I shrug. “I didn’t want him to get suspicious.”
She laughs lightly. “Rauk was born suspicious.”
“ThatI believe. Now, let’s get to it. I have big plans for today. I’m assuming you take breakfast to her every morning?”
Elowen nods. “Since you arrived, yes.”
“Not today.”
“Not today, what?” she asks in confusion.
“Today is the day Auri comes to the kitchen to eat with us.”
Elowen smiles. “She’ll like that.”
“Good. I’ll go get her.” Before I leave the kitchen, I ask her what I’ve been meaning to. “So, that night when I heard the screaming,” I pause and wait for her to look at me. “It was Auri, wasn’t it?”
Elowen nods. “Yes. Sometimes, she wakes up with severe leg cramps.”
“Is there any way to make them go away?”
“I don’t know,” she says sadly.
I leave her then, and my mind whirls a mile a minute. When I get to the door that leads to the other rooms, I’m annoyed to see that it’s locked again. I use my knives once again and finally get the lock. “Well, at least I did it faster this time.” I make my way down the hallway to Auri’s room. “Knock, knock.”
“Come in.”
I open the door and find Auri already dressed and in her chair for the day. I absently wonder who helps her do all that. “Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“For breakfast. We’re going to eat in the kitchen today.”
She gives me a look. “That’s not that big a deal. I’ve eaten in the kitchen before.”
I ignore her attitude. “Come on; it smells really good.”
I start to move towards the back of her chair, but she puts a hand up to stop me. “I don’t need help.” I take a step back andwatch her wheel away. She’s short today, much more so than yesterday. I can’t help but wonder if there’s something causing it, but since we barely know each other, I don’t press her.
It doesn’t take too long to get to the kitchen. “We’re here,” I call out.
Elowen turns towards the two of us with a wide smile. “I see that.”
“I don’t know why everybody’s making a big deal; it’s not like this is the first time I’ve come in here,” Auri grumbles. “I’m not very hungry anyway.”
I watch Elowen’s eyes soften. “I know it was a long night. Why don’t you eat something, and then I’ll help you back to bed.”
I know she’s trying to help, but I’m not sure that’s the best way. Of course, I’ve been living here all of five minutes; so what do I know? But when it gets progressively worse, I finally decide I’ve had enough. I shove my chair back. “Auri, let’s go.”
She turns dark eyes on me that are unnerving in how much they look like her big brother’s. “Back to my room? That’s what I’ve been asking for.”
“Nope. We’re going somewhere else.”
“Back outside? That’s a terrible idea. My face is still burned from yesterday.”
It’s really not, but I don’t tell her that. “Where does your brother keep his weapons?”
Wide eyes meet mine. “What?”
