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Ilesias handed his papers in to Gian, with a proud smile on his face. This time he was early and had actually written more than the minimum. Didi, one of the girls that had come into Gian's class just after Minis had done his Ten Tens, and was hanging out with him and Nuninibas, had talked to him while they were out in the dog yard running around on the field with Tanifas's main pack. She'd been interested in the history part and he'd had so much fun explaining it to her that the papers had been easy to write, afterwards.
Gian
leafed through the pages, eyebrows rising. “Very well done, Ili.
Whatever has brought about this sea-change I approve of!”
“Teacher,
I don't like sitting still and writing stuff down or reading stuff.
I like acting it out... Nuni and I acted most of that out for Didi
the other day.”
“Interesting.
Yes, I've noticed that you are happier moving. So we shall have to
do a great deal more theatre in class to improve your academics.”
“I'd
like that a lot, but I'm not sure Ailadas will like it.”
“Leave
that to me,” Gian stood up. “Gentlemen and Ladies, you are
dismissed for the day.”
Ili
had been the last student to hand in his work and there was enough of
a rush for the door that the Companion's Chamberlain had to clear his
throat and call everyone to order. “Is learning so onerous that
one must flee?” Five other boys and girls were still clustered
around Gian's desk, asking him questions.
“No,
ser,” Ili said. “I really want to get a lot of time outside
though.”
“Spark
of the Sun's Ray, you have an example to set!” He called after them
as they ran down to the Heir's rooms.
“He's
right,” Ili said. “I've been being a bad example.”
“How
is that?” Didi asked, looking confused.
“I've
been neglecting my family,” Ili said, grabbing up the sugar cone
from the kaf tray and stuffing it into his pocket. She still looked
confused as Nuni laughed at the way the sugar bulge sat in Ili's
riding trousers.
“Come
on,” Ili trotted downstairs, Didi hanging back a bit when it was
obvious he was going down to the Mahid section of the Marble Palace.
Nuni said he was used to it but the two of them poked each other and
hissed behind Ili's back because it was still a spooky part.
But
Ili went straight past his grandfather's door and both light and dark
venomous menageries, and even past his pseudo-mother's door. All of
them were closed and locked anyway. "They're all over at the Temple trying to figure out who 'The Unique' is and stop him trying to assassinate Minis and Ky," Ili said absently.
“Excuse me, Amitza...” he
hailed one of the Mahid girls who was skating toward the training
hall with her arms full equipment. She braked and wheeled to face
them. “Spark,” she said.
“Is
Elsha training? Who do I talk to about the kids?”
“That's
one of the new ones, Sula I think... they're up in the Imperatrix's
solar.”
“Thank
you.”
That
meant they had to traipse all the way around, to go up, and over to
the women's halls, since Ili had promised Antras not to startle
people by going through the servant's corridors as short cuts.
“Why
are we going to see the Mahid children?” Nuninibas asked. “They're
just babies.”
“Minis
taught me that good big brothers do stuff with little brothers... an'
Ky says that it's good for little sisters too... so I have a little
sister... and a sort of little brother who're big enough to play
with.”
“But
that's what girls are supposed to do!” Nuni stared at both Ili and
Didi who were staring at him. “Arkan girls!” he said.
“My
brother the Imperator was a good parent! My pseudo mama sniffs at
all the stuff he did, saying that some girl should have looked after
me, he should have hired a nurse but we were on the run and
couldn't.”
“Your
brother the Imperator is weird.”
Didi
sniffed at him and moved over to walk next to Ili, who just said,
“He's Imperator so whatever he does is right, as long as nobody
gets up a petition to say he's wrong!”
Nuni
grumbled but followed along.
The
solar had glass doors and spilled light all down the hallway so their
eyes had some time to adjust.
There
were servants to help so if the youngest babies cried, the Mahid
watching wouldn't be overwhelmed. There were only five babies
anyway, besides Tesha and Joras, who were the oldest.
“Hi,
Sula!” Ili came in and slid to his stomach between Tesha and Joras
who were apparently squaring up to squabble over possession of a
carved wooden block.
“Hello,
Spark of the Sun's Ray!”
“Just
Ili, please,” he said. “We're family sort of, kind of.”
“As
you say, Spark.”
“Hey,
I played with these blocks!” The wooden blocks were scattered
around enough to build a small city, each block small enough for
little hands, each block elaborately carved and fit together
perfectly. Every fourth block had a locking pin that could be pushed
out to secure a wall or an archway.
“What
are you building?”
“A
house! - A WALL!” the toddlers glared at each other, both clinging
to a single block, identical to a hundred scattered around them.
“I
see,” Ili wanted to laugh. “You don't need that block to build a
house with a wall.” Nuni and Didi both went around the other side
of the scattered pile and began looking through them at all the
different varieties. There were ceramic ones like brick and marble,
and hardwood ones of all kinds. Each colour had a different theme,
animals or plants or fish. There were even tile shapes to build
roofs with, all painted red as if they were terracotta, but the
finish on some were worn on the edges.
“Those
worn ones were Minis's,” Ili said, glancing over. “Look,
Joras... if you lock your wall to Tesha's house like this, then we
could build a tower as tall as I am...”
“I
don't wanna!” Nuni sighed loudly from the other side of the
blocks.
“All
right. But if you behave like that you won't be able to go riding
with me when we're done.” Sula twitched at this but didn't say
anything.
“Riding?”
That caught Joras's attention. “On a pony? Myself?”
“Not
yet. The riding master will teach you. Just with me on my horse and
if you're really good I'll take him over the ankle-jumps.”
“Let's
go NOW!”
Tesha
had set her brick carefully on her half-finished house and was
listening. “I get to ride too!” she asserted.
“Yes,
of course.” He took their hands and got up. “I have sugar for
treats for horses, and the riding ring is all set up. Did you know
that there's such a thing as a magic house donkey? Yeah, once upon a
time...”
