Page 101 of Salt Between the Wolves

The girl smiled, and the expression was bright, certain, and entirely sincere.

For a moment, Eira found herself unable to answer, because it had been a very long time since anyone had wanted her to stay for no reason other than the simple fact that they wanted her there.

By the time breakfast ended, the house had settled into a quieter rhythm.

Finn disappeared with the resigned expression of someone heading toward unavoidable suffering, while Lyra was eventually persuaded—against her will—to accompany her lessons after extracting several promises that Eira would still be there afterward.

The older woman shepherded both children from the room with practiced efficiency, leaving behind only silence, the scent of steeped herbs, and the lingering warmth of the fire.

For a few moments neither sister moved before Maelin slowly pushed herself to her feet and gestured toward the doorway.

"Come."

Eira followed her into a smaller chamber overlooking the gardens.

The snow had buried most of the landscape beyond the windows, leaving only the dark outlines of trees and stone walls visible beneath the winter sun. A fire burned quietly in the hearth, and two armchairs had been drawn close enough to the flames that the cold never quite reached them.

Eira settled into one of them, and for a while they simply sat together in silence that felt comfortable now, familiar in a way that suggested they were slowly relearning something that had once come naturally.

Maelin wrapped both hands around a steaming cup and studied her over the rim.

"What?"

The corner of Maelin's mouth lifted.

"I'm trying to decide whether you've always looked this tired."

"I have."

"No," Maelin replied immediately. "You used to sleep."

Eira laughed softly.

"That explains the difference."

For a moment the old ease returned before Maelin's expression softened.

"Tell me about it."

Eira frowned.

"About what?"

"Your life."

The simplicity of the request caught her off guard. Not Ironfang, not Soren, and not politics, but her life. The realization left her unexpectedly blank, and Maelin seemed to notice.

"You spent months there," she said, gesturing vaguely. "Surely something happened besides political disasters."

Eira looked down at her tea.

The first answer that came to mind surprised her.

"The bread was terrible."

Maelin blinked.

"What?"