When he was chosen to be Nehi’s replacement, he expected his first day at work to be doing the paperwork or helping the people that Tyche was avoiding. Instead, he was the one to reveal Seothia’s newest saint—Prince Tavin.

  Also, when Dusek thought of the conversation that had to be had afterward, he imagined them all being there. This was something best discussed with the whole family… though, he supposed, when nearly every member of that family was politically involved, that wasn’t going to happen.

  Instead he had to settle with a worried father, a confused son, and a handful of informational papers. For a moment he thought he might also have a figurative aunt—before she walked out after mumbling something about working. Well, he knew where Tyche was going to be for a little while.

  Dusek put on the most reassuring smile he could, hoping that would help things. “Sorry I was a bit late! I hope you weren’t waiting too long. Go on and have a seat.”

  Imre and Tavin both sat down on one side of the table, while Dusek made his way to the other. Neither said anything so he just continued.

  “I know you’re probably aware of a lot of the stuff spirits can do—someone else probably told you when he was found to have the Saint-King’s spirit—but I’d like to go over some other stuff, too.” He sat the papers on the table in front of the two of them. “I got someone to copy these for you, they’re basically everything I’m about to go over with you now. Be sure to talk to your family about them, too, alright? It’s important that everyone’s on the same page.”

  “I’ll try to get everyone together,” Imre mumbled with a nod. “There’s a lot we’ll need to sort out when we get back anyway…”

  “Sounds good enough to me. I’m going to skip past the generic ‘what to expect from your new spirit’ stuff and get into the specifics… what to expect from your new, traumatic spirit.” Dusek considered the best way to begin the explanation. “First, I’d like to ask: are you still experiencing those nightmares?”

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  Tavin simply nodded.

  “Those, most likely, will go away soon. Nightmares, especially of the spirit’s death, are common signs of developing spirits—most will go away a little while after getting them. They’ll probably still show up eventually, though. Especially during similar circumstances. See, spirits usually have a good control on keeping things from the person bound to them. Sometimes, though, if the bound person is put into similar life-threatening or even the cause of death of a spirit, they lose that control. They don’t mean to—it just happens. It's their instinct, in a way, to try to protect the person they’re bound to.

  “Given your age, I think the thing all of you should be most concerned about are the phobias associated with their death. I get that it’s probably going to be hard, but I can show you some methods of managing that. Remember that, first and foremost, it is your mind that the spirits reside in. A lot of people are afraid to tell them no, or to ignore them, because they’re family—but it helps a lot more to remember that you are the one in control. Stuff about that is included in the papers, too.”

  Dusek considered what he said already, and figured it was time to ask, “Any questions? I should be able to answer most of them.”

  Tavin shook his head.

  Imre gave something closer to an answer with the remark, “I’ll probably think of plenty on our trip back…”

  “Alright, that’s fair enough. You can always come to me if you need it—I might be the Vulture but I was a Lily before that. Spirit therapy is literally what I was trained for.”

  “We couldn’t bother you—”

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind, really. I think it might actually be for the better. I honestly don’t have a lot of work to do. I don’t care that I’m working with the prince and I’m not working with anyone else, which is something not a lot of other Lilies can say. I might be young, but I think that could work out well, too. It’ll all help him be more comfortable.” He glanced at Tavin. “As long as you’re okay with that.”

  “We can try, right..?” the boy replied quietly.

  Imre looked like he had more he could say, but must’ve decided against it. “Alright. Thank you, we’ll be sure to take you up on that offer if we need anything.”

  “I’ll answer any letters I get as soon as I see them, I promise. I can probably spare a few trips to Lelishara, too, if it really calls for it. Just let me know and I’ll help any way I can.”