Ella had been staying with us ever since our parents had left for the mission, and her hovering was beginning to grate. Why didn’t she understand by now that we could take care of ourselves?
Well, maybe not Alba. But I would have done just fine on my own.
Alba set down her cards face up and grabbed a piece of bread, ignoring the hot steam that had surely burned her fingers. “Me. Always.”
I picked up a hint of expellant magic in the air and glanced at my sister. From the contented way she munched her honeybread, I supposed Alba had simply healed the burns the moment they had happened. Must be nice. As a powerful healer mage, she didn’t have to face the inconvenience of pain like the rest of us.
I set my cards down beside hers then peeked at her cards and grimaced. If it weren’t for Ella’s honeybread, I would’ve won. Sure could’ve used a victory today, even if it was a small one.
“What was that?” Alba cocked her head toward the dark kitchen window. “I think I heard someone talking. A man’s voice.”
“There are lots of men in the Mage Division.” I couldn’t help peering out the kitchen window as hope flared unbidden at her words. After two weeks of this, I should’ve known better. “Stop jumping at every noise. They’ll get home when they’re done with the mission. There’s no point in obsessing over it.”
“I’m not obsessing over it.” Alba took an enormous bite of honeybread and slumped with her elbows on the table. “I’m just wondering when Dad will get home. And Mom too.”
“What do you care?” Alba flinched, but I couldn’t help myself from continuing. “You didn’t even say goodbye to him before he left. They only had a few hours at home after the Masters retreated, but you just clung to Mom like a baby.”
I cracked my knuckles, feeling annoyingly guilty.
That didn’t make any sense. Alba was the one who should feel guilty, not me. I couldn’t imagine treating our father so rudely. We’d gone thirteen years without our amazing, heroic dad, and now he was here. Tough, smart, competent—the commander of the best fighting force in the city. He was perfect, and Alba kept breaking his heart.
Couldn’t say I was all that sad about it, though. I shifted on my chair, unable to get comfortable for some reason. Alba always got her way in our family. I liked having Dad to myself. Alba had Mom, Ella, and all the magical power we should have shared. It seemed right for me to at least have him.
Alba’s cheeks turned even redder. “Doesn’t mean I don’t care,” she mumbled around her bite of bread. “Don’t be so mean.”
Ella didn’t speak but looked up from washing the dishes to shoot me a pointed look. As usual, she’d backed up Alba’s rebuke.
“I’m going upstairs.” I ducked my head, hoping she couldn’t see the hurt on my face. Why did Ella and Mom always side with Alba? And why did I get in trouble every time I told the truth?
I grabbed a napkin and folded it around a hot piece of honeybread, but the heat seared my fingertips through the napkin. I switched hands and tried to look nonchalant. “Thanks for the food, Ella.”
“Of course.” Ella removed her apron and set it on the counter. “If you stay downstairs, maybe we could all play—”
“I’ll pass. Just want to do some studying.” I ignored the disappointed look on Ella’s face and sped toward the stairs. If Ella wanted me to stick around for sisterly bonding, maybe she should take my side a time or two. I wasn’t the one who was too immature to forgive Dad for failing to find us sooner. It wasn’t even his fault, anyway, and there was no point in making him feel worse about something he couldn’t control.
Upstairs, I tossed the steaming napkin full of honeybread on my bed and blew on my fingers.
My bedroom was dark, simple, and quiet. After thirteen years of sharing the upper room of Ella’s bakery with my mom and sister, followed by weeks in the palace basement as we waited for the furor over Mom’s absorbent mage powers to die down, I liked having space to myself. Even if it was a bit eerie.
I flicked on the luminous and sat on my bed for a moment, uneasy as the empty walls in my room seemed to inch closer.
The villa Prince Estevan had arranged for us to move into two