“Ah.” He smiled faintly. “I could. I might. But then I would have to choose, and I would really rather belong to all of you.”
“Truly?”
“Mostly.” Lapis fiddled with the rings on his fingers. “I will acknowledge that adoption would be the most sensible course for someone like me.”
Lilya thought she understood. “You don’t want to be sensible?”
“No.” He laughed and sighed and shook his head.
“What is the secret wish of your heart?” Lilya took a receptive posture. “You don’t have to say. But I’ve found it helps to know that. About yourself.”
Lapis smiled warmly. “Those who know me well know that I do not wish to remain a bachelor forever.”
“You want a harem? Brides from east and west, north and south?”
“One bride would suffice. If she can be found.”
“That would be good,” Lilya agreed. “Not me, though.”
He warbled his surprise. “Certainly not! I will probably always see you as a daughter.”
Lilya challenged, “Even when I look older than you?”
“How forward thinking. A sister, perhaps?”
She nodded approvingly. “I’d like having both you and Kyrie for brothers.”
Lapis inclined his head, but his smile was quizzical. “What put such an idea in your head?”
Before she could tell him about Glint’s ridiculous list and her decisive countermeasure, something else occurred to her. “I need to know something, please. It’s important.”
“By all means.” Lapis sat upon his step, folded his hands, and waited.
Not for the first time, it occurred to Lilya that a dragon’s full attention was dazzling, even if you were mostly used to it. She firmed her posture and began. “Tenma Subaru is your apprentice.”
“He is.” Lapis inquired, “Did you meet him here?”
“Yes.”
“I will seek him out in due course.”
Lilya asked, “Do mentors have to give their blessing when it’s time for them to marry?”
He pouted thoughtfully. “The boy is dear to me, and I wish to see him happily settled. No easy task, given his temperament. He longs for deep connections, and he deserves to be cherished. Yet he is tossed about by the plans of others. It is not that his trust is misplaced, but … he underestimates himself. As his mentor, I would certainly step in if I thought he was making an unwise decision. Or put a word in Harmonious’ ear. He has more in the way of experience where females are … ah.” Lapis stopped himself and waved a hand. “I apologize for rambling on. Did you have a question for me, Lilya child?”
“Yes. Will you give me your blessing?”
“For …?”
“Tenma-san. I chose him.” Pointing back the way they came, she added, “I was going to ask Glint to write my offer.”
Lapis quietly asked, “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Feeling suddenly uncertain, she mumbled, “If Tenma-san doesn’t like it, he can always shred it and burn it.”
“I am not discounting you. Give me a moment to consider.” But even as he said it, Lapis gently lifted her hands, as if to kiss her knuckles. “This is unexpected.”
She nodded and silently studied the dragon’s manicure. Today, his claws looked as if they’d been carved from his namesake stone, with the tips lightly dipped in gold.
“Lilya.” He waited for her to meet his gaze. “I have no firsthand experience with bonding and matrimony, but I am no stranger to contracts and the diplomacy required to appease all sides in the most complex of arrangements. And … I am no stranger to you. Would you allow me to act as your go-between?”
Oh. That was smart. Really smart.
Flinging her arms around him, she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Is that yes?” he asked in teasing tones. “I should not have to tell you that having a dragon to speak for you is both rare and majestic.”
Lilya nodded. “Please, speak for me.”
“I will win the whole world to your side.”
He was probably forgetting about Mum. But there was time, so she smiled and said, “One groom would suffice.”
FORTY-NINE
Every Tool
Kyrie liked games, and he was eager to play in one that could test his limits. Even so, he couldn’t see how this game was fair. “But, Sinder, I know your scent. Very well.”
“Do you think trackers go into a hunt nose-blind?” He indicated Torloo. “Kith and Kindred alike have learned my scent.”
“Spikenard is distinctive,” he protested.
Sinder rolled his eyes. “Rely on that, and you’ll be chasing decoys for days.”
Kyrie appreciated the warning. But did he truly understand? “You are covered in sigils.”
“Knowing where I am and getting to where I am are winds apart,” countered Sinder. “And before you try to tell me that the winds are in your favor, remember this. Every hunter uses every tool at their disposal to achieve their goal. Do you remember what yours is?”
“Find you?”
“You’ll find me over and over,” Sinder said. “Anyone can find me. Briefly.”
“Catch you?”
Sinder arched a brow. “Define catch. Because catching me unawares isn’t the same as keeping me.”
Kyrie backed up and used the language he’d heard earlier. “Track and restrain.”
“Let’s find out if you can,” urged Sinder. “And don’t look so down. I want to test your skills, but it’s really just a game. Maybe you’ll have fun.”
“I will not hurt you,” Kyrie promised.
“I won’t give you the chance.” Sinder’s expression softened, and he gently ordered, “Close your eyes and count to three.”
The instant Kyrie’s eyes were closed, he knew Sinder was away. Even so, he dutifully spoke to the sudden emptiness at his side. “One … two … three.”
Kyrie’s pursuit began at a stroll. Everything had happened in such short order, he needed time to think.
His unintended snooping among the maps had given him sufficient grasp of the terrain. Sinder’s greater familiarity with these treed slopes and rocky outcroppings would definitely give him an advantage, but Kyrie wasn’t without resources. Use every tool. That’s what Sinder had said. So Kyrie pondered his kit.
Surprise was a tool.
Maybe he was wrong about the spikenard and sigils giving him an unfair advantage. Sinder’s swift dismissal made Kyrie feel a little less guilty for failing to mention that Sinder still carried Timur’s crystal. The one that anchored the healing sigilcraft. He’d swallowed it.
What else did he have to work with?
Surprise was a tool. So was patience. And he wasn’t ready to dismiss scent. Not when the winds were so willing to carry them.
Sigilcraft was one area in which Kyrie excelled, and it seemed unlikely that Sinder knew the extent of Kyrie’s skills. Especially since he rarely displayed all he could do.