* * *
Stevane
I brush Jhe h'Lete's hair away from his forehead as he sleeps. Sleep may not be the best word for this, considering that he more or less passed out a few minutes ago. Unkie hasn't gotten up out of his chair yet, but he's keeping a close eye on Elete from where he's sitting. I peer as far as I can. He's so guarded, even while asleep. I do have one advantage, however - since I act as Poet for the King so often, his mind and mine are somewhat connected by default, especially when I'm on duty. It's helped me get a feel of just what he's been experiencing.
Still... "I can't see in."
My Uncle nods. "What did you pick up off of him before he nodded off, Stevane?"
"Some pain, but more than that, the dizziness and confusion growing at an alarming rate. Then, shortly before he passed out, he was feeling crushed. Smothered. Surrounded. He wasn't afraid of it, though, which confused him." I swallow. I don't particularly want to say the next part. "When it was happening, it felt familiar to him. He remembered it happening not too long ago. That might be why he was so calm. He was bearing through it because he'd done it before." I pause to breathe calmly for a few moments. I'm really trying not to panic. "He's been...out quite a bit, the past few days. Resting in his quarters. This was happening to him then. He wasn't asking for help."
Unkie just looks so...damn disappointed. I can't help but feel at fault. I should have been sterner with Jhe h'Lete. It's so difficult, though. He was almost like a Father to me when I was little. I try to be like Daddy and keep command of the situation, but...Jhe h'Lete is my King, too.
"I just don't know what to do, Unkie. I...this job..."
"Come here." Unkie stands up. I walk to him and he hugs me. It makes it a little bit better. "This isn't your fault. This also isn't your job. You did what you were supposed to by getting him somewhere safe and not letting him sulk off on his own again. Stop assigning yourself someone else's duties." He lets go of me, looking down at my face. "Now. Go take your brother shopping."
I blink. Lyric looks up. "What?" We say it in unision.
"He can't very well wear that Aurocan uniform every day of the week. Go grab your Aunt Muriel. He's in town, you know. I bet you missed that because you were working so hard, but he misses you and I know he'd love to see his nephew Lyric. Now, go on. Your Father and Katherine will be here soon, and they're experts when it comes to getting the Jhe h'Logos back in good health. There's no sense in you both holing up in here, especially when Lyric's just gotten back home." He pauses for a moment. "Oh, and here. It's on me. Go get some coffee or something while you're at it."
Lyric's eyes widen at the amount of silver Unkie hands me. "Um, I...th-thank--"
"So modest! Now go on and spend it all in one place." He grins. "Out! Before I summon the guards to kick you out!"
My brother and I shuffle out, Lyric still boggling at seeing that much silver. I'm going to guess he's seen some slim days in his years as a runaway. As we leave, I sense Lute slide out behind us, cloaked in shadows.
I wonder who thought Lyric rated a bodyguard today.
* * *
Gerald
* * *
When I arrive in Unkie's suite, my arms are full of papers and journals. Either Camden did quite a lot of logging while on mission (not something that would surprise me) or Father didn't notice just how much paperwork was stacked on his desk. His eyebrows lift as I heave the whole pile over to him. "I tried to bring it all, since I didn't know which of them you wanted."
Uncle clears off a desk for me, and I gratefully set the whole load down, trying not to make more of a mess of the pile of sheets. Father gives it a cursory look-over, then looks back over at the couch.
I grimace once I see how much paler the Jhe h'Logos has gotten. "How is he?"
Father just draws his lips tight, jaw clenched, and watches Katherine lay her hands against Jhe h'Logos's forehead.
Uncle sighs and leans against the wall, looking over at Elete with obvious concern. "He's been out for awhile. I sent your siblings out to get some air...and lighten their spirits a bit. No sense everyone glowers in my room."
Father touches my elbow. "Gerald? Help me go through this. Katherine's going to be at it for awhile." He and I lean over the desk. "Try sorting them out. I'm sorry my desk was such a mess. Everything's...a mess right now." He sighs under his breath, more a growl than an exhalation.
I try to do as instructed, but I can't help looking up at him. He meets my eyes, then recognizes what's on my mind. "...I'm sorry, Gerald. I want to talk with you, but I've been brushing you off, haven't I? ...Later, after dinner--"
"I just want to know what's going on, Dad." I know my tone is petulant but I'm tired of getting shushed when it comes to Jhe h'Logos and his jailed brother. I spent a long time incarcerated by Ebrellin-i and I feel I have a right to know what's going on. All I've gotten for my work and strife so far have been bruises and brushoffs.
Father frowns a little, and I realize that he's seeing all of that go through my head. Fine, that's all well enough. At least he knows now. He shakes his head. "We need to talk about what's going on." He looks up at Katherine. "As soon as she's finished, and as soon as we've read over this. I haven't even gone over all the notes Jhe Camden's sent me yet, and considering what's been happening over there..." he sighs. "You need to make your own report, but you were in the Jhe h'Logos's division for this mission, so I haven't drilled you on it as I normally would have. Still, any commentary you may have on what you read would be very useful, I am sure." He frowns.
I frown too.
"That's not Jhe Camden's writing."
I pick up the papers, carefully clipped together behind Camden's logs. They look as if they've been cut out of a journal. "This is Lyric's writing."
"...Really." Father takes the papers from me.
"Ah yes. Your boy's quite the budding writer, it seems." Uncle Lui grins.
A sigh. "So I've heard." He flips back a corner and looks over the next page.
"He um...picked up writing when I couldn't. That's what he told me in Audiva Rocale. I uh...it might be pretty bad. It was pretty crazy--"
Father holds a finger up to his lips. "I'll look at it myself. Thank you." He pauses once more before reading. "...Where are your writings?"
I lift my eyebrows. I knew I'd forgotten something. "I stashed them with my Arms as I wrote, so..." I flip my hand and lift the papers out of a pocket of hidden space. "Here. The last page is missing since the Jhe o'Audiva Rocale caught me while I was writing it, but there wasn't anything of much consequence on it. I'd only written a sentence about his daughters."
Father pins me with a look I can't read at all. "Oh?"
"I...was looking through his genealogies, since I thought I should know who to keep an eye out for. He got me before I could get far with that."
Father shakes his head. "You should have known better. Here. Read through these. Jennelcia and Jhe Rachella's are in here as well." He glances down, rolls his eyes, then passes some papers to Uncle. "Jaxhelshon's."
We get to reading as Katherine goes on with her work.
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