“That’s fine. Let’s sit and eat with Xan and Ellis before we get started on anything else.”
Eiri nodded his agreement, and Syrus shifted, stepping to the side so he was no longer blocking the younger man in.
“What is this room usually used for? It’s pretty,” Eiri said, looking around at the tall windows gracing the wall. It wasn’t much, as far as distractions went, but it was better than nothing.
“I’m not sure what its original purpose was, but it’s mostly forgotten about now, since it’s out of the way. A few courtiers have used it in the past, for reasons I prefer not to think of. The only people I know of who still use it regularly are mages, Ibelieve. Something about the view helping them focus?” he shrugged. “I don’t understand magic, so it could be true.”
“It’s not,” Xan chimed in over his shoulder from where he was finishing the last sigil. “They probably like it because it’s far enough away that no one would know if they accidentally set something on fire.”
Eiri laughed, so Syrus chose to forgive Xan for his comments out in the hallway. “It seems like mages and their tendency to accidentally cause fires isn’t exclusive to Canjir, then.”
“Is magic very common there?” Ellis asked, tilting his head. He always reminded Syrus of a curious puppy when he did that, not that he’d ever tell his brother that. “I’ve never heard much about Canjiri mages.”
Come to think of it, neither had he. Mages would have made his life much more of a hassle when dealing with the raiders. Why wouldn’t they use them if they had them?
“Not overly so,” Eiri said. “There are mages on the island, just like there are everywhere, but there are so few of them that they tend to stick close to home.”
“I don’t blame them. I have no desire to be in a fight,” Xan agreed. “I have basic combat experience because somebody pressured me into it.” He cast a significant glance at Syrus, who just shrugged. He wasn’t ashamed that he’d made sure his cousin could protect himself. “But I prefer a more academic path with my magic.”
“That’s a lie,” Syrus snorted. “Academic. Please. You did enough studying to get you through basic magical training, then went on with your life. I don’t think I’ve seen you open a book since then.”
“I’ve opened plenty of books since then. They’re just far more interesting than dull textbooks on ancient magic history.”
“I like ancient magic history,” Ellis murmured, his face going red when Xan reached out and patted his arm.
“I know. Without knowing Eiri very well, I’d still say you’re the smartest one in the room, darling.”
Syrus knew he needed to get them focused and back on track before his brother completely melted down. Xan likely wasn’t doing it on purpose, since he seemed to be the only person in the entire city who didn’t know how Ellis felt about him, but that didn’t help matters.
“Alright, let’s eat, then we can focus on the problem at hand before we all get distracted again,” he cut in. He slid into the seat next to Eiri, leaving the two chairs across for Ellis and Xan.
He’d packed a simple meal, nothing that required the plethora of dining utensils always set up at every meal. There were two things in particular, though, he’d asked the head cook to make specifically with Eiri in mind. Eiri, of course, noticed immediately.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he murmured, taking one of the freshly baked pork pies from the basket.
“You didn’t get to enjoy one yesterday. It seemed fair you tried one from Hilda. I guarantee hers are far better than anything that vendor could have made.”
“That doesn’t explain the fish cakes, though.”
Those had been a sudden whim, one that had garnered a few curious looks from the kitchen staff. “I don’t know much about what food you have back home, but you said you like fish, so I hope these are alright. I know Canjiri food is said to be heavy on spices, so I hope this isn’t completely bland by comparison.”
“I’m sure it’s good. It’s hard to make fish cakes bad,” Eiri said, and there was a hint of a smile, finally.
He filled a plate for himself, steadfastly ignoring the looks his brother and cousin were giving him. If they were surprised, it was their own fault for not believing him when he’d said he wanted to make peace with Eiri.
They ate in companionable silence, the lingering tension finally dissipating and allowing them to relax. Perhaps that was what gave Ellis the courage he needed to put his fork down and turn to Eiri.
“Eiri? Can I ask something?”
Eiri tilted his head, studying Ellis and looking a little confused at the hesitant way he asked. “Of course. What is it?”
Ellis hunched his shoulders, shrinking in on himself. “I don’t want to offend you, and I’m not trying to be insulting in any way,” he said quickly. Where was this nervous side of his brother coming from? He’d never seen Ellis like this, especially not in the pursuit of knowledge. Beside Ellis, Xan frowned, clearly not sure what to make of this, either.
“I won’t take it as an insult,” Eiri assured him. “I think we’re going to be friends, Ellis.”
That helped, and some of the tension bled from Ellis’ body. “I just always wondered why? Why did the Canjiri take up raiding in the first place? I’ve tried studying it, because an entire nation turning to raiding isn’t something that happens without reason, but none of the books in our library talk about it.”
“I’m not surprised,” Xan said. “Politicians will do everything in their power to make sure their mistakes never see the light of day. I imagine that’s the same in every country, especially when those mistakes lead to the mess our countries are in now.”
