“An earthquake,” Elan said.

“Yes, I know that.” His father pointedly looked over at Shirrad. “Has anything like that ever happened before, Lady?”

“No, Highest,” she said. “Not that I can recall.”

“Then why now?” Elthis asked. “Desinn, you made it sound as if it were magic.”

“It was, Highest,” Desinn said. “I assure you of that.”

“Magic,” Elthis repeated.

“Yes, Highest,” Desinn said. “Lord Elan…discovered it.”

When Elthis glanced at him, Elan nodded. “Yes, Father.”

This was the true reason they were here at the reservoir, Elan realized. To talk about it without being overheard.

“Tell me everything,” Elthis demanded.

Elan explained as they slowly circled the reservoir. The fields were on the far side. When he looked for them, he could see Closest moving around them, still working despite everything, as if nothing had changed. But then, nothing had changed for them. No one had given them any new orders. He wondered if they even knew about their impending abandonment.

Elan willed his voice not to falter when he described everything that had happened with Jae. He hated having to bring her up at all, knowing his father would see her as a threat, but he had no choice except to describe how she’d unlocked magic, and everything that had happened afterward.

His father listened attentively, which was enough to make Elan uncomfortable in and of itself. Elthis had only ever given him so much attention when he was in trouble—like the last time they’d seen each other, when Elan had been banished to Aredann. His father rarely forgave and never forgot anything, which meant that now he was gathering ideas, weighing them. Deciding if Elan had handled things well enough to make up for his mistake weeks ago, or if this was another in a series of disasters that were his fault.

He knew which his father was thinking when he said, “You should have sent me word immediately.”

“I…Yes,” Elan agreed. He opened his mouth to explain why he hadn’t, then thought better of it. His father wouldn’t want to hear any kind of excuses.

“At the very least, you should have alerted Desinn,” Elthis said, and Desinn practically preened.

“I was telling Desinn when the earthquake happened,” Elan said quickly. “And would have sent word when I finished explaining it to him.”

“But you could have told me a day sooner,” Desinn said, “and the quake would never have happened.”

“I was only waiting until I understood Jae’s powers!” Elan snapped. Then, recovering himself, he said, “I didn’t want to waste your time with a fool’s errand, Father. I wanted to be sure she’d be useful before I sent for you.”

“So instead of alerting me, you bided your time and cost us control of her entirely,” his father answered, voice cold.

Elan had no response to that at all, which was just as well. His father had made up his mind that Elan had been in the wrong, and nothing would change it.

Finally his father said, “I’m here now. Shirrad, tell me everything you know about this Closest girl.”

Shirrad spoke up: “I know this will sound odd to you, Highest, but we…well, things have been difficult at Aredann for many years, and we’ve had a hard time enticing Twill to stay out here. So when my mother died, and there were no Avowed women ready to be my nurse, my father selected one of the Closest to do it. Jae’s mother—Jae and her brother had just been born. They’re Closest, but they’re not…they grew up in the house; they’re almost like servants, really.”

“She has a brother?” Elthis asked.

“Yes, Highest,” Shirrad said. “A twin, Tal.”

Elan frowned, and Elthis continued, “The brother, is he still cursed, or has she freed him as well?”

“Still cursed,” Shirrad said.

They had almost made their way back around to where they’d tied the horses. Elthis nodded. “Very well, then. We’ll head back to the house now, and I will handle this. I will count on you—all three of you—to help me keep order. Things here are too dangerous. Another quake could destroy Aredann entirely, kill all of us and everyone else. And a Closest with magic…

“Listen to me very carefully. My duty is to protect everyone. To protect our society,” Elthis said. His shoulders were stiff and his voice was deep, commanding. “I am not worried about this Closest’s magic. I know how to control her, and she will be an asset if we handle this well. But if anything else goes wrong, the danger isn’t from her magic. It’s from what will happen when word of it spreads. If people believe there’s a Closest capable of rebelling, there will be panic. That is what causes riots—and war. I will not allow that. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Highest,” Desinn and Shirrad said in unison.

He gave Elan a sharp look.

“Yes, Father,” Elan said, ducking his head. Because he knew his father was right—that was why his father had all but disavowed him. Elan had questioned him, and it could have led to confusion and chaos. The Highest would do anything to prevent that. Threats to the social order were the only reason Highest ever disavowed their followers.

Elan had come perilously close once already. His father wouldn’t let it happen again. It didn’t matter that Elan was his son. If Elan forced Elthis to choose between family and order, his father would choose order, every time, especially with the ongoing drought scaring all of the Avowed. Which meant that no matter what his father decided to do with Jae, Elan was going to have to be careful. Careful to keep Jae calm, so she didn’t use magic against them, and careful to obey his father and keep the world as a whole calm. If Elan couldn’t manage that, then whether or not Jae could end the drought wouldn’t matter. People doubting the Highest’s control would tear the world apart.

Jae could feel it when Elthis finally arrived. The energy around the estate was frantic, and when she used other-vision to look into the distance, she could see the group of people approaching. Gali brought her lunch, but was too nervous and jumpy to stay with her while she ate. Not that Jae blamed her. Elthis’s arrival meant the beginning of the end for Aredann. When he left, Jae assumed, he’d take the Avowed with him—and leave the Closest to their fate.