Good.They weren’t here.
Sure, I knew that didn’t mean I had an opening. Wolfe and Bastian could be back in the blink of an eye if anything went wrong.
“And Arielle?”
“Here.” A light voice drifted across the room. “Good morning.”
Garrick and I both turned as Arielle stepped into the dining hall.
“Morning,” I greeted her, trying to appear more like my usual self.
She sat across from me, so we were facing one another. A warm smile curved her lips, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was caution there, as if she were choosing every movement carefully, handling me like something fragile.
“You look better today,” she said, studying my face.
“Thanks.” I leaned back in my chair, keeping my expression neutral.
“Elariya was just telling me she’s decided to focus on her training,” Garrick said, motioning toward me.
Arielle’s face brightened immediately. “Oh, good.” She clasped her hands together. “Did yesterday go okay?”
“Yes, it was good,” I replied. “I learned quite a bit. I’m going to finish up today.”
Arielle reached across the table and took my hands. “We’ll find a way to protect your family,” she promised. “I know things feel slow right now, but believe me, we’re working on it.”
“Wolfe would never willingly put your family in danger,” Garrick added.
I glanced at him, the wordwillinglyechoing louder than it should have.
I knew Wolfe would neverwillinglyput my family at risk. That wasn’t what frightened me. It was everything outside of intention, everything that could go wrong despite it.
“I suppose we just have to pray to the gods we’ll figure it out,” I said quietly.
“We will,” Arielle assured me with a determined nod. After a beat, she continued, “Until then, we thought it might be good to get you out of the house for a bit.”
She glanced at Garrick. He lifted the periodical he’d been reading. “They’re preparing for the festival in the city,” he said. “We could go see it. Just for a change of scenery.”
My stomach tightened.
Under any other circumstances, I would have been thrilled. Who wouldn’t be? I was in the Fae Kingdom, on the edge of celebrations I’d only ever heard about in stories. I had no memory of the last festival I went to, so of course going to this one would be a thrill.
But I needed to think about leaving.
“That sounds great.” I gave them a polite smile. “But I think I just need to stay in and practice my spells.”
Arielle continued smiling, but disappointment flickered in her eyes. She knew I was holding back.
“Sure,” Garrick said quickly. “That’s fine. You do whatever makes you feel comfortable. We’ll support you. All the way.”
“Yes,” Arielle agreed, nodding. “Of course, we will.”
“Thank you.” I let my gaze pass over both of them, like I was taking their kindness in instead of using it as cover.
“Do you want me to accompany you, today?” Arielle asked.
I shook my head. “No. That’s okay. But I’ll let you know if I need you.”
“All right.” She hesitated, then smoothed her expression. “Can we at least have lunch together? I could bake brownies.”
