I batted my hand like a fan to indicate Zairena.
Takkan raised an eyebrow. “Zairena? Did she ask you to make them today?”
No.I lifted a shoulder.Why?
“She said that they taste best when you eat them in the snow.” Takkan held his cake out the window, and as the snow landed on it, little tails of steam curled off the grilled surface. “Monkey tails.”
I smiled. They did look like monkey tails.
It was hard for me to imagine Zairena being such a whimsical child, but I knew firsthand how much one could change after a great loss. Maybe there really was a chance of becoming friends.
Takkan offered me the steaming cake. Who would have guessed Zairena was right? The snow hardened the cake’s glutinous skin faster, making it even crispier.
I nodded my approval.
“Now I’ll just take a few more with me. For Pao, of course.” He winked, stacking cakes into his pockets. “Come, I’ll walk you back to the castle.”
I dreaded seeing Lady Bushian even more than I dreaded seeing Zairena. Ever since Megari and I sneaked off to Rabbit Mountain, I’d been doing my best to avoid her. I knew she blamed me for nearly getting her son and daughter killed.
So when she welcomed me into the leisure chamber, I couldn’t have been more surprised. “You’ve been avoiding me, Lina,” she said sternly. “Skipping meals and dipping into the shadows whenever you pass me in the halls.”
Under my bowl, I blinked. Had I been that obvious?
“Courage is the Bushian creed.”
“Mother…,” intervened Megari, “she fought the wolves with Takkan! I don’t think you need to lecture her about—”
“Hush, Megari. Unless you wish to be next.” Lady Bushian straightened, gathering her poise and refocusing her gaze on me. “Next time you disobey my rules, you come face me right away. My anger does not fade with time; it grows. And you areextremelylucky that Takkan sneaked out also. If he hadn’t been there with you two when the wolves attacked…well, neither of you would be under this roof. Am I understood?”
I dipped my head. It seemed Takkan hadn’t told his mother about the wolf with the gold cuff.
“Good. Now, what is that you have? Cakes? Did you make them to try and appease me?”
I merely smiled, glad I couldn’t answer.
“Come, bring them inside.”
Zairena was at her weaving loom. A little frown beset her lips, probably displeasure that Lady Bushian had decided not to cast me out after all. I set the tray in front of her, forcing myself to smile.
“Monkeycakes!” Megari exclaimed. She plucked one, stuffing it into her mouth in a similar fashion to her brother. “Mmm.”
Zairena took a cake, sniffing it. “They do look like monkeycakes. You’ve some ways to go before you master the recipe, though, Lina. The edges are burnt—and what sort of color is that? Snow monkeys are orange, not pink.”
I parted the window shutters. White light brightened the chamber, and a brisk breeze carried in through the iron latticework. Zairena shot to her feet, immediately opening her fan to cover her face.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she exclaimed. “It’s freezing outside. Megari will catch cold.”
I tilted my head in confusion. I was holding the cakes outside the window—just like Takkan had shown me.
“Monkey tails!” Megari cried.
Steam spiraled up from the orange cakes, and Megari grabbed two and passed one to her mother and the other to Zairena. “Eat it quickly, before the steam goes away!”
The monkeycake crunched under Megari’s teeth, but Zairena wouldn’t touch hers. “I prefer not to indulge in sweets,” she said, finally setting down her fan.
“Aren’t they your favorite?” said Megari.
Zairena held her composure, calmly sipping her tea. “People change. Besides, they’re already cold.” Her nose made the slightest twitch. “Look at them, all burnt and uneven. I wouldn’t even serve such cakes to my dog.”
