A/N: This is the first of two chapters posted today!

Anur was debating between going straight to sleep now that Kir had passed out or having his own scrub down beforehand. He knew he needed to choose the latter option, doing otherwise when Kir had put the effort into cleaning off before sleeping despite his injuries would be counterproductive in the extreme, but he could pretend there were options.

:Hansa says Solaris needs a word – it will be quick,: Aelius said quietly.

Anur grimaced, but headed for the hallway. At least she was waiting by the door, rather than somewhere he'd have to go and find her.

"A few things," she said, expression sympathetic but with no hesitation or regret. Good, he had no patience for that right now. Giving her a curt nod, he stepped back and let her into his and Kir's room; even if this conversation didn't directly refer to something they didn't want anyone who happened to enter the hallway to overhear, he was too tired to stay on top of not referring to the things he shouldn't yet. Best not to risk it, especially today.

"First," Solaris murmured, "Holiness Jaina says she has some ideas for a safeguard ward that will replace Kari's working – at least for the duration of the Conclave meetings, she admits it likely won't work for smaller rooms than the Hall, it apparently relies on the main Hall's lack of immediately ignitable materials."

"I will gladly take it," Anur muttered, slumping in relief. Worst come to worst, they could grab bedrolls and sleep on the Hall's floor. They wouldn't be outside in the middle of a snowfall.

"I thought you might," Solaris said, hesitating before continuing lowly, "The two of us need to have a longer conversation, possibly with Kir, possibly without. I am… concerned, by his refusal to acknowledge the fact the Sunlord smiles upon him. That would not be too problematic in and of itself, but he is denying his own abilities and allowing others to form inaccurate opinions of him."

"That's – going to be a long conversation," Anur said, wincing, "And not a conversation we can have in Sunhame, Solaris."

"Well I was going to be coming to the 62nd to work with you two on soul-attack mitigation techniques, we'll add it to that itinerary," Solaris said, looking thoughtful, "The topics actually connect well, now that I think of it. Now. There was mention of a Sunsguard Captain in need of a soul healer. I will be getting you two a list of available soul healers in Sunhame, but you need to be aware that Kir is on it – not consciously trained, but he has that ability."

:If that's something passive – that explains perfectly why Captain Marghi has such damage while none of the three of you did, you were all in proximity to Kir afterwards long term,: Aelius pointed out.

:It does explain things, but Kir would not take being named a soul healer well,: Anur grumbled, because he had a feeling that soul healing was very much along the lines of being an exorcist – it was not a path one could choose, it was one chosen for you by the Sunlord, and Kir struggled so very much with the idea of choices being taken from him. To this day, he insisted he had chosen to be a Firestarter, had chosen his path in the priesthood, when literally anyone on the outside who wasn't a complete bastard would know that a choice made under the sort of stakes Verius had set was no choice at all.

One of Solaris' phrases sprang to mind, and he sighed, quoting, "Allowing others to form inaccurate opinions of him. You're referring to Grevenor."

"Not merely Grevenor – he has additional complications, we will discuss it," Solaris promised, before nodding and admitting, "But his actions today have highlighted a… misconception, that is being allowed to stand. I have been working on the matter when it comes to members of my Council, but this has clearly gone on too long as it is, and my efforts to point out the flaws in their thinking are not sufficient. I will be calling a meeting during this Conclave to deal with things a little less gently than I have been. To that end, do you happen to have that list of names I sent to Kir for investigation?"

"Ah – not the original," Anur said, blindsided by the request and by Solaris' rather dire tone as she promised to 'deal with things a little less gently'. It was nothing they didn't deserve, in Anur's mind, but he was also self-aware enough to know his and Kir's responses – or at least desired responses – to actions taken against one another could be a little disproportionate, "Our copy is mildly ciphered. And in the first pages of Kir's chronicle."

"Ah," Solaris winced, tucking her hands up her sleeves and giving the definitely deeply asleep Kir and Kari a worried look, "Hmm. Is there any way I could copy those pages?"

"Well, I mean literally, certainly, but it's long," Anur waffled, wincing himself because that wasn't why he wanted to say no. Kir and he swapped journals-called-chronicles occasionally to read particular segments to ensure they hadn't missed something important in their own records, but they always marked the section they were offering up and didn't read outside it. It was only polite.

Kir also had a tendency to take very esoteric philosophical and theological digressions when he really got going, and while Anur enjoyed reading those and asking his brother questions, he could also imagine his brother not wanting just anyone to know about them. He also knew that Kir had spent days writing of Lief Gero's death, and the idea of anyone reading that entry in particular without his brother's knowing consent was nauseating.

"When you get to your office, and have your office secured, and are ready to copy the list, send Hansa here for it. I'll have the chronicle bound so it'll only open to those pages. When you're done copying it, have Hansa bring it right back," Anur said, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to continue, "Solaris. Please."

The Son of the Sun caught his hands in hers and raised them to her forehead as she bowed, promising, "I swear to you, Anur Bellamy, brother to my brother, I will not violate this trust. You say they are ciphered?"

"Yes," Anur bit out, uncomfortable with the call he had made, regardless of Aelius' quiet supportiveness and knowing that Kir quite literally trusted Solaris with his soul, pulling back from Solaris, who at least seemed to understand the magnitude of the trust he was offering, and grabbing Kir's journal from their packs. It was certainly going to be filled by the time Kir finished documenting the family visit and this winter.

It had made getting Kir a gift a lot easier than usual this year, at least.

Opening the book to the first page, Anur ran his finger down the list of names and explained lowly, "The names he didn't change, though his handwriting is deliberately terrible, but the rankings are flipped. Reds are blacks, and vice versa, and the duties and regions of assignment he uses legendary references and the like. But I would think names and rank would be enough for you?"

"Yes, I remember most of them, particularly on seeing the names – or at least the first few letters of each name," Solaris murmured, "There were just too many for me rattle all of the names off if I didn't have something to jog my memory."

"It is quite long," Anur agreed, "The ones with a star next to them are those we and you deemed most critical for investigation. If we drew a line through the name, they've been investigated and a decision made. The circles mean we personally met them, the squares that we compiled information from trusted sources to make the call – if there are both, then both contributed to the decision. The hash marks are what the decision was. One for death, turned it into a cross after they were dead, two for reassignment or more careful monitoring, so that's the list we gave to you last winter, three for not a threat."

"That is exactly what I need," Solaris informed him, watching as he flipped through the pages to find the last one with names and took one of Kir's spare scraps of string to bind the remaining pages to the back cover.

"May I ask what you need it for, exactly?" Anur asked, feeling exhausted all over again as he set the book on the desk for Hansa to easily find it. He was not looking forward to explaining this to Kir; knowing what Solaris planned to do with it would at least be something he could offer.

By Solaris' long silence, it was complicated.

:Is anything in this country not complicated?: Aelius asked sourly.

:…spice cake?:

:Have you read some of those recipes?:

"Not so complicated," Solaris murmured, catching his hands in hers again and smiling faintly, "Your expressions are very loud, sometimes. No need for that Talent of yours. But it is not a decision I am particularly proud of, regardless of the necessity."

Before Anur could worry about that, she elaborated, saying, "I did not know the people on that list. I could not make a decision based on the rumors I was hearing, and needed someone I trusted to investigate. If every name on that list had one hash mark alongside it, I would lose no sleep over it."

Anur could feel the blood drain from his face, because that – it was a somewhat natural conclusion, to the request Solaris had made of them all those years ago. If she had not doubted, had not worried they did need to be killed for their threat level to the people of Karse and lack of willingness to at least potentially accept her reforms, they would not have been on that list to begin with. But that was a very long list of names, and for Solaris to state that if Kir had decided to kill every single one of them, she would accept that with hardly a pause?

Kir would be heartbroken. He had been heartbroken, and furious, and horrified, every time they found someone on that list they deemed in need of killing.

"I would be saddened," Solaris said gently, evidently seeing some of that horror in Anur's too loud expression, "I would not be pleased. But I would not be devastated."

Squeezing his hands before releasing him, Solaris tucked her hands back up her sleeves and smiled sadly, "You see then, that my Council's insistence that Kir, and, by extension, the Firestarting Order, is the primary source of the violence my regime change has brought about is not only wrong, but insulting to us all."

Anur couldn't say anything. Solaris understood, regardless, and bowed her head slightly, saying quietly, "Get some rest, Anur. You and our brother both. I will send Hansa for the chronicle as you described."

She shut the door behind her, and only then did Anur manage to move. He went straight for the privy, stripping off boots and overcoat as he went. He needed to wash up, and take a nap. Hopefully not have nightmares of what his brother would have forced himself to become in the name of Karse's people, had he been cornered into Ascending.

:She is the ruler of a nation. She is the leader of a coup, in truth,: Aelius said quietly, :Anur. This is not surprising, Chosen-mine.:

:I know,: Anur said, not bothering with a full tub and filling a basin with warm water instead. Better to get this done quickly before he started thinking too much again.

:I know,: he repeated, :Kir – he won't be surprised, either. I think. It's just – it's one thing to know it, it's another to hear it, if that makes any sense at all.:

:Of course it does,: Aelius agreed, :I rather think the entire Council will be facing the same realization, Chosen, they could hardly think she wasn't capable of ruthlessness. She arranged her Ascent in a viper pit, that is hardly something that could be accomplished without it! It can be uncomfortable, though, to know someone you respect and even love can be not only capable of entirely cold-blooded decisions, but has in fact made them.:

:That's exactly it,: Anur realized, splashing his face one last time before grimacing and dunking his hair in the basin. This was going to be freezing, washing hair was always the worst. :The specific example, that list, it is so long Aelius, we could never have actually investigated them all thoroughly and made a call, not in the time we had, not even if we'd dropped everything and focused on that. For Solaris to be willing to just… write those people off, it feels like, even though it wasn't, she asked us to investigate, not just execute them…:

:But the fact she was willing to look at that list and say all of these people might be in need of killing. Not that they were in need of it, but that they might be, and that if that had been the course taken, she would have accepted it as necessary,: Aelius supplied, sounding sympathetic, :I imagine that is why she needed the list. Having that specific example to point at – particularly when she can point at all the names still living, all the names investigated and deemed safe or for potential rehabilitation once she Ascended, and state with perfect honesty that Kir's judgment, that his determination to thoroughly investigate and only make calls when he truly felt he knew enough to do so, is the reason those individuals are alive? It will be a powerful statement. A powerful tool.:

:Think it will work?: Anur asked sourly, pouring the now distinctly murky water down the drain and toweling off, :With Grevenor, I mean? Well, perhaps not, she said that was more complicated, which is just… perfect.:

:Well we're rather spoiled for choice as far as what his more complicated circumstances are, so I wouldn't fret about it until she updates us. As for if this will work – well. It will certainly make them all have a good long think about their assumptions on Kir and Solaris and just how that relationship balances out.:

:Good, because it sounds like they need it,: Anur decided, firmly putting that whole mess of a conversation with Solaris to one side for later discussion and mulling as he got dressed in his sleep clothes. He needed to at least try to nap.

Anur pulled some warm socks on before climbing into bed, careful to not fling any limbs across Kir like he usually did – his brother's back was practically black with bruising in some places, even the weight of the blankets had him hissing when he was first settling. Staring up at the ceiling and letting his breathing slow to match Kir's, Anur tried to let his thoughts quiet.

They did, slowly, but just as he was starting to slip into a doze, one occurred to him, and he couldn't leave it unsaid, even if no one but he and Aelius would be aware enough to appreciate it right now.

Turning to his sleeping brother, he muttered, "Your sisters, every single one of them, are absolutely terrifying."

=pagebreak=

Kir woke up to Aelius' voice, quietly saying, :First Eve rang, half-mark to Descending rang right afterwards.:

He had just enough time to register those words, register the fact he needed to get up, when he felt like his head was about to cleave in two. Whatever Holiness Yelena had done to reduce inflammation or whatever it was she had said his Talent overuse had caused had either worn off or had done the best it could, which left this excruciating pain only part of what he could have expected to experience.

"Easy, easy," Anur was murmuring, sounding grimly unsurprised and carefully pressing his fingertips against Kir's temples, "Breathe through it. Aelius is going to avoid mindspeaking with you any more, as am I, as is Kari. Talent headaches can get aggravated by any Talent use regardless of the overextension source, so no magic either, all right?"

"I remember," Kir groaned, Kari's whole body vibrating with rumbling purrs next to him.

"Do we need to call this Conclave opening business off?" Anur asked quietly.

"No," Kir said, "But we're definitely not getting a head start on any business tonight. Descending, opening declarations, shared meal, bed."

"Deal," Anur said, "And someone will be taking notes, so even if we can't remember what was said tonight, we'll be able to find out."

"Oh Etrius is planning to transcribe the whole thing," Kir said, giving himself one more breath cycle before nodding against Anur's shoulder, "Right. We'd best get moving."

Sitting upright with what Anur had described as distinctly purple-black bruising mottled across his back was terrible, but at least that spike of pain distracted from the throbbing in his head. Getting dressed was similarly painful, but that he had already known – Anur had needed to help him into his sleep clothes after he'd washed the worst of the grime off. Finally all that was left was his vestments, and Anur's decision to wear his dress uniform rather took the choice of which set he should wear out of his hands.

"Jaina said the opening was usually the most formal part of this whole thing," Kir grumbled, "Best go for the nicer vestments. You have my Sun in Glory."

"It's by Kari on the desk," Anur said, helping him get the heavier wool robe over his shoulders. "Mantle too?"

"Might as well," Kir very carefully didn't shrug as he fastened the hidden buttons along robe's chest. There were two sets of buttonholes – he'd requested his vestments fit over his preferred armored vest, the double set of buttonholes were apparently the compromise, "These are a little too formal to skip any one piece of it."

"Eh, the mantle could probably be thrown over your field robes if they were having a good day and we were desperate for some extra flash," Anur said, eyeing said mantle before throwing it over his head and settling it in place gently, "Does it clasp anywhere?"

"Hmm. Just that front chain I think," Kir muttered, wincing at the added weight against his back. He'd adjust soon enough, "The wool is rather heavy, and I think the embroidery helps shape it. We'll see how it stays, can always add something."

"True enough," Anur agreed, Fetching the Sun in Glory to his hand and smirking, "Good thing Rodri went with the simple design. Some of those options we were finding were rather heavy."

"Can you imagine how over the top the vestments must have been to match those?" Kir shuddered, ducking his head to let Anur settle the chain around his neck, "There had to have been so much flash."

"Oh definitely embroidered gems and enough gold and silver plating to turn them into armor in their own right," Anur agreed, "Maybe some feathers!"

"Some what?" Kir demanded, aghast at the idea of that combination, and by Kari's flattened ears, the Firecat didn't think much of that suggestion either.

"Feathers! They're – fashion things. I think. For hats?"

"Maybe in Valdemar – "

"We have not met nearly enough people in Karse of the appropriate social strata to know if feathers are a fashion statement or not, don't even try!"

They locked eyes, and promptly started laughing. Anur managed to regain composure first, leaning against the desk and wiping at his eyes, still giving the occasional snicker. Kir was still chuckling as he settled next to Anur, Kari resting his head on his shoulder, a source of warmth against his side.

Feeling his hand brush a book when he reached to pet Kari, he glanced down and frowned, holding his chronicle up and noting the way someone – in other words, Anur – had tied the bulk of the pages with cord so one couldn't easily page through it. The only pages not held by that tie were the ones holding Solaris' list of names.

"Solaris needed the list of names and outcomes," Anur said, sounding abruptly weary and far too apologetic, "I got her to promise not to look at anything else, and Hansa came here to fetch it once she was ready to copy it out, and brought it right back when she was done copying. I'm sorry, Kir, I should have asked you first."

"When exactly did she ask for the list?" Kir asked, setting the chronicle back down and making a mental note to figure out where to get another journal soon, this winter would undoubtedly see him squeezing words into the last pages. He clasped Anur's hand and promised, "I'm not upset. She's the one who gave us that list, and we've reported all the outcomes and sources to her at various points, it sounds like she needs a summary, that list is the easiest one."

"While you were asleep, we had – a bit of a conversation, before she left," Anur said, grimacing, "That was one of the things. There were. Others. I postponed some for when she comes to the 62nd, and one was her dodging my questions about Grevenor and explaining what she wanted the list for. It was. A little upsetting."

"What is she planning to use it for?" Kir asked, brow furrowing before he winced at the spike of pain, saying, "Never mind, I really can't concentrate well right now. Hopefully tomorrow this has stabilized. Anur, you seem more upset about handing her my chronicle for that list than me, I truly don't care, especially not with the evident care you took to ensure she focused on the list alone. And as tired as I was? As I still am? If you had woken me up to ask me about it I would have tried to set your hair on fire, and as badly as my head hurts right now, that effort would have left me in tears."

Anur huffed a laugh, shaking his head and leaning in to press their brows together, "Which would have left me in even more of a panic. Just as well then. I should have waited to ask you, she can't have needed it urgently in the last hour or so, it could have waited. I just wanted to wrap things up, didn't think it through."

"We are rather used to immediately knowing one another's opinions, thanks to mindspeech," Kir pointed out, "And neither of us were or are at our best right now. Its fine, brother. Truly. Thank you for telling me. Nothing I need to know for tonight though?"

"Hmm. Jaina apparently said something about a safeguard to replace Kari's working during the Conclave itself? Somehow it relies on being in a bigger room lacking in immediately flammable materials, like the main Hall."

"Might be a flame exclusion ward," Kir mused, glancing at Kari and taking a moment to assess that muffling, blanketing sensation still swaddling his fire-related senses. It seemed less than at the outset, but he could also be pressing against it less as he regained more of his own control.

"How are you doing, Kari?" Kir murmured, wrapping an arm around the Cat.

Kari rubbed his face against Kir's chest, Anur relaying quietly, "Tired, he says, and he hopes Jaina's ward works, as he doesn't think he can maintain this all night without aid. He also says that it feels to him as though things are settling further, that he has to apply less pressure to keep flames from igniting, but it's not run its course yet. Kari, about that. If Jaina's ward works and you're concerned you can't maintain this all night, Kir and I can just sleep in the Hall, we have our bedrolls. But – Kir, you said maybe a flame-exclusion ward? How is that different from what we needed at the charity temple?"

"Ah – exclusion versus suppression, it would have been – like yesterday. Though I suppose you didn't see that," Kir murmured, sighing and giving his best shot at an explanation, "It's different. What we needed today was suppression – complete and total. What Jaina's ward, well, if I'm right about what Jaina's ward is, it would be based on what she used for the Trial. It wouldn't prevent sparks from happening, it would prevent sparts from catching, essentially by funneling them outside of region holding the exclusion ward. So fires wouldn't be allowed to enter, and fires which were lit within it would be redirected outside. It wouldn't prevent the spark or those first seconds of burning, and with something as immediately dangerous as tightly packed volatiles, even that spark would have been disastrous. I suspect the warding would have shattered."

"So it is not suppression," he concluded, "It would be exclusion. As for sleeping in the Hall – that would work."

He still grimaced at the thought of how his back would feel tomorrow morning if they ended up going through with that back up plan, but it was better that than accidentally burning all of their things as they slept and possibly setting neighboring rooms alight while he was at it.

"Kari is hopeful it won't come to that, Aelius and he have figured out a slow seep energy exchange that somehow means Kari doesn't have to strain to incorporate it into his working? I don't know, but he seems to think it will help," Anur shrugged. Kir could guess some of what Aelius was referring too, remembering the way the Companion had poured mage-power into Kir's own workings, but it sounded like there was something different about this, because what had happened during the crown fire had been far from slow.

"We'll hope for some combination of the ward and that power exchange to be sufficient then," Kir said, "But I'm mostly relieved there's an option that doesn't involve either the Trial or going outside."

Anur snorted, standing and helping Kir regain his feet before ushering him and Kari towards the door, saying, "I had exactly the same thought."

Anur swung the door open, and Rodri was there, one hand raised to knock. The teen's eyes lit up with relief when he saw them, darting forward with a glad, "Father Kir!"

"Whoa, easy Rodri no impact, all right?" Anur said, Kir not quite able to hide a relieved sigh when his brother managed to catch Rodri mid-lunge. Usually their student's enthusiastic greetings were endearing, but right now that would just be pain and heartache all around.

"Father Seras said there was nothing terrible!" Rodri said, relief vanishing in favor of what sounded like a proper panic and Kir quickly stepped forward with Kari, settling a hand on Rodri's shoulder and waiting a few moments to let Kari finish speaking. His student looked a little less frantic by the time he looked up from the Cat to Kir.

"It isn't anything terrible," Kir promised, waiting for Rodri to nod and returning the gesture before repeating, "Nothing terrible, Rodri. I have an awful headache, and extensive bruising on my back from getting thrown by that explosion, but my bones and lung were healed. Eardrums too."

"So there was something terrible," Rodri muttered, clearly furious at Seras for the seeming lie.

"Ah, but did he say there wasn't? He said there isn't, and that part is true," Kir replied, smiling at Rodri's glower and pulling his student into a hug, "I'm all right Rodri. Just don't hug me back, that bruising is deep."

"Father Seras should have told me if he knew, and said he didn't know if he didn't!" Rodri insisted, "I would have believed him if he said you'd been healed or were going to be healed!"

"Would you have been stressed enough to call fire to your hands?" Kir asked gently.

By the way Rodri's grip on his vestments tightened, Kir could guess the answer.

"We'll discuss it with him," Kir promised, "But he did not actively lie to you, and while I am injured, it is truly nothing to fret about. Nothing a bit of time and rest won't fix. Nothing terrible."

"No hugs is pretty terrible," Rodri muttered, Anur and Kari both laughing in their own ways.

"See, Rodri gets it," Anur teased, resting a hand on Rodri's head, "Come on, Rodri, we have to get downstairs. I think. Descending is in the main Hall tonight, isn't it?"

"All Conclave services are," Rodri confirmed, stepping back and pulling a kerchief out of his sleeve, apparently only just registering what they were wearing and beaming, "Are those your new winter vestments?"

"They are," Kir confirmed, rather needlessly.

"Kari says to tell you they're very nice, and tasteful," Rodri relayed politely before frowning, "You can't use the mind talking Talent right now?"

"Well, I could," Kir grimaced at the idea of it nonetheless, starting down the hall, "Have you ever given yourself a headache from calling on fire too much?"

"No," Rodri said promptly, "Axeli told me it could happen though, so I was careful."

"I really owe Axeli thanks," Kir breathed, "Hopefully we can get that visit in. I'm surprised he remembers that. But yes, you can, and that's my current headache's source – and likely some from being in an explosion that burst my eardrums, but some of this is definitely Talent overextension. Since Talents are – well. Somewhat the same source, when it comes to what you're using for the ability to happen, in your mind, at least, overextension headaches from one can make using your others painful, or at least using the others can make your headache worse."

"Magic does that too though, right?"

"Magic is a Talent," Kir said, smiling faintly at Anur when his brother offered an arm to get down the stairs. He definitely took him up on the offer, adding, "Hansa confirmed it too, didn't he?"

"Well the Hunting Rite denunciation bit did it for me, but yes, Hansa confirmed it afterwards," Anur agreed, Rodri spinning around on the landing with a stunned expression.

"The Hunting Rite? You actually used it! And I missed it," their student practically wailed, burying his face in his hands.

Both of them laughed, Anur giving Rodri a prod to keep following Kari down the stairs as he said, "We did. No story exchanges have started up then?"

"Holiness Jaina says we're all going to have to offer testimony to Justicars tomorrow so it's better to keep from sharing news and speculation amongst ourselves about this plot until after that," Rodri reported mournfully, "Even though Etrius and I already gave our testimonies."

"Well you probably won't have to give them again," Kir said, squinting against the better lighting of the corridor, not helped by the snow starting to accumulate in the courtyard. If the skies cleared tomorrow, he'd have to hunker down inside. Snow-glare was bad enough without an already brutal headache. "And the stories are a little too long to justify telling them to you and Etrius and then sharing them again afterwards. I think she's also giving a serious reason to not pin either of us or Valerik down for explanations until we get a full night's sleep, which I appreciate."

"I know but the Hunting Rite!" Rodri groaned.

"If a single one of you start talking about that Rite where I can't hear you there will be a reckoning," Seras called down the corridor.

The elder was clearly coming from the archives, a stack of notes in ink-stained fingers and Etrius dogging his heels with a similar stack, though Seras' vestments had a touch more embroidery than his usual set. If not for Etrius' faint pallor and uncharacteristic silence, when normally he could be expected to echo his mentor's insistence on records in slightly more polite phrasing, it could be any other day with the Order's scholars.

Seras waved Etrius past him; Rodri and Kari evidently saw the same worrying signs, Kari trotting next to Etrius and quickly gaining scratches from the student's free hand, Rodri falling into step with them and immediately asking about what he had been researching – continuing efforts on Flamesinger it sounded like – while Seras signed for them to wait a moment. When the students were far enough away to feasibly be out of easy earshot, he said lowly, "I am worried for Etrius. Jaina's order to keep our testimonies separated until tomorrow is a decent preventative for the moment, but my student is clever, it will not take him long to realize that he was supposed to die today, if he hasn't already."

Kir exhaled in a careful not-sigh, glancing after the pair of students and feeling his own heart twist with the reminder of how close they could have come to losing them both. If he hadn't focused so very intently on flammability detection with Rodri the relatively few weeks they were able to get proper time together…

Rodri, at least, would have been a chance victim. One of opportunity. Etrius' visit had been anticipated, and he had been targeted, by someone he had not considered any sort of threat. Murder attempts from non-enemies were always hard.

"Understandable," he finally said, rather than any of that, "Whatever support we can offer, simply ask."

"He will not come to me with it until after the Oathbreaker is dead," Seras said bluntly, expression twisting with something like loathing before it smoothed away and he murmured, "My student is clever. He knew immediately what I had done, when his tormenters burned, and I don't doubt he was worried by the lengths I would go to. He has been very careful to explain the exact sources and scope of his distresses to me ever since."

"We'll keep ourselves available," Kir promised finally, not knowing what else they could do.

"And we'll ask Rodri to keep an eye out while we're at it, he could use someone else to fuss over," Anur added, smirking when Kir groaned and they started after the students.

Seras was chuckling, but Kir could counter that, saying over his shoulder, "He's quite annoyed at you for your definition of nothing terrible, Seras, don't be too smug!"

"I may have been overconfident in saying that," Seras admitted, "But I hadn't gotten a total summary myself, simply heard that Valerik and yourself had been seen to by healers and that the Conclave was still happening. I rather assumed that if anything dire had come of that assessment by the healers, I would have been informed."

"Which is a fair enough assumption, though I expect you'll be getting more targeted questions from Rodri regarding injury assessment – " his breathing stuttered, the muffling blanket Kari had encased him and his Talent in wearing abruptly thinner, too thin, the world was singing –

"'And ye, the hearths lay cold, and no sparks would light.'"

"Jaina! Where's that ward start?"

=pagebreak=

Seras gave up the notes as lost, discarding the still smoldering pages in one of the Hall's many ceramic bowls intended for items left to burn, and eyed the airborne fire with no little wonder, now that he'd prevented the sparks from catching his vestments alight – not as fast as he used to manage, there were scorch marks on one sleeve, but these were wool, he could scrape the char off and find fresh crimson again.

The Eldest was clearly in pain, and very clearly still struggling to contain the flames he was calling into being easier than even breathing. Kari must have gotten too far away to maintain his fire suppression, and was finding it difficult to re-establish. The Eldest's Enforcer, at least, could stay close. Whatever mental closeness they had developed due to their adventures and Talents was clearly worth its metaphorical weight in gold, considering the way flickers of flame were utterly failing to damage either of them or even their clothes. That was truly impressive, managing not to burn one's own flesh was doable, but to have enough of a subconscious harness to avoid damaging clothing and the like too?

Even if the Eldest would undoubtedly castigate himself for losing control like this, Seras rather thought it was a needed reminder to them all that their Incendiary's control was dearly earned, and a true struggle to achieve and maintain to his usual effortless looking degrees.

Besides. No one was being hurt. Jaina had thought of this.

Stepping through the ward to join the rest of the Order while Jaina passed him, a mug of headache tea in hand, Seras focused on their youngest members. Etrius did better when he had someone to fret over himself, and he was definitely focusing his attention on a stricken looking Rodri.

"I owe you an apology, Initiate Rodri," Seras said formally, the boy tearing his eyes away from his mentor with clear effort to look at him. Very well-mannered, this one. Seras nodded and continued, "My claim that there were no terrible injuries was made without full knowledge of the circumstances. I knew healers had examined them and declared them recovering, if not fully recovered. I did not ask for elaboration, as I assumed if anything was direly wrong after that assessment, I would have been told directly when Kari made his updates."

"Apology accepted, Father Seras," Rodri replied, his slight bow and use of the less formal title indicating he meant it, rather than mouthing the words because it was expected of him. Not that this boy was one to say something he didn't mean – he seemed to be following his mentor's lead and was growing distressingly straightforward. Colbern would undoubtedly be thrilled. Two generations of Incendiaries more likely to cleave straight through to the heart of things than politely maneuver things out of their way.

Letting those musings go, he focused on his own student and said wryly, "Unfortunately, my notes are a loss."

"Just as well I noted which texts you were consulting," Etrius said, looking thoughtful, "Why that quote, rather than an extinguisher?"

"Ah, most extinguishers refer to the evidence and damage flames left behind, whereas in this scenario, ideally no damage would occur in the first place. It is difficult to string spark-ceasing pieces together coherently, however, as they are very scattered, at least in my experience," Seras said, feeling some of his worry ease at the question. Etrius had been so very quiet on their walk back, and had scarcely asked any questions when they returned to find everyone had arrived before them, even with all the intriguing hints of the sorts of things that had occurred in their absence. It had been the whole reason he had announced his intention to finish up his Flamesinger notes once he was prepared for the Conclave's opening, he'd been hoping his student would show up. They always had some of their best talks over dusty tomes.

Not today though. Etrius had arrived, certainly, freshly scrubbed and neatly turned out in his best robes, but had barely murmured a greeting before ducking his head and clearly throwing himself into his readings in an effort to avoid speaking. To avoid thinking.

Seras fretted, sometimes, that he had only realized what he had done to Etrius' peers in his student's name was wrong, was worrying, when he had found Etrius furiously insisting to Colbern that Seras didn't need to know about an instructor's unfair assessment of his work, because the woman was simply ignorant, she didn't deserve to burn, and utterly ignoring Colbern's exasperated assurances that Seras would hardly burn someone for not knowing the ins and outs of his student's reference material. He had no way of knowing if that creeping sensation of wrongness had truly started before overhearing that conversation or if he had only reassessed his ideas of rightful burnings after realizing his student found asking him for help worrying. On his worst days he insisted to himself that it didn't matter why.

It did though. If only in being able to look himself in the mirror.

"Come on, we'll try over here and see if the flames are anchored to you. If they're too firmly attached you two will just stay outside the ward today and we'll arrange one of the tables to cross the line. It's all right Kir, the walls can't burn, none of these flickers last long enough for any of the woodwork here to even start properly heating and it's definitely better than it was a few marks ago. It's rather pretty, actually," Jaina was saying, stepping through the ward line at the far end of the false-corridor made up of a pair of long tables and their associated chairs – most of which had needed to be replaced after last year's screaming matches. She was carrying a clearly exhausted Kari in her arms, glancing their way before focusing back on the far more fire-wreathed pair.

This was the proper test of her theory, and Seras knew all of them were watching intently.

Fire peeled back as their leading duo passed through the wards, leaving a slightly more active patch of airborne fire for a few moments before that bias faded and the room outside of Jaina's sheltering dome was relatively evenly scattered with flickering flames of all the warmer shades – even, if he wasn't mistaken, a few with distinctively golden tones. Jaina was right. It was rather pretty.

The Eldest and his Enforcer both shuddered, quickly drawing every eye back to them, the Enforcer brushing at his clothes for some reason and muttering, "That felt so strange."

"You felt something?" Jaina asked curiously, "I suppose the flames were simply much closer to you, so that makes some sense…"

"Like walking through cobwebs," the Eldest grimaced, before taking a deep draw of the mug of tea he was clutching between his hands, "Nothing further. One time sensation, just odd. How long can you hold this ward, Jaina?"

"With the anchors I set up? Indefinitely. Well. Weeks. It's essentially the ward I developed for the Trial, so even without support I could manage this size for an entire night," Jaina assured him, matching their pace as they made their way towards the rest of them, assembled closer to the Incendiary's seat, "I planned to leave it up the entire Conclave, drew a chalk line to indicate it and everything."

"Thank you," their Eldest breathed, sounding heartbreakingly relieved.

"Well, it was hardly for your benefit alone," Jaina said, tone warm despite the dismissive words, "You asked me to help you figure out safeguards for your and Maltin's work on golden flames, remember? This was what I had planned – admittedly, smaller, and with a six point containment some distance outside it as a secondary layer since those flames were so much more violent and long lasting, but similar. With some others on the anchored six-point we can likely even use this one for that purpose."

The Enforcer huffed a laugh and muttered something to the Eldest, who rolled his eyes and said, "I ask for help plenty, even before Father Gerichen's advice, thank you."

By Kari and the Enforcer's scoffs, that was something of an exaggeration. It matched Seras' own memories of the teenager their Incendiary had been when he himself had best known him, but teenagers were far too unstable in personality to make any truly useful conclusions about their adult selves except in hindsight.

"I don't know," Jaina said with exaggerated thoughtfulness, "I seem to finding a thirteen year old so-called prodigy stranded in the middle of a two-stage bridge crossing and contemplating climbing instead of calling for help."

"The bridge was made out of unusual fibers!" the Eldest protested, glowering at his Enforcer's understandably gleeful expression, "I just – listened too hard to them. And set the fibers on fire."

"Elder Jaina would have the embarrassing childhood stories why didn't I think of that?" Rodri muttered, Jaina looking quite pleased with herself.

"Do you want to start down that road Jaina? Because I will gladly race you, and end in a particular barn - "

"Oh it's getting late! We'd best start the Descending, get things wrapped up so you can rest!"

Fabron was to lead the Conclave's opening service, as the most recently ordained of their number, but he was busy watching Henrik silently try to convince Valerik of something, looking more than a little dubious about whatever that conversation was about. Likely something about not needing Henrik's help; Seras would be dubious of those claims too, Valerik looked like eight mel of bad road and without someone holding him up he'd undoubtedly keel over sometime soon. Fabron quickly straightened at their attention, though, hesitating over something until Henrik gave him a nudge.

Fabron's return nudge was far more of an elbow to the ribs, but he finally spoke, suggesting, "I thought, perhaps, a silent one?"

Tristan looked truly delighted, which was Colbern's decision made, and Seras could only faintly remember the last time he'd seen a service conducted solely in Ari's Tongue – it had easily been years. Maltin was holding one of his nicer flutes, evidently having been asked to accompany Fabron on this endeavor, though by the way he was eyeing the fires filling the room he might try to demur participating. No one seemed to have any objections – this was by far the best audience for that sort of service, seeing as every ordained Firestarter had basic competency with their founder's tongue, and Etrius could use the additional practice. Rodri even looked curious, and more than a little determined, so he evidently wanted to test his knowledge of the language.

But the one Fabron was actually watching was the Eldest, and the man looked thrilled, while his Enforcer looked intrigued.

"That sounds wonderful," their Incendiary said, glancing down at his mug before passing it to his Enforcer and starting to echo his spoken words with his hands, "I have never properly seen one, to be honest. Not outside of lessons – well, and that one dawn service Verius was hungover and insisted he was just coming down with a cold."

Jaina snorted, evidently remembering the same event, but she looked more than a little sad as she did. Little wonder. She had discussed calling their Order's Eldest back from the borderlands he'd called home multiple times over her tenure as Incendiary, and while Seras had never heard her properly come to her conclusion, what that conclusion was had been self-evident. The way their Eldest was still in some ways a total stranger to them all, to their practices, was one of the results of it. That did not mean the conclusion she had come to all those times was wrong, however, and it was not worth mourning. Before he could try and say something to her, Honored Kari raised his head from his paws and evidently told her something privately, by the flickers of expression across her face. Whatever he had said served its purpose, and brought her some ease, to Seras' eyes.

Honored Kari's presence could be credited with the vast majority of their Order's well-being this year, though the Eldest and his Enforcer were, of course, due their own credit.

Fabron grinned, before giving Maltin a credible imitation of a child's pleading look, their Order's musician in training trying to scowl but not quite managing it when he finally nodded. Clapping his hands cheerfully, Fabron claimed his spot in front of the Incendiary's seat as they formed a neat set of rows – and sure enough, Valerik was heavily leaning against Henrik. The Eldest was a little more subtle, but was definitely resting some of his weight against his Enforcer.

Another benefit of the silent services – they were much easier to bring to a close quickly without feeling as if some component was missing.

Etrius was far from the only clever one in their Order.

"I don't see what's so terrifying about Auntie Ki!"

"What, no objections to your mother?"

"Ignore your uncle, boys, he's quite terrified of your mother."

"I can be plenty terrifying!"

A/N: Plan to post another chapter on New Year's Eve - haven't finished the story, but I've actually finished this interminable day, so having the day end with the year that I've spent writing it seems appropriate! Hope you enjoyed!