Free Silent Kingdom by Rachel L. Schade Page B

eating with us?”
    “Uhh…” Avrik hesitated and glanced at me. “What about her, Jaren?”
    Jaren frowned. “You don’t even know her name, and you want to forget about us to spend time with her? What about archery tonight? What about—”
    “Jaren,” Avrik interjected, “I am still your friend. But she’s my neighbor and I want her to feel welcome.”
    Another boy with golden blond hair joined us. “She can eat with the girls.” He paused and wiggled his eyebrows, adding in a taunting voice, “Unless she’s your lover.”
    I bit my lip and felt color flood my cheeks.
    Avrik rolled his eyes. “She’s a friend, Shilam! Why can’t she join us?”
    Shilam shrugged. “The girls never eat with us. They want to talk about…well, I-don’t-know-what.”
    “Give her a chance.” Avrik turned to a boy further back, with sandy hair and soft brown eyes. He was tall yet quiet, observing the conversation thoughtfully. “Bren, help me out here. She wants to join us to shoot bows and swordfight too—”
    I cast Avrik a sidelong glance, surprised at his words, but not unpleased. He must have assumed my long silence this morning as he’d described he and his friends’ activities together had been assent.
    “ What? ” Jaren’s eyes went wide. “What kind of girl is she?”
    Now my whole body went hot and I stiffened. What kind of boy are you? I thought fiercely, wishing I could yell at him.
    “There’s nothing wrong with her,” Avrik said. “She simply isn’t dull like the ones you know.” His grin was bright and made his eyes sparkle, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my own face at his words.
    Jaren raised up his hands. “I’m sorry…I did not mean it that way…”
    “So she is interesting, like you,” Shilam said, smirking at Avrik and nudging him on the arm. “I’m surprised she doesn’t carry a bow and quiver everywhere also.”
    “It’s a habit of my father’s to always be prepared,” Avrik said, the sparkle still in his eyes even as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Is that so wrong?”
    The other boys chuckled, clearly enjoying their opportunity to poke some lighthearted fun at their friend.
    Clearing his throat, Bren finally spoke. “I’m with Avrik on this one. There’s no reason she cannot join us.” He shot me a welcoming smile and I breathed a sigh of relief.
    Jaren shrugged and Shilam nodded at me, saying, “If you don’t want to spend time with the girls, you can sit with us.”
    We settled in the grass with some of the other boys. Sitting cross-legged with Lyanna’s dress pooling out around me, I rested my lunch pail on the ground and began to empty its contents.
    Avrik leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I’m sorry about all of that. Jaren usually likes to tease and doesn’t mean most of what he says.” He grinned again. “The boys try to accuse me of having a love interest every week, but that is because they are jealous of the attention I get.” He winked and shot a glance over at the girls, who immediately noticed his gaze and lost themselves in giggles and bashful smiles as they hid their faces.
    Suddenly self-conscious, I nodded and played with the hem of my dress. Taking a bite of bread, I swallowed and tried to pretend nothing about this unusual environment made me feel shy or out of place. How strange to feel familiar in the spacious corridors and vast expanses of the castle, yet uncomfortable here in a cozy, secluded village.
    “And I’m sorry they weren’t open to you joining us immediately...Shilam and Jaren are not always open to new things,” he explained simply. “But Bren is my best friend; he has always supported me, no matter what. I know in the end they will all like you.”
    I smiled at him to show my thankfulness.
    Avrik turned back to his friends. “By the way,” he announced, “she does have a name. It’s Elena.”
    My mouthful of bread went down hard and felt like it lodged itself somewhere in my throat. I