I hurry along with my brother and my cousin, staring around at the stone hallway that meets in gothic arches above our heads, at the windows scattered along the right-hand wall that look out over the landscape.
I grin, because I thought I’d gotten used to the view from the barracks – but this high? I feel like I can see everything, and the wide grey landscape around the castle is desolate and gorgeous in its own way. My steps slow despite me as I wander over to one of the windows, which looks north – towards the palace, towards home, where mom and dad are –
And Mark and Junie too – god, how long as it been since I thought about them – I’m a bad big sister –
“Ari!” I jump a little at Rafe’s frustrated bark and then laugh and hurry along to catch up.
We wind our way up the staircase at
