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Cassia and Zoe sat on the floor nearby amid barrels and sacks of sand, plant ash, and minerals. They glanced up from the dictionary they huddled over together.
Cassia gave him a puzzled look. “You never told me Orthros means ‘morning.’”
“I didn’t know that either,” Zoe said, “but I’m getting better at spelling it.”
“Why would you name Hespera’s Sanctuary after the time of day when the sun rises?” Cassia asked.
Lio smiled. “Because morning brings rest.”
“Now I understand.” Cassia smiled back.
He observed with satisfaction that nothing remained of her breakfast but crumbs on her plate and coffee grounds in the bottom of her cup. Thankfully, the goats had given up their quest to breakfast on Lio’s pigments. They had settled down with Knight next to one of Lio’s geomagical furnaces to nap in the warmth.
At the sound of the moon hours bells, Cassia’s smile faded. Their Union twinged. The respite was over for tonight.
“Have a look at my window before you go,” Lio said.
“Is it ready?” Zoe asked.
“As ready as it will ever be.” Lio tried to muster some confidence. He wanted his sister to be happy with how he had executed the design she had chosen.
Zoe scrambled to her feet, not even bringing her mantle with her. He was glad she was so comfortable here in his workshop in the cellar of the tower. She hopped over remnants of sawdust he had used to absorb excess cement from the panes, and Cassia navigated around sudsy puddles that had splashed on the floor during the cleaning. They made it across the messy floor and gathered beside him at the worktable.
“The brushwork still leaves something to be desired,” he said. “I wish I’d had more time to fill in greater detail with my paints. It’s a good thing I did the glassblowing, staining, and cutting before the embassy started. At least the pieces went together well.”
Cassia caught his hand and twined her fingers in his. She looked at him with a perfectly straight face and an aura overflowing with affection and amusement. “Lay down your worries. It is a masterpiece.”
Lio glanced at Zoe.
His usually still, shy sister was bouncing on her feet. “It’s perfect! Mama and Papa will love it.”
For the first time, Lio looked upon his project with a smile. The nanny goat of russet stained glass looked back, and he supposed he had managed to give her a rather charming expression. He wondered if it was a good likeness of the meal Mother had offered to Father upon their first meeting. The animal she had left with a neighbor in Tenebra would now live forever in the art of Orthros. The frame surrounded the goat in celestial bodies that shone their glorious light upon her and symbolized day giving way to night.
“What shall we call it?” Lio asked.
A moment of silence ensued.
“Mama’s Last Goat?”Zoe suggested.
“The Goat of Destiny,”Lio managed without laughing.
“The Grace Goat,”said Cassia.
At that, Zoe nodded.
“The Grace Goatit is,” Lio agreed.
“It will be the pride of tonight’s event, I am certain,” Cassia said. “Surely no one else in Orthros will bring a tribute to caprines to House Timarete’s Fair for Artists and Crafters.”
Lio cast one more glance at his drafting table, where he had abandoned the sketches of the project he had intended to complete for tonight. Every stately figure in the ensemble exchanging goods and scrolls would have been an artistic parallel or parody upon real historical figures, and the floral motifs around the frame held philosophical symbolism. It would have been the perfect statement to make during the Summit, a compliment to his diplomatic work and quite possibly a worthy submission for his promotion from initiate to glassmaker.
Cassia squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about the other project you had in mind. How could you have found time to finish an entirely new work on that scale while keeping up with the events of the Summit?”
“Yes, I suppose I rather tapped more than I could swallow, didn’t I? At least I’ve managed to finish our parents’ Solstice present. Although it ruined the surprise, they are very proud that Zoe’s and my gift to them will be on display at the Fair.”
“A goat is better than a bunch of people standing around,” Zoe said.
“And what you’ve been doing in your spare time is better than lonely hours in the workshop.” Cassia stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
