The next morning, Warren and Eden were even more distant. They didn't speak to Arden or the others, and they spent most of the day in the map room with officer Kahlus, the man in charge if the outpost.
Arden sat on her cot, resigned to the fact that Warren and Eden were changing. Or perhaps just returning to their former styles.
Paisley lounged on her cot, sketching in her notebook.
"You'd better not be drawing me." Arden sighed. Paisley looked up, surprised. She had not spoken to her sister much at all since Arden had run angrily off from the inn in Dustanoff.
"Uh, no. I was just sketching the hills outside, their covered with flowers, and they're really pretty." Paisley replied, slightly hesitant.
"I haven't been out there. Maybe I could take a walk, I could use some fresh air. After all, a person can only stand so much of a military outpost."
Arden stood, and walked out the door. She headed down the hallway to the staff kitchens, were there was a back door that was sure to be less conspicuous than marching out the front gates.
As she turned a corner, she saw Eden and Warren conversing in the hall. They were whispering urgently. Ducking out of sight, she watched.
"Warren, we have to tell them! If they don't know, they wouldn't be prepared if something did happen!" Eden whispered to her brother.
"No. If he found out they knew, then he might punish them, to get to us!"
"Why don't you just call him D-"
A bucket fell somewhere in the kitchens, and the siblings stopped talking. Taking advantage of their distraction, Arden raced out of her hiding place and walked towards them casually, as if she had just come around the corner.
"Excuse me." She said coldly. She had to wait for Eden to move out of the way; she couldn't squeeze past her hoop skirt.
"Arden, wait." Warren said, "look, I'm sorry that Eden and I have been so distant. It's just...we wanted to keep all of you guys safe."
"We have to talk to you about the rebels in Ironhollow," Eden whispered, "And our connection to them."
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