“Could I have some water?” Sonder asked.

“I kind of want a drink, but I’m not sure what,” Luna said.

“I think there’s some of the cordial left that I made yesterday,” Anne said in her soft voice. “The elderflower and lime?”

Luna perked up. “Oh, that was nice.”

I walked into the kitchen, took the bottle out of the fridge, and was just filling a glass when I felt the presence behind me. I held out the drink without looking, and it was taken from my hand after a moment’s pause. “Thank you,” Anne said.

Anne is tall and slim, only an inch or so shorter than me, with black hair that brushes her shoulders and reddish-brown eyes. She looks striking, but she’s got a quiet, unobtrusive manner that tends not to draw attention. “What’s up?” I asked, filling another glass.

“You could have won that game, couldn’t you?” Anne said.

I turned with a smile. “Guess I need a better poker face.”

Back in the living room I could hear raised voices: Variam and Luna had started arguing again. “Were you letting them win?” Anne asked curiously.

“To win I’d have needed Luna or Vari to trade me their cards,” I said. “Probably could have convinced them, but I’d have had to lie.”

“You don’t think it’s worth it?”

“I’ve done enough shady stuff,” I said. “I’d rather stay friends unless I’ve got a really good reason not to.”

Anne gave a smile, but it faded quickly. She glanced back over her shoulder, up at the cupboards. “Something wrong?” I said.

“There’s someone outside.”

I straightened, suddenly alert. “Where?”

Anne is a life mage, and a powerful one. Most people think “life mage” means “healer,” and they’re half right, but life magic is far more than that—it gives control over every aspect of a living creature, healing or harming with a touch. Life mages can sense life, “seeing” living creatures, and Anne’s particularly good at it. Her accuracy is amazing; she can learn more in a minute just by looking at you than a doctor could work out in twenty-four hours with a full hospital’s worth of equipment. I’ve never been able to figure out exactly how she does it, though she’s tried to explain it a couple of times. She just seems to read a person’s body in the same way that you or I can read the expression on someone’s face.