“Come in,” Zed called out, and I went inside, to find Zed lying in his bed. I was startled to see how pale he was.
“Are you sick?” I asked suspiciously, turning a bit as though to shield Fievall from any contagion.
“It’s nothing catching,” Zed assured me. “Just exerted myself too much.”
This was a lie. He’d barely left his bed for the past few days. Still, I nodded and placed Fievall carefully in the little bassinet where he slept. It was built for a normal-sized babe, and my tiny brother looked so small inside. “Did you know Varille already had a brother?” I asked Zed.
“Are you talking about yourself?” Zed was lying down, so I couldn’t tell if he rolled his eyes.
“She had one before, apparently. A real brother.”
real“Half-brothers are real brothers,” Zed said.
“Oh.” I shrugged. “I
