Suspicion sparks in Norah’s eyes as she studies me. I press the backs of my fingers to my mouth, and her expression relaxes just a fraction. Maybe she’s mistaken my panic for illness. It might be the only thing that saves me.

“Could I sit down a moment?” I ask.

“Ah, it’s caught up to you,” she says, not unkindly. “Of course you may.”

Norah guides me to a chair and a strong feeling of having sat in this exact spot before overtakes me. I think of my mother’s words as she cradled Gran’s broken bone at my kenning. We’ve done this before. I wonder if she felt then as I do now—like she was hearing the melody of a long-forgotten lullaby, but the words were just out of reach.

A pang of longing for her hits me so hard that it snatches my breath away. The grief comes in waves, crashing over me when I least expect it, before receding again. But I don’t think it will ever disappear. It will be lapping at the shores of my mind forever.

The hum in the room grows louder. I look around, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.

“What is that noise?” I ask.

“It’s just the walls whispering,” Norah says nonchalantly. “It will fade.” She holds out a hand and pulls me to my feet. “Let’s get you some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Norah leads me down a corridor off the main foyer. We pass a large dining hall with tables that stretch the length of the room, and beyond that a kitchen that looks big enough to feed the entire town of Midwood. Finally she opens the door to a small room just big enough for a narrow bed and a small bureau.

“We’ll find you more permanent sleeping arrangements tomorrow,” Norah says, “but I don’t want to traipse through the girls’ dormitory at this hour and wake all the apprentices.”

She must see something unexpected in my expression, because she pauses for just a moment, her fingers curling around the door frame, and gives me a sympathetic frown. “I know this is a lot of change all at once. I’ll do my best to make sure you have friends here. That you feel welcomed.”

I want to tell her I don’t need her help making friends. I’d rather have her focus on making sure Latham pays for what he’s done. On getting my mother’s and Gran’s bones back before Latham uses them. But the words stick in my throat, and I just nod.

Norah pats my arm again. “Get some rest, and if you need anything, just call out. Rasmus will be close by.”