Nick teleported her straight to her room after their visit with Zen, shooting her a mischievous grin for breaking Kalys''s rules. He didn''t push it though, bidding her goodnight before vanishing with a crack again.


    Sun wondered if she should just get ready for bed or see if Kalys had opted to continue with the journal.


    She decided to take a peek in his study to check. She found she didn''t want him to read it without her.


    When she opened her bedroom door, she jumped back slightly, hand to her chest at the fright. Kalys was standing there, his eyes sweeping across the room before settling on her.


    "Did—did you know I was back?"


    "Yes."


    Right, he probably sensed her or Nick''s auras. Probably Nick since he''d used his power.


    "I was just coming to find you," she said. "To see if we were going to read more of the journal."


    "If you''re amenable."


    She nodded, following him as he turned. He didn''t take her to the study, instead leading her to the solar, a room they so rarely used. It was supposed to be a comfortable living space reserved for close family members only. But when Kalys was home, he was usually in his room, study, the gardens, or the aviary. And she mostly kept to her room unless Nick or Zen were there, and they had to keep to the parlour.


    "Make yourself comfortable," he told her, going to the cabinet and removing the box the journal was kept in.


    When had he shifted it here? And why?


    She did as bid, though, settling cross-legged into the plush armchair. Kalys took a seat in the one opposite, crossing one leg over the other before finding their page. Sitting like that, he looked every inch the noble lord.


    Once he started to read, she listened avidly. She didn''t want him to regret reading aloud to her and stop doing it if he thought she weren''t paying attention. Besides, it was interesting material for the most part.


    Some writers tended to waffle on about nothing, not keeping to their abilities and what they''d learnt. Some treated it like a diary, going on about their days and the most mundane topics Sun had ever heard. Some were far more clinical and touched on nothing but their power, how they used it, when and why, and what the results were. Some obviously spent more time in the Traverse than others; some had a curiosity about it and even mentioned trying to find the same light she used to head towards. So far, not one of them had reached it.


    Their current writer was one Eyix Illusen—Kalys had informed her she was still many generations before them. They had a long way to go. She was curious to see what their father had written and wondered if Kalys felt the same. He''d actually known the man after all and loved him greatly from the sounds of it.


    Sun suddenly perked up at the paragraph Kalys read, the movement drawing his attention as he looked at her over the book.


    Eyix spoke of creatures whose cries shook her soul. She hadn''t seen them, but she''d heard them, out in the peripheries while she''d been travelling. That was further out than the borderlands. Was that where they came from?


    "Is she referring to the creatures you encountered?" Kalys asked.


    "Maybe. What else does she say?"


    Kalys continued reading, but the entry finished without any further mention of them. The next few entries were the same—nothing of these beasts. Finally, four entries later, she mentioned them again. This time while comfortably sleeping at their estate in Solaryse.


    Eyix was from before Perdition and Revenants, so the head of the clan still resided in the Capital back then. And as Sun was coming to understand, if there was someone like her, the clan head took them in and kept them close. Eyix had been her clan head''s second cousin and had lived in a small town with her parents miles from the capital before he''d come for her. Of course her parents had moved with her, but they had not been made privy to the existence of the journal, let alone its contents.


    Over the next few entries, Eyix wrote daily, mentioning these beasts and how no one else before her had mentioned them either. She wrote how she heard them nightly when she entered the Traverse in sleep. They made her afraid to go far from her resting spot. Every night they seemed more restless, louder, and like there were more than the night before. The pack was growing. She even feared they might have been looking for her, or that her presence had something to do with theirs, that they''d somehow followed her from the peripheries.


    Kalys had cast her a questioning look, wanting to know if it was the same for her. As well as the question in his eyes, there was... concern. She could only shrug. As far as she had experienced, there didn''t seem to be anything that linked her presence to theirs. She didn''t know how they hunted or how they''d found them when they''d been out in the borderlands.


    Kalys kept reading, but after several more entries that weren''t entirely interesting and with no mention of the monsters, he closed the book.


    "It''s getting late," he said. "We''ll continue tomorrow."


    Sun nodded, though she would have preferred to keep going. But she did have to go to the Academy tomorrow, first to stop by the infirmary so they could speed her wounded arm along, then to classes. After that she and Nick would likely go back to the hospital wing up in Perdition. Though given she couldn''t train and could only attend non-practical classes, that left her with extra time to go and see him.


    He had looked terrible today, and she didn''t like the idea of him being all alone up there. If it weren''t for the sound of Nick teleporting, they probably would have snuck up in the night to stay with him. She wondered if he could learn to make it silent.


    "There is something we need to discuss," he said before she got up, and she looked to him curiously.


    "In a week''s time we will need to go to the Capital. Lady Intrieri is turning seventeen; there is a celebration for her birthday. After which is a formal presentation at court. We are duty bound to attend."


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    "Who is Lady Intrieri?" She asked.


    "Lord Intrieri''s younger sister."


    She stared at him blankly. The surname sounded vaguely familiar. Kalys sighed.


    "Nathaniel. You met him midwinter."


    Ah, yes, she remembered. From the Spring Clan, one of the other great houses.


    "And what is a ''formal presentation at court''?"


    "Her and other young noble ladies of age will be formally introduced to the court and the King. This also signifies they are eligible for marriage and their families are officially open to receiving proposals."


    Seventeen and already looking for a husband? Sun was eighteen—maybe nineteen; she couldn''t be entirely sure—and the idea of getting married at this age was so off-putting. Would Kalys do the same to her? The thought was panic-inducing.


    "Don''t look so distressed," he told her, the barest hint of amusement in his tone. "I have forgone that route for you."


    "Don''t think I''d make a good wife?" She asked snidely.


    "That is but one reason."


    "What are the other reasons?" She asked, genuinely curious.


    "My own," he replied with an almost gentle finality. "Now, to bed."


    They both got up from their seats, Sun stretching her legs from their cramped position. Kalys locked the book away and returned it to its cabinet before walking her back to her room and bidding her goodnight, ever the gentleman.


    -


    Every day they visited Zen in the hospital and would stay for hours on end. Most times until Zen would fall asleep. They would get up early and have breakfast with him, they would join him for lunch, and Nick would have dinner with him. Sometimes Sun would be unable to make it as Kalys would request her presence for dinner. Request, not demand. It was hard to say no when he was considerate enough to ask.


    Dinners were still mostly quiet affairs, but no more of the awkwardness at the beginning of her time here. She was getting comfortable with his silence.


    Some nights, after dinner, she would go back to the hospital and spend more time with the boys. Tonight was one such night, and when she stepped outside, the carriage had been prepared, and the driver was waiting on her to take her. She tried to tell him she would be fine walking, but again they told her Lord Illusen requested they take her. At least he wasn''t stopping her from going.


    She met up with Nick and Zen; they were halfway through a card game of Bastard. They distractedly greeted her and continued their game. She sat watching avidly; she loved this game and told them to deal her in when they were done.


    "So," said Zen, his eyes flicking over her for the briefest moment. "How long will you be gone for this thing in the Capital? How long will you be leaving me in my time of need?"


    She rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness. The healers were working on him, and he was getting better every day. He was in much the same boat as her, though obviously his wounds were far worse.


    "I''m sure you''ll manage," she said drily.


    "If that eases your conscience," he sniffed haughtily before shooting her a grin.


    "Why do you even have to go? What do you have to do?" Nick asked.


    Kalys had explained it, and mostly it sounded like a meet-and-greet/networking type of situation. They were obligated to go because it was one of the four great houses and the King. Part of their duties was to keep the peace with the other three, and social niceties like this were considered part of that.


    "From what I can gather, I just have to stand there, look pretty, and try not to embarrass Kalys," she replied.


    "Good luck with that," Zen muttered.


    "At least I''m not in Lady Intrieri''s shoes. After her birthday celebration, she''ll be formally presented at court. Apparently there''ll be a few others as well from lesser houses, but they''re all there to impress the King and advertise themselves for marriage."


    "Illusen going to expect the same of you?"


    "I don''t know. I know he doesn''t right now at least; I''m not wife material."


    Both looked offended on her behalf, and before they could start insulting her brother, she raised a silencing hand.


    "It''s fine; he didn''t even say it like it was a terrible thing. Surprisingly."


    That seemed to mollify them somewhat, and they returned their focus to their card game.


    "What will you do if he does expect you to marry someone?" Zen asked.


    "Hopefully I''ll be better equipped to run by then. I''ve been saving money, and I have a bag of stuff hidden and ready to go," she told them.


    "You never told us this," Nick''s tone was almost accusatory, and she inwardly flinched.


    "You don''t have to come with me. By then you''ll probably be Revenants with your own lives, maybe even wives or children; I don''t know."


    "But if we don''t have those things, we''d still come with you. Might be a bit harder with wives and children, but we''d figure something out."


    "It may not even happen," she shrugged. "I doubt we need to worry about it."


    She didn''t have too much confidence in her words, but she was hoping it would be enough to get them to drop it. She didn''t want them to upend their lives for her. Of course, if she did have to go on the run, she would keep in contact with them and meet up with them when she could. She had no intention of just cutting them out of her life.


    Whether or not she could even outrun Kalys or hide from him indefinitely was up for debate, but if he ever tried to force her into a marriage she didn''t want, she wasn''t sticking around.


    After their game finished, they dealt her in and played a few rounds before it got too late and they were kicked out to give Zen his rest.


    Nick teleported her back to her room, as had become part of their routine. The second he disappeared, Kalys was at her door, as had also become part of the routine. They still took the time to read through the journal, even if they didn''t get very far. They even had tea and snacks while they did it; it made it all feel much less formal and awkward. It wasn''t something she would admit out loud, but she even looked forward to these nights. They did nothing to help her growing infatuation with him—not even the sick-to-the-stomach feeling at the thought of it did anything to deter it—but she liked seeing him relax a little. A couple of times during their conversations he had even smiled, it was faint, barely there, but she was certain she''d seen it. And the light spark of amusement in his usually cold blue eyes was almost transforming.


    Of course she heavily reprimanded herself every time thoughts like that came to her. He was her half-brother! But the self-loathing and fear of being deemed a deviant didn''t stop it. She didn''t know how to stop it.


    She''d fancied boys in the past, but it usually never lasted long and certainly wasn''t this strong. She didn''t know how to make it go away...


    Would Kalys kick her out if he knew? Honestly, that could be for the best. The distance might help. She doubted he would tell anyone why he was kicking her out, if he ever did. He wasn''t the type to air his personal business. And this kind of situation could be considered quite humiliating. At least she found it to be so.


    Sun returned her focus to his words as she poured him another cup of tea. Eyix had finally mentioned the monsters again; they had gotten close enough for her to see them. She described them much the same as Sun had. Massive in size, thick hides, obsidian claws the size of daggers... It really was them then.


    Since her mission, she had not seen or heard them again, and she hoped it would stay that way. She also wondered if she could get some kind of update on what Perdition was planning to do about the situation out there. She doubted they would give any explanations to a candidate, even if she had been out there. Maybe if she asked Kalys, he might have more information or at least be willing to find out.


    "Kalys?" She asked.


    He paused in his reading and looked over to her, a hint of irritation at the interruption.


    "The mission I went on, do you know what they''re doing about it? How they plan to resolve it?"


    "They haven''t settled on a course of action yet," he replied. "I believe Commander Mercer and Lieutenant Cage are working with the Third to come up with something."


    She nodded thoughtfully. "Has Perdition ever dealt with anything like that before?"


    "Creatures from the Traverse? No." He shut the book on his lap. "Perhaps we should end here for now."


    She nodded, getting to her feet and making to take the tea tray back to the kitchen.


    "I''ll take care of it. You go to bed," he told her.


    She mumbled out a thanks and a good night before heading back to her room and crawling into bed.