“I wish I wasn’t,” Ranvir muttered.

Sansir grinned, and Master Ayvir gave a hearty chuckle. “You’re not appreciating her attentions?” the older man asked.

Ranvir shook his head. “Not interested.”

“She’s been around for a few months now,” Ayvir said. “She’s more than her fair share of a handful. That’s clearer than ice.”

“I’m sure you could handle it, though,” Sansir said, clapping Ranvir on the shoulder. He slapped Ranvir’s wing instead, rearing back at the sensation. He frowned at the dark feathers.

“So what are you up to now?” Ayvir asked.

Ranvir shook his head. “We’ve just returned,” he nodded to his children. “So far, I’m looking for a place to stay tonight. I’m going to visit my parents soon. They haven’t seen their granddaughter since she wore diapers and have never met Vasso.”

Ayvir nodded. “I see. That makes sense.”

“You gonna stay here?” Sansir asked, as Grevor and Esmund joined them.

Ranvir shrugged, feeling a little ganged up by all of their attention. “No offense, Grev,” he said, clearing his throat. “I was hoping to find a place that wasn’t under attack.”

Grev waved him off. “It’s fine. Probably for the best. Now is not really a good time,” he glanced toward the door. “We’re preparing for my brother’s ascension, which means we’re going to be busy for days if not weeks,” he glanced at Vasso and Frija leaning against Menace’s bulk, the teenager reading aloud. “You’d probably prefer not to be underfoot.”

Ranvir nodded. “Thanks for understanding.”

Grev smiled. “Really, I’m being honest. We’re pretty busy at the moment,” just then someone knocked on the door and a guard peered inside. “Speaking of busy,” Grev said. “In case I’m not available when you leave, I’ll say goodbye now.”

He made quick rounds, shaking hands and hugs. He knelt before Frija and Vasso, gathering light to his fingers. Grev’s Concept flared to life within his spirit. Not as well-used as Master Ayvir’s or as strongly defined as Sansir’s, but still potent. The light hardened into a physical structure.

“This one’s so you’ll remember me fondly,” Grev said, offering a flower made from light to Frija. “It’s fragile, so be careful with it.”

It looked to be made of glass tinted a faint shade of yellow and far beyond any craftsman of Vednar. A hundred times too thin and delicate. Frija nodded with wide eyes, accepting it carefully, holding to it with both hands. Slowly, so it barely looked like she was moving, she leaned back on the muscled flank of Menace’s side.

“And for you,” Grev said, digging into his pocket. “Something a little more useful,” he handed him two silver witnesses, the coins gleaming in the light. “Money’s always useful.”

Vasso smiled, before looking down at the disks and frowning. Turning them in his hand, he looked them over, though Grev was already heading out. Ranvir smiled as Vasso puzzled the coins over. Even in Korfyi, those would be worth a fair amount, just for their raw material. Not enough that Ranvir’d gotten rid of the ones he still had, though perhaps there was some emotional connection there as well.

“Why’s he looking at them like he’s never seen a coin before?” Sansir asked.

Es jumped forward, giggling slightly. “You’ll never guess where we found Ranvir.”

Sansir shook his head. “Every country uses coins, Es. Sure, they’re not always round, but the essence is the same.”

“If you want, you can stay with me,” Master Ayvir said, scratching at his beard. His eyes flicked to Ranvir’s chin, to his scar.

“How often do you get attacked in the course of the average month?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Ayvir smiled. “Not often, then again, not really a high-value target.”

Ranvir raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“A retired and injured tethered? Not really worth much.”

“Retired?”

Ayvir shrugged his shoulder and wiggled his arm. The cloth, pinned up, waved back and forth before his stump. Somewhere near the elbow. Ranvir shifted uncomfortably, feeling an old throbbing in his arm. A sensation that, despite recovering his limb, never fully went away.

When he shifted, Ranvir’s wings rustled as well, parting slightly and inadvertently revealing his crossed arms. Ayvir’s gaze flicked both to Ranvir’s chest and to the wings.

“Are those…” Master Ayvir cleared his throat. “I don’t know if this is impolite, but are those real?”

Ranvir considered for a moment, before relaxing his stance and stretching his left wing out as far as it could go. The wing spanned much of the room, covering the wall well and stopping all conversation.

“They’re real,” Ranvir said, before folding it back and reflexively crossing his arms defensively.

Master Ayvir staggered back. Es blinked, seeming to have forgotten even though he’d seen Ranvir’s wings initially. Sansir gazed at him intently. There was an edge to his examination, his gaze lingering on his scars and stance. Even his tether-sense probed as best it could.

Ranvir fended him off on reflex more than anything. It was by far the most skilled probing he’d experienced since coming here. Ranvir didn’t know if he should feel disappointed that they weren’t better or pleased that he’d grown so much.

“Sansir,” Ranvir said, nodding for him to approach. Master Ayvir took the cue and walked over to Es. “What have you been up to?”

The tall tethered turned slightly away. “Well, after you disappeared and Saleema tore through the city, I wasn’t sure what to do. For a while, it didn’t seem safe or proper to join the academy again. There was a lot of training where we could find it. Eventually, word got out of what happened in Ankiria,” he glanced at Ranvir, to ensure he knew what happened.

“The fight with their Triplet Masters?”

Sansir nodded. “People were fleeing Ankiria in droves. We’d been training in a small estate outside the city at that point, since it was the only place of halfway safety while staying out of the way of spies.”

Sansir sighed and nodded to Es and Ayvir. “The Queen offered Kirs a job, after seeing a few of the rituals she’d set up on the estate. She offered all of us work and further training. Lord Starstone called Grev back, with Ayvir hired on as a personal teacher. He’s only teaching Grev occasionally now, but it’s the only certain thing he has during the week.”

Ranvir narrowed his eyes and gazed at Master Ayvir. He looked more disheveled. His hair was longer, but also uncontrolled. His beard was ungroomed, not quite wild, but definitely in need of a trim.

“Dovar…” Sansir glanced at Ranvir. “Dovar lost almost his entire family in a coup against the Queen.”

“What?” Ranvir asked, leaning forward slightly. “His entire family?”

“His little sister survived, but…” Sansir shook his head and reached up as if to shade his eyes. “His father attempted to have the Queen killed, his sister and mother were behind the attack on the academy.”

Ranvir opened his mouth, but he couldn’t find the words.

“He kept the estate, but lost most of his inheritance and had to sell almost all his family used to own. The official Sworden family is no more. They’re not a noble house,” he let it sink in. “Needless to say, he wasn’t best pleased with an offer of work from the Queen and retreated to what remains of his estate.”

“He’s still there?”

Sansir shrugged. “He was last I checked, but…” he got a queasy look on his face. “Look, it’s difficult to talk with him. He doesn’t really… We tried to help him, we all did. Dovar wouldn’t listen. He did not want our help.”

Ranvir licked his lips and could see the discomfort on Sansir’s face. He’d given up on Dovar, they all had. He sniffed and thumbed his nose. “I guess I’ll have to visit him first thing tomorrow, then.”

Sansir nodded. “I figured you would,” he swallowed then. “It just wouldn’t be fair to not prepare you.”

Ranvir nodded. “Thank you. What else happened?”

“Es and I, still without work, continued training together for a while, until a group presented themselves to the Queen. The Sleeping Sons is a group of specially trained tethered, who offered their services to Elusria.”

“And you joined them?” Ranvir said as much as asked. “That’s where you’ve gotten the tan? From fighting in Ankiria?”

Sansir paused for a moment and nodded.

“Es didn’t take it?”

“He stayed with Kirs here.”

Ranvir licked his lips. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough time.”

“What about you?” Sansir asked. “You look like you’ve seen your fair share,” he nodded to Ranvir’s wings.

Ranvir scratched at a brow. “There’s so much to tell. I’m not sure where to start.”

He did his best, but trying to explain all that happened to him, Amanaris, Belnavir, their system, how he first met Vasso, the Sentinels. Ranvir’s words turned into an incomprehensible wall of mush within too long.

Sansir’s facial expression slowly skewed from perturbed to confused as his story went on. Finally, Master Ayvir broke in to their conversation. “I’ve only been listening to you for a few minutes and even I can tell that you need some time to clear things up. I’m looking to go home right about now. How about we give you a night to sleep on the story and we can pick it up tomorrow?”

Ranvir sighed and nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”

Sansir nodded a little too enthusiastically. Ranvir’s story telling hadn’t been that confusing. Had it?