Garden of Embers: Beneath Devouring Eyes #2

Chapter 9, Part C

"No, I mean--"

"No no, I know," he said. Pyrrhaei jealousy and possessiveness in this regard had never made sense to him. "Radix, you do know that you're welcome to pursue him, right? I mean, I'm not going to stand aside for you, but I won't stand in your way either. If he wants you that way, and you him, I can share."

"You can share?" they sputtered, and then a moment later their voice quieted. Under their breath, so softly they probably thought he couldn't hear, they muttered, "Promethidae really are weird."

Sidus laughed. He was beginning to see how it might seem that way to the Pyrrhaeus. "Yes, we are." He tilted his head. "So, are you going to try?"

"You're not worried that I will snatch him away from you?" Radix sounded incredulous.

Sidus smiled, remembering Domi melting into his arms a few minutes ago as they had kissed on the roof and trembling at his gentle touches. "No," he chuckled, "I'm not worried. I know that he likes me. But I am willing to share. I think his heart is big enough for both of us."

"But Edera--"

"They will have their own relationship. I don't know what it will be, honestly. But that is their business. We can have our own relationships with him, too."

There was silence on the other side of the door. He nodded to himself and rose to his feet. "Think on it," he said. "Good eve, Radix."

Their voice, when it filtered back to him, was so soft that he almost didn't hear the words this time. "Good eve, Sidus."

<>

It took Domi five tries to send his request through the Caeles. And not because he didn't know how to do it or because Valens kept dissolving Domi's promenia and then sending his own curt Caeles messages to "go to bed, Alumna."

At least, those weren't the only problems. No, sending the Caeles request took five tries because of the fear. He couldn't breathe deeply enough to claim much promenia, anxiety squeezing his throat like a fist even as the promenia kept falling from his grasp like sand through relaxed fingers.

Once he summoned promenia and managed to hold onto a particle, he couldn't visualize the Caeles's gray mists or crystallize his intention into anything specific. The acidic terror dissolved his attention and burned away his resolve.

Thank the Eternal Radiance for the nasty herb Hedera had given him at bedtime six hours ago. He was pretty sure his fifth attempt to enter the Caeles and send his request succeeded only because the medicine wouldn't let his body stay anxious very long.

If only the fear draining away didn't leave him so drowsy. He needed to be awake for this. To have all his wits about him.

Princeps Buccina responded ten seconds after he sent his message.

Domi didn't expect her so soon. In the morning maybe, after she devoured thirty minds for breakfast or whatever the woman did to maintain her creepy illusory appearance. But the middle of the night? Shouldn't she be sleeping?

"Shouldn't you, Basilicus?"

Domi jumped at the words, which reverberated through the gray mists like a thousand voices, each different. Men, women, children. Piping, rumbling, crooning.

He whirled around, shocked to find one woman standing before him in the drifting mists instead of an army. "Princeps Buccina!"

She looked like she had the two times now that he'd seen her, except there were flickers now of other people in the blond hair, green eyes, and pale skin. A glint of spectacles. Warm brown eyes--no, gray with dark circles beneath. A shadow of close-cropped black hair. A braided bun, perched like a nest atop a skeletal face. The bushy white brows of an old man. A little girl's wide, innocent eyes.