by Ryan Muree
“Seriously?” she pouted.
He nodded. “There are plenty of shacks in Dimmur I can afford now. Might even buy me two.”
She huffed. “Fine. I told you before that you’re my home. That you and Cayn are all that matters to me. I need…” Big breath. “I need you and that might be totally selfish to say, and you can walk away and say that it’s too little too late, but—”
“You don’t need me. You can do damn near anything without me,” he said.
She swallowed. “Okay, I don’t need you. I want you. I want you to stay or call this home at least.”
He smiled wide, all his perfect teeth gleaming back at her. “I’ll think about it.”
It made her smile. “You said you’d never leave my side,” she reminded him.
He nodded. “I did, didn’t I? Hm. Well, I’ll think about it.”
Cayn had stepped up onto the porch. “I’m going to pick my room, and it’s going to be the biggest damn room in the house if you two don’t get up here and pick first.”
Mack took her hand and pulled her into the house behind Cayn.
The Unity — Aurelis — Revel
Adalai pulled back her new chair, the oil still fresh on the hol-hide, and skimmed her fingers along the stitching at the arm.
Her new office smelled clean, smelled new. It wasn’t, but crews had been working tirelessly throughout the palace to convert it into a proper capitol for new advisors and assistants to work at.
Her new lacquered highwood desk was pristine, the drawers still heavy and smooth when opened.
“Lieutenant Solus?” Jahree tapped on her door gently. He was wearing the long, green coat of an advisor’s assistant, complete with a little metal star on his chest and a white ribbon on his shoulder.
She smiled at him. “Cut that shit out.”
He held out both hands, gesturing to the room. “You like?”
“It’s pretty fancy.” From her desk, she picked up a small golden orb swirling with different colors of ether within it—the new symbol for the RCA and Revel’s government. “And pretty ridiculous.”
He grinned.
“I don’t need my own office. I’m still running repairs downtown.”
“Maybe not now.” He shrugged. “Soon, however, you’ll be back up here rubbing elbows like all the others—”
“Like you, Mister Advisor’s Assistant?” She rounded the desk and crossed her arms.
“We got out of this okay, didn’t we?”
She wouldn’t complain. The ceremonies had been a bit much, but the restructuring of the government, the invite back into the RCA, the promotion—it’d been nice after all they’d been through.
“Did you really come all the way down here from the inner ring to ask me about my new office?”
He smirked. “No, I came to give you this.” He held out a few envelopes. “They haven’t finished setting up all the new Messengers, so I figured I’d deliver your messages myself.”
She took them and read their labels.
Cayn S.
She tore it open, scanning the hurried scribblings. He’d be making a trip to the border next month and wanted to meet her there and catch up.
She bit her lip and grinned, flipping to the next envelope.
Emeryss W.
It was a picture of the ocean, and written across the top were the words: Come anytime you get a break!
Her smile widened, and she turned to the final envelope.
Urla & Sonora.
They’d gotten together for Sonora’s last few months of pregnancy, and they wanted her to come and visit when the baby was born.
She blinked away the extra water in her eyes and looked up at Jahree. “Thank you.”
He nodded, but his warm smile dimmed to a frown. “There’s one other thing.” He pulled out a thick folder from his jacket and handed it to her.
“What is this?” She slid it from his fingers.
“Just thought you’d want to know.”
The label on the folder read: T. Orrdug.
She swallowed, her heart in her throat. She opened it slowly. It was Orr’s records, notes, court documents, identification numbers…
Jahree turned a few pages for her and pointed to some of the documents. “They tried getting him to make up for his crimes—rebuild, fix stuff,” he explained. “But everywhere they took him, the people were too angry. It was becoming a nightmare moving him anywhere. So, he’s been put under maximum security in Halunder, where they’ll decide what’s next.”
He meant where the newly elected advisor panel would decide if it was best to execute him for his crimes or live out his last few decades in solitary confinement.
She closed the file and handed it back to him. “Thanks.”
He tapped the edge of it before putting it back in his jacket. “I didn’t know if you wanted to see him before…”
She clutched the envelopes in her hands. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”
Chapter 38
Great Library — Stadhold
Grier stood at attention, along with the Librarian, the lead Scribes, and the commanders, for the welcoming ceremony.
The Stadhold banners waved gently in the cold wind, flapping against the spires.
The recruits before him were young, hopeful, already discussing what sigils they’d get on their arms and hands.
Word had traveled fast about what the Keepers were able to do in the fight against the RCA. And though the three countries had found relative peace to try to repair things, Stadholdens were eagerly signing up to follow in their predecessors’ footsteps.
The best part was all the new Scribes.
Several of the teens he’d rescued had returned to Stadhold, not for protection, but for training—all voluntary and with permission from their families. And Dova had found several new Scribes who’d been in hiding.
He scanned the group of them to his right. They hadn’t even been issued raclars yet. Over twenty of them had been from Revel. They had the confidence of Casters but were willing to learn. Five had come from Ingini, and they understandably stuck close to each other. It was all thanks to Clove they were able to convince them to come and train. And after they’d become full-fledged Scribes, they would return to Ingini, maybe even to create their own Ingineer school one day.
But the most exciting were the two Neerians. Brothers with wavy, sand-colored hair, wearing furs and thick boots, stood nervously beside the others.
Emeryss had worked with Stadhold to allow regular trips home for all of the Scribes, including some social hours per week.
Better still, she’d established an advanced training program with the Librarian for Scribes and Casters interested in using ether without grimoires. They’d agreed that since it was a dangerous skill to master, it was better left to those who volunteered for the task. For now, while things repaired, they’d continue with grimoires.
Emeryss had said it felt odd to tell her peers to come back to Stadhold after everything that had happened, but she wanted to believe they’d learned their lesson and wanted what was best for everyone.
And he believed it, too.
“Now, Commander Grier, will you please greet the recruits?” Commander Simon held his hand out to the raised platform.
He climbed the stairs, cleared his throat, and faced the crowd. “I see hope. I see tomorrow. Stadhold is different today than it was yesterday, better today than it was yesterday, and I see it better tomorrow. It doesn’t happen on its own. It happens with work. It happens because we make it so. As we speak, the wall between Revel, Stadhold, and Ingini is slowly being pulled down.”
Several in the audience cheered and clapped.
“We’ve learned our lessons. We’ve tended our wounds, and now the real work begins. We have to become friends with people we’re unsure about. We have to forgive pains we can’t erase. We have to stand up and do what’s right. We must never stand idly by, ignorant of the world outside our walls. So, from this day forward, and with th
e approval of Librarian Jgenult and Commander Simon, the Keepers are no more.”
Gasps and whispers moved around the crowd.
“We will be Defenders. We will continue to serve Stadhold to the best of our ability as protectors, not jailers. And that includes you, recruits. Traditions help keep our stories and our culture, but they are not meant to be rigid and binding. They are to be celebrated, not forced. You are a Defender of your country, not a slave. Good luck, and may the Goddess have mercy on us all.”
He stepped back off the platform.
Kylah patted him on the shoulder and poked her tooth with her finger. “That was so sappy, my teeth hurt hearing it.”
Grier smiled and walked past her; he had a transport airship to catch.
“Hey!” she called to him. “Congratulations.”
He nodded to her, grabbed his pack he’d brought with him to the ceremony, and headed for the airship.
Neeria — Revel
Emeryss dug her toes in the sand and wiggled her fingers until they, too, were nestled in the soft grains.
Shouts, laughs, and hollers echoed from the icy waves.
Her father was teaching Grier how to set sea spider traps in the shallows. He wasn’t half-bad, and he was plenty proud of himself when he’d managed to catch some of the smaller ones that had gotten too close to the shore.
“He’s so damn cute, Emmy.” Issolia bounced a happy Hellina in her lap. “You’ll make the cutest babies. But not cuter than Hellina, huh?” She was speaking in a baby voice to her daughter.
“You’re moving things a little too fast, don’t you think?” Emeryss brought a hand to block the light from her eyes.
The winter sun hadn’t come yet, when it was lower and easier to look at. That wouldn’t be for another couple of weeks. For now, winter was what it always had been—the occasional freezing rain, some bone-chilling wind, and icy waters.
“No, I’m not,” Issolia said to her daughter in a sing-song voice. “Because I know what happens when people get married and nights get cold. Don’t I, Hellina? Yes, I do… Yes, I do…”
“He’ll make strong babies.” Her mother’s voice came from behind.
Issolia burst out laughing.
Emeryss’s mouth hung open. She hadn’t even known she was there listening to their conversation. “Mother—”
“What’s so funny?” her mother asked. “I like him. He’s very good. Very strong. Your babies will not starve.”
Emeryss wasn’t sure if she should be thankful or irritated that her mother ended up liking Grier so much. It made perfect sense, she’d predicted it before, but to see just how much her mother liked Grier was interesting to say the least.
“Mom, Emmy’s right. We can’t pressure her into anything—”
“Who said anything about pressuring her?” her mother retorted. “You get married. You have sex. Babies happen all the time, especially with men as strong as Grier—”
“That’s enough!” Emeryss said, face burning in the cold breeze. “We are no longer, nor will we ever, discuss my having sex with Grier again. Are we clear on that?”
Issolia giggled.
Her mother walked away muttering to herself.
Grier stumbled up the beach, feet covered in sand and bits of seaweed. “What are we clear on?”
“Nothing.” She handed him a towel.
“It’s almost time, right?” His teeth were almost chattering from the cold.
Issolia gasped. “It is! Let’s go. Let’s go! I have surprises for you!”
They gathered their blankets and towels in a hurry, waving off Grier. Issolia passed Hellina to her husband and took Emeryss by the arm to her new home.
Emeryss’s parents had gotten her and Grier a little house down the road from theirs with a full view of the beach. That way, Emeryss could open her window and see bright blues and greens whenever she wanted. No more drab Stadhold walls or airship metal grating.
Issolia pulled her inside. They hadn’t even officially moved in yet, but there were flowers, and shells, and food out on all the counters. “First, we got you all set up.”
Emeryss smiled. It was real. This was really happening.
“You okay?” Issolia asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I just can’t believe it.”
“Well, believe it quick, because you need to get dressed.” Issolia held up an old cream-colored dress. It must have belonged to their grandmother. It’d been sewn to have delicate swirls of ocean waves and currents through it with small pearls for accents. “It’ll go with the hair clip.”
Emeryss smiled and dressed quickly. But, by the time she was finished, the sun had started to set.
“Ready?” Issolia asked.
Emeryss nodded, and together they walked toward the beach.
Callo stood with her back to the ocean, encircled by lit fire rocks and torches.
Her parents and siblings stood off to the side with Grier’s brothers—Garrison and Gage.
Grier stood with Callo in full armor, his blond hair blowing everywhere.
He smiled at her and took her hands.
Callo wrapped a net around both of their wrists, invoked the Goddess, and placed a shell the size of her head on the altar.
Grier’s eyes went wide, and Emeryss giggled.
Callo broke open the shell and exposed five beautiful pearls in the center. Her family cheered and hollered, and Grier looked to her. “What does that mean?”
Emeryss smiled. “It’s a good omen. It means we’ll be happy together.”
“Oh.” He smirked.
Callo removed the pearls and placed them in a jar for them to take back and keep in their home as good luck. Then she lifted the shell with both hands for Grier to take.
“You drink it,” Emeryss whispered.
He took the shell and eyed the wiggling sea creature in it. “I do what now?”
Emeryss giggled. “You take a sip of the brine from it. Just a little one.”
He looked back at Callo, and Callo encouraged him to get moving.
After he did it, he made a face as if restraining a gag, and Emeryss laughed. He passed it to her, and after a tangy, salty sip of her own, she returned it to Callo.
“Now,” Callo continued, “you wanted to do something that Stadholdens do, correct?”
“Yes. It’s really quick.” Grier pulled off his bracer and handed it to Emeryss.
She looked at it and up at him, cradling it in her hands. “I don’t understand.”
He put his hand with his bare forearm forward as if to shake her hand.
When she stuck her hand out, he gripped her forearm, forcing her to grip his. It was oddly intimate to be so close to his sigils like this. He’d taken his bracer off before with her but never like this.
“May we be each other’s shield,” he said. “May we be each other’s sword, and may the Goddess have mercy on our endeavors.”
Emeryss smiled widely. “Blessed life to a blessed night.”
Grier and her family recited the prayer in a loud cheer, and he pulled her in to kiss her, holding her tightly against him. His hands roved over her back and hips. His fingers pulled gently at her hair.
“Get a room!” his brother shouted.
“I told you,” she’d heard her mother say.
Emeryss broke free and led him to their new home.
It was small with only one bedroom off the living areas.
She quickly started a fire in the oven her father had built for them. “I know we’ll be going back and forth between here and Stadhold,” she said. “But my parents wanted to give us something to feel anchored to Neeria.”
His eyes scanned everything from the floor to the ceiling.
“I know it’s not a Stadholden villa—”
“It’s perfect,” he breathed.
She scoffed. “Okay, no, it’s not fancy, but it’s definitely Neerian, and it’s—”
“It’s you. It’s perfect. I love everything about it.” He pulled her in and kisse
d her, and it was wholly everything right in the world in that one kiss. It melted and bent her to unyielding love.
His hands were at the ties of her dress, but they were getting tangled.
Her fingers were at his armor pieces, but she had no idea how to even begin to remove it all.
They pulled away.
“Let’s just—”
He nodded. “Strip ourselves?”
Hurriedly, they pulled off everything they could, giggling as they hopped on one leg or the other to get clothing off. By the time she was naked, he still hadn’t undone everything of his.
“This armor was a bad idea,” she said, shaking her head and helping him get out of what remained.
He shrugged. “I dunno, I get to watch you undress me while you’re completely naked. I’m not too bothered.”
She laughed, and when they finally got him out, they’d crashed together and fumbled their way through the house. Bumping into walls, they finally ended up at their bed.
He was a spark that lit her, inside and out. She’d never tire of kissing him, of holding him and him holding her, of being his and he hers.
He lay her back, his mouth and fingers working across her legs, her stomach, her breasts, her neck…
She shivered beneath his touch, his tongue, his heat, losing herself in the pleasure he’d created.
His mouth found hers again, and she savored his tongue and the scent of him.
She couldn’t wait. It’d been too long… She pulled him down to her, wrapping her legs around his strong waist and thighs, urging him to take her.
They had plenty of days and nights to do things slowly, innumerable hours to love every inch of each other. But this was not one of those times. She wanted him to come undone. She wanted to lose herself completely with him.
“Moving fast, are we?” he breathed.
She smirked. “You saw my fantasy. I’m a girl who knows what she wants.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bent over her, crushing his mouth against hers just as hungrily.
He slipped inside her easily and found a rhythm they could get lost in.
She arched her back against him as her pressure built, as the ache for release grew to an unbearable measure.