Reaching the terrace, she stopped for a moment and looked around. The stone rail needed cleaning, but the paved floor was swept. The views of the city were still breathtaking, and she could clearly see the temples, the library, the lyceum, and the agora. The marble columns at the cliff-top Temple of Aldus made her remember the moment when she’d first discovered that Dion had eldran blood. Even the terrace itself carried memories: she’d experienced an earthquake that nearly killed her sister while standing in this very spot.

Finally Chloe dispelled the memories. She tore her eyes away from the view and walked toward the open doorway, leaning in as she peered inside. ‘Hello?’

She heard a shriek that made her smile. Then suddenly her sister was running at her with arms open, grabbing hold of her tightly. ‘You’re back!’

‘Of course.’ Chloe returned Sophia’s hug. ‘I promised you I would be.’

Sophia looked well; her wounds had healed and she was no longer clad in a novice’s uniform, instead wearing an embroidered silk chiton with a pale-blue ribbon in her hair, the color of the sky.

She dragged Chloe inside, leading her by the hand. A moment later a tall, broad-shouldered man with close-cropped curly hair and craggy skin appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, his hands dusty with flour. Amos looked abashed at his own palms as he quickly wiped them on his expensive silk tunic.

‘Like a pair of twins,’ he said, grinning and shaking his head.

‘Uncle Amos! Chloe’s twice my size,’ Sophia protested.

‘Perhaps not that different, Sophia. You’re growing more quickly than you know. Chloe, please, come in, come in . . .’ Amos looked anxious. ‘You know I don’t have to invite you in? This is your home too.’ He glanced at his hands. ‘We were making meal cakes,’ he said, smiling apologetically. ‘If I’d known you were coming . . .’

‘I wanted to surprise you both,’ Chloe said, returning his smile.

‘Dion and Isobel?’ Amos asked. Sophia bit her lip, facing Chloe as she waited for her to respond.

‘Dion was well enough, last I saw him,’ Chloe said, choosing her words carefully. ‘In truth, I have a long story to tell.’

‘Uncle Amos, can Chloe have her old room again?’ Sophia asked.

‘Of course she can.’

Despite Amos’s protestations, Chloe wrapped her arms around him, ignoring all the flour. She then held him back to stare into his face. ‘I almost forgot. Congratulations on your appointment, First Consul.’

‘Please, don’t call me that,’ Amos said. He sobered as he looked around the reception. ‘In this house, it’s your father who will always be first consul.’

‘I can feel him here too,’ Chloe said sadly. ‘I keep expecting him to come in and start waving his arms, ranting on about one vote or another.’