Chapter37: Breaking of Ranks

*Akin* Maerilee approaches me with a tension in her step that I don’t miss. Her shoulders are squared, her expression guarded, and there’s a fire in her eyes that instantly puts me on alert. “There you are,” I call out happily, hoping to break the tension a bit. “I was wondering where you’d run off to.” “Akin,” she says, her voice calm but with an edge I’ve rarely heard before. “We need to talk.” My stomach drops. I’m suddenly afraid of what she might say. Our relationship has always been easy and light. Though I yearned for her in so many secret ways, there was never such a high wall between us as there is right now. My mind races just imagining what horrible information she feels she must tell me. I cross my arms, giving her a small nod, expecting the worst. Perhaps she’s received word from home somehow. My suspicion is increased when she pulls a note from the folds of her dress and hands it to me, her expression serious. “Read it,” she says, watching me closely. I take the note and