under the table, shielding their symbols while everyone ate. In order to shield properly, the realmist doing the shielding had to be close enough that their energy could reach the people whom he was shielding, because the symbols in the Second Realm had to be close together. Instead of the realmist taking the energy from the Second Realm to use in the First Realm, their symbol was acting in the Second Realm. It was almost like hiding everyone with one blanket—the realmist could only channel so much power through his or her symbol, and the power to cover so many symbols was not easy to hold onto. The smaller the area they had to cover, the easier it was.
“I thought creaturas couldn’t shield?” Bronwyn just realized Sinjenasta should not have been able to do what he had been doing for the last few days.
“He’s a special case, because he has the connection to Drakon.” Arcon lied—he wasn’t ready to tell Bronwyn that her panther actually started life as a human and was eagerly waiting the day he could return to his original form. They had enough trust issues to deal with.
Blayke changed the subject, speaking around a mouthful of baked fish. “Nice cutlery; is it silver?” Everyone stared at him.
“What? Since when have you taken an interest in cutlery?” Arcon asked, and Bronwyn laughed.
Blayke blushed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just nice to be eating somewhere civilized for a change. Remind me never to appreciate anything in front of you again.”
“I understand you, even though I have no interest in cutlery,” said Fang, his whiskers twitching in a ratty giggle.
Bronwyn leaned over and gave Blayke a quick hug. When he looked at her, surprise on his face, she smiled. “Hey, big bro, I can do that now. I’m the annoying little sister you never had.”
“How do you know I’m older?” Blayke turned to Arcon. “So, who did come out first: me or Bronwyn?”
“You don’t expect me to pay attention to stuff like that. I wasn’t even in the room.”
“It was Bronwyn.” Avruellen answered, her voice tight with emotion. Bronwyn looked at her, all the hurt she had pushed down gushing upwards, stinging her throat with its acid.
Her gray eyes darkened, like an approaching storm. “How could you hide that from me for all these years? Every time I asked a question, you knew, but you let me think I had no one, that my parents didn’t love me, that I was no one. How could you? Do you even have a heart?”
She was standing, looking down at Avruellen, who sat across from her, fork frozen halfway to her mouth. The only sound in the room was muffled laughter from the common room downstairs.
Avruellen placed her fork on the table, letting both hands rest on either side of her plate. For the first time in her life, Bronwyn looked into her aunt’s eyes and saw not anger or guardedness, but sorrow and apology. Avruellen held her gaze. “I know you didn’t mean that last comment.”
Bronwyn swallowed. “No, I’m just angry. Sorry. But why can’t you just answer my question? Arcon explained why you had to do it, but that doesn’t stop me feeling hurt. Do you know how many times I asked myself over and over who my parents were? I would have given anything to see them, even once. I never really knew who I was, and you saw that, but you said nothing. Surely when I was a bit older you could have explained it to me; I would have understood. And now, when you have the opportunity to explain, you can’t even admit that what you did has hurt me.”
Avruellen stood and left without saying anything. Bronwyn looked at Arcon who frowned at her. “What? Why are looking at me like that?”
“I know you have questions you need your aunt to answer, but you’ve had a few days to adjust. We’ve dropped this on her today. Give her time to adapt.”
“Oh, great, so I have to give in as usual because you’re both older and are out to save the world. It’s for my own good and I should just shut up and be
“I thought creaturas couldn’t shield?” Bronwyn just realized Sinjenasta should not have been able to do what he had been doing for the last few days.
“He’s a special case, because he has the connection to Drakon.” Arcon lied—he wasn’t ready to tell Bronwyn that her panther actually started life as a human and was eagerly waiting the day he could return to his original form. They had enough trust issues to deal with.
Blayke changed the subject, speaking around a mouthful of baked fish. “Nice cutlery; is it silver?” Everyone stared at him.
“What? Since when have you taken an interest in cutlery?” Arcon asked, and Bronwyn laughed.
Blayke blushed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just nice to be eating somewhere civilized for a change. Remind me never to appreciate anything in front of you again.”
“I understand you, even though I have no interest in cutlery,” said Fang, his whiskers twitching in a ratty giggle.
Bronwyn leaned over and gave Blayke a quick hug. When he looked at her, surprise on his face, she smiled. “Hey, big bro, I can do that now. I’m the annoying little sister you never had.”
“How do you know I’m older?” Blayke turned to Arcon. “So, who did come out first: me or Bronwyn?”
“You don’t expect me to pay attention to stuff like that. I wasn’t even in the room.”
“It was Bronwyn.” Avruellen answered, her voice tight with emotion. Bronwyn looked at her, all the hurt she had pushed down gushing upwards, stinging her throat with its acid.
Her gray eyes darkened, like an approaching storm. “How could you hide that from me for all these years? Every time I asked a question, you knew, but you let me think I had no one, that my parents didn’t love me, that I was no one. How could you? Do you even have a heart?”
She was standing, looking down at Avruellen, who sat across from her, fork frozen halfway to her mouth. The only sound in the room was muffled laughter from the common room downstairs.
Avruellen placed her fork on the table, letting both hands rest on either side of her plate. For the first time in her life, Bronwyn looked into her aunt’s eyes and saw not anger or guardedness, but sorrow and apology. Avruellen held her gaze. “I know you didn’t mean that last comment.”
Bronwyn swallowed. “No, I’m just angry. Sorry. But why can’t you just answer my question? Arcon explained why you had to do it, but that doesn’t stop me feeling hurt. Do you know how many times I asked myself over and over who my parents were? I would have given anything to see them, even once. I never really knew who I was, and you saw that, but you said nothing. Surely when I was a bit older you could have explained it to me; I would have understood. And now, when you have the opportunity to explain, you can’t even admit that what you did has hurt me.”
Avruellen stood and left without saying anything. Bronwyn looked at Arcon who frowned at her. “What? Why are looking at me like that?”
“I know you have questions you need your aunt to answer, but you’ve had a few days to adjust. We’ve dropped this on her today. Give her time to adapt.”
“Oh, great, so I have to give in as usual because you’re both older and are out to save the world. It’s for my own good and I should just shut up and be
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