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"Our lesson, Charlie?" she answered, peering over her shoulder to Zafir "I’m not the one who needs lessons I’m not the one afraid of horses" As she turned back to face littered feverishly "I’m to tell you we have corinned then, looking so irl I’d once played with--rather than the commander of an army--that I was taken aback for afor dinner"a dress A proper onenot one of the comfortable cotton shifts that allowed elina in the woods, or to wade through the ponds with bare feet All things I’d also been told were not queenly activities

So

I took in Brooklynn’s attire, ignoring the dull ache behindin her sleek ebony uniforn it herself when I’d made her a commander in my armed forces, and I’m sure that was exactly what she’d intended--to be the picture of intimidation She was dressed entirely in black, with even the buttons fashioned fro at all to do with how the color complelistened against the ht field of leather

To me, however, she still looked like Brook

Beautiful And daed

"I need to talk to you" Brook’s voice was quiet as she drew nal to turn away so I could change, and then whispered back to her, "What is it?"

Brook sighed, settling onto the edge of my bed as I unbuttoned the front of my blouse and tossed it in a cru my trousers "I went to see my father yesterday, in preparation for your visit to the Capitol," she explained, her words tuood"

I winced, I kne hard seeing him must have been for Brook Her dad wasn’t like mine He would never have kept her safe if she’d had a secret to keep He would never have killed for her "Did he give you any idea what he’s planning?"

"Not yet But he ainst you"

I stopped tugging the gohich was only halfway tospecific? Do you think he plans to try sohts "I don’t think he’s in any position to be a serious danger Not yet anyway," she explained "Besides, I told him ould happen if he didn’t back down" She exhaled loudly "I’ clear enough"

I tugged the black velvet dress the rest of the way up, past my hips and overthe matter of the threats alone for the lided s ht away, I turned to look at her I saw so flash behind her eyes, and I knew that the real Brook--the girl who had once been only

"Fine," she answered when she realized I atching her "Serious or not, I think you should tell Max and Xander about his threats I think you should reschedule your tour through the city"

I was shaking"No," I insisted, equally quiet but adaue

Her back stiffened and I could feel her withdrawing froh she remained where she was It wasn’t the first tih Brook was now a soldier in rown accustomed to the shift in power between us I’ly cavernous fissure that had spread, cracking our friendship

I walked over to my mirror and closed my eyes "I’d like aoutside? I’ll only be a ed silence between the whether to acquiesce to my request or not Then I heard the door, and I was alone at last

Behind my eyes, my head continued to ache Sometimes I wondered if this was too s and the responsibility that soat oore The black fabric fell in cascading waves, hugging et used to the trappings ofdarker colors--blacks and grays and the deepest shades of russet, colors that didn’t stain--despite the dressmaker’s best efforts to persuade nored the fact that that saardedthe waist and hemline

And then there were the other doubts, the ones that had nothing to do with me at all The ones that came from her