CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Diana woke that evening feeling groggy and disoriented.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
She turned her head toward the voice, blinking blindly at Esha, who stood next to the island counter that separated the kitchen from the living space. Her fluffy black cat sat next to her. Oh, right. After her confrontation with Cadan, which had been fueled by an unnatural rage that was still giving her a headache, Esha had aetherwalked them to her flat at the Immortal University. They’d arrived mere seconds after departing Mull in the early morning hours. The trip had sapped Diana’s adrenaline-fueled energy and she’d collapsed onto the couch with barely a word.
She yawned and stretched. “What time is it?”
“Nearly nine—p.m., that is. You’ve been asleep since we got here twelve hours ago.”
Diana sat up and rubbed her eyes. Most of the rage she’d felt the previous night was gone. Even the memories of her distant past had faded some. Though they would still be there if she called them up, she felt more like herself.
“Want coffee?” Esha gestured vaguely to the kitchen behind her. “I don’t usually have guests, so the pantry is a little bare, but I’m sure we can find something.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” She stumbled over to the big kitchen island and settled onto a barstool.
Esha put the kettle on for instant coffee, then rooted around in the fridge for milk. Diana caught sight of a multitude of strange glass jars jumbled on the shelves.
“For charms,” Esha explained when she caught Diana’s curious gaze. “Though most of those ingredients are expired. Charms aren’t really my bag.”
“No?”
Esha shook her head. “A hobby, mostly, since my power allows me to manifest my desires without aids.”
That would be handy. Diana looked around the space. She was so on edge that she felt like someone might jump out at her at any moment, which made her want to search all the corners in
the room. But the room had no corners. Large and round, the combined living room, dining room, and kitchen space had many windows.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“My flat, in a tower on the campus of the Immortal University.” The round space was decorated sparsely, with a few pieces of simple, high-quality furniture that suited Esha’s minimalist style.
Diana gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that Esha handed her and sipped, wrinkling her nose when it burned her tongue. She didn’t slow down, though. She needed a clear head more than she needed working taste buds right now.
“How do I get to Vivienne?”
“Can you tell me who you were?”
Diana swallowed hard and stared down into the rapidly cooling coffee in her mug. “I was Boudica.”
“No shit?” Esha looked Diana up and down with an expression of impressed respect.
Diana wished she could appreciate it, but it wasn’t making a dent right now.
“That is badass. You are like the original badass. Cheers to you.” Esha raised her coffee.
Diana raised her mug and cast Esha a strained smile. Sure, Boudica had been a renowned badass, but it had come at a cost. The title was little consolation, really.
“Oh, sorry.” Esha grimaced. “Yeah, it didn’t end so well for you.”
“Nope. Pretty shit end.”
“So, um, what’s it like?”
Diana knew what she meant. What’s it like to remember all the really terrible stuff that happened to you in the past that led you to suicide? “It sucks.”
“Um, can I ask, how did it end?”