Deep in the throes of introspection, Iris was only vaguely aware of her surroundings. Her eyes followed Adelheid, drawn to the large shadowy figure as if she possessed a gravity all her own. And for the mare who’d lost everything save the strange relationship that she shared with the Vulcan’s Codebreaker, Lilika’s daughter supposed that was true. There was nothing else in this world that held her—not even the promise of family, should she choose to return to them—and so she clung with desperate strength to this last tether even as she kept a careful distance between them. Not out of desire for space or even resentment of the other woman, but out of fear that Adelheid might cut the last tie that bound her to the islands, and send her drifting away in the vast ocean of her grief and regret.

Iris!

The deep brown mare started, her heart performing a strange sort of pirouette in her chest at the unexpected and yet strangely familiar voice. Twisting her neck to watch the pale stallion’s approach, fear yielded to a smile of warm recognition that did not quite reach her eyes. And an instant later—when Roheryn inquired after Eve’s wellbeing—even that faint wisp of happiness faded into the more-familiar vacancy of both gaze and expression. It was as if she’d hastily erected a barrier to protect herself from further pain—though in this case, Iris only succeeded in trapping it within herself. “Roheryn,” she greeted the stallion smoothly but without inflection. The exchange of breaths that she offered following this was cursory; its lifespan less than the time it took the spotted mare to draw her next breath. It wasn’t that she harbored any ill feelings towards Roheryn, but his presence only served to remind her of their last meeting—of the brief happiness that now felt lost to her forever.

Wild-eyed and close to panic, the seal brown mare looked towards Adelheid—who had been a pillar of strength in her life for too long to be forsaken easily—at the same moment that the Codebreaker twisted toward the conversing pair. Almost as if she had sensed Iris’s need, and could not help but to respond with the same fierce, protective instinct that the blanketed woman had seen awoken the Vulcan’s children were threatened. It was both glorious and terrifying to watch her descend upon the painted stallion, teeth bared and dark eyes flashing fire. For the first time, Iris glimpsed a sliver of what Adelheid had carefully concealed beneath her stoic demeanor—and though she could not rejoice at the circumstances, Gnome’s daughter did feel the faintest spark of hope flare to life in her chest.

So her long-time companion did possess the capability of passion. But was it only hatred that was capable of moving her?

I should have your head! “Adelheid,” Iris spoke softly in an attempt to quell the wildfire of her anger. But the large black woman took as little notice of Iris’s interjection as she might have the bite of a flea. It was only after Roheryn inquired after Eve that the Vulcan seemed to remember the spotted mare’s presence—and though Adelheid’s eyes were still white-rimmed and her teeth bared, Iris faced the wildfire of her anger unflinchingly. “Roheryn is an old acquaintance, Adelheid. I’m certain that he meant no disrespect in coming here uninvited.” Her dark eyes flitted in the stallion’s direction then, trying to glimpse the emotions concealed in the depths of his pale eyes. From what Iris knew of him, she couldn’t believe that Roheryn would so thoughtlessly flaunt courtesy.. Had he meant to challenge the Vulcans, or was there some deeper purpose behind his appearance here? Shaking out the tangles of her mane in an effort to shed some of the tension that had turned her body rigid, the white-marked mare decided it would be best to continue the course of their conversation—and allow him to speak on his own behalf.

“Eve is well enough, Roheryn, but you won’t find her here. She lives in the Cove. And I—” —am doing fine, she might have responded if the syllables had not caught behind the hard lump that had formed in her throat. The corners of Iris’s eyes burned threateningly, and she feared that she would lose her tenuous hold on her emotions. After a brief pause, she sought to turn the subject deftly in another direction. “I’ve been a guest here in the Peak. But something tells me that your purpose here isn’t quite the same—unless you’ve decided to trade the Salem sun for something less hot and dry.”

Her brown eyes raked over his face again searchingly before returning to the rigid figure of her Vulcan companion. Had she imagined the brief flicker of despair that she thought she’d glimpsed in Adelheid’s eyes?

Or was it possible that the Codebreaker might fear losing Iris as much as Iris feared losing her?