Page 94 of Blood Sanctuary, Part Two

“And when you come through it,” Lyros said, “we shall initiate you into our Trial circle, just as we did each other last year.”

At last Cassia accepted the bloodstained page from Lio. “I thought this was supposed to be a present for all of you.”

“It is,” Nodora said without hesitation.

“We’ve been through so much together already,” Cassia said. “Thank you for standing by me. I will always stand by you.”

“You’ve proved that over and over,” Lyros told her with a smile.

“There isn’t a Hesperine in Orthros who wouldn’t be proud to count you a Trial sister,” Mak said. “Good thing we got to you first.”

Lio kissed Cassia’s temple and settled back on their bench with her. Her emotions, fraught from so much recognition, gave way once more to the ease of contentment among friends.

“So, Lio,” Kia said as they all settled down to their coffee, “about the Akron’s Torch.”

Nodora looked from Lio and Cassia to Mak. “Perhaps we should save that topic for another night.”

Kia ignored her. “Where was it?”

“Now that you mention it,” Xandra interrupted, “why did you even invite me tonight? You could have just lit all these with the Torch.” She waved one of the extra decorative tapers that still filled her pockets, and the wick caught on fire.

Kia jumped. “Not in the library!”

“I only made a promise about your mother’s library.” Xandra waved a second taper, which burst into flame and dripped wax on the coffee table. “Oops.”

Lio thought she had saved them from the dire topic of conversation, but Kia was too stubborn. Of course.

Kia turned back to Lio. “I insist you let me be the first to read your treatise on how you rediscovered the artifact.”

Lio drummed his fingers on his knee. “What treatise?”

“The one you’re going to write, documenting the research that led you to it, of course,” Kia replied.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to direct all your inquiries to Kassandra,” Lio said. “I borrowed it from her.”

“That silk box,” Lyros said in realization. “The one she put it in at the end of the Circle…”

Mak’s eyes widened. “It’s the one she keeps under her loom.”

“You just noticed?” Xandra laughed. “I recognized it the minute she brought it to the podium. Imagine, it was there all that time, and none of us knew. It’s…comforting, actually. I couldn’t even sense it. That just goes to show my fire magic doesn’t have anything to do with war magic.”

What did that say about Lio’s ability to hold the artifact without flinching? “Like calls to like, doesn’t it?”

Try as he might, Lio could not push away the clamor of the hostage negotiation.

How dare you bring the Akron’s Torch within the Firstblood Circle!

…the dreadful consequences of that Torch…youthful recklessness…blind idealism…destruction…

One day you and I will meet with that Torch between us, and not for a negotiation. You will not be so proud of it when I use it to immolate you on the Akron’s Altar.

Lio and Cassia looked at each other at the same time.

“If like calls to like…” she repeated.

“…the key to the Dexion’s box may be right in our hands,” Lio finished.

THE KEY

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