An abandoned boy, a grieving prince, and a reclusive sorcerer find themselves caught in a web of peril and mystery...
Domi, a young thief abandoned on the street at birth, just wants to save his dying foster mother. But first, he must survive the m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The post-Dimming Rain was a soothing patter against the greenhouse glass, perfect for puzzling out books filled with long-winded words.
"Domi, come here!" He glanced up from his book as Sidus called out to him. "I want you to meet some people."
Domi lifted a curious brow. He rose from where he had been curled up for hours on his cot-like bed, trying to read. Aix had declined to work with him on his magic that afternoon. Instead, the old man asked Domi to demonstrate his breathing and then, with a satisfied nod, encouraged him to "carry on over a good book or two."
Needless to say, he was ready for a break. He stepped between the hanging canvas screens serving as makeshift walls and out into the garden, where he found Sidus standing under the peach trees next to two familiar people.
"We've met." Domi smiled at the pair of Empowered siblings. "Hello again, Epileus and Gemma." He wondered if he should address them with fancy titles. They were the Princeps Worldholder's kin, but Arbita had called them by their names. They didn't appear to take offense at him doing the same. "You look better."
The young woman offered a cool nod, and her brother said in a quiet voice, "Thank you." He peered at Sidus with a strained face, his eyes wide.
Weird. Domi was not sure what was happening, but he kept his tone casual. Friendly. "How do you know each other?"
"They're my brother and sister." Sidus grinned. "Can't you see the family resemblance?"
He could indeed, now that Sidus pointed it out. The three shared captivating almond-shaped eyes the color of melted chocolate in bronze faces framed by wavy dark-brown hair.
The implication of what the family connection meant washed over him. "Wait. You're the Princeps Worldholder's brother?" he asked Sidus, then shook his head, correcting himself. "Foster brother?"
"Why?" Gemma demanded, scrutinizing him with a suspicious squint. Domi had not spoken with the Empowered forgeholder after she regained consciousness at the waystation, but he didn't remember her acting this frosty toward him before. Just weirdly fascinated, like she considered a Pullatus Lightbearer a peculiar new artifact and wanted to find out how he worked. At least, he thought that explained the strange way she spent most of the journey home staring at him from across the skychamber. Though it might also have been Domi's constant vomiting from the flight. "Do you know him?"
Domi blinked. "Do I know the Princeps Worldholder?" She nodded. "Ah... no." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't run in the same social circles as you. The closest I've come to meeting royalty is pissing off the Praetor."
"It's sort of weird though, right?" Sidus asked, nudging Epileus in the ribs. "He resembles Dae a bit, doesn't he?"
"Dae?" Eternal Radiance, Domi hoped the flirt was not comparing him to some old flame.
"Princeps Daedalus," Gemma corrected her little brother with a stern frown.
Sidus rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's just us here. No Comitas in sight." He ignored Gemma's glare, grinning at a troubled-looking Epileus instead. Domi didn't get what the big deal was, but he didn't care to understand politics, either. Not if politics made people this surly. "Seriously, Leus, don't you think he resembles Dae?"
"Very." The young man sounded choked.
"I knew it!" Sidus shifted his grin to Domi, who couldn't help smiling back at the infectious look. "I told you, it's uncanny. I have not seen Dae in years, but I feel like I'm seeing what he would look like now."
"Why haven't you seen him in so long? Is it because of that Solitude thing?" Domi heard the former Princeps Worldholder had done that. Retreated for weeks on end into privacy, with only her closest staff allowed near her. The practice shielded the royal sorcerer from distractions and illnesses. Maybe the new Princeps engaged in the practice as well.
"That too, but no. Conservatory students don't travel, and we are allowed no contact with people outside our curia until we graduate, even family. So we can focus on our educations."
Domi had not realized that. No wonder Valens grumbled about how Merula twisted his arm into giving her free access to visit Domi. He had thought all the blathering about distractions and focus had just been Valens being Valens.
Gemma cleared her throat and took Sidus's upper arm in hand. "Well, it was great seeing you again," she told Domi with a frosty smile, "but we're going to dinner, so..."
"Can Domi join us?"
He was not sure how Epileus and Gemma could resist Sidus's hopeful smile or Domi's more casual attempt at the same, but Epileus shook his head. "Not this time," the young man said and turned on his heel, walking away. "Come along."
Domi sighed as Sidus's older sister led the handsome boy away. It seemed the Garden Group's easy acceptance of him didn't extend to their kin.
He shoved the disappointment down. It wasn't the first time someone above his station snubbed him, and he knew even in his new life, it would not be the last. Edera was proof of that, after all.
Though, the siblings had not been unkind, exactly, just not as sociable as he expected after three encounters with their younger brother. Still, rejection twisted through him, leaving him aching.
"Bye, Sidus," he said softly with a halfhearted wave.
He hoped Epileus and Gemma wouldn't say anything to make the starholder start avoiding him. Embarrassing as it could be, he liked the other boy's attention.
