The courtyard had emptied by the time they sat down. Riley and Robby suddenly disappeared somewhere along the way, as if giving them space.
Priest Hill had asked Priestess Donna to arrange tea and small plates of food on the stone table. He had been speaking to her, when he noticed Viscount Rabban and Garima standing across from one another, and quietly organised everything so they would sit and talk. Then he too disappeared without a word.
Garima appreciated that about him.
Viscount Rabban sat across from her. Up close, he looked less like Dylan and Ava than she had expected. The siblings must have their mother's face, she suspected. Rabban was broader and quieter. He had the air of patience surrounding him. His dark blue coat was well made without being showy.
Ava sat to his left, relaxed in posture if not entirely in expression.
Dylan sat beside Ava, looking both relieved and excited.
For the first time they both looked their age.
Garima wrapped both hands around her cup.
"I am glad you came," she said to the Viscount. "I have been wanting to meet you."
"Yes, Dylan told me," Rabban said. His voice was even, neither cold nor warm."He said you wanted to express gratitude."
"I do," Garima said. "Your children are very brave. They stood beside me without thinking about the consequences.Your family could have fallen with them. I am aware of what it could have cost."
Rabban looked at her for a moment. Then he smiled
"My family has faced worse costs," he said.
The table went quiet.
Ava's hands tightened around her cup. Dylan looked at the food.
Garima waited.
"My wife," Rabban said. "And my eldest daughter Lilia." He said it with the dull weight of old grief. Something that became permanent. "A carriage accident. Ten years ago."
"I am sorry," Garima said.
She meant it. She said it simply without adding anything because there was nothing she could to add.
Rabban nodded once. Then continued.
"My son Darius is the heir now," he said. "He manages things well. He is steady." He paused for a brief second. "Dylan and Ava came here not long after. To be with Priestess Aila and her son. Priestess Aila was my wife Yeril's friend" He glanced at Dylan. "I did not fight it. Aila is a good woman. Evan is a good priest. They needed a mother's affection and the kind of love I could not give them at the time."
Dylan said nothing, but his shoulders eased slightly.
"I understand," Garima said.
Rabban looked back at her. "Do you?"
It was not quite a question.
"You are here now," Garima said.
A small smile touched Viscount Rabban's face.
"Yes," he said. "I am here now."
For a while they drank tea without speaking. The sounds of the shrine moved around them—distant footsteps, bells from the east corridor.
Then Rabban said — "The incident."
Garima set her cup down.
"I heard about it," he said. "What you said to him. How you said it." He watched her steadily. "You provoked him deliberately."
"Yes," Garima said.
"That is what put my children in danger."
"I would not have let any harm come to them."
"I heard about the lightning," he said. "That you are protected by the Goddess.But still as a parent I am worried. They may yet pay a heavier price for following you."
"Yes." She paused. "I understand your concern. My way was wrong. I will not apologise for the goal, but I am sorry about the cost."
Rabban studied her for a moment. Then he smiled.
"That is an honest answer," he said.
"I try," Garima said.
"However this incident was different," Viscount Rabban said .He glanced at Dylan, then at Ava. "Dylan touched something he should not have. He was curious. He made a choice." He paused. "And Ava blamed you for it."
Ava went very still.
"That was not your fault," Rabban said, this time to Garima. Then he turned to Ava. "And you know that."
Ava's jaw tightened.
"I know," she said quietly.
No one spoke for a moment.
Garima looked down at her cup. She thought about saying something—about fear, about anger, about how quickly love could turn into blame when someone you cared about got hurt. She had a younger brother. If something happened to him she would not be rational either.
She said none of it.
"I was scared," Ava said. "When I saw his hand, I didn't think. I just—"
Dylan stayed silent beside her.
"Ava," Garima said.
Ava looked up.
"It's alright," Garima said.
Simple. Just that. Alright.
Ava looked at her for a long moment, her eyes bright.
"I am sorry," Ava said.
"I know," Garima said.
She almost reached out. The impulse was there, she picked up her cup instead and looked out at the courtyard.
It wasn't fixed. But it was better.
Ava looked away too.
Dylan was watching both of them with obvious relief.
Rabban watched Garima for a moment longer.
"You are an unusual person," he said.
"I have been told," Garima said.
The corner of his mouth moved.
"Take care of them," he said. Simple and direct.
"I will," Garima said.
She meant it.
---
Rabban left after the evening bells. Dylan and Ava walked him to the carriage. Garima stayed at the stone table and watched the foldgrazers shift their weight and the coachman check the harness. Rabban paused at the carriage door and said something to Dylan that made the boy stand straighter.
Then the carriage moved. Dylan and Ava stood watching until it turned the corner.
Ava glanced back at Garima once. Their eyes met.
Then Ava looked away and walked inside with Dylan beside her.
Garima stayed where she was a moment longer. The courtyard had gone quiet
The tea had gone cold. The plates were mostly untouched.
She thought about what Viscount Rabban said.
Take care of them.
Then she thought about Domnur.
If she was going to drag people into this. She could at least do it properly.
She got up and went to find Renya.
---
Renya was in the guest room off the east corridor, the one Agatha had assigned her. The door was open. She sat on the edge of her bed, oiling a sword with slow, methodical care. Her red hair was tied back.She didn't look up immediately when Garima knocked on the open door.
Then she did.
"Your Holiness," she said, rising to her feet. "To what do I owe your presence?"
"Sit," Garima said. "I won't be long."
Renya sat again and waited with a neutral expression.
Garima looked at her for a moment.
She had written this girl in broad strokes once. A protagonist. Someone destined for battles and a name that would mean something. Brave and stubborn and occasionally reckless, and not much thought beyond that.
Sitting here now, Renya looked like a person. Garima kept having to remind herself of that.
"We are going to Domnur," Garima said. "I do not have the King's permission yet, but I expect it soon. When it arrives, we leave quickly. Be ready to travel on short notice."
Renya looked at her.
"How short?" she asked.
"Possibly tomorrow."
Renya was quiet for a moment.
"Domnur," she repeated. Calculating what they had agreed to and deciding whether the terms still held. "And you are telling me this now."
"Yes."
"If it's as your face suggests." Renya said "Then I assume it's important."
"Yes." She said, "It is."
"Understood," she said. "I will be ready."
Garima nodded.
She was halfway down the east corridor when she heard Zihan's voice from the direction of the council hall.
"Garima," he said. "Agatha is looking for you at the council hall."
The council hall felt different with only four people in it.
Hill stood at the head of the table. Agatha sat to his left — which was unusual, Hill rarely sat in the council hall, he preferred the courtyard. Ruslan stood near the window. He had a letter in his hand.
Garima looked at the letter.
"That was fast," she said.
"It arrived an hour ago," Agatha said.
"I sent my letter this morning."
"Yes," Agatha said.
No one spoke for a moment.
Garima looked at Ruslan. "So permission granted"
"Yes," Ruslan said. He held the letter out to her. "With conditions. I go with you. You report back within a fortnight. And you do nothing to escalate the political struggle."
Garima took the letter and read it.
It said exactly what Ruslan told her.
She had sent a letter this morning. The King had responded within hours. For a royal correspondence that required reading, consideration, drafting and dispatch that was not normal. That was not how kingdoms moved.
She folded the letter.
"He was expecting this," she said.
"Yes," Agatha said. Her voice was flat. But her concern at plainly in her expression
Hill said nothing. He was looking at the table with his hands folded. He didn't look disappointed the way he had the day she collapsed, but he looked unhappy.
Agatha met Garima's eyes. "You are not physically ready. Sir Ruslan's training has barely begun. You collapsed—"
"I won't fight," Garima said. "I have no reason to."
"You didn't even discuss it," Agatha said. "You decided everything on your own."
Garima said nothing.
Agatha's mouth tightened. "Do you know how tired I am of this?"
Garima blinked.
"I am serious," Agatha said. "You keep making decisions, but you won't be the only one to bear the consequences of them. If something happens to you in Domnur. We will be the ones left behind to deal with it. Don't forget you are associated with the shrine."
The room went quiet.
Garima looked at her.
"I am sorry," Garima said after a moment. "You would not have let me go."
"No," Agatha said. "I would not have."
"Which is why I did not ask."
"This is not the defence you think it is."
"You are going anyway," Agatha said.
Garima almost smiled. "I know."
Hill looked up at last.
"Domnur is not safe now," he said. "The political situation there is not stable. You know this. You saw the vision too. You know what Lawrence wrote. This is not something you can solve."
"I know I told Agatha what I saw," Garima said. "Which is exactly why I have to go before it gets worse." She paused, then took a breath. "If I wait for perfect conditions, I will arrive after something irreversible."
Hill looked at her for a long moment.
Then he looked back at the table.
He did not agree. She could see that clearly. He also was not going to argue further.
Agatha exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We have a condition too." She said, "A guard. Zihan is going."
"Isn't he a healer?" Garima asked.
"He can use the sword too." Hill said.
Garima looked at Ruslan.
Ruslan looked back at her.
"Yes," he said. "You may take two or three people with you."
"Zihan asked to come," Agatha said. "He came to me before he went to call you." She paused. "Which means he knew you were planning something."
"He notices things," Garima said.
"Yes," Agatha said. "He does."
Garima folded the letter again.
"Then it will be me, Sir Ruslan, Zihan and Renya."
"Renya?"
"Yes."
Agatha was quiet for a moment. In the end she only said. "Do not make me regret allowing you."
Garima almost pointed out it wasn't up to her. She decided for the sake of peace, not to.
Dylan found her in the corridor outside the council hall.
Zihan must have told Ava. And she must have told him.
"You're going to Domnur," he said.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning, most likely."
He was quiet for a moment. His hand was still bandaged, held slightly away from his side.
"I want to come," he said.
"Your hand is not healed," she said. "You need to stay here with Ava."
"Ava can handle—"
"Dylan,"
He stopped.
She looked at him, then at the bandage around his hand.
"Just stay here for now," she said. "Not because you can't fight. Because you can. And I know exactly what you will do if something goes wrong."
Dylan looked at her.
"So that's it," he said. "You are blaming yourself."
"Yes," she said honestly. "But that's not the reason I am not taking you. Please just stay quietly and recover."
He was quiet again.
"Who is going?" he asked at last.
"Zihan, Renya and Sir Ruslan."
"Ruslan doesn't care—" He cut himself off. "You nearly died."
"What a dramatic retelling," she said. "I did not."
Dylan did not smile.
"I am worried," he said. He pressed his mouth into a thin line. "I don't trust Ruslan. Or that girl."
"I know," she said.
She looked at him for a moment. This boy who had stood in front of a king with a drawn sword, who had sat outside her door when she was injured, who had once admitted, without embarrassment, that he got jealous easily.
She had the urge again to ruffle his hair. So she did. He almost leaned into her touch.
"I will come back," she said. "Take care of Ava. She's probably furious again."
"You bet," he muttered.
"Yes," she agreed. "Take care of yourself."
Dylan looked at her for a long moment. Then he looked away, jaw tight.
"Fine," he said.
Dylan nodded and walked away down the corridor with his bandaged hand still held slightly away from his side.
Garima watched him go.
Then she went to find Riley.
—
He was in his quarters when she found him.
"Riley."
He looked up at once. "What happened?"
"I am leaving for Domnur tomorrow morning," Garima said. "I need you to go to Scholar Nela starting tomorrow. Tell her our plans have moved up."
Riley stared at her. "Tomorrow morning?"
"Yes."
"I'll go," he said immediately. "What do you need me to learn?"
"Her notes. And whatever she knows about it. Concentration, preparation, what destroys the property and what preserves it."
Riley nodded quickly, already moving in his head.
Then he paused. "You're not taking me?"
"No."
He looked disappointed for half a second, then pointed at her. "Fine. Then you better come back."
"That seems to be the general consensus," Garima said.
Riley's expression softened. "Good."
Garima left him there and headed back toward her own room.
Tomorrow morning, she would leave for Domnur.
The King had been expecting this. Nothing about that was comforting.
Good, she thought. She shouldn't be.
She still had too much to prepare.
Orb padded along beside her. She bent to pick him up, and he allowed it as if granting a favour.
Garima carried him the rest of the way to her room.
Tomorrow they would leave.