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I turned my head to murmur to Phoenix. “You wait out here. I’ll be back out soon.” I shrugged my shoulder slightly, indicating for him to take off.
He did so, his wing sweeping against me as he launched himself skyward. It looked like a small home, and I didn’t want him cooped inside.
“How many sons do you have?” I asked as I followed my uncle into a narrow, dimly lit hallway.
“Three,” he said. “My oldest two are twins and would be a little younger than you. They’re about ready for activation. In fact, my wife is out talking to a potential master for one of them now.”
“What’s his affinity?” I asked, trying to wrap my mind around a whole collection of cousins I hadn’t known existed.
“Plants, like me.”
“You don’t want to take him on yourself?” I asked as we reached a living space at the back of the house.
A girl of around twelve looked up curiously. Her eyes jumped from my face to Ember in my arms. She rose to her feet.
“Father doesn’t want any of us stuck being builders like him. But who are you?”
“A builder?” I looked at my uncle in surprise. Construction was usually done by those with a plants ability due to their connection with both wood and stone, but I’d always imagined my uncle working with living plants.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, ignoring my question to answer his daughter’s instead.
“This is your cousin, Delphine. Delphine, this is my youngest, Patti.”
“Cousin?” Patti’s eyes grew even rounder. “Why didn’t I know I had a cousin?”
“Because I didn’t know myself,” Uncle Olan said. “She’s from Tarin. My brother’s daughter.”
“You have a brother still in Tarin?” From Patti’s expression, it was clear my uncle hadn’t told his children much about his history.
“Yes, my father still lives there on the family farm,” I said.
“Family farm?” Patti stared at her father. “There’s a family farm?”
“Uncle Olan and Father were supposed to run it together, after Uncle Olan finished his apprenticeship in Tarona. But he never came back.” I tried to keep any accusation out of my voice, but it was impossible to do so completely.
“Father, what is she talking about?” Patti asked, a sharp edge to her words.
My uncle cleared his throat again. “I’m sure Osan was glad to see the back of me. He must have a bevy of children to assist him now.” He looked at me for confirmation.
“Actually, it’s just me.” I held his gaze. “And now even I’m gone, as you can see. My father has suffered greatly from your absence.”
“He’s alone on the farm? Does that mean he needs extra help? Would he still want Father now?” Patti asked eagerly, taking a step closer to me.
“Hush, Patti!” Uncle Olan said sharply. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
I regarded them both with a creased brow. My uncle clearly felt ashamed of what he’d done, but he wasn’t owning to his betrayal. I glanced around the room at the worn and sagging furniture. He certainly wasn’t living the life of luxury imagined by my father.
“What happened to you?” I asked softly. “My father always thought…Well, he didn’t picture your life like this.”
“Reality rarely lives up to our expectations,” my uncle said.
“But your seed—”
“Was strong, yes. At least by Tarin’s standards. But potential doesn’t always equate to success. Osan and I thought we’d saved up a vast sum, but it wasn’t as much as we thought. I arrived in Tarona full of hope, but finding a master to take me on and activate me didn’t prove as easy as I’d expected.” His face assumed an expression so much like my father that I flinched.
“I had neither wealth, connections, charm, or experience to recommend me,” he continued. “If I’d been strong enough to become a mage, it might have been a different story.”
I shifted uncomfortably, remembering his earlier reaction, but he continued on without commenting on my status.
