Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 8)

Emery dipped his head.
"Are you sure she couldn't move to the village?" Tristan asked. "Just for the winter? It's less....oppressive. The only security issue I can think of is if the spiders got as bold as they did five years ago, and I can't see that happening."
"She might be happier in a slightly more familiar setting," Lily added.
Emery hesitated. "We would have to clear that with Gaius."

Even Tristan found this place oppressive. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.

“He won’t,” she said quietly.

"One of you can talk to him," Tristan suggested. "Right? Emery?"
"Maybe, but not today." Emery shook his head. "We could run it by Sara; she might be able to talk him into it, but essentially Ky is being babysat because Caracal Keep wasn't deemed safe enough, Tristan. We'd need to talk to Tomhas as well."

She was, again, not sure if it made her feel better or worse for him to admit that she was getting babysat.

“I mean, I’d like that,” Ky said quietly, careful of her words. “But I don’t think I’m even allowed to visit the village, much less stay there. It’d be easy for them to get me if I stayed there.”

Zander agreed fully. He felt bad for Ky. He did. But he’d raise a stink if they even considered tossing her onto a farm. At that rate he may as well take her to some of his friends in the South and save her from the dark hell.

“And… no offense…” she added, blushing a bit. “But if I don’t have to stay here, then I’d rather be home. I already miss them, and it’s barely been two weeks… nevermind four months.”

"I understand that," Emery said with a nod. "I don't think anyone would be able to try anything in the winter. It's cold and full of predators out there."

Ky whimpered. She hated this so much.

"It will be okay, Ky," Emery promised her. "Either way we're going to work on making you comfortable, okay?"

“Thank you,” she murmured, trying to act like she believed him. But she didn’t. Well, she believed they’d try. But she didn’t believe that it would be okay. Because it wouldn’t. “…what sorts of strategies do you use?”

"I like to hang out in the library a lot," he replied. "And I hang out with some of the soldiers, sometimes. Staying near a fire helps too, and eating a lot and drinking tea. Singing, learning to play an instrument or taking up a hobby, sleeping."

Ky nodded.

She wasn’t going to have the energy for any of those things. She was like a plant that needed the sun to charge her up — without it she was going to wilt. She was probably just going to languish in her bed and not really eat until she either died or the sun came back.

"And Sera usually has some herbal remedies that help boost your mood, as well."

Ky glanced at him, suddenly remembering her previous plan that she’d made back on that morning in the infirmary at Caracal. The glass weed. Or something else. Maybe if she just stayed high the entire time it’d pass quickly. She’d need to figure out how to get her hands on it. “Like what?”

"She told me to eat broccoli, strangely enough. And she had some mushrooms that she gave me as well. Apparently that helps?'

Ky wrinkled her nose.

"Hey, you asked." Emery held up his hands. "Ask her, if you don't believe me."