They ordered food, spiced flatbreads, citrus-marinated meat, mineral-cold water with basilisk herbs. Comfortingly familiar dishes, with just enough twist to remind him this wasn’t home.
Elian leaned back. “You know, Alindale is great, but Solkaris feels…ancient in a way I like. Like it knows things it hasn’t told us yet.”
Liora nodded. “The tunnels alone. Pythorus said some sections haven’t been mapped in centuries.”
Hektor studied them. Their tone tonight was different. Balanced. Quiet. Not hyper or competitive, not nipping at each other or performing.
Just themselves.
And oddly…pleasant.
“You two seem calmer without her,” he said before he could stop himself.
“When the three of us are together,” Elian huffed a half-laugh. “We feed off each other’s energy.”
Liora smiled softly. “Our mom used to tell us to relax or give her a break—she could barely handle us.”
Hektor understood that more than he wanted to.
He lifted his drink, watching the ruins glow.
The date, her date, would be starting now. He imagined Zara, bright and laughing, leaning into Pythorus’s easy charm, his arm steady at her back.
Elian passed him the basket of bread. “This work gets lonely sometimes, doesn’t it?”
“Sometimes.”
Liora tapped her glass to his. “Then tonight, you’re not alone.”
The ruins burned gold below them, ancient and silent.
Hektor let himself exhale, not because he was comfortable. But because the siblings were steady enough to sit with him while he wasn’t.
By the time they had their last bite, Elian waved a hand toward the outdoor bar. “Come on, we’re not done yet. Drinks are part of the experience!”
Liora rolled her eyes but nodded. “Fine, we’ll go outside.”
Hektor hesitated, then found himself nodding.Why am I agreeing to this?But truthfully, he was enjoying their easy chatter more than he expected. “Alright,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “One round of drinks. Then we can call it a night.”
“See?” Elian grinned. “Told you it’d be fun.”
Liora smirked. “You might even like it, Hektor.”
He kept his expression blank, but a faint trace of amusement crept into his features as they moved toward the outdoor bar.
The night outside was cooler, the heat finally bleeding off the stone. Music drifted from the courtyard, and they stood by the bar railing while the basilisk bartender prepared their order.
“So,” Hektor began, casual but genuinely curious, “how’s it going for you both? Leaving home…all of it.”
Elian shrugged. “We’ve lived away from family before. This just feels…farther.”
“Farther and harder to pop home for a hug,” Liora added with a wry smile. “If something happened, we’d need Lord Eros’s help just to get back.”
Hektor nodded. “Drakkoria is isolated, too.”
Liora tilted her head. “Is this your first time away?”
He paused, then answered carefully. “First extended assignment away, yes.”
