CHAPTER 25
Rasheed was over early the next morning. His eyes popped from thier sockets when he saw Anna emerge from the tree behind me. It looked as if his lips had been sealed closed. His cheeks puffed. Words wanted out. He fought at holding his tongue. It didn’t look easy, like he might lose the battle.
I held up a hand, begging off judgment. “Not what it looks like.”
“Did I say anything, apprentice?” His eyes kept wavering toward Anna, and then back at me.
I led Rasheed aside and, in a hushed tone of voice, recapped what happened the morning before.
Rasheed clapped a hand onto my back. He whispered, “I’m sorry, friend.”
Friend. I couldn’t recall one time he ever referred to me as such. It touched me, and that was unexpected. I considered him my friend. One of my closest friends, a
