I suppose I could understand why my family had been brought here. Neither Emrys nor Nisien wanted the Assembly to have any leverage. But why was my family stayinginsidethe castle, and why was my brother joining the noble boys in training?
“Isca, how are you doing it?” Mama asked suddenly.
“Doing what?”
“You are as closed off as those mages from the fortress are sometimes. I can’t read you.”
“I can teach you to do it later, Mama. I was overwhelmed by the soldiers’ emotions when we returned and just kind of forgot about it,” I lied.
“Let’s do that.” She leaned in close, curiosity bright. “But…Isca, I think it’s your turn to answer some questions.”
I froze. Gods, I couldn’t do this, not right now.
But these were my parents, and they’d just been yanked from their home in the middle of the night forme. And after what I’d done, they might be thrust back into Caervorn’s dangers.
“Okay,” I said softly.
Instead of laying into me with a hundred different questions immediately, she sent a sideways glance to Papa that carried the weight of an entire conversation. He rose from his seat, patting my mother on the back. His movements were so graceful, it felt like my heart might shatter from the joy after all the pain he’d suffered this past year.
He said, “I promised your brother and Prince Nisien that I’d observe training today anyway. They want to know if there’s anything we did in Gelida or with the guard at Caervorn that they should implement here.”
“What he hasn’t said is that he’s back to swinging a sword again!” My mother was glowing with pride.
Papa gave my mother then me a kiss on the forehead then walked out to join the other men in the training yard, head held high.
Once he was gone, Mama’s eyes danced with a mixture of love and mischief. “So, how long have you been in love with that dark-haired prince?”
The question, sharper than Emrys’s sword, sliced right through my defenses. My carefully constructed walls crumbled in an instant. Love, grief, longing…all of it came pouring out as I fell into my mother’s arms and told her everything.
The conversation was a difficult one. Twice, Mama’s anger leaked out, infusing the atmosphere with even more tension. By the time I’d recovered enough to leave their room, I was carrying a letter I’d written. I was still upset, but I could hold my head higher. I had a plan, one neither of us really liked, but it was something to do instead of continuing to wallow.
I ran into Tegil in the hallway, where the two guards who’d followed us earlier were still standing sentinel.
“Brother,” I said with mock disapproval, one eyebrow raised at his dishevelment. “You look a bit worse for wear.”
He had hay in his hair, and his training shirt had a streak of blood on it.
“I gave worse than I got,” he defended himself with all the offense his thirteen-year-old dignity could muster.
I winked. “They don’t fight dirty like the boys back home, do they?”
He grinned. “Nope.”
One of the guards cleared his throat to cover a laugh, then muttered an apology. They were subtly leaning in, listening to our conversation. And even though their faces remained stoic, I could sense the surprise and amusement radiating from both guards.
“The boys here have probably been taught strategic tactics unlike those street rats, so stay on your toes and make allies—not just enemies.”
Despite his eye roll, Tegil easily conceded, surprising me. “You’re probably right.”
“Where’s Papa?”
“He’s still teaching one of the trainers something.”
I couldn’t help myself. Ignoring his state of disarray, I pulled my brother into another hug. “I’ve missed you. But I have a confession… I lost your osprey. I’m really sorry.”
“We’re here with you now, so you don’t need it anymore. I mean, look at you, Isca.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “You’re a proper lady now.”
Now that he was taller than me, I had to stretch my arm up to tousle his hair. “Go take a bath. You stink.”
