Simran turns toward her son, eyes wide. “Why would he want her Sight?”
“Why do you hate Seers?”
“I do not hate them, but they put us all in danger. They could overpower Mages in the blink of an eye. Their magic can cause more widespread devastation than anything a Mage is capable of. Vanishings. Curses. I just do not believe one group of people should have unlimited magic.”
“Who areyouto challenge the Cosmos?”
“I ...” Simran falters. “Seers know too much, and their history is riddled with people who—”
“Want to be treated equally.”
“They arenotthe same. They keep their secrets. They know things we cannot conceive of. Even the full extent of their magic is a secret.History is riddled with Seers who have wreaked havoc on the world in the name of freedom—”
“Andourhistory of terrorizing their communities and shackling their existence is just as destructive,” Hiram argues. “Yes, there are Seers who break rules, but more who don’t. We’re all capable of cruelty, which shows every day in how society treats them. The expectation that they’re supposed to take that mistreatment without complaint is absurd. All over a group of genes that activate when they’re teenagers—” He stops short upon noticing Khadijah frozen behind his mother. How long has she been there, Hiram doesn’t know, but she picks up the hat she left behind and leaves again.
Simran primly sits back in her chair. “I do not wish to argue with you.”
“Because it makes you uncomfortable,” Hiram replies. “I used to not bother myself with this, but that made me as complicit as you are. Uncle Phillip’s bigotry isn’t out of fear of losing power and control like yours; it’s born of resentment. He wanted Sight. Her Sight. Ariadne wants it back, even if she has to steal it and kill anyone who gets in her way.”
The doors open, and a familiar-looking healer emerges. Hiram remembers him from Veda’s attack. Healer Michaels.
“Barrett Ellis’s next of kin?”
When Simran nods, the healer approaches, offering his hand. She notes his name tag and the symbol on it designating him as a Seer.
Hiram shakes his hand when she doesn’t move. “I’m his son, Hiram Ellis. This is my mother, Simran Ellis.”
“He’ll need to stay a few days to make sure that the bones don’t rebreak, but the counterspell done before he arrived was brilliantly executed. He should be out of the woods by morning. He’ll need time to recover, and therapy to regain his strength, but we will discuss that in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Simran manages to say, relief softening her prejudice. Finally, she shakes his hand. “May I see him?”
“Of course. He’s sleeping right now.”
He leads the way, and Simran follows but Hiram stays. He’s not ready yet.
While Peter and Khadijah set up, Hiram opens the door, heaving an internal sigh at the grinning child before him. August is missing another tooth, his hair is an absolute mess, and he’s wearing rain boots despite the clear skies.
The always cheery boy waves with both hands. “Hi, Mr. Hiram.”
“Hello, havoc.”
“I’m August!”
Behind him, Gabriel approaches holding a container of juice. Hiram leads them out back, where a table laden with food is in the middle of his yard. At the sound of August’s footsteps, Antaris turns and grins. Undeterred by Gabriel’s request to walk, August charges down the steps and stops short of throwing himself at Antaris to ask, “Is today an okay hug day?”
Hiram doesn’t understand what he means until Antaris nods, and August proceeds to hug him tightly.
“Okay hug day?” Veda asks curiously, tousling August’s already messy hair.
“Ant doesn’t always wanna hug or play. His head gets fuzzy sometimes, so I ask, ’cause it’s polite,” August replies proudly while every adult realizes what Hiram already knows. “I’m ... Dad, what’s that word again?”
“Thoughtful,” Gabriel supplies.
“Yeah, that one!”
After August all but drags Antaris to the rocky shoreline, a moment of silence passes, then Khadijah says, “So are we just going to ignore that Antaris has already figured out how to communicate with August?”
They erupt with chatter and laughter, dissolving into theories about when it started. Veda and Peter debate while Gabriel spectates. Hiram watches Antaris and August play, struck by how naturally in tune they are with each other.
