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“I think my apprentice might burst if we don’t sing now.”
“Sing?” I cried, horrified, but it was too late.
Luna burst into enthusiastic notes, the rest of them following in a ragged chorus. I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks, laughing despite myself.
“Thank you,” I said as soon as they’d finished. “But please don’t ever do that again.”
“Was it really that bad?” Clay pretended to look hurt. “I’ve previously been told I’m an excellent singer.”
I stared at him until Amara’s chuckles clued me into the joke. I let out a breath of relief which made him start chuckling as well.
Hayes cleared his throat. “I hate to hurry along your celebrations, Delphine, but Anka will be waiting if we take much longer.”
“Anka?” I looked between them all. “So there is a reason we’re in the law keepers’ hall of all places?”
Luna grimaced. “Obviously it wasn’t my first choice. But I really wanted Clay and Serena to be here, and we don’t know how long the law keepers will keep them. The only safe option was to meet before they’re all due to report to Master Anka.” She gave me an apologetic look. “First thing in the morning wasn’t my preference either. But you and I, at least, will be having a celebratory meal later, whether you like it or not.”
I smiled back at her, but my attention was on the reason for Clay and Serena’s presence.
“So Master Anka called you both here?” I looked between them. “Something’s going on.” It wasn’t a question.
I turned to Amara. “Do you know what it is?”
She exchanged a look with Hayes which made me raise both eyebrows.
“You’re both involved in these meetings, too?” I asked with a sudden sense of certainty.
Amara hesitated. “For now, she doesn’t want apprentices included.”
“Except Serena, who’s still an apprentice,” I said slowly. Meeting Amara’s eyes, I gave her a disappointed look. “It has something to do with Grey, then.”
“Sorry, Delphine,” she said. “We can’t say anything more for now. And I’m especially sorry it’s happening on your birthday. But Luna has promised to spoil you in my absence.”
I managed to dredge up a smile despite the burning curiosity that was now surging through me. After all these weeks of silence, what had Grey done to merit Anka calling in people from other parts of the kingdom?
“I’m grateful to Master Anka.” Luna had a determined light in her eyes. “It might not have been her intention, but she summoned some of your new friends just in time for your birthday, and now she’s providing you with a day off. It’s perfect.”
I couldn’t help smiling at her spin on the situation. When she put it like that, I had no justification in being disappointed.
She didn’t summon all my new friends.
The errant thought hit me from nowhere. I squashed it back down, careful to keep my face neutral. I had once thought Nik and I were becoming friends, and he had even kissed me, suggesting he was interested in something more. But he hadn’t been honest with me, and he’d chosen to leave. I hadn’t heard from him in all the weeks since he left to chase after Grey, and I had no business thinking of him now.
I summoned a smile, linking my arm with Luna’s as she waved off the others. “Well then, what did you have in mind for the day?”
ChapterTwo
Despite it not being long since breakfast, Luna insisted we both eat a slice of cake before leaving the law keepers’ hall.
“Master Anka will surely give the others a break at some point, and they can have some then,” she said, leaving the rest of the cake behind on the table.
She scooped up the bouquet, however, and pressed it on me. “You can’t leave this behind! I went to a lot of trouble to source those flowers for you.”
“It’s beautiful.” I sniffed at it appreciatively. “It reminds me of all the window boxes they had in Ostaria. I miss those.”
Luna led the way outside, nodding in easy agreement, although she’d never been to Ostaria herself. “It’s such a pity window boxes are against regulations here. But people still have gardens behind their houses. I visited some of the patients you’ve healed while we’ve been training here and asked them to let me raid their gardens. They were all more than happy to help. So they’re not just flowers—they’re flowers grown and picked with love.”
My spirits lifted in response to her beaming smile, my hand tightening around the bouquet. Learning how to control my squeamishness enough to actually help people had been the best part of our extended stay in Caltor.
