"I like that part," he muttered. "Can I call you Mom and Dad?" His eyes darted from me to Shadow.

"Son, you can call us anything you want," Shadow pulled Trik into a hug. Right then, my opinion of my Grey House wizard went up quite a few notches. "It'll be all right," Shadow added. "Your mother and I will be right there with you." I realized I was crying as I watched Trik's arms go around Shadow's waist.

* * *

"You thought you could just sneak around without letting me know you were back?" Friesianna gave Narissa a hard stare. The former Elemaiyan Queen showed her age—gray streaked her brown hair, just as Narissa's auburn locks were threaded with silver. Friesianna no longer dressed in rich fabrics; nothing of the sort was available on Evensun. She gathered clothing from new arrivals, usually after their deaths at the hands of her servants.

"Shut up, bitch," Narissa snarled. "I know you don't have Le'meruh any longer, it was removed with the rest of your power. If these lapdogs of yours realized that, they'd leave you in half a blink."

Narissa struggled between two Elemaiyan guards—they'd led a hunting party when Narissa's appearance on Evensun was first reported. She hadn't been difficult to locate; Narissa hadn't bothered to hide her tracks. They'd dragged her to Friesianna's cave afterward. The cave was a wide, easily defensible space with plenty of room for Friesianna, her guards and her servants.

"Well, we don't intend to let you go, bitch," Friesianna's gaze was hard as she flung Narissa's insult back. "I know you're related to the whore who took our power and put us here. You'll pay for that, I promise."

Narissa's eyes grew wide and she struggled against the two who held her when she saw what approached from the back of Friesianna's cave.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

If one more Grey dipped their head or bowed while murmuring "Queen Lissa," I was going to hurl. Sure, they all wanted me to feel welcome, but honestly, the attention thing was getting old fast.

Steady, Shadow whispered in my mind. We're here for Trik, remember? He had my arm tucked tightly in his, leading me through the elite of Grey House wizards. Roff and the kids followed us, allowing Shadow and me to clear a path for them. There was a ritual for every Grey House family dinner; most of the family gathered inside the dining hall and when everything was ready, Glendes, Eldest of Grey House, led a procession of the Master Wizards and their mates inside to the main table.

Roff could take the kids in and get them seated, but I had to walk in later on Shadow's arm, while everybody stared. To top it all off, I was feeling queasy. Who says my life can't be fucked up in so many ways I can lose count? If I knew who'd fathered this child, I might strangle him. Maybe that's why the Larentii didn't tell me. I watched as someone came forward and escorted Roff, Trik and the others into the massive dining hall.

"Feeling all right?" Shadow let go of my arm and pulled me tight against him.

"Is my green color showing?" I looked up into his concerned face.

"Only a little. I asked the staff to bring juice and water to the table for you, not wine," he added, rubbing my back. "I know you have other children, but you didn't carry them. This will be a first for all of us." Shadow's sigh tickled my neck. "I'd like to rub your belly right now, but Grampa gets a little testy about overt displays of affection at family dinners."

"Overt displays?" I leaned back to look at his face again.

"Dad says Grampa hit him in the back of the head with a dinner roll once, when he decided to kiss Mom at the table."

"Did he throw it or use power to launch a bread attack?" The vision of Glendes throwing anything at his grown son's head made me snicker.

"I believe a bit of power was involved, yes," Shadow grinned.

"Do they call it the sourdough offensive, now?" I snorted when I laughed, and that brought everybody's attention straight to Shadow and me.

"Dad claims he has a scar," Shadow chuckled. If the anteroom filled with Master Wizards hadn't been aware of our conversation before, they were now. I heard whispers and giggles after Shadow's statement.

"Pay no attention to my son," Raffian announced to the crowd as he and Shannon made their way to Shadow's side. "We dropped him on his head when he was a baby."

"Raff, how hard was that roll Daddy hit you with?" Kyler snickered. I noticed that Flavio was suddenly studying the elaborate carvings on the ceiling.

"Come on, Flavio, you know you want to laugh," I called out. Had I ever heard that old vampire guffaw? Not until now. He was laughing helplessly while holding onto Kyler, who grinned mischievously. Cleo, who stood next to Kyler, began to giggle. Harvel, her Master Wizard mate, laughed.

"Well, this means one thing," I said.

"What's that?" Shadow asked, putting his arms around me again.

"That Glendes will never let me come back to Grey House."

"What's this?" Glendes, Eldest of Grey House and tyrant extraordinaire, appeared before Shadow and me. If he thought I was going to cower before him, he could think again.

"Lissa, you are a member of the family," Glendes said, reaching out to take my hand. And then he shocked the hell out of me by raising my fingers to his lips and kissing them. "You are always welcome here. Now, if the rest of you are ready," he turned and addressed the others, "we will march inside and behave with decorum. The occasional giggle will be ignored. Follow me." He walked away, adjusted his black robes, took Lira's arm and led us into the dining hall.

* * *

Trik swallowed nervously. Two six-year-olds waited with him inside a small room. "What's your name?" The smallest of the two asked. He sat beside Trik, his brown eyes curious as he gazed up at the older boy.

"Trikleer," Trik answered. "But everybody calls me Trik. What's yours?"

"Lucas," he replied shyly, hunching his shoulders. "Me and Dane want to train with Master Raffian."

Trik blinked, only then realizing that Raffian was his adoptive grandfather. "Why do you want to train with Master Raffian?" Trik asked.

"Because everybody says he's the most powerful wizard in Grey House," Dane, the other boy, answered. Unlike Lucas, he was taller, chubbier and had blue eyes. Those blue eyes were now trained on Trik. "Sometimes he yells," Dane went on, "but they all do. We'll be working with Third-Tiers anyway, after we're assigned."

Shadow had already explained the levels of wizardry at Grey House to Trik. Apprentice was the lowest level, with Fifth-Tier wizard status coming after the apprentice could perform to those standards. Most apprentices gained Fifth-Tier level at the age of eighteen. When a wizard gained Third-Tier, he or she might be allowed to help train apprentices. Only a few gained Second or First-Tier statuses, and Master Wizards, who were at the highest level, were very rare.

"Who do you want to train with, Trikleer?" Lucas asked.

"It doesn't matter. I just feel lucky to be here," Trik replied.

"Lucas? It's time," a Third-Tier wizard poked her head inside the door. She was with the Art Division, as designated by her green robe.

"Coming, Aunt Milli," Lucas slid off his seat and wobbled toward his aunt.

"Someone will come for you when it's time," Milli reassured Dane and Trik before placing an arm around Lucas' shoulders and closing the door behind him.

Not long after, one of Dane's uncles arrived and escorted Dane from the small room, leaving Trik alone, wondering whom it might be that would come for him. "Trik?" Nissa walked through the door and held out her hand. A grin split Trik's face as he stood and grasped Nissa's fingers with his.

* * *

Tiearan studied the circles of Fae before him. It began with a small circle; the oldest and strongest in the village comprised that circle. Those next in power formed a circle outside that one, with the weaker ones forming four increasingly larger circles past that. Children were in the last circle, and their energy would be used only as a last resort. The first and second circles held crystal, none of the others did. Tiearan believed those two circles would be the only ones involved.

Sighing, Tiearan stepped through gaps in each circle until he reached the center of the first and smallest circle. Nodding to Rain and Willow, who sat beside each other there, he settled himself at the center of all the circles and drew out the crystal orb he wore on a chain about his neck. All the Fae were silent as they watched Tiearan center his power.

* * *

"You will not be harmed; this is only to awaken your power." Glendes Grey, gray-eyed and dark-haired, focused on Trik's face as Trik sat before him in a comfortable chair. I know you're worried, Glendes' voice filtered into Trik's mind. Don't be. If you could see the two who went before you right now, you'd know they were in the kitchen, laughing and eating ice cream.

"Now, let's see how we do," Glendes actually smiled at Trik as he placed his hands on Trik's forehead. Trik didn't remember what happened after that.

* * *

Multiple tappings on the core, Tiearan sent mindspeech to Rain. We'll have to call on the outer circles.

Agreed, Rain replied. Tell me when you are ready to approach all the sites.

I will, Tiearan assured her. Going to the outer circles now, to gather power.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

"He'll wake in a few minutes," Shadow rubbed my shoulders as I stared at Trik's limp body. Shadow had carried him into a nearby room and laid him on a sofa so Trik could wake on his own.

"He's got some power there," Glendes assured us as I knelt next to the sofa and stroked Trik's hair. "I'd say at least Second-Tier, if he applies himself."

"You can tell?" I turned to stare up at Glendes.

"I have a good batting average. Isn't that what you call it?" Glendes smiled.

"What did you say about my Nissa?" I asked. She, Roff and the others were waiting outside for us and couldn't hear.