Through Fire (Darkship Book 4)
Page 35
Martha met my gaze.
“Do you think he’ll ever stop playing the fool?” I asked.
She gave me a wan smile. “He must. I’d feel better though if I knew—If I knew—”
“That he wasn’t one?” I asked.
She smiled again. “More that, that power won’t do to him what it did to his…father. That he won’t grow to like it so much that he will do anything to keep it.”
I did my best to smile back. “He won’t. He is a romantic, you see. He really only is doing this for his people. He wants to go trek the territories and map them anew. He wants to climb tall mountains. He wants to pan for gold.”
“Pan for gold!” she said. And then, “I’m surprised you didn’t accept him.”
“What, and play Josephine to his Napoleon, until we can arrange his exit in a way Liberte will self-govern? Not for me. And besides, I don’t love him. And I’m not free.”
“Brisbois?”
“Last night, a small Usaian ceremony,” I said. “He’s returned to the fold.”
She nodded again. “And you’re going to go right away from it all?”
“To the territories,” I said. “This world has a bewildering space and variety, and I intend to see a lot of it.”
Martha managed a smile. “And Mailys? I understand she’s found out who she truly is and was shocked?”
“She’ll be living with the Duforts. She’s too young for all this. Was always too young to work with Alexis, but Alexis wanted her under his eye, in case her mother tried to convince her or kidnap her. But now she can go live with the Duforts while Corin is in medical training, and learn what it is to be young and looked after.”
“Well, I wish you luck and happiness.”
“Oh, she’ll be happy,” Alexis said from the door. “I’ll make sure of it. I intend this marriage to work.”
He stood in the doorway of the ballroom, looking perfectly incongruous in broomer attire, wearing his backpack and holding mine. I put mine on.
“I hope we’ll see each other again,” Martha said, shaking our hands.
“We will,” Brisbois said. “I promised Simon I’d come back and knock some sense into him if he was overcome by power lust. While I don’t think that’s likely, I don’t trust him not to play the fool and try to have some grand adventure. So I’ll be back. But for now, we’re going to enjoy our freedom for a while.” He turned to me. “Are you ready, ma petite?”
I nodded and gave him my hand, and we walked out, across the lawns that were being repaired, past the myriad workmen restoring the palace to a version of paradise.
Our brooms were waiting and the Earth was ours.