Harlow made a show of looking around as if to say he didn't see Graydon anywhere.
This time Kira's grin was crooked. "He was called away on important business."
Harlow shook his head. "That boy hasn't changed."
Unprepared to have a man such as Graydon referred to as “boy”, Kira bit back a laugh. It somehow seemed wrong using a word such as that to describe someone as dangerous and deadly as Graydon. She supposed it pointed to the type of relationship the two shared that Harlow could get away with such things.
Harlow's gaze was oddly fascinated as he took in her amusement. "He is the emperor's man. It's unlikely that will ever change."
One corner of Kira's lips quirked up. "Romantic advice, uncle? I didn't think we had that sort of relationship."
Harlow tipped his chin. "You're right. We're not typical uncle and niece. The formation of our bonds was delayed, but that doesn't mean they cannot be built."
Harlow didn't strike her as being overly sentimental. He was too focused on his mission, that of protecting and securing his House. It was one of the reasons she couldn't help questioning his insistence on her presence there. She was a stick thrown into the highly efficient cogs of his world. Why go to such lengths to ensure she remained when it would be easy to let herkipoisoning run its course?
Was it really because of duty? Or was there something more?
"I was surprised to see you in theetheiri," Kira finally said.
Harlow's passage was silent as he padded beside her, unable to hide the deadly grace with which he moved. Like Graydon, he was a predator. A killer. The way he passed through the world made that easy to see.
Their similarities weren’t surprising. After all, her uncle had trained Graydon into the force he was.
"Why would that surprise you?" he asked. "Theetheiriis where we go to grieve."
"But the Sorrowing happened ninety-two years ago," Kira said, watching him carefully. "That's a long time to cling to the past."
Harlow looked at her. "Is there a length I should shoot for? Perhaps twelve years is enough?"
Touché.Well played, uncle,Kira thought as she tipped her chin at him.
"We're not humans. We don't grieve in the same way. Our lives are long; our memories longer."
They reached the top of the stairs, stepping out under a starry sky, the fortress lurking above them, its smooth walls waiting for a signal before revealing the door Kira knew waited.
She hesitated, looking up at the sky. "A place like that only serves to keep your pain fresh."
She couldn't see the purpose behind such a thing.
"I agree. Theetheiriis a double-edged sword." He took in the stars. "Loudon is one of the most disciplined people I know, yet he spends more time in that place than is wise. For the unwary, theetheirican become a crutch, an endless reminder of what they've lost."
Kira studied her uncle. "Yet, you still visit regularly."
He looked at her, his face difficult to read in the dark. "Sometimes, I find myself in need of remembering what failure looks like."
In light of Loudon's revelations, his words were oddly revealing. And concerning.
"How does that help?" Kira asked.
"My twin was taken from me during the Sorrowing, his wife slain steps away from your crib. My niece was stolen." There was a suppressed rage in his voice. It was all the more terrifying for how controlled he sounded, as if he embraced the fury, allowing it to coldly burn until he could unleash it. "My failure was in not protecting my family. It won't happen again."
He blamed himself for her parent’s deaths, Kira realized.
That was the piece she'd been missing.
From the sound of it, he didn't seem like he'd done any healing in the years following. His visits to theetheirihad kept the wound open, and Harlow had allowed it to fester, bleeding into everything that he was.
"You never found those responsible?" she asked carefully, sensing she was in dangerous territory.
