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Jacob chuckled.

“My name is Callum.” Callum’s voice was full of a soft humor. “The second son of King Elias Addis.”

“Do you have an animal form?” Sloane asked with blatant curiosity.

Jacob grimaced. “My heart, that’s not a polite thing to ask of a stranger.”

Callum laughed, just a bit, before Sloane could do more than frown. “I do not. My father is Sylvorian, and my mother was Servusi. I possess some of their magics, but neither give me the ability to take an animal shape.”

Was?

Before any of us could respond, there was a knock on a door that pulled Sloane and Jacob’s attention.

“We must go,” Jacob said.

Sloane sighed. “We’re helping Nolan put together the equinox celebration for tomorrow. It’s an all-day thing, I’ve gathered. But at least we’re not one of the groups that has a sunrise tradition. I hate mornings.”

Jacob laughed again. “Marish is one that has a sunrise invocation, my heart.”

Sloane’s blush was fast and dark.

“Have a good time,” I said, pulling the attention away from the difference in traditions.

Sloane focused between one breath and the next. “We’re going to be really busy the next few days. I’ll call you when I have a chance?”

It hit me all at once, just how happy my sister was. She didn’t need me to make sure she was safe or content or fulfilled. She’d found that all on her own while also navigating a brand new realm.

“Sounds good.” I kept my voice light even as a homesickness I hadn’t felt the last few days roared up and tried to steal my breath. Somehow, I managed a mostly-believable smile. “Love you.”

Her smile was as bright as the sun on a July day.

“Oh, I love you, too, Mimi. So much.”

Then the picture in the frame twisted as Sloane deactivated the contact. Between one second and the next, the mirror became completely innate, reflecting back Callum and me and the fountain behind us. His face was soft, that curiosity brightening his eyes again.

Before he could say anything, I asked, “Sunrise invocation?”

I eased to my feet, adjusting the small leather flat as it tried to slip off my heel. My hands trembled as I grabbed the mirror and the book. Callum stood with me, those few inches again between us.

“I intended to explain the tradition today.” When I glanced over at him, he traced my jaw with the same featherlight touch, like he couldn’t help it. “Are you feeling up to it? Or do you want a chance to readjust?”

Don’t let me be alone with my thoughts.

“I’m fine.”

His gaze bore into me, and I could have sworn he saw straight through me, saw into that part of me that had never known anything but being Sloane’s protector and now was flailing, trying to find some other reason for existence. I didn’t want to think about it today, didn’t want to sort through the boxes of emotions I still hadn’t unpacked over the last few weeks.

He nodded then circled my wrist and guided me into one of the smaller sittings rooms just off the inner garden.

33

CALLUM

Amethyst was a calm presence beside me as we made our way into the Collective Basilica in the early morning darkness, surrounded by the most devout of the city. Her hand was light in the crook of my elbow, and she kept her head high even as she navigated the stairs. Amaria walked on her other side, her gaze sharp as she readied to help adjust Amethyst’s dress. The scribes greeted us at the large double doors, their hands held even wider than their smiles as they urged us inside the foyer.

In the center of the foyer was the dais, risen above the rest of the floor by several inches. On it, the altar was adorned with a plain white cloth and the symbols of Freia’s blessings: herbs like basil, cinnamon, and rosemary cultivated in the basilica’s greenhouse over the winter as well as dried pomegranate blossoms. In large vases on either side of the altar were snowdrops in full bloom.

Surrounding the dais on three sides were rows of benches with small aisles separating them. Along the edge of the foyer were hundreds of small candles arranged in standing candelabras, their tiny flames coalescing into a large, warm light. Fire jars sat at the edges of the benches along the entire aisle, too, their flames larger.