She glances at the back of my head and chuckles. “You have a lot of things that I can try to heal, starting with that hair.”
Lang looks up from his chores. “Maines, I tell her all the time to brush that hair of hers, but she never listens.”
“When you two are done making fun of me,” I say, “we’d love some food.”
Lang booms a laugh, shuffling to make us a plate.
Maines turns, studying me for a second. “But really, what are those marks on your arms?”
“Just from training,” I lie.
She flashes me a concerned look. She always senses when I am not being truthful about something.
“Lang,” Maines calls out, changing the subject, “when is Rose returning? I’d love to see her!”
“She left for Eddris this morning for some spices. She won’t return for a few days, I’m afraid. You’re stuck with me.”
I cut into their conversation, “Why would she travel all the way there? You said she went into town?”
He shakes his head. “I said she went to town, not our town. Either way, we heard that the port stopped harboring ships the past few days, and it’s going to stay that way for a few more. We thought it would be best for her to get a jump on things before we ran out.” He shrugs, turning his back to us once more.
The Kingdom of Eddris is known for housing the top healers of this realm and is governed by a powerful Lumor Wielder, Tressilian Hart. He rules with kindness—something my father would never do—believing that all people are equal regardless of their title or magical ability. Eddris was founded on fairness and the tall white towers—overgrown with the bluest flowers—made it breathtaking. Rumors claim that the streets sparkle like diamonds and that even the air carries a euphoric scent. I had only ever heard of its beauty, of course.
Daramveer and Eddris, at many times throughout history, had a civil relationship with neighboring kingdoms. My father was ruthless, but he wasn’t a fool.
Maines and I share an unsettled look, and Lang continues to shuffle around as if we don’t exist.
As Maines opens her mouth to break the silence, the training alarm blares, echoing throughout the castle. The guards' footsteps reverberate through the kitchen, rattling the pots as they move one by one through the narrow hallway. With one wild grin from Maines, I sense what’s about to happen and prepare myself. Before I can object, she grabs my arm and whisks us both up to the roof. We tumble into a tangled mess on the rough stone. The sun’s glow blinds me momentarily with the shocking contrast to the dim castle. I narrow my eyes and squirm against her grip.
I push her body off mine. “Gods, Maines!” I snap, rage making my teeth grind. She knows I refuse to use magic directly or indirectly. “Shift all you want, but don’t drag me with you.”
She keeps laughing on the ground.
I shout, “How dare you!”
She rolls around, facing the doorway leading back into the castle, and her expression changes from childlike happiness to unholy calm.
Barlowe leans in the doorframe, arms crossed, watching Maines spring up from the ground. “Look at what the shadows blew in,” he teases.
Her demeanor changes from playful to nervous.
“The same thing could be said for you. Long time no see, Barlowe.” She grins.
He pushes off the doorframe and stalks closer to where we stand.
“Hello, brother,” I roll my eyes, still annoyed at our last exchange.
“What brings you home, Barlowe? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” Maines blushes.
“Family matters to attend to. The men up north can handle themselves for a while—plus, the view here is much nicer. I needed a change of scenery,” he says, looking her up and down. “You haven’t changed much.”
The intensity coming off them is hard to ignore.
“Wait, what do you mean family matters?” I interrupt.
Barlowe peels his gaze off Maines and meets my stare. “I told you; Father had an announcement to make. He thought it was best if I was here, so he told me a few weeks ago to prepare to be home.”
“You’ve known about this for weeks and this is the first time I’m hearing about this? What the hell is that about?”
