Evenlight

by Krista Walsh

  The servants came and escorted them all to different rooms. Jeff would have preferred to stay with Cassie, but when he saw the full steaming bath in the middle of the room, he put her out of his mind, stripped down, and sank in up to his neck. At some point someone snuck in to leave clean clothes on the bed, but he didn’t notice, too carried away on the bliss of warmth and comfort.

  Once his skin was pruny and red, he climbed out of the tub—slipping as he stepped one leg over the high edge and catching himself on one of the bed posts as water sloshed all over the floor—and wrapped himself up in a robe.

  He’d only just tied the knot when Cassie came in, looking stunning in white trousers and a lilac tunic, embroidered with silver. She’d pulled back her short hair in two braided pigtails.

  “You look adorably beautiful,” he sighed.

  She smiled and tilted her head back to allow better access to her lips, which Jeff gladly took advantage of.

  “And you’re not half dressed,” Cassie replied. Her hands slid under his robe and over his hips, her fingers cool against his bath-heated skin. He took a sharp breath as those fingers roamed, releasing it in a moan as he pulled her closer.

  “Keep going and it’ll be even longer before I’m ready.”

  Cassie looked over her shoulder, cocked her head to listen, and then turned her head back and smiled. “I don’t hear anyone yelling for us. We have time.”

  “Thank god,” Jeff said, and pulled her back onto the bed.

  ***

  When Cassie and Jeff reached the audience chamber, they found almost everyone assembled. Only the bride and her mother were missing. An agitated Jayden stood at the front of the room, his hand beating an uneven tempo against his thigh.

  Jasmine was teasing him as Jeff approached, “You marched out to face that armoured bear as you would an ordinary house spider, yet this has you shaking in your boots.”

  “Shut up, woman. This is a life changing experience.”

  Jasmine’s eyebrow rose. “And facing the warbear wasn’t?”

  Jayden waved his hand in dismissal. “That could have killed me. Big change, but not one I’d need to worry about. This is a change I have to live with.”

  The others tried to stifle their laughs in the face of Jayden’s fears. Brady patted him on the back. “I promise you, my friend, you’ll be just fine. Maybe not every day, but overall, you’ll be a better man for it.”

  Jasmine beamed at him, and Jeff felt that to stand between them was to bask in a perfect affection.

  He looked around at his group of friends, all decked out in similar attire—the women in pants and coloured tunics, the men with vests. Pulling the camera out of his pocket, he hailed a servant over. The woman stared with confusion and fear at the device he handed her.

  “I promise, it’s easy. Just point it towards us and push that button,” he explained.

  She hit it and took a picture of the floor.

  “Great. Now point it towards us. Come on, guys, everyone squeeze in and say ‘Jeff is a wonderful author’. On three. One, two—”

  “Jeff is a horrible author!” Everyone else said together. Jeff rolled his eyes, but allowed their laughter to wash over him as the best sort of balm. The flash went off, and the servant rushed to hand the camera back to Jeff.

  “Her Royal Highness, Queen Ansella, first of her name,” a page announced at the door of the private audience chamber.

  “Spare me the declaration,” Ansella said, coming into the room. “This is my daughter’s wedding, and I intend to enjoy it as a mother, not a queen.”

  Jeff’s jaw dropped to see her. Gone were the stately growns and tightly pulled hair. To match the others, Ansella appeared this evening in the same style of garb as her guests, if more elaborately decorated. Navy blue trousers with the winged horse of Gendron embroidered in silver along the hem, and a silver tunic with navy blue horse on the long billowy sleeves. Her blonde hair was loose, pulled back on the sides only with delicate combs that sparkled with sapphires. As the queen, she was regal and coldly beautiful. As a woman, Ansella was glamourous.

  “I suggest you take your places,” she said with a smile. “Those doors will be opening any moment now.”

  A small man had followed her in, garbed in sombre black with a colourful sash around his neck. He carried a book, and a white cloth draped over his arms. He stood before the throne, and Jayden took his place in front of him and to the right.

  Jeff, Brady, and William stood at his side, while across from them, Jasmine, Maggie, Cassie, and Venn stood waiting for the bride.

  A violin began to play from somewhere in the balcony, and the doors at the far end of the room opened.

  Jeff held his breath, caught in the beauty of the moment. This was happening. He was here to see it happen. Ariana looked radiant.

  Far and above what everyone else was wearing, she was wrapped in white silk that hugged her form and bustled in the back. Sleeveless, the bodice gave way into lace that came up and around her neck. Lace gloves started at the elbow and ended in peaks on the back of her hands, encrusted with small diamonds so she sparkled in the setting sunlight that streamed through the six floor-to-ceiling peaked windows on either side.

  Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into a french twist, capped with a comb and short veil that fell to her chin.

  Beside him, Jeff heard Jayden release the softest of sighs, and his shoulders relaxed, as if in that moment all doubts vanished. Here was the one woman he knew he could be himself around. The woman who knew him, who accepted him, and wanted to be with him anyway.

  In that moment, Jeff made his own decision about something, and made a note to do it before too much time passed.

  She glided on Basten’s arm to the front of the room, and then the first counsellor took a seat next to the queen in the front bench of the chamber, watching from the place of guest and not the leader of the country.

  The chaplain began to read, and although Jeff was standing in a different time and place from his own, he was familiar with the words, with the vows that Ariana and Jayden exchanged.

  When the “I do”s were said, the chaplain wrapped the white cloth around both of their entwined hands, and gave his final blessing, “Life is full of trials and challenges, but the love you share will bestow upon you a power so strong that nothing will best you. The bounties and blessings you receive will be even brighter for the light you carry in your hearts. With the power given to me by the nine gods and Her Royal Majesty, the queen, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may—”

  But Jayden and Ariana beat him to it, already lost to the rest of the room in each other’s arms.

  Jeff cheered with the others until he was hoarse, while Ansella blushed and covered her eyes, her shoulders shaking with a mix of laughter and tears. Basten skipped over the laughter, his pudgy cheeks red and tear-streaked, hands clasped in an interrupted clap.

  The newlyweds finally broke apart, and Jeff approached Jayden to offer his congratulations before moving onto the bride.

  “Thank you,” he said. “For this. For making sure I could be here.”

  Ariana rested her hand on Jeff’s cheek and leaned in to kiss the other side. “We wouldn’t be here at all if not for you. You have my undying gratitude for bringing him back to me. We won’t forget you, you know.”

  “We most certainly won’t,” Jasmine agreed, coming up and linking her arm through Jeff’s. “You’ve changed our lives, Jeff. Now everything will be lovely, and disgustingly happy and, well, boring.”

  “That’s exactly what I hope for you guys.”

  “And who knows,” she continued, “maybe if the child is a boy, I’ll name him after you.”

  Jeff’s jaw fell open.

  “Really?” he asked, the word coming out in a bit of a croak.

  “There’s no way for you to know for sure, is there?” Jasmine said with a wink.

  Jeff rolled his eyes and laughed. “Caustic as ever. Right to the end.”

  “Onl
y out of love,” said Jasmine, pulling his head down to kiss his cheek.

  Brady came and shook his hand. “It seems to me like we’re always saying goodbye like this. Always with the assumption that we won’t see each other again.”

  Jeff nodded. “This time it’s kind of final, isn’t it? All the story lines are wrapped up except for mine.”

  Brady’s grey eyes shone with the joy of future fatherhood, of witnessing his oldest friend get married. It was a big day. Seeing his friend’s emotional response, Jeff thought of another storyline that hadn’t yet reached conclusion.

  “What about you, Brady? All of your happiness for what’s to come. Do you still think it’s just a memory?”

  The counsellor’s face broke into a wide smile. “If I had any doubts, they disappeared when Jax and I heard the news. These emotions are real and they’re mine. And it might sound silly, but I almost think Talfyr’s curious about my feelings. He’s no longer drawing on the past, but experiencing the here and now. The next few months will be interesting.” He clapped Jeff on the shoulder. “But who knows what the future holds, Jeff,” he said. “It probably won’t be for a long time, but I suspect we haven’t seen the last of each other. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking.”

  “Then I’ll think wishfully right along with you,” said Jeff.

  “I’m less worried for us,” said Venn, coming up to the join them. “What about you? At least we still have magic and now a half-dragon in the family. What are you and Cassie going to do with your time? Sit like layabouts in front of that television thing?”

  Cassie laughed as she moved beside Jeff. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

  “Who knows,” he said. “I could start having adventures of my own.”

  Venn’s eyes widened. “Please, please don’t. You won’t have anyone to make sure you don’t get your ass kicked.”

  Cassie smiled and tilted her face up towards Jeff’s. “I don’t know about that. I’ll make sure he stays safe.”

  Venn stuck out her tongue. “All this affection and romance is making me queasy.”

  Jeff glanced towards William, who was talking to his father. “For now.”

  Venn shook her head, but didn’t dignify his insinuation with an answer. Instead, she came up and, in a rare display of affection, wrapped her arms around Jeff’s neck. “I’m going to miss you and would rather you didn’t leave.”

  Jeff hugged her tightly. “I know, coz. I’m going to miss you, too. But what if Brady’s right? What if our stories cross again. You just take good care of yourself and make sure the Venn I see next time is the happiest and healthiest she can be.”

  “Back at you.”

  The hug lingered another few seconds, and then she tore herself away and threw herself at Cassie, the two whispering at each other.

  Jeff sauntered over to Maggie, who had paused in her revels to stare out the window, a concerned crease between her eyebrows.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Maggie nodded out into the garden, towards a circling gust of wind that was tearing up a rabbit-shaped topiary. The snow swirled, beating roughly against the glass.

  “I think it’s a good thing you’ve started to say your goodbyes, my dear. We shouldn’t put this off any longer.”

  Jeff’s shoulders slumped. “I know you’re right. That doesn’t make it any easier.”

  Maggie smiled and turned away from the window, leaning back against the ledge with her arms crossed

  “You know where to find us,” she said, blinking away a sparkle in her eye. “You don’t need to write about us if you don’t want to, but maybe there’s a way you could drop us a letter from time to time. And write a reply from us. For all you know, if Brady is right, we would have written the letter anyway. Checking in, just to say hi.”

  Jeff smiled. “I like that idea. We’ll make sure to give it a shot. A regular inter-world correspondence. It would certainly be cheap on postage.”

  “Come here you,” said Maggie, pulling him into an embrace. “You and your strange words that I don’t understand. Don’t worry about a thing here. There are a lot of us in this family, we’ll take care of each other. You and Cassie just have to promise to do the same.”

  “We promise,” said Jeff. His throat was closing up again, and speaking became an effort.

  He pulled away and looked around the room. His gaze coasted over his friends, all laughing and crying as Cassie took turns with her goodbyes, at the moment trapped in Jasmine’s arms.

  He stared down the aisle towards the doors, and up to the ceiling.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Maggie.

  Jeff didn’t know he was looking for anything until she asked. He laughed. “It’s ridiculous, I know, but I was waiting for the Sisters to show up. They always enjoy crashing the party.”

  Maggie smiled. “You’ve solved their problems, Jeff. They showed up at the ceremony last time because they knew this trial was coming. They wanted to make sure you came back to save them. Again. This time, there are no more threats to their forest and their power. They have no more need of you.”

  Jeff blew out a breath. “I guess I should be relieved by that. I have my imagination back, and I’m tired of playing their little games. But still. It’s missing.”

  “The fickle whims of an age old spirit.” Maggie caught his gaze and bore into his soul. “You were hoping they would show up so you could ask for a way back, weren’t you?”

  Jeff could no longer be amazed that Maggie read him as well as she did. “That sounds like something I would do.”

  “Then I’m sorry they didn’t show up. Are you ready?”

  “No,” he replied, without hesitation. “But I’ll go if I have to.”

  Maggie nodded, and started to walk away, but then stopped. “Oh! I have something for you.”

  Jeff watched in curiosity as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass globe, no bigger than a large marble, filled with swirling blue smoke.

  “It’s not a key back here, I’m afraid. I notice you still wear the amulet I made you, but consider this a little something extra to remember us by. And who knows, maybe it’ll come in useful one day.”

  Jeff grinned and held the sphere up between his fingers. “This stuff has saved my life more than once. I’ll have nothing to fear if I keep this with me. Thank you.”

  He dropped the binding spell into his pocket, took Maggie’s hand, and they sauntered back over to the group, she with her arm around Jeff, and Jeff hoping for any delay. A last minute miracle.

  He went up to Jayden and extended his left hand. Jayden shook it, his grip firm and relaying everything that the words wouldn’t have covered. “I wish you well.”

  “And you,” Jeff replied.

  “Is it time?” Cassie asked.

  “Unfortunately so, my dear,” said Maggie, giving her a hug.

  Queen Ansella and Basten stood nearby, staying out of the way while Cassie finished making the rounds, until finally Jeff and Cassie stood before her.

  “We’ll make sure the court’s bard tells of your tales, Mr Powell. No one will believe it, but it will be in our hearts and histories for ages to come.”

  Jeff blushed and grinned, letting a small laugh escape. “Look at that, Cass, I made history.”

  Cassie chuckled and squeezed his hand.

  “All right, you two,” said Maggie. Tears streamed down her face, and she had to clear her throat a few times to make sure the spell came out clearly.

  Jeff held Cassie close and gave a final wave. He kept his eye on Venn, hoping at the last minute she would change her mind and come with them, but she forced a smile and didn’t bother to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

  Maggie started to chant, and the room started to fade. Jeff felt the pins-and-needle prickle as the spell passed over his skin, and then the faces disappeared, replaced by the white, blue, and black light of the Meratis tunnel.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine


  Jeff’s apartment came back into view, and he and Cassie stumbled onto the parquet flooring, catching their balance after the dizzying trip. The lights faded away, until only the soft light of sunset filtered in through the window over the scratched up floor and dust-covered laptop.

  Jeff sank down onto the edge of the bed, staring into the wall across from him as he sifted through his thoughts.

  Cassie sat beside him, just as quiet.

  Jeff remembered the note he’d made to himself during the wedding, and he ran through the words in his head a million times before he finally turned to Cassie, took her hand and said, “Marry me.”

  Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and after a moment she laughed. “Excuse me?”

  Jeff wasn’t disheartened. “We’re already moving in together, and after everything we’ve been through, I know you’re the only woman I want to be with. No one else would have stood by me to save our friends from the skeleton of a dragon that was once a mad evil sorcerer. No one else will ever understand why I’m afraid of closed-in spaces, or why I wake up at night afraid of walking corpses. No one else will understand my jokes about mysterious colourful cauldron brews and dragon herding. When I show people these photos,” he continued, turning on the camera and flipping through the digital display, “no one else will believe me when I say these guys aren’t in costume. They’re real and they were the best friends a person could ask for.”

  He pulled the camera off his wrist and set it down, twisting on the bed so he could take both of Cassie’s hands in his, while she continued to sit there, shocked, allowing him to do the talking.

  “You sacrificed yourself to the unknown for me,” he said. “I would have crossed worlds to find you. You said yourself we’d always find our way back to each other, and time and again, even in the most impossible situations, we did. I don’t want to lose you again. Ever. Marry me?”

  Cassie blinked. Now that he had put the words in the form of a question, he’d left her with no choice but to come up with some kind of answer. Jeff held his breath and waited. He had no doubts about this. As Ariana had walked up that aisle, as soon as Jayden had seen her and lost any of his own doubts that he was making the only decision he would ever be one hundred percent certain about, Jeff had known he had to make the same choice.