Yuki arrived at the palace and held Selytha's hand to help her out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she went inside with the girl and was soon met by a palace official.
"Farida, Pharaoh has sent word that he expects you to join him for dinner tonight."
Yuki kept walking, forcing the official to run after her while she told her about her duties and looked intently at Selytha.
As she started up the stairs, Yuki stopped and looked coldly at the employee.
"I don't want you to accompany me to my room. My Simpática will be able to help me with all my appointments. I think she knows about them, right?"
"Wife Ra, your nice lady had the day off this morning."
"All right. Wait for me in my husband's office. I'm going to... sort something out and I'll be right back."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Yuki took Selytha to her own room. She didn't know where the Host House was and now that she was there, she had another idea.
Selytha entered the huge room and looked at everything in awe, then looked back at Yuki.
"Wow, Mom. This place is beautiful!"
Yuki nodded in agreement.
"Yes. I'll see to it that your room is even more beautiful than this one."
"Uhn." Selytha just said and made her way to the balcony, where she stood looking out.
Yuki began to pace thoughtfully.
"Mom, I'm hungry." Selytha said, turning to Yuki.
Yuki froze in place.
"Forgive me, my child... I completely forgot." She said and went to the intercom she used to call someone, but Selytha's voice interrupted her intentions.
"Mom, you used to take Kushari to me at the hospital, could I have it again? Made by you?"
Yuki smiled and calmed down.
"Of course, my child. Wait a few minutes and I won't be long." Yuki said and left.
Selytha waited for her to close the door and then turned back to the window and opened it.
Atila jumped in. She looked at him as she assessed him and then smiled when he looked around the room in surprise.
"I was like that too when I saw this place. It's beautiful, isn't it, Uncle Tykar?"
He walked a little further into the room, before turning to Selytha.
"Yes. This room is beautiful, but it's not fit for a Farida. Pharaoh must be preparing a surprise for your mother."
"Doesn't he sleep here?"
Attila looked regretfully at Selytha. She was a more intelligent child than many of the men in his army, but she was only a child and should be kept away from adult matters.
"When you put that snowflake in my hand a few weeks ago, I glimpsed a few missions that I needed to accomplish..."
"Did you succeed?"
Atila pulled up the sleeve of her blouse and there were twelve different symbols embedded in her skin. The girl stuck her finger in her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
"I need you to touch each of these marks, Selytha." He said in a tone that would brook no contest.
Selytha touched each one and they glowed for a few seconds in different colors before fading away.
"Yes. They're all there. They're part of you, now that you've killed them all." She said sadly. She said sadly.
"They're not all here, Selytha." Atila covered her arm again. "I can feel the power of the twelve spheres, but I haven't got the location of the crown yet."
"Are you going to kill more people?"
"Yes. Lots of people."
"And what will you become? Killing people causes stains on the soul and yours is almost gone. You've killed too many people to gain strength and power. You need to stop."
"I'll stop when I reach my goal."
"If you don't find an anchor, your goal will be achieved, but you... You'll be lost."
"I've already found an anchor."
Selytha stared into Attila's cold brown eyes for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.
"Mom? She doesn't love you."
"I won't kill anyone with the intention of absorbing her spheres, until she does."
Selytha took a deep breath and looked somberly at Atila.
"Perhaps, I can help you know the location of the crown without you having to kill again, Uncle Tykar. If I stay in this palace, people won't mind revealing secrets around me, because they'll believe I'm just a child."
"But you are just a child."
"But I can be much more than that. I don't care that you killed those people. I don't care that you had to kill the entire Ice Kingdom. That makes me an adult."
Atila looked coldly at Selytha.
"I was wrong to let you see what I needed to do, Selytha, it won't happen again. I underestimated your power."
"I don't think I can do that again. I tried, when Mom touched me, but I didn't see anything."
"I understand. But these are things you're not supposed to see yet. You've helped me know what I need to do to end the threat from the Ice People, but now, I'll follow my intuition." He said and turned towards the balcony, but before jumping out, he turned around. "I'll pick you up as soon as you're in a suitable place for your first lesson."
"See you later, Uncle Attila." She said and he skipped off just as Yuki returned with a tray of Kushari and a glass of juice.
...
Yuki arranged for Selytha to stay in a room next to hers until she met her host. Contrary to what she thought, he seemed happy to welcome the girl as his daughter and talked about the best times for Yuki to visit her.
Sean, just as he had promised, put up no obstacles to the girl being adopted by the host, although Yuki noticed that Sean had been gloomy the few times she had seen him since she had gone to pick up Selytha, since he had canceled their dinner date.
The weeks passed with Yuki involved in preparing a big party, at the Pharaoh's request.
...
Selytha took a deep breath and bent down, touching both hands flat on the floor. She was wearing armor with the Dihren family crest and her eyes showed the effort she was making to concentrate. She closed her eyes.
"Open your eyes Selytha!" It was Atila's impatient shout of command as he watched her intently. "With your eyes closed you're vulnerable." He explained a little softer, but the expression of ruthlessness was always the same.
Selytha glared at him and refocused. She felt the exact moment when they appeared and stood up slowly, afraid that they would fade, as they had every time before.
When she was fully upright, in front of Attila's surprised gaze, she raised the two swords high and crossed them, forming the family crest, and smiled with satisfaction.
"Keep them up!" Atila ordered as he approached.
He bent down and touched one of the swords and stepped back satisfied. A smile broke out on his lips.
"You can rest, Selytha. You were perfect today."
She obeyed and clapped one hand on the other and the swords disappeared.
"You say that every day, but only today did I manage to physically keep the swords." She said, pouting.
Attila fumbled with her hair, and his gaze showed his pride.
"You did well every time, princess."
"I have to go to school now." She said, saluting.
"Then go."
Attila watched her leave and the host walked over to stand beside her.
"Is the girl a prodigy?"
"The girl is a dangerous weapon."
"A weapon that answers only to you. What do you think will happen when Sean finds out?"
Attila looked menacingly at his host.
"The day he finds out, you'll lose your immortal tongue, old man!"
"Old man? I'm not old!"
Atila's eyes became amused.
"How old are you? Five hundred? One more or one less?"
The host smiled.
"Tell Pharaoh about this girl. She's been 'training' at home and I can't spend all my time putting out the fire she sets in people or warming them up."
"And all this at just three years old..."
"She told me she's going to be four in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Is Yuki getting distracted? Isn't that the same day as the Big Party?"
"Good point. She must be planning to go out with Selytha, while everyone else will be distracted at the party."
"She's Sean's target. He won't let her out of his sight."
"We're going to have some big surprises at this party."
"Yes. We will."
The host faced Atila.
"You love this girl as if she were your own daughter, Atila. You know that this paternal feeling is beautiful, but it makes Selytha a target. If I can see your great love, so can your enemies. You are grown up and strong, and can protect yourself from evil intentions, but Selytha is just a little girl. She doesn't know her friends from her enemies yet."
Atila stared firmly into the Host's eyes.
"You're underestimating the girl, Host. And you're all underestimating me if you believe that I don't know anything about what's involved in this big, apparently purposeless party and I could become an even bigger problem if I agree to act in this theater." Attila said and walked away, leaving the Host looking thoughtful.