Chapter 13 Part 2 | Lovers and Beloveds | IHGK Book 1
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"Temmin?" said Allis's voice at his elbow. She put a hand on his back; he mechanically took her on his arm, and walked toward the Supplicant's Chamber. Issak joined them, kissed Temmin without a word, and took his other arm. They left the Temple's Own at the door to the Supplicant's Chamber. Once inside, Temmin paced away from the twins into the room; Issak glanced at Allis as they followed behind.
"You're upset," said Allis. "What did Litta say?"
"Nothing of consequence."
"Ah, that explains your shift in mood from apprehensive and excited, to apprehensive and frightened," said Issak. "What did he say, Temmin?"
Temmin sighed and folded himself onto a couch, setting his hat beside him. "He knows about your life in Belleth. Pagg damn my father, he told Litta about your past."
"And?" said Issak.
"And Litta says if I take Supplicancy, he'll tell everyone!" said Temmin, spreading his arms. "It'll ruin you! I can't let that happen to you, and I can't swallow letting him win like that, especially when it's really my father's doing. Gods, I hate him!"
"It's not hard to see it from the King's perspective," said Allis, sitting next to him. "He's worried about you."
"Worried about politics," said Temmin.
"In his mind, the two are linked. You will inherit the throne. He worries he won't have one to give you," she said.
Temmin pushed his hair out of his eyes. "You think Eddin's priests are right, that if I come here it's the end of the monarchy?"
"No," she said, "I think your father loves you."
"I wish he'd leave me alone."
"And I wish I had a father," she murmured.
Issak fixed his sister with a warning look, and said, "Temmin, you knew the nobility would not approve of this."
"No, but I thought they'd just try to talk me out of it!" Temmin answered. He grimaced and threw up his hands. "Who'd think they'd dare threaten the Heir, or Embodiments--who does something like that? It's blasphemy!"
"Not everyone puts faith above personal advantage," said Allis.
Temmin put his head in his hands, pushed his hair back again, and stood up. "So that's it, then? I just go home?"
"Do you want to go home?" said Issak.
"Pagg's balls, will you stop that!" he shouted. "Aren't you worried? At all? My father's won! I can't let him ruin you! There's nothing to say he won't do it anyway!"
Issak took him by the shoulders and shook him once. "You are going to calm down, and we are going to take care of it. All right? We decide what happens here, not you. We will take this to the Most Highs, and among us, we will sort it out. You are to focus on becoming a Supplicant."
"How can I focus, when my father's threatening you? He's the King. He's a believer who fears for his soul, but apparently he has others who don't, who'll do his bad business for him. If he wants to hurt you, there's nothing I can do--I can't protect you except by leaving!"
"Tem, you don't have to protect us," soothed Allis. "It's all right."
"No, it's not! This is a bad idea anyway, just let me go!" He wrenched himself from Issak's grip and ran from the room.
Allis rose from the couch as if to follow, but took her brother's hand instead. "I think it's best if we let Teacher deal with him at this point."
"I agree," nodded Issak. He sighed, and took Allis in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "One thing I love about people," he said, "is that however much I know about them, however well I think I can read them, they still manage to surprise me now and again. I knew his sexual frustration is mounting, and then he wants his father's approval so badly, but--"
"No, it's more than that." She looked up, eyes troubled. "I think he's in love with us."
Issak paused. "You may be right." He rocked her in his arms a moment longer, and kissed her nose. "We have time to take care of that. What concerns me is that you react to him more than you ought."
"It concerns me too," murmured Allis.
"Come on," said her brother. "Let's go bother the Most Highs and decide how best to deal with His Grace the Duke of Litta."
"There's a cheery thought, at least," she smiled.
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