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“But through Cassia, our bond of gratitude with him is deepest,” Lio’s father insisted. “A place is waiting for him in Blood Komnena’s section of the Firstblood Circle.”
“Can he not have four Ritual parents?” Mother looked to Uncle Argyros for confirmation. “Is there anything in the law which limits him to two?”
Uncle Argyros raised his eyebrows. “It would be best to consult Konstantina on this matter, but I believe tradition, not law, is the basis for each Hesperine having two Ritual parents.”
“Well,” she replied, “Blood Komnena excels at bending tradition.”
“With a claim on both our bloodlines, he has a truly bright future awaiting him.” Lio cast a glance at Alkaios, trying not to see himself. That was in his past. He could only pray it would soon be in Alkaios’s past as well.
“We shall see he gets to enjoy that future,” Aunt Lyta said. “Receiving the Ritual Drink from four elder firstbloods, he will be able to endure until Nephalea returns.”
Just then, Kadi and a wisp of snowflakes appeared in their midst. They all shifted to let Javed squeeze over to his Grace’s side. Thenie did not have to squeeze anywhere, for she was delivered to her mother from one pair of hands to the next.
Cradling Thenie in one arm, Kadi tugged Bosko’s speires, which won a smile from him.
“How are things at the ward?” he asked her importantly.
“The envoys made contact to bring us word of their progress.”
“What news of the search?” Aunt Lyta’s voice was tense.
Kadi delivered a solemn report while Thenie played with her mother’s Grace braid. “The envoy service is searching all over Tenebra. Basir and Kumeta themselves have established a forward outpost just inside the border of the Magelands at one of our few remaining Sanctuaries there. They hope to find evidence of whether or not the Aithourians took the hostages into Cordium.”
Bosko scowled, muttering, “Why do we have to wait here for them to find Aunt Nike? The healing Sanctuary is boring.”
“Just you wait,” his mother told him. “As soon as you’re old enough, I’ll take you on ward patrol myself.”
“As soon as you’re of age,” Javed said firmly.
Kadi and Bosko shared a conspiratorial glance. Mak grinned at Lio, shaking his head behind his sister’s back.Just like his uncle Mak,Lio mouthed, to which Lyros nodded emphatically.
Veil hours waned and eventually brought Cassia close to Lio again. Zoe smiled and turned over the flower globe he and Cassia had made for her. Together they watched the betony petals flutter inside the enchanted glass. Lio decided to do himself a kindness, just this once. He left politics outside the door and focused on the moment.
It was not until Queen Soteira came to check on Alkaios that they all headed for home uponthehealer’s orders. Kadi and Javed picked up their Slumbering sucklings to step back home with Aunt Lyta and Uncle Argyros. Zoe had fallen asleep in Cassia’s lap, and she let Lio pick up his sister and hand her to their father.
When Lio and Cassia were finally alone in his residence again, they found a delivery in the entry hall. She frowned at the warded canvas bag on the table under his Ritual tapestry.
He opened the scroll that accompanied it and read it aloud to her.
Dear Lio and Cassia,
The Charge does not admit defeat. We shall call this instead a temporary pause to regroup. My Fortress Masters inform me that all the talents under my command have been unable to open the enchanted box you recovered from the Dexion’s chambers, so they have returned the artifact to me here in Orthros.
While I was still at Castra Justa to oversee the Charge’s experiments, we even tried crushing the thing with Apollon’s hammer. Admittedly, the Hammer of the Sun is less effective in any hands other than Apollon’s, but I am still astonished it did not leave a scratch on the box. Should we tell him? I will leave it to your judgment whether he can sustain this blow to his pride.
Since I now find myself occupied at House Annassa, I am returning the artifact to you. I leave it to you to seek the aid of Selas’s experts. Perhaps some of them will have more success.
I am satisfied the box is not an immediate danger to you in its present state. No one in the Charge suffered from our attempts to open it. However, it remains to be seen how it might respond to further experiments.
Since you two are as reckless as I am lately, warnings are in order. Keep the box in the warded bag when you are not working on it. Do not under any circumstances make an attempt upon the artifact without Mak and Lyros present to ward you. And do keep the sunbound thing out of the reach of the goats.
Cheers,
Rudhira
Cassia raised her brows. “He sounds as if he’s in remarkably good spirits.”
Lio shook his head. “Gallows humor. He’s never flippant, except when he’s in pain. The mind healers must be keeping a very close eye on him, if he wasn’t even able to deliver this in person.” Lio hesitated. “Unless he chose not to come because he’s avoiding me.”
