Page 25 of Sands of Atonement

“I’m starving. Should we sneak into the kitchen and grab a snack?” I knew Norrah could see the mischief twinkling in my eyes as she grinned back.

“You’re so bad, Mara!” She paused for a moment. “What if we get caught? Do you think Sorrella would expel us from performing tomorrow? I feel like she barely feeds us at all! How am I expected to keep up these vigorous practices without more food?!”

“Listen, Norrah.” I put a stop to it all with a hand and brow raised. “I’m the queen of thievery. We won’t get caught.”

Norrah raised a prominent brow in disbelief, and we laughed until Ana burst into my room.

“Hey, Ana!”

“Hi, ladies.” Ana plopped down on the bed next to us. “Want to join me out in town? I’m looking for someone to go with. I’ve been feeling so cooped up here. I might go crazy before tomorrow.”

This was perfect and went with my plan for the night, anyway.

Norrah and I glanced at each other, but right then I saw something flash across her eyes. I frowned. “Want to go?” I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. “I feel like maybe we should stay in, since the celebration is tomorrow—I don’t want to stay up too late.”

“We won’t! We’ll be back in a couple of hours. Promise!” Ana begged, pulling on Norrah’s shoulder with puppy eyes.

Norrah smiled and then rolled her eyes. “Well… only if we could have the eunuchs come with us? It’s getting late, right?” she asked, worry lacing her voice.

Ana scrunched up her face and shook her head. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Plus, it’s fun without a guardian, don’t you think?”

Ooh, a rebel had entered the building. Welcome.

Norrah flitted her eyes down before smiling back. “Right, of course.”

When Ana left to change, I pulled Norrah aside. “If you don’t want to go, we don’t need to.”

“Oh, no! It’s not that. I just want to make sure we’re careful and on time to get back and make sure we’re safe, you know?” she rumbled on.

“Okay,” I drawled with a smile.

I changed into some comfortable beige pants and a top before we emerged from the Khraus gates.

With the sun hanging low in the sky, we strolled through the upper market. Ana pressed forward, looking through the stands while Norrah linked her arm with mine. She seemed calmer and more herself than before. Maybe getting out into the fresh air was exactly what she needed.

She lowered her voice. “How did you learn those exercises? And don’t be vague. I’m starting to hate it.”

Lying had become second nature over the years, but it felt…different lying to someone I was growing fond of. I studied her face. My friends had always just been my brothers, and they both died.

“I paid someone to become my teacher, so that I might learn to be strong enough to protect myself,” I whispered.

“From what?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Anyone or anything. I didn’t want to be weak anymore, I suppose.” It was a half-truth.

The sound of my sandals hitting the cobblestone streets filled the silence for a moment.

“I understand that.” Norrah’s voice went small. “I hate having to depend on anyone else for my safety.” Though she was walking right next to me, she seemed to be a million miles away, her eyes distant. “You’re lucky to have found someone to teach you. What else do you know?”

My stomach twisted, and a hard rock formed at the bottom of it. “Norrah… You don’t want to know. It’s better that you don’t. And like you said, I don’t want to lie to you.”

“Why is it better that I don’t know? You don’t know what’s best for me, Mara.” Her bitterness caught me by surprise, but she was right. How could I know what was best for her? I hardly knew her.

I gave in because, well, fuck it. “He taught me to fight, if you want to know so badly.”

Norrah inhaled a small gasp. “Are you good at it?” Her dark eyes widened with curiosity but held no judgement.