Tributes

Chapter Sixty

Jake caught Abel before Abel could leave himself and put him on Jake's lap. Abel struggled, but Jake hugged him tightly, making reassuring sounds.

"You did well. Most people can't figure out a spell like that."

Tyreol nudged Luke gently, who rolled off the bed and wandered after Silas to scold him for his attitude towards his brother. Silas didn't understand, and they needed to teach him to understand.

"Silas understood it with one viewing, " Abel whispered, breathing uneasy as his eyes watered. "He just..." He paused, rubbing his eyes. He turned to Tyreol, registering that Tyreol had not been surprised by Silas's ability to cast magic. "You knew."

"Your brother understands magic innately. You have your talents, and he has his. You figured out the spell."

"About 3 hours longer than him. I'll never catch up." Abel pulled himself out of Jake's lap and ran out the door, slamming it as he went. Jake didn't stop him. Tyreol let him go, too. The boy needed a moment to himself. The guards would stop him from running out of the tower, and were powerful enough to stop the boy if he tried to attack them to get out.

"I thought you said Abel was the one with magic potential?"

"He's got a huge pool of magic. Silas started with a tiny amount, but he understands magic better than most trained mages. Once someone understands a spell, the amount of magic needed decreases, and Silas is a quick study, " Tyreol said, considering the closed door and the bundles of talent, both upset for very different reasons. Silas did not like being told off for being mean to his brother. "Twin brothers tend to go that way"

"What are you going to do with them?"

"I don't know yet," Tyreol admitted "Any ideas?"

"Sorry, Master, this is beyond me"

"Are you going to explain to me why you're suddenly good with kids?"

Jake blushed bright red but shook his head. Tyreol didn't push. 

-x-

Jake returned to the otherworld the following morning. He'd spent the night in Tyreol's arms with Abel and Silas cuddled next to them. Despite their argument, the pair refused to sleep apart. Or maybe that was Abel refused to sleep without Silas, and Silas put up with it.

His heart ached for his own child, he'd never left him alone this long before. Not alone, he was with family, but Jake couldn't help but see William's stubbornness in Silas and his compliance in Abel. They looked and smelled nothing alike, but it felt strange having a little body in his arms that wasn't his son. It made him feel safe, though. Tyreol wasn't going to try to re-establish himself with Jake, not with the babies there.

A safety net. Was it sad that that was likely why Tyreol had scooped the babies into bed with them?

Tyreol kissed him gently goodbye before letting him flit away. Silas and Abel watched with big eyes, one curious, the other wary, as Abel clutched Silas's arm. Those two needed watching and a lot of care.

He slipped into Luke's room for a quick goodbye and then headed towards the portal room in the castle. It wasn't near the tribute's room, as that was a safety issue. Tyreol's enemies had tried to storm the castle through portals before, and maintaining a space for them kept the power on Tyreol's side as to where people arrived.

"Jake?" Helian called, catching up with him near the throne room. An arm ran across his back, and Jake turned into the greeting. "We need a quick chat."

"For you, always," Jake let Helian slide them into an alcove. A whisper of magic promised that no one would overhear them, including Tyreol. Jake rested against the cool stone, unnerved but unsurprised that Helian had cornered him. Helian served Tyreol first.