Page 124 of The Amber Sunburst

“We couldn’t have too many people knowing about her. And I trust Alexander, but to be honest, I don’t trust you.”

“We?”

“Me, Zeno, and Ophelia.”

Then he says, blunt, “Why is she here?”

Eudoxia debates coming up with a lie, but at this point, her real sob story will probably elicit the most sympathy.

“My mom died when I was thirteen,” she says, and when she glances up at Kallias, he doesn’t react. It’s kind of nice having an audience that won’t interrupt with apologies and platitudes. “My mama remarried almost immediately after the funeral. To my uncle, my mom’s brother.

“He’d always been a bit touchy—handsy—with women. With mama especially, even before mom died. Once they married, he initiated intimacy any time he pleased, and slapped her around whenever he wanted to. Then he tried it on with me, and my older brother beat the crap out of him.

“He stayed away, then. From me and Arete. And in that interim I taught myself how to fight back. To this day, I thank the Forms I did, because when I turned seventeen, my brother ran away, rambling on about conspiracies. Mom’s death drove him crazy, I think.

“There was nothing standing between me and my uncle except for myself. But I managed. And then all I wanted was a ticket out of that house. When I was tested in, it felt like Forms-blessed salvation.

“I packed up right away, and it wasn’t until Arete came to my door in tears that I realized going to the Academy meant leaving her behind. With him. And I couldn’t do it. So I took her with me. I should have faked her death or made some excuse, but I think maybe my mama knew she’d be better off because no one’s come for her.”

Eudoxia tries not to be sucked into the memories, but still, images of her strong mom and her beautiful mama and their wonderful family flash through her mind and she wants to cry. What would she be if her mom had never passed? Or if her mama had had more courage? Or if her brother hadn’t left?

Kallias doesn’t say anything, so Eudoxia continues. “If I had left her there, he would have taken advantage of her. If I leave her here, they will kill her. So she’s coming with us.”

“Of course she is,” Kallias responds definitively, like the opposite hadn’t occurred to him. Then his features darken to the point where Eudoxia is tempted to step back, though his voice stays calm. “But what exactly was your plan? You weren’t going to tell me and Alexander because you didn’t trust us, but, what, you were going to throw together some haphazard scheme to bring her along?”

“We would have come up with something,” Eudoxia says, matching Kallias’ jump from calm to antagonistic in a second.

“Do you understand how much danger she would have been in had you never told us? Why would you risk that? How could you risk that?”

Here Kallias goes, surprising her again. Because if you had asked her yesterday, child endangerment is not what she would have predicted Kallias would lose his shit over.

“Don’t play games with her life, Eudoxia. For yourself, whatever. But to keep this a secret? From people who want to help you? It’s idiotic. And reckless. And arrogant.”

“I’m happy you’re willing to bring her along on your precious little plan,” she snarls, “but don’t stand there and tell me what I should have done. Don’t opine like you have any stake in this.”

“No stake?” Kallias asks, exasperation breaking all the way through his normal mask. “Eudoxia, she is a child. Nobody wants to see her dead. Not even me, even though you all think I’m such a monster. Kids need people to protect them, as many as they can get. They’re lucky if they have one, and you’re telling me not to be⁠—”

Kallias cuts himself off and scrubs his face with his hands, carding them through his hair, immediately calm again. She wonders where he puts that anger.

“But, whatever,” he finally says. “It’s in the past. Just know I’m on her side. Alexander will be too. And bring her to the Library tonight. She needs to understand how serious all of this stuff is.”

“Got it,” she responds cordially, reeling from the tone shift.

“Good.”

As he walks away, a weight she hadn’t even noticed under everything else finally lifts.

Eudoxia comes down to the Library ten minutes early to let Arete get her zoomies out of the way without their whole group present, but Alexander and Kallias are already there talking quietly. Their heads are tilted so close their foreheads are practically touching.

“Oh, wow,” she hears Arete whisper reverently as they walk in.

Eudoxia nods. It’s undoubtedly the most beautiful place she’s ever been—more a Temple than a library, really.

Once Arete sees Kallias, all her shyness evaporates, and she bounds over to him, shouting his name. Both boys look up at the sound, and Alexander breaks into a grin when he sees Arete.

“Kallias, did you really find this place all by yourself? This is the coolest thing ever. Where are the cards? Do you have them?”

Kallias stands. “I’ll go get them. Introduce yourself to this fool while I’m gone.” He ruffles Alexander’s hair roughly on his way into the stacks, and Alexander doesn’t even pretend to be offended like he usually does. He just watches Kallias go.