In this excerpt, Brinn's relationship with foster-child Dresden and his own foster-sister, Hahlibeth, unfolds after a simple misunderstanding. Brinn confronts hidden anxieties through gentle actions rather than grand gestures, reflecting the subtle intimacy and trust emerging among the characters.

Dresden is Missing

"Follow me." Brinn tucked the coin he'd been using for practice into a pocket.

Hahlibeth tagged along behind him through the house to the kitchen and then out a side door leading to the backyard.

Brinn turned to her. "Remember the old playhouse? I showed it to Dresden this morning."

With Hahlibeth at his side, Brinn rounded the corner.

Dresden had morphed the playhouse into a giant mowt cage with tightly spaced bars around the bottom.

Inside on the grass, Dresden slept, curled into a ball. Beside her, the smaller mowt cage sat open while the mowt explored the blades of grass.

Hahlibeth sighed. "Oh, thank goodness."

Yawning, Dresden rubbed her eyes. When she noticed them, she sat up. "I couldn't let Bonkers out of his cage, so I made a bigger one." She pointed to the base of the walls. "I even made the base part tiny so he couldn't sneak out."

"You did a good job." Brinn knelt near the door. "But Ms. Hahlibeth didn't know where you were, and we were worried."

Dresden scooped up the mowt and put him back in the small cage. "I'll pack my things." She started past Brinn.

"No." He held up a hand, stopping her. "There's no need for that. We were worried, yes, but you were in a safe space and in an area where we said you could play. You made sure the mowt was safe too. You didn't do anything wrong."

Her chin quivered. "I didn't?"

"No. You did an excellent job, didn't she Hahlibeth?"

Hahlibeth squatted beside him. "Yes. I was only worried because I didn't know where you were. You're welcome to come out here anytime. Just let us know. All right?"

Rubbing one eye, Dresden sniffed. "I'm not going back?"

"You're staying right here." Brinn stood set a hand on Dresden's shoulder. "Tomorrow, we'll go together. It's the first day of school, and your friends will be there."

Dresden looked up at him as if seeing him for the first time.

"Ready to go inside?"

The girl shifted the cage to her other side, reached up, and took Brinn's hand.

In this excerpt, Brinn sits on the stairs, lost in memory about the same house he now shares with his student, Dresden. His mind drifts over past events held within these walls—Guild graduations, intense late-night studies, and the leadership of his mentor, Luc. Hahlibeth, his co-teacher and foster-sister, joins him, offering an understanding ear and gentle reassurance as they discuss Dresden's adjustment to a new life.

What's next?

On the stairs, Brinn turned and sat, elbows braced on his knees, thinking back over the day. How bizarre was it to have a student of his own in this house, where he had so many memories. Graduation parties for reaching the various levels in the Guild. Long nights spent studying. Being quizzed by Luc, asking him questions, getting his advice. Learning the laws that pertained to the types of theft Brinn planned to pursue. Understanding contracts for theft and how to protect himself against dubious clauses and demands.

He was still sitting there when Hahlibeth came down.

She sat beside him. "I got two pages into a story, and she was out. I thought she might be faking it at first. My brother and I used to do that sometimes. We'd talk in the dark. I finished reading and sat there, waiting, but she didn't move."

"You think she's happy?"

"I don't think she knows what to think."

"Probably right."

Hahlibeth gripped one of his hands and leaned toward him. "She's young. She's in a new place. Her life has been disrupted. We can't expect anything like normal. She doesn't even know what normal is right now. At least, not what's normal for an Academy student."

Brinn set one arm around Hahlibeth's shoulders and hugged her. "I'm so glad to be doing this with you."

"Me too." She leaned against him and then away. "So, what's with the sexual tension between you and Kam?"

He twisted to face her, putting his back against the railing. "Um... What?"

"Oh, don't pretend. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife."

"Hahlibeth, I promise you. There is nothing going on between Kam and me. If you're sensing anything, it's frustration and annoyance."

She chuckled. "Uh huh."

He sputtered, unable to form words.

She patted him on one knee. "I'm going to work on my lesson plans. Now that I've met my students, I want to make a few corrections. Amp up some details and give them more of a challenge. I'll be in my room. It's right across the hall from Dresden. Are you in the room Luc used to use?"

"No. I kept my old room. I couldn't go in there after he moved away."

"Why? Did Luc ask you not to?"

"Nothing like that. I just didn't feel... You know. Worthy."

Hahlibeth took his hands and met his gaze. "Luc gave this house to you. Not to any of the others. Not even to Senth, and he formally adopted him." She squeezed and let go. "You are far more worthy than you think."

She went up the steps, and the sound of a door clicking came to him.

Kam was right. Brinn needed to get back to work. Luc had said the same thing. Stop twisting the memories of the past like worry beads and create new memories.

He had to find a way to break through the emotional ice surrounding Dresden and help her create new memories too.

Time to get back to business. Put the failures of his past behind him and do what Luc had drilled into him.

Focus on here. Focus on now.

Tomorrow, first thing. He'd start again.

Dresden might never love him the way he loved Luc, but if Brinn could be good enough, he could give her the life she deserved.

All he had to do was get out of his own way long enough to do it.