Book 4: Meeting the Family

Xandra

Morning arrives far too quickly for how late I tumbled into bed. Sunlight pries at my eyelids, and the waking-up noises of the people around our small room hammer on my eardrums. Slowly, I sit up.

My first thought is, I have to relieve myself.

My second is, Where is Finn?

The covers next to me are undisturbed, the pillow undented. He came to bed with me last night. I may be tired, but I’m sure of that. My heart skips a few beats. He wouldn’t have gone to face Denidor alone, would he?

The twins in my stomach make it very clear that relieving myself is a necessity, not something I can pause to consider like the whereabouts of my missing mate. I hurry to the small bathroom I now share with everyone else sleeping here; luckily, the swell of my belly lets me cut the line of morning shufflers.

I return to the room and find no new signs of Finn. Bruises stand out, round and purple, where he grabbed my shoulder. Last night, I could