AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thea waited a beat. ‘Did they give you a spare key?’
Wren rounded on her. ‘Not a chance, Thea. I only just got rid of you.’
Thea laughed. ‘I was only joking… Mostly. You try living with twelve men in your room. They’re loud. They stink. And they constantly brag about sleeping with women they’ve clearly never spoken to.’
‘Sounds charming.’
‘You have no idea.’
‘You should come and visit more, Thea,’ Wren said suddenly. ‘Sam and Ida miss you. And you’ve missed a lot in our alchemy shifts. They’re throwing me a little party this afternoon to celebrate. You should come.’
‘I can’t.’ Thea gave a heavy sigh. ‘I don’t have time, Wren. Not if I want to be —’
‘A Thezmarrian warrior. A Warsword,’ Wren cut her off sharply.‘We know. We know how important it is to you. But it’s not theonlything that’s important.’
Thea’s hand flew to her fate stone. ‘It is to me —’ She regretted her choice of words as soon as they left her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back.
Wren’s expression hardened. ‘When was the last time I asked anything of you, Thea? When was the last time you did anything for someone other than yourself?’
‘It’s just a party, Wren…’
‘But it’snotjust a party. It’s about supporting me,your sister.It’s about acknowledging that I’ve achieved something I’ve been aiming for for years. How would you feel if you became a Warsword and no one gave a shit?’
‘It’s not the same.’
‘Not the same? You mean that being an alchemist isn’t as worthy as being a Warsword? That your dreams are bigger and better than the rest of ours?’
‘I didn’t mean —’
‘Yes, you did. And it’s fine. If you’re so determined to become a Warsword, you go do that, Thea. But when you’ve cheated death and you want someone to cheer for your victories, don’t be surprised if you turn around to find yourself alone.’
‘Wren…’
‘You haveno idea, Thea.No ideawhat I do for us, foryou. And here you are, with your Warsword complex, thinking you’re so much better. Do you know where you’d be without me? Do you know what would happen —’
‘Wren, please.’ A sour taste filled Thea’s mouth. She had never seen her sister like this: furious to the point of tears, almost unhinged. What was she talking about? Was it that stunt with the Widow’s Ash and Seb? Was it about covering for her with Audra and Farissa? Thea’s heart was sinking. This was not how this conversation was meant to go. Shewantedto celebrate Wren’s achievements, she just…
Wren was shaking her head, cheeks flushed in anger. ‘I can’t stand the sight of you,’ she spat. ‘Get out. I have silly potions and teapots to make.’
‘I didn’t say —’
‘Out.’
Head hung, stomach in knots, Thea left Wren’s new room to find Dax waiting for her. But not even the dog’s stoic presence padding beside her could pull her from her dark mood, for she had the feeling that there was more to the argument than she knew, that there was something Wren wasn’t telling her.
Over the next few days, Thea turned inward. While she and Wren had bickered and argued their entire lives, this was different. A crack had formed between them, a fissure that grew wider with every day they didn’t speak.
Thea had tried to explain, had tried to track Wren down the next day and the next, but her sister was suddenly like a shadow that kept slipping between her fingers. And the thought of Wren celebrating her new position without her made Thea’s chest ache. She should have been there.
‘What’s wrong with you lately?’ Cal asked over breakfast, his brow furrowed deeply as he studied her.
‘Nothing,’ Thea mumbled into her porridge.
‘Liar,’ Kipp interjected. ‘You’ve been moping for days. And you’re not a moper. I’ve seen you get walloped into the ground by a man twice your size and you hardly blink, so there’s definitely something wrong.’
They waited expectantly, to the point of irritation.
‘I had a fight with Wren, alright?’ Thea snapped.
