“My cousin,” he said, almost absently, and answered before it could ring again. “Hadrian.”
That name slid into my awareness and stayed there.
“Hadrian,” Arthur said again, voice warm but controlled. “Yes. I’m here.”
I busied myself with my plate while listening. I shouldn’t have been listening, because it was none of my business. My brain, unfortunately, did not respect those boundaries.
“I know,” Arthur continued. “I did not expect to be gone this long either.”
A pause.
“Yes. I’m safe.”
I glanced up. He was pacing slowly now, phone pressed to his ear, free hand braced at his hip. He wasn’t uncomfortable, so the conversation didn’t worry him.
“I found something,” he said. “More than I hoped for, actually.”
I froze, fork halfway to my mouth.
He talked then, carefully but openly, giving the bare facts about everything that had happened, but he left out the parts where people tried to kill us. I noticed that immediately and filed it away underProtective Omission.
Arthur gave a genuine smile.
“Yes,” he said. “It may be a turning point.”
He listened, nodding slightly, then added, “We believe the artifact is a navigational instrument. Not for direction as we understand it, but for location. It points toward something ancient. A center.”
Another pause.
“I know,” he replied. “I was cautious as well. But the evidence is sound.”
My fingers tightened around my mug.
Hadrian must have said something encouraging, because Arthur’s shoulders eased and he released a quiet breath—relief.
“I intend to follow it,” Arthur continued. “Wherever it leads.” He shifted his stance, gaze steady, voice calm. “You don’t need to worry. Just keep an eye on things at home. On my mother especially.”
That landed with weight.
“There may be people who don't want this pursued,” Arthur added. “Be alert.”
I watched him closely then. He didn’t seem uncertain. He didn’t seem reckless either. He sounded like someone who had already committed.
“I don’t need assistance,” he said. “Not yet.”
The pause that followed stretched longer than the others.
“Yes,” Arthur said at last, more slowly. “I’ll keep you informed.”
He ended the call and turned back toward me withan easy smile.
“Everything all right?” I asked.
“Very,” he said. “He’s pleased. He believes we may be close to something meaningful.”
I hesitated, then said the thing that had been tightening behind my ribs. “Are you sure it’s safe to tell him where we’re going? And what you’re finding?”
He considered the question. “Yes,” he said finally. “Hadrian is family. He has always supported me. He would be considered a beta, in the traditional sense, though we don’t use terms like that.”
