Resonant

Chapter 16

Fen

Zale and Astrea were waiting for me outside of my classroom after the last class ended. I had been planning on changing into nicer clothes before we went to Rell, but both of them were dressed more casually than me and neither seemed concerned about it, so I tried not to stress.

"Ready?" Zale asked, looking at me in that very direct way he had adopted. It was like he could see through me when he was so focused, and it set me off-balance.

I nodded and Astrea smiled, though her nerves were obvious. I held their hands and in a blink, we were standing in Zale's room in his underwater castle. Someday, I would have to ask how it was that the castle always had what felt like fresh air all throughout it. There had to be some kind of spellwork here.

Astrea looked around with obvious curiosity. "This is your room?" she asked Zale.

"Yeah."

She walked up to the pictures on the wall and studied them closely, then squinted at me in confusion. I looked nothing like the man who stood by Zale's side in most of them, so maybe she was just trying to judge how I felt about my fiancé or betrothed or whatever he was supposed to be having couple-y pictures up on his wall with someone else.

Zale, who had been watching Astrea, suddenly looked alarmed and then he, too, was looking at me. "Sorry," he said, and since I really didn't want to fight and didn't understand what the apology was for, I shook my head. I was curious, of course... but I didn't want to have this talk in front of his little sister.

Zale wouldn't drop it, though. "I'll take those down," he said.

"Who is that?" Astrea asked.

"His name was Harlow," Zale said in a stern tone that discouraged further questions.

Was.

Astrea seemed thrown by that word just the same as me, and then she opened her mouth and Zale spoke again before she could get another word out. "Let's go find my mother."

Astrea sighed, but let the change of subject slide. "Fine."

Zale headed for the hall, but Astrea hesitated in the doorway. "Will your mother mind us dropping in like this?"

"Don't worry about it. She'll understand."

Zale didn't say no, I noticed. Had that been on purpose? Would his mother actually mind?

I didn't have time to fret too much. Zale led us through the halls and Astrea and I followed quietly. He didn't loop his arm through mine like last time. Why not? Was he having second thoughts about me?

No.

Maybe it was my naivete again, but I refused to believe that. Zale was probably just distracted. Worried about whatever brought him and Astrea here on a school day, probably. I would have liked the physical connection to him, but people didn't stare at us nearly as much this way, so I didn't mind much.

We reached a large wooden door with guards posted outside. One of them, a tall woman with a rope of blonde hair hanging down her back and upright posture that would have been intimidating even without her imposing height, stepped forward and dipped a shallow bow toward Zale. "Prince Zale," she greeted.

"Hi, Atropos. Could you let my mother know I need to speak with her? We'll wait in the dining room."

"Right away. Who should I tell her is with you?"

"Fen and... my sibling." There was a definite hesitation in naming Astrea as his sibling. Probably because he didn't want to call her his brother or use her deadname any more than he had to.