The Stars Over Bittergate Bay

Chapter 49

49

T he Silver Platter was as busy as usual when Leo, Jonas and Sidney walked in. They took seats at the counter, Sidney between Leo and Jonas.

Jonas was surprised to receive what felt like fewer stares than normal. Had people always assumed he was otherworldly? Did they not recognize him? Or perhaps they just didn’t care. Hector, for one, seemed entirely unperturbed, and came over to take their orders without so much as a batted eyelash. But then again, the diner did seem to be short staffed; Hector and Dom were the only ones shuttling plates in and out of the kitchen. Maybe there was no time to be shocked by Jonas’s appearance.

Sidney seemed more comfortable too, which Jonas was still puzzling out. Sidney leaned his shoulder against Jonas’s arm while Leo engaged enthusiastically with Hector over the extensive variety of omelets on the menu.

“So what is going to happen with the house? It’s Morrow’s now? Just like that?”

“Magic and ownership are funny things.” Jonas kept his voice low, not that it looked as though anyone was listening. “When I bought the property, I bound myself to it, mostly for the sake of security. Banishment rights, and that sort of thing. For someone else to take ownership I’ll have to unbind it, which takes magic and reagents stronger than what I have. So, I’ll need to go find them. Ideally soon, because I don’t know how long finding them will take.”

“Five days?” Sidney frowned. Jonas shrugged.

“Hopefully not.”

“On Clement’s Island?” Sidney asked. Jonas nodded.

“It’s a caldera, with a few thin places where composite minerals from the other worlds sometimes slip through.”

“That sounds complicated,” Leo said. He was cradling his coffee in both hands, leaning around Sidney to look up at Jonas. “Are unbindings really that uncommon?”

“No,” Jonas admitted. “But sourcing my own materials is cheaper than buying from an alchemist.”

“There’s got to be a half dozen alchemists at the Ascension party,” Leo said, and Jonas almost had to chuckle at his confidence. “Surely one of them will cut you a deal on reagents.”

“And that is how I know you’ve been spending too much time with Congressman Quince,” Sidney interrupted, looking askance at his brother. Leo rolled his eyes and Sidney elbowed him, and Jonas suddenly missed Karolina very, very much.

Breakfast continued on like that, and would have thought he was in some kind of a beautiful dream, if Sidney’s arm hadn’t stayed pressed against Jonas’s, anchoring him to reality. Sidney was here. He was alive and well. He had forgiven Jonas, and now they were sitting in the diner together. Jonas almost didn’t believe it.

“When do you go back to Holyworth?” Leo asked Sidney as he scraped his plate clean. Sidney shrugged.

“I don’t know. I need to speak to Karolina about it. And…” Sidney glanced over his shoulder at Jonas, trailing off with a small smile. Hope fluttered again in Jonas’s chest. They could work something out. Perhaps Jonas could find a place closer to Holyworth.

“Why don’t you come to Bainbridge?” Leo suggested to Jonas. Sidney flushed immediately.

“Don’t listen to Leo. He likes to think everyone’s problems are his to fix.”

“What’s wrong with Bainbridge?” Leo pressed. “It’s a nice town.”

“I did enjoy living there before,” Jonas admitted. “It’s close to Karolina. And the college.” And you. He looked at Sidney, almost afraid to say the words. Sidney met Jonas’s gaze and then grinned down at his cherry muffin. Jonas couldn’t help but smile. It was a relief to be understood.

“Let’s get the unbinding sorted out first,” Sidney said, as he slid his hand onto Jonas’s thigh beneath the counter. Jonas sipped his coffee, more pleased than a man who was about to be homeless had any right to be.

Dom came by with the check a little later, sweeping a handful of curls back out of his face, as Jonas reached for his wallet.

“Any luck?” Dom asked. Jonas came up short, for a moment, and then realized what he meant.

He was supposed to have been looking into Dom’s brother.

“Ah. Sorry. Not yet. Do you mind— I’ll need some more information from you, I think.”

“Whatever I can do,” Dom said. It was information Jonas should have gotten the night before: Ares Silva, last seen October 31st, ten years ago exactly. “Like me,” Dom said. “But bigger. Heavy-set with shorter hair.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the register where Hector was finishing up with some other patrons, and lowered his voice. “Hector really doesn’t like to talk about it, so if we could keep it between us.”

“Give me a couple of days,” Jonas said with a nod. “I’ll ask around.”

“Thank you.” Dom was so sincere that Jonas felt guilty he hadn’t started already. As though there hadn’t been other pressing issues at hand.

“Dom,” Sidney leaned forward. “Jonas tells me you have a room for rent.”

“I do,” Dom said, arching an eyebrow. “Are you in the market?”

When they got back into the truck, Sidney had a slip of paper with Dom’s number on it.

“Just in case we decide to stay here a little longer,” Sidney said. “We might need it.”

“ We might?” Jonas asked, as he pulled out onto the street. Living with Sidney was a thrilling prospect. It was a terrifying prospect. Jonas had been planning on staying on the boat until he could find something more permanent. Somewhere, he’d thought, on the other side of the known world, as far away from the memory of Sidney as he could physically get. But living together sounded infinitely nicer.

Sidney leaned against the window, his cheeks bright again.

“I won't leave until you’re settled somewhere.”

“I don’t want you to leave at all,” Jonas confessed. Sidney slid into the middle seat and kissed Jonas’s cheek.

“What have you done to my brother?”

The door snapped shut behind Karolina and Sidney whipped around, nearly knocking himself off the arm of the chair where he’d perched with a stack of books.

“I don’t have any idea what you mean,” Sidney said, confident that denial was the best place to start.

“Yes, you do,” Karolina accused, her chestnut ponytail swinging behind her head as she skirted several half-empty crates to cross the room. “He’s got Claire, Asterion and Leo up in the study and I heard actual, genuine laughter up there!” Sidney smiled. He ought to finish up and go help them, he knew. He’d gotten caught up in a text about soul binding. The lines of silver in his palm itched slightly, like a scab healing over.

“I am sorry about all the trouble,” Sidney offered. Karolina rolled her eyes, resting her hands atop the stack of books beside him.

“It’s good for him,” Karolina said. “And for you.”

“Speaking of me,” Sidney began, glancing down to memorize the page he was on before closing the book. “I don’t think I want to go back to Holyworth until we get things sorted with the property. I don’t want Jonas to have to deal with Morrow on his own.” Karolina nodded approvingly.

“Claire and I have a guest room, you know. For after, I mean.” Sidney shrugged, grinning.

“That’s up to Jonas. I just don’t want— It’s my fault he’s losing the cottage.”

“He needed to lose the cottage, Sidney,” Karolina said firmly. Sidney frowned at her.

“I don’t think that’s fair.”

“What happened with Morrow before, it scared him.” Karolina sighed. “I mean, it scared all of us. But Jonas was hiding here. Before he had projects and research and it all just sort of vanished. Like he didn’t know what to do with himself without magic. It's a thing that can happen to creatures. Someone had to remind him about the world outside this wretched little cliff.”

“I still think the cottage is nice,” Sidney defended, ignoring the heat in his cheeks.

“You’ll be able to find someplace nicer.” Sidney had missed the surety of Karolina’s attitude. He took a breath, and tried to adopt some of that confidence for himself.

“I think I might take a research sabbatical,” Sidney said. Karolina smiled.

“Good.”

“There was something else. About the dissertation.” Karolina nodded. Sidney took a breath.

One more plunge into unknown waters.