The crisp snow crunched under Etri's feet in a sickening way reminiscent of the rough gravel floor of the Sanctuary's acolyte quarter. His skin burned every time he sunk into a knee-high drift, the pain a constant reminder of the flames that waited for him should they be caught.
"What 'us'? There was never an us, it was always just you and what you wanted to turn me into. Maybe it's time to leave the past behind and stop fooling myself that I belong where I don't."
-Adair to Feren, a few months before Colorweaver (Book 1)
It could simply be a bottle of cold coffee or tea, although the label wasn't a brand the three of them drank. It could, but it probably wasn’t. Ametrine had lived with Gilly long enough to assume something more sinister than a breakfast drink filled that bottle.
Sol needed to make Dray understand. It was a present to make them happy and now they were just about the opposite of happy. Or was sad the opposite of happy? Dray wasn't sad anymore, and that was what Sol had been going for, but angry wasn't what he wanted either. "But it was going to! It was going to be a surprise and now I told you and it's not a surprise anymore."
"It's not different. She's a healer to broken people, I'm a healer to broken things. We both fix things. The difference is, she can't make broken people shoot spikes or ignite with the push of a button, and I can! I mean things, not people. I can't make people shoot spikes."
- excerpt from "Stuck With You"
Adair maneuvered past the blades and wrapped his arms around Dray in a tight but careful hug. When Dray kissed his cheek, he knew he was forgiven.
- excerpt from "This For That (Re)Quest"
[Sol's] sobs intensified and Etri ached for a way to help. He could not change what had happened and could not bring back what was lost, but perhaps he could influence the future. He now knew that he would not survive without [Sol's] warmth and in this state [Sol] could not take care of himself.
Blythe grabbed the smoldering pillow from her bunk and hurled it to the floor. Dray couldn't help cackling as she stomped up and down on it, covering the floor in singed feathers. That would teach her to disregard what they had to say. Maybe now she'd--
Blythe had Dray pinned against the wall by the shoulders before they knew what was happening.
Etri finally lowered his head and turned towards his pair. He said nothing as he held his arms out. Words weren't needed when his intention was so clear. Within the span of a moment Adair and Blythe were wrapped in his embrace. That was one thing Adair could say about Etri's extreme height: long limbs made for good hugs.
Blythe rose to her feet and positioned herself between the arguing pair. They continued to squabble around her until she grabbed both by the hair and tugged to get their attention.
“What are you so upset about, anyway? We’ll find the bracelet and… we’ll get you more sand?” Blythe realized how stupid this sounded before the words finished leaving her mouth.
“Sol, you know you're my best friend and that means I love you and want to help with whatever this thing is- Creators help me, why does it have arms?- but there's no way in the name of any of the nine Muses that I’m doing this ever again.”
-Adair, "This for That (Re)Quest"
"The three of us function best when we are together. Apart we are incomplete. Jointly our hearts beat as one." - "Who Picked Whom"
The Unexpected Inspiration series is a lighthearted collection of lgbt+ fantasy novels and short stories. It's high fantasy set in an art-centric, contemporary world and is filled with magic, mischief, found family, and carnival performers. More information can be found here.
