‘Seriously, that guy!’ As soon as Lyla saw Zich jump into the lake, she could tell what he was thinking. ‘He used me as bait!’

Positive feelings were blown away at once and were replaced by the emotions she usually felt about Zich: annoyance, frustration, and exhaustion; what angered her the most was the fact that his plan to use her as bait was clearly effective. Lyla felt Finel’s attacks diminish.

‘He should have at least warned me about it!’ However, Lyla knew that Zich’s response to this statement would be obvious. He would say things like, ‘I didn’t have time,’ or ‘If I explained it to you, the enemy could find out,’ or ‘Plans like this should be kept hidden from even your own companions,’ and so on. Although all these explanations had merit, it only ignited her anger more.

‘I know it’s not because he doesn’t care about me.’

She knew at least this much from his usual attitude. Above all…

‘He came to save me with all those injuries.’

Images of the wounds on Zich and the warmth she felt on his hands when he pulled her out of despair passed through her head. Eventually, Lyla stopped feeling annoyed. Even when she tried to cling to her anger, she...