88 - Come in and Meet My Family

It was only a moment of frozen silence between the three of them. Ilax held out his arms to his new inamor, even as Kyrus said, “Deovar!” and Ky curled up to sit on the rugs, Tizrav in his arms.

“We’ll figure this out,” Ilax said. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Da,” Ky gulped. “I can see one way... um... we keep pretending that you’re dead, to Lainz anyway... I’ll go. I mean...”

“Son, that would be deceitful. Besides, it's too late for that. I've come out of hiding for all Milar. Lainz will find out eventually. I just didn't think it would have such odd implications.” But Kyrus’s eyes were hooded as he thought, his face closed as granite. “To let my son go into the Hive... they’re SURE we are Siwion?...” At Ky’s mute nod he sighed. “I cannot refuse my duty... I have hidden from my people for so long... and I chose to expose myself to all the possible censure to help save lives after the mudslide. It is my duty to reveal myself to his Radiance. But I refuse to leave you, deovar. I just had my wedding and I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen.”

“I have a position here that I cannot leave,” Ilax said.   “I’m trying to stamp out a huge fire in the brush right now... a fire that could potentially have both Lainz and Milar embroiled in a war... as allies, but still a war that I’m hoping to prevent. And I will not leave you either, my inam. I did not keep your secret for so many years, to have duty take my love away.”

“So you can’t let these Hive-Birds know you’re still alive,” Ky broke in.

“But I have to. I’ve finished with hiding.” Kyrus got up to pace, his path a circle around the central stove. Tizzie darted off Ky’s lap and chased after his heels, rolling and bellyflopping after him. “Well...” He trailed off, darted a look at Ky, then back at Ilax. “How difficult is this situation you’re dealing with?” He asked the surdeniliarch.

Before Ilax could even begin, Ky burst out “It’s not so bad that you couldn’t take a month of honey after your wedding! Ask your Unity's permission and bring the kids -- the family -- Hara... Let’s all go and get this straightened out!”

In the silence his statement created, distantly, they could hear a voice on the mountain, calling. “Kyyyyyrrrrruuussss!”

“They’re not just plain Hive-Birds... they’re Rasheem, Da,” Ky said quietly.

“This is just such a mess.”

“Kyyyyyryuuuussss!”

“Da this can’t be real, this is craziness!” Ky wanted to scream and curse and rant in the filthiest tongue he knew. “Only a few months ago I'd 'a been dancing and singing and kissing the ground in front of the Amir’s bird. Now I want them to take their high office and position and shove it up their—“

“--Kyrus Talain!” The full name came from both fathers, though Ilax followed it up with “You may want to tidy up your language, lad.” While his Da spat “Mind your tongue!”

“Kyyyyy ruuuuuusssss!”

“You know,” Ilax said thoughtfully. “It’s high summer. And we did plan our month to be during my slowest time. I could petition the Unity for a ‘State Visit’.” It was his turn to leap up. “You know, it might be good for me to break bread and share honey with the old man... and you -- if he does name you Kraganzh-- you could be the next Radiance, so if I did help you straighten this out...”

“And if this war does show up... You and I would be set to work together...”

“But Da’s!” Ky waved his hands as if to flag down a pair of horses... “Um... Fathers.... um... but my um we... um... Da and I would have to live in Lainz and Da and Haraklez would have to live in Milar...”

Both Kyrus and Ilax turned to each other. “Whatever happens... we’ll fix it.” The yelling on the mountainside did not renew.  Ky could hear his own breath and the thunder of his heartbeat as he looked between his father and his father by marriage in the ringing silence.  The 'what are we going to do to fix it' stretching longer and longer as no one said anything.

There was a scratching noise outside and polite cough. The Amir’s voice, his precise, polite Milari echoing only slightly. “My apologies for disturbing the Inimitable surdeniliarch and his new bride... but is the boy Kyrus Talain in this cavern? Again, my apologies for the interruption and disturbance.”

Eye caught eye caught eye inside the tent and Ilax waited until Kyrus nodded, slightly. Ky put both hands over his mouth and chin, in lieu of a veil. “Amir,” Ilax said quietly in Lainz. “No disturbance to apologize for. Do come in and meet my family.”