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THE GAUNTLET
Ariadne’s weeping echoed through the shrine chamber. Lio turned away to give her some privacy in her grief. But the image would live in his mind forever: her kneeling before the shrine of Kyria, her tears for Pakhne staining her veil; Eudias putting his arms around her as she shook with sobs.
Ariadne’s anguish inundated the Union, saturating Lio until he felt nothing else. All he could see was a vision of his own family mourning Cassia’s magic.
But then Cassia returned, leading their Trial brothers out of the tunnels. She took one look at Ariadne and Eudias, then came straight to Lio’s side. “You could have waited. I would have been here while you told them.”
“I know. But it was something I needed to do on my own.”
She nodded in resignation and put her arms around him.
“You did the right thing to come get us.” Mak stood over the gauntlet. “This is a Gift Collector’s glove, all right. It reeks of necromancy, and the rose of poison.”
“You have no idea how much I want to destroy it.” Lio’s rage demanded an outlet, and this symbol of the Collector made a tempting one.
Lyros held a warded canvas bag open for Mak. “No, leaving it to us was the best decision.”
“It could be covered in magical traps.” With his hands emanating magic, Mak picked up the gauntlet and rose and slid them quickly into the bag.
Lyros closed the sack. “This is also our only clue about our enemy’s activities at Patria.”
Cassia’s spine was rigid with composure, but any Hesperine could hear her racing heartbeat. “It’s not a clue. It’s an invitation. Did you see the size of the glove?”
With a start, Lio realized she was right. It was not the gauntlet of a man like Skleros. It was the perfect size for a woman with small hands.
Cassia held out her own hand. “He told me he wanted me for an Overseer. I don’t believe he was merely twisting my thoughts. I think he wants me to use my magic in his game.”
Every glass offering at the shrines rattled from Lio’s magic. “Hypnos will get nowhere with that ambition. He cannot take you from Hespera.”
Her hand closed around her medallion. “Yes. If he thinks he can poison this rose, he’s in for a nasty surprise.”
Lyros held up a reassuring hand. “We should not respond in fear. This is a valuable discovery. The more we know about his motivations, the better we can protect each other and everyone at Patria.”
“Thank you for your level head,” Lio said. “All I can see right now is red.”
“Understandable,” Mak said. “But don’t worry. Karege went to get Tuura. She’ll be able to tell us more about what sort of necromancy this holds.”
When Karege stepped into the chamber, he brought not only Tuura, but all the Ashes. And Solia.
Her gaze fell on Ariadne and Eudias. She went still, in that way she seemed to have learned as the Empress’s bodyguard, which covered all pain and uncertainty and decisions. But discipline was also sometimes a way out, not a solution.
She joined Ariadne and Eudias at the shrine, holding up a hand to stave off any bows or curtsies. In silence, she knelt beside them. Ariadne began to murmur a prayer.
Lio rarely felt the effects of being a heretic, but right now, he begrudged Solia the right to pray with them.
Mak poked Lio’s chest. “I will give you one night to get over your idiotic self-blame, and if you’re not done by then, I’ll beat it out of you in the fighting ring.”
“I’m not sure it works that way.” Lio let Mak collar him in a hug, “But I’ll take you up on it in any case.”
Tuura took the warded bag from Lyros. “How long has the glove been here?”
Hoyefe answered, “I passed through here this morning—people spill all sorts of secrets to the gods when they don’t realize an invisible mage is hiding nearby. I didn’t see the glove.”
“But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t here,” Lyros pointed out. “It could have been hidden under spells and set to be revealed in response to some kind of magical trigger we don’t understand.”
Lio gritted his teeth. “This means we have no idea if he placed it here before Tuura and I arrived at Patria, or if he got past our patrols tonight.”
“No one could get past Peanut!” Karege protested.
