1899 Three is a Crowd (Part 1)

Solus was used being the other half of that "we". She and Lith had been the only "we" for over fifteen years and now Kamila had taken it from her. Solus looked at the woman that waited in front of the house, keeping herself at a distance to give them the space and time they needed.

Solus found herself envying Kamila deeply.

Not because of her long legs or because she looked amazing in a bikini. Nor because Kamila looked as youthful as an Awakened thanks to Jirni's training, Salaark's Rebirth Magic, and the happiness of the recent days.

But because she could feel through her bond with Lith that whenever he looked at Kamila, he didn't see her worries, he wasn't afflicted by her burden. All he felt from her was her love and care.

The lack of a magical connection put a distance between them, but at the same time made their intimate knowledge of each other precious instead of taking it for granted.

Once Solus realized there was no threat at hand and how happy Lith was, she understood there was no place for her there.

"I'm fine, thank you. I wish you a happy honeymoon." Her warm smile didn't extend to her eyes as she turned around to walk back into the tower.

"Actually, being always just the two of us is becoming boring so we were wondering if you wanted to spend the day with us for a change." Kamila said, making Solus freeze in place.

"Really?" She asked with a dazzling smile to Kamila first and then to Lith.

Once both of them nodded, Solus hugged him with joy. She felt as if she had been stuck underwater until that moment and could now breathe again.

Their bond soothed her tormented mind, making her feel at peace. At the same time, his core flooded her with new strength, allowing both the tower's and Solus' core to repair themselves faster than ever.

It was the first contact they had since Lith had gained the violet core and she could tell that her recovery speed had further increased. Solus also understood how dependent she was on Lith, both physically and psychologically.

How she still had a long way to go before becoming her own person. Yet Solus didn't care. In that moment, she was too happy for having found her sun again to worry about such a trifling matter.

At the same time, Kamila never took her eyes off her, noticing how deep their bond was and how desperate Solus was for help. The traces of fatigue disappeared from her face at a speed visible to the naked eye, her pale skin turned glossy, and her bloodshot eyes went back to normal.

Seeing what had happened to Solus just for being away from Lith for a few days in such a dramatic moment of her life, strengthened Kamila's resolve.

"Could you please wear a swimsuit, Solus?" She asked. "Seeing you dressed while I wear a bikini makes me feel stupid."

Solus nodded and after letting Lith go, she shapeshifted her day dress into a swimsuit identical to Kamila's to have a matching set.

Solus envied Kamila, but the Constable returned the feeling in full. Kamila envied Solus' strength, her magical talent, and her deep bond with Lith that she had no idea if she would be ever be able to match.

Solus shared with him many passions that Kamila didn't and most of all, she could follow him on the battlefield, where there was no place for a mere human.

Also, Kamila envied Solus because she looked amazing in a bikini. The two women had more or less the same curves, but on someone so petite they looked softer, rounder, and bigger.

'Just focus on her belly and repeat to yourself that you have a four-pack abs.' Kamila inwardly sighed. 'If it's not enough to placate your ego, then get over it.'

Lith could feel how famished Solus' body was for his energy so he kept holding her hand to hasten the recovery process. Then, she noticed Kamila's faint glare and offered her his other hand.

"I'm sorry, darling." He didn't give her any explanation and there was no need for it.

Him noticing her distress and realizing that he was the source of it was enough.

They walked to the house and then gave Solus a tour. She was enthusiastic of the place and of its countless enchantments. She used the Eyes of Menadion to study every nook and cranny, trying to unveil at least one of Salaark's secrets. Want to see more chapters? Please visit p a n d a -n o v e l .c o m

"Wow, there are two bedrooms here." Solus said with a casual tone while looking at her hosts.

"Yeah, it's a really nice guest room." Kamila replied, pretending to have conveniently missed Solus' subtext. "Now come, there's still a lot left to see."

Lith was careful to avoid the crossfire and feign ignorance of what was happening.

'Kamila already made a huge step inviting Solus during the honeymoon. Asking more for her would be just plain cruel.' He thought.

After the tour of the house, they went back to the beach where Lith had a new student for his swimming lessons. Solus had always loved the sea, but her body had no muscular memory from her previous experience.

She still had Lith's memories about swimming, but knowing and doing were two different things. On top of that, if she focused too much on her movements, she would lose control over gravity fusion and plummet like a brick.

"By my Mom, I had forgotten how much I like swimming." Solus said with a bright smile that reminded Kamila of her own during their first day there.

"I'm sorry, but didn't you recover your human body during the first stay in the Desert?" She asked while they were sitting on a hard-light floating platform. "Why didn't you go to the sea at the time and why do you have no tan?

"I mean the mana geyser sure was already here and you spent over a month in the Desert."

"You are right, but back then there was so much work to do that there was no time to waste with a vacation." Solus replied, lowering her gaze in embarrassment.

Kamila glared at Lith for his lack of consideration toward his partner, before remembering that he had no idea of how to have fun without her. What made him a great mage also made him a cold machine.

"It's not Lith's fault." Solus had misunderstood Kamila's worried look. "I was like that even before bonding with him. Mom always scolds us because we are too similar."

She chuckled, but realizing how they also had a bad influence on each other, made Kamila not be so envious of their bond anymore.

By lunchtime, Solus swam as well as Kamila and had worked up quite an appetite. Between her depression and missing Lith's cooking, during the past few days, she hadn't eaten much.

Solus looked at the many steaming plates in front of her and decided it was time to catch up. Kamila was flabbergasted seeing someone eating almost as much as Lith. The intense sun of the Desert fed his Abomination side with warmth and sunlight, reducing his need for food, yet he still ate way more than a human.