While the child is yet unborn, both parents must reach into the child’s blood, and tithe for a mental union, much like one would do to temporarily see a family member’s thoughts. They must repeat this daily until the child is born—they will feel the effects lasting longer and longer as the child grows with the bond.

Once the child is born, the link becomes permanent.

But the side effect many theoretical texts gloss over is the effect on the child. A child born through this tithe will also be able to hear their parents. The child’s is the mind the parents’ thoughts pass through; they are the echo of the tithe. The child will hear every thought their parents share, even before they are old enough to comprehend the meanings.

Zofi swallowed hard. She thought about how strange, how painful that must be. To hear everything your parents believed, even before you could walk or talk…

There are few historical records of this tithe being performed. Those we do have indicate that the children created in this way are strong in the Arts; often impossibly so, perhaps due to the Arts that linger from their parents’ tithes in the womb.

This effect was doubled in one instance when two cousins produced such a child (see p. 320 for the story of the Ananses Hexchild).

Zofi set the book down.

She’d heard Mother tell that story before. The tale of a girl who, furious at her parents for forbidding her to marry the boy she wanted, cursed her entire lineage in one fell swoop. She died, but so did her parents and sister. Only her cousins survived to tell the tale, and even they bore lifelong scars from the curse.

Zofi always thought the story was a myth. A fairy tale to scare children away from practicing the Vulgar Arts.

Now…

Zofi snapped the book shut and stared at its cover, mind racing. A child impossibly strong in the Arts. A child of a king, who grew up with every piece of knowledge that king carried within their own mind. A child Andros could never, would never acknowledge, because how could he admit he’d disregarded his own laws, bedded his sister, and for what? A mental connection that, to Zofi, didn’t sound so important.

But a child like that sounded an awful lot like the sort of person who would curse their half sisters. Murder their father. Dub themselves the true heir.

To judge by Vidal’s commander’s message, the Keep was hunting for Rozalind. But maybe they had it all wrong.

24

Akeylah

This is Rozalind’s fault, Akeylah thought as she stood at the head of the Great Hall, Ren’s letter in her hand. She forced us into doing this.