Delilah Bard doesn't know much about magic, only the few things she has learned during the last days. Which still is a whole lot more than she'd thought she'd ever learn about magic at all.
But still, she knows more about life. And its rules. And turning around when walking away from someone, that's a promise.
A promise to come back.
And that's a promise she can't give.
Sure, she could still turn around, look at Kell with an edged grin and say, "I'll come back."
But that's something she can't say. And won't.
Not as long as there are these two other words waiting at the back of her tongue, these words she just managed to catch before thinking them for a moment too long.
To you.
I'll come back to you.
Lila flinches just the tiniest bit. There. She isn't as good as catching these words in her thoughts, either.
Better not to risk saying anything or they might slip from her lips.
She tries to concentrate on what's lying ahead of her, the ships, the sea, the taste of salt, the adventures. Yes, the adventures most of all.
That's what she always wanted.
And yet, she feels this prickle at the back of her head, telling her that Kell is watching her leave.
She feels this itch, this urge to turn around. She doesn't have to say anything, just smile at him.
But she doesn't.
She can't risk it.
She's all about risk and danger, but that's all when it comes down to her, her body, her life. But this urge that tells her to just turn around, it's more than that. So much more.
So she forces her eyes ahead and keeps walking.
And the prickle becomes stronger and stronger, until it dampens down. It now feels like a wisp of wind gently stroking over her skin. And then it's gone. She's out of Kell's sight.
No, Lila doesn't know much about magic. She knows more about life and its rules. And yet the more distance lies between her and Kell, the more she realizes that she's learned something new about life too.
The promise to come back, sometimes it's made without turning around.