“Elena does this still,” he told her quietly.

Her face softened, her eyes grew sad, and she smiled.

“I turned the Dragon this morning,” she told him.

He had no idea what that meant, but from her demeanor, she thought it was not good.

But he knew it was.

“And Frey Drakkar comes with dragons,” he informed her.

“No.” She shook her head. “The Dragon means fire, power…” She paused. “Endings.”

Yes, she thought it was not good.

“And The Drakkar comes with dragons,” he said through his teeth. “Bringing fire and power.”

“So I turned another card,” she went on as if he did not speak.

Cassius was silent.

“It was the Pegasus card. Astral travel. Flight.” She held his gaze and finished, “Freedom.”

“You’re giving up,” he accused.

“I’m giving over,” she returned.

“Which is the same as giving up,” he clipped.

“You know loss, my son, help her through it.”

“Ophelia—”

He stopped speaking when suddenly, a tear raced down her cheek and the word she spoke was as weak as her visage.

“Please.”

Cassius swallowed.

Then he declared, his voice gruff, “A great woman begot a woman who will be great.”

“I find myself annoyed with you,” she replied, “for I was ready, with no regrets, and now I am not quite ready, for I know regret, and this is that I will not know my son.”

Another punch in the chest.

“Your granddaughters will know you as if you supped with us nightly,” he swore.

“And that regret strengthens.”

Cassius fell quiet.

“You will live with love and you will die with love, that is my gift to you, my son,” she whispered.

“It will be cherished, and it will be protected, that is my promise to you, my mother,” he vowed.

She stared right in his eyes, the weakness in hers gone, all he saw was strength.

And then she said, “I’m counting on that.”

72

The Duo

Princess Serena

In an Alley, Outside the Go’Doan Temple, Notting Thicket

WODELL

Serena watched Chu run down the narrow alleyway, leap toward the wall, land halfway up it, press off it with his foot, and fly across to the wall opposite, reaching out to catch a beam under a roof.

She did this thinking she must ask him to teach her that leaping thing.

She then watched him swing from the beam until he’d rotated over it, his body disappearing under the eaves.

For her part, she was crouching under a moldy, holey blanket, the edge pulled well over her forehead. However, her visage could remain hidden and she could still see beyond it with her head dipped, looking out from under her brows.

They both stayed in place as the minutes dragged on, and not many people moved by at this time in the eve.

She was patient.

Not because it would please her Master (all right, partly because of that).

Not because it would please Chu (though it was partly because of that too).