But Ten doesn’t listen. “I understand you’re preparing for something that you have feared for a long time. Kamari, too. She more or less told me, so stop pretending. This is connected to Ever or her parents.”
My eyes whip to Ten’s at his words.
“What?”
“Get out!” Orion blusters, and he looks like he’s ready to explode. “Get out. Both of you.”
Ten doesn’t move, but the tension in the room feels like it might crack the windows. I want answers, but we won’t win like this. The man I faced the first time here stands before me, stubborn with arrogance and power.
“Ten, he won’t tell us anything like this.”
“He doesn’t have a choice anymore.”
“He seems to be exercising his choice to remain quiet pretty fucking effectively.”
The battle of wills continues to play out. “This isn’t over.” Ten levels the words at his father, who shows no response. He turns and storms out, and I’m reminded of exactly how I felt leaving the Great Hall after my own confrontation with him.
“Where are we going now?”
“I’m not going back to the training residence,” Ten states.
“Okay.”
“We’ll go to see my mother.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” I ask as he starts to turn one way, then the other.
“Weeks,” he’s blunt with his answer.
“And you’re sure we shouldn’t go back to the training residence?” I check.
“If there’s really an attack, it will be contained by the Warriors quickly. And if they are coming for you, then I’m not taking you anywhere you’d usually be. We can check on my mother and then head back.”
“Do you really think this could be about my parents?”I’m not brave enough to ask with words aloud.
“I think we should consider every scenario until we’re told something that makes sense. Everything’s a possibility right now.”
He takes my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing it quickly before releasing me—a silent end to that conversation.
It feels like an age since I first met his mother, and the encounter was far from normal. So much has transpired since, but nerves seem to flutter about as Ten leads us through the maze of corridors towards the rooms he used to call home.
Just as outside of his father’s office, Ten ignores the Warriors stationed at the door to his family home. They do not stop or question us, and it makes me wonder what use they would be if we were targeted for an attack?
“Mother?” Ten calls as he enters the hallway. I hover back and take in the elegance of the space, on a par with the apartment I stayed in when I first arrived.
He walks through and opens a door into a formal room. Keeping a respectable distance, I follow.
“Mother?” His voice is gentle, and he steps inside.
It’s light and airy from the huge glass panes covering one side of the room. Celestine Ciro sits in a chair, staring out the window as if in her own world.
Even I can see that she has aged since our last encounter at the dinner. Lines have encroached on her face, and her hair is now streaked with silver threads, glinting in the light.
Ten kneels at her side, and I watch her smile light up her face as recognition sweeps over her features.
“Aten. How lovely.”
“Hi, Mother. Is everything okay?” he asks.
