Sun stood at the entrance to the manor beside her brother. They were both dressed in black and blues, their family colours. Her formal gown rippled like water with every move she made. To match her, his black suit had blue brocade on the tie, waistcoat, and the lapels of his frock coat.


    They had been standing there awhile greeting their guests to their midwinter celebration. Nick hadn''t returned from his evaluation yet, and despite asking her instructors, she still didn''t know where he''d been sent or if he was all right. It had been almost a week now. The worry was getting to her and Zen, and they''d spent every free moment together trying to reassure each other he would be fine.


    Zen had become such a regular feature at the manor Kalys had given him the same rules he''d given Nick.


    The last thing she wanted to be doing right now was plastering a fake smile on her face and making nice with strangers. Most of them she had never met, despite having been the one to send out the invitations. There were Revenant Commanders and Lieutenants, nobility from all over, and Illusens she had yet to meet—and a few she had. She was pleased to see their grandfather and greeted him with far more warmth than the others. She also got to meet the heads of the Autumn and Summer clans. Fire and Earth.


    Amarieh Vay de Lis, head of the Summer Clan, was a beautiful woman; her skin was golden, and her eyes were warm and dark. Her earthen hair was bundled up on her head, pinned with beautiful emerald ornaments. Sun knew the bracelets on her wrists were the symbols of her house, much like the earrings for the Illusens. Her dress shimmered in gold with a plunging neckline, revealing her abundant cleavage. It clung to her figure with a slit up one leg; the woman oozed confidence and sex appeal. Sun figured this was what it meant to be sexy; she was a little jealous. But the woman was going to get cold if she didn''t take one of the fur cloaks on offer.


    Vincent Tannivh was Autumn; his eyes were molten gold, and his hair held all the colours of the autumn leaves. He was dressed much like her brother, predominantly in black. The golden necklace held the crest of his family, the symbol of his status. She knew he was a Revenant Commander as well, of the Fourth - Casters. They were predominantly support, loaned out to the other divisions for operations. Their focus was on using their ability to manipulate their auras into offensive and defensive casts. Casting hadn''t come easily to her, but it was one of the classes she was most interested in. Anything to avoid having to rely on her own power.


    Honestly, she was surprised at how many people had turned up for this. The planner she''d worked with had said it was an important event to the Illusens, and people always turned up for them—for any of the great four. Sun hadn''t believed her. It all just seemed so frivolous to her.


    When she saw Nick and Zen heading up the path together dressed in the suits she''d bought for them, she grinned widely. He was back! He hadn''t been here when she had bought his suit, so she had been worried it wouldn''t fit. It was a bit of a relief to see it fit, but an almost overwhelming relief to see him back and intact.


    "You invited them?" Kalys asked her quietly.


    "Of course."


    She wondered if he would turn them away. Barring anyone that had been invited would be considered rude, but she had come to learn he didn''t much care about being labelled rude. Hypocrite. In some instances, she suspected he even wore it as something like a badge of honour. Or perhaps he just didn''t think any action he took was rude, merely justified. A bit difficult to tell the difference, despite the fact she was starting to learn his—very subtle—tells.


    When Zen and Nick reached them, Sun hugged them warmly.


    "You made it," she said, hands on his shoulders as she took him in, checking him for injuries.


    "Completely unscathed," he assured her.


    "He got back about an hour ago," Zen told her.


    "I''ll tell you all about it later," he said, glancing back to the other guests still arriving.


    Kalys greeted the boys with a nod of his head, and Sun directed them inside, where the way was lit to lead guests to one of the larger gardens. She told them she would find them later when she was done here and that they both looked very handsome.


    Kalys looked down at her, his displeasure evident.


    "You never mentioned you''d invited them."


    "I was never told I couldn''t."


    "So you took it as permission?"


    "I didn''t know I needed permission; I was under the impression I was in charge of organising this. Including the guest list."


    His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn''t really look or feel that angry. She put it down to the usual irritation he felt at their mere existence.


    Before anything more could be said, their next guest reached them, Kalys introducing the young man to Sun. Nathaniel Intrieri, son of the head of the Spring Clan. He apologised for his father not being able to make it as he had been ill recently. His hair was so blonde it appeared white in some lights; it reminded her of Nicks a bit, but it was long and tied back into a loose ponytail. His eyes were like the steel of her blades and just as sharp. He was a striking young man. But then, Kalys, Amarieh, and Vincent were all stunning in different ways.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Illusen," he said, taking her hand in both of his. "I''ve heard much about you."


    "I imagine word''s gotten around about the bastard from the slums," she shrugged. Not a very ladylike gesture, but apt. "I''ve been called worse things by better people."


    He only chuckled where Kalys cast her a sharp look. She had expected gossip and that most of it would be bad. Easier just to own it, she figured.


    "The nobility aren''t known for their generous words." Intieri leaned in and uttered it quietly before stepping back. "My sister has been excited to meet you, though; she''s a little younger than yourself. She was disappointed to have to miss this."


    "Why did she miss it?"


    "She''s with my father; we felt it best he had one of us with him."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "It''s nothing too serious, I hope," she said.


    "So do we," he replied with an almost sad smile.


    He was definitely not like Kalys; he seemed warmer and a little more open, a bit more emotive. Of course it could be a carefully crafted mask; she obviously didn''t know him well enough to say.


    The next lot of guests had arrived, so Intrieri moved along, promising to speak more with them inside.


    When the last of their guests had gone in, Kalys and Sun did so as well, making their way to the garden. She had spent the morning with the planners and staff setting everything up.


    Most of the effort had gone into the food, though—a massive feast to be shared with friends and family at long tables. Extra kitchen hands had been hired, and she had added a monetary bonus for the lot of them for all this work.


    The longest night of the year was supposed to be a time of renewal and reverence, and winter was the Illusens domain. She read about the previous year''s celebrations, which had been left up to the planners, with her brother being so busy as Clan Head and Revenant Commander.


    Previous celebrations had primarily been balls, huge elegant events held indoors that seemed to be less about midwinter and what that meant. She may not have been an Illusen long, but she was at least going to try and do some of it right.


    So outdoors, in the winter snow with furs, bonfires, and hot food and drink for warmth. She had made sure furs and winter coats would be provided to anyone who needed them. When they got outside, not a single Illusen had made use of them. Comfort in cold really was a family trait, it seemed.


    The bonfires were lit, and strung between the trees were ropes with lanterns hanging from them, the flames inside safe from the breeze. They had lucked out though; the weather was perfect, the sky clear despite the snow earlier, which had left a nice blanket of it to cover the foot prints of the staff setting up.


    The tables were also lit with lanterns, and warm drinks were being handed out. She and Kalys stood at the stairs into the garden, looking out across their guests. In the dark, with the fire and the trees all lit up, it looked gorgeous.


    "It looks lovely, Sun," he told her, looking down at her. "You did well."


    Sun smiled, warmth blossoming in her chest with his approval. She had worked hard on this, especially given she had never organised any kind of function in the past.


    He offered her his arm, and she looped her hand around it, letting him escort her down where he would once again welcome everyone together and begin the feast.


    There were several long tables set up to accommodate guests with no particular seating arrangement. The point was comfort and connection. Sit with those you wanted to sit with, and once Kalys welcomed everyone and took his seat—Sun beside him, Nick beside her, and Zen on his other side—Kalys signalled for the food to be brought out.


    This was a far more relaxed affair than the dinner she had with her relatives. And she did mean that word loosely. She chatted with Nick and Zen, her grandfather opposite her. People ate; they switched seats to talk to others; it was nice, and despite the formal wear, the atmosphere leaned more towards something a little more casual. She even saw her brother crack a small smile once or twice, though he was very discrete about it. She spoke with a few of their guests, Nathaniel Intrieri, Commander Allens from the Ninth Division who''d attended her demonstration, her grandfather, and a distant cousin. He at least seemed a little more pleasant than most of the other Illusens she had come across.


    At one point, she walked the gardens with her two friends. Zen had tied his long mane into something resembling a style, and this was probably the cleanest she had ever seen him. Nick had brushed his pale hair back as well, but the strands in the front had come loose, falling in front of his eye. Like Zen, he was well dressed and clean.


    They were a far cry from the kids in the slums. She walked between them, taking their hands in hers.


    "I wish the others could be here," she said quietly.


    The boys squeezed her hands back.


    "Remember when Kawana got lice?" Zen suddenly asked.


    The others laughed at the memory. Given the close quarters they all slept in, it had spread to all of them. Ami had gotten sick of scratching, of watching them all scratch; she''d hacked all their hair off. They didn''t have scissors, so it had been done with a knife. They''d been patchily bald for ages. They had all looked ridiculous. Zen had never cut his hair again after that and somehow managed to avoid contracting lice again. While Sun wasn''t quite as phobic about it as Zen, she too had kept her hair long despite the impracticality of it. She wasn''t a vain person, but she had hated how she looked with almost no hair and even short hair.


    They walked around the garden, reminiscing about their time with the rest of their family that couldn''t be there. Their deaths had been tragic, Ami''s had been horrific, and it had taken a long time before they could think of them without the excruciating pain. Longer still before they could focus on the good memories.


    After that, Nick told them about his evaluation and the mission he''d been sent on. Commander Dyne had been the one to take him. There had been another candidate with them—Vira. Sun knew of her, but they''d never exchanged a single word in the past.


    Their mission had been a small stint out east, dealing with a growing group of bandits. They had seen a little combat, but mostly they had been in charge of the defence of the civilians in the area. Nick had taken a blow to the back of the head, which had knocked him out; he still had a bit of a bump. She''d winced in sympathy when she''d felt it.


    But he had returned to them intact, and that was the important thing.


    After a while, Zen shuddered.


    "Right, that''s enough cold for me. I''m going to hover by the fire," he told them, trudging through the snow while they watched him go.


    "So," she started, looking up at him. "Regret coming yet?"


    He shook his head. "I''m glad I did."


    He reached out, delicately plucking something from her hair.


    "Snow," he muttered before another settled in her hair as well.


    They both looked up to see it was starting to snow. Winter was a terrible time for them when they were kids. Sun rarely got sick in winter, at least, not like the others. And they didn''t have warm clothes or a warm house. They used to sleep in a pile in the winter for extra warmth.


    After coming to Perdition, they could take shelter from the cold in a way they''d never been able to, and it just became... a season, even if the terrible memories never left them. But this was quite possibly one of the more pleasant winters they''d had.


    "You look tired," she said. "Maybe you should have stayed at the dorm and rested."


    He shook his head. "I promised I''d be here. Besides, there''s no where I''d rather be."


    He said it with a smile and a casual shrug that had her smiling back, pleased at his words.


    Nick leaned in closer. "Why is your brother glaring daggers at me right now? We''re in a public area. You''re not even my type; I''d''ve thought he''d be perceptive enough to realise it by now."


    She turned to look. Sure enough, Kalys was watching. ''Glaring daggers'' might have been a bit strong, but there was definitely a warning in his gaze.


    She tamped down on the flare of irritation. She didn''t want Nick to feel unwelcome here and stop coming. It was surprising Nick would even touch on his own preferences out loud. Given the stigma, they all kept their silence on the subject to keep Nick''s secret safe.


    Kalys called everyone over. With midnight fast approaching, it was time for the next part of the event.


    Paper and pens were handed out to everyone, and they were told to write something down—something they needed to let go of, or even just something they needed to get out of them. Then they had to toss it into the central fire pit.


    Sun wrote down what she would most like to let go of, which was the negative first impression of her brother. Granted, he could have gone about things in such a way that the transition could have been easier for her. But he wasn''t the prick she had initially believed; she was starting to see that. No doubt he had a bit of an arsehole-ish streak in there; he was a noble, it was to be expected. But she would like to stop letting that first impression colour the way forward.


    Like everyone else, she tossed her folded piece of paper into the fire and watched it burn up. Over the dancing flames across from her, she could see her brother do the same and wondered what he wrote on his. Nick and Zen as well. Despite her curiosity, she would never ask; this was supposed to be a private thing.


    With things winding down, Sun and Kalys farewelled their guests. Rooms had been prepared for those that would be spending the night—mostly family but not limited to them. And once everyone had retired for the night, Kalys turned to her.


    "Come with me," he told her.