A week later, Solus was almost done visiting the cities that she and Lith had attacked in the attempt to lure Thrud into the open. No matter how many people she healed and how many buildings she fixed, all of her efforts amounted to just one drop in the ocean and she knew it.
It was the reason Solus never remained in the same place for more than one day. Unlike destruction, rebuilding needed time and patience and she couldn’t afford to stay too long without the risk of someone recognizing her.
Solus already felt terrible by looking at the consequences of her actions. Facing the grieving relatives of the people she had killed or who had died in the aftermath of her plans was the last thing she needed.
They had moved to the city Ne’sra, the former capital of the Deirus Grand Duchy. There was a lot to rebuild, countless people in need of a Healer, and the fact that Solus had played no part in its destruction eased her conscience.
The presence of a powerful mana geyser below the city and the fact that no one there had seen her in person allowed her to prolong her stay for as long as she wanted.
Whole city blocks had been razed during the fight between the Mad Queen and the still-living companions of the First King. Tessa the Titania had laid waste to Ne’sra in a failed attempt to rescue Phloria and then pinned the blame on Thrud to ensure that she would have no easy time controlling it.
The second part of Tessa’s plan had worked like a charm. The citizens of the capital of Deirus had never surrendered nor did they accept the rule of the Mad Queen. Ne’sra welcomed the army members like saviors and every Healer like a saint.
There were many construction sites and even more field hospitals but the mood was much better than in the western side of the Kingdom. The people were still mourning their dead yet they also enjoyed the sweet taste of victory.
All that Solus received as compensation for her treatments were smiles and nice words which were plenty enough for her. After being called names, spat upon, and incapable of moving around without a security detail or a spell on her fingertips, Ne’sra was heaven.
“How do you cope with the constant void in your mind where Acala once was?” Solus asked while they were consuming a hearty meal after a hard day’s work. “I’ve been away from Lith for over a week now yet the last thing I do every night is wish him goodnight and good morning as soon as I wake up.”
“It’s actually pretty easy.” Dawn replied, scaring Nyka quite a bit.
Ever since their argument in the park of the Verhen mansion, the Vampire had become self-conscious of the threat that Dawn posed and how easy it would be for her to take over Nyka’s body.
“I learned this trick as soon as I realized what kind of piece of work my first host was. Do you know how to shroud your mind so that your host can’t perceive your thoughts?” Solus nodded for her to continue.
“You must do the same now and get used to keeping your mind isolated at all times even once you reunite with Verhen. It will allow you to keep your personality distinct from his own and set healthy boundaries.”
“I see.” Solus nodded. “How long did it take you to master this technique? Because even with Lith out of the range of our telepathic link I still feel no better than the first day we left.”
“A few years.” One of the perks of switching bodies was that Dawn’s form could eat and appreciate the food whereas Nyka would have to just pretend to.
Not only did it remove the risk of someone noticing her grimaces every time she put something in her mouth, but it also allowed her to taste something other than blood by sharing Dawn’s senses.
Nyka had never been alive so she had also never eaten human food either. Despite her fears, she found the experience of letting the Horseman at the wheel to be rewarding.
“A few years?” Solus blurted out so loudly that everyone turned toward their table.
To partly compensate for the damage sustained during the War of the Griffons, Ne’sra had been exempted from the food rationing so the restaurants were still open and the three women were eating in one of the best establishments, the Cook & Dagger.
Or rather, that was the official version. The truth was that the food was still rationed but due to the many deaths incurred during the battle between Tessa and Thrud, the citizens of Ne’sra were eating the dead people’s share.
“Yeah, but I bet it will take you much longer.” Dawn nodded, giving a smile and a wave to the curious to reassure them that everything was alright. “I mean, I barely knew that bitch.
“You have spent the last twenty years with Lith and clearly there’s very little you two didn’t share. If you think you can get over something like that in a week you are out of your mind.”
‘It’s sixteen years and we’ve never shared the naughty stuff.’ Solus blushed up to her ears yet she couldn’t bring herself to say those words out loud. ‘Except maybe the kisses, a few first bases, and the one-night- By my Mom what have I done?’
Solus had always been careful giving Lith his privacy with Phloria and Kamila once the things between them had gotten serious, but not with the women he considered as flings.
Lith was paranoid and always kept Solus ready to step in in the case it was a honey trap. It had never happened but it had still given her plenty of hindsight about what he liked and disliked. Also, Lith’s body had never been a mystery to her.
“What is she doing?” Dawn asked after Solus went from tomato red to heatstroke red.
“That’s her perverted face so you must be on to something about the sharing.” Tista replied.
“I don’t have a perverted face!” Solus said with a voice too high-pitched to be believable.
“Yeah, right.” Tista snorted. “So I guess that every time you stare at a sweet ass with your furrowed brows and biting your lips you are actually pondering a new magical breakthrough.”
“I’m sorry, Solus, but you know what they say. The more you stir it, the more it stinks.” Nyka said.
“I need your advice as well, Solus.” Dawn was too old to find any enjoyment in the embarrassment of a kid and had no care for gossip. “I tried everything I could to get Zepho to trust me but nothing I say or do is ever enough.
“I know that after what I did to him, Zepho has every right to be suspicious of my actions but he shouldn’t doubt my feelings. How did you manage to have Lith’s utmost confidence?
“I mean, I know that your past is much cleaner than mine but compared to him Zepho is as guileless as a child.”
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“I know what you mean.” Solus sighed, glad to catch a break.
