Helios and Ezra walked side by side.
The compound had quieted. Most knights had already dispersed to their quarters. The path toward Helios' palace was almost empty, lit only by dim lanterns and the fading glow of the evening sky.
It was getting darker.
Ezra kept his eyes forward, but his mind was elsewhere.
'Get yourself together, Ezra,' he scolded himself, jaw tightening. 'Imagine if you had forgotten Lior somewhere unfamiliar. Imagine getting home and realizing he had been waiting.'
Of all the things he could afford to be careless about, that was not one of them.
And yet just because he had allowed himself to enjoy the day, he had forgotten something so simple.
'Stupid. You are stupid,' he thought harshly. 'Do not let this happen again.'
He exhaled sharply through his nose.
'You even almost stabbed Helios.'
That one made his stomach twist.
A massive disappointment—
"Don't do that."
Ezra blinked and turned. "Huh?"
Helios didn't look at him. His gaze stayed forward.
