Page 86 of Scars Beneath a Serpent’s Scales

Before they entered, Nico put a hand on his shoulder. “You still haven’t told Emmeline we’re related to the Temple Master?”

“No.” Roremar grimaced.

“Maybe you should? She’s bound to find out, and she didn’t seem too keen on deception when I first met her.”

A part of him knew Nico was right, but a larger part of him didn’t want to open up his complex relationship with his uncle to scrutiny. Emmeline would likely be mad, though.

Roremar sighed. “Maybe.” He strode into the kitchen before Nico could prod more.

“Uncle,” Roremar greeted. His mother and Leo were seated atop wooden stools at the island, Aldryn leaning against the counter, his clothes perfectly tailored as always, though Leo’s pants were about an inch too short, and their mother had already let out the hems.

Roremar kissed his mother on the cheek, adding to his uncle, “What brings you here?”

“How are the preparations treating you?” he asked.

“Good. Nico and I are heading to Desmond’s soon. We leave early tomorrow, and it’s closer to the docks.” Plus, he’d sworn to protect Emmeline day and night.

“I can’t believe you’re going to Alvan,” Leo gushed. He spun toward their uncle, the same wavy hair Roremar and Nico bore flopping over his ears, though Leo’s was a few shades lighter. “Did you know they have a museum—well, they have lots since they’re dedicated to the arts and magical studies—but there’s one that supposedly has real sculptures carved by Aevollon himself using chisels crafted from actual stars.”

“I did, my boy,” Aldryn said, smiling fondly. “I’ve seen them myself, too.”

“Really?” Leo’s attention snapped to Roremar. “If you see them you have to tell me all about them. Maybe Desmond can draw them for me.”

“Sure thing, kid.” Roremar exchanged a glance with his mother, her eyes sparkling at her youngest son’s curiosity about the world. The same soft smile on her lips as Aldryn, her brother.

Though she was quiet, it was refreshing to see her happy instead of worn out or in pain. Instead of drowning in her own grief and loneliness.

At the thought of that word, hazel eyes flashed through his memory again. His chest ached, but Leo’s enthusiastic babbling about the wonders of Alvan soothed it. Aldryn listened to every word, teaching him even more.

While Roremar couldn’t get himself to release the grudge entirely, he supposed it was good his uncle was here now, even if he hadn’t always been. He couldn’t take that for granted.

“Leo,” their mother finally said, “I think it’s time you go up to bed. Let your brothers talk to your uncle a bit before their journey.”

Reluctantly, Leo said a drawn-out goodnight, spewing facts with every stair he climbed. It was exactly that innocence that Roremar wanted to nurture. Every time one of his siblings displayed it so unabashedly, his resolve to protect them solidified—through whatever means necessary.

“Be safe, you two,” Roremar’s mother said, kissing Nico on the cheek, then him. To Roremar, she added, “You’ll take care of him?”

Nico scoffed as if to say, I’m an adult, but Roremar nodded. “Always do.”

She took her leave, and then it was just Roremar, Nico, and Aldryn. A heaviness hung in the air, anticipation itching along Roremar’s skin.

“Why are you really here?” he asked. The mystlights in the kitchen were dim, the one above the worktable flickering, but he swore he saw a flash of uncertainty pass across the Temple Master’s face.

“I’ve got the letter that will grant you access to the Alvan Accords.” Aldryn pulled an envelope from an inner pocket of his cloak and handed it to Roremar.

“Thank you,” he said, tucking it into his pocket.

Falliare’s expression hardened. “This culprit has been getting closer. First with Miss DeLeoste, then the recent victim at the Academy. I think they know you are getting closer, as well. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that scared them into action.”

His stare probed Roremar, and he had the sudden feeling of being exposed. Vulnerability scratched at his throat, the instinct to look away nearly overpowering.

But he held his uncle’s firm gaze.

“Maybe that’s what we need,” Roremar suggested. “Get them to slip up. Either way, we’re taking every precaution necessary. That’s why Desmond and Nico are both coming. We won’t let Emmeline leave our sight, and she’s prepared to read in regular intervals throughout the day, so we’ll be alert to anything nefarious waiting in the star paths.”

As long as the fucking cruel Fates were willing to divulge it.

“And you’ve secured lodgings?” Aldryn verified.