was unburden herself. She could do that with Reena, so long as no one else was around—and only if the Chancellor was attending to other affairs.
Reena was too busy to notice Kiera entering the laboratory. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head and covered by a clear hairnet, horn-rimmed glasses were halfway down her nose, and she wore a white lab coat buttoned up over a gray calf-length tunic. As usual, she was bent over a long, wooden section of her research area, working on her plants. The woman was a rare breed of witch who was just as gifted at herbalism for magic as she was in science. Every fortress witch and most of the scientists turned to Reena when they needed information on a plant or herb.
During the cold months, she would cultivate most of the critical ingredients for spells in a tiny greenhouse off the kitchen, using ingenious tricks and spells to allow for accelerated growth indoors. In the late spring and summer, she would boldly venture to all corners of the island to source plants and herb. Reena was fearless, frequently going outside the boundary walls during the warmer months, at the frustration of the Chancellor’s personal guards and the Border Protection Unit.
“How are you doing today?” Kiera asked. Reena jumped and pivoted around, then the two of them giggled in unison. “Deep in your work as always.”
She placed her hand on her heart and narrowed her eyes. “And you scared me to death. You know what you need, woman? Bells around your damned neck! How do you ever get around so bloody quietly?”
“It’s probably magic.”
“No doubt you were a frigging stealth walker in your former life.”
“Goodness, you and Coco with all this profanity today. Is something going around?”
“If it is, it’s not contagious, or you would have caught it already, Kiera.”
Kiera grinned. “What are you working on today?”
Reena returned her attention to her work for a second, setting several beakers filled with clear and murky green liquids aside before turning to face Kiera again. She laughed. “Nothing near as exciting as your meeting with Commander Oslo. How did it go?”
Kiera looked around the room, craning her neck to see if anyone was in the adjoining laboratory. “Are we alone?”
She took Kiera’s hand. “We are, but let us go to the one room in this freaking place where the walls do not have ears.”
Kiera pointed back at the lab as Reena pulled her to leave. “But your work…it looks rather interesting.”
“You don’t need to play this silly game, Kiera,” Reena retorted as they walked arm in arm down the long corridor. “You are not even remotely interested in what I’m working on right now. Admit it…you came by to talk. I can see it in your eyes. There’s a lot going up there.”
They stopped at a narrow door beside the kitchen door. “I am just really confused…about so many things.”
Reena opened the door and they entered the greenhouse. No one could eavesdrop here, thanks to the byproduct of a protection spell that she had put around the room every fall to keep the space warm. “Tell me what happened, and do not leave out a single detail. I need to know everything.”
“Honestly, Commander Oslo surprised me. Yes, he was rude and arrogant, but there was so much more to him.” Kiera leaned on an empty wooden counter and folded her arms, looking out in the distance beyond the glass wall, drifting off to her thoughts again.
Reena nodded knowingly. “So you are crazy about him. Is that it?”
“I don’t know…perhaps? I cannot believe you would encourage me!”
“Lighten up. No one says you have to marry the man. There’s nothing wrong with a little harmless flirtation. A sprinkling of diversion. I mean, we have all been so diligent around here, me in the lab, you with your head buried in books, scrolls and ancient grimoires, and everyone else has been rushing around as we prepare for winter. You have a chance to look into the light for a little while. It is something to be excited about. Go on. Live. Breathe. Get a bit of time between the sheets with a tall, dark and handsome animal before your time comes.” She grinned. “Meow, my friend.”
Kiera bit her lip, failing miserably at stifling down a giggle as her friend sat on a wooden bar stool and leaned toward her.
“Now that you know what I really think, tell me, what was he like?”
“Oh hell. Why not.” She