Rattleskin Redoubt mandatum

Her father spoke again, confirming something if Aquillius that had been fairly obvious. She would not soon forget her brother’s ravings.

Valiria had expected to be pleased by her father’s compliment, but she merely nodded. His apology struck something in her. She warred with herself to hold her tongue. A good soldier would. But… perhaps, not a daughter.

”I came home to Mereo,” Liri said quietly, her voice calm but for a small tremor of emotion, ”It was gone. No trace of the pack, only strangers who escorted me out as though I did not belong. I went to Epoch and not even they could tell me where you’d gone. I searched. For months. You were gone.”

She did not look at him as she spoke, merely stared off at some point in the horizon. Remembering.