Remnants

by Honor Raconteur

  “I laid it out like an equation.” She lifted her shoulders in a brief shrug. “No matter what happens, the job can’t be completed without me. He’s a light enough sleeper that if I move, he’ll feel it and wake up. As long as he’s sleeping next to me, there’s no way he can be left behind, accidentally or otherwise.”

  And that had obviously worked. “When did he fall asleep?”

  “Hmm, about three thirty? Shortly after, I think.”

  So he’d been sleeping for eight and a half hours or so. Of course, who knew how many days without sleep had likely drained his reserves. It made sense he’d still be out.

  I didn’t need to ask why Rena had slept better out here than she had in our bed. I liked to think that after more than two years together, I knew her at least this well. My Rena did better if she had someone else to support. Part of the reason why the nightmares were so bad right now was because she felt helpless. She didn’t know what to do, how to face the situation, and her fears preyed on her mind. Of course, with Chi to focus on, her fears wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise. It gave her the chance to rest.

  Knowing all of this, I didn’t feel the slightest twinge of jealousy—just relief that they’d been able to give each other what they needed. I didn’t want this to be a one-off thing, either, as going back to sleepless nights and nightmares seemed a poor life decision to me. When we found Toh’sellor, I wanted these two well rested and energetic, not badly animated zombies.

  “You’re thinking,” Rena accused me, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “You say that like you’re accusing me of murder,” I retorted, entertained by this. “I do have good ideas from time to time, you know.”

  Rena gave me a look that I was fairly certain she’d developed just for my sole benefit. It was a particular quirk of her eyebrow, a tilt of her head, with her mouth compressed just the tiniest bit. It told me: I trust you as much as a drunk Chi with monkeys.

  Putting a wounded hand to my chest, I gave her my best puppy eyes. “Dearest. I do come up with non-dangerous ideas.”

  Snorting, she rolled her eyes. “This will be good. I can see it now. Alright, what’s your non-dangerous idea?”

  “Let’s all sleep in the big king bed.” I grinned at her, triumphant.

  Not often did I completely stun my wife into speechlessness. I knew Corcoran’s culture had this huge taboo about people all sleeping in the same room, unless they were married or family, but we in Z’gher didn’t have the same prejudices. Our houses weren’t built with the same spacious designs. If there were too many guests to fit individually to a room, then it was common to bring out multiple futons and blankets and pile people in.

  Rena knew this, she’d been to my parents’ house often enough to see that play out, but I think she’d compartmentalized it. She’d only experienced it in Z’gher, ergo, it could only happen in Z’gher. Women did that sort of thing. I didn’t understand it, but I did respect it.

  I could see the moment when she seriously started to consider it. Her expression switched from stunned to thoughtful, and her eyes dropped to rest on Chi’s slumbering face. Then those grey eyes, so beautiful and penetrating, flicked back up to my face, giving me the same thorough scrutiny. I patiently bore through it, as I knew better than to nag Rena into something. She reacted far better if she thought it through herself.

  “Let’s talk to Vee and Chi about this properly before making a decision,” she finally stated, “but I’m fine with it.”

  “I figured you would be.” Rena wasn’t a stickler for propriety, not if it meant a friend suffered for it. “Not sure if this helps or not, but I think we won’t be here for more than another two days anyway. President Fairfax started the meeting asking me a slew of questions about your magic. She specifically thinks that you can help clear the building site faster and cheaper, so she’s keen on the idea of us going ahead and doing that.”

  Her attention sharpened, the book in her hand set fully aside. “We’ve got a building location?”

  “Outside of Westhaven.” That much, at least, I’d caught in the meeting.

  Rena’s jaw dropped a little in surprise, but at the same, time a shrewd light came on in her eyes. “In Turransky. Because Master Mary is in Turransky?”

  “Everyone carefully avoided saying it, but that’s my guess,” I admitted. “That and someone—not sure who—told President Fairfax that most of the Void Mages are born in Turransky. That you’re the outlier. I think she wants this thing as close to the Void Mages as possible.”

  Ruefully, Rena allowed, “She’s not wrong to think that way. Do we have formal permissions and all that?”

  That part I hadn’t paid attention to. “I think that’s still in process, but we’ve got a verbal agreement in place.”

  “Hmmm. I see now why you’re unsure if we’re leaving immediately or not.”

  In a sleep-thick voice, Chi pitched in, “I’d prefer we go instead of more meetings.”

  Blinking down at him, Rena inquired, “Are you awake?”

  “More like my arm is asleep, so I’m awake,” he grumbled. With a sigh, he sat up, stretching both arms over his head and yawning. “Bannen, your wife is the best pillow.”

  “Isn’t she?” I agreed, amused by this.

  Rena, equally amused, pulled herself off the couch. I could tell by the wince that her legs had likely fallen asleep, but she had a smile back on her face before Chi could turn around and catch it. “How about lunch?” she asked both of us.

  “Since it’s lunch time, I think that’s a splendid notion,” I responded. “I’ll even wait for you to put on real clothes first.”

  Since they were both still in pajamas, they could hardly argue with me. Rena instantly made a beeline for our room, intending to change.

  Chi lingered. With his epic bed head, the scruff on his cheeks, and the sloppy wrinkles in his clothes, he looked a little ridiculous—like he’d been sleeping somewhere he wasn’t supposed to. And by that, I mean he shifted from foot-to-foot and stared guiltily at the potted fern in the corner. Seriously oozing guilt. Not that I knew what he’d done to the fern—insulted its mother, maybe?—but it must have been a doozy. “Sorry.”

  “For what?” I prompted, because while I could guess, I really didn’t see what he apologized for.

  His frown deepened, shoulders hunching in until he looked like a kicked dog. “For hijacking your wife.”

  Yeah, I had a feeling he’d say that. “Chinny. My brother. Let’s clear up two points right now. First? If my wife decides that she wants to do something, I will let her do it. Why? Because I want to live. Because she will cut me down in the prime of my youth if I dare to suggest that I have control over her, and I’m not that stupid. I mean, I have stupid moments, but that? Ordering her to not do something? Grade A stupid.”

  His frown quirked upwards, almost a grin, and his eyes flicked up to mine for a second. “I can actually see that.”

  “Also, you suggesting that she’s not in control of her own decisions, that somehow being married to me puts me in charge? That puts you equally on the Endangered Species List. Don’t do that, I want you to live too.”

  Sighing, he wilted again. “But still…”

  If he’d been more in control of himself, I knew he’d never think to snuggle in with Rena and sleep curled up in her arms. But the man pushed the brink of insanity after days straight of no sleep except for cat naps. He wasn’t in his right mind and I wasn’t judging him for it. “Nope. No more apologizing. This is a no apologizing zone. Don’t make me post a sign, because I totally will. I will post a sign and get Rena to enforce the fine, and the only people who won’t owe me by the end of the day will be Rena herself.”

  Something that might have been a huff of laughter escaped him. “Truth. Why is she such a penny pincher?”

  “I have no idea.” I could tell he was a little worried about it still, so I stood and clasped both of his shoulders, ducking to catch his
eye. “Chi. We’re good. I’m not jealous, not upset. I’m the opposite. I’m relieved. I was seriously worried about you. If snuggling my Rena is what it takes for you to sleep, snuggle away. We’ll figure out a way for that to be alright with everyone, okay?”

  Blowing out a breath, he agreed softly. “Okay. Thanks.”

  I let him go, watching as he retreated to his and Vee’s room to change. As I waited, I schemed.

  How to convince Vee that she needed to share her bed with three people instead of one?

  “You want all four of us to sleep together tonight,” Vee repeated a little dubiously.

  The walk back to the hotel was the best time to convince her of my cunning plan, as I could speak freely with her. Maksohm walked at her other side, listening with keen interest. Simply asking apparently would not do the trick. I upped my charm. “Rena wouldn’t tell me the details, but apparently when Chi was younger, he fell asleep once. And he lost important people because of it, people he’s never found again.”

  Vee winced. She clearly understood exactly what I referred to. “I know the story. He told Rena that?”

  “He did. And Rena offered him this logic in its place: No matter what happens, we can’t do the job without her. The one person completely irreplaceable is Rena. So, if he sleeps next to her, he’ll be alerted when we move.”

  “Apparently it worked, if he slept eight straight hours,” Maksohm murmured thoughtfully. “You think he’ll sleep again tonight as long as he’s got her within arm’s reach?”

  “Positive of it. Even Chi’s sure.” I shrugged, as it all seemed rather obvious now.

  Tapping a thoughtful finger to her lips, Vee considered me with a head-to-toe sweep, brown eyes a little suspicious—which I’d done nothing to warrant, so why she was looking at me like that, I didn’t know. “I have no problem with Rena cuddling in with us,” she finally stated. “But why are you joining in?”

  I staggered, putting a mock-wounded hand to my chest. “Vee! That’s…that’s just cold. I thought we were friends.”

  “Are you a rabbit?” she responded, lips curling in amusement. “Are you going to die of loneliness if you sleep by yourself for a few nights?”

  Puffing my chest out, I declared proudly, “Yes. Yes, I will.”

  Snorting, she rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, join us. The bed’s certainly big enough.”

  “Wait, doesn’t that mean I’m the only one left out?” Maksohm asked. I stared at his expression, not quite believing it, but was that a pout? He was pouting. Maksohm could pout while he was sober? I mean, his facial muscles actually moved that way without alcohol being involved?

  “Aren’t you supposed to be always stoic and in control?” I asked him, because, pouting. Pouting does not compute. “You’re team leader, right? Vee, check him for a doppelganger, I don’t think our Maksohm knows how to pout.”

  “He does,” Vee assured me, and I swear on some level, she laughed at Maksohm’s teasing. “He’s also not serious.”

  “You don’t know that,” Maksohm argued, his pout slipping, almost revealing a smile. “I could be serious. Maybe I don’t want to sleep by myself either.”

  Vee gave him a level look. “Chi snores.”

  “He can’t be that bad…” Maksohm trailed off as both of us nodded our heads, confirming that yes, it was that bad. “Really? But I’ve never heard him snore.”

  “In the field, he doesn’t really sleep,” Vee explained patiently. “He has to be in a very secure location to hit an actual sleep cycle before he snores.”

  “Ah.” Maksohm thought about that for a tenth of a second before doing a 180. “In that case, I rescind my offer. I’ll sleep by myself tonight.”

  Vee applauded with a soft clap of the hands. “Wise decision. Bannen, you sure about joining us?”

  “Yes,” I maintained firmly, because I was so not sleeping without Rena next to me. I did that for two years and paid my dues, thank you very much. I got to sleep next to my wife, I didn’t care what the circumstances were. “I can sleep through a house fire, you know me. It’ll be fine.”

  I think we all knew the real reason why I insisted on sleeping with them too. It wasn’t really for Chi’s sake, it was for Rena’s. Of course, I didn’t mind if Rena cuddled in with Chi, he was my brother from another mother; if he needed my wife in order to sleep, I had no problem with that. But Rena didn’t sleep well in unfamiliar places unless I was with her, and if she had a nightmare? And I wasn’t next to her? She’d likely panic before she fully woke up. Better if I was nearby, for her sake.

  Granted, even with a king-sized bed, cramming four adults in there was going to be a little challenging. It was so obvious that no one said it. But I’d rather face the kitten pile and possibly stiff necks in the morning rather than Chi lapse into that scary punch-drunk state he’d been operating in recently.

  Vee apparently agreed with me, as she said, “It’s fine, it’s temporary anyway. Hopefully we won’t ever have this problem again once Toh’sellor’s dealt with.”

  I figured she was right. Once this debacle was over, Chi would go back to the fun-loving crazy man we all knew. We just had to keep him sane enough to reach that point.

  Perhaps because of Bannen and Vee’s presence in the bed, Chi didn’t try to cuddle me like a teddy bear that night. He grasped my hand, grip warm and firm, and went out like a light. I lay there a good hour, trying to attune myself to these semi-strange surroundings, before I finally fell asleep as well.

  When I woke up, it was morning, and only Bannen lay in bed with me. He was wide-awake, just watching me sleep. Which should have been creepy, but he had such an affectionate expression, I found it sweet instead. “Morning?”

  “It’s a good morning,” he assured me. “Chi slept like a snoring log, Vee and I slept reasonably well, and Maksohm only came in to check on us twice.”

  I counted that as a win. “And what are we doing today?”

  “Another meeting, I assume, unless President Fairfax decides to send us ahead to Westhaven after all.”

  Sitting up, I stretched my arms above my head, getting the blood flowing again. “I’d prefer to move, actually. I almost feel like we’re talking things to death now.”

  “Hey, no arguments here.” He rolled off the bed, also stretching, then extended a hand to pull me off the mattress.

  I took it, levering up to my feet. We went about morning routines, getting ready for the day. Fully dressed, I ventured back out to the living room and found Maksohm staring at an official order in his hand. I couldn’t mistake those for anything else—they always had a blue border around the edges of the page, and the top part of the page was tilted just enough for me to read the letterhead. “Orders?”

  “President Fairfax came by and delivered it herself not a moment ago,” Maksohm informed me, glancing up. “She wants us to leave for Westhaven today, double check the site. If we all agree it’s a good location, you can work on clearing it.”

  “I would think that she’s already had this location vetted?” I responded a little quizzically.

  With a shrug, Maksohm offered, “I think she wants the Toh’sellor experts to put their stamp of approval on it.”

  That did make sense. “No argument here. I think we’d all prefer to move.”

  “Second that!” Chi called from behind the bathroom door.

  “Third!” Bannen pitched in from our bedroom.

  Smiling a little, I asked, “Want me to run down to the train station, get a schedule?”

  “Vee’s already doing that. And buying us tickets. Go ahead and pack, I don’t know how much time we have.”

  Sensible advice. I took it, heading back into the room and to find Bannen already repacking us. He was efficient enough that between the two of us, we had everything back in the suitcase within a few minutes. I let Bannen haul the thing outside, as I was convinced it weighed as much as I did. Vee had shown up with schedule and tickets by that point, as well as
a paper sack that emitted lovely smells, promising bacon and bread.

  “Train leaves in twenty minutes,” she announced. “I snagged us breakfast rolls on the way back in. Chi! Time’s up!”

  “Perfection like this takes time and effort!” he called back, not bothered.

  Rolling her eyes, Vee muttered at me, “I know for a fact he can get in and out of a bathroom in five minutes, so why he sometimes takes a full half hour makes no sense to me. What is he even doing, anyway? He’s not shaving his legs, or putting on makeup, so what is it?”

  I shrugged, as I had no explanation either. At least with Bannen, I knew. All of those braids of his took a while to do.

  We ate, the rest of the group packed, and we somehow made it to the train station with five minutes to spare. Vee had gotten us one of the private compartments, mostly for her legs, and we all piled in. From here to Westhaven was almost a two-day trip by sleeper train, so I kept one of my books out with me, as I’d need it at some point.

  By the time the train pulled away from the station, we’d all found a spot and settled. Chi looked more energetic than I’d seen in days, and he proved that by getting up, already off to find a complete stranger to chat up. Bannen lasted another minute before also getting up and joining him. With the noisy ones gone, the rest of us got comfortable and quietly read.

  I couldn’t say how much time had passed when Maksohm straightened on the bench, hand touching the telemagic communication device he wore over his right ear. “Yes, sir?”

  Vee and I both looked up sharply, as we knew that tone. He spoke with a superior, yes, but likely Director Salvatore. Maksohm only sounded that formal in front of the director.

  “We’re on our way to Westhaven, yes. Is there a problem—oh. Are you sure? I see. No, we can get off, portal back, and have another agent portal us from there. I’d really rather go check this out. Will you report the change in plans to President Fairfax? Thank you, sir, yes, I’ll make sure of it.”

  As he ended the call, I scooted to the edge of my seat, laying the book aside. “What’s happened?”