CHAPTER 96: PAIR BONDS

The banquet was over, but the castle’s stone walls still pulsed with music, laughter, and the heavy scent of ale. Torches burned low in their sconces, casting a honey-gold glow over the great hall.

Minstrels struck up another tune, quicker and livelier than before, and the remaining guests, at least those not sprawled senseless on benches or against the walls. crowded into the open space to dance.

The music still rolled through the stone halls long after the feast had ended. Ale flowed like a spring, laughter clanged off the rafters, and the King’s people spun in lively circles, feet stomping on rushes scattered over the floor.

Hermes stepped into the line of dancers, catching Somner’s hand as the circle pulled them together.

Hermes grinned and held out his hand, talking in modern English so that only they can understand each other.. "Come on."

Somner raised a brow. "What, now? You’ve ignored me all night."

"I’ve been busy," Hermes replied, tugging him into the dance before he could protest. "Besides, I’ve got something to tell you."

It was a folk dance, lively and structured, with partners spinning into place and swapping after every turn. The fiddles shrieked joyfully, an older version of a bodhrán thumped like a heartbeat, and the floor shifted under the rhythmic pounding of boots. Hermes and Somner moved together, clapping on the beats, feet sliding in time.

"So?" Somner prompted between steps. "What’s this big secret?"

Hermes lowered his voice, mindful of the bodies pressing close on either side. "It’s about Glasán. We saw something in his head during the banquet. A memory of how he got Sirentone."

Somner’s expression sharpened. "And you didn’t tell me because...?"

The line broke, and Hermes spun into the arms of another partner, forced to let the explanation hang. By the time the pattern brought him back to Somner, it was already time to switch again.

Aphrodite was next. The quiet lad’s touch was feather-light, his purple eyes steady on Somner’s face.

"Glasán found a cave," Aphrodite said quickly. "Inside there was some kind of rift, glowing plants, fruit. He didn’t eat them, but... something came out. A wind. It went into him, and that was enough for Sirentone to root itself in him."

Somner nodded, the corners of his mouth tugging down in thought. "So that’s what happened. It makes sense."

They separated, and Somner was paired with Apple. There was only uncomfortable silence between them.

During that time, Hermes was paired with some random person, only for the dance to spin away again...

This time into Apple’s grip.

Apple’s cold fingers tightened around his hand. "Somner already looks ready to sulk about being the last to know," he murmured.

"He’ll live," Hermes said.

"Will he?" Apple’s pale gaze slid toward Somner, who was glaring across the circle. "He is very attached to you."

Hermes gave him a pointed look, but Apple didn’t elaborate.

Another turn, another partner.

Hermes found himself with Somner again, who scowled. "Well? That’s it? He went into a magic cave and now he can yell at people to drown themselves?"

"Pretty much," Hermes said. "We’ll explain more later."

"Better," Somner muttered, just before they spun apart again.

The next time Hermes found himself paired with Aphrodite, the other lad leaned in slightly, voice low. "Something’s been bothering you since this morning. What is it?"

Hermes hesitated. Aphrodite’s tone wasn’t accusing... only concerned.

They’d grown up together, after all. If there was anyone he could tell, it was him.

"My system," Hermes said finally. "It told me... I might have created life inside Eirwyn."

Aphrodite’s steps faltered for a heartbeat, but he recovered without breaking the dance. "You mean...?"

"Yes." Hermes swallowed. "A child. Mine."

Aphrodite’s lips parted, but no sound came at first. He blinked rapidly, then exhaled. "That... might explain why you still have Rewind. If the child is feeding on Eirwyn’s blood through an umbilical cord, then they’re consuming your DNA too. Which means any ability they steal would be something you get as well. Like how it works with Apple."

The idea clicked into place with an unsettling ease. Hermes felt the floor shift beneath him, though he knew it was only the dance. "That would make sense."

Their hands parted, and Hermes spun into his twin’s side once more. The eerie boy met his eyes without smiling.

"Aphrodite thinks the child is why I still have Rewind." Hermes said. "Do you agree?"

Apple tilted his head. "Possible. Likely."

"Then... what about the Error? What could it mean?"

Apple’s voice was almost too soft to hear over the music. "What does Error 404 usually mean on the internet?"

"That the page was deleted, or the URL was wrong."

Apple’s gaze darkened. "Then there are two possibilities. Either Eirwyn is no longer himself—changed so much that his identity no longer matches any existing data. Or..."

His pause was deliberate. "...Eirwyn is already dead. The child might have killed him."

Hermes looked incredulous. "But you just said that we could feel his emotions! How can we feel it if he’s..."

"What if it’s the emotions of the child after all? The sadness, the confusion, the loneliness... Of being alone without a parent to take care of it?"

Hermes’s chest tightened. He didn’t know whether to reject the thought outright or admit that it felt like a shadow he’d been avoiding all day. Before he could say anything, the dance turn shifted again.

Now he was with Glasán.

They danced without speaking for the first few beats, the air between them carrying a tension neither could quite name.

Hermes was the first to break it.

"How’s yourself this night?"" He asked, shifting to Middle Irish.

Glasán smirked faintly. "A shade better... though my head’s pounding, and the marks on my neck ache some. Not unpleasant, mind."

Hermes’s ears burned. "I meant about tonight. Being celebrated by the High King. Being offered a chance to marry one of his daughters."

Glasán’s eyes flickered. "It’s like a dream, aye... but I’m not certain of it. I know well a marriage needn’t be love. But my mother... she did love my father. She took him because she wanted him. Never another man after that."

Hermes nodded. "I know the weight of that. I’d not wish to be bound to one I couldn’t care for."

He did. He’d been thinking about it a lot himself—the idea of marriage, of building a life, of having a child. If it were with Somner, or Aphrodite... maybe even Ymir, he could imagine it. But Eirwyn?

He despised Eirwyn with all his heart but.... He didn’t want Eirwyn to die, especially not if he was carrying his child.

Glasán’s next words rang true to him. "Sometimes we don’t get to do the choosing, do we? Such is life."

Before Hermes could answer, a call rang from the high end of the hall.

"Glasán!" the High King’s voice boomed over the music.

Glasán gave Hermes a parting smile. "Till later, Heimon."

He could still feel Glasán’s touch on his fingertips, the kind that lingered in the air long after it was gone as he excused himself from the dance.

Hermes watched him go, his own chest feeling strangely light and heavy at once.