Jolin stood off to the side, a smug look on her face. Garen’s eyes were red rimmed and swollen as if she’d been crying.
Merlay spread her arms. “The first day of the chesli harvest is for food and dancing.”
As one, all four Heads bowed and the music changed from haunting to a lively dancing song. Lilette couldn’t see Han anywhere.
Pescal grabbed her hand and hauled her up the stairs. They were among the first to reach the tables laden with a feast of fruits, vegetables, and pastries. After piling food onto two large, stiff leaves that Lilette had no doubt had been sung for this very purpose, Pescal managed wrangle her past the guardians keeping watch on the Head’s private gardens. They wove past important-looking people and found a spot to sit among the white flowers.
Lilette took her first bite of fruit, the juice and sour sweetness exploding on her tongue. They ate fruits she had never tasted before—and never the same one twice. Pescal regaled her with stories of famous guardians, his manner jovial. Every once in a while, he absently tried to smooth down his cowlick, but it stubbornly stuck right back up again.
Between the food and the laughter, Lilette forgot her worry over losing sight of Doranna. Feeling safe with Pescal, she kept an eye out for Han, hoping he’d know where to look for her.
When Pescal finished eating, he tossed his leaf plate out of sight. “You can eat them, but I’m stuffed.”
Lilette was too busy watching the path from the pavilion to reply.
“Are you looking for someone, Lilette?” Pescal asked.
Lilette focused on him. “I’m sorry. I thought Han would have found me by now. Would you help me look for him?”
Pescal’s grin faded. “Lilette, would I be correct in assuming you have feelings for the man?”
She didn’t deny it.
He looked away. “Then I am sorry to say, he did not wish to see you.”
The fruit Lilette had been holding slipped from her fingers and landed with a wet plop in her lap. “What?”
Pescal gently removed the fruit, which had left a dark splotch on her robes. He wetted a handkerchief and pressed it into her hands. “I am sorry. He said there is too much between you.”
Her hands curled into a fist around the fabric, rivulets of moisture running between her fingers as the hurt washed over her, settling deep into her bones—so deep she wasn’t sure she could ever shake it.
Pescal grinned wryly. “And here I was hoping to have a good time with such a beautiful woman.”
She stared absently at the dark stain on her robes before daubing at it with the handkerchief.
Pescal sighed and handed her his cup. “Here, try this.”
When she didn’t take it, he held it to her lips. “It will help.”
She held and sipped the drink, which tasted of sweet melons with a tangle of citrus and pear. She finished off the entire cup. He was right—she did feel better. Sort of floaty and warm.
He reached for her hand and helped her up. “You promised me a dance, remember?” He twirled her around and they danced. Lilette didn’t know the steps, but she picked them up quickly, laughing when she stumbled and fell into him.
He caught her against his chest. Before she knew what was happening, he bent down and kissed her. “You taste like melons!” Laughing, he pulled back and twirled her around before she could process what had just happened.
Dizzy, she backed away from him. “Stop, I can’t breathe.”
Pescal gave her a mock bow. “Then I shall bring you something to revive you and we shall dance again.”
She watched as he trotted away, his hand on the sword at his waist to keep it from bouncing.
A breeze picked up and she leaned into it, grateful for the coolness against her damp forehead and the smell of crushed flowers and sap. Closing her eyes, she lay back and closed her eyes, the flowers soft as a bed beneath her. She turned her head to see if Pescal was coming back from the pavilion yet. There was no sign of him.
Everything was swaying gently in the breeze, so Han’s stillness caught her attention almost immediately. He stood with his back against a nearby tree, his gaze intense. The smile melted from Lilette’s face and something lurched within her. Had he seen the kiss? Part of her hoped he had, wanted him to see her with someone else. She pushed herself to her feet.
Han strode toward her, power in his gait. When he stood before her, he searched her gaze and the gentleness she’d seen before was gone, replaced with a wall she knew she’d never scale. The breeze washed over them, bringing Lilette the steel and leather smell of him.
“Chen has been using your sister and the others to fight back against Kalari,” he said.
Lilette instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. “I know.”