Chapter 22
Xavier
“What’s wrong with you today?”
Seated at the end of a large table in the dining hall, I frowned up at Valerio as I finished my meal. “Nothing. Why?”
Standing at my right side, he squinted suspiciously at my face. “You’re…different.”
I popped the last bit of bread into my mouth and asked, “Different how?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged moodily. “Just different.”
“Well, when you figure out what’s so different about me, let me know.” Dusting off my hands, I motioned to my empty plate, and a page hurried forward to collect it. “What catastrophe do we have to solve today?”
“Two vegetable vendors are squabbling over which one stole the other’s spot to sell their wares in the market square this morning.”
On any other morning, I would’ve sighed and rubbed at my temples in d
