finished eating. Randell and Daen accepted Marc's invitation to sit by the fire, but Rhea decided to help Bella and Aurea in the kitchen. At home, Rhea would share the kitchen chores with her parents. Those who cooked didn't have to clean, typically.
"Oh!" Bella exclaimed. "You are our guest. You should join the others."
Rhea picked up a couple of bowls. "We intruded on your evening. Please let me help." Not waiting for an answer, Rhea walked around the table and into the kitchen.
Bella stepped up to the sink and started to scrape any remnants of the meal, from the bowls, into a bucket before placing the bowls and other dishes into the sink for washing.
Aurea brought her dishes in from the table and placed them on the counter.
"Aurea. Go get ready for bed, and tell your brother to do the same."
"But, Mama."
Bella gave Aurea the don't-argue-with-me look.
"Yes, Mama."
As Rhea set the last of the dishes on the well-used butcher-block counter, Bella paused and looked around the kitchen to see if anyone else was present. "I don't mean to pry, but you mentioned you were just returning to Taulomi. May I ask where you were coming from? Were you traveling?"
Yikes! What could Rhea say? She couldn't mention a realm or city that she'd heard Lanne talk about. What if Bella knew of the place? She decided on a vague approach, hoping to end the question. "I was a long way from here."
Bella stopped her cleaning and turned to look Rhea in the eyes as if searching for the answer Rhea didn't want to give her. "Are you from ... the other continent?" She hesitated, as if mentioning this other place was something she shouldn't.
Rhea tried to hide her confusion while processing her question. Other continent? There was another continent in this world? Why hadn't anyone mentioned that before?
Before Rhea could reply, Bella whispered, "Terranees."
"Terranees? No."
Bella waited for Rhea to continue, to tell her more about where she had been, but Rhea just picked up another bowl to dry, trying to pretend there wasn't any more to say on the subject.
But Rhea's curiosity was starting to overwhelm her, and before she knew it, she blurted out, "Where is Terranees?"
Bella's hands stopped cleaning the cup she'd been washing and gave Rhea a puzzled look. "I know folks don't like to talk about the other continent, but how is it you weren't taught about it in school?"
Ah, this would be easy to answer because it was kind of the truth. "I was schooled at home, and I guess the topic didn't come up."
Bella's brows scrunched together as if she would question further but just shook her head instead, returning to the dishes in the sink.
"Will you tell me about it?"
Bella's hands stopped moving again, but she didn't look away from her chore.
Rhea cringed inwardly. Had she asked the wrong thing? The woman had acted as if the other place was something she might fear discussing. Yet, she'd brought it up. Rhea waited patiently to see if the woman would shy away.
Bella placed a spoon on the drying towel and looked into Rhea's eyes, as if trying to discern some truth even Rhea didn't know. "It's a land similar to Libritas except they don't have realms ruled by kings and queens. They have what they call domains, where they have civil rulers."
Rhea barely heard what came after Libritas. Libritas. Libraim. Ah, the continent of the realms was called Libritas. Since she'd already revealed she didn't know about the other continent, she couldn't reveal she didn't know Libritas. Why hadn't Lanne taught her Luxatra was made up of multiple continents?
"You mentioned that people don't like to talk about Terranees. Why is that?" Rhea asked in a whisper. When the question came out, she knew she'd gone too far. She should have waited for when she was alone with Daen and Randell, but the question was out there now.
Rhea watched Bella wash the last bowl before turning again to consider her more closely. She could see the questions running past Bella's eyes and her
"Oh!" Bella exclaimed. "You are our guest. You should join the others."
Rhea picked up a couple of bowls. "We intruded on your evening. Please let me help." Not waiting for an answer, Rhea walked around the table and into the kitchen.
Bella stepped up to the sink and started to scrape any remnants of the meal, from the bowls, into a bucket before placing the bowls and other dishes into the sink for washing.
Aurea brought her dishes in from the table and placed them on the counter.
"Aurea. Go get ready for bed, and tell your brother to do the same."
"But, Mama."
Bella gave Aurea the don't-argue-with-me look.
"Yes, Mama."
As Rhea set the last of the dishes on the well-used butcher-block counter, Bella paused and looked around the kitchen to see if anyone else was present. "I don't mean to pry, but you mentioned you were just returning to Taulomi. May I ask where you were coming from? Were you traveling?"
Yikes! What could Rhea say? She couldn't mention a realm or city that she'd heard Lanne talk about. What if Bella knew of the place? She decided on a vague approach, hoping to end the question. "I was a long way from here."
Bella stopped her cleaning and turned to look Rhea in the eyes as if searching for the answer Rhea didn't want to give her. "Are you from ... the other continent?" She hesitated, as if mentioning this other place was something she shouldn't.
Rhea tried to hide her confusion while processing her question. Other continent? There was another continent in this world? Why hadn't anyone mentioned that before?
Before Rhea could reply, Bella whispered, "Terranees."
"Terranees? No."
Bella waited for Rhea to continue, to tell her more about where she had been, but Rhea just picked up another bowl to dry, trying to pretend there wasn't any more to say on the subject.
But Rhea's curiosity was starting to overwhelm her, and before she knew it, she blurted out, "Where is Terranees?"
Bella's hands stopped cleaning the cup she'd been washing and gave Rhea a puzzled look. "I know folks don't like to talk about the other continent, but how is it you weren't taught about it in school?"
Ah, this would be easy to answer because it was kind of the truth. "I was schooled at home, and I guess the topic didn't come up."
Bella's brows scrunched together as if she would question further but just shook her head instead, returning to the dishes in the sink.
"Will you tell me about it?"
Bella's hands stopped moving again, but she didn't look away from her chore.
Rhea cringed inwardly. Had she asked the wrong thing? The woman had acted as if the other place was something she might fear discussing. Yet, she'd brought it up. Rhea waited patiently to see if the woman would shy away.
Bella placed a spoon on the drying towel and looked into Rhea's eyes, as if trying to discern some truth even Rhea didn't know. "It's a land similar to Libritas except they don't have realms ruled by kings and queens. They have what they call domains, where they have civil rulers."
Rhea barely heard what came after Libritas. Libritas. Libraim. Ah, the continent of the realms was called Libritas. Since she'd already revealed she didn't know about the other continent, she couldn't reveal she didn't know Libritas. Why hadn't Lanne taught her Luxatra was made up of multiple continents?
"You mentioned that people don't like to talk about Terranees. Why is that?" Rhea asked in a whisper. When the question came out, she knew she'd gone too far. She should have waited for when she was alone with Daen and Randell, but the question was out there now.
Rhea watched Bella wash the last bowl before turning again to consider her more closely. She could see the questions running past Bella's eyes and her
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