by H. L. Burke
They reached the top and peeked out from behind a tree. Rill whimpered.
Auric and Lotta stood, locked in an embrace. Jericho’s eyes strayed beyond them to where Iris lay, unmoving, and his heart faltered.
Auric looked up. “Rill?” he said, his voice cracking.
She rushed to him, wrapping her arms about him. Lotta and Jericho stood in attendance, waiting as brother and sister embraced. Lotta gave Jericho a sad smile. A smile he completely understood.
Rill and Auric were their charges, charges they both had given their all to, charges they would do anything to protect.
And Jericho would never fail either of them again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Auric lay, staring at his bedroom ceiling. Shadows played on the white plaster. It had to be near midday, but he didn’t want to get up. He wanted to lie still and feel sorry for himself for a while. After two days of careful care from Doctor Sculpin and nursing from both Lotta and Rill, the wound on his shoulder no longer hurt, though the stitches itched sometimes. He didn’t mind that so much. The sensation was a welcome distraction from the grief and regret still plaguing him.
Someone pounded on the door. The firmness of the knocking suggested Jericho. The female inhabitants of the house tended to be gentler.
“I’m sleeping. Go away,” Auric shouted.
“It’s noon. Get off your backside and get dressed. We need to talk.”
Auric shifted his shoulders slightly. Technically, he was already dressed, having fallen asleep in his trousers and shirt the night before. He doubted that would satisfy Jericho, though. The day before had been especially hard as the family had arranged a small, private burial for Iris. Sheriff Robbins had accepted their explanation that she’d died in the battle against the Fey without further question, relieved to have the kidnapped children both home safely as well as his citizens calmed.
Seeing his parents’ names together on a headstone had been both heartbreaking and healing for Auric. The thought that they were together again soothed him, though it didn’t make him feel any less alone.
The door knob rattled.
“I said, go away!” Auric pulled the pillow over his head.
A whiff of burnt cedar and a slight crackling of magical energy, and the door popped open.
Auric tossed his pillow into Jericho’s face. “Did you just use an unlocking spell on my door?”
Jericho tucked his stylus into his pocket. “No.” He strode over to Auric’s wardrobe and pulled out a sage green frock coat and a pair of burgundy trousers. “You’re a mess of wrinkles. Get up and put these on.”
“You’re not my …” Auric stopped before the word ’mother’ slipped out. He sat on the edge of the bed, the wound in his heart tearing open to drip fresh blood.
A look of sympathy crossed Jericho’s face. He laid the clothes over the top of Auric’s vanity table and sat beside him. “Look, you’ve been through hell. I get it. Still, sleeping in your clothes, avoiding the people who care about you—me, your sister, Lotta? It’s not helping things. Especially avoiding Lotta.”
Auric winced. Lotta … yeah, he had been less than attentive since the funeral. It was too hard to imagine being happy with everything he should be sad about, and looking at Lotta made him happy in ways that felt incredibly inappropriate for a man in mourning.
“How do I …” He rested his forehead in his hands. “When Father died, it hurt, but the course of action seemed obvious: keep the shop going in his honor, hold the family together, be a Spellsmith. Now? I want to live again, Jericho. I want to be happy with Lotta. I want to marry her!”
“Yeah, well, you did accept her proposal.” Jericho snickered. “Would be kind of cowardly to back out, plus you’d have to give back the ring.”
“For your information, I asked her first.” Auric scowled.
“Yeah, you told me, remember?” Jericho squeezed his shoulder. “Look, I know your mother just died, and that hurts. I also know that Iris was beaming when Lotta got down on one knee in the woods, and it may sound trite, but she’d want you to be happy, Auric. She’d want you to sweep that girl up in your arms, kiss her with all your might, and live happily ever after.”
“I know.” Auric straightened and stared forward at his own reflection in the vanity mirror. Somehow he’d aged in the last few days, or maybe that was just his expression. “And I want to. If I could marry Lotta tonight, I’d do it, but what would the townsfolk say if they saw me making wedding plans so soon after burying Mother?”
“No reason to bring them in on it. It’s none of their business.” Jericho stood and took up the coat. “Besides, Rill and I have it all taken care of. The parson’s downstairs, and the sheriff pulled some favors to get the local judge to write up a license on a Saturday. All we need is your and Lotta’s signatures.”
Auric’s jaw fell so far open the joint clicked. “You did what?” He stumbled to his feet. “Seriously?” He glanced at the door. “Did Lotta agree to this?”
“Once Rill informed her of it. I think Rill’s doing her own version of what I’m up to, except trying to get Lotta into a white dress.” Jericho winked.
“Good luck with a that.” Auric sniffed. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Lotta in a skirt … Lotta in a skirt … He pulled rein on his imagination and cleared his throat.
“You deserve to be happy, all right? And Lotta makes you happy. Take this. Don’t question it. Just accept the gift and be with the woman you love.”
Auric drew a deep breath. He did want this. He wanted it so much. “I really should talk to Lotta first. I mean, she did say she’d marry me, but this is really quick and she’s a woman. Women want big fancy weddings with all the trappings, don’t they?” Though even as he said that, it didn’t really sound like Lotta.
“You want to double check that she’s on board with it, that’s your right.” Jericho stood. “I’d get out of that wrinkled mess first, though. Here.” He tossed Auric the frock coat.
Auric wrinkled his nose. “Really, Jericho? Burgundy and sage? Are you color blind?”
“You’re the one who dresses like a molting peacock. Wear whatever you want.” Jericho crossed to the door. “Hurry up, though. Lotta’s waiting.”
Heat flushed through Auric, and he shed his wrinkled garments in favor of his best gold trimmed navy waistcoat and a pair of pressed trousers. He brushed his hair and beard before joining Jericho in the hall.
Jericho motioned towards the guest room. “Sounds like they’re in there … and not getting along very well.”
Auric grimaced and knocked.
“Come in!” Lotta called.
He opened the door and his breath left him. White lace draped Lotta’s perfect figure, setting off her dark skin and hair. Hot and cold rushed through him in dizzying waves.
“Aurry! It’s bad luck to see her before the ceremony!” Rill darted forward and covered his eyes.
“Maybe you’ll listen to him, though,” Lotta said. “Auric, tell her I look ridiculous, and she should just let me wear my culottes. It’s not like we’re going to be in an actual church.”
Auric pushed Rill’s hands away. His gaze swept over Lotta. He opened and closed his mouth, but words wouldn’t form.
Her frown softened. “Oh … you like it?”
He managed a nod. “A lot.”
“Oh ...” She flushed and dropped her eyes. “I suppose it’s not that bad.”
“You look beautiful in anything.” And I can’t wait to see you in nothing. Though he had the common sense not to say that aloud, his face still warmed. He was sure she noticed the blush. He stepped forward and touched her cheek. “You should wear what makes you happy.”
“Having you look at me that way makes me very happy,” she whispered. He leaned in for a kiss, but Rill grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
“Superstition or not, you’re not taking the risk. Jerry, would you control him!”
“Sorry, Auric. Rill’s orders.” Jericho stepped into
the room and jerked his thumb towards the door.
Auric smiled at Lotta, suddenly eager for the vows, and followed Jericho down the stairs.
Flowers filled the foyer, the front doors flung open to let in the late summer sun. The parson stood, Bible in hand. He smiled at Auric. “When Master Carver called me, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. After so many sad days, this home deserves something to celebrate.”
“Yes. So … we just do this?”
“If you and the young lady are willing.” The parson nodded.
“Are you?” Jericho asked.
“Oh, yes.” Auric turned to his friend and offered him his hand. “You’ll be my best man?”
“I’d be honored.”
“Is everything ready?” Rill called from the top of the stairs.
Jericho grinned. “Send her in.”
Lotta seemed to float down the stairs, but perhaps that was simply Auric’s own sudden lightheadedness. Rill had loaned Lotta her veil as well, completing the perfect image. The lump in his throat nearly stopped his breath. Then she was before him. Her hand slipped into his, her grasp firm. The ache in his chest melted away in favor of pure bliss. This was everything he’d ever wanted and more.
“Since it’s only immediate family, I’ll proceed without the sermon.” The parson’s voice jolted Auric out of his daydream. He must’ve looked as stunned as he felt, because Rill giggled. He half-turned and found her and Jericho, hand and hand, staring at him, and suddenly he was unaccountably anxious, like a performer who hadn’t been allowed a rehearsal. He flushed.
“Auric?” Lotta squeezed his hand, and his gaze shot back to her. She raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t you hear the parson?”
“Do I need to repeat it?” The parson chuckled.
“Uh, no, I don’t think so.” Auric tried to untie his tongue. “I do?”
“We hadn’t gotten quite that far yet. I asked if we were using a ring in the ceremony.”
Auric’s face grew uncomfortably hot. “Oh. No. I’m afraid I don’t have a ring.” He scratched his beard. “I’m woefully unprepared. Though I’d argue that it’s not my fault for once.” He shot Jericho a wry glare.
Jericho snorted. “You’re welcome.”
“I don’t need a ring anyway.” Lotta’s dark eyes softened. Heat rushed through Auric. He had to make her happy. He had to make this work. He had to give her everything, but blast, he couldn’t even give her a ring on her wedding day. Already he was bungling this. What could he do to make up for that?
“Yes, well, in that case, we can get started.” The parson nodded. “Dearly beloved--”
An idea struck Auric. “Wait!” he gasped. “I’m not ready yet.” Dropping Lotta’s hand, he made a mad dash for the stairs. He burst into the workshop, scanning the room. Where had he put it? There! Sitting on his father’s old desk in the corner, the wooden box he’d hidden Lotta’s owl in. He carefully pulled out the silver bird. The feathers ruffled under his fingers, so lifelike, for a moment he wondered if she’d used something other than metal to craft them. He placed it on the worktable and fetched the quires with the almost completed spell.
“Auric, are you all right?” Jericho peeked through the doorway, his brows furrowed.
“I’ll only be a minute!” Auric called.
“Yeah, that would be best.” Jericho came closer. “From her facial expression, I think Lotta assumes she just got left at the altar … which technically she did.”
Auric winced. More bungling. He pulled his stylus out of his breast pocket. “I need her to have this.”
Jericho’s shadow loomed over Auric’s shoulder. “Ah, the owlet. Yeah, she’ll like it, but hurry. Rill’s only going to be able to placate Lotta for so long.”
Auric let out a deep breath. Perhaps he should run back downstairs and explain … but no. He could do this quickly. He knew magic. This was what he was good at, and he would use that to provide Lotta with something wonderful.
“I hope there’s enough ambient energy available today,” Jericho said. “You said it takes a lot, right?”
Auric’s stomach twisted. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Only one way to tell.”
He scratched through the last symbol. Gold light shot across the quires, incinerating them. Ash floated into the air like autumn leaves twirling in a breeze. Auric held his breath.
The owl’s head swiveled. Its eyes glowed a brilliant emerald green, and it gave out a gentle hoot.
Auric grinned.
“Congratulations.” Jericho clapped him on the back. “Now let’s get downstairs.”
Auric put out his hand. The owl eyed him, its head going up and down like a piston. Then it set a tentative talon forward. Its cold claws gripped Auric’s finger. It steadied itself on its perch and settled into a small, metallic sphere, only the glowing of its eyes hinting at its true nature.
Balancing the tiny bird gingerly, Auric crept towards the door. After a few steps with the owl staying secure, he gained confidence and quickened his pace.
Lotta waited at the bottom of the stairs, her brow furrowed. When her stare fell on the owl, her mouth formed a perfect “o.”
“Is … is that mine?” She held forth a trembling hand.
He nodded. “I haven’t named it yet.”
“Buzzby!” she burst out.
As if called, the owlet spread its wings and glided to her. It landed on her shoulder, nibbled at her hair with its delicate, hooked beak, then gave out another, “Hoot!”
Lotta beamed.
Happiness swirled about Auric for the first time in longer than he cared to consider. This was his future. She was his future.
“So you like him?” he asked, noting that the name she’d chosen had a masculine sound.
“Uh-huh.” She kept her mouth clamped shut, her jaw trembling ever so slightly.
“I thought he would be a good wedding present, being sort of both of our worlds. I mean, he’s metal and magic, science and engineering, made by you but brought to life by me.” He swallowed. “He’s us, you know? The two of us, as one, and ...” He scratched at his beard and stopped his inane rambling. “I thought it would be a good idea.”
She flung herself into his arms. Her kiss captured him. Buzzby gave an aggravated, “Whoo!” and fluttered to the top of Auric’s head. He scratched a few times, probably making a cozy nest out of Auric’s curls, before settling down. Auric was only vaguely aware of his awkward new living hat. Everything was Lotta. Her taste, her smell, her warmth.
“You two decide to skip the wedding and go straight for the honeymoon?” Jericho asked, coming up from behind Auric.
“It will only take a few minutes to make this official.” The parson’s voice somehow penetrated Auric’s dazed state.
Lotta withdrew. “Yes, we should do that.” She offered Auric her hand. “Are you ready?”
His smile broadened. “More than ever.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jericho glanced down the tracks. The train would be there soon. Rill fussed over her brother while Lotta stood by, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, probably because she wasn’t touching Auric for the first time since their hasty ceremony a few days before. A memory of his own honeymoon passed through Jericho’s mind, and he chuckled.
Behind him, his sister Galilee gently bounced baby Ric on one hip, while cooing at Lila in the pram. The choice to hire his sister as a part-time nanny seemed so obvious that once his mother suggested it, he felt a little foolish for not thinking of it himself. The teenage girl seemed to have a knack with the babies, and both Rill and Jericho found her pleasant enough company, so it proved a good fit for all involved.
Rill released her brother and dabbed at her eye with a handkerchief. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“It’ll most likely only be a few months.” He kissed her forehead.
“Fourteen weeks, to be exact.” Lotta stepped forward.
Her silver owl fluttered his wings before turning his head in a full circ
le and settling back on her shoulder. Jaspyr gave an anxious yip. He didn’t like Buzzby much.
“We’ll spend a few days in the Capital finalizing the sale of my company, then a train to the coast, a steamer to the Island of San Azula …”
“I don’t think they need to know our full itinerary, Lotta.” Auric chuckled.
She flushed. “Oh, I suppose not. Well, we have it all mapped out, and we should be back in Feshore in exactly fourteen weeks.”
“Sounds like fun.” Jericho strode forward and draped his arm around Rill’s shoulder. “Then what?”
“I’m not sure.” Auric shrugged. “I kind of want to play it by ear. We have options. Apparently Lotta’s company is worth a large fortune. According to her, we won’t really have to work.”
“Though I assume we’ll want to.” Lotta wrinkled her nose at the prospect of life without work.
Jericho laughed. “Yeah, well, you’re welcome back here whenever.”
“Maybe someday.” Auric gazed past him, his eyes getting that sad far-away look they often did since his mother’s death. Lotta took his hand and squeezed it, bringing him back to the present.
They stood awkwardly for a moment. Rill cleared her throat and nodded to Lotta. “Let’s give the boys a minute.”
“Huh?” Lotta started. “Oh. All right.” She followed Rill a little ways away.
Jericho offered Auric his hand. “Life’s odd, isn’t it? When I first met you, I would’ve done anything to get you on that train out of Mountain’s Foot. Now … It’s going to be strange, not having you around the shop.”
“Yes, well, you’ve got it under control.” Auric’s shoulders slumped slightly. “With all that’s happened, I need a change of scenery, just for a while. Also, it will be nice to focus on myself and Lotta. We’re still figuring out this marriage thing. It doesn’t seem to come as naturally to us as it does you and Rill.”
“That’s a good thing to invest in, though. You’ll make it work. Especially with Lotta. She’s not the sort to give up on you, for better or worse.”