Rather than ask for clarification, she reached for a chocolate. Before she could touch it, the basilisk caught her arm. Tem froze as he raised her hand to the fire, turning it so that her freckles caught the light. “Have you always had these?” he asked. “Yes,” she said. To Tem’s horror, a darkness passed over his face. “Are they…I mean…is that bad?” she stammered. Caspen blinked. “No,” he said quickly, dropping her hand. “Just…” He hesitated for a long time, as if choosing his next word carefully. “Rare.” “Rare?”
