Lightholder mages live by many rules. Among these: second-born twins must die for the good of all.
In this sequel to Garden of Light, Domi, a fifteen-year-old apprentice sorcerer, has just learned the terrible secret that he is the younger twin brot...
The man nodded. "You can't go to sleep now, Alumna. Not until I have a few words with you two." Amber eyes, too wide and fearful to be truly stern, peered down at him, then Domi. "Where are you injured?"
"I am not," he said fuzzily, although, in truth, he was not sure. Everything hurt, and the resonance did not let him distinguish between his own aches and pains and Domi's.
Domi!
He jerked upright, ignoring Valens's curse and the pain screaming through his back, head, and elbow at the sudden motion. Swatting the man's hands away as his aedificans tried to push him back to the snow, he leaned over Domi, lurching as dizziness crashed over him. "Aedificanti, he is hurt. Oliva did something to him."
His twin blinked up at him, blue eyes glazed, blue face waxy. No wonder Daedalus felt so cold and clammy. His twin was bleeding heavily. Maybe even bleeding to death. "Doesn't hurt that bad," Domi muttered. Blood bubbled on his lips, but he did not seem to notice. Instead, his eyes fluttered shut.
"No!" Valens snapped, shaking Domi's shoulder. "Open your eyes! Right now, Alumna!"
Domi cracked them back open, glaring weakly. "It's fine," he said, and grasped Valens's hand clumsily, pressing it to the spreading crimson stain on his side. Daedalus stared numbly at the pool glistening under his brother. That could not all have come from his twin. It just could not.
"Good idea," Valens said, voice frantic. He fumbled at the wound, his other hand joining the first, pushing down hard enough Domi's back arched in agony. "Got to put pressure on--" He paused, brow furrowing.
Domi slowly relaxed as Valens's hands, trembling, grew slack. He breathed a strained chuckle, eyes falling closed again. "See?" he muttered. His bloodied fingers patted Valens's hand as the man just stared. "It's alright."
Daedalus's lip wobbled as Valens straightened, drawing his hands away from the wound. "Aedificanti?" Surely it was not too late?
Valens shook his head, then glanced at Daedalus, amber eyes full of wonder beneath the light of the three planets looming in the heavens. "The wound is closing."
A pulse sounded behind him, and heat washed against Daedalus's back.
Spore-healing drains the body's strength. The pup needs to rest. All of you do. The Great Voice sent us to aid you.
He turned to the approaching quartet of adult clivias, lifting one hand to calm Valens as the man tensed. "They are here to help."
"Can they send a cart or something? If clivias even use carts..." Valens shifted in the snow with a wince. "I'm pretty sure I broke my ankle, and I doubt you two can walk."
Domi nodded without opening his eyes. "Tired," he murmured.
We will carry you. The four clivias floated forward, and one swayed a couple of her pearly filaments toward Valens, who jerked his head back. Tell this one we will not harm him.
Daedalus smiled at Valens. "They say they can carry us and will not hurt us."
Valens eyed the creatures suspiciously for a moment, then nodded.
One of the males swept toward Domi and, lightly pricking him with the end of a filament, began gently trundling Daedalus's twin into a sort of loose net of pale-blue tendrils. Behind him, a female did the same to Lyra. I have stung these pups for a more comfortable journey.
"They have sedated Domi and Lyra to help ease the pain while we travel," Daedalus told Valens.
His aedificans glanced at the waiting clivias. "Travel where?" he asked, but rose gingerly to his feet with a reluctant nod.
The barrows, the other male said, floating forward and beginning to wrap filaments around the cringing worldholder. You will all heal more swiftly with the resins we have there to aid you.
"Home," Daedalus said. He smiled and gingerly lifted his arms as the fourth clivia approached him. "They are taking us home."
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