Qeya River [m] ghosts

he does not approve of her amusement, for once, and sends her a hard look instead. his curiosity was a tightening noose, apparently.

gjalla’s teeth clicked together as her jaw snapped shut. for a moment, she said nothing, the silence stretching thin like ice beneath their feet.

“no,” she said finally.  it had never been tvar's fault, not really. she blamed his father, her mother—anyone who had part in their planned union. "it was not a matter of who, it was a matter of why."