"Fia," she murmured, holding out a hand. "Are you ready?" Alephia, younger by a minute, nodded. She had been branded by a different moon, Ba’as, and it gave her a rosy glow that lit her slightly browner skin. They had been born moments apart and the Moons had touched them. Fia immediately moved across the room to clasp her sister’s hand. Merlan turned her palms up to inspect her lines. Alephia's circles were hollow ringed in a cluster of three, and glimmered faintly, her right a soft peachy rose, while her left glittered with a metallic silver.
"I don’t think I’ll ever be ready," Fia said quietly, her gray eyes dropping to her own palms. "What if I don’t make it?" Merlan closed her fingers around her sister’s upturned hands and then squeezed.
"You’ll make it," she said, filling her words with steel and determination.
"How do you know?" Fia asked, biting her lip as she turned away, pulling Merlan with her. "Did you have another dream?" They moved out of the study, their riding boots loud on the wood floor. A few servants paused, eyes lowered, and Merlan’s brow furrowed.
"I know because I refuse to lose you. The Sisters wouldn’t take you from me, Alephia," she growled. "I haven’t dreamed anything since I saw Da--" They both froze just under the doorway to the foyer, Merlan’s words cut off abruptly by the sight of the knight lounging against the bottom of the stairs. He was eating what looked like an apple.
"Ladies," he said gruffly. "You’re late."
"He's not supposed to be in here!" Fia hissed and Merlan put a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. Merlan locked eyes with the knight, her gray eyes sharp as she took him in. The sharper crunch as he bit into his apple echoed in the silence of the foyer. She nudged her hood back without breaking eye contact.
"It's cold outside," she said as lightly as possible. "I'm sure the Lanceman is entitled to a little warmth before the Long Ride." And it would be possibly the
"I don’t think I’ll ever be ready," Fia said quietly, her gray eyes dropping to her own palms. "What if I don’t make it?" Merlan closed her fingers around her sister’s upturned hands and then squeezed.
"You’ll make it," she said, filling her words with steel and determination.
"How do you know?" Fia asked, biting her lip as she turned away, pulling Merlan with her. "Did you have another dream?" They moved out of the study, their riding boots loud on the wood floor. A few servants paused, eyes lowered, and Merlan’s brow furrowed.
"I know because I refuse to lose you. The Sisters wouldn’t take you from me, Alephia," she growled. "I haven’t dreamed anything since I saw Da--" They both froze just under the doorway to the foyer, Merlan’s words cut off abruptly by the sight of the knight lounging against the bottom of the stairs. He was eating what looked like an apple.
"Ladies," he said gruffly. "You’re late."
"He's not supposed to be in here!" Fia hissed and Merlan put a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. Merlan locked eyes with the knight, her gray eyes sharp as she took him in. The sharper crunch as he bit into his apple echoed in the silence of the foyer. She nudged her hood back without breaking eye contact.
"It's cold outside," she said as lightly as possible. "I'm sure the Lanceman is entitled to a little warmth before the Long Ride." And it would be possibly the
