“What?” Owen asked.
“Pardon?”
“You’re nodding and grimacing as if you made some important decision,” he said. “Do share if you’ve thought of something good.”
As much as she wanted to unload every last thing she’d been fretting about since she last saw him, she knew she couldn’t talk about Nick to Owen. He got about as sour as Nick did when she talked about him. She saw a nice inn at the corner of the street and pointed.
“If Maria’s right about no one seeing us, then we should stay somewhere comfortable at least. I’m exhausted and grimy from walking through…” she trailed off, feeling her throat clog with tears. Walking through what was left of her house.
“I am right,” Maria said briskly. “And Ariana’s right, too. No reason to sleep rough again.” She gave him a reproachful look. “We’ve been doing quite enough of that.”
He yelped. “It was your idea to camp in that abandoned stable last night.”
Ariana shook her head. “Oh dear. No wonder you both look like you do. Goodness, Owen.”
His face reddened at the injustice of her reproach. Ariana pressed her lips together to hide the weak smile that tried to break free. It felt good to tease him again.
“She lived in the woods and ate raw fish in the Povest village,” he said.
The smile died before it could show itself and her reproach became real. “What? Why? That’s horrid.”
“It wasn’t their fault,” Maria said. “I’m clearly fine.”
“But you’re not,” Ariana argued. “You’re skin and bones and filthy to boot. Whoever you are in there, you’re not taking proper care of Maria.”
The spark in her eyes grew to a dark flame, completely blotting out the color of Maria’s irises and causing her pupils to glow. “I can leave now I suppose. See how well she does without me.”
“No, don’t!” Owen grabbed Ariana’s arm and gave her a shake. “She needs to be there. Maria was… just, she needs to stay in there.”
Ariana wrenched her arm away, angry and tired to her bones. She looked back and forth between her two best friends. One didn’t seem to be wholly on her side anymore and the other might not be there at all.
Fear rippled up beyond her anger. All of a sudden she didn’t want to demand to know what was really going on, what had really happened to Maria. She closed her eyes, feeling like she could fall asleep in the street standing up.
“Fine. Let’s get our rooms,” she said, turning away from both of them.
Once she had Maria alone, she’d try to gently get the information she wanted without rousing those flashing lights in her eyes.
She arranged for two rooms, anxious they’d be turned away once the innkeeper saw the states they were in. Maria’s magic continued to work and the bored porter handed over two keys, asking if they’d need help with their bags. She turned and laughed, wondering what the man saw. She saw two filthy, bedraggled hoodlums standing too close together to be at all proper. Owen had a small bag slung over his shoulder and Maria clutched a book in her hand. Ariana herself had the clothes on her back.
She refused his offer of help with their nonexistent luggage and they trudged up the stairs to their rooms. They were at opposite ends of the hall from each other and Ariana sighed, hating to be so far from Owen. She almost suggested they cram together in one room, not wanting to risk losing him again after she’d gone weeks not knowing where he was.
He made the decision for her by nodding tiredly and heading down the hall without another word. Maria followed him.
“Wait, Maria. You’ll stay with me,” she said, trying not to phrase it as a question. Also trying not to look outraged at the fact that she thought she could spend the night with Owen. Maybe it was all right out in the wilds of Moldavia, but they were in London now. Maria blinked and shook her head, moving closer to Owen. “But we have so much catching up to do,” Ariana wheedled, hating the begging sound in her voice. And why wasn’t Owen speaking up? He had to know this wasn’t proper.
“I stay with Owen,” Maria said.
Before Maria could argue further, Owen held up his hand. “It’s fine, Ariana.” He looked benevolently at Maria and unlocked the door to his room, holding it open so she could breeze through it without a backward glance at Ariana. “No one will notice or care,” he said, not at all apologetic. “Let’s get some rest, aye? It’s another long journey tomorrow.”
And with that, he went into the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her gaping in the hallway. Alone once again.
***
Ariana slammed the door and leaned against it, barely seeing the room she was in. She supposed it was nice enough. Pacing back and forth, she tried to get her flustered thoughts under control.
How could Owen stay in the same room with Maria like that? If it was the same as this room, there was only one bed, wide enough for two people, but they’d have to be awfully close together. It was so improper, so unseemly. It made her hands shake and for a while she wasn’t thinking at all about the fact her family home was destroyed.
What were they doing in there? How would they wash up in such close confines? Didn’t Owen care at all about Maria’s reputation? No. He was clearly completely at ease about spending the night with her with her probably terrified family only blocks away.
For a moment Ariana thought about hurrying to their house and telling them exactly where their wayward daughter was. She was instantly struck with guilt at that ignoble idea. It was partially her fault Maria was in her current predicament. And it was a truly awful predicament.
If Ariana understood it correctly, her friend was possessed by… she stopped that
