present moment was where it had started. She’d gone to the bathroom while Dale and Rhys had collected their things and left. They stood outside, waiting for her. As she’d exited, breathing in the thick but still bracing night air, threads of their conversation coiled to reach her.

“I like you. I do,” Rhys said, close to whispering. He was looking at his feet, and that was how Iree knew that Dale would never say yes to him. Dale wouldn’t fall for someone who couldn’t meet his eyes in the moments that really mattered.

“So… This is you asking me out?” Dale asked, awkward.

Rhys only nodded.

“Sorry, but…” Dale spoke with all seriousness. “I like someone else.” He looked up, his eyes finding Iree’s over Rhys’ shoulder. She knew in that moment that he meant her, and the raging jealousy and pain she felt at the thought of him with anyone else led her to confess her own feelings to him that very night. Couldn’t she have waited? Couldn’t they both have, for Rhys’ sake? They tried to keep it quiet, but he guessed by the end of the next day that they’d started to court. What else was he supposed to do but give his blessing and tell them his feelings weren’t hurt? So yes, she was guilty, but she was also a girl in love. She’d never known what sort of bliss it was, and there was no going back once she’d tasted it.

There was never any going back from Dale. He’d been everything, and now he was gone.

“Iree.” A voice reached her from a faraway place.

“Dale…” she murmured, wishing there was some way for the hand on her shoulder to be his. If only she could make Atlin bring him back without looking irredeemably selfish. She couldn’t bring back her own love without having to answer for everyone else’s losses.

“Sorry.” As Iree turned, Hollyhock’s face came into a wobbly focus. “It’s just me.”

“Wharya here?” she slurred.

“Because I knew you’d be here, alone and sad. How could I leave you all on your lonesome knowing that, huh?” Hollyhock’s smile was gentle. “Come on. Up.”

Iree let herself be hoisted up and all but dragged outside. “Rhys…” she mumbled. “Hates me… I love him…”

“He doesn’t hate you. He never could.”

“He said…replacing Dale with him. Not. I’m not.”

“Our Rhys said that…?” Hollyhock shook his head. “It’s been a hard day, Iree. Don’t hold it against him. You have a right to be mad, but try to think about where he’s coming from too.”

The stars and streetlights were blurring together, eclipsing all her vision to unfocused whites and yellows. Was this anything like what Dale had seen before he’d died? If the scriptures were right, would she get to see him again when she too expired?

“Whaddo I do?” she whispered. With Atlin there, everything was supposed to be okay. Instead, it was all just getting worse.

“Give it tonight. Everything’s always clearer in the morning.”

“Thas always yer advice. Sleep it off.”

“Yeah, because it works.” Hollyhock gave her an encouraging smile. “You’ll see.”

She sure would. Tonight, she would be tucked in by someone who cared enough to fetch her from her own deep, restrained sadness. Tomorrow morning, the storm would come.