"What did Kommora mean by 'holy blood is worthy blood'?"

Seiren and Madeleine waited outside Kommora's office the next day. After the interrogation of Zor Jarsdel, Ash had taken Kommora to the hospital and then returned with strict instructions from her for them not to 'go gallivanting as you please and shit all over our plans'. It was all Seiren could do not to pack and take the next train to Acrise and cross the border, even with Madeleine pointing out Acrise would never allow a Karman to pass into Hanna without relevant paperwork, particularly with the increasing tension over the past year. But part of her wanted to know Kommora was all right. For all the grumpiness and sarcastic remarks, Kommora had been a remarkable pillar for them for the past year.

"Did you not listen in history?" Madeleine sighed at Seiren's blank look. "Hannans believe in the holiness of their blood. The purity of their blood determines the strength of their summoning and their demons—"

"So those bastards who pop up randomly and unleash their horrors here are pretty pure-blooded?"

"Probably. I think Kommora was just trying to drop Jarsdel's guard and make him give up information."

"Clever."

"I half-expected her to go through with the chair threat, actually. Maybe she would have if she wasn't hurt so bad from the explosion." Madeleine gave a small laugh and then sobered. She'd been withdrawn ever since the protests at King's the day before. "Truth be told, I'm almost glad we didn't have to see Mother die."

"She killed so many people." Seiren stared at her with incredulity. "How can you say that?"

"She's still our mother. She loved us."

Seiren sighed, shaking her head. Madeleine never managed to shake off the unyielding inner loyalty to Kristen despite her treasonous acts. If she wasn't her sister, Seiren would be tempted to slap some sense into her. She had to understand she couldn't beat herself up over the deaths in Benover and love Kristen at the same time. As far as Seiren was concerned, Kristen was irredeemable. Even if she'd sacrificed herself to bring Madeleine back that day, Seiren could never forgive her for all she'd done. Maura, Tesla, Loren, all the soldiers and citizens she'd let die by unleashing Seiren's wretched creations and attempting to incite war with Hanna — and letting their father die that night just so she could run away with Jarsdel to reanimate Pollin.

No, there was no forgiving.

Kommora's door opened and Liore's head peeked out, her face brightening when she spotted the twins.

"Mage Haigh will see you now!" Her chirpy voice reminded Seiren of Felora, Loren's awkward aide who lived and breathed positivity. She wondered how she and Peron were doing now — probably assigned to another fully-qualified state mage.

Kommora's office had the same layout as Rowan's, with a wide, polished oak desk standing before sweeping windows overlooking Benover and bookcases reaching up to the ceiling taking up one side of the wall, except Kommora's desk was pristinely tidy with papers aligned neatly and books carefully bookmarked. Her windows glowed violet, likely infused with anti-eavesdropping runes. Her bookcases were crammed to bursting point with books of all shapes and sizes, in alphabetical order.

Liore retreated to her desk near the door and resumed her paperwork. Ash's spot was empty. Kommora sat with her back to the twins, staring out of the windows at the midday sun.

"Sit."

Seiren and Madeleine exchanged a look and obeyed, Seiren sprawling on the rocky, stiff chair and Madeleine sitting with her legs crossed and fingers laced over her lap.

Kommora waited for so long to speak, Seiren opened her mouth to question. Madeleine shot her a look. Seiren shut her mouth.

"I wrote to the Daemonium yesterday." Kommora's back remained unturned. "I asked them regarding Harred's escape and if they had any involvement."

"Yesterday? I thought you were in the hospital?"

Kommora swivelled around. She appeared to have shrunk, the back of the chair towering over her, and her cheeks were sunken and pinched. She didn't look much better than Jarsdel.

"Did you honestly expect me to lie like some forsaken invalid in a bloody hospital bed knitting my time away?"

"What is the Daemonium?" Madeleine asked hastily, sensing Kommora's ire.

"They're the Hannan's equivalent of king's mages." Kommora's nostrils flared. "The king's summoners, if you will. Exceedingly powerful and loyal to the royal family of Hanna. Not a group you want to be messing with."

"But they have Kristen."

"They denied it. They further warned me — and all Karmans — not to cross the border into Hanna unless we wish to declare war."

"That's convenient," said Seiren, wrinkling her nose. "'Yeah, we're not guilty, but you can't check.' They're definitely sheltering her. Tell them to give her back and we won't—"

"Won't what? Wage war on them? We can't afford to. And we have no proof."

"We have Zor Jarsdel. I know they didn't exactly rescue him but we have a Hannan — kind of —"

"They know. And they don't care. I suspect it's because he's only half-blooded and not a summoner, so he is no use to them. We can't afford a declaration of war with Hanna right now, not after what Harred's put the country through and not with Fautos Tophalis on the throne."

Seiren's heart skipped a beat. She remembered that name. Maura Woodbead interrogated a Hannan assailant during Seiren and Rowan's post in Acrise and it was revealed King Mephis Tophalis, the previous king of Hanna, had died, replaced by his oldest son Fautos. To secure his ascension to the throne, Fautos had without hesitation murdered two of his siblings and imprisoned a third, and a fourth went missing. It seemed the situation hadn't changed much since Acrise.

"If Fautos is so comfortable on the throne, then we need to go into Hanna at some point, or Kristen will get up to something. We can't afford to wait for another Benover." Seiren leant forward, gripping the seat of her chair with trembling hands. "We need to get her back and she needs to be punished."

"That's all very idealistic and well, Nithercott, but there are bigger things at stake than just exacting revenge on Kristen Harred."

"Bigger things at stake than a mass sacrifice to bring back ancient magic?! Have you forgotten all the people that have died thanks to Kristen?"

"Don't be childish, Nithercott." Kommora's voice made the room temperature drop several degrees. Seiren leant back slightly. "I didn't push for an execution verdict just so Harred can prance off to another country. But I also have to think of the country, what we stand for as state mages, king's mages, and who the people who gave their lives for this really stood for. Loren Rummage. Tesla Relish. Maura Woodbead. Edgard Woodbead. Countless citizens. Countless soldiers. They gave their lives to protect this country and the people, not so we can kill off the threats and exchange more lives in this madness."

Seiren's hands balled into fists. She clenched her teeth, heat scorching up and down her back.

"I called you two here so I can tell you the outcome of the decision. The king's mages have convened and discussed this. We will not — we cannot — officially sanction any representatives of Karma into Hanna without the explicit approval of the Hanna governors. This same announcement will be given to the other state mages. We will keep everyone updated regarding progress."

"It's been two days. You still haven't found her."

"A warrant has been issued and groups of state mages are already scouring the country chasing whatever path Harred might have taken escaping to whatever hellhole's taken her in."

"Hanna."

"Regardless, the decision is final." Kommora paused and gave them a deliberate, steely look. "I'd see you out, but the doctor said I must preserve my strength. Forgive me if I won't see you to the door. You may go. Don't bother me again until you're summoned."

Without a word, Seiren stood up and stormed out of the room, Madeleine chasing after her. Seiren only slowed to a halt when they got to the train station. Madeleine caught up after several minutes, out of breath and flushed to the roots of her hair.

"Stop running everywhere! I'm still getting used to having a body again," she panted, clutching the hood of Seiren's cloak. Seiren stood still, breathing heavily through her nostrils. People glanced at her rainbow-lined cloak but returned to their own business once she shot them a withering glare.

"I just wanted to get away from Kommora breathing down my neck constantly." Seiren ran a hand through her hair. "Oh, my runes. If she wasn't old enough to retire and just survived being blown to bits, I'd strangle her."

Madeleine hooked her arm through Seiren's and hummed a soothing tune like their mother used to.

"I don't think Kommora's that old, but sure, sure. Where do you want to go? Home?"

"No. Not back to Loren's." Seiren couldn't face walking back to Loren's old flat in Bicknor just yet, not when Kommora had so brazenly thrown Loren's name back in her face. Kommora wasn't interested in revenge for Loren. Seiren couldn't face Loren's photos on the wall right now. Despite the summer sun shining directly from overhead, Seiren's core was cold as the arctic city of Acrise.

"It's our home now. It was what Rowan said Loren would have wanted. I've made it quite homely for the past five months."

"Rowan."

There was a pause. "You want to see him? Now?."

"I can't... can't go back yet. I don't want to."

"I can't see him seeing us at such short notice — it's quite rude to just show up."

"Maddy... please."

Fifteen minutes later, the twins sat on a train speeding north, the summer flora blending into a streak of rainbow petals and lush green trees. Seiren stared resolutely at the window, scowling without noticing. Madeleine watched her with a small smile, sitting opposite.

"We're in this together, Seiren, remember? Stop being so angry all the time. Your hair will go grey."

"I just don't want..."

"A repeat? I know." Madeleine reached across and clasped Seiren's hands, and then frowned. "Your nails are bitten down to the quick again."

"Things have been stressful, in case you haven't noticed."

"I want to catch her too. You're so much like her. Neither of you will give up on your goals so quickly. But Kommora has bigger responsibilities now she's a king's mage."

"To the people, who will probably die when Kristen gets her way."

"She has no powers. She's only got her mind."

"Which managed to fool everyone for six years!"

"We have time, is what I meant. Everyone's watching Kommora. It's no different to six months ago — she couldn't do very much for us openly but she got the rebel mages out to help us and supported us when we needed the troops to take down the old king's mages. She's saying she forbids us from doing anything right now, but I'm sure she's thinking of something."

"If you say so." Seiren remained unimpressed.

"I just don't want you hurt again."

It was all well and good being concerned for her wellbeing, but Madeleine hadn't seen what Seiren had seen and wasn't privy to the knowledge about the celestial magic running through her body. Just before Seiren began her sentence in Cliffe to manage the toxic wastelands — maintaining the magical barrier there to prevent the damage from seeping further into Karman land and healing the injuries of those who worked there — Kommora summoned her. She'd sworn Seiren to silence before divulging the truth of Cronin Sallows, the king's mage who was disposed of eight years ago by Kristen, who had brought celestial magic into Karma after witnessing the effect of its revival: the devastation of Teirrin as it stood today, uninhabitable to the north, populated by disease and mutations.

Kommora acquired his research at the cost of the entire Rummage family. Sending Seiren to Teirrin was Kommora's idea, as both a means of Seiren paying for her contribution in the king's mages' crimes against Karma and for her to realise the implications of recreating celestial magic as Kristen had planned. And, although Seiren would never admit it, seeing the desolate land, the cracked, dry ground devoid of life, the wilted vegetation, and the hollow shells of previous civilisation terrified her. If Kristen had had her way back then, Karma would be just like Teirrin now.

Kommora's hands might be tied, but Seiren's were not. Once she knew where Kristen was hiding, she would set off, consequences be damned.

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