“That’s fine,” Tenzin said. “We can talk about it later.”
“Or never. That’s okay too.”
She patted his cheek. “I don’t know what René was talking about. You have a wonderful sense of humor, Benjamin.”
24
“So then!” Sadia leaned on the desk and kicked her legs up behind her. “Kara and Owen were the last ones, and they jumped in the pool and went all the way to the bottom!”
“Really?” Ben shook his head. “That’s really dangerous.”
“I know!” Sadia’s face was glowing as she told them about her swimming party. “All the way in the deep end. That’s where Dema threw the hoops.”
Tenzin said, “The deep end is very deep.”
“I know! But Kara grabbed the red and the yellow ones—those were her colors—and she swam all the way up and she popped up” —Sadia jumped up— “and then swam to the steps, and that’s how she won the race.”
Tenzin asked, “What did she win? What was the prize?”
Sadia lifted her shoulders. “We didn’t have a prize. We were just racing.”
Tenzin frowned. “No prize?”
“That’s cool.” Ben squeezed Tenzin’s knee. No doubt the idea of a competition without something shiny at the end was messing with her brain. “You don’t need a prize. Sometimes racing is just for fun, right?”
“Yeah.” Sadia was bouncing again. “And on the trampoline, I totally won.”
“Of course you did,” Tenzin said. “You are superior to other human children.”
“But I came in last on the bikes since I just got mine and I don’t have practice like my friends. And that’s why I didn’t win in the diving race.”
Tenzin opened her mouth, but Ben jumped in. “Which is fine, because you’re going to ride your bike a lot, right? With Zain and Dema? So you can get better on your bike and have more fun.”
Sadia nodded. “And pretty soon I’m not even going to need the extra wheels anymore and Baba can take them off and then I’ll go” —she pointed her fingers into an arrow and zoomed them across the screen— “superfast!”
Tenzin turned to Ben. “So she is not holding a grudge against her playmates for besting her in the race?”
Ben shook his head. “Everyone is good at different things, Tenzin.”
Tenzin pursed her lips, and Ben could practically read her thoughts. What was the point of competing unless you were good at all the things?
“It’s fun.” He spoke quietly and grabbed her hand so she wouldn’t say anything more. “It’s fine.”
“Hmm.” Tenzin watched Sadia on the screen. “Sadia, you are taller than the last time I saw you.”
“Yeah, I’m very tall now. When are you going to be in New York again so I can come see the birds?”
“I cannot give you an exact time right now, but I will call you when I reach home unless it’s during your sleeping hours.”
“Good.” She sat in the purple chair at her desk. “Ben are you going to New York too?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll come visit you in LA.” He and Tenzin were both putting off the New York conversation. Technically, the house belonged to Ben, but he’d bought it with the intention of letting Tenzin make it her home, and she had. She’d decorated the second floor, installed a training area on the first floor and an elaborate garden on the roof. Her name wasn’t on the deed, but it was her home.
Yeah, New York was complicated.
Sadia let out a long yawn.
“I think it’s bedtime for you, kiddo.”
“It’s not though. It’s dinnertime almost.”
“Broccoli again?”
She nodded. “Are you sure you have to eat it to be a vampire?”
“Yes,” Ben said.
“Absolutely not,” Tenzin said. “That is not necessary.”
Ben quickly muted the call. “Tenzin, I’m trying to get her to eat vegetables.”
“By lying to her?”
“Yes. It’s a solid strategy. Trust me.”
Tenzin reached over and unmuted the call. “Sadia, you do not have to eat vegetables to be a vampire, but you should eat them because they will make you healthy, and your health is important for future training.”
Sadia’s eyes were wide. “What training?”
Ben just sat back and watched them. This should be interesting.
“Swords mainly. The nutrients in vegetables like broccoli will be important for building lean muscle that will enable you to wield weapons more effectively. Your natural body type does not indicate a particularly muscular frame, so you will need to be deliberate in your diet and exercise regimen.”
Sadia’s eyes were the size of saucers. “Real swords?”
“Yes.”
Oh, he’d be hearing about this one from Giovanni and Beatrice, but what could he say? It was Tenzin. And honestly, she was probably right. Sadia would probably start learning the basics of sword handling by her early teens like Ben had.
Sadia’s face brightened. “I can eat broccoli.”
“Good.” Ben jumped in. “Just eat the broccoli. It’s good for you. Don’t tell Baba and Mama about the swords.”
“Okay!” She turned and yelled, “Dema, Tenzin is gonna teach me swords!”
Tenzin bit her lip to hide the smile. “Well, she didn’t tell Baba and Mama.”
Sadia turned back to the screen. “Okay bye. I love you, Tenzin.”
“I love you too.”
“Hey,” Ben protested, but the screen went dark. He turned to Tenzin. “Nice.”
“Don’t be jealous. You didn’t offer to teach her swords.”
He spread his notes on the table in the caravan. “I don’t have a board here, so we’ll have to make do.” He stood and taped a paper with Darius’s name on it to the cabinet on the far left. “Darius.”
“Old but not ancient earth vampire.” Tenzin stared at the name. “I’d say maybe fifteen hundred years old. Near East. He knows about the goblets and their significance. I don’t see a motivation for him to take the goblet though, even if he had opportunity. He’s not hungry for power. If he took it, it would only be for sentimental value, and that’s a dangerous play with Radu.”
“Okay.” Ben stuck another paper up. “Madina.”
“Very possible,” Tenzin said. “She’s been ruling Samarkand and the surrounding territory for nearly one hundred years, but Arosh became annoyed with her and now she’s out.”
“Out of what? Territory? Time? How much did she piss Arosh off?”
“Enough that she will want to lie low for a century or two. They’ve been lovers—of course, what female in Central Asia hasn’t slept with Arosh? —but he’s pretty angry with her for cutting one of his children out of a trade deal.”
“Have you?”
She looked confused. “Why would I get involved in a trade deal?”