“Damn, I’m out of practice.” He panted, blinking at the glossy wood planks.
“You’re dead,” she replied, pressing her knee into his back and sliding her wooden blade against his neck.
“Brother!” Solaelia’s voice rang out from the observation gallery.
Hildy and he looked up, and Lia beckoned them over like she could tug them through the air, onto the balcony beside her.
“Meet me in the solar!”
“Upper or lower?”
“Upper,” Lia called.
“Food?”
“Obviously.”
“We’ll be right there.”
“Hurry. I’m starting without you.” With that, his sister floated away, and Hildy chuckled as they prepared to follow along.
“This room is astounding, it’s like a courtyard with a ceiling,” Hildy commented as Isahn directed her through theglass-walled atrium toward the solarium. Some great houses considered the two rooms one and the same, but Staridge had to go and be different. The atrium was a spacious room located below the ballroom on the ground floor. The upper solar was off the left side of the atrium, and thelowersolar was yet another steamy sun-warmed room full of exotic plants elsewhere in the manor. It was confusing—like the galleries.
“It’s magnificent, isn’t it? Huge glass panels like this are only possible when skilled mages work together. The craft involves all four elements. It’s amazing to witness. My mum put a lot of effort into bringing plant specimens from Gramenia and Domos. I’ve hired staff to keep it up the way she would’ve wanted,” he explained, stopping before a door tucked between two potted figs. “And this is the solar.”
They entered to find Solaelia, a single sunflower in a tropical garden, her hair a golden bloom surrounded by palms and vibrant flowers. Sitting at the room’s round table, she enjoyed a plate heaped with eggs and an array of fruits. As promised, Lia had started without them.
“Come, eat. I have news.” She gestured to the five open chairs, indicating they should pick one.
Isahn couldn’t help but notice relinquishing her role as mistress of the house wasn’t coming as easily to her as she seemed to have expected. That, or she enjoyed being accommodating too much.
Either way, he didn’t mind.
“News about Peros?” Hildy asked, helping herself to a few slices of pre-buttered toast.
Lia nodded softly, her palm covering her mouth while she finished chewing a piece of melon. She set down her fork. “Guli and Zaman—those are two of our guards, trained soldiers—spotted Peros on the property last night.”
Isahn sighed heavily.Here we go. “He’s back early. He must’ve ridden hard. Where did they see him?”
“He came in through the north wood. They would have stopped him at the property line, but I’ve directed the guards to track, not capture, unless he starts actively harming someone. Then they can have at him.”
Hildy nodded, impressed with the move.
“They followed him around to the east woods. He was watching either the library or the kitchens below, Zaman couldn’t say for sure. He stayed for a few hours before leaving the way he’d come.”
Isahn sucked his teeth. “Great. I suppose it’s time to start those guard shifts, huh?”
“It sounds like he was scouting that side of the house for some reason. What else is over there?” Hildy asked.
Isahn thought from the top story down. “Guest bedrooms, guest bedrooms, a sitting room, the library, and the kitchens. There’s an entrance down there, near the kitchen, but it leads to closets.”
“Can he get into the main house there?”
“Yes.”
“Station someone there, just to be on the safe side. Two someones, in case you need one to detain while another sounds the alarm.”
The siblings nodded at Hildy’s suggestion.
