Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 17)

(Seems right)

Zander nodded slowly. “I’ve… been thinking about this a lot. How to handle it. But I’d like to hear your perspectives on it, gentlemen. We should be a unified front going in.”

"I don't believe Ky needs to know any more than what she knows now," Gaius said. "Her mental state is fragile at best right now. Something like this, finding out the father she idolized never told her the truth, would be devastating."

Zander nodded thoughtfully and glanced at Tomhas. “What about you?”

Tomhas hesitated. "...I don't like the idea of lying to her," he admitted. "But she's been through so much already. She at least needs some more time before this kind of revelation."

Zander nodded again. "I... am afraid that it may be worse the longer we wait," he said thoughtfully. "She'll deem me a liar whether we reveal it to her now or when she's eighty. You, however." He glanced between Tomhas and Gaius. "Both of you... neither of you were implicated in this, before now. If we wait on the revelation now that you both know, she'll toss all three of us out as liars when we tell her. Break her trust further, as it were."

"But if she never found out," Gaius said, tapping his desk for emphasis, "then we wouldn't have to worry. We'd have to send Derik and Jerica and the rest away and take pains to make sure she never met them again."
"Zander," Tomhas said, "Ky's been....You've seen how she's been. It's only gotten worse since you went away. Something like this could literally kill her."

Zander grimaced and nodded slowly. "I definitely appreciate that concern... I suppose I just worry about the possibility that she'll find out eventually, one way or another, and that the sense of betrayal with further exacerbate it... Ky's never been one to give up easily. I don't imagine she'll stop trying to figure out why Derik looks like us. Surely she's got suspicions?"

"Could we just...wait until everything dies down? One thing at a time and all that?" He winced. "There's been a complication since you were away."
"We shouldn't tell him that," Gaius said with a frown.

"No, you definitely should," Zander countered, glancing at Gaius then looking back at Tomhas. "What complication?"

Gaius gave Tomhas a weary look, then turned his attention to Zander. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"Try me," Zander said, glancing at him.

"Ghosts," Tomhas said.
"Ghosts." Gaius nodded grimly.

Zander blinked, glancing between them. They were right, he was having a hard time believing that. But, then, there was the Marrow Man and trolls; were ghosts really outside of the realm of possibilities? "...Ghosts?"

"Ghos--"
"Ky is the only one who can see them, and they've been driving her mad these past few weeks," Gaius interrupted. "They can't harm her, but one accosted her in her room recently."

"...Gods." Zander rubbed his face, taking a long moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke again. "Poor kid can't catch a break... do they... meddle?"