The months passed quickly for Abril, but for Cassian, Maya, and Lissana, those months felt like years. Lissana was in the palace garden; it was her fifth birthday, and she was having a tea party with Tarik and Uzziel. She wanted a party without adults, so Maya and Cassian watched from a distance, hidden behind some bushes. Although Lissana and Tarik were five years old, Uzziel was only three and a half. For Maya, her son was still a baby. Every time Uzziel lifted his tea cup, she got nervous, worried he might spill it on himself. That's why she chose cold tea, not wanting her little one to get burned.
Cassian put his hand on her arm and said, "You're being too overprotective, Maya. You need to calm down; they'll be fine."
"Uzziel is still just a baby. I'm worried he might get hurt."
"H
