3. Karn

3

KARN

I lean against the doorframe of the kitchen, arms crossed, watching as Mira arranges pieces of roasted zynthras and dreelk into what appears to be a miniature castle on Nova's plate. Luna bounces in her chair, copper curls wild from sleep.

"Look, the drawbridge is dreelk." Mira's voice carries a hint of playfulness as she places thin strips of green across the 'moat' of sauce. "And see these little soldiers? They're protecting the castle."

My lips twitch. Those 'soldiers' are actually diced vegetables that neither twin would touch last week. Now Luna reaches for one, popping it in her mouth without hesitation.

"More soldiers!" Luna waves her tiny fork in the air. A few sparks of magic trail from her fingertips, and I step forward to intervene, but Mira's already there, gently lowering Luna's hand.

"Careful with the sparkles while we eat, little one." She moves to Nova's side, where my quieter niece studies her plate with serious concentration. "What should we build on your plate, Nova?"

Nova points to the window. "Garden. Like Uncle Karn's."

The request catches me off guard. The small herb garden behind my forge isn't much - just a few plants I keep for tempering oils and medicine. But Mira's fingers move swiftly, creating raised beds from strips of meat, tiny sprouts from peas, and a miniature fence from carefully arranged brimbark.

"The flowers are blooming." Mira places small, thin zynthra slices in a circular pattern. Nova's eyes light up, and she actually reaches for a vegetable without prompting.

I've spent two months trying every trick I know to get them to eat properly. Mira manages it in three days with nothing but creativity and patience. There's a grace to her movements as she works, despite the brand I can see peeking out from her sleeve. Her green eyes catch mine, and she startles slightly, as if remembering she's being watched.

"Uncle Karn! Look, I ate all the soldiers!" Luna holds up her empty plate, face smeared with sauce.

"So you did." I move to grab a cloth, but Mira's already there, wiping Luna's face with gentle efficiency.

"Now the garden needs tending," Mira tells Nova, who's methodically eating each 'flower' in her vegetable garden. "Just like Uncle Karn does."

While Mira gets Luna to take down the caste and Nova to work on the garden, I clear my spot. Mira looks up at me, and I try to ignore the way her smile affects me - or her being in my shirt even though my eyes can't seem to stop moving down her frame-

"You have to go?"

I jerk my eyes back up to her face and nod. "Just downstairs. If you need me, just shout."

"We do!"Luna says.

"Watch!" I have to throw up a soundshield as Nova screams at the top of her lungs.

When they stop, giggling and nibbling on more of the veggie creations, I look to Mira. "Yeah. Just like that."

She laughs quietly at my joke, and I feel my lips start to twitch. With a nod, I turn away from them.

I descend the stairs to my workshop, the sounds of morning chaos fading behind me. The familiar scent of metal and coal greets me as I check the runes on my main forge. They pulse a steady purple - perfect temperature for the protection charms I need to finish today.

The first hammer strike rings true against heated metal when laughter filters down through the floorboards. Mira's voice carries a melody I've never heard before, followed by twin squeals of delight.

"And the dragon goes - rawrrrr!"

More giggles. My hammer pauses mid-swing. The metal cools, and I curse under my breath, shoving it back into the forge.

Focus. These charms won't shape themselves.

I manage three solid strikes before Nova's voice pipes up. "Again! Do the voice!"

"Only if you help clean up your plates first." Mira's voice holds firm but kind. She's learned fast how to handle their negotiations.

The metal grows too hot while I'm listening. Sparks fly as my hammer connects wrong, and I bare my fangs in frustration. Two months I've been raising the twins alone…but I didn't realize how much it would bother me to miss out on their time now that I'm not.

"Luna, sweetheart, plates don't float to the sink on their own."

"But they could!"

"Not today they won't."

I smile despite myself. Mira's managed to redirect Luna's magic without triggering a meltdown - a skill I'm still struggling to master.

The protection runes I'm trying to etch blur together. Above, someone's singing - a soft, sweet sound that makes my chest tight. It takes me a moment to realize it's Mira. She hasn't sung once since arriving at my door three days ago, rain-soaked and trembling. But it's beautiful, just like her.

"Uncle Karn makes best dragon," Nova announces. "His eyes go all glowy."

"Is that so?" Mira's laugh flows like warm honey. "I'd like to see that sometime."

My hammer slips. The rune warps. I'll have to start over.

Dammit.

By the time I close the shop, I manage to salvage only half the protection charms I'd planned for the day. The rest sit in a pile of twisted metal - evidence of every moment my concentration shattered at the sound of laughter or song from above.

Climbing the stairs as the sun sets, I roll my aching shoulders. The door barely creaks open before two copper-haired missiles launch themselves at my legs.

"Uncle Karn! We made a fort!" Luna tugs at my work pants, leaving smudges of what looks like paint.

Nova wraps herself around my other leg, pressing her face against my knee. "With blankets and pillows. And Mira showed us shadow puppets."

"Did she now?" I scoop them both up, one in each arm. They're getting heavier by the day. "And what creatures did you see?"

"A dragon!" Luna waves her hands, sparkles trailing in the air.

"A kilmar." Nova pats my cheek with sticky fingers. "Like you showed us."

I catch Mira's eye across the room. She's curled up on our worn couch, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, wearing another of my old shirts. The sight does something strange to my chest.

"The fort awaits inspection." She gestures to the impressive structure of blankets and chairs dominating our living space. "Though I should warn you, the architects are very particular about proper entry protocol."

"You have to growl," Luna stage-whispers in my ear.

"And show your fangs," Nova adds.

I set them down and crouch, letting my eyes shift to their demonic violet glow. The girls squeal in delight as I bare my fangs and growl, crawling after them as they scramble into their fort.

"Perfect form," Mira says, and there's warmth in her voice that wasn't there this morning. "Though I think you'll need to wash up before joining the fort properly. You're covered in forge dust."

I glance down at my soot-stained clothes and nod. "Give me five minutes."

"Ten," she counters, eyeing the state of my beard. "The fort will still stand."

"Promise?" I raise an eyebrow at the giggling pile of blankets and twins.

"We'll guard it!" Luna declares.

"With magic!" Nova adds.

"No magic without supervision," Mira and I say in unison. Our eyes meet, and something electric passes between us before I turn away, heading for the washroom.

I take less than ten minutes, but when I return to find the fort still standing, Luna's already showing signs of overtiredness - her bottom lip trembles as Nova clutches her favorite stuffed dragon.

"My turn with Fangy!" Luna reaches for the toy.

Nova shakes her head, curling around it protectively. "You had him all morning."

"Want him now!" Luna's eyes flash violet, magic crackling in the air. The familiar weight of an impending tantrum settles in my gut. I step forward, but Mira's already moving.

"Luna, sweetheart." She kneels beside the fort's entrance, voice steady. "I see you're feeling frustrated. Would you like to tell Fangy a story while Nova holds him? That way you both get to play together."

Luna's magic flares. A pillow lifts off the ground. "No! Want Fangy!"

I tense, preparing for the explosion of magical energy that usually follows, but Mira doesn't flinch. She opens her arms.

"I know it's hard when we want something we can't have right now. Come here, let me show you something special."

To my amazement, Luna crawls into her lap, tears still streaming but magic dimming. Shifting, Mira holds up her hands and I watch as she starts to make shadow puppets - one looking like the dragon.

"Can you help me make him dance?" Mira asks Luna, who nods. Luna puts up her little hands and Mira guides her, Nova providing sound effects.

My throat tightens. Three days. It took Mira three days to figure out how to turn Luna's magical outbursts into teaching moments. I've been struggling with this for months, usually ending up with scorch marks on the walls and both twins in tears.

"Uncle Karn!" Luna calls, her earlier distress forgotten. "Come see our dragon!"

I drop down beside them, watching as the two of them make little shadows, shifting the light for them so that the shadows can prance around the room. The peace in this moment - it's everything I've been trying to create for them.

"Thank you," I murmur to Mira, low enough that only she can hear as Luna climbs down to go play with Nova.

She meets my eyes, and that same electric connection sparks between us. "They're wonderful children. They just need a gentle hand sometimes."

I watch the girls together, both yawning and slowing. They're clearly getting tired, and soon, I scoop them up, Mira following me to their room.

After three stories, two songs, and one minor magical mishap involving floating pillows, the twins finally drift off to sleep. I pull their blanket up, tucking it around their shoulders. Nova clutches Fangy while Luna's hand reaches across the small space between their beds to hold her sister's sleeve - a habit they've had since the accident.

"Sweet dreams, little ones." Mira's whisper carries such tenderness it makes my chest ache.

We slip out, leaving their door cracked just enough for the hallway light to spill in. Back in the living room, the fort looms like a cloth mountain. Mira grabs one end of a blanket while I take the other.

"They're so connected," she says as we fold. "The way they reach for each other, even in sleep."

"Been that way since birth." I smooth the creases from the fabric. "Their father - my brother - used to joke they shared one mind in two bodies."

"Tell me about him?" Her question is gentle, careful. When I glance up, her green eyes hold no pressure, just quiet interest.

"Ash was..." I clear my throat. "Younger than me. Stubborn as shit. Fell in love with a human woman named Sarah and didn't care what anyone thought about it."

Mira stacks pillows, her movements precise. "The twins have her grace."

"You noticed that?" A smile tugs at my lips. "Sarah was a healer, but I think her real desire was to be a dancer. Used to twirl around this very room with them when they were babies. Said it was never too early to teach them balance."

"Luna has her uncle's protective streak though." Mira's observation catches me off guard. "The way she watches over Nova during meals, makes sure she gets the bigger portions."

My hands still on the blanket. "You see a lot."

"It's a habit." She touches her branded wrist briefly. "Watching, noticing. Helps avoid... trouble."

"You're good with them." The words come easier than expected. "Better than I am."

"That's not true." She sets down the last pillow and faces me. "They adore you. The way Nova's eyes light up when she talks about your forge work, how Luna tries to growl just like you do. You're their whole world."

"Their parents should be here." The admission slips out before I can stop it. "I'm just... trying not to mess them up."

"You're not." Mira steps closer, helping me fold the final blanket. "You're giving them exactly what they need - love, stability, and a home filled with magic and wonder."

Her hands brush mine as we finish folding, and that same spark jumps between us. She doesn't pull away immediately.

And I don't know how to feel about what that does to me.