Kieran, as ever, didn't sugarcoat it. His explanation was matter-of-fact; he was being kind to them both in giving it, Jude thought.
But he felt as though Kieran would see it immediately, if there were the barest flicker of hesitation in his eyes. If his heart weren't in it, if this wasn't going to work. So he gave himself no time to discern his misgivings, if he even possessed any - if he did, they were quashed by the simple thought of Topaz Urquart.
So that was that.
Now that Kieran was looking up, one of Jude's hands eased from his shoulder to the curve of his neck, as if the pressure there would say I'm not scared. "I understand." It was a commitment. A costly one, maybe, but Jude had never lacked in commitment, when it mattered. And this would be worth it, a hundred times over, in a hundred different ways. He could try and make things better for Kieran, somehow. He could prevent this from happening again, from tearing into another innocent person's life.
"I'm not going to give up on you," he said slowly, wanting to make quite clear to Kieran that he had thought this through, and wasn't going to get impatient, or disheartened, or distracted. As long as Kieran was willing to try, he would do whatever he could. "We won't let this happen again."
It dawned on Jude again that this required planning, and strategy, and care, and that the minutes were ticking away relentlessly towards moonrise, and that Kieran would also need something more concrete than promises.
First things first. A new plan. "But you can't go back to the forest." Not after last night.
But he felt as though Kieran would see it immediately, if there were the barest flicker of hesitation in his eyes. If his heart weren't in it, if this wasn't going to work. So he gave himself no time to discern his misgivings, if he even possessed any - if he did, they were quashed by the simple thought of Topaz Urquart.
So that was that.
Now that Kieran was looking up, one of Jude's hands eased from his shoulder to the curve of his neck, as if the pressure there would say I'm not scared. "I understand." It was a commitment. A costly one, maybe, but Jude had never lacked in commitment, when it mattered. And this would be worth it, a hundred times over, in a hundred different ways. He could try and make things better for Kieran, somehow. He could prevent this from happening again, from tearing into another innocent person's life.
"I'm not going to give up on you," he said slowly, wanting to make quite clear to Kieran that he had thought this through, and wasn't going to get impatient, or disheartened, or distracted. As long as Kieran was willing to try, he would do whatever he could. "We won't let this happen again."
It dawned on Jude again that this required planning, and strategy, and care, and that the minutes were ticking away relentlessly towards moonrise, and that Kieran would also need something more concrete than promises.
First things first. A new plan. "But you can't go back to the forest." Not after last night.
