Northstar Vale Yioí

Tamar could sense it. He knew by looking at her face. The warm caramel of her eyes found the mark on his snout. She did not ask about it. She did not reach for it. Arsenio blinked, quiet for a moment.

How might he word what had happened?

Something happened with our son and the soldier, Reyson, he said. The boy says that Reyson struck him. That he hurt him. Reyson says that Antigone is a liar, that the boy has hate in his heart. They exchanged a verbal fight. I do not know if Antigone was hurt. It felt like too much to share. He worried. Eyes lifting to her face, he breathed a weighted sigh.

Zosime came to me, too. She was worried. She was afraid.