Chapter 44 Piper arrives 1

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Piper arrives 1

Talia’s POV

The knock came late in the evening.

I was still sitting by the window, and watching the sun set behind the mountains. The sky was orange and pink and purple, and the shadows were growing long.

I did not expect anyone, because Kaelen was still out, and the servants had already brought my dinner.

I had been sitting there for hours, watching the light fade. The same light, the same mountains, and the same silence. Every day felt the same now, like I was stuck in a loop, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the trials, and waiting for Kaelen to decide if I mattered. I was always waiting.

I stood up and walked to the door, then I opened it, and my heart stopped.

Because Piper was standing in the hallway.

She looked different—thinner and paler. Her hair was messy, and her clothes were wrinkled, like she had been traveling for days.

But her eyes were the same warm, kind ones, even though she looked worried.

I stared at her in shock. "Piper?"

She smiled. "Hi, Talia."

I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. I looked through the hallways—no one was there—before I closed the door and pressed my back against it.

"How did you get here?" I asked. "How did you find me? Does anyone know you are here?"

Piper held up her hands. "Slow down, please. One question at a time."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, how did you get here?"

"I walked," she said. "And hitched a ride with a trader, and walked some more. It took me three days."

"Three days?" My eyes went wide.

"I had to see you." Piper stepped closer, as her eyes searched my face. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell her everything was fine, that I was fine, and that she did not need to worry.

But the words would not come, so I just shook my head.

Piper pulled me into a hug. Her arms were thin, but they were strong, as she held me tight, and I buried my face in her shoulder.

She smelled like home, like Cresswood, like the storage room we used to hide in, like the bread she snuck me when I was hungry—like the only person in that horrible place who ever looked at me like I was human.

I did not realize how much I needed that smell until now.

"I missed you," I whispered, and the tears that I had been holding for weeks finally began to fall.

"I missed you too," she said as she sniffed.

We stood there for a long time, holding each other.

I felt the tears soak into her dress, but she did not pull away. She just held me tighter. I had not cried like this since I left Cresswood, and since I left her, and I had been so strong for so long. But with Piper, I did not have to be strong. I could just be broken, and she would still stay.

The fire crackled, the room was warm, and for the first time in weeks, I did not feel alone.

Piper pulled back and looked at me, and her eyes were red.

"You have been crying," she said.

"No, I have not," I lied through blurry eyes.

"Your eyes are red," she laughed with tears in her eyes. ℴℴ𝘮

"It’s because I was watching the sunset," I said, laughing too.

Piper gave me a look. "Talia."

I sighed. "Fine. Maybe a little."

She led me to the bed and sat me down. She sat beside me and took my hand.

"Tell me everything," she said.

I did not know where to start, so I started at the beginning: the room arrangements, the whispers, Serena, the Luna trials, Kaelen’s suspicion about my scent, and the rumors about the contract.

Piper listened without interrupting, and her face got darker with every word.

When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment.

"Serena," she said finally. "I do not like her."

"No one does," I replied.

"Good." Piper squeezed my hand. "Because she is trying to destroy you."

"I know," I said, looking down at my feet.

"And Kaelen? What is his deal?" Piper asked.

I looked away. "I really do not know. One day he looks at me like I matter, and the next day, he acts like I do not exist."

Piper studied my face. "You care about him, Talia."

My face burned bright red, I looked away, and I did not answer.

"Talia," Piper called.

"I do not know what I feel," I said. "He is a stranger. He is cold and distant and impossible to read. But he gave me a blanket when I was cold, he bought me clothes I did not ask for, and he brought me hot chocolate because he saw me cuddling my body in the mornings."

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Hot chocolate?"

"That is not the point, Piper," I said.

"It is a little bit the point," Piper said, smiling.

"He is not the point." I pulled my hand away. "Why are you here, Piper?"

Piper’s face grew serious.

"Vivienne is planning something," she said. "At the Luna Celebration, she is going to try to destroy you."

My blood ran cold. "What do you mean, Piper?"