Harlow didn't answer, a blend of rage and pain, sorrow and sadness lingering in his expression. It was a cocktail Kira knew intimately.
"All of them," he finally revealed. “Every child we had. Over seventy in our House alone. The other Houses weren’t as hard struck as ours, but they suffered losses as well. Until you were found, we thought all the children had died shortly after they disappeared.”
No wonder they refused to let her go. To do so would be like reliving the Sorrowing all over again.
“Your father was so happy when he learned your mother was pregnant with you,” Harlow said.
Kira quelled her instinctive desire to leap on his words and demand more. Her parents were little more than figments to her. Not quite real. Stories about fictional people that had little to do with Kira.
Despite that, she couldn’t help wondering who these two strangers were. What they had been like.
“He called you his little miracle.” Harlow’s expression held a faint note of reminiscence. Memories of her father were happy ones.
Harlow focused on Kira. “Neither of your parents expected to fall in love with each other. Their union was a political match, arranged by the emperor to foster peace between Luatha and Roake.”
“Did it work?” Kira asked.
Harlow’s head tilted. “After a fashion. Liliana’s sister, Leigha, was the Overlord, and from what I saw the two loved each other dearly. Leigha wouldn’t have lightly considered an action that would have led to putting your mother in danger.”
Kira read that as Leigha would act in the best interest of her House against her sister’s new husband, even if it made her feel like crap inside. Such was the responsibility of being a leader. You didn’t always get to act according to the needs of your heart.
“I’m guessing they managed to fall into something,” Kira said.
Harlow inclined his head. “Against all odds. My brother and Liliana were a surprisingly good match. Harding was the gentler soul of the two. Not to say they weren’t both warriors. Liliana was surprisingly well versed in the art of the blade given she came from a House comprised primarily of artisans.”
“She was your friend,” Kira guessed. The way he talked about her was too familiar for that of a near stranger, brother-in-law or not.
Harlow’s lips quirked. “That surprises you.”
Kira lifted a shoulder. “Roake hasn’t exactly struck me as a warm and welcoming sort of place, and from the way you talk, it’s obvious she would have had difficulty fitting in here.”
“You’d think, but Liliana had a way about her.” Harlow’s gaze sharpened. “She dumped your father on his ass during their first meeting.”
That startled a laugh from Kira, interest sparking.
Harlow put an elbow on the arm of the chair. “I thought Leigha was going to kill Liliana for that stunt. I’ve never seen an Overlord so torn between pride and fury. When Leigha told her to apologize, Liliana got this stubborn look on her face and refused. Said he’d got what he’d deserved.”
“What had he done?” Kira asked.
Harlow paused, then shook his head. “I’m not even sure I know. That was Liliana, though. She had a code that only she understood. If you crossed it, she was always quick to let you know.”
“I’m surprised your brother married her.”
Harlow got this secretive smile on his face. “I’m not. Harding always said Liliana made him look at the world in a different way. She was his balance, and he hers.”
Harlow focused on Kira. “He got her back in the end for dumping him on his ass. He spreadpiridye on the handle of her en-blade. She managed to leave several streaks all over her face before she realized. It stayed there for nearly a month.”
Sounded like something one of her old squad would have done to get back at someone.
“Harding used that time to work his way into her heart. It didn’t stop the pranks, however, which became legendary,” Harlow said. “They were both extremely competitive. Neither was the type to let something go.”
“How long were they together?” Kira asked.
“Nearly a century.”
Kira raised her eyebrows. She tensed as a thought occurred to her. “Did they have other children?”
Did she even now have a sibling running around Roake?
