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From the couch, Revik grunted.

Lily glanced over at him, then back at me. “Uncle Wreg and Uncle Jon are really mad at him,” she informed me.

I nodded to that information, glancing at Revik.

“They are, are they?” I quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Lily said, looking at Revik, too. “They think that’s why you went away and didn’t come to visit me for so long.”

Revik didn’t look up that time, and his light remained quiet. I saw him shift his weight on the couch, though. I also saw his mouth tighten under the shadow of his arm.

“Areyoumad at Daddy?” I asked Lily, turning back towards her. “Is that why he has to take a nap?”

From the couch, I felt a softer pulse of humor.

I felt the sadness underneath that, too.

I only looked at Lily, though.

After a few seconds, she shook her head. I felt relief in her light, even as her arms tightened around my neck.

“No,” she said. “No, I’m not mad at him. I just don’t want him to be mean.”

I laughed, hugging her back. “He’s almost nevermean,honey.” I glanced at Revik, still grinning. “…Although he has his moments.”

“So does Mommy,” Revik grunted from the couch.

I felt the relief in his light, though, and again found myself wondering what had been going on over the past few days. I definitely got the sense Revik didn’t want to talk about it.

Lily was playing with my hair though, and I felt her light weaving back into mine, relief coming off her as she relaxed into my arms andaleimi.

Remembering again just how young she was, and how often Revik and I weren’t in here, I fought a ripple of pain. Thinking about my friends back in San Francisco with their kids, and what their lives had been like––at least before the nightmare of the last few years––didn’t help. They spent most of their time with their kids, especially when they were this young.

They were with them pretty much 24/7.

On the other hand, I knew most seers were forced to give their children up even younger than this. It had been more or less standard practice since World War II, when trade in live seers exploded. Most seer parents had their kids sent to schools with military-grade protection, some run by the Adhipan and the rest run by monks.

That had been true right up until C2-77 hit.

It was still true, really. In fact, some of our people––meaning ‘Dori’s people, operating out of Asia––still guarded seer schools high up in the mountains.

Thinking about this, I slid deeper into Lily’s light.

I felt Revik hovering over the two of us from the limited Barrier field inside the tank, and gently pushed him back so I could get a better look at Lily on her own. I only realized I was targeting the structures Shadow put there after Revik moved out of the way.

Following threads across and through the higher structures in Lily’saleimi, I stared at things in her I’d never seen before, and not only because I’d been following security protocols.

I could see more now, for some reason.

From the couch, Revik coughed.

I looked over questioningly, but instead of speaking to me, Revik addressed Lily.

“Mommy’s light is different now, isn’t it?” he said.

I looked at Lily, startled.

Lily nodded, a serious look on her round face.