<-Chapter 22
"Blink and you'll miss it."
When
Tyrian awoke, it was nighttime. He was in his bed, in his room, in his tower.
There was a lamp lit on the sitting room side that spilled soft light around
the top and sides of the short wall. The fire crackled softly to spread heat.
The balcony doors must have been open because he could hear the sounds of the
crickets outside. Everything was peaceful and calm . . . except for his heart.
His
whole body still ached, though not as dramatically as it had when he had passed
out. His strength was slowly rolling back in. The Devourer's presence loomed
large inside his soul, but diminished as he grew stronger. He refused to let it
devour him, if that was indeed what it tried to do. But confronting the reality
of the power he wielded was an act of strength on its own. He couldn't even
find remorse for burning the soldiers alive. He had wanted them to suffer the
way they had made the villagers suffer.
The
soft scent of strawberries reached him, and he opened his eyes to see Serentia
standing at the edge of the wall. She smiled when she saw he was awake and
walked over to sit on the side of the bed beside him. "Welcome back."
She gently pressed a hand to his forehead and her fingers felt cool and
comforting. "Hmm. Temperature is a little high still, but not alarming."
"Why
are you here?" he asked softly. "Have you all been taking turns
babysitting me? What day is it?"
"Easy."
She pressed a finger to his lips. "You'll just get yourself worked up and
waste all that rest. It's been two days since you were brought home. You've
slept the entire time. Lady Cassie has been with you most of the time, though
Marian and Halkern both took turns making sure you were all right. Lord Lane
has been in a few times; he was able to feed you strength from his relic. It
has a matching charge, so not much, but it helped."
Two
days. He didn't feel as if he had slept for two days. It could have been mere
hours. "Why are you here, Serentia? Not that I mind the company."
"Liang
asked me to sit with you. He was insistent on it, though I can't say why."
She smoothed his hair out of his face softly. "We've kept food warm in
case you woke. I have some of Liang's porridge waiting. I won't ask if you're
hungry," she scolded lightly. "You're going to eat and then go back
to sleep. I can see you're still tired."
He
didn't bother to argue. It felt foreign and yet wonderful to have someone
mothering him in this way. He had never doubted his mother loved him until the
scenario with Ophelia. In fact, part of the pain of her betrayal was because
she had believed she had acted out of love. Yet even knowing that, he could see
where she had never been as open and affectionate as Serentia. He had watched
from the windows as Serentia and Tavi played together, and he had been a little
wistfully jealous. Annareal had never known how to show love like that. Perhaps
it was why she had been so easily fooled.
Serentia
returned and put the bowl of porridge on the side table. She helped Tyrian prop
himself up with pillows and then handed him the bowl. "There," she
said. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Stay."
He caught her wrist. "Please?"
Her
eyes softened even as her heart did. He was only young enough to be her little
brother, but she loved him the way she loved Tavi. "Alright." She
went to collect the seed book she had been working on and brought it and a
chair around to beside the bed. "But no talking. Eat your dinner."
He
found himself hiding a smile. "Yes'm." He watched curiously as she
sorted the packets of seeds she had in a basket and tucked them into pockets in
the book. He was supposed to be eating, but he couldn't help but ask, "What
are you working on?"
"It's
how I keep track of what I planted and when. Some crops can be harvested in
days. Others take weeks. I alternate what I plant so that we don't run out and
so that something is always being harvested and planted. It keeps the soil
healthy." She held up a packet of carrot seeds and smiled when he
grimaced. "I heard a funny story not long ago."
He
sighed. "Liang has a big mouth, and it was his fault anyway."
"Tavi
hates carrots too." She put the packet away. "She says that they'll
make her skin turn orange. I keep trying to tell her that she'd have to eat a lot of carrots for it to happen, but she's
downright afraid of looking like a shroomling."
Shroomlings
were orange forest monsters that looked like mushroom people. They were mostly docile
though they could be hazardous to forest cities; they ate wood, a core
component of buildings.
"You
spend a lot of time with Liang." He smiled when her color rose. "I'm
glad. If you don't mind, may I ask what happened to your husband?"
"Civ."
She looked down at her hands. "Tavi was a few months old when the accident
happened. Civ was so happy to be a father. We were so happy together. When I
was pregnant, he panicked if I even went outside alone." She found herself
smiling at the memories where she never had before. "He was a good man. A
little quirky, a bit soft-spoken. We had known each other for a few years
before he turned eighteen and I courted him. Tavi was born less than a year
after we married."
He
put his empty bowl to the side. "And brows wiggled across the village."
She
laughed. "They did! And rightfully so. Civ and I had a wonderful marriage."
She fell silent and then said softly, "We used to grow fruit trees in our
garden. It was winter, and it was storming unexpectedly. We don't get a lot of
storms in the Empire, but when they happen . . ."
"They
happen hard."
"Yes.
We had a tree that was our biggest producer. Our year's profit rode on it. Civ
went out to try to put a shelter over it. Lightning struck the tree and broke
it. It fell over on top of him. I didn't . . . I didn't even know initially. He
was taking so long to come back inside. I looked out the window and saw the
tree. I knew then," she said softly. "Some things . . . you just
feel."
"Do
your feelings for Liang scare you?"
She
looked at him, unsurprised that he would know. "They did initially. I feel
for him in a way I didn't feel for Civ. It was confusing. I didn't think I was
strong enough to even consider being with someone again. It was Kyle who helped
me get past it."
"Kyle?"
His brows lifted.
"He
said that the very fact I could even think about a relationship with Liang,
that I could feel for him so strongly, was proof that I had healed. He said . .
. he said that he couldn't even think about the idea of having someone else in
his life other than Ophelia. He knows he will heal, but right now, healing
means not dying whenever he thinks of her, not finding another love."
"He
has another love in his future," he said quietly, "but that's between
us, alright? His soul mate has yet to cross his path. He'll heal too, Serentia."
He covered her hand with his. "Liang is the greatest man I've known. He
was as much a father to me as my birth father was. I can't remember him not in
my life. I want him to be happy. You make him happy. And he needs family."
He smiled. "Tavi has him wrapped around her little finger."
"She's
good at that." She sighed softly and laced her fingers with his. "He's
very patient with me. I know he's waiting for a sign from me. I thought he was
just being kind, but when I looked at him one day, I saw him watching me . . .
well, he looked at me the way you look at Lady Cassie."
If
Liang had for Serentia even a tenth of what Tyrian had for Cassie, Tyrian didn't
blame him at all. It was impossible to hide that sort of feeling. "Follow
your heart. That's what he would say. He'll wait a long time. He's very
patient."
She
suddenly smiled. "I wonder where you get it from." She stood and
sorted the pillows out again. "No more talking. You need more rest, Lord Tyrian."
"Just
Tyrian." He smiled as he lied down. "You're almost my mom, aren't
you?"
She
lightly tweaked his ear. "If so, then I can scold you for not resting.
Hush and go to sleep." She leaned down and gently kissed his cheek and then
took the chair and her book back to the sitting room.
Comforted
by her presence, he fell asleep easily. When he woke again the next time, he
felt fully back to his old self. His strength had completely returned and he
actually felt rested. There was sunlight coming around the wall, and birds were
chirping. Since they only chirped at sunrise, he knew it was still early. Cassie
slept beside him with one arm thrown possessively across his chest.
He
turned onto his side and studied her contentedly. He softly ran his fingers
down her arm. She stirred and her eyes opened. Tender love filled her gaze as
she lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Better?" she asked softly.
"I
am." He turned his head so he could softly nuzzle her hand. He teased her
palm with the tip of his tongue and savored the way her breath hitched. "What
day is it?"
"You
slept four days total. You must be starving."
"Mm."
He shifted and tumbled her onto her back. He pressed close, loving the way her
eyes darkened to midnight pools. "Food can wait," he said huskily. "I'm
hungry for something else entirely."
She
sighed softly as she curled her arms around him. She loved when he was like
this. When every kiss lasted forever. When every caress lingered until they
were both breathless. When it seemed as if he accepted he had forever, and he
wanted to spend forever touching her. She thrilled to the way desire could
explode so hotly between them, but there were times when this lazy lovemaking
was exactly what they both needed.
She
was sprawled over the top of his chest, her ear over his heart, when they heard
a knock on the door. After a brief pause, the door opened and Merilyne called, "Good
morning, Lord Tyrian, Lady Cassie. I've brought coffee for you. There's a
newcomer in the city and he's waiting at the inn for you."
She
gathered up their dirty clothes and left, her soft whistling lingering in the
air. Cassie just sighed. "I have to move, don't I?"
Tyrian
tucked his hands under his head. "Not if you don't want to."
"I
don't." She rubbed her cheek against his skin in tactile delight. "You
scared me, Tyrian," she murmured. "You went so pale, looked so weak. Lane
said you're evolving too fast, but that there's nothing we can do to stop it.
You have to awaken your relic's full
potential, though he won't say why it is so important."
"If
I have to do it, why is he alarmed?"
She
lifted her head to frown at him. "Because even though you have to evolve
quickly, it was still much faster than you were supposed to be going. He said
that there was something that could still happen that would lift the pressure
off you, but he said it was impossible to explain. If it happens, then it'll
happen."
"Did
he at least give you a clue as to what it was?" He threaded his fingers
through her hair.
"He
said it was something only I could do, but, again, there's no way to explain.
But he did say he was confident in it
happening. And he wasn't being arrogant. His sincerity makes me believe him
where his boasting wouldn't."
"He's
just shy." He grinned when she looked at him skeptically. "He is.
Remember, I know my Stars as well as they do. And from the minute I met him, I
knew he was bluster. Being arrogant is a self-defense."
"And
yet hazardous when in the vicinity of Ewan."
"And
yet humorous when in the vicinity of Ewan."
She
couldn't argue that. Ewan's infamous temper was the source of much amusement
for everyone. Knowing she couldn't delay the inevitable, she reluctantly slid
off his chest and got out of bed. It was no longer such a surprise to see her
clothes in with his in the closet. Whimsically, she grabbed a pair of shorts
and one of her snug tunics. She just didn't feel like putting all her gear on.
Tyrian
watched her and wondered if she even realized that the small scars along her
legs were as visible as the one on her neck. She had covered none of them, and
the sight of it told him that she was growing stronger too. The knowledge was
wonderful to him for two reasons. One, it meant she might soon claim her
rightful eternity and that would take one fear off his shoulders. And two, well
. . . she had a stunning body that he loved to admire. Her growing confidence
meant a shrinking amount of clothing hiding her from his view.
He
got dressed as well, in plain tunic and pants, because he didn't think they
would be going anywhere just yet that day. He still put on his scarf though,
and when she smiled, he said, "People wouldn't recognize me without it."
"Is
this a bad thing?"
"I
don't feel like enduring the teasing." He handed her one of the cups of
coffee and took his own. With that in hand, they headed down the elevator to
the courtyard.
The
castle and city bustled around them. People who saw Tyrian clearly relaxed and
went about things with more cheer. Everyone had been worried about him. He was
a hero to the people not just for the deeds he did, but for the way he did
them. You had to love Tyrian, Destined Star or not.
Aries
and Yumi were having a lively discussion outside the inn when they spotted Tyrian.
"Lord Tyrian!" Aries straightened with a relieved smile. "I'm
glad you're up." He eyed Cassie's legs with interest. "Please don't
hit me, but I must note that you have the best legs this side of the continent
and it's a shame I couldn't notice until now."
She
snorted softly. "Try your wiles on Taurus."
"That
wasn't a wile. It was a statement of fact. And she would entirely agree with me
anyway." He opened the door with a courtly bow.
Yumi
hovered around Tyrian's side as he walked into the inn. "You're really
okay, Lord Tyrian?" she asked anxiously. "You slept for a long time!
I mean, I know you probably needed it but it was long and . . ." Her hat
and goggles fell over her face and she stopped walking before she ran into
something or someone.
Tyrian
put them back into place on her head and then tugged on her braid. "Thank
you, Yumi," he told her sincerely. "I'm alright now. Thank you for
worrying about me."
"Of
course I worried!" She hugged him fiercely. "I have to go help
Tedium, but you come see us later, okay? We'll show you our new inventions! He
isn't even blowing up anything this time!" She waved and ran off out the
inn.
"Ball
of energy," Aries said dryly. "If she could bottle that for her
machines, they'd never malfunction."
Few
seats were open in the pub of the inn. Persephone expertly manned the bar and
poured drinks with a skill and technique that was on par with Myr's juggling.
The bard was actually on the small stage with Taurus and Virgo, dancing to the
melody the songstress sang. Virgo played an instrument and had one foot tapping
along with the tune. Aries ran over and jumped up onto the stage to grab a
guitar and join in.
Tyrian
recognized everyone in the room except for one person. It was an Elf standing
at the bar talking to Vee and Olan. He was tall, as was normal for the race,
and he had very pale blue hair and blue eyes. He wore a Water Relic but carried
no weapon. He also didn't wear any sort of armor or accessory; he was likely a
civilian.
He
was also a Destined Star. Tyrian and Cassie walked over to where the three
stood, and Cassie slid onto the empty seat. Persephone winked and refilled her
coffee mug. "Eve made it," she said cheerfully. "I know my
limitations. I can make anything and everything except a decent cup of coffee."
"But
I love you anyway," her husband said dryly as he went past with a tray
balanced on one hand. The other hand used a crutch to take weight off his
ruined foot. He would never walk on it again, but he didn't care. He was alive.
His children and his wife were alive. It was enough for him.
Tyrian
offered his relic hand to the Elf. "I'm Tyrian Southerwind, leader of the
Liberation Army."
"Aquatico."
He took Tyrian's hand and smiled as the glowing white star appeared on his
shoulder. "And as is obvious, I'm a Star as well. I'm a bath maker! Hot
springs, indoor water features; you name it, I do it! You've got direct access
to fresh river water, and I bet I could make some nice hot springs for everyone
to relax in." He winked. "Men's and women's. No need to make some
people shy. You Humans have such modesty issues sometimes."
"At
least we keep the rest of the species of the world entertained," Olan
countered dryly.
The
idea of actually relaxing in any shape appealed to Tyrian. "Done," he
said. "Feel free to grab some people to help you build whatever you need."
He sighed. "Damn, now I have to add builders to that list of people we
need. We're still expanding, and we need specialists."
Sensing
a man in dire need of a break, Aquatico beat a hasty beeline toward the
Belowgrounds to find people who could swing a hammer. Much to his delight, he
found several. He also recruited Ewan, Dylan, and Rourke to help haul lumber
and supplies. Tavi helped too. She brought refreshments for everyone.
The
hot springs had been built by evening. They had been made by diverting a
portion of the river into a new area near the outer wall. Other walls had been
built to divide the space into two separate baths, and a little landscaping
with the help of Verdure's Land Relic had made both look as if they had always
been there. A few Fire Relics planted in the floor of the springs shortly had
the water steaming hot.
Since
only six people could comfortably be in the bath on each side at any given
time, lots were drawn among the Stars to see who went first. Tyrian and Cassie
were, of course, automatically first. Among the men, Ewan, Kyle, Leonard,
Halkern, and Gordon also won. Among the women, Emma, Myr, Taurus, Serentia, and
Yhalenia won.
"No
giggling over there!" Ewan called over the changing room wall. The
changing rooms were built from the wall that separated the two sections, and as
there was no roof, conversations had to be kept down or they would be heard by
the other side.
"Why
not?" Taurus retorted back. "It's not like we can see you."
"Hey,
if you want to make Aries jealous, I can come over there. And you won't be
giggling."
"There
are tender eyes over here!" Serentia said dryly.
"Yours
or mine?" Myr giggled.
Tyrian
just rolled his eyes as he left his changing room. Towels were worn in hot
springs, even if nothing else was. Even if Ewan walked over there, no one would
get a show. It wasn't as if most of the men on grounds didn't go shirtless
while doing hard work anyway. A fair chunk of women—humorously, mostly
non-Humans—did as well. Myr had already seen quite a bit.
Content,
Tyrian sank into the spring and sat down on a rock ledge. "Much better,"
he said with a sigh. "It's a brief respite, but it's a respite." He
closed his eyes as he tilted his head back. "Someone tell me to stop
thinking."
"Stop
thinking," came eleven voices.
"He
was talking to us, not you," Kyle called. He shook his head as he sat down
in the spring next to Halkern. "Maybe there should be a roof over this
thing anyway. We can sacrifice the sky for some non-nosy neighbors, right?"
A sponge flew over the wall and smacked him in the head. "Hey!"
"Ooh!
I hit who I was aiming for!" Emma's voice was full of laughter. "I
was terrified I'd hit Lord Tyrian!"
Everyone
laughed at that, and it felt good to just laugh for once. Tyrian knew that in
the morning he would be meeting with Matthias and the others to go over the
plan of attack for Dry Basin, and the brief respite would be over. The pause
was as much for everyone else as it was for him. Everyone had been deeply
affected by the events with Beelzebub.
He
studied the scar on Ewan's chest curiously. He had seen it before, but knowing
the story behind it just made it more impressive. The mark was several inches
wide at the center and went in a straight line from his clavicle to just below
his ribs. Ewan's will to live was great indeed.
There
was a sudden burst of giggles from the women's side. Warily, Gordon called, "What
are you doing over there?"
"It's
rude to ask," Yhalenia retorted, which set off more giggles.
"Are
you getting drunk over there?" Halkern asked.
"Nah,
Cassie and I don't drink. We're working on Serentia. We want to throw her into
Liang's room."
"They
are not!" Serentia protested hastily.
"Well,
if you have wine, you could have shared!" Leonard said in exasperation.
A
few moments later, a hand appeared over the top of the wall holding a bottle. Ewan,
being tallest, walked over to grab it. The wall stood only a foot higher than
he was tall. "Thanks, Taurus!" he said cheerfully. She was the only
one with a Music Relic over there, so the hand had to be hers.
"No
problem. Whoops! Don't drop me, Emma!" There was a loud splash promptly
after the words, followed by laughter from the other women.
"Normal
life," Gordon murmured to Tyrian. "An unfamiliar but welcome thing. I
suppose we're all a bit loopy after so much stress. We were bound to go a
little nuts when we had a break." He sighed deeply. "I can't exactly
stop thinking either. What the Imperial Army did . . ." He shook his head.
"There is no excuse. If word reaches the other Lower Generals, I know they
will abandon all pretenses and join us."
"Blaine
won't let them know," Ewan said briskly. "We can be sure of that. But
when we get a chance to talk to them, it will help convince them." He
settled back against the edge of the tub. "You guys are smarter than I
gave you credit for."
Gordon
couldn't take offense. "We're trying, at the least. As I've said from the
get-go, when the bounty was issued for Lord Tyrian, we knew something was
funny. Alex asked the Emperor if the people had reason to rally around a
rebellion, and he didn't give us a straight answer."
Comfortable
silence fell, broken only by the sound of the water and the night. Tyrian had
just passed the bottle of wine to Kyle when he felt an odd tingle in the air. He
frowned and looked around. "Did anyone feel that?"
The
men shook their heads. Tyrian glanced around again and then looked up at the
sky. Even as he watched, a sudden swirl of clouds appeared directly over the
middle of the spring. Before anyone could even think of moving, the clouds spit
out a young woman who landed in the spring with a shriek and a splash.
Ewan
and Leonard hastily grabbed her and pulled her back to the surface. She was
dressed like a Magician, though her choice in clothing was a little
old-fashioned since it consisted of an actual robe over the top of a slim
dress. Her long black hair hung to her waist, and she defined 'cute' rather
than 'lovely'. None of that really surprised anyone. What surprised them more
than her entrance was the relic she wore.
It
was a Pure Relic.
"Ohmygod!"
she babbled. "How dib I ged here?" Since the stuffy sounding words
were followed by a sneeze, and then another, she almost didn't have to say, "I
hate gebbing colds!" She blinked the water out of her eyes and focused. As
she did, her cheeks turned bright red. She was in a spring . . . with naked
men. "Ohmygod! Ohmygod! I'm zo zorry, I dibn't mean to barge in, I jus'
hab dis nasty cold and ib makes me sneeze and sneeze and den by relic went off
and I was go'ng across da the sky ab den—ahchoo!—I got here and I'm zo zorry!"
She yelped and covered her eyes as Tyrian and Gordon stood. "You're naked!"
"We're
wearing towels," Tyrian said dryly, wryly resigned as he recognized the
tug inside his soul. He grabbed a dry towel from the side and wrapped it around
her shoulders. "Here. Let's get you out of here." He and Ewan helped
her out of the hot spring, and she kept her face covered. Doing so revealed her
relic more clearly, and it looked a bit like a mirror. Tyrian did not recognize
it at all. "Now, what's this about your relic? Here." He helped her
sit down on a bench and then glanced up at a sound to see the women peeked over
the top of the wall. "Don't fall!" he scolded them.
"We're
stable," Cassie promised.
The
young woman cautiously peeked through her hands and saw that the men were,
indeed, wearing towels. She dropped her hands as her shoulders slumped. "It's
the Pure Echo Relic. Transports stuff. And me!"
"And
you don't have full control." Kyle was trying not to laugh because he didn't
want to hurt her feelings.
"I
do . . . most of the time," she grumbled. She promptly sneezed and huddled
in the towel. "I was go'ng to go find Lord Tyrian but den I gob sick."
She snuffled and then covered her nose with the towel as she sneezed again. "Jus'
by bad luck I geb dropped in a men's spwing! Uhm, doz anyboby know where I can
find Lord Tyrian?"
Everyone
pointed at Tyrian, and he slowly raised his relic hand. "Right here."
"Ooh."
She hid her face in the towel. "I'm Miranda. Zorry 'bout dis."
Leonard
disappeared into the changing room and shortly returned fully dressed once
more. "Okay, missy." He paused. "Wait, a Pure Relic. How old are
you?"
"Uhm."
She squinted one eye closed. "Six hundred? I think. I . . . lost count."
She
was older than Lane, which made several people, especially Ewan, rather
gleeful. Leonard amended himself and said, "Okay, honey. Let's get you
into the castle and find a room. Eve's restaurant should still be open, so we'll
get you some soup to get rid of that cold." He scooped her up, towel and
all.
Tyrian
stood and smiled as Miranda looked at him askance. "Don't worry," he
told her. "You're here. That's the important thing. We don't mind how you
got here. Just lend me your strength, and we'll call it even."
She
brightened and went from cute to almost pretty. It was a curious but enchanting
sort of magic. "Dank you, Lord Tyrian! I pwomise I'll do whateber I can!
Ahchoo!" She groaned as she kept her face buried in the towel. "Oooh.
My heb."
Halkern
also went to change clothes and then followed Leonard out of the spring. Magic
didn't often do much for illnesses, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to
help in some way. He might be able to alleviate some of the stuffiness with
herbs; he wasn't a doctor, but a cold was part of basic care that anyone with a
Medicine Relic learned.
"So."
Emma propped her elbow on the wall with a wry smile. "How's that relaxing
thing working, Lord Tyrian?"
"I
think I need a break from my break," he grumbled.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
Chapter 24->
