Page 110 of Cathmoir's Sons

Rhodes shifts to press his forehead against mine again. “I love you. Both of you. All of you. Okay, Law not so much, but I appreciate what you’re saying. What you’re doing. I know Yan was depressed but I don’t think this was mental illness. What he said in his letter about not being able to find rest, about everything turning to nightmares. That’s familiar somehow. It’s teasing the back of my mind.”

It's more than teasing the back of mine. But telling him won’t absolve his guilt or help him process Yan’s death. It’s something for another time. I glance at Luca and find him watching me. He nods.

He knows, too.

We console Rhodes for another hour before coaxing him down onto the couch to rest and covering him with a blanket. Luca and I got a few more hours of sleep after Rhodes and Law left for Bevington but they must be running on fumes. Law’s slumped down in his armchair, looking as bleary and red-eyed as Rhodes.

I crouch near his chair and cup his cheek. “Have a nap, my love.”

He curls his hand over mine. “Wake me in an hour. I want a shower before we head to Torre Faro. That will wake me up.”

“I will. Thank you for watching over Rhodes.”

He stretches before crunching down into the chair. “It was bad. Carver barely has control of the scene, much less the staff. The news will be all over Bevington by now.”

“Maybe we encourage Evan a little more strongly to mentor Carver. That would, at least, keep him out of our hair.”

Law nods sleepily.

“Rest.” I run my free hand through his hair until his heavy eyelids close. “Sleep, my love.”

Once his grasp on my hand loosens, I cover him with a blanket, too.

Luca beckons to me from the kitchen. I join him in making sandwiches from crusty bread, ham, and local, aged provolone.

“Nightmares everywhere he looked,” Luca begins as he passes me rinsed and dried lettuce leaves.

“The death of sleep,” I respond. “He’s not thinking clearly right now but when he’s rested a little, he’ll remember. He’ll make the connection to the Magi of the Mists. Luca.” I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “Could I have brought a dream demon to Bevington?”

Luca shakes his head firmly. “You worked on Isla Cedros for years. You were never affected. The dream demons died a thousand years ago with the Magi of the Mists. Besides, the museum’s warded out of its ass now with the cup of Sulis Minerva there, beyond even Bevington’s wards. There’s no way a malevolent spirit could escape.”

“But Rhodes was affected the first time he walked through the exhibit. Before it even opened. And Yan was a Water mage, like Rho. What if Water mages are particularly susceptible?”

“The archeological record doesn’t support that. The Magi of the Mists were Elemental mages. They’d have documented it if Water mages were more affected by the dream demons than other Elements. The infection ran through family lines. Rho and Yan aren’t related.”

I nod as his logic calms my growing panic. “I think I have to tell Carver.”

Luca grunts. “No, he’s a tool. Tell Lords.”

“I don’t like how Evan’s involved himself with Rhodes,” I say, focusing on my hands as I cut yellow tomatoes for the sandwiches.

“Why not? What do you have against Lords?”

“Nothing,” I say before I backtrack to the truth. “He’s a crusader. In the literal sense. A paladin. I agree with the direction he’s taking the Capricorn Guild. But I’m afraid his crusades will hurt those close to him. I don’t want Rhodes caught up in Evan’s crusades.”

Luca scratches under his chin with the handle of a butter knife. “I hear what you’re saying. But I think we probably pose more danger to Lords than he poses to us. He may say that he won’t go against the Oak King, but you know that if you call on Teddy and Rachel, they’ll stand with you against anything. Lords won’t let either of them fight alone. At the very least, he’ll fight with us, but I suspect he’ll bring in the whole Guild to protect Teddy and his fiancée.”

I nod. I made those calculations already and came to the same conclusion.

“Rhodes feels things deeply. He believes in justice; he’s driven to see it done. I’m not sure Evan believes in justice anymore after his time in Karkarus.”

“Imperfect allies, then,” Luca says.

“Most allies are,” I respond, thinking of Kathu and Brangwy. “I don’t want Rhodes disillusioned because of his association with Evan.”

Luca reaches out and closes his hand around mine, giving my fingers a gentle squeeze. “You believe in justice; I believe in justice. I think we have more sway with Rho than Lords. We’ll keep his light burning bright.”

I abandon my sandwich-making to wrap my arms around Luca. “I appreciate you so much.”

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