Auralyn nodded.“You see?Nothing to worry about.”
“Just in case though, I’ll leave you the location of a safe place should anything happen,” Kira said, surrendering.
Wren nodded in approval.“A wise warrior always leaves themselves several back up plans.”
Zoella’s arrival interrupted the rest of their conversation.“Heir, Luatha’s Overlord is waiting.”
Wren frowned at Kira.“Why do you need to talk to Luatha?”
Kira moved away from the edge of the platform and toward Zoella.“Just a small matter.Tiny really.”
Auralyn folded her arms over her chest.“Luatha’s Overlord doesn’t involve herself in tiny matters.Only big ones.”
Zoella shot Kira a teasing look.“In this instance, it’s more of a child-sized matter.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be as obnoxious as the ginger menace sometimes?”Kira asked.
“A thousand pardons, youngest.I don’t know what got into me.”Zoella’s tiny giggle put a lie to that statement.
With a scowl, Kira snatched the communication stone from Zoella before activating it.
Liara’s smooth voice filled Kira’s ears.“Cousin.”
“I heard you’re missing something,” Kira said.
“Ah—so that’s where she got to.I was told she wandered off.”
“Yes, yes.Ziva once again found her way into Roake,” Kira said, fighting impatience.“It’ll take me a few hours to make arrangements for her to be escorted back.”
“Don’t bother.”
Kira frowned.“I don’t understand.What do you mean ‘don’t bother?’”
“I have no intention of accepting her return.”
“Can you do that?”To Auralyn and Wren, “Can she do that?”
It had been repeatedly drilled into Kira that children were important to the Tuann.Luatha had accepted custody of Ziva, making her their responsibility.They couldn’t absolve themselves of that responsibility just because the girl turned out to be a little more trouble than they originally thought.
“Ziva has made her preferences quite clear.This isn’t the first time she’s left the safety of the House without permission.If she remains under our care, I suspect it won’t be the last.To be honest, I’m tired of being the bad guy in her story.She wants to be at Roake with you.I say let her have what she wants.”
“Where was all this understanding when Luatha tried to claim me?”Kira demanded.
Nowhere had anyone taken her desires into account.One day she’d been a salvager, content, if not necessarily happy.The next Luatha was uprooting her whole life.To hell with what she wanted.
“Be proud, cousin.We’ve learned from our mistakes with you.It’s pointless to keep Ziva somewhere she doesn’t want to be.Furthermore, you were my blood.My last living relative.She isn’t.”
Kira didn’t know how to respond to that statement.
“Of course, my magnanimity comes at a price,” Liara purred.
“What is it?”
“In return for my understanding and not accusing Roake of enticing one of our young away from the safety of our House, I want you to do something for me.”
An Overlord making a request.There was no way that could go wrong.
“Oh?”
