“I don’t know.”

“When are we going to get her?”

“I don’t know,” I said again. “She’s with High Magistrate Paorah.”

“Did you even try to get to her?” Zara scrambled to her feet. “Did you even want to get her? All the gods! You care about everyone else more than you care about Mother and me.”

“That’s not true.” But my protest was too slow. Too late. Before I could say anything else, she’d stormed through the door to the room she and I shared.

Slam. She let out a muffled scream, and something crashed, but then the washroom door slammed, too.

I started after my sister, but Ilina took my elbow and pulled me back. “She’ll come around when she’s ready.”

My sister hated me. She would never come around.

“What’s happening out there?” Altan’s bellow came from his closet in the boys’ room. “What were those explosions?”

“He’s been yelling for an hour.” Chenda glanced at the door. “Just ignore him.”

That was what we usually did.

I dropped my face to LaLa’s and breathed in her smoky scent.

“Let’s find Gerel,” Chenda said. “I’ll get the medical kit. She might be hurt.”

I stood, looking for a place to fasten LaLa’s tether; she would not be coming with us. “I’ll see if Aaru can listen for her.” It seemed unlikely, since he’d barely moved for five days, but maybe he could hear her and give us a direction, or—

Thuds sounded on the stairs, coming all the way up to the third floor. My heart wrenched up into my throat as Chenda rushed for the door and threw it open just as Gerel reached the top of the stairs, her face dark with unease. Dust coated her clothes and skin, but she was whole.

“Gerel!” Relief soared through me. Thank all the gods she’d made it back. “We were just coming to look for you.”

“No need.” She glanced through the room, making sure everyone was accounted for—although Aaru was still in his room, Zara was in hers, and Altan was locked inside a closet. “Everyone’s safe?” she asked.

“Yes, we’re fine.” More or less. I turned my chair—now with soot smears marring the cream fabric—so that she could rest, but she waved it away.

“What about you?” Chenda took Gerel’s hand. “You’re all right? Not hurt?”

Gerel scoffed and lifted her chin, as though to say she was above getting hurt. But she squeezed Chenda’s hand nonetheless. “I’m fine. Sorry to worry you.” Those last words were for Chenda, mostly. To the rest of us, she said, “I took a detour to find out what happened.”

“You left Mira alone,” Hristo said. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Trust her a little more, will you? I knew she’d come straight back here. No one was looking for her out there. They were all too busy trying to get themselves to safety.”

“I was all right.” I touched Hristo’s arm. “I was more worried for Gerel than myself.”