Page 7 (1/2)

Neither aht

"The name of the craftsman who made it is in the household files"

"I’ll contact him to make a replacement"

Another silence Then Saetan said, "What else?"

"I likeknowing the day will be full of ses and pleasures, that I’ll spend part of the day tending to the family properties and finances, as well asto Dhe with Jaenelle There is the wonder, and the joy, of being with Jaenelle"

"But?"

"But soe that makes me who and what I am Sometimes I wonder, when the day comes for me to stand as defender, if I’ll have become too soft, too tame, to protect what matters most Is that the price I’ll have to pay to have a pleasant life?"

There He’d said it Asked the question

And Saetan just stood there, staring at the books, his fingertips gently brushing the topmost cover

"You’ll never lose that edge," Saetan said suddenly, quietly

"Dae I could have wished for you, and I hope you have decades where the worst challenges you face arewith an anxious cat But I can tell you, here and now, you will never lose that edge Nowho and what you are remains sheathed in that pleasant life, when the day comes for you to draw that cold blade of your temper, it will be as sharp and as honed and as deadly as it is now Maybe even more so"

A tension he hadn’t been aware of drained out of his muscles This was the question he’d come to ask This was the answer he’d hoped to hear

"Now," Saetan said, giving hio tend the family business and let me--"

The door opened Lucivar walked in Daemon felt his body freeze, felt Saetan stiffen beside him Not because of Lucivar, because of--

"Unka Daemon! Granpapa!"

Dae on his father’s hip, little wings flapping A happy bundle of Eyrien boy…in a rooht terrified Dae boy without setting off a full-scale tantrum "Have you two heard about this spooky house Jaenelle and Marian are planning?"

Suddenly Saetan had Daeh speed to have Lucivar backing up into the corridor

"Yes, Dae the two of you should discuss, since this is so that should be dealt with by husbands rather than a father But if I think of anything that ht help, I’ll be sure to let you know"

And so at a closed door, listening to the distinctivesnick of a lock

"Well," Lucivar said, "I guess that puts us in our place"

Lucivar’s ant smile that usually

Daemon studied his brother Half brother, but they had never made that distinction What made the difference obvious was that Lucivar had the dark, uished Eyriens fro-lived races And he had all the arrogance and attitude that came naturally to an Eyrien ray Jewels

"Do you want to--?" Daeh the ss to do"

Daemon felt a sudden distance between theet together for a drink this evening? I could come--"

"I’ll come to the Hall See you then, Bastard"

"Take care, Prick"

"Bye-bye, Unka Daemon! Bye-bye"

He waved bye-bye until Lucivar and Daemonar disappeared around a curve in the corridor Then he looked back at the locked door and sighed

He e the way he did when he lived in Terreille, but it didn’t look like his life was going to get coainst the locked door and stared at the ceiling

Why did I want children?

He’d been rattled by the conversation with Dae And the look in Lucivar’s eyes just before he’d closed the door had shown him the depth of his error He’d fix it He would stop by the eyrie this evening, and he would fix it