A Court of Stars and Memories

13. A Heart's Discomfort

Mitsi rapped her knuckles on Mina's door and waited for her admittance before entering. When she slipped inside the room, she found her brother and sister both there. Mina was sitting cross-legged on the bed while Micah leaned against the mantle of a fireplace.

"We heard voices," Micah said. "Who were you talking to?"

"I met Azriel," Mitsi replied. "Where is Seren? I didn't see her on my way up."

"She left just when I got here," Mina explained. "She didn't say where she was going, but she'll be back this evening. Azriel must've come soon after. I didn't see him when I came in."

"Neither did I," Micah agreed.

Mitsi joined Mina on the bed and tucked her legs beneath herself, bracing her weight on one palm. "Or he was here all along and you just weren't aware. He is the Spymaster, after all."

"Speaking of which, why would they bring us to the Night Court and place us in the Spymaster's house? It feels like they're trying to watch us or something."

Mina shot him a look of disbelief. "They are watching us, Micah. That's the whole reason we were brought here."

"But they're only watching us to help keep us safe," Mitsi butted in. Both of her siblings faced her. "Wynter and Ellie made that clear. We're here so that Father and Julian won't know where we are and won't be able to find us or hurt us."

"And if they do figure out where we are somehow, we'll be safer with the Spymaster and his family than with anyone else, because he'll probably be the first to know next to Rhysand. I'm sure Azriel was explicitly told to have his spies keep an eye out for Father."

"We know that," Micah grumbled. "But we don't have to be comfortable with it. I'm surprised you are."

Mitsi crossed her arms with a cold glare. "I'm not. I'm not comfortable with any of this. I just understand that it's what's safest for all of us right now until Father and Julian have been re-apprehended."

"You certainly seemed comfortable in Windhaven with that red-head, the Illyrian, and the Spymaster's son."

Mitsi refused to balk at the accusing bite in Micah's tone. "And is there something wrong with that? Eira and Orion aren't much younger than me and we all got along. They were very friendly and welcoming."

"As for Lysander, he was just trying to help me adjust and remain occupied like Corbin did for you. That is their job after all, and shouldn't we do our part to make it easier for them?"

"They're the ones who offered."

"And for that very reason, we should be respectful and grateful towards them," Mitsi snapped. "We've only been here a day and the pair of you have done nothing but make things difficult."

"You adjust in your way and we'll adjust in ours," Micah retorted, pushing off the mantle and standing taller.

"Enough," Mina interrupted, raising her palm. "We're not going to argue right now. That's the last thing any of us need. Mits, Micah is right. We're going to adjust in different ways and it's best to just accept that."

"It's harder for us to trust than it is for you. You already believe that these people have our best interests at heart. Micah and I don't. And until that's been proven to us, we're not going to relax or let our guard down."

Her words only furthered Mitsi's annoyance, but she bit back her answering gibe and instead asked, "Did you enjoy yourselves today at least a little bit?"

Mina tugged her dark hair over a shoulder and combed her fingers through it as she replied. "I suppose. Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn certainly didn't go easy on me. We did several different exercises before they switched to one-on-one sparring again."