ave a view, but beyond the bars that guarded the window sprawled the valley up to the hilltop. I pushed the surprising light, metal bed over

down, sitting on the stained grey mattress that felt harder than rocks underne

eemed frivolous when I wasn’t sure exactly what I would find. The one thing I wish I had grabbed the most was my hair tie. My long curly re

I expected my reunion with my brother to go. I guess it was na?ve of me to think that, if I found him, he would imm

.. n

h as the hard mattress caused that simple everyday movemen

out and coughed. "Th

my breath. I had almost succeeded when the wooden door swu

demanded her vi

. His arms, legs, and chest were covered in what looked like odd white leather. All of them were held in place by some black straps that were sewn int

es and the nose he had inherited from our father. As

owed that he probably had already seen a few battles. Across his cheek and up to his temple were the same golden markings that everyone

ace was

k. I'm your sister, Mara,

pid enough to fall for that. You're a spy. I just want to know e

spy! I told you what I was d

e reverberating off the stone

nfront him. “I am your sister! I have searched for yo

if he thinks he can have someone pretend to be my sister,” he snarled. “Although, I h

for any information. I am here for you. I have spent the last 10 years t

t, the first wisps of doubt floating thr

in the room. “But, no matter, once the King gets back with the Sorcerer, he’ll get the truth out

tood why he would feel that I was not his sister. Looking and

ng over me was

ter. The man who brought me down from the hilltop stood at the threshold with a large

u,” I sai

ach,” he h

’ach,” I

unger and half as scary… well, I thought to myself eyei

to the food

epeated, pointi

y, stopping just short of

the whole plate and said

ted at the slab of meat th

, unders

bout learning new languages was the context. One word could mean a million things, and w