"Do you know what happened?" Ashyn asked.
"Perhaps. We can speak of that later. For now . . ." Her sister turned and caught her in a hug so fierce it took Ashyn's breath away. "For now, you are alive. That is the most important thing, and I want to talk about you. Not Gavril. Not Tyrus. Not you either," she said as she turned to Ronan, who'd been following, and waved him off with, "Begone, boy. I wish time with my sister."
He only smiled, bowed, and said, "As you will, my lady," and headed back toward the chamber.
Moria looked at Daigo and Tova. "I suppose you may both stay. But see that you do not interrupt my time with Ashyn."
Tova harrumphed and Daigo rolled his eyes, but they fell back, trailing them as Ronan had been.
"Thea and Ellyn are dead," Ashyn said, which was not, she suspected, what Moria wished to hear, but she could not go further without telling her.
Moria's smile faded and she bowed her head. "I am sorry to hear it. I suppose we ought to go there, to say blessings for their departure."
"I did so quickly, as I left. But yes, we ought to." She looped her arm through her sister's. "We'll take the long way, to avoid others. You can tell me what happened in the palace."
"You first," Moria said. "You're the older one. You can start."
Ashyn managed a smile at that. She was a half day older, and Moria had always hated the reminder. She tugged her sister closer, and she began.
Four days had passed since the horror of that night. Ashyn was where she'd been every afternoon since, in the tiny apartment that Ronan had once called home. He'd paid his last rent and was preparing to move his siblings to the court, at the emperor's insistence. It was temporary, of course, but with everything that had happened, it wasn't the time for long-term plans.
Ronan had offered his services as the emperor struggled with the loss of over half his imperial guard. That's what Ronan was doing now while Ashyn watched his siblings.
Though it had been four days, there had been little time for personal conversations. Ronan's time was split between court and home, and Ashyn's was, too, on the opposite schedule, as she prepared to take over as court Seeker while Ronan was home with Aidra and Jorn. He'd tried to speak to her several times, but she'd brushed him off, not unkindly, simply making it clear that this was not the time.
She was reading to Aidra while Jorn feigned disinterest in the story, yet never moved far enough away that he couldn't hear it. When Ronan arrived, he had to duck to enter the dark, dingy apartment. Even the dim lighting couldn't hide his exhaustion. But he walked straight to her, as he always did, bending to brush his lips across her cheek and whisper, "Thank you."
"Are things getting any better?" she asked.
He made a face. "Better, yes. There's still much to be done."
The court was in turmoil, and they were all dealing with it. Alvar might be gone, but the emperor still had to deal with the warlords and warriors who'd betrayed him. Politics rather than war, which was some relief, though it meant little rest for anyone as they handled the aftermath and stitched the empire back together.
"Will you finish the story tomorrow?" Aidra asked, climbing off her lap and giving Tova a farewell hug.
"I will," Ashyn said. "But I'm not leaving just yet. Ronan has some very exciting news, and I want to be here when he shares it."
Ronan mouthed: I do?
"Shall I tell them?" Ashyn asked.
He frowned in confusion.
"I will then." She turned to the children. "Your brother has done something incredible, and he's been too modest to share it with you. Your family has been raised to warrior caste again."
Ronan's eyes widened, and he madly shook his head, but she ignored him. "Yes," she said. "In return for his service to Prince Tyrus, you are all elevated to warrior caste."
Aidra shrieked and threw herself at Ronan. Jorn rose from where he'd been sitting and stared at Ashyn.
"You mean . . ." Jorn said. "I am to be . . ."
"Trained as a warrior," she said. "And there's more. Ronan will personally serve Prince Tyrus. First, though, he must train. He'll do that with Lord Okami."
"The Gray Wolf?" Aidra said, her eyes rounding.
Ashyn chuckled. "He isn't nearly as scary as his reputation suggests. But he is a great warrior, and he will train both your brothers."
"When?" Jorn blurted.