Page 98 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

She leaned over the counter a little, looking through the doors leading toward the bakery kitchen. “Samira?”

A young girl popped out of the kitchens, her apron stained with flour and some colourful sort of icing. “Snow, finally. I’ve just made your usual chestnut cupcakes. Though Nia tried to persuade me and lie that I cannot make it anymore and just sell you carrot cake instead.” Her eyes drifted to me and then back at Snow, and then back at me and then back at what Snow was wearing. “Your lover is terribly handsome. If I was your husband, I wouldn’t mind if you cheated on me with him.”

“I’m her husband.”

Samira’s eyes doubled and she bowed at the waist, folding herself at ninety degrees. “My king.”

Snow rolled her eyes. “Where is your father? Why has he left you all on your own at this hour? Don’t you have school in the morning?”

Samira reached to cut a slice of Snow’s cake. “I am manning the shop now. My teachers are sending the lessons to my home till I go back. Father has joined the soldiers. They lost about a dozen soldiers in the last Fogling attack. He thought it best that he fights since he is an Aura.”

Snow reached a hand to her eyes and breathed out a sigh. “And your brothers?”

“They’ve joined the Myrdur guard.” Her attention went behind us and her golden-brown skin flushed red. “And speaking about the Myrdur guard. Hi, Cai.”

The general strutted in looking like death itself and swung an arm around Snow’s neck. “Have you come to give him sugar poisoning? Smart. Hi, Samira.”

The girl beamed at him. “Did you meet my brothers?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” the general sighed, resting a hip on the counter. “I am sending them back.”

Samira’s eyes widened. “Why? Are they that bad? I swear they train every day.”

“Mira, I am done burying fourteen and sixteen-year-olds.” The girl flinched a little and Cai reached across the counter to fluff her hair. “I have enough help. You look like you need their help more than I. Go get us our usual.”

When the girl left, Snow and her friend turned ten shades of grave. “How many?”

“Twelve.”

Snow breathed heavily. “How many of theirs?”

“One hundred fifty.”

“Silas is getting persistent,” I said. “They’ve given up from reaching Highwall for the past week. It looks like the Olympian piece is next.”

Cai nodded. “How long till they figure out how to breathe inside the mist?”

It was no longer just about Silas finding the sceptre. If Isjord crossed the mist, they would find Olympia.

We sat across one another on a little table on the corner of the shop while Snow ate her fourth piece of cake, utterly enamoured with the colourful sweets.

Caiden’s eyes dropped to the bandage peeking out of my shirt and then returned to glare back at me.

I touched a finger to my shoulder. “You have a feather there.”

“Fucking, Lazarus,” he groaned, fluffing the stuff away. “It’s like shedding season.”

Snow lifted a spoonful of cake to his mouth. “Careful, he might be wanting to mate with you and ask you to lay his eggs.”

He flicked her forehead. “Shut up.”

A nerve jumped on my temple when a little swell started turning red on her skin. One day, I was going to round those fingers—

“Cake?” Snow asked, lifting a spoonful to my mouth.

It caught me by surprise, but I ate it and she chuckled. “What?”

She pointed the spoon between Caiden and I. “I made you two kiss.”