I shrug. “Sometimes that happens in bone.”
Revulsion crosses her face, but instead of setting down the sword, she strikes the bed again like she has something to prove. She keeps going, avoiding what’s left of the frame. Stuffing erupts from the torn-up mattress, and feathers catch in her hair, giving her a savage appearance. With her bright sapphire eyes, flushed face, and a sword in her hand, she looks like a force to be reckoned with.
Since Griffin turned all our chairs into firewood, I stand there, watching, with my arms crossed. “What are you upset about?” I ask.
Jocasta takes a few deep breaths and then props the sword against the wall. “I’m not upset, exactly. I’m restless. The north wall is nearly fixed, and the children don’t especially need my limited expertise in construction to finish the job. The pages have all settled into their roles in the castle. I don’t have any groundbreaking ideas for improvements to the realm. The new healing centers and schools are Egeria’s projects, and she doesn’t need or really even want my help, although I keep offering.” She brushes goose down from the front of her dress, her mouth thinning.
“You’re bored.” I get that. If I weren’t so in love, which is completely new to me, I’d probably be bored, too. As it is, I’m tired of being confined to the castle grounds. I’m used to living mostly out in the open and traveling with the circus. Sometimes, these walls feel like they’re closing in on me.
Jocasta sighs. “Piers is busy recruiting new soldiers, and that’s not exactly my domain anyway. Carver has responsibilities that Griffin trusts him with. You have Beta Team. Father reads or sleeps most of the day. Mother concocts herbal sludge that I can already recite the recipes for forward and backward and use to heal most of the usual ailments. Kaia has her tutor—who’s an old goat, by the way—but besides a few adjustments to court life, I’ve already had my schooling and don’t need to sit in on lessons.” She eyes my sword like she wants to start bashing things again. “I have nothing to do.”
“Life is different for you now. As a younger sibling in a royal house, you have no real role. And even less freedom.”
She chews on her lower lip, looking annoyed. “I used to be able to go places by myself. Ride a horse. Talk to people. Help them because they knew me and came to me and respected me. Now I’m stuck behind these walls where no one really needs me.”
“There are days I feel trapped, too,” I say. “But there are worse prisons than this.”
“Yes, but everyone needs you. Especially Griffin.” Scowling, Jocasta kicks a piece of wood across the room—debris from Griffin’s rampage. “Sintans should see their new royals. They were nothing but welcoming on our way north last spring. I asked if I could travel the realm, with a large guard, of course, but Griffin won’t let me. He says it’s too dangerous.”
“He’s right.”
Her eyes flash a fierce blue. “You, too? I thought you’d understand.”
“I do understand. But the realms are entering into a Power Bid now. Fisa is a shadow over us all. Tarvan snakes are rattling their tails. They’ve attacked us twice, and the last time Griffin nearly died. What do you think they’d do if they got their hands on you?”
Jocasta doesn’t answer.
In her silence, I answer for her. “They’d tear apart everyone you love as they came for you, and then they’d tear you apart, too.”
“Then I should learn to defend myself!” She starts pacing, her fluid prowling reminding me of a certain Sintan warlord I know. “Teach me to fight, Cat. Make me less of a liability. Then maybe I can have some freedom.”
I doubt it.Overprotectiveis Griffin’s middle name. “I’m better with knives. I can teach you to stab and throw, but someone else should train you with a sword. Carver’s the best out of everyone.”
She huffs a laugh that’s entirely without humor. “Carver thinks his sisters should be wrapped in glass and perched on pedestals. He’ll never agree.”
And here I thought Carver was less overbearing than Griffin. “What about Flynn?”
Jocasta stops mid-step and turns crimson. “We hardly speak anymore. I don’t think he even looks at me.”
“Oh, he looks. He just doesn’t want to.”
Her flush deepens. “You really think so? Why not?”
“Because you’re Griffin’s sister. And Carver’s sister. And a Sintan princess now.” I could probably go on, but I don’t want to depress her.
“He’s the highest-ranking soldier we have. He’s been with us forever. He’s not exactly a nobody!”
“You’re right. And he’s more than old enough to settle down. He’s responsible and even-tempered. I’m fairly certain he wants a family. He’s perfect for you.”
Looking even more annoyed, Jocasta resumes her pacing. I realize too late I should have let her argue her case. It might have eased some of her frustration.
Someone knocks. Jocasta is closer and yanks open the door. Flynn is on the other side, dwarfing the doorway with his size. They both go stock-still, their eyes simultaneously widening. Mine do, too. I’ve only seen Flynn in the royal wing once before, the morning he burst into this same room with Eneas in tow, the healer who saved me after Daphne’s attack.
Flynn unfreezes first and reaches out, removing a downy white feather from Jocasta’s jet-black hair. He starts to hand it to her but then drops his arm, folding the feather into his large hand.
Jocasta throws her shoulders back, her color rising again fast. It’s nearly a match for Flynn’s shock of auburn hair. “Flynn.”
“Jo.” Flynn clears his throat. “Jocasta.”
