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Avyanna leaned against the door. “Salvor had the cupboards stocked before we arrived,” she said, her tone clipped. Something told me she was angry that I didn’t eat her sandwiches, for whatever reason.
Zach rushed to Anna’s side. “I’ll help.”
She chuckled. “That’s a first.”
He glared at Avyanna, and the sorceress moved to her side, allowing them to pass. Erianna inched closer to me, and Sebastian was on edge. Apparently, none of us trusted her.
She smiled, as if unaware of how we all felt. “I am intrigued to know more about you, princess.”
“There’s not much to know, that you don’t already,” I added and shimmied back on the bed. She lingered in the doorway, and I sighed, forcing a smile. “You’re welcome to go bathe without me.”
“I can wait. It’s best if us sorceresses stick together. There’s more energy that way.” She drummed her painted, yellow nails against the wood. “I’m heading outside with Salvor and the boys quickly. I’ll be back in an hour. Be ready.”
I rolled my eyes when she turned her back, and Sebastian hastily shut the door. His stare landed on Erianna, his arms crossing over his chest. “What were you thinking?”
“Save me the lecture, Seb.”
I heard the front door close, and Anna humming in the kitchen as the smell of tomatoes wafted into the room. “He’s right. Salvor is a monster,” I whispered. “I don’t like him.”
“I can handle him,” she said, then stood. “Don’t worry about me, really. Let’s focus on getting to the castle first. We’ll figure everything out later.”
Sebastian didn’t look convinced.
***
I smiled as the earthy, spicy aroma filled the cabin, and slurped the last of the soup Anna cooked, dunking the last piece of chunky bread into the clay bowl. “That was good,” I said, helping myself to a third bowl.
Her cheeks pinkened, and she gently dipped a piece of bread into her first bowl of soup, then nibbled on the edges. She was much more graceful than me.
Zach grinned, placing his hands on his knees. “You’re welcome.”
Sebastian laughed. “Don’t take credit. We all know you can’t cook.”
“I helped, right?” He glanced at Anna, grinning, and she laughed.
“He cut the vegetables.”
Sebastian clapped twice. “I was wrong. Olivia, thank Zach for the delicious dinner he prepared.”
Zach rolled his eyes, and I laughed. Erianna leaned back in the armchair, watching the fireplace dance with flames. I savored the moment, looking at each of them, wishing this day could go on forever. Sebastian and Zach continued to tease each other, with Erianna throwing the occasional snarky comment. Anna rolled her eyes at me, and we both snickered.
I looked out the window and saw the faint glimmer of stars. The indigo sky stretched endlessly into the horizon. “They’ve been gone for more than an hour.”
Erianna slapped her hands on her knees. “I’ll go look for them,” she said, standing.
“I’ll come with you,” Sebastian offered, but Zach shook his head.
“I’ll go. You stay with Olivia.”
Erianna agreed. “I’ve been wanting to go to the lake, too. It doesn’t just strengthen sorcerer’s powers,” she explained, smiling. “It’s soothing to us, too.”
I glimpsed her wingless back, wondering if it helped with the pain from the scars that never healed. For a second, I hated my dad, recalling it was his orders that did that to her. Then I was reminded of his death, and the hate disappeared. My emotions were a confusing conflict of love, grief, and hate, and I didn’t want to think about them right now.
“Go,” I said. “We’ll wait here in case they come back.”
Anna finished her dinner and the three left.
Night fell, the mountains like silhouettes against the indigo sky. I gazed out, knowing tomorrow we would leave this place for the castle. But a part of me wished I could have stayed, my body tensing as I thought about what was to come.
