Whisper by Christine Grey

with me last night. He says that it’s part of the agreement made between you and the Breken that he be allowed to speak with me and make sure I’m safe. If that’s true, why does he ask such stupid questions, like, who do I think my father trusts most? Have I ever noticed a weakness in Dearra’s fighting style? That kind of thing. I asked him why he would want to know something like that, and he says to keep Dearra safe, of course, but I don’t believe it. Jacob always seemed like he was a little bit sick inside his head, and now he seems even worse than ever.
    Zusia won’t even come around when he’s here. She says he has the Badness, whatever that means. I asked Jacob why you didn’t come yourself to see me, and he said it was because you couldn’t risk being taken prisoner, since you were so valuable. I guess that makes sense in a way, but I don’t think that would ever stop you. I think he and the scarred one are up to something. I wish I could remember the scarred one’s name. Something about a bird. An eagle, or a hawk, I don’t know. But it will come to me.

Chapter 14
    Dearra was up and about before dawn. She and Carly were astounded at how cold the nights could be when the days were so hot. Dearra took one look at her heavy wool top and leather pants and couldn’t hold back a groan.
    “Complaining about it isn’t going to help, but if it makes you feel better, I already did my groaning when you were busy washing up this morning,” Carly said. “We won’t be comfortable until we buy new clothes, and we can’t buy new clothes until we get dressed.”
    A knock at the door got their attention. They quickly donned dressing gowns before Dearra opened the door a few inches. A smallish woman of indeterminate age stood there holding a large stack of cloth.
    “You take. From the Breken master. You take,” she said, thrusting the stack towards Dearra.
    Dearra took the pile, and the woman disappeared down the steps without another word.
    “Okay, that was different. What do you suppose—”
    “Clothing! Darius must have sent clothing!” Carly said, sounding as excited as a little girl with a new toy.
    “If I had known a new outfit would make you this happy, I would have bought you something long ago, Carly.”
    “Don’t be stupid, Dearra. I’m just relieved not to have to wear wool and leather. Now, bring it over here.”
    There were two bundles, each tied and labeled, one for Dearra, the other for Carly. Care had obviously been taken to arrange them in the order they would be put on, since they were quite different than the clothes the young women were used to wearing. First came an airy chemise with loose sleeves that hung to their thighs and was supposed to be tucked into their pants. The pants themselves were wide and loose fitting at the top, but the legs were tapered to fit snugly at the ankle. The robe was T-shaped, and had full sleeves that were fitted at the wrist. Both robes were open to mid-breast, tied shut with a row of gold ties, then open again to allow the legs to move freely. There was a sash to be worn at the waist, which both girls had to rearrange multiple times before they found a comfortable way to wear them and still accommodate the weapons they wore at their waists. Soft-soled boots had been sent to replace the boots they normally wore, presumably to make walking on sand more comfortable. Both young women wore their hair braided and wound around their heads like a coronet, and then wrapped in the delicate scarves Darius had sent so that they had some protection from the harsh Parsaian sun. Though there were quite a few layers of clothing, they were nevertheless loose and flowing, and they did feel much cooler than the single layered garments they had worn yesterday. When they stood back to look at each other in order to better judge their new style, both agreed that Darius had obviously taken care in choosing the outfits. It was apparent from the fine fabrics and beautiful