The ring Essek brings him quietly one evening, when he arrives without ceremony in the kitchen, is flashier than all of Calebâs wardrobe put together, and it is beautiful on his finger.
It tells of time spent combing through distant markets and shops, places Caleb has no interest in visiting except through the tales of his partner, and he is all the more glad to hear this tale as Essekâs fingers play along the band that sits lightly on his ring finger. It is not as heavy as it looks, the metal and stones delicate and reminiscent of stars in the sky.
âIt is, ah, a representation of the Rosohna constellation,â Essek murmurs, his eyes still caught on the jewelry. The stones increase in size as they curl inward to the sapphire inside, a gradient of white to a deep, violet-toned blue, the silver beneath carved in swirling tides. It is similar to a cuff curled around the lobe of Essekâs ear.
He has told Caleb of this constellation, which is called other names on other continents, its importance to the Kryn as a representation of their rising to the surface, the time when they took root in the ruins of Ghor Dranas. But for the astrological sages of the dens, it is a symbol of a deep change, a transformation of heart and soul, and, from what Essek has told him, it was rising over the Lucid Bastion during the moment in which Caleb delivered a stolen beacon to the Bright Queen.
The Skysibil declared it a sign for the Dynasty, lending credence to the Neinâs actions there and encouraging the Bright Queen to give them leeway, but that is not why this ring has relevance to Essek, or to Caleb.
âLove at first sight, hmm?â Caleb teases, and Essek purses his lips to keep from laughing.
âNot quite,â he replies, his mouth tight. He still has not met Calebâs eye since he put the ring gently upon his finger. âA⊠profound change. Or the start of one.â
Caleb takes his idle, nervous fingers and wraps his hands around them. Essek softly, without another word, brings his ringed finger to his lips.
It is not his style, and he can feel the eyes that catch on it when he begins to wear it to classes, and the reminder of it doesnât leave him even as the weight of it becomes familiar and the wrinkled frowns trickle away.
The ring Caleb saves for Essek is plain, simple, and at first glance almost boring, a burnished gold band that does not gleam enough to properly stand out against his skin. It sits in a small box in the back of Calebâs wardrobe for several months while Essek is away, and by the time he returns the next time, it has long been out of mind, and they spend several days reveling in breath on lips.
âWhere have you been?â Caleb asks, with interest, exhaled against Essekâs mouth.
Essek tells him, tells him of the archives he has spent a long time undercover gaining access to, building up an extensive web of a lie in order to convince foreign researchers to admit him, tells him of mentions of something akin to dunamis in ancient Talâdorei that he is still following the trail of, but for now he can come home.
He maps out the constellation of Calebâs palms as he does, and only when his fingertips brush the band of the ring does Caleb sit up, interrupting an anecdote about a particularly snooty librarian who Beau wouldâve kicked in the teeth, and his words falter before he is able to describe how he actually managed to circumvent the scribe.
âCaleb?â he calls, as Caleb leaves him lounging on the bed wordlessly and traipses to the wardrobe, ruffling through the back of it until he can pull out a dusty box.
He gives a half grin as he returns and rests sheepishly against the edge of the bed and sets the ring in Essekâs upturned palm as he rises to meet him. âI, ah, found this,â Caleb says, and then murmurs a word, and an arcane inscription glows around the band.
A small panel of the metal opens to reveal a minuscule pearl, very fine and only a bit lopsided, set within a tiny extradimensional space.
âYou found this?â Essek asks, with only a hint of irony, and Calebâs smile cracks across his face.
âI modified it a bit. I thought you would prefer not to advertise any hidden components, and this wayâŠâ he smiles, and cups Essekâs jaw in his hand. âYou will always have a second chance, no matter where you are, ja?â
With great care, Essek presses the compartment closed, and holds it to his chest, where another pendant already hangs. He removes the necklace over his head and slides the ring onto it.
When he has replaced it, the ring settles directly over the bones of his ribcage and his armored heart.
He leans into Calebâs hand and closes his eyes. âThank you,â he says finally, âfor giving it to me.â
âI only offer what I have already received,â Caleb whispers, and intertwines their fingers around the rings, one on his finger, and one over Essekâs heart.
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