Nathan woke up to the smell of toast.
For a few seconds, he forgot about everything. The Pale Court. The Shepherd. The final World waiting at the end of the line. He just lay there in bed, breathing in the warm, normal smell, and let himself pretend this was his whole life.
Then he opened his eyes.
Lucy was standing at the foot of his bed, holding a small plate. "You're awake," she said quietly. "I made toast. The unburned kind this time."
Nathan sat up slowly. His muscles still ached from the Pale Court, but the guild healers had done a great job. He took the plate. The toast was actually golden brown. Perfect.
"You're getting really good at this," he smiled.
"I've had a lot of practice." Lucy sat down on the edge of the mattress. Her little star-shaped nightlight glowed softly on the table next to them. She looked down at her hands. "You're going away again today, aren't you?"
Nathan didn't lie to her. He never did. "Yeah. Just one more time. This is the last one."
