CHAPTER ONE

There was a definite taste of spring in the air, for all that the wind off the ocean was still brittle-cold. Owyn stepped down off the front stoop and shoved his hands into his coat pockets, heading toward the center of Terraces and the healing complex. He needed gloves, he reminded himself. He should really stop by the dispensary. He made a mental note, and then promptly forgot all about gloves as he started to review his running checklist.

Finish the assessment of which houses had been too badly damaged by the winter storms to be immediately habitable. That should be finished today.

Determine which of those houses could be repaired, and which needed to be demolished. He’d told Jehan that he could have that report ready within a week of finishing the assessment. So far, he expected to be on time.

Arrange repairs on those houses that could be finished first. He needed to work with Marik on that — he had a better idea of who could do what in Terraces.

Seal off the houses that were going to be demolished. See what could be salvaged from them. That needed to wait for spring and warmer weather, he thought. So did the repairs. But having a list of which to do first would be a good thing.

Convince Aria that she was wrong. An ongoing project, and one with no end in sight.

Find Aven. Another ongoing project.

Overthrow Mannon and see Aria on the throne as Firstborn. Tabled until he finished the last two.

He sighed and hunched down into his coat as a cold wind trailed down the back of his neck. It had never gotten this cold in Forge. He’d never seen snow like they’d had this past winter. Or storms, for that matter — one right after the other, with no respite to repair damage or bring in supplies. There were still a lot of people living in the shelter caverns beneath the healing complex because their homes weren’t safe. And they’d stay there until he finished his job. Which meant that he needed to get to work.

He sighed again, his breath billowing and reminding him of the smoke in the vents where he’d learned to dance. Reminding him of Memfis, who was Mother only knew where. Still alive, Owyn thought. He hoped. He looked up at the icy-blue sky and thought of spring. Spring meant that Aven and Del would be coming back soon. They were only supposed to have been gone for a season. So they were coming back soon.

They had to be coming back soon. The houses in Terraces weren’t the only thing falling apart. He turned at the marker and headed for the healing complex. They’d changed houses after Aven and Del had left — Aria couldn’t stay in Fourteen Southwest, not without having screaming nightmares. And she’d refused Owyn’s offers to hold her while she slept, the way he had on their first night in Fourteen. So he’d arranged with Jehan and Rhexa for them to move. They lived now in a slightly larger house that faced Rhexa’s own, on the first ring of the Northwest spoke. It was closer to the healing complex, which was convenient for Treesi and Alanar. Aria had insisted that her Earth had to live under the same roof with her, and since Treesi was no longer a student, she could live where she liked. But she’d refused to let Alanar live alone, and had dug in her heels until Aria had invited the other healer to join them. Privately, Owyn was glad of it — he shared a room with them, and they listened to him when he vented his frustrations at how things were falling apart.

Rhexa listened, too, and offered advice. Aria had been hurt, and was trying to protect herself so that she wouldn’t be hurt again. Owyn needed to give her time. Which he understood — he’d been there. He knew what Rhexa meant. He could give his Heir the time she needed. He could give her the support she needed. He could give her any damn thing that she needed...provided that she let him. Which she wasn’t doing. She wouldn’t talk to him, wouldn’t listen to him. She hadn’t spent any time with him since the Turning, when they’d welcomed the new year with gifts. She’d made him this coat, and he loved it. He thought it meant that she’d forgiven him for letting Aven go. But since then, the coat had been the warmest thing he had from Aria. Lately, she wouldn’t do more than say good morning to him when he came into the kitchen, and she would leave immediately after.

She was making it very clear that she didn’t want to be around him, and didn’t know how to tell him to go. Not that she really could. He was her Fire, after all.

Things were falling apart, and he was seriously starting to doubt that he’d ever see the last item on his list finished. Not that he’d tell anyone that. He wouldn’t even say that out loud to Trinket. Saying things out loud made them real. If he didn’t say it, it wasn’t real. And if it wasn’t real, it was safe to keep trusting Aria. To keep loving her. Because she wasn’t going to leave him the way everyone else had.

He swallowed and looked up. Right at this moment, he wasn’t sure where Aria even was. She hadn’t been in the house when he’d gotten up, which was unusual — he got up early to make sure everyone else ate before they went off to their duties. But when he’d gone to see if he could make breakfast for her, her room had been empty. She might be with Jehan or Rhexa. Probably. There was just so much to do! He headed into the healing complex and waved to the assistant at the front desk.

“Morning, Malani,” he called, keeping his voice low. “Where is everyone this morning?”

“Senior Healer is in his office, and I believe the Heir is with him. Healers Treesi and Alanar are on their morning rounds.” Malani looked past him and smiled. “And Administrator Rhexa is standing behind you.”

Owyn turned and smiled as Rhexa stepped forward, her arms open. He was still getting used to being hugged multiple times a day, but it was a good thing to get used to. She stepped back and studied his face.

“You’re not sleeping,” she pronounced. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“Too much to do, Auntie,” Owyn answered. Too much worrying to do was closer to the truth, but he wasn’t going to say it. She nodded.

“I understand. How is the assessment going?”

“I should be done today,” Owyn answered. “Assuming it doesn’t snow again.”

“I hope it’s done,” Rhexa said. “I think we’re finally past that point. I hope. Except for late snow. If it’s very windy at night, it comes in off the water. But that sort of snow doesn’t tend to stick.” She snorted. “I think you have to be born here to understand the weather.”

“And even when you are, every winter is a surprise,” Malani added with a giggle. “This year has been pretty awful, though. But spring is coming.”

“Yeah. It is. And I have a lot of work to do before it gets here. So I need to run.” On a whim, Owyn leaned over and kissed Rhexa’s cheek. At least someone was happy to see him in the morning. “I’ll see you later, Auntie,” he said.

“Come for supper,” she called after him as he hurried away. He waved to show that he’d heard, then turned the corner and headed toward Jehan’s office. It was more central than the offices that Rhexa and Risha had kept — Jehan said that the Senior Healer needed to be accessible to everyone, at any time. So his offices were right off the entryway of the healing complex, just around a corner. As Owyn reached the door, he realized that Malani had said that Aria was with Jehan. So he did something he hadn’t done since he’d left Forge — he stopped outside the door and listened.

“I can’t convince you otherwise?” Jehan asked in a gently voice.

“No,” Aria answered. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“At least tell him.”

“You know what his answer will be. I cannot.”

Owyn swallowed, suddenly sorry that he’d listened. He knocked on the door and waited until he heard Jehan call, “Come in!”

He opened the door and looked in. “I’m not interrupting, am I?” he asked. “Malani said Aria was here.” He smiled when he saw her sitting in one of the chairs that sat in front of Jehan’s desk. “I was wondering where you were. You weren’t there when I came to see what you wanted to eat this morning.”

She looked up at him, but didn’t smile. She looked impossibly sad, and he was torn between the need to hold her, and the desperate urge to scream at her until she told him the truth. “I was up before the sun,” she said. “I needed to fly this morning. Then I came here.”

“Then you haven’t eaten?” Owyn asked. “We can go back. I can cook something for you. We have that cheese you like.” He hated that it sounded as if he was begging, but he knew that he really was. He knew that what he was really saying was “Let me back in. Let me take care of you. Love me again.”

If she understood that, she gave no sign, shaking her head. “No, thank you,” she replied. “I really am not hungry.”

“Aria, you’re not eating,” Owyn pressed. “I’m not entirely sure you’re sleeping, either. You never sit down with us. You never talk to me anymore.” He forced the words out. “I’m worried about you.” He looked down, shoving his shaking hands into his coat pockets. “About us. About everything.”

He heard her get up, but didn’t look up. He couldn’t look up. He hadn’t meant to say anything. Saying it made it real. Now...well, it had been real before. But now he’d said it. Now it was really real.

“Owyn.”

She was standing in front of him. He could see her boots, her legs, and the bottom of the long coat that she’d made for herself. He couldn’t look higher, and shuddered at the touch of her cold hands on his cheeks. She raised his face, met his eyes, then kissed him gently enough that he wanted to cry.

“Owyn,” she whispered his name. “I’m sorry. I’ve been horrible to you.”

“You needed time—” Owyn stammered. She kissed him again, silencing him.

“This is something different. And I will explain. But not now. I ask that you trust me.”

He looked at her golden ember eyes and nodded. “I trust you. Just…”

“Please.”

He swallowed, not moving as she moved past him and out of the office. The door closed, and he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I…”

“Sit down, Owyn,” Jehan said softly.

Owyn shook his head. “I...no, I’m not going to be long. I...I’ll have that assessment done for you tomorrow. That all right?”

Jehan nodded. “That’s fine. But I thought you’d have it done today. That’s what you told me yesterday.”

Owyn nodded. He took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them up and down on the quilted cloth covering his chest. “I...I need to take a ride. I’ll be back in a few hours. So I might have it done today. But more likely tomorrow.”

Jehan frowned slightly. “You’re going out to Serenity Bay to see Danzi?” When Owyn nodded, he sighed. “I was wondering when you’d go again. It’s getting on to being spring. He’ll be coming back soon.”

“He needs to come back now,” Owyn blurted. “Before everything falls apart!”

Jehan closed his eyes. He licked his lips. Then he nodded. “Don’t be long,” he said. “The weather can change in a minute at this time of year. I don’t want you caught unprepared.”

“I’ll be careful,” Owyn said. “Jehan? He is coming back, isn’t he?”

Jehan didn’t answer.

***

Before he left, Owyn needed to talk to Treesi. Which meant finding Treesi — the assistants pointed him in the right directions, but all of them were one or two steps behind her, until at last Owyn bumped into her as she was coming out of a ward room. She brightened immediately when she saw him. Until she looked at him more closely. Then her eyes widened, and she grabbed his arm and dragged him into an empty room.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded.

“I’m going up the coast,” he answered, not answering the question she asked. “I’ll be gone a few hours. I wanted you to know.”

She frowned. “Something happened?” she asked. “Owyn, tell me what’s going on, or I’ll put you to sleep and tie you to the bed.”

“Save that for later, and do it in reverse,” Owyn answered automatically. The mock-threat and response had become almost rote, and it usually made them both giggle. This time, though, there was no laughter. “Treesi, we’re losing it. We’re losing everything. I can’t get through to her, and I don’t know what to do!”

“Her. You mean Aria,” Treesi said. “Owyn, you talked to her?”

“Just now, yeah,” Owyn answered. He ran his fingers through his hair and winced when he hit knots. “Well, a little while ago. Before I came looking for you. She was with Jehan when I got here. I offered to cook for her, because she hasn’t eaten yet today. And...yeah, I told her I was worried about her. And about us.”

“What did she say?” Treesi asked.

“She asked me to trust her.” Owyn looked at Treesi, then turned away to look out the window. “And I do. I do trust her. But...Trees, she’s closed me out, and I can’t...I don’t know what else to do!”

Treesi came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. “Owyn, I wish I could be more help. I feel like I’m not helping at all.”

“She talks to you, though,” Owyn said. He turned in Treesi’s arms and put his arms around her. “She talks to you. So maybe it’s just that she can’t talk to men?” He frowned. “Or she’s still mad at me. I thought we got past that.”

“She’s not mad at you,” Treesi insisted. “She was hurt when she found out. But she’s not mad. I don’t think she ever was.”

“Easy for you to say. She didn’t throw things at you.” Or stop talking — it had been weeks before Aria had spoken a word to Owyn after she found out that he’d been there when Aven and Del had left for the Water tribe. What had finally broken the silence was Owyn’s gift to her for the Turning — a rose made from finely worked iron. Owyn had traded his labor at one of the forges in Terraces for the materials and the time to make it, and it had been worth the early mornings and the late nights to see the look on Aria’s face. She’d cried on him after, and apologized. It should have been over. But it wasn’t. It still felt as if nothing would ever be the way it had been.

However, Aria kept the rose on her dressing table, in a vase that sat in the circle of the cord of Aven’s water gem. Also in the vase was the gray pearl that Aven had left behind, the one that he’d told Owyn he meant to give to Aria the morning after their first night together.

Treesi sighed and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Owyn, I understand. I do. You show people you love them by taking care of them. And she won’t let you. But that doesn’t mean she doesn't love you.”

“I do what?” Owyn asked. She giggled.

“You take care of us. You fuss at us to eat, and you make sure we sleep, and you keep the house in order. You make sure that Alanar has the lozenges that he likes when he gets a cough, and you make me the tea that I like when I have to be up late reading.” She kissed him gently. “And we’re not even going to mention the bread.”

“I like making bread,” he protested.

“You do it every morning, no matter how late you’ve been up the night before. You’re always up with the sunrise, so we have fresh bread for breakfast.” Treesi met his eyes. “Owyn, you show us how much you love us by taking care of us. And it’s killing you that Aria won’t let you do for her.”

Owyn took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m going up the coast. I want to see if the Water tribe traders have started coming in. Marik said they’d come in the spring. It’s spring, mostly. I need to see if I can get a message out to Aven.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Treesi’s. “I...I can’t fix this. I think I might be making it worse. But maybe I’m not supposed to fix it. I’m not the Heart. Aven is. He can fix it. We can all be the way we were before. But he has to come back.”

She sighed and kissed him again, then stepped back, out of his arms. “I’ll walk with you to the stables.”

“No, Trees,” Owyn said. “Not that I wouldn’t mind the company, but you have work to do. Go on, tell Alanar where I am, and that he’s not to worry about me. I’ll be back by the evening meal. Auntie Rhexa says to come for dinner.”

“I’ll walk you to the door, anyway,” Treesi said. She took his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Owyn, be careful out there.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Take your whip chain.”

“Yes, Treesi,” he said with a laugh. “You take care of me just as much as I take care of you.”

“And for the same reason.” She squeezed his fingers. “I love you.”

They stopped in the entryway, and she stepped into his arms again. “It’ll be all right, Owyn,” she said into his ear. “You’ll see. We’ll be fine.”

He nodded. “Keep telling me that, love. I need to hear it. I need to hear it until I believe it.”

She shifted and cupped his face with one hand, kissing him deeply. “It will be all right,” she repeated. “We’ll be fine.” She grinned and kissed his nose. “Now go, before it gets so late you’re coming back in the dark.”

CHAPTER TWO

Owyn still wasn’t used to coming and going in Terraces. Leaving meant that he had to find a tunnel guide to take him through to the stables and then out. Thankfully, the first tunnel guide he found was Marik.

“Going to visit my ma?” Marik asked, smiling at Owyn. He pushed off from the wall where he’d been leaning and looked up. “The swallows say the winds are good. Warm up high. So it’ll be a nice ride. Mind if I tag along?”

“Mind? Never,” Owyn said, and meant it. He honestly liked Marik and enjoyed spending time with him. They started walking, with Marik taking the lead through the tunnels. Owyn stayed on Marik’s right — despite Pirit and Jehan’s best efforts to save it, Marik’s left eye had been too badly damaged in Teva’s murderous attack. He was still getting used to it to the loss, and the patch that he now wore.

“You’re going to check and see if he’s coming back yet?” Marik asked. “The winds have changed. It should be soon.”

“Keep saying that, will you?” Owyn said. “Maybe it’ll come true. Because Jehan won’t answer me straight when I ask him.”

Marik took a deep breath, and slipped his hands into his pockets. “He’ll come back. He can’t stay away. He’s drawn to her like a magnet draws a compass needle.”

Owyn snorted. “I like that. It’s accurate.”

“That being said, she’s being a bit of a bitch,” Marik continued.

“Hey!”

Marik shrugged. “She’s my Heir. I do care for her. But she’s treating you and Trees like dirt, and she’s done worse than that to her Water.” He turned to look at Owyn. “You told me you liked it when I was honest with you.”

Owyn scowled. “I just...wouldn’t have called her that. She’s been through a lot—”

“We’ve all been through a lot. We’ve got a lot more to go before she takes the throne.” Marik shook his head. “She’ll get there, if she stops reacting and starts thinking again.” He turned to Owyn again. “Uncle Jehan says she’s a little spoiled. She’s used to getting her own way. He told me about how they convinced her to learn to swim.”

“She hasn’t told me that story,” Owyn said. “Neither did Aven.”

“Aven threw her into deep water,” Marik said. “And then had to save her when she panicked. He broke his own change cycle in doing it, and Uncle Jehan had to put him into trance because he was in pain.”

Owyn stopped short. “You’re telling me that Aven did to himself the same thing that Risha did? And it was Aria’s fault?”

“Not quite what Risha did,” Marik answered. “He hadn’t finished changing from land to sea, and reversing it in the middle is painful. At least, Uncle Jehan says it is.” He shrugged again, and started walking; Owyn hurried to catch up. “But what happened after is that Aria was so contrite over hurting Aven that she did exactly what they needed her to do. So…”

“So if she finally sees how badly she’s hurting the people she loves, then she’ll start thinking again?” Owyn asked. “And here I was thinking that yelling at her would be a bad thing.”

Marik laughed, the sound echoing off the tunnel walls. “I don’t think yelling will do it,” he answered. “I think it’s going to take a long, hard conversation.”

Owyn nodded. “I...yeah, she has been avoiding me. Maybe that’s why. All right. I’ll sit her down when I get back. Tell her everything.”

“If you need help keeping her in one place, I can be there,” Marik offered. Owyn shook his head.

“I think this needs to be the Heir and her Companions. Me, Treesi and Aria. But thank you.” He looked around. “We’re almost there, right?”

“I’ll make a tunnel guide out of you yet.”

They reached the stables, and had to wait while horses were saddled for them. Owyn laughed when he saw his horse. “Freckles!” he called, and took the reins from the groom. He let the horse sniff him, then scratched Freckles’ forehead. “They treating you nice, yeah?”

“He eats his head off,” the groom says. “And doesn’t like to be saddled. He’ll work on a lunge, though, if he feels like it. And if there’s an apple in it for him.”

“Really?” Owyn clicked his tongue at the horse, watching Freckles’ ear flick toward him. “Hey, behave yourself. And no fussing at the grooms. They’re taking care of you.”

“I think he misses you is the problem,” the groom said. “Right, old man?” He slapped the horse on the shoulder. “He wants his man.”

Owyn grinned. “Well, we’ll have a good long run today, on the way back. What do you say?” He stepped to the side and swung up onto Freckles’ back, following as Marik led the way on his own horse, a big gelding named Hurricane. They made their way through the tunnels and out into the sunlight.

“You said something about wanting a run?” Marik called.

“On the way back,” Owyn called back. “I don’t want him to strain himself on the way there.”

“Fair.”

They rode in silence for a while, then Owyn drew Freckles up next to Hurricane. “Marik, do you really think he’s coming back? Really? You’re not just saying it to make me feel better?”

Marik looked over at Owyn. “You know him better than I do, for all that I’m related to him. Yes, I think he’s coming back. You don’t?”

“I don’t know,” Owyn said. “I really don’t. I...it broke him, I think. What happened, and then having Aria turn on him like that. It broke him. I don’t know if he’ll come back because I don’t know if he can.” He looked down at the reins in his hands. “He promised he’d be with me. With us. We promised each other, the three of us. And...she broke the promise.”

“And now you feel like you’re bailing a leaky boat.”

“And my pail has a hole in it,” Owyn added.

Marik grimaced. “Owyn, I can only tell you what I know. And from what I know of Aven, he’ll be back. He just needs time to heal. The same way Aria needs time to heal. And when he comes back, that might be the thump that she needs to start thinking again.” Marik shrugged. “Which is why I’m coming with you. He needs to get back here before she does something really stupid and alienates the entire tribe.”

“You don’t think she will, do you?” Owyn asked. “I mean...what would she have to do?”

“Not a lot, to be honest. Aria is walking on eggshells already, especially outside of Terraces where people don’t know her, they just know that the Heir has wings. The word is getting out about her, now that we’re not locked down. When I went for supplies the last time, they were talking about her down south in Cliffside. Mostly good, but there are still people out in the tribal lands that think that Air folk aren’t human. Risha set those seeds in Terraces. And you’ve seen the results. It’s like a strangle vine. You can pull it, but it keeps coming back.”

Owyn let the thoughts churn around in his head for a while as they rode. They were just coming over the last ridge before the long trail down the sea and the village when he spoke again, “I’ll talk to her when I get back. And...here’s hoping we’ll have some good news when we get to the village.”

***

There was a certain rhythm to how things worked in an Earth village — even in a blended village like Serenity Bay. If you were there for reasons other than market day, you arrived, and were greeted by the highest ranking person — in this case, Marik’s mother, Danzi. They welcomed you to the village, and you sat down with them for a welcome drink, usually a pot of tea. If the weather was fine, you sat outside, where everyone could see you. If the weather was foul, you sat in the visitor’s hut, which had large, wide windows so that everyone could see you. While the water was coming to a boil, you discussed the weather, the state of crops or the height of the snow. While the tea was steeping, you discussed the advent of whatever season was next to come, and tallied births, deaths, and marriages. And when the tea was finally poured into cups the size of your average thimble, you made polite, nonsensical small talk until the pot was empty.

It was enough to drive Owyn to distraction. It was nothing like the way things were done in Forge, where you made decisions and agreements in the forge and sealed them on the Master Smith’s anvil. Usually, he could contain his impatience long enough to at least enjoy the tea, but this time? As Danzi set the kettle over the flame, he cleared his throat.

“Could we...maybe not do the whole ritual today?” he asked. “It’s…I don’t know if I can sit still that long.”

Danzi smiled. “I can tell. The kettle isn’t the only thing coming to a boil.” She took a seat across from him at the table. “What troubles you, Owyn?”

He took a deep breath, and the words came out in a rush, “Have you had any news? Any word from the deep water?”

Danzi folded her hands on the table. “Traders with gossip. Nothing more than sea foam, as my man would have put it. There’s word of an army being raised on the waves. A war leader. But nothing that I can point to and say that this is certain. And I haven’t heard anything that speaks of my nephew by name.” She frowned. “I did hear that there was a canoe of Arana’s line beached further up the coast. There’s another village. Shadow Cove. It’s about three hours ride north along the coast. Less than that by canoe, but I seem to remember you don’t go by water?”

Owyn shook his head. “No, I don’t. Three hours?” He’d have to overnight there, or come back in the dark. But if there was someone there from Aven’s family canoe, someone who might have more news. Who could carry a message…

“You’re going, aren’t you?” Danzi asked. “I’ll have something put together for you for the road.”

“And tell Marik to go back. I’ll go alone,” Owyn said, still ordering his thoughts. “I don’t want to worry them. I won’t be able to make it there and back before dark. I’ll have to stay the night.”

“I’ll send a letter of introduction with you,” Danzi said. “I’ll put it together now, so you can get underway. And I’ll tell Marik to bring the message back. Do you want to leave a message with the traders that are here?”

“Yes, please,” Owyn said. He looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”

Danzi led him out of the visitor’s hut and down to the shore, where there were several canoes, and a number of very large men. One of them glanced over, saw Danzi, and came toward them. He bowed slightly.

“Mother Danzi, we should be ready to sail with the tide. Thank you for your custom.”

Danzi bowed her head slightly. “I’ve one more thing to ask you, Huri. To carry messages.” She gestured to Owyn. “This is Owyn Fireborn, Companion to the Heir. He seeks to get a message to a son of Arana’s canoe.”

Something flickered in Huri’s eyes. “To whom?” he asked.

“Aven, son of Aleia,” Owyn answered. “If you’d be kind enough?”

“If I can, yes,” Huri said. “What message?”

“That he needs to return to the Heir. We miss him, and we need him back. Stress the word ‘need,’ please, when you tell him? Maybe grab him and shake him?” He mimed shaking someone. “We need you back!” he said, and looked at Huri. “Like that?”

Huri grinned. “I’ll do what I can. Mind if I don’t shake him, though? If it’s the Aven I’ve heard of, he’ll put me on my tail.”

“You’ve heard of him?” Owyn gasped. He looked at Danzi, who shook her head. “What have you heard?” he asked.

“Hunter. Warrior. Navigator. Right hand of the War Leader. Short temper,” Huri answered. “If I can reach him, I’ll tell him. But I won’t shake him. I like living.”

“If you’ve heard of him, then have you heard of Del, too?” Owyn asked.

Huri smiled. “Him, I’ve met. Del the Silent. Very canny trader.”

Owyn grinned. “Really? I wouldn’t have thought it of him. Well, tell him he needs to come back, too.”

Huri nodded. “I’ll pass the message on, Fireborn. As soon as I reach their waters.”

Owyn offered his hand, and clasped the trader’s wrist the way Marik had shown him. “I appreciate it. Can I do anything for you in return?”

Huri looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. “If it’s for the Heir, then there’s nothing more I need. War Leader says we follow the Heir.” He grinned. “We don’t argue with the War Leader.”

“Sounds like it might be painful if you tried,” Owyn agreed. He let go of Huri’s hand and looked at Danzi. “Thank you. Now, three hours north, you said?”

“Follow the coast road. Your supplies should be ready by now.”

Owyn smiled. “Thank you.” He headed back up toward where the horses were being tended to. Halfway there, Marik caught up with him.

“Three hours north?” Marik asked. “Why?”

“Because your mother said there was a canoe from Aven’s family beached up in Shadow Cove.”

“So you’re going off to Smugglers Cove,” Marik asked. “Just like that?”

Owyn stopped and turned to face him. “She said it was Shadow Cove.”

“Shadow Cove is what’s on the map. Smugglers Cove is what we call it,” Marik said. “And that’s because that’s what it’s been for years. So if there’s someone from Arana’s canoe there, then there’s definitely something wrong. You’re not going alone.”

Owyn shook his head. “You’re going back to Terraces. Someone needs to tell them where I’ve gone.”

“We can both go back, and go to Smugglers Cove tomorrow. We’ll be able to be better prepared—”

“And they might sail on tomorrow morning’s tide, and I’ll have missed the chance,” Owyn said. “No, I need to go now. I’ll be fine, Marik. But you need to go back so that Treesi and Alanar don’t worry about me.”

Marik frowned. “Not Aria?”

“Marik, I’m not sure she notices when I’m there. I don’t think she’ll notice if I’m gone.”

Marik’s jaw dropped. “She loves you, Owyn. She’s just...mixed up.”

“And that’s why I need to go. So I have some chance of unmixing her before it’s too late!” Owyn dragged his fingers through his hair. “I need to go. I’ve got my whip chain. I’ll be fine. And if I don’t come back by tomorrow night, then you can come looking for me.”

“Because a trail that’s two days cold is so easy to track,” Marik grumbled. He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Be careful.”

“I’ll be careful,” Owyn assured him. “Remember, I grew up on the streets. I can handle myself.”

Marik snorted. “There are no streets here, Owyn.”

“You know what I mean!”

“And I know you’ve gotten the shit kicked out of you, so be careful!” Marik shook his head, then squeezed Owyn’s shoulder. “If something happens to you, Alanar will take me apart. You know that, right?”

Owyn grinned. “You’re scared of Alanar?”

Marik looked confused. Then he nodded. “You haven’t seen him really angry yet, have you? He’s got the most patience of anyone in Terraces. Until he snaps. Yes, I’m scared of Alanar. If he wants to hurt you, you will know exactly what hurting really means.”

Owyn blinked, completely taken aback. “We...we are talking about the same Alanar, right? He gets that angry?”

“It takes him a while, but yes,” Marik said. “Teva used to tease him, back when we were all young. Alanar put up with a lot until Teva went too far. He set up a prank. If it had worked, Alanar would have gotten a bucket of muddy water dumped on him. But it got cold and the water froze, and Malani triggered it. She ended up in the healing complex with a broken skull. Alanar found out and got mad, and Teva learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea to rile up a healer.” Marik folded his arms over his chest. “Owyn, he broke both of Teva’s arms. Just by touching him.”

“What?” Owyn gasped. “He didn’t!”

Marik nodded. “He did. He got into so much trouble with Gran. He said he’d do it again, too, if Teva ever tried something like that again.” He frowned. “I don’t think I could even imagine what Alanar would do if he ever got his hands on Teva now.”

Owyn’s eyes widened. “I...fuck. That’s a scary thought. I’ve seen a lot, and I have no idea what he’d do. I can’t even imagine what he’d do. That’s scary.”

Marik grinned. “Isn’t it, though? In a good way. I don’t have any clue what Alanar would do, but I’d love to find out.” He shook his head. “But for now, I’ll carry the message back. You go see what you can find out.”

Owyn nodded. He held his hand out to Marik, and pulled the taller man in for a quick embrace. “You be safe,” he said as he stepped back.

“You, too,” Marik said. “Now go on. The sooner you get there, the sooner you’ll be back.”

CHAPTER THREE

It had been a long time since Owyn had last had three hours alone and silent. Working with Rhexa meant that he was meeting with people all day, and in the evenings, well...any house with Treesi in it was rarely quiet for very long. He hadn’t been alone with his thoughts since…

Since they first got to Terraces. Since he’d left the house after arguing with Memfis. Since the last time he’d seen his father in the flesh.

Memfis was alive. He was certain of that. He wasn’t sure where, but he was sure that Memfis was alive. Maybe he should add that to his list — find Memfis. It was a good idea, but he also wasn’t sure of what would happen after he found Memfis. He wasn’t sure if anything would be the same anymore. No matter how much he wanted it to be.

“Maybe it won’t change too much,” he said to Freckles, watching the horse’s ears pivot toward him. “He’ll grovel. I’m pretty sure he’ll grovel. And...yeah, I’ll forgive him. But it’ll be weird after. Because I’ll forgive him, but it’s not like I can forget what he said.” He scowled down at his hands, then looked up. No one on the road. Nothing but snow and gravel and birds overhead. “He needs to explain. That’s what I need. I mean, Rhexa’s ideas about him being afraid he was going to start drinking again make sense, but I need to hear it from him.”

Freckles sneezed and shook his head, and Owyn grinned.

“Yeah, I’ll deal with that when we find him,” he said. “I’ve got bigger worries to deal with right now. I really don’t know what to do about Aria.” He fell silent, listening to the birdsong and the sound of the wind whistling through the cliffs. “I love her, Freckles, but I don’t know how she feels anymore. I thought she loved me.” When was the last time she’d told him that she loved him? He wasn’t even sure anymore.

Had she ever, really? Or was it just that the Mother was pushing them together because there was no time?

“You know,” he said to the sky. “If that was your plan, it failed miserably. We’re not together anymore. We’re not doing anything anymore. We’re falling apart. We’re supposed to be a whole. We’re not. And we won’t be until we have Aven and Del back, and until Aria changes her mind. So maybe you can help me out? I’m trying my best here, but nothing makes sense.” He sighed. He’d danced, but his visions had been jumbled, as clear as mud. “I know my best probably isn’t much,” he continued. “But that's all I’ve got.” He looked down at his hands, wondered if he should say anything else. If he’d said too much. If things were already too far gone.

No, there had to be something. There had to be something else he could do, something he hadn’t tried. Something none of them had tried. Or maybe, something that someone else could try.

It all came back to the fact that the Companion bond had been shattered. And...who else could reforge it but a smith? He just needed all the pieces.

“Think we can go a little faster, Freckles?” he asked. The horse snorted, and picked up his pace.

***

Treesi looked up from her charting to see Aria in the door. She smiled. “I’m almost done. Come in and sit down.”

Aria nodded and came into the charting room, taking the chair where Alanar usually sat. Alanar was currently in a conference with Pirit, and had told Treesi to go on ahead and get her charting started.

Treesi looked down at her paperwork, carefully wrote out the last few lines, then closed the folder and put it into her bin for the Senior Healer to review. She cleaned her pen, set it aside and corked her inkwell. Only then did she look across at her Heir. Aria had lost weight. That wasn’t good, given everything. She looked pale, and there was something strange about her wings.

“Aria, are you losing feathers?” Treesi asked softly. She glanced at the door, then concentrated. No, there was no one within earshot. Good. “Is that...normal?”

Aria shook her head. “No. And yes.”

“It’s not normal to lose feathers, but it is normal?” Treesi frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Aria met her eyes, then looked away. “I am not losing feathers. I...I’ve been preening too much.”

Treesi’s eyes widened as she remembered something Marik had told her once about birds when they were under too much stress. “You’re not pulling out your own feathers? Aria!”

Aria looked down, and her voice was quiet. “Treesi, I...I need to go.”

Treesi got up, came around the table and knelt down next to Aria. “Go? Go where?”

“I need to leave,” Aria whispered. “And...I need for you to come with me.”

“What? Leave?” Treesi gasped. “And go where?”

Aria turned in her chair and took Treesi’s hands. “We’re going to Forge. To my grandmother. I need to be someplace where I can think. I...I can’t do it here. I need to be away. I spoke to Jehan. He doesn’t like it, but he won’t stop me. And I need you to come with me because I need someone who I can trust.”

“Are we all going?” Treesi asked. “You, me and Owyn?” Aria lowered her eyes. It answered Treesi’s question more clearly than words. “You’re leaving him behind? Aria, why?” She shook her head. “You can’t. It’s already hurting him so much that you’ve closed him out—”

“I know,” Aria said softly.

“You’re going to lose him,” Treesi pressed. “You’re going to lose him, too.”

Aria shuddered. “I’m losing everything. Everyone. I’m losing myself. I...I need to find myself again. That has to be my first step. And I cannot do it here. I have to go.” She looked at Treesi. “I asked him to trust me.”

“He needs to know you still love him,” Treesi said. “He’s been trying to care for you. And you’re pushing him away…” Her voice trailed off as she realized something. “Aria, you haven’t told him, have you?”

Aria shook her head. “No. I wasn’t sure…”

“I told you weeks ago!” Treesi protested.

Aria continued as if she hadn’t heard. “Once I decided I needed to go, I knew that if he knew, he’d never let me leave his sight.” She smiled. “He’d wrap me in blankets and smother me to protect me. And I can’t do that, Treesi. I need to take a step back, and find my way again. Before I can’t.”

Treesi squeezed Aria’s hands. “He’s gone to Danzi’s village, to look for news about Aven. You should wait for him to come back. Tell him. Tell him everything. He’ll understand. He’ll understand that you’re scared. We’re all scared. You can’t just leave him in the dark. He’ll shatter like glass if you abandon him. If we abandon him, since I’m going with you. Tell him what you told me. Tell him everything. And once he understands, if you ask him to, he’ll let you go. He might insist on riding with us to Forge, but he’ll leave you safe in your grandmother’s house. That’s more than I can do. I’m not a fighter. He’s your warrior.”

Aria looked thoughtful. She took a deep breath and pulled her hands out of Treesi’s. “If he returns before we have to leave, I will tell him.”

Treesi nodded and got to her feet. “All right. When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning at dawn,” Aria answered.

“Then we should go and get something to eat. You’ve got a long talk to have, and you’ll need to sleep.” She held her hand out to Aria. “Come on. Owyn made soup last night. I think there’s still some left. You like his soup. And there’s bread from this morning.”

Gently, she coaxed and goaded Aria out of the healing complex and back to their house, making her sit at the table in the kitchen. There, Treesi added a log to the stove, and put the soup — a thick vegetable and grain stew — to heat. She cut bread and cheese, and set them both in front of Aria. “You’re going to eat. You’re not eating enough. If you don’t eat, we’re going nowhere.”

Aria stared at the bread as if she’d never seen such a thing before, then picked it up and took a bite. A second bite. A third, and Treesi turned back to the soup, stirring it so that it wouldn’t stick and scorch.

“Who is going with us?” she asked as she stirred the soup. “We aren’t going alone, are we?”

“I don’t know yet,” Aria said. “Jehan said he would have riders go with us, but not who.”

Treesi nodded, and started ladling soup into bowls. Maybe she could have a word with the Senior Healer and make sure that one of those riders was Owyn? It was a thought. She’d have to find him sometime tonight. Maybe she could ask Alanar to stay with Aria while she went out.

“Anyone home?”

The familiar voice echoed down the corridor from the front room. Treesi turned and looked at the door.

“Marik?” she called. “You’re inside? We’re in the kitchen!”

A moment later, Marik appeared in the doorway. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “I went down to visit my mother with Owyn. She had some news for him—”

“What news?” Aria demanded. “What did she say?”

“That there was a canoe from Arana’s line ashore up in Smugglers Cove. About three hours past Serenity. He couldn’t not go. He asked me to take the message back to you, that he was going. He’ll be back sometime tomorrow, he says.”

“Tomorrow?” Treesi repeated. “Oh, but—”

“Thank you, Marik,” Aria interrupted. “I appreciate that you came to tell me.” She turned and looked at Treesi. “Is the soup ready?”

“Not...not yet,” Treesi answered.

“Then I have time.” Aria rose from the table, smiled at Marik, then left the kitchen. A few minutes later, Treesi heard a door close. And, no doubt, if she’d been closer, she’d have heard the click of the lock.

“I’m missing something,” Marik murmured. “What just happened?”

“Possibly a disaster,” Treesi answered. “Marik, if you would please go find the Senior Healer? I...I’m not sure what to do right now. I need to talk to him.”

Marik looked over at the door, then stepped closer to Treesi. “What’s happened?”

Treesi shook her head. “I just need for you to find the Senior Healer. Please.”

Marik nodded. He closed his eye for a moment, then smiled. “He’s outside. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He turned and hurried out of the kitchen. Lacking any idea of anything else to do, Treesi went back to stirring the soup. She ladled it out into bowls, set them on the table, and sat down. She should probably call Aria to eat. But then she’d have to wait to talk to the Senior Healer, and she needed to do that now.

She heard footsteps, and Jehan came into the kitchen, closely followed by Marik. Jehan looked worried. “What is it?”

“Aria told me that she’s leaving tomorrow morning,” Treesi said in a soft voice. “That we’re leaving tomorrow. I managed to talk her into waiting so that she could tell Owyn the truth. She was going to do it when he got back. But he won’t be back until late tomorrow, and now I don’t know what to do!”

Jehan looked startled, turning to Marik. “Where’s Owyn?”

“He went north. Smuggler’s Cove. Ma said that there was a canoe of Arana’s line there, and he went after it.”

“Arana’s line? This close to shore?” Jehan snorted. “It’d never happen. She’d never allow it. Can you ride out? Bring him back?”

“Only if I want to be laid on my arse,” Marik answered. “He’s pretty set on going. Senior Healer, he’s got it in his head that the only person who can fix what’s ailing our Heir is Aven.”

“He might not be wrong,” Jehan muttered. He slumped down into Aria’s abandoned chair. “You got her to agree to wait?”

Treesi nodded. “Maybe I can convince her to wait until Owyn comes back?” she said. “Jehan, if she leaves him behind, it’ll kill him. He’s already feeling abandoned, and she hasn’t even left yet.”

“Why is she leaving?” Marik asked. “And where is she going?” He frowned. “And who exactly is we?”

“Aria says she wants me to go with her,” Treesi answered. “She said Jehan would pick riders. Can you...not?” She turned to the Senior Healer. “Can you tell her that we need to wait until the day after? Owyn will be back tomorrow!”

“No,” Aria said from the doorway. “I am not waiting. I am going. I am leaving tomorrow. And if you do not come with me, I will go alone.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I am already failing. I have already destroyed what I was set to do. Why would it matter if I turned away from all of you?”

“Aria,” Jehan said, his voice gentle. “You haven’t failed.” He got up and went to her, resting his hand on her shoulders. “Aven is going to come back. He loves you—”

“And I broke his heart,” Aria interrupted. “I was stupid, thoughtless, and heartless, and I broke his heart! He thinks I do not love him anymore, that I do not want him anymore. And he left me. He left his gem behind and he left me.” She stepped back, away from Jehan. “I turned away from him, and from Del who has caused me no harm, because of something neither of them can control. Because of who they were born. It makes me no better than Risha. I need to go and be alone. I need to think. I cannot go back to my mountains, so I am going to my grandmother.”

Jehan shook his head. “You’re nothing like Risha. The fact that you’re regretting your mistake now shows us that.” He smiled slightly. “You didn’t tell me where you were going. Or that you met Meris. I didn’t even know she was still alive.”

Aria smiled. “I like her. Very much. And I think I will be safe with her, so that I can think and best decide where to go and what to do from here. And if Aven returns while I am gone, he knows the way to come and get me.”

Jehan took a deep breath. “You can wait a day. For Owyn’s sake.”

Aria shook her head, and spread her wings. Outspread, the places where there were feathers missing were very obvious.

Jehan’s jaw dropped. “Aria!”

“I cannot wait,” she said. “I have to go, before I damage myself beyond repair. You cannot make my feathers regrow, Jehan.”

Jehan sighed. He held his arms open, and when Aria stepped into them, enveloped her in a tight embrace. “I didn’t realize it was so bad,” he said, just loud enough that Treesi could hear. “I’ll make the arrangements. I do wish you’d wait, though. Just one night.”

“I don’t have the time anymore,” Aria mumbled into his chest.

“Uncle?” Marik said. “I’ll go with them.”

Jehan looked over his shoulder at Marik. “I’m not sending you, Marik. You’re not fully acclimated to losing the eye yet.”

“I have eyes,” Marik insisted. “If there are birds in the sky, I have eyes.”

“And if you’re attacked on the ground, you have no depth perception. You’re still learning how to fight without it,” Jehan countered. “I’m not sending you out to get hurt again, Marik. You’re still not fully recovered.” He shook his head. “You’re staying here and training, at least until summer.” Jehan turned, keeping one arm around Aria’s shoulders. “Marik, I know you want to help. But getting yourself killed won’t help anyone.” He ran his other hand over his face. “I need to decide who I’m sending.”

Treesi moved toward them and held her hand out to Aria. “The soup is ready, and you need to eat.”

Aria followed docilely and took her seat, but didn’t pick up her spoon. “I want you all to know something,” she said. She didn’t look up, staring at her bowl. “I have decided that it is best for me to take myself out of Terraces, and away from everyone, so that I can better recover from what happened and decide what next I must do. If there is no one to ride with me in the morning, I am still going to leave.” She raised her head. “So there will be no juvenile ‘I have no one to ride with you, so you must wait,’ ploys to make me wait for Owyn, in the hopes that he will be able to talk me out of leaving.”

“You’re not being fair to Owyn,” Marik protested. “He loves you. He just doesn’t know how to help you right now.”

“He’s right,” Treesi agreed. “If you leave him, I don’t know what he’ll do. He’s getting more depressed by the day.”

“He has Alanar,” Aria says. “He seems to prefer Alanar’s company.”

“Because you won’t spend any time with him!” Treesi snapped, and Aria jerked in shock. “You’ve been closing him out ever since Aven left. He’s convinced that you hate him because he let Aven go. If you leave him now...you might lose him, too.” She swallowed and looked at Jehan. “He’s gotten so dark over the past months. I don’t think he’ll hurt himself, but you’ll have to watch him.”

Aria’s face went pale. “He thinks that I hate him? And you’re worried he might hurt himself?”

Treesi sat down. She buried her face in her hands and tried to collect her thoughts. Then she folded her hands on the table. “When you came to Terraces, it was very obvious to me that you and Aven were the center of Owyn’s world. When we came to get you, when the storm was coming, and he found you were gone, he panicked.”

Aria nodded. “He does that, yes. It is hard to calm him. You saw, after he fought with Memfis.”

“I did,” Treesi agreed. “And this time, he calmed himself. Because you needed him. Because you called him your warrior, and he needed to be that to save you. He is who and what he is now because you needed him to be that. He’s a warrior, and yours to the tips of his fingers.” She sniffed, and touched the brown and gold gem at her throat. “We all are. The Companions. You are our reason for being. And when you close us out, yes, it hurts. I’m not as bad as Owyn is, because he’s had you longer. But you’re pushing us all away, and Owyn isn’t the only one who feels it. Do I think he’ll hurt himself if you leave him behind?” She shrugged. “I’ve been watching him get more and more quiet, and nothing I can do brings him out. He brightens a little, for Alanar, but not much. And the rose...He worked for weeks on that. He started over twelve times, because it wasn’t good enough. He told me that he hoped it would be enough. He didn’t explain what enough meant, but when he gave it to you, and you smiled at him? It was like you gave him everything he’d ever wanted, all in a basket with fancy silk cushions.” She met Aria’s eyes. “And then you didn’t talk to him for a week. You avoided him at the table. You didn’t even touch the bread—”

“What does bread have to do with anything?” Marik interrupted. Treesi ignored him. She looked at Aria, and saw only confusion and hurt.

She didn’t understand.

For a moment, Treesi wondered if shaking her Heir would be considered blasphemy. Instead, she closed her eyes and got up from the table.

“Eat your soup, Aria,” she said softly. “If we’re leaving in the morning, I need to pack.”

She left the kitchen without another word.

***

Someone tapped lightly on Treesi’s closed door. She didn’t answer, but they didn’t leave. They tapped again. Then the door opened and the Senior Healer came inside. He closed the door behind him and stood with his arms folded over his chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were worried about Owyn?” he asked softly.

“Because we were handling it, Allie and I,” Treesi answered. She set down the tunic she had just folded. “When he was working, he was distracted. It was only really at night that he started getting dark, and we were handling it. And the closer we got to spring, the more hopeful Owyn got. Because Aven was coming back, and Aven would fix everything.” She turned to face him. “Aven isn’t coming back, is he? We’re broken beyond repair."

Jehan shook his head. “I don’t know, Treesi. I want to say yes, he is coming back. But there’s never been any kind of test on the Companion bond before. Not like this.” He took a deep breath. “I know my son. I know how much he loves Aria. I don’t think he’ll come back because she’s the Heir. I think he’ll come back because it’s Aria.” He snorted. “And is he ever going to have a surprise when he gets here!”

Treesi rolled her eyes. “Aven’s surprise isn’t the problem here. It’s Owyn. He’s fragile right now. When he comes back and finds we’re gone, he’ll shatter like glass, and I won’t be here to put him back together. It’ll be on Alanar.” She frowned. “Where is he, anyway?”

“Mother had some specific training she wanted him to take,” Jehan answered. “Which, knowing my mother, means that she’s instructing him on the art of putting broken Companions back together.”

“It might have been nice if she’d started that months ago,” Treesi grumbled.

CHAPTER FOUR

Three hours, Danzi had said.

She hadn’t considered the state of the roads. Or the lack of them — there was an entire section of the coast road that could only be called a road if you were being very, very generous. Owyn ended up backtracking, then leading Freckles over an area of rocky terrain that was entirely too close to the cliffs for Owyn’s liking, and that left them both sweaty and shaking. They stopped for a rest then, and Owyn sat and ate some of the supplies that Danzi had sent with him, looking at his map. He wasn’t looking forward to the ride back — maybe he’d be able to go further inland. He’d have to find out once he got to Shadow Cove.

In the end, it took Owyn nearly five hours to make the trip, and the sun was touching the horizon when he finally rode into the town. There was a welcome party waiting for him — he’d seen the sentries in the rocks, so it wasn’t a surprise. He dismounted, and took the letter of introduction that Danzi had written from his belt.

“My name is Owyn Fireborn,” he called. “I’ve come from Terraces. Danzi from Serenity Bay sent a letter.” He held it up. “I’ve come looking for information.”

A man stepped forward. “Fireborn isn’t a common name,” he drawled. “Only used in certain circumstances. One specific circumstance, if memory serves.”

“Your memory does indeed serve,” Owyn answered. He tugged his coat open, and pulled his scarf down to reveal the Fire gem at his throat. “This would be the one. I am Owyn Fireborn, and I serve the Heir to the Firstborn. Aria, daughter of Milon and his Air Companion Liara.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Well, looks like the gossip is running true for a change. Welcome to Shadow Cove, son. I’m Barsis, and I’m headman here. Let’s go have us a drink, and I’ll look at Danzi’s letter.” He gestured to one of the other men. “See to his horse.”

“Freckles, you behave yourself,” Owyn murmured to the horse, who snorted at him, then let the other man lead him away. Owyn followed Barsis. “Do you think we can dispense with the whole tea ceremony thing?” he asked softly. “I don’t want to offend, but—”

“Tea ceremony?” Barsis interrupted. “Danzi’s still doing that?” He laughed and shook his head. “No, lad. I’ll give you something a mite more warming than tea to get the chill out of your bones, and you can tell me why you came all this way. We’re not much on ceremony here in Shadow.”

He led Owyn into a stone house with a low door. Inside was a single large room separated by hangings, surrounding a central fire-pit. Barsis gestured to a bench next to the fire-pit. “Have a seat. I’ll pour, then I’ll look at that letter.” He picked a clay bottle up off the table and filled two cups, then handed one to Owyn and took the letter from him. Owyn sipped the drink, which proved to be a surprisingly smooth alcoholic something, and waited while Barsis read the letter silently to himself.

“Danzi says you’re looking for information. What sort?” Barsis said as he lowered the page.

“Our Water went out to the deep for his season. It’s nearing time for him to come back, but with the weather we’ve had, we’re not sure where he’s coming ashore. Danzi said that there was a canoe from his family line beached here. Arana’s line?”

Barsis looked startled. “Arana’s line? Son, you’re chasing sea-foam. Arana’s folk, they don’t come to shore. And if the rumors are running true, Arana’s gone back to the Mother these past few months.”

“What, she’s dead?” Owyn gasped. “Oh. I...we hadn’t heard.”

“That first big storm, from what I hear,” Barsis continued. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Now, what’s your Water’s name? Maybe I’ve heard tell of him?”

“Aven, son of Aleia. She was—”

“Waterborn before him. I know from Aleia,” Barsis said as he picked up his own cup. “She wasn’t but a little slip of a thing when I met her, though. Years and years ago.” He nodded, sipping his drink. “Aven is her boy?”

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Heard he stands with the War Leader of the waves. Not sure how much of that I believe. War leader? Out there?” He nodded in the general direction of the sea. “It’d be like herding crabs.”

Owyn snickered. “All I know from crabs is that they bite. I mean, pinch.”

Barsis grinned. “Trust me. You can’t herd them. And getting all the canoes out there to join under one War Leader? That’s about the same.” He shook his head. “Sorry you came all this way for nothing.”

Owyn swallowed his disappointment. “Thanks. I couldn’t not chase the rumor, though. If I hadn’t come, the whole blasted canoe would have been here, wouldn’t they?”

Barsis laughed, sounding like a braying donkey. “We’d have been up to our armpits in them! Good thing you did come, then. I’d have had no place to berth all of them!” He looked around. “This is the guest house, son. You’re welcome to pass the night here.”

“Thank you,” Owyn answered. “I appreciate that. It wasn’t the best road getting here. I’m going to need to know how to get back without using the coast road. It’s gone in a few places.”

“Is it, now?” Barsis frowned. “It’s still too early for us to start sending trade goods down to Sanctuary and to Terraces. I’ll send some runners out in the morning. There’s another road. It’ll take you further inland, and closer to the blasphemer’s patrols, if any of them are out there. Sure you want to risk that? We can run you back to Terraces on a skiff.”

Owyn fought back the urge to shudder. “I can’t,” he managed to say. “I can’t leave Freckles. He and I have been through a lot. We’ll be all right.”

Barsis studied him for a moment. “Not a seaman, then?”

Owyn grinned. “No. Not a bit.”

“I understand. I’ll send a runner with you. Make sure to keep you clear of any patrols.” He nodded toward the door. “Come and have some food. Folks will want to hear about the new Heir and her Companions. How many do you have?”

“Three of the four,” Owyn answered. He finished his drink and stood up, following Barsis out to meet the rest of the village.

It was a small village, and they gathered around a central bonfire for a shared meal and news. Owyn told them about Aria, about Aven and Treesi. He told them about what had happened in Terraces, about Risha and Teva and their attempts to murder Aven and Aria. He told them that there was a new Senior Healer in the Earth tribe lands, and heard their murmured approval when he named Jehan.

“He’s another one I met, back when he was still so new to his gem that he was uncomfortable wearing it,” Barsis said. “Good man. But then, if you’re called to a gem, you have to be a good man. Or a good woman. What’s our Heir going to do now, Owyn?”

Owyn considered the question, and how to answer when he had no real idea. “We’re waiting for Aven to come back from his season,” he finally answered. “Then...once the weather turns, we’ll see. We’ve a lot to do in Terraces before we leave there. The winter hit them hard, and we’ve been throwing in to help the people there before we move on.”

“The winter hit all of us hard,” someone in the crowd called. “How is she going to help us?”

Owyn looked around the fire, unable to tell who’d asked. “How have you been helping each other?” he asked in response. “Because...you honestly don’t think that she’s going to snap her fingers and everything is going to be wonderful and kittens and puppies and double-yolked eggs, now do you? She’s the Heir, yes, but she still has to work to make things right. So do we all. And we have to do it together.” He looked around again. “That’s the problem with what Risha was telling people, you know. That there was something different about the people who didn’t look like us. That they weren’t even people. She doesn’t want us working together. She wants Water and Air gone, and she doesn’t care who she hurts or kills to do it. She’s no better than Mannon. They want what they want, and fuck the rest of you, and anyone who gets in their way.” He looked around, saw Barsis nodding slowly. “So we can’t be like that. We need to be together, work together. Work with each other. We need to be the Mother’s children, all of us. And that means helping each other. Don’t ask me what Aria’s gonna do to save you. Help her save all of us.”

He jerked in shock at the cheer that went up around the fire, and stared for a moment before turning to Barsis. “What was in that cup you gave me?”

Barsis just laughed. “If that sort of wisdom was in any brew of mine,” he said. “I’d be at the bottom of the keg every day. No, I’m seeing why you were chosen, Fireborn.” He turned to look at the villagers. “He’s right. We can’t be looking just for ourselves. We have to look out for the others. For all of the others. If we’re not fighting for all of us, then what are we fighting for?” He stood up, which seemed to be an unspoken signal — people started moving away from the bonfire, heading back to their homes. Barsis came to stand in front of Owyn as he stood up.

“You’ll do just fine, Fireborn,” Barsis said. “Come on. Mornings come early here.”

“Are there any canoes ashore?” Owyn asked as they headed toward the guest house. “Anyone I can send a message out with?”

“Someone from Tersera’s line,” Barsis said. “He was going to leave with the morning tide. We can go over now, if you want.”

For a moment, Owyn couldn’t remember why that name was familiar. Tersera? Then the memory of the body in the cave came back in a rush. “I...yeah, I should talk to them.”

“You’ve gone white as a sheet, son,” Barsis said. “What is it?”

“Just...I’ll have to pass on some bad news, too.”

Barsis led him down to the shore, where Owyn could see a long canoe pulled up on the rocks. There were several people moving around the canoe, and as they approached, a woman came toward them.

“Barsis, we’re good to sail with the tide,” she said. She looked at Owyn and arched a brow. “Newcomer?”

“Visitor from Terraces,” Barsis answered. “You’ve got a boy there, don’t you?”

Owyn shuddered. “I...you’re Virrik’s mother?”

“His aunt, actually,” she answered. “You know him?”

“Not...not really,” Owyn stammered. “I...I know of him. From his roommates. They told me about him.” He paused, looked down. “I...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this. Virrik’s dead.”

“What?” the woman whispered. “What? How?”

“I…” Owyn swallowed. “He...he was killed. By Risha. Because he was Water. We...we found him. Our Water took him back out to the deep. We didn’t know who he was, or why he was there, but...but Aven did what was right for him.”

He looked up to find the woman staring at him. “Because he was Water?”

“You’d best explain, son,” Barsis said. “What you told us at the fire. Tell Ketti.”

Owyn nodded, and repeated what he’d told the others. He went into a little more detail about what Risha was planning than he had at the fire, and saw Barsis’ face grow stern. When he finished, Ketti was silent for a long time.

“And what’s being done about her?” she asked softly. “About this murderess?”

“When we catch her and her partner? They’re the Heir’s to deal with.” Owyn cocked his head to the side. “Unless you want her? I think I can talk my Heir into letting you serve justice. But I get Teva, though.”

Ketti blinked. Then she smiled. “That’s very generous. Are you certain you can make that offer?”

Owyn shrugged. “Not entirely. Aria’s really angry at Risha, for what she did and what she tried to do.” When Ketti arched a brow, he added, “She tried to do the same thing to our Water that she did to Virrik. And, if you don’t mind, I’m not going to tell you what that was. It was…” He stopped. Shook his head. “No. Not saying even that much. What I will say is that it took four healers working in tandem to save Aven. So trust me, Aria wants Risha’s head on a plate.”

Ketti’s eyes had widened when Owyn mentioned how many healers it had taken to save Aven. “So be it,” she murmured. “But if the Heir just wants the head, would she mind if I claimed some other parts?”

“You and she can discuss all the gory details later,” Owyn said. “When I’m not around. Because I don’t want to hear it.”

Ketti laughed. “No stomach for it?”

“Nope,” Owyn answered, shaking his head emphatically. Ketti laughed harder.

“So be it. We’ll discuss it away from your delicate ears.” Ketti looked out over the water. “He was given back to the deep, you said?”

“Aven did what was needed,” Owyn answered. Ketti nodded.

“Thank you, for letting me know. I’ll let the rest of the canoe know he’s gone back to the Mother.” She looked at him. “You didn’t come all this way just to tell me he was dead. You had no idea I was here.”

“No, ma’am,” Owyn answered. “I came because I heard that there was a canoe from Arana’s line beached here, and I was hoping it was Aven, or someone who could carry a message back to him for me.”

“Arana’s canoes usually stayed deep. They’re not now, but I don’t know if the new clan mother will go back to being quite so militant about it. I can pass on your message, when we get back to our waters.”

“Tell him that it’s time to come back,” Owyn said. “That we need him. Please.”

Ketti nodded. “I will tell him. Thank you, Owyn.”

Barsis rested his hand on Owyn’s shoulder. “Come on, son. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and you need to sleep. Ketti, I’ll come see you off with the tide.”

***

Ketti was gone by the time Owyn was awake the next morning. He ate with Barsis, accepted a pack of food for the road from one of the village women, and set out with his guide, a young man named Gan. Gan didn’t seem to be one for small-talk, which Owyn was grateful for. He wasn’t in the mood to chat.

Aven had gone back to his family, not knowing that his grandmother was dead. Had the new clan mother welcomed him, or rejected him?

Had he even gone back to them at all? Why would he have?

Two people now had mentioned a War Leader. And that Aven was supposed to be working with whoever that was.

Was Aven the War Leader? The idea seemed ridiculous. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure. Maybe Jehan would know.

“Fireborn, this is where I leave you,” Gan said. “Take this trail straight south. It’ll meet up with the coast road in a few miles, and head straight back to Terraces.”

“So soon?” Owyn asked. “Where...we’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

Gan grinned. “You’ve had an awful lot on your mind. I understand. It must be hard, doing the Mother’s work. I don’t know if I could. But I can help this much.”

“And I appreciate the help,” Owyn said. “Ah...they packed more than I can eat. Have a bite before you ride back?”

Gan shook his head. “I’ve my own supplies. Thank you, but I need to check the coast road and see where you mentioned things were bad. Go well, Fireborn.” He turned his horse back the way they’d come, and rode out of sight. Owyn turned Freckles to the south, and urged the horse on.

“We’ll stop in a bit,” he said. “Once we’re on the coast road.”

The roads met just where he thought they would — there was a small bridge over a stream that moved fast enough that it didn’t freeze. He dismounted, and let Freckles drink, then dug through the pack that the women in Shadow Cove had given to him. In with the food for him, there was a small bag of grain for Freckles. They were just finishing when Owyn heard a horse approaching from the direction of Terraces. He looked at Freckles.

“Were you expecting someone?” he asked. The horse sneezed at him, and Owyn grinned. He packed the remains of his food into his saddlebag and took out his whip chain. Just in case.

The rider came into view, and Owyn tucked his chain away and waved. “Marik! What are you doing out here?”

“Looking for you,” Marik answered. He sounded out of breath. “We expected you ages ago. And you told me to come looking if you were late.”

“I didn’t think I was that late,” Owyn said. He looked up and frowned. “Well, maybe a little. Thanks for coming after me.”

Marik nodded. “Come on. Let’s get back before it gets too much later.”

Owyn mounted his horse, and rode side by side with Marik. There was something odd about the other man, something...uneasy.

“What’s wrong?” Owyn asked. “You’re acting like you’re ready for something to jump out at you and bite you.”

Marik turned and smiled weakly. “Uncle said I wasn’t ready to come out on my own. I should have listened. It’s really strange not being able to see on my left. And the birds don’t help as much as I thought they would.”

Owyn nodded. “You don’t know until you get out, though. Now you know what you need to work on.”

“Yeah. Owyn…” Marik paused for a long moment, long enough that Owyn started getting nervous.

“What?”

“Owyn, I’m warning you now. You’re not going to like what you find when you get back. And...we all tried to stop her.”

“Stop her? Stop who?” Owyn’s heart lurched. “Aria. What’s she done?” He reined in Freckles. “Marik, if you tell me that she’s dead—”

“No!” Marik gasped. “No, she’s alive. But she’s not in Terraces. She’s left.”

“She...she left?” Owyn repeated. “She’s left? And left me behind?” Everything stopped. His breathing, his heartbeat. They all stopped, then started again in a strange cadence that just felt wrong. “Why? Why would she do that? Why would she leave me behind? I mean...I’m her Fire. She’s my Heir. I’m her warrior. She said so. I’m supposed to be with her. I’m supposed to take care of her. She...she’s not supposed to leave me!”

“Owyn—”

“No,” Owyn interrupted. “No, she can’t have left me. She can’t. Who knows what’s happening? Jehan?”

“He knows.”

Owyn nodded. Then he kicked Freckles into a gallop. He heard Marik shout behind him, but he didn’t care.

His Heir, his Aria couldn’t have left him!

Could she?

CHAPTER FIVE

For the first time since he’d come to Terraces, Owyn made it through the tunnels from the stables to the healing complex without a guide and without getting lost. He doubted he’d be able to do it again — he didn’t remember a single step he took from the moment he dismounted Freckles until he barged through the door into Jehan’s office.

“Where’s Aria?” he demanded.

The Senior Healer didn’t look surprised to see Owyn. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

“Sit down, Owyn,” he said.

“Fuck that,” Owyn snapped. “Where is she?”

Jehan’s mild expression turned stony. “Sit the fuck down, Owyn, and I will tell you,” he snapped back. “I will tell you where, and why. But you need to listen to me.”

Owyn blinked, shocked out of his fury. “I...don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.”

“Because I don’t, usually,” Jehan answered. “But you needed to hear it. Now sit. We’ll talk.”

Owyn licked his lips. He took his coat off and draped it over the chair, then sat down. “All right. I’m sitting. Where’s Aria?”

“She and Treesi have left Terraces. And she asks that you not try to follow her. She needs time to think.”

“That’s what you and she were talking about yesterday, isn’t it? You were trying to talk her out of going. And she wouldn’t even tell me herself. But she took Treesi?” Owyn said. “She took Treesi, and left me behind, and she expects me not to go after her?”

“Yes,” Jehan said. “Owyn, she needs to be out of Terraces, and out of sight.” He paused. “She’s been pulling her own feathers out. She’s done some damage to her wings, and if we didn’t let her go, she might never fly again.”

“But you couldn’t make her stay, or at least wait for me?” Owyn asked. “Why did she leave me behind?”

Jehan looked down at the tabletop. “Aria is feeling the weight of her responsibility. To us. To you. To everyone. And she’s bowing under it. She’s close to breaking. She’s been hurt, and she’s made some stupid mistakes. She needs to take herself out of the picture so that she can find her footing again, and start again.”

“Why leave me, though?” Owyn demanded. “Why not let me help? I’m not Aven, I know that. But I love her, too.”

“And she does love you, Owyn. She wants you to know that. But right now…” Jehan took a deep breath. “Risha did more than just try to maim her, Owyn.”

Owyn went cold. “What? What happened? What don’t I know?”

Jehan met his eyes. “Aria told me that the night she and Aven were taken was the first night they’d slept together. Because Aven didn’t know how to put a contraceptive block in place.”

“Yeah,” Owyn agreed. “And they had that night because Risha—” He stopped. Stared. “Oh, no.”

Jehan nodded. “Aria is pregnant. I’ve examined her thoroughly, and it appears that all Risha did was enhance her fertility. There’s no other damage, and she’ll bear a healthy child. Treesi noticed first, and she brought Aria to me. She thought that it might be easier for Aria to hear it from me.” He frowned. “She didn’t take the news well.”

“She didn’t want a baby yet,” Owyn said. “Because it wasn’t safe.”

Jehan looked away. “I know. And when Treesi brought her to me, and I confirmed the pregnancy, I asked her if she wanted to terminate it. Because her reasoning is sound.”

“You’d do that?” Owyn gasped. “But—”

“I know. It’s my grandchild. But it’s not my choice. It’s hers. And...she won’t. She wants this baby, because she is deeply afraid that she’ll never see Aven again because he’s completely rejected her. And at the same time, she doesn’t want a baby. Any baby. Because she feels like she’d failed, and that she’s only putting the child at risk. She’s tearing herself apart, Owyn, and she knows it. What she has demanded, and what I had to agree she needed, is time to recover, and time to find her footing again.”

Owyn closed his eyes. “Where is she?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking at Jehan. “Where did she go?”

Jehan hesitated. “She asked me not to tell you. But I’m not listening. She went to Forge.” He held one hand up, and Owyn swallowed his protest. “Sending her to Forge was better than having her go back to the mountains. If she went there, we wouldn’t see her for a year and half.”

“What? Why so long?”

Jehan nodded. “Something non-healers and non-Air don’t know about the Air tribe. It gets harder for Air women to fly when they’re pregnant, and about halfway through a pregnancy, they lose the ability entirely. When an Air woman enters her final trimester, she molts. Flight feathers don’t grow back in until after she delivers the baby.”

Owyn frowned. “So she’s gone back to Forge. To Lady Meris, I’m guessing? And...does she think I’m not going to follow her there? I know the way.”

“She’s asking you not to follow her,” Jehan said. “Give her the time she needs. She’ll come back.”

Owyn shook his head. “Of course she will. Just like Aven will. Right? He’s coming back?” He looked at Jehan, who didn’t meet his eyes. “Are we done?”

“Tell me what you found in Shadow Cove?” Jehan asked.

“Another story about a War Leader on the waves. More rumors about Aven being part of that. And I met Virrik’s aunt. So she knows he’s dead.” Owyn got up and picked up his coat. “Right. If you don’t need me, I’ll be…” He stopped. Frowned. “Someplace. I guess I don’t really have any place I need to be now, do I?” he turned and walked out of the office. Out of the healing complex, and down toward Three Northwest. No one should be home…

He was wrong. Alanar was sitting in the front room, doing something with cording and beads on a tray balanced on his legs. He raised his head when Owyn came in.

“You’re back,” he said, and set aside the tray. “I was starting to worry.”

Owyn made himself answer. “I’m sorry I took longer than I should have. The coast road is out, and it took a lot longer to get to Shadow than Danzi said it would. And...you know?”

“About Aria and Treesi?” Alanar nodded. “I know, blast them.”

“What?”

“You’re not the only one they didn’t tell that they were leaving,” Alanar said. “Pirit had me taking special lessons from her, and I didn’t know that Aria and Trees were going until they’d been gone for hours. I came home at midday to an empty house.” He rubbed his hands over his chest and stood up. “I could feel it was different, so I went back to the healing complex and found the Senior Healer. I’ve known...maybe two hours?”

Owyn took a deep breath and let it out. “Have you eaten?” he asked.

“No,” Alanar answered. “I’m not all that clear on how you and Treesi set the kitchen up. You usually chase me out, anyway.”

“Come on,” Owyn said. “I’ll make something for you, and we can talk. I need…” he paused. “I don’t know what the fuck I need right now. Maybe just a shoulder to lean on.”

“I’ve got two of those,” Alanar said. He walked unerringly to Owyn, who took his hand. Alanar smiled and tugged Owyn into an embrace. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’d have told you—”

“Did you know Aria was pregnant?” Owyn asked. Alanar blushed.

“That, I did know,” the healer admitted. “It’s kind of hard to keep that a secret from a healer. But she’s not my patient, and when I asked her, she said she’d tell you herself.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t,” Owyn snapped. He clenched his jaw, took a deep breath, and shook his head. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I shouldn’t be biting your head off.”

“You can bite me if you need to,” Alanar said. “Whatever you need. I’m fine with anything so long as it doesn’t leave visible marks.”

“What?” Owyn turned to stare at Alanar. “No! No, I’m not taking it out on you. Not at all. So stop that. Come on. Let’s get some food.”

“Have you eaten?” Alanar asked.

“Yeah, they packed a meal for me to eat on the road. But I can always eat again.” He led Alanar into the kitchen and looked around. “I’m guessing no one went for today’s allotment?”

“I’m guessing not,” Alanar agreed as he sat down at the worktable. “I don’t know.”

“Right. Let me see what I can come up with.” Owyn started rummaging through cupboards, pulling out staples. The stove was cold, and he rolled his eyes. “It’s going to take forever to get a pot of water to a boil.”

“Then come and eat with me?”

Owyn jumped, turning toward the door. Rhexa stood in the doorway. She wasn’t smiling.

“I knocked, but I don’t think anyone heard me,” she said. “I heard you were back. And Jehan told me—”

“Did you know?” Owyn asked. “Did everyone know before I did?”

Rhexa shook her head. “No, I didn’t know. Not until the tunnel guides came and told me, after they got back from taking Aria and Treesi through. I gave Jehan several pieces of my mind, and he said he’d explain once he spoke to you. I haven’t seen him yet.”

Owyn took a long breath. “Aria is pregnant. Risha didn’t set the block like she said she was going to. She screwed around with Aria’s body, and now Aria is pregnant. And scared. And not thinking. And...yeah, not thinking.” He turned and looked at the stove. “And she’s running away. She’s gone. Treesi’s gone. Aven is gone. Mem is gone. Everyone I have ever loved and trusted is gone, except for you two.” He didn’t turn. He couldn’t turn.

They might not be there when he turned around.

He heard movement from behind him, and arms encircled him, holding him tight. “Oh, Owyn,” Rhexa breathed into his hair. She didn’t say anything else.

Really, what else was there to say, though?

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Auntie,” he murmured. “I can’t...they’re all gone. They didn’t want me. No one wanted me. They needed me, but they didn’t want me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why didn’t they take me with them?” he demanded. He turned, pulling out of Rhexa’s arms. “Aria, she needs me. I’m her Fire. The Mother says I am part of this, and Aria doesn’t get to say no. But she left me! She told me she loved me, and she left me! Aven said the same thing. He loved me. Where is he now? And Mem…” He shook his head. “I don’t even know. Everything he told me about how much he loved me and how proud of me he was...and he thought I wasn’t anything but a whore. And then he was gone, too.” He snorted. “About the only comfort there was that I know he didn’t leave me willingly. He was took.” He grimaced. “Taken. He was taken. But it’s the same thing. They needed me. But none of them wanted me. If they wanted me, I wouldn’t be alone now.”

Rhexa sighed and folded her hands in front of her. “They’ll come back, Owyn,” she said. “Aria and Aven and Treesi. They’ll come back. They do love you—”

“Really?” Owyn interrupted. “So this is how you’re supposed to show you love someone? By abandoning them? I don’t know a lot about how regular people show love, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t it.”

Rhexa shook her head. “I don’t have any good answers for you, Owyn. I wish I did. Come and eat something, the both of you. Maybe we’ll be able to find an answer or two after.”

Owyn closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. Then he shook his head. “Allie, you go. You haven’t eaten today.”

“What about you?” Alanar asked.

“I’m not hungry,” Owyn answered. He looked over at the tall healer. “And I’m not really good company right now. Go on and get some food. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Alanar got out of his chair. “Will you?” he asked. “Because if you try to run off, Owyn, I’m going to follow you.”

Owyn couldn’t help it — he smiled. “I’ve heard about your temper. I’m not going to get you mad at me. You’ll break both my arms.”

Alanar’s jaw dropped. “Who told you about that?”

“Marik,” Owyn answered. “You scare the piss out of him.”

Alanar started laughing. “He’s funny. No, I won’t break your arms.” He grinned. “I’ll break your legs. So you can’t run away from me. So be here when I get back.”

“Alanar!” Rhexa scolded. But she was laughing as she took his arm and led him out of the kitchen. Owyn took a deep breath, then looked at the stove.

“Well, we’ll need a fire for later,” he muttered, and knelt down in front of the firebox.

***

“Owyn?”

Owyn looked over his shoulder at the kitchen door. What was the Senior Healer doing here? “In here!” he called. He heard footsteps, and Jehan came into the kitchen. He stopped and smiled.

“Fresh bread?”

“Beaten biscuits. It’s too late in the day for a real bake,” Owyn answered. “They’re just out of the oven, if you want one.”

Jehan smiled and picked one up off the tray. “And making beaten biscuits lets you work out some of your frustrations?” he asked as he broke the biscuit in half. He took a bite and nodded. “Very good!”

“Thank you,” Owyn answered. “And...yeah. I’m still mixed up about this. I don’t understand how she can say she loves me and turn her back on me. I’m supposed to help her and support her, right? I mean, you’re the one with experience here. You were a Companion.”

“Under very different circumstances,” Jehan said. He gestured to a chair, and when Owyn nodded, sat down. He finished his biscuit, then shook his head. “I can’t see Milon ever turning his back on any of us. Unless you count that he died.” He looked at the table top for a moment, then shook his head again. “No, don’t try to compare Aria to her father. Milon never had to face the challenges she’s facing. He never had the chance. If he’d survived? If we’d gotten him out of the Palace that night? Who knows? But for now, Aria is Heir, and she has to face, or not face, her own challenges.”

Owyn nodded. He picked up a biscuit and joined Jehan at the table. “So what would you do?” he asked. “If it was your Heir?”

Jehan chuckled. “That sort of question calls for another biscuit.” He got up, picked up another, then came back to the table.

“There’s honey in the pot there,” Owyn said, pointing with a piece of biscuit. “So? What do you think?”

Jehan dolloped some honey onto his biscuit and ate it slowly. He licked some honey off his thumb, then sat back in his chair. “I honestly have no idea,” he finally answered. “I can’t imagine Milon ever doing what Aria has done. I can’t imagine Milon ever pushing us away the way Aria has done to you.”

“Was Milon the Heart, too?” Owyn asked. “Or was there someone else?”

“You know about that?” Jehan asked. “Milon was our Heart. Aria isn’t?”

“No,” Owyn answered. “Aven is.”

Jehan looked startled. “He is?” He frowned slightly. “I see why you’re so intent on getting him back here, then. Yes, that’s the right decision. And I wish I’d known that sooner. I’d have worked harder to convince him to stay.” He nodded. “I think you’re doing the right things in trying to get the message to him.”

Owyn finished his own biscuit, tossing the last crumb to Trinket, who had come out from underneath the stove. “There has to be something else I can do,” he said. “Something I haven’t thought of, or tried. Something to fix this before it’s too badly broken. Any ideas?”

“You’re not giving up on her?” Jehan asked.

Owyn just stared at him. “If you think I’m giving up, even after everything, then you are out of your fucking mind. If you don’t mind me saying so.”

Jehan laughed. “I thought you’d say that. But I had to ask.”

Owyn nodded. “I know. And...you understand. You get it. You’ve been there. And you had to walk away, because your Heir died.” He licked his lips. “She’s not dead. She’s just...hurting. We’re all hurting. Marik said it right. We’ve all been through a lot. But we have a lot more to go through before she’s on the throne. We’re...She’s testing our temper.”

“Aria?” Jehan asked.

“No,” Owyn answered. The realization sat solidly in his bones. “The Mother. She’s testing us, to make sure we’re strong enough. She’s testing our temper. Refining what She has to work with. Do you understand?” When Jehan shook his head, Owyn laughed. “Course not. You’re not a smith. Look, you start with raw material. Full of impurities and all sorts of crap. You have to melt it down and refine it. Get all the garbage out. Melt it, work it, beat the shit out of it, and I do mean that literally.” He paused, leaning back in his chair. “It’s hard work, and sometimes it don’t work at all, and you have to start again. Sometimes, you end up with something that shatters the first time you use it. Sometimes, though, it works. You end up with a tool that’s stronger than when you started.” He cocked his head to the side. “A tool...or a weapon.”

“So you’re being refined,” Jehan said. Owyn nodded.

“We were the ore She had to work with,” he agreed. “And we’re still in the forge. She’s making us into what She needs, but we’re not there yet.” He sniffed. “And She may have gone too fast. Same as I went too fast the first time I started Aria’s rose—” He stopped. Jumped out of his chair and ran out of the kitchen and down the hall to Aria’s bedroom. The door was open, and he looked inside to see that there was nothing on the nightstand but a vase, and the vase was empty. No gem. No pearl. And no rose.

“She took it with her!” he crowed, and turned to see that Jehan had followed him. “She took the rose with her.” He grinned. “She does still love me. But right now, the Mother is working on her. So I have to do what I can to help.”

“And that would be?” Jehan asked.

“Find Aven.” Owyn frowned slightly. “Do you have a good map of the coast? A recent good map?”

Jehan looked almost perplexed by the question. “Yes,” he said, drawing the word out. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to need to make a fair copy. And I’ll need supplies. I’m leaving.”

“You’re what?” Jehan gasped. “Owyn—”

“I have to find Aven,” Owyn repeated. “That’s the only thing I can do to help, right? We both think so?”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing!” Owyn insisted. “The only thing I can do is find Aven. And I can’t do that here. All I’m doing is helping Rhexa take care of people. And that’s a good job, but they’re not the people I need to be taking care of. I need to be doing more to help Aria. Which means I need to find Aven.”

Jehan sighed. Then he nodded. “Come to my office. We’ll make a plan.”

CHAPTER SIX

Owyn wasn’t sure how he’d managed to acquire quite so many things in so short a period of time. They’d only been in Terraces a few months. How had he ended up with so many shirts? Then again, in the first few weeks here, he had gone through a lot of shirts. He sorted through them, putting the ones that would wear well on the road onto the bed, and putting the rest back into the chest of drawers. The same with trousers. He was sorting through socks when he heard Alanar shouting his name.

“I’m in our room!” Owyn called back.

Alanar appeared in the doorway, looking windblown and wild. “What do you mean you’re leaving?”

Owyn stared at him in shock, then laughed. “I hadn’t expected gossip to spread that fast. I only just made up my mind a couple of hours ago.”

“Hadn’t expected...the entire healing complex is talking about it!” Alanar exclaimed. “Malani told me when I finished my night rounds!”

“Is it that late?” Owyn asked, glancing at the windows. It still got dark early in the day, so he hadn’t noticed how much time had passed.

“Owyn!”

“Right, sorry,” Owyn said. He frowned, trying to get his thoughts in order. “Aria’s gone, and there’s nothing I can do to help her here. I can’t follow her. If I did, knowing she didn’t want me with her, I might break things even more than they are. Break them past mending. So I’m going north. I’ll be carrying news from the Senior Healer to the Earth tribes along the coast, and I’ll be visiting the blended villages and sending messages out to the deep. We need Aven back here. I can’t fix things. He can.”

Alanar leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms over his chest. “Going north takes you past the Palace. You’ll be caught.”

“Jehan and me, we planned out a route. After Shadow Cove, I head for the ruins of the old healing center, then swing east for a day. Then I head north past the Palace and go back to the coast.”

Alanar scowled. “It’s dangerous. You’ll get caught.” His frown deepened. “You can’t go alone. I’m coming with you.”

“What?” Owyn gasped. He stared at Alanar. “No! No, you’re needed here. You’re the only other full healer they have left.”

Alanar sniffed. “They should have thought of that before they sent Treesi off. No, there’s Pirit. And we have three new healers-in-training. They’ll be fine without me for a little while.”

“This might not take a little while, Allie,” Owyn said. “It might take me months.”

“And I’m not letting you go out there, alone, for months,” Alanar replied. His lips twitched. “To quote someone who was threatening to drag me by the hair, you’re all I have left.”

“Oh,” Owyn breathed. “Oh, Allie.”

“She’s gone,” Alanar added. “They’re all gone. You are all I have left here. If you leave too...I don’t want to be alone, Owyn. I can’t be alone. Not again.”

“I don’t want to take you into danger.”

“Then don’t go?” Alanar suggested. He smiled. “I know it’s not that easy.”

Owyn chuckled. “It’s not. Can I touch you?”

“Do I ever say no?” Alanar answered. Owyn smiled and rested his hands on Alanar’s waist.

“My plan—”

“You had one?”

“Hush, you,” Owyn grumbled. “My plan was to go alone and fast. If you come with me, we’ll need at least one guard to ride with us, just in case.”

Alanar frowned slightly. “Why?”

“Because the last time I had someone I cared about alone out on the road, we both almost died,” Owyn answered. “I’d like to avoid repeating that. If that’s all right with you?”

“I am completely in agreement on not dying,” Alanar answered. “I am still coming with you. We can ask Marik to come with us.”

“Marik isn’t cleared for guard duty yet,” Owyn said. “And when he rode out to meet me today, he understood why. He’s not ready to be a guard.”

“So we’ll get someone else, too,” Alanar said. “It’ll be good for him to get out—”

“No,” Owyn interrupted. “Too large a group will be noticed. One guard. Not Marik. As much as I’d like him to come with us, he’s not ready.”

“So I am coming with you?” Alanar brightened. “What do I need to do?”

Owyn scratched the back of his head. “We need to get some appropriate clothes for you. Boots. Do you even own shoes, Allie? I’ve never seen you wear any, even when it’s cold.”

“I don’t like shoes,” Alanar admitted. “I can’t find my way wearing them. I’ve tried.”

“Ah. Well, you need boots if you’re going to ride,” Owyn said. He stopped. “You...can ride, can’t you?”

Alanar grinned. “It’s been a few years since I last had to, but yes. I’m not going to have a good first few days, I know that.”

Owyn nodded and looked around. “All right. Let’s see what you have in clothes, and we can go to the dispensary and get what you need. Then we’ll sit down with Jehan and see what needs to be adjusted in my plans.”

They went through the drawers again, with little to show for it. Alanar didn’t keep much other than his healer uniforms, and had next to no clothing that Owyn thought would wear well on the road. He owned no socks and no shoes. Finally, Owyn took Alanar’s arm and led him toward the door.

“We’ll need to get everything new for you,” he said as they headed out of the house.

***

They reached the dispensary just before they closed for the night. By the time they returned to the house, carrying two packed rucksacks, Rhexa was waiting for them on the front steps of the house. She got up as they came toward her.

“You’re leaving?” she asked softly. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I haven’t had a chance to yet,” Owyn said. “Come inside.” He led Alanar into the house, hearing Rhexa behind them. She closed the door as Owyn lit the lamps, then went to sit down on the couch closest to the fireplace, reaching into her pocket as she sat down. Almost instantly, Trinket appeared from out of the embers — the fire-mouse ran to Rhexa and took one of the tear-nuts that the woman held out to her.

“Auntie, you’re going to make her fat,” Owyn protested.

“I’m making her happy,” Rhexa replied. She gave another nut to Trinket, then looked up. “Well?”

“Well, in a nutshell, there’s nothing I can do here to help Aria. And about the only thing I can do is try to get word to Aven as soon as I can. So I’m going to go north, visit some of the blended villages.”

“Alone?” Rhexa asked.

“No,” Alanar answered, coming to sit down across from Rhexa. “I’m going with him. And we’ll have a guard.”

“You’re going, too?” Rhexa looked at Alanar. “And here I was going to offer you a place to stay so you wouldn’t have to be alone until someone came back. What did Jehan say about that?”

Owyn glanced at Alanar, then cleared his throat. “We...haven’t told him about that part yet,” he admitted. “I’m thinking he won’t like it. We’ll tell him in the morning, so he can figure out a guard for us.”

“But it’s not up to him,” Alanar added. “I can stay or go as I want. And I want to go with Owyn.”

Rhexa sighed. “I don’t like the idea of you two riding off into danger. Even with a guard.”

“Everything outside of Terraces is dangerous,” Owyn pointed out. “Any time someone goes to Cliffside for supplies, or up to Sanctuary to trade, we run the risk of them not coming back.” In the silence that followed his words, he realized the implications. Would Aria and Treesi even get to Forge? Or would Mannon’s men find them? He swallowed and shook his head. “I can’t just stay and do nothing!”

“I understand,” Rhexa said. “What can I do to help?”

Owyn frowned, thinking. “We have everything we need for Alanar, except boots. Those will be ready tomorrow. I have to pack. Supplies and things are coming from the dispensary, and will be ready in the stables when we leave—”

“Which is when?”

“The day after tomorrow,” Owyn answered. “I...can you take Trinket? Take care of her while I’m gone? She won’t be a bother.”

Rhexa looked startled, then looked down at the mouse on the floor. “Of course. And I know she won’t be a bother, but will she stay with me? I don’t want her to run off looking for you and get hurt.”

Owyn considered the question, then went and sat down on the floor. Trinket ran to him and climbed up his trousers to sit on his knee. He gathered her up in his hands and ran one finger down her spine.

“Trinket, I want you to go with Auntie Rhexa,” he said. “I’m going to be going away for a while, and you can’t come with me. Not this time. You have to stay. You like Auntie Rhexa. She has a nice fireplace, and she feeds you tear-nuts. And it’s just until I come back.” He held his palm up so that he could see the mouse’s obsidian black eyes. “Understand?”

Trinket stood on her hind feet, chittered at him, then jumped from his hand to his knee, and from his knee to the ground. She ran over to Rhexa, and jumped up onto Rhexa’s trouser leg, climbing up to sit on her knee.

“I think she understands,” Rhexa said, laughing. She offered Trinket another tear-nut. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“Keep an eye on Jehan?” Alanar asked. “He works too hard.”

“That I will do gladly,” Rhexa agreed. “And...what about the report you were working on, Owyn?”

“I’ll give you all of my notes,” Owyn said. “I was almost done. I should be able to finish the initial report tomorrow — there isn’t much else to do since the supplies are coming from the dispensary. Then Marik can help you with determining which need to be repaired and which need to be replaced. He’s already been helping me, when Pirit hasn’t had him running errands for her. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“And you should get some sleep,” Rhexa added. “Never mind that the dispensary is handling your supplies, there’s always a million things to do before you leave. Have you eaten anything since midday?”

“A couple of biscuits—”

Alanar turned to him. “You made biscuits?”

“Yes, and I can put something together for us. Auntie, stay?” Owyn got up off the floor. “It won’t be much—”

“You’ll be here,” Rhexa said. She put Trinket down on the floor and rose to stand in front of Owyn. She hugged him, then stepped back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. “That’s enough.”

***

Owyn put the last shirt into his pack, closed it, and cinched it tight. “That’s it,” he said. “Except for what I need for tomorrow and for when we leave, I’m packed.”

“And we’re definitely going?” Alanar asked. Owyn looked over to where the healer was sitting in the center of the bed, his long legs folded underneath him.

“How many times have you tried to talk yourself out of it?” he asked.

Alanar laughed. “How did you know?”

“Because I’ve been trying to talk myself out of going,” Owyn admitted. “I mean, before I came here, I’d never left Forge before. And before yesterday, the furthest I’ve been by myself was Sanctuary. So yeah, the idea of leaving here is scary. I keep thinking I don’t know enough.” He took the pack and set it into the floor. “But there’s no way for me to learn without actually doing it.”

“If you only know the theory, you don’t really know. You’re guessing,” Alanar said. “That’s all a theory is, really. It’s someone’s best guess about how things work.”

Owyn nodded, looking at the wall where his smoke blades hung from hooks. Should he bring them? Or would his whip chain be enough?

“Can you use a weapon?” he asked idly.

“I can use a staff,” Alanar answered. “But it’s been a while since I last practiced. Treesi used to work with me.”

“She fights, too?” Owyn nodded. “That’s good to know. All right. Do you have one, and I just don’t know about it? I missed it somehow in the move?”

Alanar laughed. “No, I don’t have one at the moment. My last one was...ah, let me see. About six inches ago. Maybe eight. I had my last growth spurt, and I never got a longer staff. I’ll need to get used to having a longer reach.” He shrugged. “I’m tired. Bed?”

“I need to wash up,” Owyn answered. “Go ahead, and I’ll be there in a bit.” He walked out of the bedroom and down to the bathing room, where he stood at the basin and stared at himself in the mirror.

“I am not insane,” he told his reflection. “I just need to do something. And going is doing something.” He frowned. “I should dance. Tomorrow. See if there’s anything I need to know before I leave.” He washed his face, ran a comb through his hair, wincing as it snagged on knots. He’d let it grow longer than he’d ever had it before. Alanar liked it, but it would be harder to care for on the road. He should cut it short before they left.

Alanar’s hair was going to be all kinds of fun on the trail. They’d have to braid it and keep it braided. Cutting his hair was not an option. Owyn looked at the mirror again, took a deep breath, and headed back to the bedroom. Alanar had turned down the bed and was lying on his stomach on his side, his head pillowed on his arms. His hair was spread out over his back and arse like a silken cape.

“I was thinking,” Owyn started.

“Oh, no,” Alanar intoned, and Owyn laughed.

“We’re going to have to braid your hair and keep it braided while we’re on the road,” he finished.

Alanar lifted his head. “We could cut it—”

“No.”

“It’ll be easier to—”

“No.”

“Owyn, be reasonable—”

“No,” Owyn repeated. He climbed onto the bed and ran his hand over the long length of Alanar’s hair, enjoying the feeling of the long length of Alanar beneath it. “I like your hair. We’re not cutting it.”

“It is my head, you know. My hair,” Alanar pointed out. “Why do you think you get a say?”

“Oh, I know I don’t have a say. I do, however, have an opinion,” Owyn answered. “Your hair is beautiful, and I really don’t want you to cut it.” He ran his hand down Alanar’s back again, trying to imagine the healer with short hair. The image just wouldn’t come. “I can’t think of what you’d look like without it.”

“That’s easily fixed, you know,” Alanar said. He rolled onto his side.

“Only if you want me to cry.” Owyn stretched out next to Alanar, resting his hand on Alanar’s hip.

Alanar smiled. “No crying,” he said. “Come here.”

Owyn turned down the lamp, and they shifted around so that Owyn was lying with his back pressed against Alanar’s chest. Alanar pulled the blankets up over them, then wrapped his arms around Owyn. Owyn sighed and tried to relax, but in the dark quiet of the room, broken only by Alanar’s breathing, his thoughts wouldn’t leave him alone.

“What is it?” Alanar murmured, his breath warm on Owyn’s ear.

“Wondering if they found a good place to camp. If they’re warm. If they’re safe.” Owyn sighed. “Thinking too much.”

Alanar started to stroke Owyn’s chest. “Do you want help with that? You need to sleep.”

Owyn twisted to look over his shoulder, and was unsurprised when Alanar leaned over him and kissed him.

“Is that an official recommendation from my healer?” Owyn asked. Alanar chuckled.

“It can be, if necessary,” he answered.

“Well, I always listen to my healer,” Owyn said. Alanar burst out laughing, moving so that Owyn tipped over onto his back.

“I’ll make sure to remind you of that the next time you argue with me,” Alanar said as he leaned over to kiss Owyn once more.

***

Owyn woke up with the sun as usual, and gently slipped out of Alanar’s arms and out of the warm bed. He shivered in the cold morning air and dressed quickly, heading out to the kitchen to start the day. He cleaned the fire box, raked out the ashes, and started the oven heating. Once the fire was burning, he went off and washed up so he could cook. He set a pot of water onto the stove to start heating, and pulled out his big bread bowl.

As he measured out his flour, Owyn stopped. This was the last time he’d be doing this for a while. He glanced at the crock that held his bread starter. If he let it die, it would be a waste of work and time. He’d give it to Rhexa. She liked his bread, and the starter was an important part of that. Rhexa would take care of it, and he’d have it back from her when he came back.

That settled, he turned his attention to mixing and kneading. He covered the bowl with a towel and put it onto the shelf over the stove to rise. He’d learned through trial and error with this oven that by the time the bread had been shaped and had risen the second time, the oven would be the perfect temperature to bake. And in the meantime, the water was hot enough to make tea. He set a pot to brewing, and walked out to the front room and opened the door to look outside. The skies were gray and heavy, and he smelled rain.

He looked up at the sky. “Well, I know You’re in charge,” he said to the clouds. “And we’re all working to Your will, but if You wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on them? Aria isn’t all that fond of cold rain, so maybe keep it here, and not send it south? I’d appreciate it.” He took a deep breath, then chuckled and shook his head. “I really hope You’re listening.”

He sighed, shook his head again, and stepped down off the porch. He needed to go get supplies for the day.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Owyn was just taking the bread out of the oven when Alanar came into the kitchen. To Owyn’s surprise, he wasn’t alone. Jehan was with him and looked furious.

“What am I hearing?” he demanded. “You’re not seriously thinking of dragging Alanar along with you!”

Owyn put the baking tray down and tossed the towel he’d been using to protect his hands over his shoulder. “Why are you yelling at me?” he asked. “I’m not dragging him anywhere.”

“I told you,” Alanar added. “Going with Owyn is my own idea. He didn’t want me to come with him. He didn’t ask me. I told him I’m not letting him go alone.” He folded his arms. “You can’t stop me from leaving with him.”

“I can stop the both of you from leaving, if I have to,” Jehan replied. Then he sighed. “But I won’t. Alanar, are you sure?”

Alanar’s mouth quirked. “You know, for someone who can’t see, I’m really good at seeing through people. You think I can’t manage on the road, because I’m blind.”

Jehan sighed. “I didn’t say that. But it’s a risk I don’t think you should take.”

“We’ll be taking a guard,” Owyn said. “And Alanar says that he can fight.”

Jehan turned and looked at Alanar. “You can?”

“Staff,” Alanar answered. “Pirit insisted we learn. I’m out of practice, but I was good enough to defend myself.”

Jehan’s brows rose, and Owyn bit down on a laugh. He looked as shocked as Owyn himself had been, and it was satisfying to know that he wasn’t the only one who’d underestimated Alanar. He turned back to his bread, and to the pot of porridge that he’d set up to cook when he had put the bread in to bake. “Breakfast?” he asked, talking to no one in particular. “There’s tea on the table. Porridge, and fresh bread. And Katrin had a fruit compote this morning when I went for supplies. That’ll be nice in the porridge.”

“Katrin makes good compote,” Alanar said. He came up behind Owyn and slipped his arms around him, pinning Owyn’s arms to his sides. “It all smells wonderful. Thank you.”

Owyn tipped his head back and smiled up at Alanar, then nudged him gently with one elbow. “You need to move, Allie. I can’t serve like this.”

Alanar chuckled and leaned down. “Can’t you?”

Owyn laughed. “You’re insane. Food. Serve food. Go sit down.”

Alanar leaned down and kissed Owyn on the tip of the nose, then let him go. “In here or the big table?”

“Since it’s the three of us, the big table,” Owyn answered. “If you’re staying, Jehan?”

“Thank you,” Jehan said. “I’ll stay. Try to talk some sense into you both. What can I help with, Owyn?”

Bread was sliced, and porridge measured into bowls, and they all sat around the table in the front room to eat. Between bites, Alanar explained his reasoning — he wasn’t going to be left alone again, not when the only person he had left was Owyn.

“I don’t think I could bear it to not know what happened to him, if he didn’t come back,” Alanar finished. “I can’t lose someone else, the way I lost Virrik.”

“Oh,” Owyn breathed. “I forgot. Allie, I met Virrik’s aunt in Shadow Cove. The canoe that was there wasn’t from Arana’s line. It was from Tersera’s. I told her, and she said she’d let the rest of her canoe know he was gone.”

Alanar put down the piece of bread that he was about to eat. “I hadn’t even thought about that, about making sure they knew. Was it Ketti? I’ve met her. I doubt she’d remember me, though. It was when they brought Virrik to start his training.”

“Yeah,” Owyn said. “I liked her. She’s a bit bloodthirsty, though. Said that she understood that Aria wants Risha’s head, but she wants whatever’s left. I didn’t ask why. I don’t know if I want to know.”

“To feed the sharks,” Jehan said. “It’s a Water thing. If you’re given back to the deep properly, the Mother will find you. If you’re fed to the sharks...well, the only thing She’ll find is shark shit.”

Owyn stared at Jehan for a moment, hearing Alanar hooting with laughter. “Really?” he gasped. “That’s really what they do?” He started giggling. “That...that’s perfect! That’s the best thing I have ever heard. And no one deserves it more!”

Jehan smiled. “I thought you’d like it.” He picked up his teacup and drained it. “Now, are you certain about this, Alanar? I really could use you here.”

“I’m certain, yes.” He reached over and rested his hand on Owyn’s arm. “I’m going with Owyn.”

Jehan sighed. “Then you probably have a lot to do before you leave. I’ll leave you to it.” He stood up and smiled. “Thank you for breakfast.”

Owyn smiled in return. “When we get back, we can do it again.”

Jehan touched his lips, then opened his hand to the sky. “Your words to Her ears,” he said. “I’ll see you before you leave. I’ll have a map for you.”

He turned and left, closing the door behind him. Owyn leaned back in his chair. “More porridge,” he asked. “Another piece of bread?”

“No, I’m full,” Alanar answered. “You wanted to dance this morning. Are you still going to?”

“Yes. I’ll wash up, then get my blades and my book.”

“Here, or the lowest terrace?” Alanar asked as Owyn got up.

“Down in the lowest terrace,” Owyn answered. “We’ll be less likely to be interrupted.”

Cleaning up took no time at all. It was still quiet in the streets as they made their way down the stairs to the lowest terrace. The ground was cold and wet when Owyn took off his boots, and he tried to control his shivering as he walked out to the middle of an open grassy area. He looked over to where Alanar had taken a seat on one of the covered benches.

“I’m starting,” he called.

“I’ll be here when you come back,” Alanar answered. Owyn smiled. He closed his eyes and started to breathe. Once. Twice. Thrice, and he began to move, the cold forgotten as his movements began to build up heat. He felt the stillness building...and then it dropped him, abruptly enough that he gasped and fell.

“Owyn?” Alanar called. “What is it?”

“I…” Owyn sputtered. He slowly got up off the ground and picked up his blades. “It didn’t work. Let me try again.” He shook his head, closed his eyes, and started to breathe—

This time, before he’d even let the full third breath out of his lungs, he felt himself being shoved. He staggered, then looked around.

There was no one else on the terrace. No one who could have touched him. He looked up.

“Really? I’m supposed to go in blind?”

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” he called to Alanar.

“What’s happening?” Alanar asked. He came over to Owyn. “Who are you talking to?”

“The Mother. Who apparently doesn’t want me to see anything. She pushed me!”

Alanar blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. She pushed me!” Owyn looked up again. “There’s something She doesn’t want me to know. Not yet.”

“Does that mean we shouldn’t go?” Alanar asked. “If it’s not safe for you to see—”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t safe,” Owyn said. “I said She doesn’t want me to know. Which means it’s something that will change what I’ve decided to do.” He frowned and scratched the back of his neck. “Mem told me that sometimes, if you’re on the right path, you can’t catch a vision. Because you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, and a vision might fuck it all up. I think I just ran into that.”

“You think so?” Alanar asked. He touched Owyn’s arm. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Funny question, coming from you,” Owyn teased. “Am I all right?”

“Your heart is racing,” Alanar answered. “I think you’re fine otherwise.”

“I’m fine,” Owyn said. “Not even a headache. Come on. Let’s go to the dispensary and get your boots. We’ve got a lot to do today.”

***

It was odd. Not being able to find visions somehow made the decisions Owyn had made over the past few days feel more right. He tried to explain to Alanar as they walked to the dispensary.

“Now I know I’m doing the right thing,” he said. “Because the Mother doesn’t want me to change what I’m doing. It’s just now I know it’s not going to be easy. But I wasn’t expecting easy. Nothing ever is.”

“So, you’re doing the right thing, and that’s why you can’t see anything when you dance?” Alanar asked. “That...I don’t understand.”

Owyn nodded. “Look, if I know what the hard part is that’s coming, I might change what I’m doing, right?” He waited for Alanar to nod. “And if I change what I’m doing—”

“You’re not going to be doing the right thing anymore,” Alanar finished. “I understand. I think. That seems...petty. A warning of what’s coming might be nice. Trusting you might be better.”

Owyn shrugged. “I’m fine with this, Alanar. I know I’m doing the right thing. It’s just...She doesn’t want me to change what I’m doing. Which means that there’s probably deep water in my future.” He shivered. “Which...I know there’s deep water in my future. Just not when. But if it’s soon, then it’s better that I don’t know, so I don’t fuck things up.”

“You know you’re not making any sense right now?” Alanar asked. “What does deep water have to do with anything?”

Owyn bit his lip. The only ones who knew about his waking vision were Memfis, Aria and Aven. “It’s a Smoke Dancer thing,” he answered. “If you really want to know?”

“You can tell me later,” Alanar said. “Now, what are we here for?”

“Boots for you, and to make sure the supplies will be ready for when we leave tomorrow.” Owyn led them into the dispensary. Katrin was behind the counter, and smiled when they came inside.

“Owyn! Healer Alanar! Good morning!” she called cheerfully. “The boots are ready. Healer Alanar, if you’ll have a seat?” She disappeared through the door behind the counter, and Owyn and Alanar both sat down on a bench next to the wall.

“I just hope you’re ready for me to be tripping over my own feet and walking into walls while I’m wearing these,” Alanar said. “I can’t tell where I am when I’m wearing shoes.”

Owyn looked at him. “Is that just you, or all Air? I didn’t think Aria had an issue with shoes, but she might not have told me.”

“I think it’s just me,” Alanar answered. “I’m not sure. I’ve never met another blind Airborn. I don’t have anyone else to whom I can compare my experiences. All I know is that if I’m barefoot, I can find my way around. If I wear shoes, I can’t. I imagine it’s very much how you would feel if you were blindfolded.” He smiled. “We had a winter a few years back where we didn’t have a lot of snow. We had freezing rain, and the streets were covered in ice. So, Virrik made me wear a pair of his boots. And then he had to lead me around because I kept getting lost. So we compromised. I wore the boots until we got to wherever we were going. Then I took them off.” He shrugged. “We didn’t go many places that winter. We were studying, so we stayed in a lot.”

Owyn laughed. “Because between having to go out in the cold, and staying in with a book and a nice warm fire, I know what I’d choose.”

Alanar smiled. “Nice warm fire. Nice warm someone to curl up with and read. Or not read. That was the winter before Treesi joined us and right after Virrik and I became a pair. So it was just me and Virrik. It was...nice. He had a good reading voice. Like you.”

Owyn took a deep breath and laced his fingers into Alanar’s. “I wish I’d had a chance to know him. Whenever you talk about him, he sounds pretty wonderful.”

“Aven reminds me a lot of Virrik,” Alanar said. “So you have a bit of an idea how wonderful he was.”

Owyn nodded. “Yeah, he is pretty wonderful,” he agreed. Then he sniffed. “He’d be more wonderful if he was actually here. Since we need him and all.”

Katrin came back to the counter, then came around. She was carrying a pair of boots in one hand, and a pair of thick socks in the other. “Here we are. Alanar, they’ll be a little stiff until you break them in.”

Alanar smiled. “I’ll manage. Thank you, Katrin.” He held one hand out, and took the socks that Katrin handed him. He scowled for a moment, then sighed. “All right. Time for me to be clumsy.” He tugged the socks on, then took the boots one at a time and put them on. He stood up, and visibly shivered. Owyn jumped to his feet.

“Hey, it’s all right,” he said. “I’m right here.” He took Alanar’s arm. “Katrin, do you have a staff? A good one for Alanar?”

Katrin looked thoughtful. “For walking or fighting?” she asked. “Or both?”

“Both,” Alanar and Owyn said at the same time. Katrin laughed and went back through the door behind the counter. Owyn chuckled, and Alanar draped his arm over Owyn’s shoulders.

“I’ll get used to this,” he said. “While we’re on the road. I’ll need some help, but I’ll get used to it.”

“Whatever you need, Allie,” Owyn said. He leaned into Alanar’s side. “We’ll make it work.”

He squeezed Owyn gently. “I won’t slow us down.”

Owyn reached up and took his hand. “I never thought you would.”

***

Katrin returned with a heavy staff that Alanar pronounced to be more than adequate. She promised that all of their supplies would be ready for them in the stables at dawn the next morning, and wished them well. Owyn led Alanar back out of the dispensary, and they started for home. They went slowly, their pace set by Alanar, who used the staff to test where he was going to put his feet before he took a step.

“As soon as we’re back to the house, I am taking these off,” Alanar grumbled before they were halfway to the marker for Northwest.

“You might want to leave them on, so you can get used to them,” Owyn suggested. Alanar growled at him, and Owyn coughed and fell silent.

“I’m sorry,” Alanar murmured. “It’s just...I can’t tell where I am or what’s around me. I don’t like it.”

Owyn stopped. “All right. You take them off when we get home. And you can take them off when we’re on the road, when we stop to rest for the night. But you have to have them on when you’re riding.”

Alanar nodded. He leaned heavily on his staff, then sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t go with you. I’m not going to be much help.”

Owyn rested his hand on Alanar’s arm. “You have until tomorrow morning to change your mind. And if you change your mind, I won’t blame you. You can stay with Rhexa while I’m gone. She’ll love having you.”

Alanar smiled slightly. “I don’t want to stay behind,” he said as they started walking once more. “But I don’t know how I can help you.”

“You’ll keep me grounded,” Owyn answered. “You’ll keep me from getting so wound up I can’t think. You’ll listen to me and tell me when I’m making sense and when I’ve lost my mind—”

“Which is most of the time.”

“Fuck you very much, thank you,” Owyn answered cheerfully. “And having you with me will keep me from pushing too hard or doing anything stupid. I take care of other people. You and Treesi both told me that. I’m not very good at taking care of myself. If you’re with me, it won’t be just me. It’ll be us, and I’ll have to think about what I’m doing.”

Alanar was quiet as they turned onto Northwest. He didn’t speak again until they were near their own house. “So you need me to come with you so you have someone to take care of?” he asked slowly. “And so that someone can take care of you?”

Owyn considered it, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. If I can take care of you, then I’m not going to push myself until I fall over. Because if I fall over—”

“You can’t take care of me. And if you do push, then I can take care of you.” Alanar chuckled. “That’s really weird logic. Owyn logic. But I can’t argue with it. All right. We’re going. We have to get the map from Jehan. What else?”

“You should go say goodbye to the children, and to the healing assistants. They’re probably hearing all kinds of rumors.” Owyn frowned. “I’ll finish that report I promised Rhexa. I should spend some time with her.”

“When are we going to practice?” Alanar asked.

“After we’re done with our errands? That way, you have time to put me back together once you take me apart,” Owyn answered. Alanar laughed.

“You have a lot of faith in me,” he said. “Are we home? I want to take these blasted things off.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Owyn spent the rest of the morning with Marik, finishing his assessment of which houses were unlivable. Marik seemed quieter than usual, taking notes but offering little in the way of opinion or advice. Before they were an hour in, he was starting to suspect that Marik was angry at him. By the time they settled into one of the covered benches in the lower terrace to go over their notes, he was certain. Owyn looked down at his ink-stained fingers and his book of notes before turning to Marik. He was on Marik’s left, on the side where Marik now wore a patch. He couldn’t tell what Marik was thinking. He bit his lip and decided it was better to clear the air.

“So...you’ve heard?” he said. “And you’re pissed at me?”

“I understand why you’re going,” Marik said softly. “And...I know Alanar well enough to know he won’t stay behind. No, I’m not angry at you, Owyn. I...I’m angry at me. At the Mother. At everything else. Because I want to go with you and I can’t.”

“Alanar wanted you to come with us,” Owyn said. “You were his first choice for a guard. But you said you weren’t ready.”

“And I’m not. That’s why I’m angry. I should be out there with you. I should be doing something to help the Heir...and I can’t.” Marik reached up and touched the patch over his left eye. “I loved him, Owyn.”

“Teva?”

“Yeah. He knew it, too. He knew I’d drop anything to spend time with him, that I’d spend the night under his roof if he asked it, even though I hate being inside. He knew that I’d let him do just about anything to me.” He turned and looked out over the sea. “He used that against me. He used me. And I failed my Heir because of it.”

“You didn’t,” Owyn said gently. He rested his hand on Marik’s arm. “You didn’t fail. It wasn’t your fault. I don’t think anyone knew the real Teva. Not you, not Treesi, not anyone. We all trusted him. He betrayed everyone.”

Marik nodded. “I know that. I know it...but it doesn’t sit well. Because it means….” He shook his head. “It means I was a fool. And that really doesn’t sit well.”

“Oh, I know that feeling,” Owyn murmured. “I know what it’s like. When it happened to me, I ended up a slave.” He snorted. “And then he tried to kill me, too. So I do understand where you’re at right now.”

Marik twisted in his seat. “What?”

Owyn smiled. “It’s a long story. Short version? I was a whore. One of my regulars decided he wanted me all to himself. He got me arrested. I was sold as a slave, but not to him. Mem bought me. And Fandor kidnapped me. He tried to kill me. I killed him first.”

Marik looked thoughtful. Then he nodded. “All right. So you’re ahead of me on that last part. “

“By killing the man who tried to kill me? Yeah, but you’ll catch up.” He grinned. “I mean, if you want to. I’d be happy to do it for you, if you wanted. Or we could give him to Virrik’s people. They’ll feed him to the sharks.”

Marik coughed. “You know about that? How...never mind. Aven, I guess?”

“Jehan,” Owyn answered. “We were talking about Risha. Do you think that feeding sharks that much poison will hurt the sharks?”

Marik opened his mouth, then he chuckled and shook his head. “There isn’t much in the deep that can hurt a shark,” he answered. “They’re not even afraid of water cats. Maybe the big wolf-singers—”

“The what?” Owyn asked.

“You...no, of course you wouldn’t know. They live really far out in the deep. We don’t see them much this close to land, except for further up north. They’re big, really big.” Marik held his arms wide. “Black and white, my father used to tell me. And they have rows and rows of teeth like razors. They hunt like wolves, and they sing to each other underwater.”

Owyn frowned. “You sure he wasn’t telling you stories to make you go to sleep?”

Marik grinned. “I don’t think so. Maybe. My father was a joker. You can ask Aven when you get him back. He’ll know. And then we’ll both know.”

“I’ll put it on the list of things to ask him.”

“Before or after you fuck him senseless?” Marik asked, his voice low. Owyn burst out laughing.

“Well, I’m not asking him during!” he wheezed. “If you’re doing it right, you shouldn’t be able to think straight, let alone have a conversation about singing fish!”

Marik started to giggle. “Is that what I was doing wrong?” he asked.

Owyn shook his head. “You’re insane.”

“So are you,” Marik answered. He looked back out over the water. “I wish I could go with you. But I’ll do what I can here. Take care of people while you’re gone.” He turned and tapped the book Owyn held. “I’ll finish this, too.”

“Thank you,” Owyn said. “I was hoping you would. I was going to ask.”

“It’s important. It’ll keep me busy. And...it’ll help me not think.” He took the book from Owyn. “I need to work on learning to fight again. Learning...how to do everything again.”

“Did you ask Alanar?”

Marik shook his head. “I thought about it, but it felt odd, asking him how to handle losing one eye when he lost both.” He shrugged. “I’ll manage. I’ll learn. Maybe by the time you get back, I’ll be more comfortable with leaving.” He grinned. “Which makes no sense. Once you get back, why would I leave?”

“You know we’re not going to stay, right?” Owyn asked. “Once we have Aven back, and Aria and Treesi. And Del. Once we’re all here, we have to move on to our next step. Whatever that is.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Once everyone is here and we know what the next step is, I’ll take it with you. I’ll be ready then,” Marik said. His voice was very firm. “It gives me a goal. Something to work toward.” He stood up, taking the book from Owyn. “Come on. Let’s go see Rhexa.”

Owyn nodded, then asked, “Do you know how to use a staff, Marik?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Then you should come by the house,” Owyn said, following Marik back toward the stairs. “Alanar needs to practice with his staff. You could help.”

“And maybe get a feel for fighting again?” Marik asked. “That’s...not a bad idea. All right.” He looked quizzically at Owyn. “Do you fight staff?”

“I know how to fight with my smoke blades, and I can use a whip chain. But that’s not the same, and the last time I used the whip chain against someone with a polearm, I ended up almost getting beheaded.”

“I remember that,” Marik said. “Is that how they got you?”

“Yeah.” Owyn sighed. “Here’s hoping I never have to do that again.”

“Don’t hope. Prepare for it. Know how to counter it,” Marik said. He frowned. “I don’t fight polearm — it’s different from staff. I don’t know who does. But you should find someone and practice.”

“That’s not happening before tomorrow,” Owyn said. “I’ll just be careful, now that I know it’s an issue.” He frowned. “Maybe I should bring a crossbow?”

“Can you use a crossbow?” Marik asked.

Owyn frowned. “It’s...you aim and fire, right? How is that hard?”

“You really have no idea,” Marik said with a grin. “Right. We’ll go down to the training ground and I’ll show you.”

***

They delivered the notes to Rhexa, and Owyn invited her and Marik to eat with them that night. Then they went and found Alanar, who had already returned to the house.

“What are we doing?” Alanar asked when Marik told him to get his staff.

“Marik is showing me why using a crossbow is harder than I think it is,” Owyn answered. “And he wants to try fighting again. I thought maybe practicing with you would help you both.”

Alanar nodded. “All right. As long as I don’t have to wear boots. Let me get my staff.”

“Boots?” Marik asked. “You’ve got him wearing boots?”

“Only when we’re riding,” Owyn answered.

“I didn’t think anyone would ever get Alanar to wear shoes or boots. He hates them.” Marik looked around the front room. “I’m stepping outside, if that’s okay?”

“I’m surprised you came inside,” Owyn admitted. “We’ll be right out.”

Once Marik had gone outside, Owyn headed to the bedroom to collect his own weapons. Alanar was standing in the middle of the room, holding his staff. He turned as Owyn came in.

“So I’m practicing against Marik?” he said softly. “Why?”

“Just what I said,” Owyn answered. “You need to practice, and he needs to see that he can still fight. He’ll be better than me to go against, because he knows staff and I don’t. Not really. Smoke blades aren’t a staff, and I don’t want to try whip chain against you. I might hurt you.”

Alanar smiled. “So it’s not just for my benefit?”

“Only half for your benefit.”

Owyn’s answer made Alanar laugh. “You sure you didn’t get any healing?” he asked. “You’re good at it. The talking part, anyway.”

“You were there when Pirit tested me,” Owyn countered. “Not a drop. But talking, I’m good at that. And caring for people—”

“Is just something you do. I know.” Alanar smiled. “All right. Let’s go.”

They walked out to find Marik sitting on the ground in front of the house, his hands folded. There was a large, black bird sitting on his knee — a larger one than Owyn was used to seeing. The bird’s thick beak looked sharp, and was as long as Owyn’s thumb.

“Who’s your friend?” Owyn asked. “Can we come closer?”

“He’s a northern bird, and yes, you can come closer,” Marik answered. “He’s a long way from home. He belongs up in the foothills, where it’s colder.” He looked up. “Aria would have known him — her folks train them and keep them as hunting animals the way we would keep dogs.”

“A shadow hawk? I’ve heard of them. He is a long way from home, then,” Alanar said. “Can he live here?”

Marik shrugged one shoulder. “It’ll be warmer than he’s used to in the summer, but I think so. He’ll be able to hunt, and he’s told me he likes fish. He should get on all right.”

“Just tell him to leave Trinket alone, all right?” Owyn asked. Marik grinned. Then he nodded.

“He won’t eat the brightly colored thing,” he said. Then he laughed. “He wants to know if it would taste good, though.”

“No,” Owyn answered. “Absolutely not. Trinket tastes terrible. Tell him that.”

Marik laughed harder, nodding to show that he understood. The bird fluffed its feathers and made a harsh noise, then flapped its wings and flew off. Owyn turned to track the bird as it flew up to the roof.

“He said something rude, didn’t he?” he asked. Marik dusted his hands off and got up, still giggling.

“Umm...yes. He’s smart. Smarter than I’m used to in a bird.” He looked up at the bird and grinned. “I like him. I told him how to get home, if he wants to leave. But I hope he stays.” He turned to look at them. “Ready to go practice?”

They headed into the caverns below Terraces, down to where Pirit had hidden her army. There were still people living down in the caves, and it was still the best place to store weapons and extra supplies. And the best place to train — there was no need to worry about wind or weather when you were inside a bubble cave. He and Alanar waited at the practice field while Marik went to the armory.

“Are you ready for this?”

“I should see if I still remember how,” Alanar answered. He hefted the staff and walked out onto the field. Owyn stayed by the gate and watched as Alanar picked the staff up. He didn’t hold it the way that Owyn had seen other staff fighters do — instead of holding the staff in the middle, Alanar held it near one end, angled down across his body. He stood still for a moment. Then, with no warning, he lunged, stabbing the staff forward like a spear. Owyn caught his breath — a lunge for someone as tall as Alanar, and with a staff that was equally as tall, meant that he could strike someone at a greater distance than Owyn could reach with his whip chain. Alanar recovered, twisting slightly, the staff moving in front of him. Blocking, Owyn realized. Holding the staff that way meant that all Alanar needed to do was move slightly, and he could block a blow from any height.

“Oh, he’s practicing?” Marik said from behind Owyn. “Oh...he hasn’t forgotten much.”

“I’ve never seen anyone use a staff like that,” Owyn said without turning. He couldn’t look away — Alanar was just too interesting to watch. “I’m used to people holding it in the middle. This is a lot more flexible.”

“I’ve seen people fight your way,” Marik said. “Most of them learned it from someone Fire, or lived in one of the Fire and Earth villages in the eastern mountains. Further east, they fight that way, too. But this is how we learn it here. It might have some Air influence. I don’t know.”

Owyn finally made himself look over his shoulder at Marik. Marik was holding a staff in his right hand, and had a crossbow in his left. He set the crossbow down to lean against the fence, and stepped through the gate. “Alanar?”

“I thought I heard you,” Alanar called. He stopped, leaning on his staff. He wasn’t even breathing hard.

“I thought you said you were out of practice!” Owyn called. Alanar laughed.

“I’m alone in here,” he said. “Against an opponent?”

“You’re going to leave me all over the sand,” Marik said. He moved to the middle of the ring and picked up his staff. Then he frowned. “This is going to be interesting.”

“Why...oh.” Alanar nodded. “You’re right handed. So you’ll be putting your left side forward.”

“And that’s the side I can’t see on,” Marik agreed. “Take it easy on me, will you?”

Alanar nodded. “Of course. I’m not going to make more work for myself.”

“Oh, fuck you!” Marik laughed.

“Promises, promises.” Alanar raised his staff. “Any time you’re ready. I’ll defend.”

Owyn leaned on the fence and watched them. Alanar moved slowly, smoothly, countering Marik’s hesitant attacks, slowly gaining speed as Marik grew more sure of himself.

“There you are.”

Owyn turned and smiled as Jehan walked over to him. “We didn’t sneak out, if that’s what you were thinking.”

“I wasn’t thinking it,” Jehan said. “I was wondering where you’d gone to practice. I thought you might be on the low terrace.”

“Marik said here was better, and he wants to show me how to use a crossbow.” Owyn nodded toward the fighters. “He’s getting more comfortable.”

Jehan studied Marik and Alanar for a moment. Then he nodded. “I’ll work with him. I’m out of practice myself.” He snorted. “Twenty-five years out of practice. I don’t even know if I remember how to hold the staff!”

Owyn heard the crunch of a footstep on gravel, and glanced over his shoulder to see that Pirit had come to join them. She stayed in the caverns most of the time, despite Jehan making sure that she had a house of her own. She told them that after so many years living below ground, she couldn’t get used to living in a house again. It was too noisy. Owyn rarely saw her, except for when she helped in the healing complex. He smiled at her. She returned the smile and came closer, resting her hand on his shoulder.

“I hear you’re leaving us,” she said. “And taking Alanar with you.”

Owyn nodded. “I need to find Aven. I made up my mind to go. Then I went vision hunting, and got shoved out—”

“Oh,” Pirit breathed. “So you’re on the right trail, then. And I was going to try and talk you into staying.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Jehan asked.

Pirit looked up at her son. “It means that the Mother doesn’t want him changing his mind, so She’s not showing him what he’ll be facing. He’s going to do the right thing, but it won’t be easy.”

“It’s never easy,” Jehan grumbled. “Mother, once Alanar leaves, I’m going to need more help—”

“What about Treesi?” Pirit asked. Owyn blinked, then looked at Jehan.

“You didn’t tell her?”

Jehan glared at him, then turned back to his mother. “Treesi has gone to Forge with Aria. Aria needs time to recover, and she can’t do it here.”

Pirit’s brows rose. “I…see. And this has what to do with her pregnancy?”

“Everybody knew about that but me,” Owyn grumbled.

“She didn’t tell you?” Pirit looked at Jehan. “Did you know that Aria was keeping secrets?”

“Not that one, no,” Jehan admitted. “She told all of us that she’d tell Owyn herself.”

“You’re saying she has other secrets?” Owyn asked. Jehan shook his head.

“I’m saying, right now, that Aria is breaking under the strain. I’m hoping that by letting her do what she feels she needs to do, and by having Treesi with her to support her, that she’ll recover.”

Pirit sighed. “I wish you’d told me. I’d have gone with her. She should have someone...more experienced with her.”

“Treesi will do just fine,” Owyn protested. “And Aria’s more inclined to trust her Earth.”

Jehan looked at Owyn, then back at Pirit. “He has a point. But now...now we’re going to be short-handed.”

“Because Alanar won’t stay behind if I leave. He’s insisting on coming with me,” Owyn said. “Which is why we’re doing this.” He gestured at the practice field, where Marik had stepped back to readjust his grip on his staff. “Marik is helping Alanar get back into practice.”

“And Alanar is helping Marik understand how to function with one eye,” Pirit added. “This is a good thing. Is that what you’re out of practice with, Jehan? Staff?”

“Yes,” Jehan answered. “Not much call for it on a canoe.”

“You’ll remember,” Pirit said. “And he’ll be fine.”

Owyn glanced at her. “Which he?” he asked.

She smiled. “All three of you. You will all be fine.” She squeezed his shoulder. “If I don’t see you before you leave, good hunting.”

CHAPTER NINE

“There isn’t nearly enough sleep in the world to justify being awake this early in the morning,” Alanar grumbled.

Owyn yawned. “We could have gone right to sleep, you know,” he answered.

“Our last night in a real bed?” Alanar asked. He took Owyn’s hand as they walked toward the caverns that led to the stables, where Marik had promised to meet them. “I wasn’t letting that go to waste.”

Owyn laughed. He was tired, and after last night, he wasn’t looking forward to being in the saddle for most of the day. But since Alanar hadn’t ridden in years, they’d have an excuse to stop early. At least, that was the excuse he’d use when he said they were stopping early. His goal for today was to reach Shadow Cove. That was far enough, and would give him an idea of how well Alanar could ride. If all went well, then tomorrow, he’d push. The map showed only one coastal village between Shadow Cove and the ruins, so maybe they could make the ruins to camp tomorrow night. But if they weren’t up for that much riding tomorrow, then tomorrow night their goal would be that coastal village, and they’d make the ruins the day after.

“You’re not even listening to me, are you?” Alanar asked, poking Owyn in the arm and bringing his attention back.

“No, sorry,” Owyn admitted. “I was thinking of where we might be spending the night tonight and tomorrow. Just thinking of the next step. Mem was always after me to pay attention to the next step.”

“You’re paying attention to about six steps on,” Alanar pointed out. “We have to leave first. Let’s worry about getting on the road.” He squeezed Owyn’s hand, then stopped walking, letting Owyn’s hand fall as he changed his staff from his left hand to his right. He resettled his bag on his shoulder and grimaced. “I’ll have to put these on soon, won’t I?”

“You have to wear boots to ride,” Owyn reminded him.

“I know,” Alanar agreed. He shifted his staff back to his left hand, and took Owyn’s hand in his right. “I just don’t have to like it.”

Owyn sighed. “I know. We’re going to stop at Shadow Cove today, so you have a chance to get the feel for riding.”

“That’s not far,” Alanar said. “It’s...what? Only three hours past Serenity?”

“The coast road was out when I rode that way, so we’re going inland. So it’ll take a few hours more than you think. Going from Serenity over the coast road, I didn’t get there until sunset, and you know about when I left here.”

Alanar nodded. “All right. You know where we’re going. I’m clearly not the one navigating.”

Owyn chuckled. Then he waved. “Marik!”

“You two seem awake,” Marik called as they walked toward him. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Alanar answered. “But we’re going. Who is riding with us? Do you know?”

“Not me,” Marik answered. They started walking through the caverns. “Garrity and Evarra, I think.”

Owyn nodded. He knew them both — they were two of Pirit’s hand-picked fighters. “All right. And what did you decide about giving me a crossbow?”

“Well, Garrity and Evarra will both have theirs, so you really don’t need a third one. But I decided that you’re not likely to kill yourself with it,” Marik answered. “Or kill anyone else, for that matter. Not without a lot more practice. However, I did put one in with your supplies, and extra quarrels. Don’t use it unless you absolutely have to, make sure that anyone you care about is behind you before you fire, and try to control the recoil.”

Owyn nodded. “Right. Here’s hoping I don’t have to use it.”

They entered the stables, and Owyn saw Garrity and Evarra talking with Jehan, who had his back to them. Garrity nodded, and Jehan turned. He frowned.

“Where are your smoke blades?” he asked.

Owyn shook his head. “I’m not bringing them,” he answered. “I thought about it, and they make me stand out. The only person who uses smoke blades is a Smoke Dancer. It’s been outlawed for...I dunno. Longer than I’ve been alive. I don’t want people looking too closely, or deciding that it might be worth turning me in as an outlaw. I have my whip chain.”

Jehan frowned. “That’s your only weapon?”

“I have a crossbow!” Owyn answered.

“Which he’s not really all that good at using yet,” Marik added. Jehan rolled his eyes.

“You’re going into dangerous territory,” he growled.

“I know that,” Owyn replied. “And I know that if I make a target of myself, it’ll be that much more dangerous for all of us. So I’m not doing that.” He tugged down his scarf to reveal his bare throat. “I left my gem here, too.”

Jehan’s jaw dropped. “I...you shouldn’t—”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Owyn countered. “I’m not going to lie to myself and say everything is going to be fine and wonderful. I know I’m walking out of the only safe place left in the world. And I know there’s something out there that would make me change my mind and not go, if I knew what it was. That’s why the Mother won’t let me see what’s coming. So I know I have to go, but I’m going to take every precaution I can. Like leaving behind things that make me stand out too much.”

“And I won’t?” Alanar asked.

“Nope,” Owyn answered. “Because we’re going to tell people who get nosy that you’re my husband, that we just got married, and that we’re going north to visit your family in the Solstice village and bring them the news.”

Alanar looked startled. “When did you think of that?” he asked.

“Last night,” Owyn answered.

Alanar coughed. “Last night. Really,” he repeated. “Then I clearly was doing something wrong.”

Marik burst into laughter. “More information than we needed, Alanar!”

Owyn reached over and took Alanar’s hand. “I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep,” he explained. “I didn’t want to wake you up, so I thought about ways to cover what we were doing to anyone outside the Water villages. Any objections? I mean, if you don’t want to be married to me—”

Alanar shook his head. “Stop that. You’re a perfectly fine husband, even if I only get to borrow you for a while.” He smiled, raising Owyn’s hand to kiss his knuckles. “Maybe I can ask Aria if it can be more than a while.”

Everything stopped. The entire world stopped. Owyn’s breathing stopped. His heart stopped. Everything just...froze. Then it all lurched into motion again, like it had been kicked by a mule. “I...what? What?”

Alanar’s smile faltered. “I...I’m sorry. Was that...too...I don’t know. Owyn?”

“No, no, no,” Owyn sputtered. “Stop. Just...stop.” He swallowed. “You...just asked me to marry you. Did you mean to do that?”

“Yes, I did, Owyn.”

“Me. Marry me. Can you do that? I mean...me?” He looked at Jehan. “Can he do that?”

“Alanar, you broke him,” Marik murmured. Owyn scowled at him, then looked at Jehan, who looked completely bemused.

“I don’t see any reason he can’t, Owyn,” he answered. “Is there something I’m missing?” He frowned. “Oh, I see where the problem is. Yes, Companions can marry. And no, you don’t need Aria’s permission.”

Owyn looked up at Alanar. “Did you know that?” he asked.

“I didn’t,” Alanar admitted. “But it’s nice to have confirmation. And...do you think you can answer? Because I’m terrified that now that I got up the stones to ask you, you’re going to say no.”

“You’ve been planning this?” Owyn squeaked.

Alanar’s face turned red, and he idly reached down and picked up the end of his braid. He started playing with it as he answered, “Ummm…yes? I was going to do it for Turning, but I got scared and didn’t. I have a pledge bracelet, even. Trees picked it out for me. I put it in my pack, so I have it with me. I thought...maybe I’d be brave enough...”

“Treesi knows? And she doesn’t mind?”

“She told me that she expects me to share, that you’re a Companion and you need to be there for the others, too. And honestly, I’m fine with that. I knew it before she said anything. You have your responsibilities as a Companion,” Alanar answered. “I just want...permanent. I want to belong to you. With you. Because I love you.”

Owyn stepped back and covered his face with his hands. Married? Him? He couldn’t...could he? Could he? “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” He looked up over his fingers. “I said that out loud, right?”

The pure joy in Alanar’s face was all the answer he needed.

Their departure was delayed slightly by celebration — Marik ran off to get Rhexa, so she could hear the news directly from Owyn. She surprised them all by bursting into tears and throwing her arms around Owyn. He patted her on the back and looked around for help until Jehan took pity on him and took charge of Rhexa.

“You can’t be gone too long now,” she said, smiling through her tears. “We have a wedding to plan. Oh, Owyn! I’m so happy for you!”

Finally, Owyn helped Alanar to put on his boots and to mount his horse, a gentle gelding named Meadowfoam. Meadowfoam was connected by a leading rein to Freckles, who danced underneath Owyn, more than ready to be off. Garrity and Evarra mounted their own horses. Their packhorse, Owyn was amused to see, was Anvil, the packhorse that had accompanied them from Forge.

“Are we ready?” he asked.

“No,” Alanar answered. “But we’re going anyway. You have the map?”

“I have the map.” Owyn looked down at the hammered silver bracelet that Alanar had given to him and insisted that he wear. “I need to find one for you,” he said.

“A map? It won’t do me any good,” Alanar said.

“No!” Owyn laughed. “A pledge bracelet. When we get to Shadow Cove, we’ll see what we can find. It’ll be temporary, though. I’ll make you a real one when we get back.”

Alanar’s face turned pink. “You’ll make it? Really?” He smiled. “I don’t need a temporary one. I can wait for one you make for me.”

“I want you to have one now. And one later.” Owyn reached over and took Alanar’s hand. “I am going to spoil you rotten. I just want you to know that.”

Alanar smiled. “You already do, love. You already do.”

Owyn laughed and turned around, looking back at Garrity and Evarra. “You two ready?”

“We’ve been ready,” Garrity answered. “Let’s go.”

Owyn nodded, and they rode out through the caves and into the sunshine.

***

The ride was quiet, and Owyn spent a good portion of it bemused. Marriage was the last thing he’d ever expected would happen to him! He wasn’t exactly the sort of man anyone — man or woman — looked for in a husband. After all, who would want someone who was a failed thief, a former whore and a freed slave?

But he wasn’t only that. He was a Smoke Dancer, too. And a smith. And he was a Companion. And...Alanar wanted him. Even knowing about Owyn’s time on the streets, Alanar loved him and wanted something permanent with him. Loved him enough to ignore his past. No, that wasn’t right. Alanar loved him enough to accept his past, the way that Aven and Aria and Treesi did. But there was no Mother Goddess forcing Alanar to that choice. Alanar had made that decision all on his own.

And he understood that Owyn still needed to be there for Aria and Aven and Treesi. That any promises they made to each other included supporting their Heir and the other Companions, included Owyn’s love for the others, included Alanar’s responsibilities as a Healer.

“You’re very quiet,” Alanar said. “And your pulse is racing. Second thoughts?”

“No,” Owyn answered. “Not a single one. Which is sort of strange for me. No, I’m just wondering why you’re so calm. You know I’m going to be in Aria’s bed at some point. Or Aven’s. You already know I’ve been in Treesi’s—”

“Because Treesi’s bed is our bed,” Alanar pointed out. “Owyn, why shouldn’t I be calm? I knew all of this before I asked you. I knew all of this when I bought that bracelet.” He smiled. “I know I’m technically marrying a married man, for all that the Companion bond isn’t the same as marriage. I know that Aria has to come first, and I’m fine with that. You have so much love for all of us. I’m not worried you’re going to run out.” He shrugged. “There will be times when my patients come first. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Owyn agreed. There had already been nights when Alanar had been called away for some medical emergency or another. He was a healer, so his patients came first — they had to. And someday, Alanar might even be Senior Healer. Jehan certainly thought of Alanar as his successor, and treated him accordingly. If that happened, then the entire Earth tribe would come first. Owyn looked at Alanar, and realized why he wasn’t worried. Why Alanar wasn’t worried. Because the both of them knew that when they stood in front of all their friends and family, and swore to each other, they would be promising to support each other in their responsibilities, no matter what.

“I understand. We’re going into this knowing we both have other people who need us,” Owyn said. “That sometimes, we’re going to be busier with other things. We know that there are going to be times when we’re sleeping alone. Or with other people. And we’re both all right with that. I think we’ll do just fine.”

Alanar nodded. “Exactly. We’re not saying marriage instead of. We’re saying marriage in addition to. Each of us needs...a focal point. Someone to lean on, and we’re promising to be that to each other.”

Owyn smiled and reached across to take Alanar’s hand. “Focusing on. Leaning on. Loving—”

“In all meanings of the word,” Alanar interjected, and Owyn laughed.

“Yes, in all meanings,” he agreed. “Do you need to stop? We’ll be halfway fairly soon.”

“I could stretch, yes.” Alanar turned his head. “And eat. I’m hungry.”

Owyn nodded and turned to look over his shoulder. “Stopping up ahead!” he called.

They dismounted at the fork in the road where the rider from Shadow Cove had left Owyn, and Owyn helped Alanar over to a rock where he could sit and take off his boots. Owyn sat on the ground at his feet and unfolded the map, studying the road, judging how far they had come, how far they still had to go.

“How are you feeling, Allie?”

“A little stiff, but not bad,” Alanar answered. “Surprising, actually. I wonder if I’ll be able to move tomorrow?”

Owyn chuckled. “I’ll rub your legs tonight.”

“And the rest of me, I hope?”

“And the rest of you,” Owyn agreed. He leaned back against Alanar’s legs. “We’re making very good time. We’ll be at Shadow Cove long before dark at this rate.” He tipped his head back. “Do you want to eat now?”

“Please. What do we have?”

Owyn got up and went to help Evarra unpack their meal, bringing back a water-skin and two heavy rolls. “Stuffed rolls, I think. Not sure what they’re stuffed with.” He resumed his seat at Alanar’s feet and handed one of the rolls to him. “And I have a water-skin. There are late apples if you want anything else.”

Alanar grinned. “I think I know,” he said. “Katrin makes these amazing travel rolls — minced meat and dried fruit. They’re wonderful, and they keep well on long journeys.” He took a bite and smiled as he chewed.

Owyn examined his roll and took a cautious bite. The filling was a savory mix, held together with a thick paste that might be considered gravy if it was thinner. “I want this recipe,” he mumbled around a mouthful.

“She won’t share,” Alanar said. “People have been asking for years.”

Owyn chuckled. “It never hurts to ask.” He leaned back against Alanar’s legs, then looked up. “You’ve had these before,” he said. “When did you go on a long journey?”

Alanar tipped his head back, closing his eyes as the sun shone on his face. “After my mother died. My father took me north, to the Solstice village. I met my mother’s flock for the first time, and we stayed there for a year. Fa thought it would help me. And I went back after the fire, after Fa died. They’re the ones who taught me to use my air sense to tell where I am.”

Owyn nodded. He leaned his head back against Alanar’s knee, and closed his eyes as Alanar started finger combing his hair. “We can go,” he said. “When this is all done. When it’s time for me to take my season, we’ll go and visit your family.”

“I was actually hoping we could go to Forge,” Alanar said.

“Nothing that says we can’t do both,” Owyn answered, sitting back up. “Go north, visit with your family. Go south, and you can meet my grandmother. Well, my sort of grandmother. We’re not really related at all.” He finished his roll, picked up an apple and put it into his coat pocket. He’d feed half to Freckles before they got moving again. The other half would go to Meadowfoam.

“Your grandmother. That would be Meris?” Alanar asked. “I’d like to meet her. She sounds wonderful.”

Owyn nodded. He took a deep breath, tipping his head back again. Alanar started petting his hair again, and Owyn sighed, letting Alanar’s touch relax him.

“You’re going to fall asleep if I keep this up,” Alanar said softly.

“You’re right,” Owyn agreed. “I am. We should get back on the road.” He got back to his feet and stretched, then stood in front of Alanar, close enough that their knees touched. He cupped Alanar’s cheek with one hand, then kissed him. Alanar smiled, running his hands up Owyn’s sides. Then he sighed.

“Help me with my boots?” he asked.

CHAPTER TEN

They cleaned up their resting place, and got back on the road, riding into Shadow Cove long before the sun was touching the sea. Owyn slid down from Freckles’ back and smiled as Barsis came toward them.

“Well, hello there!” Barsis called. “And what brings you back so soon, Fireborn?”

Owyn laughed and clasped his hand. “This time, it’s a personal trip,” he answered. He held his wrist up, showing off the bracelet. Barsis’ eyes widened.

“Well, congratulations!” he gasped. “That’s a blessing in dark times. Who’s the lucky one?”

“That would be me,” Alanar called. “Wyn, help me down?”

Owyn went to help Alanar dismount, then held his arm and escorted him over to Barsis. “Headman Barsis, may I introduce my pledge, Healer Alanar of Terraces? We’re heading north to break the news to his family.”

“Break the news? Really?” Barsis blinked. “Alanar. The blind healer?”

Alanar arched a brow. “I’m known?”

“We’ve heard your name, Healer. It’s an honor. Ah...will you be—?”

“Give me an hour to settle, and I’ll see to your village,” Alanar answered with a smile. “Of course. You needn’t have asked.”

“You never know, Healer,” Barsis said with a shrug. “There’s some that claim to be, and don’t follow the old ways.”

Owyn glanced at Alanar. “You’ve had a healer through here?” he asked slowly. “You didn’t mention that.”

“Didn’t think of it. Back before the winter, it was,” Barsis answered. “She and her man came through, stayed a night, then went on.” He shook his head. “I can’t remember her name, but she claimed the healer’s right to shelter, then didn’t see to the village.”

“Risha,” Alanar whispered. “She was here.”

“Risha?” Barsis repeated. “The Senior Healer? The one that you told Ketti did for her boy?” He spat, swore violently, then spat again. “That wasn’t the name she gave us. But it must have been her. And I harbored her here? Gah, I should have told you!”

“There wasn’t any way you could know,” Owyn said. “Do you know where she went?”

Barsis shook his head. “North. I heard her say they were going north. Other than that, she didn’t say nothing. They stayed in the guest house, didn’t come to the evening meal. Left at first light. Weren’t what you call friendly, you know? And like I said, she didn’t honor her end of the bargain. Now I understand why.”

“They stayed in the guest house?” Alanar grimaced. “We’re going to sleep in the same bed?”

Owyn looked at him. “I already slept in that bed,” he said. “Might want to dip me in whatever you use to clean the surgical instruments.”

Barsis chuckled. “It’s not the same bed, nor the same guest house,” he said. “The roof of the old guest house caved in under the snow. Until we repair and rethatch the roof and make a new bed, we’ve moved any guests to stay where you stayed the other night. Not that we have many guests.” He smiled. “That is my house. So you’re in my bed.”

Owyn blinked. “Then...where are you sleeping?” he asked. “Barsis, we can’t put you out of your own bed!”

Barsis chuckled. “It’s no hardship, Fireborn, but I do thank you for your concern. I’m bedding down with my sister and her family. It’s only for a night or two, and it’s good to spend time with my nieces and nephews.” He scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I’m usually too busy during the day. Now, who are your friends?”

“Garrity and Evarra,” Owyn said. He turned and gestured them closer. “Our guards.”

“Well met, then,” Barsis said. “We’ll find beds for you both. And there’s a stable if you want to see to your beasts.”

“Thank you, Headman,” Evarra said. “I’ve been here before. But you weren’t headman the last time I came through. May I ask what happened to Zaric?”

“Zaric was my father,” Barsis answered. “He went to the deep this past winter.”

“I’m sorry,” Evarra murmured. “He was a good man.”

“He was that. Now come along,” Barsis said, waving one arm wide. “Come let’s get you settled. I’ll spread the word that Healer Alanar will be seeing to people before the evening meal.”

***

Alanar was busy from the moment they walked out of the guest house until well after the evening meal. He finally joined them and sat down next to Owyn; Owyn wrapped the blanket he had around his own shoulders around Alanar, who sighed.

“When we get back, I’m going to talk to the Senior Healer about setting up a regular circuit of healers for the surrounding villages. Any place we can reach in a day’s travel, at least until we have more healers to send out further. These folks have been neglected, and they shouldn’t have been,” he said, leaning against Owyn’s side. “Mother of us all, I’m tired!”

“I’ll put you to bed once you eat something,” Owyn said. He picked up the bowl that he’d had tucked next to him. “Here. It’s still warm.”

“I’m too tired, Wyn,” Alanar grumbled.

“Eat or I’m feeding you,” Owyn warned. He scooped up a spoonful of stew. “It’s fish stew, and it’s good. Open.”

Alanar rolled his eyes. Then he opened his mouth and let Owyn feed him the first bite. He chewed and swallowed, then held out his hand. “Let me have the rest.”

“I can keep feeding you,” Owyn offered. Alanar laughed.

“No. I can feed myself.” He took the bowl and took another bite. “This is good. Is there bread?”

“Flatbread, yes. I’ve got some. And there’s tea, but I figured you’d want that hot. I’ll get it.”

Alanar leaned more heavily into Owyn’s side. “I don’t want you to move. You’re warm and I’m tired.”

Owyn put his arm around Alanar. “Then eat so I can put you to bed. I promised to rub your legs.”

Barsis came over and sat down in the sand facing them. “Thank you, Healer. I appreciate what you’ve done for my people.”

Alanar smiled. “You’re welcome, Barsis. I’ll speak to the Senior Healer when we get back about sending someone out here to see to you. It’s not right that you go without a healer’s care.”

Barsis looked at Owyn. “You said you’re heading north?” he asked. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

Owyn snorted. “Breathing is dangerous these days, Barsis,” he said. “I’m doing whatever I can to keep us from being noticed. I left anything that can identify me back in Terraces—”

“I noticed you weren’t wearing your gem,” Barsis said. “I’d wondered. That makes sense.”

Owyn nodded. “We’re going to ride north tomorrow. Hopefully as far as the ruins, but we can stop at...what was that village?”

“Half Moon Bay?” Alanar asked.

“That’s the one. If we stop there, we’ll make the ruins the day after, and then head east. I’m hoping to make it to the Solstice village in a month.”

“We’ll prepare some supplies for you for a few days,” Barsis said. “It’ll be a long while before you see another village going east. And I wouldn’t bother with Half Moon.”

“Why?” Alanar asked, and yawned. He laughed. “Sorry.”

Owyn kissed Alanar on the forehead. “Bedtime.”

“No, information first,” Alanar insisted. “Why won’t we find any villages going east?”

“Because there aren’t any,” Barsis answered. “Land dried up, folks moved on. East of here used to be prime farmland for days. Now? Nothing out there but his soldiers.” He scowled. “Half Moon was wiped out by the storms. We have their survivors. So between here and the ruins is nothing but rocks. So you sure you want to go north overland? We can take you well north of the palace by ship. It’ll be safer, and will cut your journey in half. I know you’re not a sailor, Fireborn, but think of your man.”

Owyn considered it. Going by ship would be a lot easier on Alanar than riding. And, as Barsis said, it would be safer. Maybe that was what the Mother didn’t want him to know? That to do whatever he needed to do, he needed to go by ship? For a moment, he regretted not bringing his smoke blades. But would he see anything?

“You’re thinking deep thoughts,” Alanar murmured, sounding sleepy.

Maybe he didn’t need smoke blades, Owyn realized. “Are you awake enough to talk?” he asked Alanar.

“Depends,” Alanar answered. “I think so, if we keep it short.”

Owyn turned to Barsis. “I’ll have an answer for you once we have a chance to talk,” he said. He slid out of the blanket and got to his feet, then helped Alanar up. He slid one arm around Alanar’s back as they walked back to the guest house, and wasn’t sure if it was to support Alanar, or comfort himself.

“What is it?” Alanar asked. “Your heart is racing, and not in a fun way.”

That answered that question. “We need to talk. I need to tell you some things, and we need to decide if it’s worth it.”

“You’re being cryptic again,” Alanar said. “I’m awake.”

“We’ll talk in private,” Owyn answered. He led Alanar into the guest house and closed the door, turning up the flame on the little oil lamp that hung from the ceiling. He turned to see Alanar had put his back against the door, and folded his arms over his chest.

“Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like this?” he asked.

“Probably because you’re not,” Owyn answered. “What do you know about Smoke Dancers?”

“Next to nothing, really,” Alanar answered. “You don’t talk about it. I assumed you couldn’t talk about it to someone who wasn’t a Smoke Dancer.”

Owyn shrugged. “That’s part of it. But I told Aven and Aria this. And you should know, too. Especially since we’re getting married. A Smoke Dancer, the first thing they ever see? Is how they’re going to die.”

“What?” Alanar yelped. “You...I mean, you know that?”

“Just how. Not when,” Owyn added. “But mine? Is out there,” he gestured, then laughed. “Sorry. I drown, Allie. In salt water.”

Alanar paled. “That’s what you meant by deep water, yesterday. When you said there was deep water in your future.”

“And that’s what I think the Mother wasn’t letting me see. That I’d have to face that. That I’d have to go out in a ship to do this.”

Alanar shook his head. “No,” he said. “No, we are not. I’m not risking you like that. Not unless we have no choice.”

“But he’s right,” Owyn said. “It’ll be safer. And easier on you—”

“No,” Alanar repeated. “I can ride. I’m fine.” He smiled. “I have a brand new husband. Almost. I’d like to still have him for the ceremony. And for a long time after. We’ll stay away from the sea.”

“Are you sure?” Owyn asked. “I’m willing to take the risk—”

“And I’m not willing to let you take the risk,” Alanar interrupted. “I’m sure. We’re staying with the plan.” He smiled. “Go tell Barsis. I’ll warm the bed.”

***

“Are you sure?” Barsis asked as they walked to the stables. “Your guard are readying your horses, but I can have the skiff ready to sail in under an hour.”

“I’m sure, Barsis,” Owyn repeated. “And thank you. But we’re going to ride. Alanar is pretty insistent.”

Alanar smiled. “I can’t make healing rounds when we stop if we’re on the water, Barsis. There are people out here that have been neglected for too long.”

“But the risk—”

“We’ll be fine,” Alanar said. “Wyn, help me with my boots?”

By the time Owyn had helped Alanar put his boots on, and taken his arm to lead him to the stables, Garrity and Evarra had led the horses out. Barsis was talking intently with Garrity, and Owyn laughed softly.

“I think Barsis is trying to convince Garrity to talk to us about going by ship,” he said softly.

“The answer is still no,” Alanar said.

“I like the reason you gave him,” Owyn said. “It’s a good one. We’ll be stopping in places, and you can take care of people while I send messages.”

Alanar nodded. “I thought of it this morning, while I was dressing,” he replied. “I’m not a good liar, so I thought if we had a reason that we had to go overland, and it involved something only I could do—”

“No, it’s a good reason,” Owyn said. “It makes perfect sense.” He tied the laces of Alanar’s boot and stood up. “All right. Give me your hand.”

They reached the group, and Owyn helped Alanar mount Meadowfoam. Then he went to Freckles and took his map out of his saddlebag. As he unfolded it, he felt a presence at his elbow, and looked over his shoulder to see Barsis was looking over his shoulder at the map.

“That’s a nice map,” the headman said. “Look much more accurate than anything I have.”

“It’s as accurate as we could make it, given the information we had two days ago,” Owyn answered. “I’ll be updating it as we go, though. Because we know that what we knew two days ago may not be what’s out there now.” He smiled as he realized he now had another, perfectly reasonable excuse to go overland. “I mean, the Heir needs to know what she’s holding, right?”

“Truth,” Barsis agreed. He looked thoughtful. “I wonder...would you stay another day, at least? Let me copy this?”

Owyn sighed. “And give you more time to try and convince me to go by ship?” he asked, and Barsis grinned.

“Am I that obvious?” he asked. “You’re a good man, Owyn Fireborn. So is your Alanar. And I’ve lived long enough to see that the good men, they’re the ones who tend to fall first. I’d like to avoid that with you two.”

“And I appreciate that,” Owyn said. “Since I want to avoid it, too. But if we take the safe route, we can’t do our jobs. Barsis, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. We just can’t accept the help. We’ll be all right.”

Barsis nodded. “I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand. Can I at least send another guard with you?”

“Too large of a group will attract attention,” Garrity said as he came to stand with them. “Owyn, we’re ready. We’ve loaded all the supplies that Barsis was kind enough to give us.” He grinned. “You’re very generous, headman. You’re sure your folk won’t need this?”

Barsis shook his head. “We’ve more than enough to share, Garrity. You are welcome to what we have.”

Owyn nodded and turned to Barsis, holding out his hand. “We’ll see you on the return trip.”

Barsis clasped his wrist tightly. “I’m holding that as a promise, Fireborn.”

“Good,” Owyn answered. “It was meant to be.”

Barsis squeezed his forearm, then let go. “Go well, Fireborn. Take care of that healer of yours.”

“I thought I was supposed to take care of him,” Alanar called.

“You do that, too,” Barsis called back. “I’ll see you come summer.”

Owyn nodded and swung himself up onto Freckles’ back. He glanced over his shoulder — Evarra was already mounted, and Garrity reached his own horse and climbed into the saddle.

“Are we ready?” Garrity called. When Owyn nodded, he turned his horse toward the trail. “Let’s go!”

***

The day remained overcast and cold, and Owyn kept an eye on the skies. They were close to the ruins, he thought, but it was harder to track the passage of time when everything was uniformly gray.

“Will it rain, do you think?” he asked. The idea of riding through the rain to the ruins, then camping rough was not appealing.

“It doesn’t smell like rain,” Alanar answered. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes, and sniffed again. “No. It just smells gray.”

Owyn looked quizzically at Alanar. “Smells gray? What does gray smell like?”

Alanar looked thoughtful. “A little damp. Mold. Mud. Old leaves and dried grass. Woodsmoke. A bit of frost, but not much.” He took another sniff. “Sea salt. But that will change as we go inland.”

Owyn frowned and sniffed. He did it again, then shook his head. “I can’t smell any of that,” he admitted.

“It’s something you learn, when you can’t see,” Alanar said. “It…” His voice trailed off, and he turned his head slightly. “That’s odd. The woodsmoke is a lot stronger than it should be, if we’re nowhere near anything.

Owyn frowned. He looked over his shoulder at Garrity, who was riding close enough that he could hear them. The guard nodded.

“I can smell it.” He rode up next to Owyn and turned his head from side to side, scanning the horizon. “I don’t see anything, but it’s there. And the wind is coming from the ruins.”

“So...someone else is camping there?” Owyn suggested, hoping that he was right. “And...we’ll just go camp in another part of the ruins?”

“Owyn, is there anything past the ruins?” Evarra asked, coming up on Alanar’s other side. “Another village? Something between the ruins and the Palace. I thought there was. That might be what we’re smelling.”

Owyn took the map from his saddlebag and unfolded it, studying the coastline. “No. Nothing between the ruins and the Palace. So maybe just someone else camping?”

“I doubt it,” Garrity said. “Let’s not take the chance. We should start heading east now. We can find a sheltered spot and camp. Cold camp, I think.”

‘If we can do that without freezing to death.” Owyn said.

They started east, and Owyn kept looking to his left, toward the ruins. He could see the trail of smoke now, a slender thread rising toward the sky.

“We’re that close?” he asked. Garrity glanced to his left and nodded.

“We made really good time,” he said. “And you two are much better riders than I thought you’d be. We’d have been at the ruins long before sunset. Now, we’ll put some distance between us and that fire. We’ll camp at sunset. We can see when we stop if we’re far enough to risk a fire.”

“Out here, as flat as it is?” Evarra said. “A fire will stand out like a beacon.”

They rode in silence as the skies grew darker. Owyn looked back several times, but saw nothing. Eventually, he couldn’t even see the smoke anymore. He turned to Alanar, who had an odd expression on his face.

“What is it?” Owyn asked.

“I…” Alanar said slowly. He turned his head and frowned. “There are people out there. Horses. Garrity??”

Garrity rose up in his stirrups and looked around, then coughed. “There’s a rider ahead of us!”

“One rider?” Owyn said. “That’s not a threat. We can handle one rider, can’t we?”

“It’s not just one rider,” Alanar said. “There are more that way.” He waved one arm northward.

Garrity looked at Evarra, who reached back and unhooked her crossbow from her saddle.

“I’ll take point,” she said. “You watch the backtrail.”

They rode on, following Evarra, with Garrity riding behind them. Owyn considered taking his whip chain out, but he’d never used it from horseback. He might take Freckles’ ears off. Instead, he reached to his right, taking Alanar’s hand.

“Feel anything else?” he asked softly.

“More horses, more people,” Alanar answered. “Owyn, I think we’re surrounded.”

Evarra swore softly at Alanar’s words. “And there’s the rider.”

Owyn looked past him to see a man on horseback, coming toward them. As the rider drew closer, he tugged down the scarf that covered his face, and Owyn swore.

“Fuck!”

Mannon smiled. “I’ve been expecting you,” he said. “And I mean you no harm. I’ve a camp, and there’s a hot meal waiting. In the Mother’s name, I offer you welcome. Will you join me?”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Owyn blinked in shock. He knew those words, from his reading with Aria. “Evarra, wait,” he called. He urged Freckles forward a little. “Did you just offer us the Mother’s Peace?”

Mannon smiled broadly. “I did. I’m glad you recognized it. You’re Owyn, the Fireborn. Correct?”

“Yes,” Owyn answered. “Doesn’t make any sense to hide it now, does it? For how long will you honor Her Peace?”

“Normally, it’s from sunset to sunset,” Mannon answered. “Which I’m guessing you know. However, since it’s fairly close to sunset now, that would hardly be fitting. Nor enough time for us to talk. So from now until sunset the day after tomorrow?”

Owyn licked his lips. He turned to Alanar. “Are you following?”

“Not a blasted word! Owyn, I don’t have any idea who you’re talking to!” Alanar whispered back. “Are we in trouble?”

Owyn glanced at Mannon and considered the question. “No,” he answered slowly. “No, I don’t think so. Healer Alanar, may I present Mannon?” He looked at Mannon. “I have no idea what to call you, you know,” he added. “You’re not the Firstborn. You’re not the Heir. Far as I know, you don’t really have a title.”

“Just Mannon is fine,” Mannon answered.

Alanar’s eyes widened. “And we’re not in danger?”

“He’s offered us the Mother’s Peace,” Owyn said. “That’s a sacred bond.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and wondered if he had completely lost his mind. The Mother’s Peace was a sacred bond...but so was the anointing of the Firstborn. Mannon had shown no issues with violating that bond. Would he honor this one?

Did they have a choice?

Cold rain started falling, icy drops splashing against Owyn’s hands. That made the decision for him. He wasn’t going to let Alanar stay out in cold rain.

“We accept,” Owyn said. “Tell me you have a shelter?”

“Follow me,” Mannon said. He turned his horse and headed north. Garrity drew his horse up next to Owyn.

“Are you insane?” he hissed. “We’re all dead!”

“We’ve been dead ever since we saw the smoke,” Owyn answered. “We’re surrounded. Alanar said so.” He looked at Mannon. “I’ve no doubt you could kill him from here. He knows it. He knows we’re armed. Even if we kill him, we’re dead. And I don’t want to throw our lives away. Not when he wants something from us. Let’s see what he wants. And get out of the rain while we’re doing it.”

“You’re fucking insane,” Garrity growled.

“Granted,” Owyn agreed. “And terrified I’m wrong. But we’re in this now, and there’s only one way to go.” He pointed north, after Mannon. “That way. Put your hood up, love.” He tugged his own scarf up around his ears, and urged Freckles forward. As they rode after Mannon, guards started appearing, falling in around them. Not guarding, Owyn realized. They were too relaxed. None of them had their weapons ready.

It took him a moment to realize why. They were escorts.

“Do you mind if I ride up ahead?” Owyn asked.

“Not without me, you don’t!” Alanar answered. “Besides, you’ve got the leading rein. You can’t go without me.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” He urged Freckles to move a little faster, closing the distance between them and Mannon. Who slowed his horse and looked over his shoulder when he heard them approach.

“Mind the company?” Owyn asked, slowing Freckles to match Mannon’s pace.

“Not at all,” Mannon answered. “May I ask a question?”

Owyn nodded. “Of course.”

“How’s Del?”

Owyn took a deep breath. It wasn’t the question he’d been expecting. “I can’t answer,” he said. “I don’t know. Aven is out on his season, and Del went with him.”

Mannon looked at him, and there was something very like relief in his face. “He survived? Aven survived?” He let out a breath. “I wasn’t sure he would. That woman…” He sniffed. “I want you to know this, and to tell Aria. That...abomination was none of my doing. And Risha will burn for it, once I catch her. There’s a hefty price on her head, so it’s only a matter of time.” He frowned. “She’s unhurt? Aria?”

“She’s fine,” Owyn answered. “My turn for a question. How did you know to meet us here? How did you know my name?” He paused. “Two questions.”

“I asked more than two,” Mannon replied. “It’s only fair. And I’ll answer that once we get out of the rain.” He gestured. “Camp is in a hollow up ahead and...is that a pledge bracelet?” He reached out and tapped Owyn’s wrist, where his bracelet was just visible past the cuff of his coat.

“Yes,” Owyn answered. “That’s why we’re out here.” He looked over at Alanar. “We were heading to the Solstice village.”

“I have family there,” Alanar added. “And we can send a message to my mother’s flock.”

“I thought you might have a touch of Air to you,” Mannon said. His gaze shifted, moving from Alanar’s face to his shoulders, then back. He didn’t say anything, though. “Why do I have the feeling that if I called you cousin, you’d spit in my eye?”

Alanar smiled. “My aim isn’t that good. And I’d forgotten you were part Air.”

Mannon chuckled. “I appreciate the candor,” he said. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Thank you,” Owyn said.

Mannon nodded. “Tonight, we’ll camp here. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the Palace.”

“Why?” Alanar asked.

“Because we need to talk,” Mannon answered. “And this sort of discussion needs to be done while warm and dry. You and your guards are my guests, and under the Peace until sunset of the day after tomorrow. I’ll even extend it to midday the day after that, so you can sleep well and have a good meal. Then ride out at a reasonable time after we talk.” He shook his head and grimaced. “I hate being wet.”

Owyn snorted. “Never thought I’d say it, but I agree with you.” He looked down at his reins. “Can you give me an idea as to what we’re talking about? It might not be anything I can help you with.”

“To put it bluntly,” Mannon answered. “I need you to carry a message for me. To Aria. Because she’ll do worse than spit in my eye if I try to speak to her myself.” He sighed. “And I wanted news of my son. I miss him.” He shook his head again. “Enough. We’ll talk more in the Palace. You have a tent to yourselves, and there will be a meal waiting for us. I’ll leave you in peace tonight, and we’ll ride on tomorrow.”

True to his word, there was a tent waiting for them, warmed by a brazier, along with a hot meal, and dry clothes. Garrity and Evarra were given a tent next to Owyn and Alanar, and they were bid goodnight by Mannon, who disappeared into his own tent.

“How could he have known we were coming?” Alanar asked softly as he rested his head on Owyn’s shoulder in the darkness. “He knew your name, even.”

“But he didn’t know yours,” Owyn pointed out. “Or Garrity and Evarra. At least, I don’t think he knew.”

“He could be manipulating us,” Alanar said. He shifted. “Is he a Smoke Dancer?”

“Mem never said, and he knew Mannon,” Owyn answered. “And that wouldn’t have told him my name. At least, I never got a name through a vision.” He snorted. “I think we know why I couldn’t see now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, no,” Owyn said with a laugh. He kissed Alanar’s forehead. “Go to sleep, love.”

Alanar cuddled closer, and grew heavier in Owyn’s arms as he relaxed into sleep. Owyn lay awake late into the night, staring at the dark ceiling and asking questions that had no answers.

At least, no answers yet.

***

The next morning, Owyn was surprised to see only three horses saddled — his, Alanar’s, and the big gray gelding that Mannon had been riding. He frowned.

“Why only three?” he asked. He wasn’t expecting an answer — the guards had ignored him as he came across the camp. So he jumped in surprise when someone did answer him.

“The guards will be staying behind to clean up the camp,” Mannon said. He came around the gray, who nudged his arm. Mannon chuckled. “Behave, Alabaster. You’ll get your apple later.”

Owyn grinned. “He’s as bad as my Freckles, it sounds like. So you’re all right with just the three of us riding out?”

Mannon nodded. “You’re not going to risk your Alanar. And you’re curious. You want to know why.”

Owyn looked at him. “It’s not fair. You shouldn’t know me that well yet.”

“I don’t,” Mannon said. He scratched Alabaster on the forehead, then gestured back toward the tents. “I know how I’d react in your position. Where’s Alanar?”

“Putting off putting on his boots,” Owyn answered. “He can’t tell where he is when he’s wearing them.”

Mannon looked startled. “He’s got the air sense? But—”

Owyn lowered his voice. “You’ve got a price on Risha’s head for what she did to Aven, and what she tried with Aria. And I know what she did to Del. He told us. You should know...Alanar was where she got the idea.”

Mannon’s jaw dropped. “At his age...you’re telling me he was her first victim?”

“He’d argue about the victim part. He was injured in a fire. The healers said that he had to lose his wings to save his life.”

Mannon closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I’d wondered.”

“I know. I saw you look, yesterday,” Owyn said. “I thought...if you knew, you wouldn’t make the mistake of asking or assuming…”

Mannon looked at him, then nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “That would have been very awkward, indeed. Is that what blinded him?”

Owyn nodded. “Yes.”

They walked back toward the tents, and Mannon looked up at the sky. “It’ll rain again,” he said. “But hopefully, not until we’re back at the Palace.” He took a deep breath, then looked at Owyn. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Why am I trusting you, you mean?” Owyn asked in response. “I’m not sure I do. But you could have killed all of us last night, without even trying. You didn’t. You want something from us. From me, I think. And I think it’s something I need to hear.” He paused, looking up at the taller man. “And having you get uncomfortable when you find out that Alanar used to have wings is going to put a damper on whatever you want to tell me, on account you’ll be all embarrassed and you won’t want to show it. So I’m telling you.”

Mannon snorted with amusement. “You’re impressive, Fireborn. And yes, I do want something from you. I want you to carry a message to Aria.”

“You said something about spitting in your eye,” Owyn said. “She’ll spit in mine if I bring her a message from you. And her aim is better than Alanar’s.”

“I’m hoping that by sending the message with you, you’ll be able to help her to see reason.”

Owyn sniffed. “Here’s the thing, though. She’s not exactly what you’d call reasonable where you’re concerned,” he said. “And why should she be? You’re the man who threatened to rape her the first time he laid eyes on her.”

Mannon winced. “It’s...not exactly what I said, but I can understand why she heard it that way. I phrased it...horribly.” He sighed. “I said I’d have her make me a new heir. Del can’t follow me to the throne—”

“Because he’s not the Heir,” Owyn supplied.

“Because that bitch broke him, and he’s afraid of his own shadow now,” Mannon corrected. “I had hopes that Aven might be convinced, but he follows Aria. I said that thinking that I could pair Aria with Del—”

Owyn couldn’t help it — he burst out laughing. Mannon looked sourly at him.

“If Del could speak, my ears would still be ringing,” he grumbled. “He was there, by the by. He heard the entire thing.” He shook his head. “I’d hoped that if she could pair with him, it might help him to heal.”

“She won’t have him,” Owyn blurted. He stopped, closing his eyes and mentally kicking himself. He shouldn’t have said that. Because now…

“What does that mean?” Mannon asked. Owyn sighed and looked at him.

“It means that he’s our Air. And she won’t have him. Because he’s your son.”

Mannon’s eyes widened. “My Del? Is your Airborn? My Del?”

“Unless you know another Del who’s fucking gorgeous, doesn’t talk, used to have wings, and wants Risha’s head on a plate?” Owyn asked. Mannon’s smile in response was both delighted and startling.

“Owyn, you have just made me a very happy man. And I think you’ll find Aria very reasonable when she hears the message I want you to carry. Which I cannot tell you here. I need to tell this to you someplace where I know we can be absolutely safe. So let’s go and convince your man to put his boots on, and we’ll set out. We should be at the Palace by midday.”

***

They rode out, and no one spoke much as the sun crept higher and higher overhead. Owyn could see the Palace growing larger in the distance. And he could feel Alanar growing more and more nervous.

“You’re both very quiet,” Mannon said. “I promise you, you are both completely safe.”

“Is there a reason you expect us to believe you?” Alanar asked softly. “Why are you drawing this out like this?”

“Healer, I have no intentions of killing you. You are my guests, the both of you. And your guard, when they catch us up,” Mannon answered. He hesitated. “I’m not speaking of things in the open air. You never know who is listening.”

“There’s no one around here,” Alanar said. “Us and the horses. Rabbits.” He gestured. “Over there. But not a single person to hear you.”

Mannon’s brows rose. “You’re that sensitive?”

“Level five healer,” Alanar replied.

“Can you truth-tell?” Mannon asked. “Do you know that one?”

Alanar looked startled. “I...I’ve read about it. Well, had it read to me. I know the theory.”

Mannon chuckled. “Hold your hand out.”

Alanar held one hand out, and Mannon rested his hand lightly on Alanar’s palm. “I have no intentions of killing you,” he repeated. “You are my guests, until midday the day after tomorrow. I have a message to send to the Heir, one that I cannot risk being overheard. I hope it will be enough to end this.” He took his hand back and smiled. “Well?”

Alanar lowered his hand to his saddle horn. “And now I’m even more confused,” he said.

“Why?” Owyn asked. “What was that supposed to do?”

Alanar tipped his head to the side, a position that Owyn recognized as one he took when he was thinking of how to explain something. Then he nodded. “When someone lies, there are signs a healer can read. Their heart rate increases. They start to sweat, just a little. Just enough. Basically, you can lie with your voice, but not your body. Your body shows the lie.”

“And was I telling the truth?” Mannon asked.

Alanar smiled. “You aren’t lying,” he admitted. “But I’m not sure you’re telling the truth, either.”

“Now wait a minute, Allie—”

Mannon laughed. “He means that I believe what I’m saying, and therefore, to me, it is the truth. But it might not be the actual truth.”

Alanar nodded. “That’s it. That’s exactly it. Owyn, you know about the incurables in the green level, right? The delusional ones believe their madness so completely that it’s the truth to them.”

“So I’m either telling the truth, or I’m completely, irrevocably insane,” Mannon agreed. “Which is it, Healer?”

“I have no idea,” Alanar answered. Mannon whooped with laughter, and Owyn reached out to grab Meadowfoam’s halter as the startled gelding danced away from Mannon.

“Gently,” Owyn crooned. “Easy.” He calmed the horse, then looked at Alanar. “Allie?”

“I’m fine. Startled, but fine. I knew you were there.”

“I apologize,” Mannon said, and he did sound contrite. “All of the horses in my stables know me. I forgot that yours don’t.”

“They know to stay calm when you bray like that?” Owyn snapped. Then he winced. “Fuck. Sorry. Sorry, that was—”

“Entirely accurate,” Mannon interrupted. “I do bray like a donkey. Yana used to say the same—” His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat and looked forward. “We’re almost there.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way to the Palace, and in the courtyard, Mannon gave the servants who met them orders that Owyn and Alanar be taken to the suite that was waiting for them.

“Wyn, how did he know?” Alanar asked as they followed the servants through the halls. “I don’t think he ever answered us. Did he?”

“No,” Owyn answered. “He never did. But he’s been nothing but nice to us since we met him.”

Alanar nodded. “That is true,” he said. “But I keep waiting for something to jump out at us.”

“You and me both,” Owyn said. “For now, let’s make the best of it.”

The best of it turned out to be a suite larger than their house — an enormous sitting room, two bedrooms, and a bathing room that reminded Owyn of the bath house in Forge. There were fresh clothes on the bed, and wine and small plates in the bath.

“Well, he definitely wants us comfortable,” Owyn said, lounging in the hot water and sipping from a glass of wine. “Or off guard.”

“I’d say off guard, but there are no guards,” Alanar said, sitting opposite Owyn in the large bathing pool. He unwound his long braid and started combing out his hair, then closed his eyes. “Owyn, I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

“I know,” Owyn agreed. He finished his wine and sat up. “I’m more shocked that he didn’t disarm me. I still have my whip chain. Do you want help with that?”

“No,” Alanar answered. He smiled. “I know you. If you get your hands in my hair, then we’re not getting out of this bath for another hour.”

“Because I like your hair,” Owyn said. He slipped through the water to the other side of the bathing pool, and straddled Alanar’s legs. “And I love you.”

“And if we spend an hour in here, then it’s an hour where we have no idea what is happening,” Alanar pointed out, resting one hand on Owyn’s waist. “Go dry off. I’ll be out soon, and we’ll see what we can learn.”

“Not just yet,” Owyn said. He kissed Alanar, as deep as he could without setting other things in motion. “Have to do that first,” he added as he moved away and climbed out of the bath. He wrapped a drying sheet around himself, then took a deep breath. “Right. Let’s see what we see.”

He walked out into the bedroom, going through the clothes until he found things that would fit him. Barefoot, he walked out into the sitting room and started looking for a bell. If this was like Granna Meris’ house, there’d be a bell. At least, he thought there’d be a bell. Best to get this started. Before he found it, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in?” Owyn called.

A servant entered, standing by the door with his hands tucked behind his back. “Your pardon, Fireborn, but the master asks if you’re ready to meet?”

“Just about, yes,” Owyn answered. “Where’s the bell? I was looking for it.”

The servant came further into the room and showed Owyn a row of braided cords hanging against the far wall. “Blue is for service. That will call me,” he said. “Green is for the kitchens. Red is for the guard. You shouldn’t need that one.”

“Right. And if I’m calling you, what do I call you?” Owyn asked.

The servant smiled. “Denis, Fireborn.”

“Thank you, Denis. If you’ll let Mannon know we’re just about ready?”

“Of course, Fireborn. There’s supper, when you’re ready for it. Shall I bring it?” When Owyn nodded, Denis bowed and left the room. Owyn went back to the bedroom. Alanar was out of the bath, and drying off.

“We’ve got our own servant,” Owyn told him. “His name is Denis. And he’s gone off to tell Mannon we’re ready and to get us something to eat.”

“Help me dress, then?” Alanar asked. “I’m not sure what we’ve got.”

“We could distract him,” Owyn said. “You could go out in your hair and nothing else.”

Alanar grinned. “Distract who?”

“All right. Distract me. Here. These look long enough for your legs.” Owyn handed Alanar a pair of loose dark-gray trousers. Through the partially-open bedroom door, he heard a knock. Then Mannon’s voice, calling, “Fireborn?”

“Just a moment!” Owyn called back. He helped Alanar into a wrapped shirt made from a deep blue silk, and stepped back to admire him. “That’s a good color on you. We’ll have to get more of it.”

“What color is it?” Alanar asked.

“Dark blue. Like right before the stars come out.” He smiled and took Alanar’s hand. “Come on.”

They walked out into the sitting room, where Mannon was waiting for them.

He wasn’t alone.

Owyn stared for a moment, not sure he was really seeing what was in front of him. Who was in front of him. His voice cracked when he finally gasped, “Mem?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

It had only been a few months. But Memfis looked older, thinner. His hair was longer than he usually kept it, and there was more gray than Owyn remembered. But it was him.

It was him.

“Mem,” he repeated, and heard his voice crack. It didn’t sound right. The name...just didn’t sound right. Then he realized what was wrong. “Fa.”

It wasn’t until he was throwing himself into Memfis’ arms that he even registered that he had dropped Alanar’s hand, that he was even moving. Then Memfis was hugging him tightly, an embrace he hadn’t realized that he desperately missed. And he didn’t realize that he was crying until Memfis wiped the tears from his cheeks.

“Mouse. I’m so sorry,” Memfis said, his breath ruffling Owyn’s hair. “I was wrong. I was wrong and I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.”

Owyn nodded, sniffing. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Yeah, you should have. But it’s over now. It’s done.” He wiped his nose on the back of his hand and stepped back. “You been here? The whole time?” He frowned, then looked at Mannon. “That’s how you knew we were coming? Mem told you? You were looking in the smoke, Mem? For him?”

Memfis nodded. “I did. And yes, I did.”

“How? I have your blades,” Owyn demanded. “They found them in the tunnels.”

Memfis smiled. “Good. I thought I’d lost them. Mannon provided me with another set. They’re good, but they’re not mine.”

Owyn studied Memfis. “When I looked into the smoke, I saw you. And you were chained up, in a fancy room—”

“Must have been from right after you got here,” Mannon offered.

“And there was wine,” Owyn finished.

“Definitely right after you got here, then,” Mannon confirmed. “You tell him, Memfis. He’s still not sure if he can believe me.”

Memfis nodded. “Let’s sit. Have you boys eaten?”

“Not yet,” Alanar said. “Denis is bringing something. It’s good to hear your voice again, Memfis.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Memfis said. He rested his hand on Owyn’s shoulder and they made their way to the couches — a pair of overstuffed ones that faced each other over a low table. Owyn stepped away from Memfis and took Alanar’s hand, leading him to one. Memfis sat on the one facing them, and Mannon took a chair set slightly away from them.

“All right,” Memfis said. “I’ll start at the beginning. I went hunting visions, and was misdirected in the tunnels by Risha’s people. And I was waylaid by guards while trying to find my way out.” He rubbed his hands on his trousers. “I woke up in a cell. I’m not sure how long I was there. I couldn’t see out. A few days, at least. Then guards came and brought me here.”

“It was when the guards I had assigned to Risha rotated out of the Terrace tunnels, and I found out that Risha had taken a prisoner and not told me,” Mannon offered. “I sent a cart, and told her that I wanted him here.”

“You had guards assigned there?” Alanar asked. “And you still had no idea what she was doing?”

Mannon took a deep breath. “None. Once I came back here after Terraces fell and Risha ran, I had a long talk with the guards who’d been assigned there. There were several I found who helped her, and kept information from me. They were all charged as accessories to her crimes, and they’re all down in the dungeons, waiting to be sentenced with her.”

Alanar nodded. Then he asked, “Did any of them mention Virrik?”

Mannon closed his eyes. “One of them. Graphically.”

Owyn squeezed Alanar’s hand. “Either we’ll find her, or Mannon will. She’ll pay, Allie.”

Mannon leaned forward in his chair, a look of concern on his face. “This Virrik, he was someone important to you?” he asked. “They told me he was a student healer.”

“He was one of my training partners, and he was my lover,” Alanar answered. “I didn’t know why he’d left me. I couldn’t even imagine the idea that Risha was removing students she thought could challenge her as Senior Healer.” He turned to Owyn. “Wyn, that means I was next, doesn’t it? I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but she would have killed me next.”

“She can’t hurt you anymore, Allie,” Owyn said. He smiled and raised Alanar’s hand to kiss his knuckles. “She’ll have to go through me.”

“Owyn, what are you wearing?” Memfis asked. Owyn looked down to see that his shirt cuff had slid back to reveal his pledge bracelet.

“Oh, I…” Owyn sputtered, looked at Alanar, and laughed. He sat up straighter and looked across at his adoptive father. “Mem, Alanar and I are getting married.”

“And Aria gave her permission?” Memfis asked, sounding stunned.

Owyn looked at Alanar, and told the truth. Half the truth. “She didn’t say no.”

“Well,” Memfis breathed. “That’s...I don’t even know. I’m...I don’t know what I am.” He looked at Mannon. “My boy is getting married.”

“I did know that, Memfis,” Mannon said with a smile. “I knew it first. Now, back to the story. My turn?”

“Go ahead.”

Mannon nodded. “Del and I were in Forge when Memfis arrived at the Palace. That city is in a constant state of chaos, and it’s been getting worse these past few months.” He paused, looking at Owyn. “Remind me to ask you about what happened to Fandor.”

“He’s dead,” Owyn answered. “I’m not. Is there anything else you need to know?”

Mannon snickered, looking at Memfis. “I know he’s not your blood, but he reminds me so blasted much of you when you were his age!” Memfis shrugged, and Mannon turned back to Owyn and Alanar. “I’d left orders that Memfis was to be treated as an honored guest, but the guards decided that honored prisoner was the safer path. So they kept him in chains, and made sure his every need was seen to. Including, to my regret, wine. Thankfully, that only lasted a few days.”

Memfis snorted. “And it took me almost a month to stop craving it again. It’s harder to crawl out of the bottle a second time.”

“Oh, no!” Owyn groaned. “Mem!”

“I thought I’d lost everything, Mouse,” Memfis said. He shrugged. “I crawled back into the bottle that first night and was waiting to die.”

“And I didn’t let him.” Mannon grinned when Memfis looked at him. “Ordered him not to. And he listened. First time for everything.”

Owyn nodded slowly. “Why?” he asked Mannon. “Why keep him alive? Us alive? We’re a threat to you. Aren’t we?”

“I thought everyone was a threat to me, once,” Mannon said, leaning back in his chair. “It took me a long time, and some outside influence, to learn I was wrong. About many things.” He looked over his shoulder. “Sounds like the servants with your meal. Shall we wait to continue?”

“Can we talk and eat?” Owyn asked. “Because I’m trying to figure times, and nothing is adding up. Mem was only gone about a week before things went bad and Risha tried to kill Aven and Aria. And she only had them for a day and a half, roughly. She sent for you, and...look, here’s the question. How’d you get word, and then get to Terraces so fast?”

“There was a guard station halfway between Terraces and the Palace, near a place called Half Moon Bay,” Mannon answered. “Half Moon was leveled during the winter storms. But before that, there was a posting station there. I’m guessing no one told you because there’s no one there, currently.” He smiled. “You look confused. A posting station is a place to change horses, for guards or messengers on the move. There used to be guard stations every ten or fifteen miles or so, all along the coast road. But given the shortages, I haven’t been able to keep them up.” He looked thoughtful, then asked, “It took you how long to reach the ruins from Terraces?”

“Two days,” Owyn answered. “We stopped last night.”

“And from Forge to Terraces?”

“Twelve days,” Owyn answered. “Why?”

“Because it gives me an idea of how fast you travel. And it tells me that neither of you are experienced riders,” Mannon said. Owyn nodded, and Mannon continued. “You’re going slower than I would, and making more stops to rest your horses and to rest yourselves. For me, or for my guard, we can make it from the Palace to Terraces in just under half a day. And that’s with stopping at the posting station and keeping minimal breaks for comfort stops. Del was trained the same way, for all that he looks like he’ll wilt with a harsh word. So, how did I get there so fast? Risha sent her guard out to tell me at dawn. He reached the Palace just after midday, and we were on the road in under an hour. And rode right into that storm. That’s the only thing that slowed us down — it took us longer than it should have to make the trip.” He fell silent as the servants filed into the room, carrying trays and covered dishes, plates and glasses and pitchers. They set everything up on the low table, then withdrew, and Mannon waited until they were gone to continue. “To go to Forge, I go by ship. It takes about a day in a good wind.”

Owyn nodded. “Right.” He paused, reached out and picked up a cover to see what was underneath. “There’s food, love. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s food.”

“It smells good,” Alanar said. “Just fill a plate for me?”

“I’ll do it,” Memfis said. “Go on and keep talking.” He leaned forward and started uncovering dishes. Owyn turned back to Mannon.

“All right. Got another question. You kept Memfis as a guest, not a prisoner. Why?”

“Because I hoped he’d be receptive to talking,” Mannon answered. “If everything had gone the way I’d hoped, I’d have brought him back to Terraces months ago to sit down with Aria. But because of bad timing, Del and I came back from Forge in enough time to pull Memfis out of a bottle. I gave orders to not allow him any more alcohol, but before he was completely sober, Risha’s guard arrived with the message that I was urgently needed in Terraces. So Del and I were off again, and you know where Del is now. When I came back to the Palace, Memfis was sober enough that I could tell him what I am going to tell you. He agreed to act as a counselor—”

“You what?” Owyn gasped.

“Let him tell it, Mouse,” Memfis said. “Here. This is for Alanar.”

Owyn took the plate and handed it to Alanar. “Ah...let’s see. You have...green stuff north. Some kind of meat in sauce west. Brown stuff south east, and a roll north east.”

“You make it sound so appetizing,” Alanar grumbled, and Mannon snorted with laughter.

“The green stuff is cooked broadleaf with garlic,” he said. “The meat is venison, and the sauce has cherries and wild mushrooms. The brown stuff is stewed fruit. Apples and pears, from the smell.”

Owyn took a plate from Memfis and sniffed the stewed fruit. “Stewed in what?” he asked.

“Cider, usually,” Mannon answered. “That’s how I like it.” He got up and came over to the table, looking over the bowls.

“Your usual?” Memfis asked.

“If you don’t mind?”

“Then sit over here,” Memfis said as he started to fill another plate. “I’m not carrying this around the room.” Mannon laughed and sat down next to him, smiling at Memfis as he handed the plate to him. Owyn studied them for a moment, and the mouthful of food turned to sawdust in his mouth.

“What?” Alanar asked. “What’s wrong?”

Owyn swallowed, coughed, grabbed for one of the glasses and a pitcher. He filled the glass, took a gulp of what proved to be cider, then coughed again. Only then did he look at Memfis and croak, “Really?”

Memfis looked at him. He frowned. Then he looked at Mannon. “Oh,” he breathed. He looked back at Owyn. “No.”

“Could have fooled me,” Owyn said. He paused, thought about what he’d said, then realized something. “Well, fuck. I just did to you—”

“What I did to you months ago. Yes.” Memfis took a deep breath. “And now I see why it bothered you so much. Again, I apologize. I should have trusted you. And you should trust me. No, Mouse. I’m not sleeping with him.”

Mannon sputtered, caught with a mouthful of cider. He coughed, wiped his mouth, then glared at Memfis. “You waited until I had a full mouth to do that!”

Memfis looked at him. “I didn’t, but you can think what you like.” He picked a napkin up off the table and handed it to Mannon before turning back to Owyn. “I’m not sharing his bed. But I am supporting him in this plan. He’s convinced me.”

“And since my best counselor is currently learning to be a fish, I’m glad of it,” Mannon added. “The truth of the matter is that I am holding the throne without the benefit of Companions. Memfis has been a great help to me over the past few months.”

“But why?” Alanar asked. He set his plate down on the couch next to him. “I still don’t understand how you convinced Memfis to help you. What are we missing?”

Mannon looked at Memfis, then around the room. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then asked, “Alanar, is there anyone in earshot?”

Alanar looked startled. Then he cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes. “No. No one close.”

“This is why,” Mannon said. “Hold out your hand.” He took something from his pocket and reached across the table to drop it into Alanar’s outstretched hand. Owyn stared in disbelief at the ornately carved gem — it was clear, with what looked like clouds swirled deep in the heart of it.

“Fuck me sideways,” he breathed. “That...that’s yours?”

“Is this what I think it is?” Alanar asked. He picked the gem up and held it between his fingers. “Is it Fire or Air?”

“Air,” Owyn answered. He looked closer, then looked at Mannon. “You were Yana’s Air? We were told that she never had her Companions.”

“She had two,” Mannon answered. “Her Fire was a young man who followed her out of Forge.” He frowned, then shook his head. “I never knew him. He died in that last battle, and his ashes were interred at the Temple with the other Companions.” He paused. “Delandri. That was his name. Del was named for him. And there was me. She gave me this when she woke after the battle.” Mannon reached out and took the stone from Alanar, studying it for a moment. His expression grew somber, then sad. “The moment she laughed and put this in my hand, and called me hers, I knew that I’d been wrong. That everything I’d done was wrong. That if I’d waited, as my father told me, that I’d have found my purpose. Everything I’d done since then has been an attempt to right those wrongs.”

Owyn frowned. “Kidnapping Aria. Murdering her mother. Maybe killing Aven’s mother, too. Trying to burn Forge. All that was to right wrongs?”

Mannon closed his eyes. “Liara’s death was a mistake, one that I didn’t know about until the survivors of the shipwreck limped back into harbor and they told me that they’d taken a prisoner at the ruins of the Temple—”

“That’s another one!” Owyn interjected.

“Mouse,” Memfis said softly.

“No, it’s a fair question,” Mannon said. “Destroying the temple came about a year before that battle, once I knew there was an Heir in the world again. I hadn’t yet met Yana. So that was one of my wrongs.” He shook his head. “One of my greatest wrongs.”

Owyn nodded, looking at Alanar. “What do you think?”

“Why didn’t you just step down when Yana chose you?” Alanar asked. “If you understood that what you had done was wrong?”

Mannon took a deep breath. “There...were reasons—”

“Tell them the whole truth,” Memfis growled softly. “That was the deal. I would tell you how to reach them if you told them the whole truth.”

Mannon nodded. “It was.” He looked across at Owyn and Alanar. “Yana was injured in the last battle. A blow to the head. When she was brought to me, we weren’t certain that she’d ever wake. And when she did wake, her mind was gone. She was like a child. I wasn’t so much her Companion as I was her caretaker. She could never have taken the throne.” He leaned back in his chair. “If there’d been more than just me, perhaps. But Delandri was dead. He never knew his son—”

“Del isn’t yours?” Owyn blurted.

“Oh, he’s my son, as much as you are Memfis’ son,” Mannon answered. “I’m the one who rocked him at night when he cried. I soothed his nightmares and steadied his first steps. I raised him. I love him.” He stopped and closed his eyes. “And when he needed me the most, I wasn’t there. I came back from Forge to find my Yana dead, and my son broken. I didn’t know for years the truth of what Risha had done to him, and by then she was Senior Healer and I had no one to replace her. I think she knew I was going to. I think that’s why she was targeting her potential replacements.” He looked down at the gem, then put it back into his pocket. “I’ve been waiting since Yana died for this moment. The message that I want you to carry to Aria is that I am ready to stand down. I will hold the throne in her name until she makes the journey to the Temple ruins to claim Axia’s Crown.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Owyn stared at him for a moment. “You...you’re abdicating,” he said. “Now. Why not when you knew Aria was Heir?”

Mannon took a deep breath. He picked up his cup of cider and took a sip. “I’m assuming that you’re learning about governance? Tribal laws and customs and all of that?”

Owyn nodded. “Yeah. We all are. Well, all of us that are here.”

“Del probably knows more than any of you,” Mannon said. “He’s been learning about governance since he was tall enough to see over my desk. What do you think would have happened if I’d stepped down when I first learned about Aria? Before she found you or her other Companions. Before any of you knew what you were doing?”

Owyn picked up his own cup. He drank some of the cider and considered the question. What would have happened?

“Oh,” he murmured. He nodded slowly. “All right. I think I get it.”

“Good,” Alanar said. “Explain it to those of us who have no idea about governance.”

Owyn smiled at him. “To put it bluntly? Aria wasn’t ready to take the throne. Not then, and I don’t think she is yet. We’re none of us ready. So if Mannon stepped down when he first met Aria, well...she would have been run roughshod over, by people like Fandor and Risha.”

“None of you have the training you should have had. Which is my fault,” Mannon said. “I will make it very public that I stand as regent, and that when Aria goes to the Temple and receives the Crown, that I will stand down. And...I will face whatever judgment she offers.” He set his cup down. “I didn’t stand down for Yana because she couldn’t rule. I told her that I would hold the throne for her, and for our son. I honestly thought that I would standing down for Del. I thought that because he was the child of the Heir, that he would be the one to follow her. That’s usually the line of succession.” He spread his hands. “Then Risha...well, you know what happened. I didn’t think he could take the throne either. So I had no viable heir, and the actual Heir was dead.” He shrugged. “I kept moving forward. I kept on. I trained Del as if he were going to follow me in case he had to. And then Aria appeared. When I first met her, she was with my brother Jehan, Aleia and Aven. And she swore that she did not have the Diadem. That it and the Companion gems had been taken from her, and she didn’t know where they were or what had happened to them.” He paused, and sat up straight. “But Aven had his Water gem. I saw it on him when we pulled him out of that torture chamber. Did she lie to me?”

Owyn shook his head. “Before they found me. I don’t know.”

“No,” Memfis answered. “She wasn’t lying. Aven told me that Aria didn’t know he was carrying the Diadem and the gems.”

Mannon nodded. “I was wondering if she was that good a liar. Usually, I can tell. No matter. She holds the Diadem. She’ll hold the Crown. I will hold the throne in her name until she is ready.”

Owyn closed his eyes, trying to think. What would Aven say? How would he react to the story that Mannon had told them?

Aven wouldn’t believe him. Not for a minute.

“Alanar?” Owyn said. “Has he been telling the truth?” He looked at Alanar, who frowned slightly.

“As far as I can determine? Yes.”

Owyn nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “All right. I’ll carry your message. But I want it in writing, in your own hand. Including the bit about abiding by whatever judgment she sees fit. You were responsible for killing her parents, after all.”

“Milon didn’t die at my hand. He died from his injuries, but I shouldn’t argue the point. He died because of my actions, therefore I was responsible for his death, and Liara’s, and a great many other deaths.” Mannon sighed. “Done. I’ll have it for you in the morning. You are still welcome to stay another day.” He glanced at Memfis. “Especially since you have news to share.”

Owyn considered, then shook his head. “No, the only way we’ll be able to manage this is to go back, deliver the message, and then set back out for the Solstice Village—”

“I could send you back by ship,” Mannon offered. “You’ll be in Terraces in a few hours. Then you can go north in comfort, at least until you reach Featherfall. It’ll be rough from there — the roads east into the mountains are hard going, even in the spring. There’s still snow on the ground, up high, and will be until high summer.” He paused, then added, “Or I could send a messenger for you. If all you were doing was going to the Solstice village to send a message to Alanar’s mother’s flock, I can send a messenger. Unless you think they’d want to see you, to confirm that I’m not trying to delude them into anything?”

Alanar hummed softly. “I don’t know, to be honest. My grandfather was old when I was there last. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. They’re not exactly communicative.”

Owyn picked up his cup again, sipping slowly. If they sent a messenger to the Solstice village, that would be the end of their trip. They’d head back to Terraces tomorrow or the next day. Which meant that there would be no other messages sent out to the deep. He wasn’t going to tell Mannon that the Companion bond was fractured, or that they had no idea if Aven and Del were going to come back. He couldn’t — not when they were so close to fulfilling the prophecy and the Mother’s bidding. Aria on the throne…

With two of her four Companions. Would that be legitimate? He had no idea. Probably no worse than Mannon’s rule, but they needed to do this right.

Which means that they needed to get Aven and Del back.

“I think we’ll ride on,” he said slowly. “But I’ll let you know definitely one way or the other tomorrow. Regardless, we’ll leave the day after. I want to have a look at your records, if I may?”

To his surprise, Mannon smiled broadly. “Of course! I was hoping you’d say that. I want Aria to know her future house is in order.” He glanced at Memfis, then stood up. “I’ll let you have your privacy now. Thank you, Fireborn, for being willing to listen. Healer Alanar, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

“If we’re staying a day, I’d be happy to make my rounds in the Palace, if you have need?” Alanar offered.

“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll have my steward make the arrangements. Owyn, we’ll meet with him tomorrow over the records,” Manon said. “I’ll leave you in peace now. And if you decide not to dine with me tonight, I will see you in the morning.” Then he turned and left.

Owyn said nothing for several minutes. Not until Alanar murmured, “He’s out of earshot now.”

“Fuck me,” Owyn breathed, slumping back in the couch. “That...that was not what I was expecting.” He looked across at Memfis. “You couldn’t send one message?”

Memfis spread his hands. “I would have, if I could. He considers me a counselor, but I have no freedom. If you’d asked for me to leave with you, he’d have refused. I’m a very pampered prisoner, Mouse. I haven’t seen the outside of the walls since I was brought here.”

“You seem to be getting along very well with him,” Alanar said.

Memfis scowled in response. “I’m not entirely sure of him,” he said. “But based on what I’ve learned and what I’ve seen, I’m willing to follow him. For now. Mother of us all, Mouse, it’s good to see you.” He paused, and Owyn got the message — drop it. He rested his hand on Alanar’s arm, and Memfis smiled. “Tell me, how is everyone?”

Owyn answered without hesitation, and lied his head off. “Aria is good. Working too hard, not sleeping enough. Pushing back when I try to take care of her. She’s still mad at me, I think. Aven is taking his season. Recovering from what Risha did to him. He’ll be back soon, we think. Del went with him, to help him. And because Aria didn’t want him around. Treesi is a full healer now.” He frowned. “Wait, did you know that she’s our Earth? I forget.”

“It’s only been a few months, Mouse,” Memfis replied. “Yes, I did know. Now you just need your Air—”

“That’s Del,” Owyn interrupted. “We all recognized him. Once he and Aven come back, we’ll be whole. Once Aria calms down about him, that is. She’s pushing back on him, because he’s Mannon’s blood. Because we thought he was Mannon’s blood.”

“Del?” Memfis looked stunned. “That means you have two Companions taking a season at the same time?”

“It’s not like we’re ruling yet, Mem,” Owyn pointed out. “We’ve been focused on rebuilding Terraces. It was hit hard. And that’s been giving Aria some good practice in administration. Me, too. And, honestly, it was better that Aven not go alone. He…wasn’t in a good place.” He glanced at Alanar, then sighed. “He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to change again.”

Memfis’ jaw dropped. “I...Mannon didn’t give me all the details. Do I want to know?”

“Just know that what Risha did to him is what killed my Virrik,” Alanar said.

“And Virrik is who we found in the cove,” Owyn added.

Memfis swore softly. “I...I understand now why you didn’t let him go alone. And...can he? Do you know?”

Owyn nodded. “I went out into the water with him, Mem. Waist deep. And I held his hand while he changed.”

“You? You went into salt water?” Memfis shook his head. “I’m dreaming.”

“Fuck you very much,” Owyn growled.

Memfis grinned. “I have missed you so much, Mouse.” He shook his head. “What else?”

“Umm...Rhexa was right,” Owyn said after a moment. “Jehan confirmed it—”

“Jehan? Aven’s father? Where did he come from?” Memfis demanded.

Owyn coughed. “Jehan was locked up in the green levels. I saw him when I went hunting visions, and we found him when we went after Aven. Mannon didn’t tell you?”

“Jehan is Senior Healer now,” Alanar added.

Memfis stared at them for a moment, then cleared his throat. “And Aleia?”

Owyn shook his head. “She wasn’t there. We don’t know. I...Jehan thinks that if she was ever in Terraces, that Risha would have killed her, the way she killed Virrik.”

Memfis closed his eyes. “Mother hold her. I hope not,” he murmured. Then he opened his eyes. “Rhexa was right. You’re her nephew?”

Owyn nodded. “I can’t get my mind around the new name, though. She tried calling me Jaxis, and I never answered. I’m Owyn, and I always will be. But I’m in the rolls at Terraces as Owyn Jaxis, son of Dyneh, Huris, and Memfis.”

Memfis blinked. “Crowded bed, that.”

Alanar giggled. “You just need a bigger bed,” he said with a laugh. “A nice wide one, like we have.”

Owyn grinned and leaned into Alanar’s arm. “What else? Ah...we moved. After everything that happened, Aria couldn’t stay in the same house. We’re across from Auntie, now, and closer to the healing complex. Umm—” He looked at Alanar. “What else?”

“Pirit is alive,” Alanar added. “Teva betrayed us, threw his lot in with Risha. Hurt Marik badly enough that he lost his eye.”

“Pirit? Jehan’s mother? Is alive?” Memfis shook his head. “I’ve missed a lot. Is she still intimidating?”

Owyn answered, “No,” at the same time as Alanar answered, “Yes.” They both burst into laughter. Memfis smiled at them.

“And you’re getting married,” he said. “I never expected to see that. When?”

“Well, Alanar asked me...what, all of two days ago?” Owyn asked. Alanar nodded. “So we haven’t thought that far ahead.”

Memfis looked startled. “You planned this entire trip in two days?” he asked. He looked around, then lowered his voice. “Alanar?”

“Still no one close enough to hear,” Alanar answered.

“Then what the fuck is really going on?” Memfis demanded.

“Well, we are really getting married,” Owyn answered. “But we planned this trip to hit as many Water villages as possible, because we aren’t sure Aven is coming back. Aria...well, she fucked up. Badly. She said that she wouldn’t have Mannon’s blood at her side or in her bed.” Memfis winced, and Owyn nodded. “Right. Especially since now we know that Del isn’t, but Aven is. And it was right after he woke up, and we weren’t even sure he was going to walk again, let alone change. We made the mistake of leaving him alone, and he snuck out, with Del helping him. And he left his gem behind.” He looked at Alanar. Tell Memfis that Aria was pregnant? No. Better to keep that secret. “We need him back, because things are falling apart. I’ve been trying, but it’s just me, and I can’t. Aria isn’t in Terraces. She went back to Forge. Without telling me she was going. She closed me out, she took Treesi and she left. So...I can’t fix it. I need Aven back.” He sighed and looked down at his hands. “I don’t have to tell you not to tell him that, right?”

“No, you don’t,” Memfis said. “Mouse—”

“I don’t think there’s anything in any of the histories that says that being a Companion would be easy,” Owyn said. “I just didn’t think it would be so fucking lonely.”

“You’re not alone anymore,” Alanar said. He slid his arm around Owyn’s shoulders. “I’m here.”

Owyn nodded. He closed his eyes. “So, that’s why we’re riding. We have to hit all the Water villages. I’ve already sent messages from Sanctuary and from Shadow Cove. Half Moon was our next stop, but they’re gone. The plan was overnight at the ruins, then head east, for the Solstice village.”

“And hopefully, by the time we get back to Terraces, Aven and Del will be back, and we can figure out the next step.” Alanar started rubbing the back of Owyn’s neck. “Wyn, you’re doing fine.”

“I don’t feel fine,” Owyn muttered. “I feel like I’m missing something.” He frowned. “How are we supposed to go north if we’re supposed to go back to Terraces with the message for Aria? I may have backed us into a corner. We might have to go back.”

“Or we can ask if stopping back in the Palace on our way back is an option, and we can get the message to deliver then,” Alanar suggested. Owyn nodded. Then he tipped his head onto Alanar’s shoulder.

“Maybe we should just go back,” he murmured. “If he’s going to stand down for Aria...maybe I sent enough messages. Maybe he’ll be there when we get back?”

“And maybe my wings will grow back in and I can fly out to meet him,” Alanar offered, and Owyn scowled at him. “You’re making that face, aren’t you?” Alanar asked. “The one you make when you know I’m right.”

“I don’t have a face like that,” Owyn protested. “And anyway, how do you even know I have that face?”

Alanar grinned. “I know you, love. And we can talk about it. We don’t have to decide right now. You told Mannon that you’d tell him in the morning.”

Owyn nodded, looking across to Memfis, who was sitting and looked to be paying rapt attention to Owyn and Alanar. Except that he was frowning — a slight wrinkle between his brows told Owyn that, while Memfis’ body was here, his mind was ranging.

“What are you thinking, Fa?”

Memfis smiled. “I’m thinking I’m still not used to hearing you call me that,” he answered. “And wondering if Mannon knew any of that.”

“He didn’t know about Del,” Alanar said. “He didn’t know that Aven survived. You can’t hide that much surprise. Not from a healer.”

“I think his source of information from Terraces dried up and blew away when Risha and Teva ran for it.” Owyn offered. “How bad were the storms here, Mem?”

“Half the lower Palace flooded,” Memfis answered. “There are parts of the lower levels that are still unusable. One of the towers was undermined, and is completely off limits.” He leaned back and rubbed his forehead. “Repairs have started. I’m overseeing those.” He smiled. “I want to hand a well-kept Palace over to Heir.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, once she gets her head back on straight,” Owyn said, and winced at the tart tone to his voice. Alanar’s arm tightened around him.

“She’ll figure out her way, Owyn,” he said. “She just needed to get out of sight for a while. She’s under so much pressure.”

Owyn sighed and nodded. “I know. I just wish she’d trusted me to help her.” He shrugged. “But then, I did lay into her pretty hard about what she did to Aven and Del. Maybe she thinks she can’t trust me anymore. Maybe we really are broken beyond repair.”

“Don’t say that,” Memfis said. “You said it yourself, Owyn. No one ever said that this would be easy.”

“And I said that the Mother is still working on us,” Owyn added. “Remember that? We weren’t ready when we got to Terraces. We’re still not ready. She’s got us on her anvil and She’s working us hard — fuck, Mem. If this is what ore feels like, I’m going to have a hard time going back to working a forge!”

Alanar moved, taking his arm from around Owyn’s shoulders. He mimed hammering something on an imaginary anvil, saying “Ow!” with every stroke. He stopped and shrugged. “You know, there are some that like that sort of treatment.”

“Not me,” Owyn said. “But yeah, we’re on the anvil. We’ll either come away as finished, or we’ll shatter from too much working. And I don’t think I can tell which it will be from here. Not from inside.”

“I doubt the ore can ever tell what it will be when it’s finished. It’s all up to the smith,” Memfis said.

Owyn shook his head. “I don’t know. If you want a good tool, you have to start with good ore. But sometimes, all you have is pot metal, and you have to make the best of it. You taught me that, Mem. So, did the Mother pick us because we were good ore, or because we were all she had to work with?” He ran his nails over his chin, feeling the scratch of whiskers. “I forgot to shave.”

“You’re not pot metal, Wyn,” Alanar said. “Even when you’re scratchy. The Mother chose you because you were what she needed.” He poked Owyn in the ribs. “Do you really think that the Mother is willing to settle for pot metal? She had the entire Fire tribe to choose from. She chose you. Because you were the right person.”

Owyn sighed. “Sometimes, it doesn’t feel that way,” he grumbled. “It doesn’t feel like I’m doing any good at all. I mean, really, who am I to be chosen by the Mother to stand for the whole tribe? Anyone else would have been better! I mean, literally anyone else!”

Alanar chuckled, leaned close, and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s how we know you’re the right person,” he murmured.

Owyn snorted. “You know that don’t make any sense?” he asked.

“It does,” Alanar insisted. “Consider what happened when someone decided that they deserved the throne, no matter what the Mother said.”

Owyn frowned, then looked toward the door. “Oh,” he said. “So because I don’t think I’m right for this—”

“It makes you perfect,” Alanar finished.

Owyn thought about it, then shook his head. “Nope. Still don’t make any sense,” he said, laughing. “I told you. I can’t tell from inside.”

“You’re too close,” Memfis agreed. “Trust Alanar. He’s right.” He got up and brushed off his trousers. “I’ll let you two have some privacy. The evening meal is the first bell after sunset. Denis can show you to the dining room.” He left the room, and Owyn slumped against Alanar’s side.

“I dunno why I thought I’d be good at this, Allie,” he murmured. “I can’t lie for shit.”

“You did fine,” Alanar said softly.

“I lied to Mem!”

“And he didn’t notice. He can’t share a truth he doesn’t know.” Alanar hugged Owyn tightly. “We’ll be fine. Tomorrow, you’ll check the records and I’ll see to the servants. Maybe I’ll learn something. And we’ll decide if we’re going north or south. For now...I think I want to explore the bed.”

Owyn looked at him. “Explore the bed?”

Alanar smiled. “Let’s go find all the places where the bed squeaks.” His smile broadened. “Or all the places in the bed where I can make you squeak.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Denis led Owyn into a large room that was lined on both sides with floor to ceiling bookshelves. The far wall was entirely made of windows, and Owyn turned in a circle and whistled.

“I’ve never seen this many books in one place ever!” he breathed. “How many are there?”

He heard a laugh that seemed to come from a table positioned in front of the windows, which was piled high with books. “Thank you, Denis,” Mannon said as he stood up. “And, to answer the question, according to the catalog, there are about three thousand books in the Palace, spread between this library and the smaller reading room in the Heir’s Tower.” He grimaced. “Which we will hopefully not lose if that tower decides to crumble.”

“Is that the one that was undermined?” Owyn asked. “Mem mentioned something about it.”

“Yes, and it’s not safe to enter,” Mannon replied. “So Memfis and the architects have the unenviable task of trying to figure out how to save a structure they can’t safely inspect.” He gestured to an empty chair at the table. “I missed you at the evening meal last night.”

Owyn took a seat. “We went to bed early last night. It’s been a long few days.”

Mannon chuckled. “And a long few days without a real bed?” he said, and Owyn felt his face grow warm. Mannon just shook his head. “I apologize, Fireborn. But I was young once, too. I remember.”

“You can call me Owyn,” Owyn said. “And three thousand books? Really?” He turned in his seat to look around. “Is that all there are?”

“If you mean all the books that have ever been written?” Mannon asked. “No. There are books that were written ages ago, and the only way we know of them is that we have references to them in other books.” He looked around. “Books are temporary treasures. But the knowledge in them? That lasts.”

“Not if nobody knows it,” Owyn countered. “How much of this stuff is still being taught? How many copies of these books exist outside this room? If that tower fell tomorrow, how much knowledge would be lost forever?”

“A very good point, and one I haven’t had time to give more than a passing thought to.” Mannon nodded. “So how do you save that knowledge?”

Owyn leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Spread it out. More copies of those books, in more places. True copies, not like what Risha tried to do.”

“What did Risha try to do?” Mannon asked.

“She changed the textbooks that healers-in-training were given, so that they said that Water and Air were subhuman,” Owyn answered. “It was Jehan’s book she messed with. Do you know he’s fucking terrifying when he’s mad?”

Mannon snorted. “Having been on the receiving end of that anger? Yes, I do. She changed Comparative Anatomy of the Tribes? And expected no one to notice?”

“She’d already killed off any of the healers who would have, in the purges...hey.” Owyn stopped and sat up. “You were supposed to be behind those!”

“I was?” Mannon looked startled. “Behind killing healers?” He frowned. Then he scowled. “I think I need to have a few more words with those traitors who used to be my guardsmen.” He shook his head. “I had no idea that things had been subverted so badly in the Earth tribe. I knew there were problems with the healing centers—”

“There are no other healing centers,” Owyn interjected. “None. Because you were supposed to have ordered them all destroyed when you found out the healers were working against you.”

Mannon stared at him. “You seem to be making the assumption that what you know about me is the truth,” he said. “As I said, I had no idea that things had been subverted so badly. I let Risha handle things there. Mostly, to keep her occupied and away from Del, but also because she became Senior Healer and she followed me. At least, I thought she followed me. Now...well, I’m regretting that choice. But I spent a great deal of time focusing on Fire, and on the rebellions that seemed to spring up there every time I looked away, so perhaps the fault is my own for not seeing.” He looked at Owyn, then smiled. “Yes, I know. The fault is entirely mine, from beginning to end. I’m trying to make things right, and it only seems to get worse.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just hoping that I’m standing down in time to let Aria do what needs to be done.”

Owyn leaned back in his chair and studied Mannon. “You know, I don’t understand you,” he said. “You could have stood down years ago. You could have named yourself regent for Yana, the same way you’re planning on doing for Aria—”

“Don’t think that I haven’t had those thoughts,” Mannon interrupted. “Should I have taken her North, or out to the deep, to find her other two Companions so that I wouldn’t be the only one? What happens when a Companion dies? I’ve checked the records, and I can’t find anything that says — apparently, there’s never been a Companion that died before their Firstborn. There might be something in the Companion lore, the information that only they’re taught. Jehan would know. You can ask him when you get back. But, going back to Yana, her Fire was dead. Should I take her back to Forge, and risk riots in her name so that she could find a new Fire?” he sighed and shook his head. “There are so many things that I could have done and didn’t. And none of it matters because we’re here now. We can only go forward.”

Owyn nodded. “I understand that,” he agreed. “So...show me your books?”

They spent the rest of the morning going over ledgers and accounts and record books. Mannon even brought out his personal journals of research, then ordered cider and light snacks to be served as they discussed his attempts to revitalize the farmlands in the eastern Earth Tribe lands.

“There are records that claim that burning the remains of the previous year’s crops and then letting the field lie fallow for a year will enrich the land,” Mannon said, gesturing with his pen at the bookshelves. “We have books and treatises on land management, and I’ve annotated them all over the years. Nothing seems to make a difference.”

“Because as a farmer, you’re a really good librarian?” Owyn asked. He sipped his cider. “Sounds about how I’d do at it.”

Mannon chuckled. “I am that. A librarian. I can lay my hands on any book in this library in a matter of minutes — I know exactly where they all are. I know which ones are in the tower, too.” He picked up his own cup and took a sip, then waved his hand over the books they had been examining. “And your thoughts, Owyn?”

“You mean besides thank you for remembering to call me by name?” Owyn asked. He leaned forward and looked at the closest book, at the neatly written information recorded on the pages. It was the same handwriting in most of the books. Mannon’s own handwriting, he suspected. “You’re a clerk at heart, aren’t you?”

Mannon smiled. “I like things organized. I like to know exactly where everything is. I—”

“Make lists?” Owyn added. “Write everything down or you forget it, especially if you get excited? Forget it even if you did write it down, if you get excited enough? Put everything right back in the same spot, or you’ll never find it again? Or...put things in neat piles, and you know exactly what is in each pile so nobody better move it or you lose things?”

Mannon started laughing. “Jehan told you that!”

“Nope,” Owyn replied. He tapped his chest. “That’s me. Every bit of it.” He grinned. “The day I met Aven and Aria, I almost killed Aven. Mem told me that Waterborn can’t have milk, and I was so fucking excited to finally meet them that I forgot. Mem left me to take care of them, and I fed him cheese.”

“Oh, you didn’t!” Mannon looked horrified. “How sick was he?”

Owyn snorted. “I’m amazed he let me come close to him ever again. Or cook for him, for that matter.” He shook his head. “The mistakes we make, right?”

“And all we can do is try to do better,” Mannon agreed. He touched the book in front of him. “I’ve been trying to do better for twenty years now.”

They continued until someone knocked on the library door. An older man entered and approached the table.

“Apologies, my lord,” he said. “I’ve been with the young healer this morning. He’s working his way through the entire servants wing, and I lost track of time. I should have been here ages ago.”

“If you’re keeping him from working himself to a nub, I won’t complain,” Owyn said.

“Owyn, this is Nestor, my steward,” Mannon said. “He’s been in the Palace approximately forever.”

Nestor smiled and bowed. “Not quite that long,” he corrected. “But perhaps a good fraction of it.”

“Nestor, I’ll leave you to work with Owyn. Answer all of his questions. I’ve got some work to do, and I’ll come back when I’m finished.” Mannon rose from his place at the table and left the library. Nestor came around and took Mannon’s abandoned chair.

“He’s a good boy, your Alanar,” Nestor said. “And I did assign a young maid to make certain he took breaks and ate.”

“Thank you,” Owyn said. “I appreciate you looking out for him.”

“Of course, of course,” Nestor said. “Now, I’m certain you have dozens of questions. Ask me anything.”

“How long have you been here?” Owyn asked. “Really?”

Nestor looked thoughtful. “When I entered service here, my great uncle was the steward, and Riga was still Heir. I started as a page, and worked my way up. Riga became Firstborn when I was a footman.”

“So you’ve served the Firstborn — several of them, it sounds like — and Mannon,” Owyn said. “So how does he compare?”

Nestor chuckled. “You, young man, have just lost me a wager. I was certain that you were far too polite to jump right into the personal questions. I told Mannon that you’d at least wait until we’d discussed one completely unrelated topic before you asked me about him.”

Owyn grinned. “Sorry. But not much. I’ve got limited time, and no patience. So?”

“Well, to be honest, we resisted at first,” Nestor said. “Of course we did. Who would not have? But the servants here...this is our Palace. I’ve seen four Firstborns with my own eyes. The Palace truly belongs to the servants — it doesn’t matter to us who sits on the throne or if they’re wearing the Crown or the Diadem. There’s still dishes to do and privies to clean. Some left. Some couldn’t stomach the idea of staying. But most stayed. Really, where could we go? Some of us were born in the Palace, born into service. We are, perhaps, our own tribe. The Palace tribe, and there's no place else for us in the world. So we stayed.” He shrugged. “And then she came. Our Broken Lady. And he changed.” He looked around, almost as if he were looking to see who might be listening. Then he turned back to Owyn. “Now, I’ve been here a long time. I’ve known Mannon since he was a boy. And he was Elcam’s treasure — his first born son. Elcam was still Heir when Mannon was born, and he was certain his boy would be chosen to wear the Diadem after him, so he treated Mannon accordingly.”

Owyn nodded. “He prepared Mannon.”

“Exactly. He trained Mannon the way that he’d been trained, made him believe that he would be the one to receive the Diadem when they went north to the Temple. And when the time came, and when Elcam received the Crown...well, no one was expecting Tirine to receive the Diadem. And then Elcam died, and Tirine received the Crown...and Mannon was passed over again.”

Owyn sniffed. “That doesn’t excuse what he did. Anything he did.”

To his surprise, Nestor nodded. “I never said it did. And I will admit that the first few years, there was more than one occasion when I was more than a little tempted to slip poison into his soup.”

“What stopped you?” Owyn asked.

“Killing him would have set off even worse levels of chaos. We — the servants — decided to wait until we had a clearer path. Unfortunately, what we hoped for never came to pass.”

“And then Yana came,” Owyn said.

Nestor sighed. “Our Broken Lady. By the time we heard that there was an Heir, she was already marching north from Forge, gaining followers and momentum as she went. We did everything we could to prevent Mannon’s march, but all we managed was to delay him.” He paused. “It was a week later that he returned, with Yana. He ordered us to tend to her, to care for her. To make her comfortable, until she either woke or passed.” He met Owyn’s eyes. “I was there when she woke. I was there when she saw Mannon for the first time and called him hers. I’ve never seen a man so stunned. And then he cried.”

“He did?” Owyn stared at Nestor. “You’re not joking?”

“Not at all.” Nestor took a deep breath. “And after that, things changed. He stopped raging and started ruling. But by that time, there were so many things that he’d already set into motion, it was as if he was trying to stop an avalanche.” Nestor sighed. Then he pointed to a row of identical blue-bound books on a nearby bookcase. “The records from those years are there. In order, because otherwise Mannon gets upset. If you decide to read through them once we’re finished, leave them on that table in the corner to be put back properly.”

Owyn nodded. He looked out the window and considered his next question. “Nestor,” he said slowly. “How did Yana die?”

Nestor closed his eyes. “Now that’s a question I both expected you to ask, and hoped you would not,” he murmured. “We don’t know why she was in the Heir’s Tower or why she took Del with her. All we really know is that she fell.”

“Fell?” Owyn repeated. “She fell. But she was Air—”

“She didn’t fly, Owyn,” Nestor said. “Mannon said that he thought the head wound made her forget how. She never flew, once she was here. And Del...he didn’t know how. He was so young, and he had no one to teach him. Mannon was going to bring in someone, but he had to go off to deal with something, some unrest or other. I don’t even remember anymore. The records will have it.” Nestor paused. “She fell, and took Del with her. That he survived...well, it was the hand of the Mother. And Risha, who was our Palace healer at the time.”

“Yeah, I know the rest of that one,” Owyn said. “Thank you.”

“What else can I tell you?” Nestor asked. Owyn frowned as he thought.

“How are we going to transition from Mannon’s rule to Aria’s?” he asked. “What’s the procedure? How did it work from Firstborn to Firstborn? And how do we get people to accept her?” He gestured to the window. “Mannon put people in place who supported him. And you said that he couldn’t make changes because it was like stopping an avalanche. So how do we stop the avalanche when it’s Aria on the throne?”

Nestor studied him for a moment. Then he smiled. “If you’re an example of the Companions that she has called to her side, I think that your Aria will be quite the Firstborn. We’ll lay plans, and we’ll look into who holds power where, and if they can be swayed, or if they need to be removed from power. Aria must first make the Heir’s Progress, and follow Axia’s path through Adavar. When she does, the people will see her, and they’ll know that there is once more a Firstborn in the Palace.”

“She’s not that yet,” Owyn said. “She’s not got the Crown yet.”

“Well, that’s just a matter of going north, then, isn’t it?” Nestor asked. “Tell me about her other Companions?”

Owyn smiled. “Let’s see. Aven is our Water, and you know his parents if you been here forever. Milon’s Companions Jehan and Aleia?”

Nestor laughed, clapping his hands like a child. “Oh, really?” he crowed. “How wonderful! Who else?”

“Our Earth is a Healer, and her name is Treesi. She’s from someplace east of here. And you know our Air.”

Nestor looked puzzled. “Your Alanar? Is he Aria’s Air?”

“No,” Owyn laughed. “No, our Air is Del.”

Nestor’s face paled. “Del? Our Del? Our poor broken child?”

Owyn nodded. “He’s it. We all knew it the minute we saw him.”

“But...but…”

“He’s smart as anything, too,” Owyn continued. “He’s going to be a great part of us.”

“But he doesn’t speak!” Nestor protested.

“So?” Owyn looked curiously at Nestor. “You called him broken. I’m betting you never called him that to his face?”

Nestor reared back in shock. “Of course not! That would have been rude!”

“And he’d probably have taken your head off. He’s tough as steel, that one. He’s out at sea with Aven at the moment, and I’ve heard tell that he’s a fantastic trader.”

“A trader?” Nestor echoed. “Our Del? He was always so fragile. Afraid of his own shadow. I’d never have believed it.”

“Do you blame him? After what he went through?” Owyn asked. “But he survived it. That shows his strength. And...you not believing he could? Maybe that’s part of the problem. If the people around him didn’t believe he could, why should he even try?” He met Nestor’s eyes. “Mannon believed in him, didn’t he?”

“Mannon thinks that boy hung the stars in the sky,” Nestor answered.

“There you go, then. If you’ve got the right people behind you, you can do pretty much anything.” He grinned. “Now, why don’t we just get the rest of this out of the way. What else are you not supposed to tell me?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

There was no sign of Alanar when Owyn arrived in the dining room for the midday meal. Nestor hurried off when Owyn asked about him, and came back with the news that Alanar was dining with the servants, that Memfis was with him, and that Owyn was not to worry about him.

Owyn scowled at that. “He knows that only makes me worry more.” He heard someone laugh behind him, and turned in his chair to see Mannon had come into the dining room.

“Healer Alanar is making great friends below stairs,” Mannon said as he sat down at the table. “And the housekeeper is treating him like gold. I daresay he’s eating better than we are today.” He picked up his cup and asked, “Do you think you’ve accomplished anything?”

“Maybe,” Owyn answered “We’ve got something that might be a plan. But I want you to look at it.”

Mannon nodded. “Tell me about it.”

Owyn took a bite of bread, chewed and swallowed it. “A census, first. We need to know who is out there.”

Mannon looked shocked. “That’s a massive undertaking,” he said.

“Oh, it’s huge,” Owyn agreed. “Which is why it needs to start as soon as possible. And the people who go out to count noses need to do two things. First, they need to spread the word that you’re standing down for Aria. People need to know why we’re counting noses, so maybe they won’t hide from the people counting. But we’re going to miss a lot of people who don’t want anything to do with you. Can’t be helped, really.” He shrugged and took a sip of tea. “And second, they need to see how folks react to the news. We need to know which leaders and which communities are going to be the troublemakers.” He frowned. “I’m not sure how we’re going to get to the Air tribes in the mountains, or out to the Water tribes in the deep. Haven’t come up with that one yet. Maybe if we contact Alanar’s flock...Nestor?” He turned in his seat, and saw that the older man was already writing it down. “Thanks. And we can get Aven’s help once he’s back, assuming his grandmother’s canoe will even speak to us.” He turned back to Mannon. “That’s the first bit. While you’re doing that, we’re going to head to the Temple.”

Mannon nodded. “That makes sense. And once she has the Crown?”

“Then we have a very public ceremony transferring power,” Owyn answered. “And then, whatever happens next depends on Aria. Nestor told me that we have to have a progress? That it’s the law?”

“The Heir’s Progress is a mandatory part of the ritual of succession,” Nestor said. “The lore dictates that the Heir must follow Axia’s path through Adavar. To not complete the progress is to court disaster.”

‘Right,” Owyn said. “I never heard of that before, and I’m assuming you didn’t do it?” He turned toward Mannon, who grimaced. “Didn’t think so. Aria has to go, so she can start putting things right, and so that everyone knows her. Oh, and part of that census is going to be finding everyone we can under the age of sixteen who might be related to a former Firstborn. We need a pool of young people to take to the Temple to find our Heir.” Privately, he thought he knew who their Heir would be — the baby Aria carried. But he wasn’t telling Mannon that!

Mannon nodded slowly. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this, I think.”

“I’m not sure we’ve put enough,” Owyn countered. “But it gets us started and moving forward.” He looked up as the dining room door opened again, and smiled to see Memfis leading Alanar into the room. “There you are!” he called, and got out of his chair. He hurried over to Alanar and took his hand. “I was worrying about you.”

“I’m fine,” Alanar said, squeezing Owyn’s hand. “I’m done taking care of the servants. There’s an ague running through the children, or I’d have been done sooner. I’ve taken care of them, and they’ll be fine in a day or two. The adults are remarkably healthy.”

“I do take care of my people,” Mannon called. “Thank you, Healer.”

Alanar bowed his head in response, then smiled. “So what have you been up to?” he asked.

“Come sit, and we’ll tell you. Mem, I want your opinion, too.” He led Alanar to sit in the chair next to his, then sat back down. He kept Alanar’s hand in his as he repeated the plans to him and Memfis. When he finished, he looked at Alanar. “All right. Poke holes in it.”

“Where are you getting the manpower for the census?” Alanar asked. “You’re going to need a lot of people and a lot of time.”

“We can move people by ship,” Mannon said. “And reestablish the posting stations so that we can have more ready movement. And I’m thinking we’ll find at least half the people we need in the guard.”

“You have that many guards?” Alanar asked. He whistled. “How do you feed them all?”

Mannon snorted. “We eat a lot of fish. That seems to be in good supply, at least. Now, I do agree with Owyn’s assessment that Air and Water will be harder to reach. I don’t think we’ll have a completely accurate count.”

“Probably not,” Owyn said slowly. “But will the troublemakers we have to watch for be among them, or will they be down here, in the Earth tribes and south in Fire?” He frowned. “Where was Risha from?”

“South, on the Fire and Earth border,” Alanar answered.

“That’s going to be our area to watch, then,” Owyn mused. “Pirit said that she thought Risha learned her poison there. There’ll be some there that won’t want an Air Firstborn.”

“Like it or not, that’s what they’re getting,” Memfis said.

“They won’t like it,” Owyn replied. “And they might try to do something about it.” He frowned. “I’m going to have to convince Aria that she needs to keep you around.”

“Me?” Mannon asked. “I assume you do mean me. Why?”

“Because if you’re here, working with her, no one is going to raise a rebellion in your name. It won’t work. At least, it won’t work once the morons who get duped into it see that you’re not playing those games.”

Mannon chuckled. “Memfis, I do like your boy. He thinks faster than a racehorse.”

“He does that,” Memfis agrees. “He’s a fine smith, too.”

“I’m not surprised,” Mannon said, nodding. “Is he a Smoke Dancer, too?”

Owyn nearly bit his tongue to keep from answering. Memfis blinked, but before he could say anything, Mannon laughed.

“The panicked look on all your faces!” he said. “That’s priceless. I’ll take that as a yes, then.” He looked around the table. “Honestly, there’s been a Smoke Dancer who stood with every Firstborn since Axia came down from the mountains with the Mother. Even when the Firstborn themselves was a Smoke Dancer, there was another one as their Companion. Now, I know Del doesn’t have the gift. Aven is part Fire, but I don’t think he does, either. Which means you have to be, or the cycle is broken.”

“That’s very logical,” Alanar said. “You make it sound so easy to figure out.”

Owyn snorted. “So now what?” he asked

“Now what indeed?” Mannon echoed. He picked up his cup and took a drink. “I understand keeping your secrets safe so that no one can use them against you, but some things just aren’t as secret as you think.” Then he shook his head, chuckling. “Really, what do you expect me or anyone to do with this information? How exactly can it be used against you?”

Owyn shrugged. “I really don’t know,” he admitted. “But I do know that anything can be a weapon. So tell me – why am I going to hand one to you?”

Mannon nodded. “Good point. Anything can be a weapon, and we should not be careless. Now, we should eat.”

Owyn turned toward Alanar. “Have you eaten?”

Alanar nodded. “With the servants. Something warm to drink would be nice, though. I’m chilled.”

Owyn blinked. “Chilled?” He saw a maid nearby. “A pot of tea?” he asked. The maid nodded and hurried out.

“Tea would be good,” Alanar said. He slipped his cold hand into Owyn’s. “And then I think I might go and lay down.”

“Allie?” Owyn turned in his seat. “Allie, are you getting sick?”

“He said there was an ague—” Memfis started to say.

Alanar shook his head. “Something I was just exposed to today isn’t going to catch me that quickly,” he said. “I’m fine. Just tired. I’ll go take a nap while you work.” He laced his fingers into Owyn’s. “I overextended, working with the children—”

“Which lowers your own defenses, no?” Mannon asked.

Owyn looked at him, then back at Alanar. “Allie?” he said slowly. “Is that right?”

Alanar sighed. “It can be. I’ve never had it happen before—”

“And you also haven’t pushed yourself the way you have over the past few days. You overextended when we stopped in Shadow Cove, too.” Owyn reached across with his other hand and touched the backs of his fingers to Alanar’s forehead. The skin was hot. “Well, that decides that,” he said. “Mannon, we’re going to be going back to Terraces.”

“Owyn!” Alanar protested.

“No. You’re sick,” Owyn answered. “And you need a healer. We’re going home. We can go north later, once you’re well.”

“I can send you back to Terraces by ship,” Mannon said. “And send a messenger to the Solstice village.”

Owyn felt his stomach clench. By ship?

“I don’t want to go by ship,” Alanar said softly. “We’ll go back by horse, the same way we got here.”

Owyn realized why Alanar was refusing. “No, Allie,” he said. “We should go back by ship. I don’t want you getting worse.” He looked across the table at Memfis. “Tell him. We should go back by ship. Then he’ll be well in a few hours. Right?”

“No, Owyn,” Alanar said, his voice firm. “This is between us. There’s no trying to get someone else to convince me. I do not want to go back by ship. We’ll go back overland.”

“If you won’t go by ship, then what about a coach?” Mannon asked. “It would be more comfortable than riding.”

Owyn looked at Mannon, nodded his thanks, then turned back to Alanar. “Allie? Would that be good?”

Alanar closed his eyes and frowned. “A coach...won’t that be slower than riding?”

“It can be,” Mannon answered. “If there’s no place to change horses. But given the pace you made getting here, I’d say you’d reach Terraces faster than if you ride, even without being able to change horses. If you won’t go by ship, then go by coach. You won’t have to stop as often. By coach, you can rest, and I’ll send you off with extra guards to make sure that you’re safe.” He snorted. “Riding while sick is wretched. I know. I’ve done it.”

“Thank you,” Owyn said. He stood up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me? I’m putting my healer to bed.”

Back in their suite, Owyn settled Alanar on the edge of the bed, then went and closed the door. When he turned back, Alanar’s head was bowed.

“Allie, you didn’t need to do that,” Owyn said gently. “I would have gotten on the ship.”

“I’m not asking you to do that,” Alanar replied. “Not for me. Not over just because I’ve got the sniffles. I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep, and I’ll be fine.”

Owyn sighed and crossed back to the bed. “I’m still going to fuss over you. So...can I help you into bed?”

Alanar tipped his head back. “I thought you’d never ask.”

***

Alanar fell asleep almost immediately after Owyn got him into bed. Owyn sat for a while and just him, listening to him breathe. His breathing sounded raspy. Congested.

Alanar was sicker than he was admitting. Owyn needed to take care of him. What could he do here? He looked around the bedroom – there wasn’t a fireplace in here. Maybe he could arrange for a brazier, so he could get a kettle going for steam? That usually helped with congestion. He headed out into the sitting room, and was just reaching for the bell when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” he called. He laughed as Denis walked in. “You’re good! I was just about to ring for you!”

“I’m told that Healer Alanar is feeling poorly,” Denis said. “I came to see if you needed anything.”

“Can we get a brazier and a kettle?” Owyn asked. “There’s no fireplace in the bedroom, and I wanted to get some steam in there. He’s breathing rough.”

“Of course,” Denis said. “I’ll bring one immediately. What about tea? Broth?”

“Yes. To both. Thank you.” Owyn looked around. He frowned. “What else? Anything else you can think of? I...I never had to do this before.”

Denis smiled. “It will be all right, Fireborn,” he said gently. “I’ll go fetch our housekeeper. Since we don’t have a palace healer, Ambaryl takes care of our ails. She’s had some healing training, and she’ll know what to do.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Owyn said. “If she could come up and listen to him breathe? I don’t like the sound of it.”

“I’ll go send for her now, and bring the brazier and kettle right back.” Denis left the room, and Owyn slumped down onto one of the couches. They needed a healer, and there was no way Jehan would send one to the palace. Which meant that Owyn needed to get Alanar home. Maybe he could convince the healer to get on a ship?

And probably destroy any hope of a future for them. Alanar wasn’t going to willingly go onboard a ship, not knowing about Owyn’s waking vision. Owyn couldn’t force him without destroying what they’d built between them, something he wasn’t willing to do. So the coach was going to be their best option to get back to Terraces. If they left in the morning, they’d make the ruins and camp there tomorrow, and go to Shadow Cove the next day. Or maybe they could push and make it all the way to Terraces by the second day. He didn’t know enough about coaches or how fast they could travel to know for sure. Maybe Denis could tell him?

Denis returned, carrying a large brazier, and with a kettle hanging from one arm. Owyn jumped up and hurried over to him, taking the brazier and grunting at the weight of it.

“You’re stronger than you look,” he told Denis.

“I’m in service,” Denis replied with a laugh. “I have to be. Put that in the bedroom. I’ll fill this, and then go fetch the coals. Ambaryl will be bringing tea and soup, and she’ll take a look at Healer Alanar.”

Owyn carried the heavy brazier into the bedroom and set it down so that he could look for a good place to put it. There was no hearth, and the floors were wood covered with carpets. He frowned. Where to put it? Was there a stand? The braziers he’d helped Memfis make had stands, so that they didn’t burn the floor. He hunted around the room for a moment, then went back out into the sitting room. Denis had just come back into the room, carrying a coal bucket.

“Is there a stand?” Owyn asked.

Denis winced. “I forgot that? Ah...there’s a cupboard, in the corner of the bathing room. There should be a stand in there. We mostly use braziers in there during the winter.”

Owyn nodded and hurried off. Inside the cupboard, he found the folded tripod, and a stone basin. He brought them both out. “Brazier goes in the bowl?” he asked.

“Yes,” Denis answered. “Do you not know how?”

“It’s just different from the way we set up the ones we used to make,” Owyn answered. “Let me get it set, and you can bring in the coal.” He went into the bedroom and set the brazier up. When he straightened, he noticed Alanar’s eyes were open.

“What are you doing?” Alanar asked.

“Getting some steam in here to help you breathe,” Owyn answered. “And the housekeeper is coming up with tea and soup, and to listen to you breathe.”

Alanar nodded. Then he winced. “My head feels like it’s two sizes too big.”

“Just lie still,” Owyn said. “We’ll get this set up, and we’ll get some tea into you. Denis is here to help.”

Owyn and Denis quickly got the brazier set up, the coals poured in, and the kettle in place. Once he set the full kettle on the brazier, Owyn sat on the side of the bed. “Any ideas what this is?”

Alanar grimaced. “Winter ague, I think,” he answered, and Owyn went cold. He’d suspected that was going to be the answer. But Alanar surprised him by continuing, “I’ve had it before. Not this badly, though.”

“Of course not,” Owyn said. He touched Alanar’s forehead, wincing at the heat radiating from him. “You live with other healers. They wouldn’t let it get this bad.” He made up his mind, then leaned down and kissed Alanar. “We’ll be going home tomorrow.”

“How?” Alanar demanded. “The only way we’re getting home tomorrow if it’s by ship. I’m not going on a ship.”

“I didn’t say we were going on ship. I didn’t say that we’d be home tomorrow,” Owyn corrected. “I said we’d be going home tomorrow. By coach. I’m not going to force you, Allie. I’m just worried.”

“It’s just winter ague!”

“And in Forge, winter ague kills!”

Alanar looked startled. “What?”

“You didn’t know?” Owyn asked. “If there’s no healer, what happens with winter ague? You didn’t learn that?”

“I...I did, but I never thought…” Alanar stopped, closed his eyes. “You’d think I’d know by now that there are not enough healers. That there are people who die from simple things because there’s no one to take care of them.”

“Right now, you need to let me take care of you,” Owyn said, smoothing Alanar’s hair. “We’ll leave first thing. We’ll be home the day after tomorrow.”

Alanar nodded. “I’m sorry I ruined our trip, Owyn.”

“It’s not your fault, love,” Owyn said. “We’ll try again when you’re well. We’ll go in the summer. It’ll be nice.”

“It’ll be hot,” Alanar grumbled.

“Until we get north, it’ll be hot,” Owyn agreed. He swallowed and forced himself to smile. Alanar said that he could hear it when Owyn smiled “But we’ll be fine.”

“I’m scaring you, aren’t I?” Alanar asked.

“Oh, fuck yes!”

“I’m sorry, Owyn,” Alanar repeated. He fumbled for Owyn’s hand. “You do what’s best. I’ll abide.”

There was a knock at the door, and Owyn turned to see Denis and a woman about his aunt’s age.

“Fireborn, this is Ambaryl,” Denis said. “She’s brought the tea and the soup.”

“Think you can drink, Allie?” Owyn asked.

“I’ll try.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Owyn scrubbed his hand over his face and watched as horses were hitched to a large coach. He’d spent most of the night awake, listening to Alanar’s labored breathing. This morning, Alanar seemed worse, and Owyn wasn’t sure if leaving was the right answer.

“You look like you didn’t sleep at all. Where’s Alanar?”

Owyn turned at the voice and smiled weakly at Memfis. “I didn’t. And he’s still inside, where it’s warm and Ambaryl can fuss over him. He doesn’t sound good, Mem. I keep thinking that maybe we should stay? Or Alanar can stay with you, and I can go. I can bring a healer back here—”

“But do they have anyone they can send?” Memfis asked. “There didn’t seem to be many healers there when I was there.”

Owyn closed his eyes, then shook his head. “No. No, there’s no one they can send. Right now for trained healers in Terraces? It’s Jehan and Pirit. There are seven students, but they all just started training.”

Memfis frowned. “And Treesi is off with Aria, you said.”

Owyn nodded. “Right, and you don’t know that. At all. But even if she wasn’t, it doesn’t matter. There aren’t enough healers to send one here. Even if I thought Jehan would send one here. He won’t. Better for us to go back.”

Memfis nodded slowly, but there was an odd look on his face. Which vanished completely as he looked past Owyn. Owyn turned, and saw that Mannon had come out into the courtyard.

“How is Healer Alanar?” he asked as he joined them.

Owyn grimaced. “Not good. Worse than he was last night. His breathing is awful, and his fever keeps getting higher.”

Mannon shuddered. “I wish you’d reconsider going by ship.”

“I thought about it,” Owyn said. He honestly had, somewhere in the darkness before dawn. “And the minute Alanar was well, he’d kick my arse from Terraces to Forge, and I’d only bounce twice.”

Mannon looked stunned for a moment, then barked with laughter. “Only twice,” he asked. “Is he that impressive in his anger?”

“I’m told so,” Owyn answered. “I haven’t gotten him mad yet. Don’t want to. I intend to have a nice, long, married life. So we’re going by coach.” He glanced at the coach, then looked at Mannon. “How long will it take? You said it could be faster than going by horse. How much faster?”

Mannon looked thoughtful. “If you push, you could be back in Terraces late tomorrow, assuming the weather holds. If you need to stop, it’ll be midday the day after. That’s a long time to be out with winter ague. You’ll end up sick.”

“It’ll be worth it. And we’re heading for the healers,” Owyn said. “Look, I appreciate your help. I do. We need to get on the road. But...ah...when should I expect that letter for Aria?”

Mannon held up a bundle. “This letter? I drafted it last night. Everything you said you wanted, all the assurances. It’s not sealed, so you’re welcome to read it. My seal is over my signature, so you can swear that I did write it.” He handed it to Owyn. “If Aria agrees, have her send a messenger here, and I’ll come to Terraces to meet with her.”

Owyn nodded. “I’ll tell her. Don’t expect her to make up her mind right off, now.”

Mannon smiled. “I don’t. I don’t imagine this will be an easy decision for her to make. I’m patient. I’ve waited this long, after all.” He looked at Memfis. “When the time comes to go to Terraces, you’ll come with me?”

“You wouldn’t be able to leave me behind,” Memfis said. “I’d go now—”

“I need you here,” Mannon interrupted.

“But you need me here,” Memfis finished smoothly. He winked at Owyn. “We’ll be all right.”

Mannon scowled at Memfis. “You delight in making me want to pull my hair out, don’t you?”

Memfis laughed. “It gives meaning to my life,” he answered. “Now, it looks like the coach is loaded. And there’s Alanar.”

Owyn saw that Alanar was coming toward the coach, being led by Denis and leaning heavily on his arm. For the first time since Owyn had met him, the tall healer looked frail.

“I need to get him home,” he whispered. “And soon.” He looked at Mannon. “If we push, we’ll be home tomorrow night?”

Mannon nodded. “If the weather holds.” He looked up. “It looks like it might. But you won’t get further than the ruins tonight, I don’t think.”

Owyn nodded. He looked up at the sky — clear blue, with thin, high clouds — then walked over to Alanar. “How are you feeling, Allie?”

Alanar scowled. “It’s in my head, and it’s fucking with my balance. I can’t tell where I am, Wyn.”

“Healer Alanar almost walked into a wall,” Denis added. “I thought it best to help him.”

“Thank you, Denis,” Owyn said. He took Alanar’s other hand. “Mannon says that we could be home tomorrow night, if we push it. Think you can make it?”

Alanar frowned. “What other options do we have? I’m not going by ship.”

Owyn considered the only other option, then blurted, “No, but you could stay here and let Ambaryl and Denis fuss over you. And I’ll go back by ship, and bring Jehan back with me tomorrow.”

Alanar coughed, then coughed again, tugging his arm free from Denis’ grasp so that he could wipe his mouth. “I...I don’t want you going on a ship without me. And I’m not going on a ship at all.”

“Allie, you need a healer,” Owyn said, keeping his voice low. “I’m willing to take the risk to save your life, and our future.”

“Will Jehan come?” Alanar asked. “To the Palace?”

“If we sent someone, probably not,” Owyn answered. “If I go, and deliver Mannon’s letter, and tell him he’s needed? I think he’ll come. Because it’s you, and because I asked him to come.” He looked at Denis, who was nodding.

“It’ll be better for you to stay, I think,” he said. “Being on the road will be hard when you’re this sick, and if you take a turn for the worse, there’s no one to help.”

Alanar growled, low in his throat. His congestion made it sound like he was trying to imitate a spitting cat. “I’m not dying, you two!” he insisted. “I’d know the difference. I’m fine to travel. I just can’t tell where my feet are. It’s like wearing shoes.”

“You’re sure?” Owyn asked. Alanar growled at him again, and Owyn sighed. “You’re sure. All right. Let’s get you into the coach. Then we can both sleep, at least. Thank you, Denis.” He led Alanar to the coach and helped him into the back. He could see blankets folded on one of the benches, and a small brazier on the floor.

“There’s a basket coming from the kitchen,” Denis said. “Flasks of tea and broth, and something more substantial if any of us feel like eating before we stop.”

“Us?” Owyn asked. He turned to face the servant. “Are you coming with us?”

Denis nodded. “You need help looking after Alanar, and you need looking after yourself. I asked, and was given permission. I’m to make the trip there and back.” He smiled. “You need looking after, too. Not as much as Healer Alanar, but you do. So I’m going to take care of you, so you can take care of him.”

Owyn looked into the coach at Alanar, then over at Denis. “Thank you,” he said. “And...do I thank Ambaryl or Nestor or Mannon for letting you come with us?”

“Ultimately, it was me, and you’re welcome,” Mannon said as he came over to them. “I’m just hoping that you’re not sick as well by the time you get back.”

“If I am, Jehan will put me to rights,” Owyn said. He held his hand out. “Thank you. And...well, thank you.”

Mannon smiled. “You’re welcome. On all counts. Tell Aria I’m eager to work with her.”

“The minute I see her,” Owyn said. He turned to see Memfis was standing behind him. The older man smiled, then pulled Owyn into a tight embrace.

“Be careful,” Memfis murmured. “I’ll see you soon, I hope.”

Owyn nodded. His throat felt tight, and he wasn’t sure he could speak. He swallowed, then swallowed again. “You need to be there,” he croaked. “You have to be there when I get married, Fa.”

Memfis laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything. And we have some air to clear between us, and I don’t think we can do it in the time we have. Let me just say this. I love you, my Mouse.” He let go of Owyn and stepped back. “I never asked. How’s Trinket?”

“Fine. Probably getting fat,” Owyn answered. “Rhexa spoils her.”

Memfis chuckled. “That’s not a bad thing. Unless Rhexa has a cat?”

“No, and she’s promised to take care of Trinket and keep her away from cats and shadow hawks.”

“Shadow hawks?” Mannon asked. “In Terraces? That’s a long way from their usual ranges.”

Owyn nodded. “That’s what Marik said. He talks to birds. He wasn’t sure if the hawk was going to stay in Terraces.”

“You have a friend who talks to birds?” Mannon asked slowly. “That’s unusual.”

Owyn grinned. “That’s Marik.” He looked around, seeing that Freckles and Meadowfoam had been brought out and were being put on leading reins. “Oh, thank you. I hadn’t even thought about Freckles. Leaving him here would have been bad.”

“Why?” Mannon asked.

“Not sure. But he’s smart. He might have followed me, and taken Meadowfoam with him for good measure.” Owyn turned back and smiled. “Thank you. Again. But we need to be going if we’re going to get back to Terraces tomorrow.”

“Go, then,” Mannon said. “I’ll see you when it’s time.”

Owyn nodded and headed for the coach. For the first time since they’d arrived, he saw Garrity and Evarra, and felt a momentary pang that he hadn’t even given them a thought before now. Garrity waved at him.

“Heard you’ve been busy overthrowing the government,” he said as Owyn came closer. “What in the Mother’s name did you do?”

Owyn chuckled. “Wasn’t my idea. It just seemed to happen. What do you know?”

“Pretty much all of it, I think,” Evarra said. “That Mannon is stepping down in favor of Aria, and that you’re to carry the message. We were below with the servants, and we bunked out with the guards. So we heard all the gossip. And we know that the all-fired rush to get back is because Alanar is sick.”

Owyn nodded. “You do know all of it. Good. They’ve told me that if we push, we can be back in Terraces tomorrow night. Think you two can push harder, and be back before us? I think we need to give Jehan a warning about what’s coming.”

Garrity nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. We can do that.” He looked at Evarra. “What do you think?”

She looked thoughtful. “We’ll need our own supplies. Let me get them and we’ll ride out.” She headed toward a small group, where Owyn could see several packhorses.

Owyn turned back to Garrity. “Be careful, the two of you,” he said.

Garrity smiled. “It’s not the trip we thought we’d have, is it? But it might have turned out better than we hoped. You keep an eye on Alanar on the way back. We’ll see you tomorrow.” He clapped Owyn on the shoulder and went to join Evarra.

Owyn went back to the coach. Mannon and Memfis had both gone back into the Palace, so Owyn climbed in to see that Alanar was already bundled into blankets, and that Denis had taken the bench facing him. Owyn took his place beside Alanar, tugged a blanket over his legs, then reached for Alanar’s hand.

“I’m ready,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

Denis reached up and knocked on the wall of the coach. A moment later, they were moving.

***

The warmth of the blankets, the rocking of the coach, and Alanar’s comforting presence against his side all combined to lull Owyn into a deep sleep almost immediately after they were on the road. He slept without dreaming until the coach hit something hard enough to jolt him awake.

“What?” he gasped, still closer to sleep than awareness. He scrubbed one hand over his face. “What was that?”

“A rock, I think,” Denis answered. He set the book he’d been reading down and looked out the coach window. “The roads are getting worse and worse, I’m told.”

Owyn blinked, trying to clear the sleep out of his eyes. He looked out the window and frowned, trying to judge from the light how long he’d slept. Where were they? “Yeah,” he said absently. “Yeah, when we were on the road from Forge to Terraces, the roads were horrible. How long was I asleep? Where are we?”

“You slept most of the day,” Denis answered. “Alanar woke about midday and ate something, but he thought you needed the rest, so we let you sleep.”

“Really? I slept the whole day?” Owyn glanced to the side, where Alanar was leaning against the side of the coach, his eyes closed. Owyn couldn’t tell if he was asleep, or just listening. “Did you leave me anything to eat?”

Alanar snorted, revealing that he was awake. Denis just looked appalled.

“Of course there’s food left for you!” he declared. “I’m not sure if the tea is still warm, but there are flatbread rolls for you—”

“Flatbread...rolls?” Owyn repeated. “What’s that?”

“They’re tasty,” Alanar murmured. His voice still sounded raspy and strained.

Owyn chuckled and reached for Alanar’s hand. “Thought you might be awake. How do you feel?”

“My head feels like that rock we just hit,” Alanar answered. “It’s why my eyes are closed. It helps, I think. And my chest is congested. I’m surprised my coughing didn’t wake you up.”

“So am I,” Owyn replied. “But we’ll be home soon, and we’ll get you fixed up. All right. What’s a flatbread roll?”

Denis leaned down and took something out of a basket, handing it to Owyn. It was tube shaped, and wrapped in a cloth. Unwrapping it revealed what looked to Owyn like a round loaf of bread. He picked it up in both hands and turned it, and laughed when he saw the end.

“It’s like a stew spiral?” he asked. Denis looked blank. “You don’t have them here?” Owyn asked. “It’s something I learned to cook in Forge, when I was learning to cook.”

“What is it?”

Owyn took a bite from his roll, which proved to be filled with some kind of marinated vegetable mix, and slices of what tasted like bacon. He swallowed, then grinned. “I like this. Stew spiral. Okay, you take a cheap cut of meat. You pound it really, really thin. You fill it with thin slices of onions and garlic, maybe some sliced hard-cooked eggs, and herbs. Then you roll it up, tie it, and fry it. Then you let it cook on the hearth in a spicy pepper sauce all day, until the meat is tender and falling apart. You slice it, and you serve it with bread.”

“When are you making this for me?” Alanar asked.

Owyn grinned. “If we can get the right cut of meat, I’ll make it for you once you’re well enough to taste it. You can’t taste anything with a stuffed up head. Although the peppers might help.”

“They might, but I’ll wait.” Alanar nodded. He cocked his head to the side. “The wheels sound different. Denis, are we slowing down?”

Denis looked out the window again. “Appears so. We might be at the ruins. And I was told to make sure you both stayed inside and warm while the guards set up camp.”

“I can help set up camp,” Owyn protested.

Denis smiled. “My orders were to take care of you, so that you didn’t get sick before we reached Terraces and the healers. Now eat, Owyn, and I’ll pour out some tea.” Denis reached down again and pulled out a bundle that he unwrapped to reveal a flask. He filled a cup and handed it to Owyn. “Now, tell me more about this stew spiral,” he added. “What’s in the pepper sauce?”

Owyn ate his roll and drank his tea, and he talked about cooking with Denis and Alanar. Denis, it turned out, was married to one of the cooks in the Palace, and had three children, two of whom Alanar had treated for winter ague the day before.

Alanar smiled when he heard their names. “They’re sweet girls, the pair of them. Neither one fussed at all when I was examining them.”

Denis looked very pleased. “I’ll tell them you said so, Healer,” he said. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how they’d react. They’ve never met a real healer before.”

Alanar sighed. “That’s so wrong. There are supposed to be healers everywhere. There are supposed to be more of us. And Risha stole that. From everyone. It’ll take generations before there are enough healers again that every community has one.”

Owyn bundled up the cloth that had been wrapped around his roll, and reached over to take Alanar’s hand. “We’ll find more. We’ll find others, and we’ll get them trained. That’ll be something else for the census — finding people descended from healers so that they can be tested.”

“How many of them will be like Risha, though?” Alanar asked.

“We’ll root that out—” Owyn stopped and laughed. “I sound like Aunt Rhexa.”

Alanar smiled slightly. “You do. And I know. We’ll find untrained healers. We’ll raise more. It’s just an enormous undertaking, and...it’ll be mine, won’t it? I’m the strongest healer out there besides Jehan. Well, Aven might be stronger, but he can’t stand as Senior Healer. He’s a Companion.”

“He’ll help you,” Owyn said. “And you know I will.”

Alanar nodded. “I know. It’s just...daunting. I never thought I’d be a leader.”

“That’ll make you good at it,” Denis murmured. “You’ll try harder. Think about it more.”

Someone knocked on the door to the coach and called, “The tents are up, and the fire is lit!”

“Thank you,” Denis called back. He turned to Owyn and smiled. “Let me show you to your tent. Then we’ll get supper started while you rest.”

“I’ve been resting,” Owyn protested. “Why can’t I help?”

“Because if you don’t rest, Alanar won’t rest?” Denis suggested.

Owyn scowled. He glanced at Alanar, then looked back at Denis. “Guess I’m resting, then.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Owyn helped Alanar out of the coach, and looked at the camp. There was a large blaze in a central fire-pit, and several tents had been erected. There were a lot more guards than he’d realized — he counted at least a dozen. Why so many?

“Denis, why’d Mannon send so many guards out with us?” he asked. “And which is our tent?”

One of the guards looked up when Owyn spoke. She walked toward them. “Yours is the tent in the middle, Fireborn. And we’re all out here partly because we were just drilling and eating our heads off in the barracks, and getting out into the field is good for us. And partly because the only coaches in these parts are Lord Mannon’s, and they’ve been attacked before. It’s one of the reasons he doesn’t use them much anymore — it’s safer to go on horseback, light and fast.” She looked around. “Now, your tent isn’t quite ready — they buried the bed box in the baggage cart.”

“The what?” Alanar asked, turning to face the guard. He winced and lowered his head, closing his eyes.

“Your head still bothering you?” Owyn asked.

“It’s better, until I do something like that,” Alanar said with a grimace. “Then the pressure in my head makes it feel like it’s going to roll off my shoulders and across the floor. Denis, what’s in that tonic that Ambaryl sent? It helped, but I don’t want to take too much of it without knowing what’s in it.”

“I’m not exactly sure,” Denis admitted. “It’s good, though.”

“It is,” Alanar agreed. “I’ll wait to take more, though. Now, what’s a bed box? And what’s your name?”

“I’m Esai, Healer.” The guard smiled. “And the bed box is something Lord Mannon designed. It’s more comfortable than a bedroll. I’ll…” She stopped, and Alanar laughed.

“You were about to say you’d show me?” the healer asked.

Esai blushed. “I...yes. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. Describe it, please?”

“It’s…” Esai faltered. She turned toward Owyn. “Fireborn, you’re a smith, I heard? Maybe you can help? I can’t really describe it other than saying it’s a bed in a box.”

“You’re going to have to show it to me,” Owyn answered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Esai nodded. She looked, then nodded again. “They’ve found it. Come with me.” She led them toward the middle tent, where Owyn saw two other guards carrying something between them — a wooden box that looked like the trunk he’d had in his bedroom back in Forge. As they got closer, he realized that the trunk was wider than the one he’d owned.

“Is that it?” he asked Esai.

“Yes. It’s a very clever thing,” she answered. They entered the tent, where the other guards had opened the trunk, and one of them was taking pegs out of the front corners. The front of the trunk was hinged, and fell forward to reveal that the box was filled with what looked like slats of wood.

“It’s a box of wood. Wood slats, I mean,” Owyn said slowly. “Looks like they’ve got hinges, though. Wait a minute…” His jaw dropped as one of the guards grabbed a rope handle on one of the slats of wood and pulled, dragging the slats out of the trunk. They unfolded into a frame, with a canvas sheet filling the interior space. “It’s a bed-frame!” Owyn gasped.

“In a box?” Alanar asked.

“Yeah. They fold out, and there’s a canvas in the middle, like a cot.” As Owyn watched, the guard at the head of the bed took six horseshoe-shaped pieces of metal from the box. He reached down and slotted one into holes on either side of the hinge at the top of the bed, then handed three of the remaining to the other guard. There were, Owyn could see, identical holes around each hinge, and once the metal pieces were in place, the frame was forced open, and the canvas was stretched taut. “They’re locking the hinges open,” he added. “And it puts tension on the canvas. Esai, this is brilliant!”

She grinned. “It is, isn’t it? You’ll be comfortable, and it breaks down with almost no effort. We don’t have many of them, so they’re reserved for high-ranking officers and guests.”

“Well, we appreciate it,” Owyn told her. He looked up at Alanar. “Want to get some sleep, once they finish? Or are you hungry?”

Alanar frowned slightly. “I could eat, I think. I’m definitely thirsty.”

“Someone should have started making supper,” Esai said. “And there will be water heating for tea.”

She led them out of the tent and toward the fire-pit. There were small camp chairs set up. Owyn led Alanar to one, then sat down at his feet and leaned against his knee. From where he was sitting, he could see a beach in the distance, and it reminded him of the cove. That night in the cove felt as if it had happened years ago, not months.

“You don’t have to sit on the ground,” Alanar murmured, running his fingers through Owyn’s hair.

Owyn sighed and pressed closer. “If I didn’t, you couldn’t do that,” he murmured. Alanar chuckled.

“Tea, sirs?” one of the guards asked. He picked up a kettle and filled two cups, passing them to Owyn. Owyn tipped his head back.

“Allie, I have a cup for you,” he said. Alanar held his hand out, taking the cup that Owyn handed to him. He sipped his tea, then sighed. “I can’t taste it. What am I drinking?”

Owyn took a sip of his, trying to puzzle out the flavors. “Mint, I think. Thyme? And...is that redbark?”

“Mistress Ambaryl says that mint and thyme kill the sickness, and that redbark is good for bringing on sweats to break a fever,” Esai offered. “It’s her ‘cures what ails you’ tea. But a bunch of us just like the taste. There’s mallow in it, too.”

“Which is good for sore throats and coughing,” Alanar said. He took another sip. “And elderberry? If she’s using the common herbs.”

“Pretty sure, yes.” Esai took another cup of tea and sat down in another chair. “Supper will be soon, I think. Then an early night. You wanted to push through to Terraces tomorrow, Fireborn?”

“Please, my name is Owyn,” Owyn said. “And yes, if we can.”

Esai looked up at the sky. “The weather should hold. It’ll be a long day. A hard one, too. Are you both up for that?”

Owyn looked up at Alanar, who shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll probably sleep most of it,” the healer said. “You should ride at least a bit of it. You don’t have to sit in the coach with me.”

“I want to sit in the coach with you,” Owyn protested.

“It’ll be safer, too,” Esai added. “You’re not armed—”

“He is,” Alanar interrupted. Then he frowned. “You are, aren’t you?”

“I have my whip chain,” Owyn answered.

“A whip chain?” Esai gasped. “Really? I’ve read about those! I’ve never seen one!”

Owyn smiled and looked back at her. “Do you want to?” He took the whip chain out of his pouch and passed it to her. “This is mine. Memfis made it for me.”

She ran the links through her hands. “This is it?” she asked, looking up. “It...doesn’t seem like much of a weapon.”

“It is,” Alanar said. “And Owyn is very good with it.” He grinned. “Not so good with a crossbow—”

“Hey!” Owyn protested, and Alanar laughed until he started coughing. “Drink your tea and stop making fun of me,” Owyn grumbled. He turned back to see Esai smiling at him. “You want to see?” he asked, and held his hand out. She handed the whip chain back to him, and he got to his feet. He draped the chain over his shoulders, taking the blade off the end and replacing it with the ball. Then he looked around. “All right. I’m going on the other side of the coach. You all don’t go any further than the coach to watch me. Understand?”

Esai nodded, her eyes wide. “We’ll stay back. But you changed the tip—”

“I can still bash your skull in by accident, so stay back,” Owyn repeated. “Denis? Stay with Alanar, please?” He walked away from the fire, past the coach, and out to the open area of grass. He turned in a circle, seeing the guards arranging themselves on either side of the coach. None of them came past it, and he nodded. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then snapped the chain forward, listening to it sing. Distantly, he heard shouts and cheering, but the music of the whip chain slicing through the air. It felt good to move, to dance, and he let himself flow with the chain, letting it wrap around his body, then whipping it out before the ball could break his bones. He spun, throwing his whip hand forward, then snapping it back and hearing the ball whistle past him. He started to slow, hearing the whip’s song deepen and soften as he drew the chain in wider, lazy circles, until it was slow enough that he could let it wrap around his other arm. He fell still, breathing hard.

The cheering was startling, and Owyn jumped as the guards rushed toward him, all of them talking at once. Esai reached him first.

“That was amazing!” she gasped. “I’ve never seen anyone move like that! And you couldn’t see the chain at all! I...how can anyone stand against that?”

Owyn sniffed, unwinding the chain and folding it back up. “Someone took me down with a polearm,” he answered. Then he realized what he’d said. It had been one of Mannon’s guards who had taken him down. One of Esai’s companions, maybe one of her friends. He swallowed. “I...yeah.”

He must have blushed, or gone pale, or something, because Esai rested her hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?” she demanded. “You all of a sudden look like you’re going to pass out.” She looked around. “Someone bring some water!”

“No, I’m fine,” Owyn protested. Fuck, if Alanar thought he was going to be sick...“I’m fine, Esai!” He looked around. “It’s just...look, don’t kill me, okay? Mannon will get mad at you.”

“What?” Esai looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

Owyn grimaced. He was surrounded. “If you do...leave Alanar alone?”

“Owyn!” Esai grabbed him by the upper arms. “Will you please explain?”

Owyn swallowed. He looked past her, past the other guards, and saw Alanar standing with Denis. “Just…” Owyn stopped. Closed his eyes. “Promise me, Esai.”

“No one is going to hurt you or Alanar or anyone!” Esai said, her voice firm. “That’s a promise. Now what is it?”

“The one who took me down with the polearm,” Owyn said slowly. “He was a guard. One of you lot.”

Esai blinked. “And...what happened to him?”

“He and his squadron were all killed,” Owyn answered, keeping his voice low.

Esai looked even more confused. She looked around. “Did...did we have a squadron go missing? And I missed it?”

The surrounding guards looked at each other, all talking at once. Finally, they fell silent, and another guard shook his head. “No. No squadrons missing. When was this? And where?”

“Mid-autumn, and south of Terraces.” Owyn answered. “Ummm...there’s a little village down there. Cliffside? You know it?”

“A day’s ride south of Terraces?” one of the guards asked. “Yeah, that’s Cliffside. My mother lives there. We don’t patrol that far south. Haven’t for years.”

Owyn stared at him for a moment, then looked at Esai. She nodded. “We don’t patrol past Terraces. You don’t see guards down there unless we’re heading to Forge, and then we go by ship.”

“Then...who tried to kill us? Because they damn near did kill our Water, and they tried to take my head off.” Owyn looked around. “Any of you have uniforms missing?”

“Owyn,” Alanar called. “Remember that Mannon said that there were some guards who threw their lot in with Risha? Maybe they were more of hers?”

“You can hear me, way over there?” Owyn called back.

“Your voice gets louder when you’re excited,” Alanar answered. “And I could hear all of you better if you came closer.”

A chuckle ran through the group of guards, and they walked back to the fire. Owyn sat down at Alanar’s feet again, tucking the whip chain back into his pouch. “So, you never had troops south of Terraces?”

“Not for years and years,” the guard who’d spoken earlier answered. “There’s no forage there, and the hunting is awful. The farming gets worse and worse every year. I keep trying to get my mother to come and live in the Palace, but she won’t. My fa is buried out there. She won’t leave him.”

“You’re Earthborn,” Alanar said.

“All through,” the guard agreed with a grin.

“So, if there weren’t any guards south of Terraces, then those guards must have come from Terraces. But...if they came from Mannon’s guard originally, wouldn’t you all have known them?” Owyn asked, looking around. Some of the guards frowned. Others started whispering to each other, gesturing as they spoke in low voices. Owyn tipped his head back against Alanar’s knee, suddenly tired. He closed his eyes. “You wouldn’t think I’d slept all day, as tired as I am now,” he murmured, and smiled as Alanar ran his fingers through Owyn’s hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Worn,” Alanar answered. “Everything aches, and my breathing is tight. I want to be home.”

Owyn reached up and took Alanar’s hand. “Tomorrow, love. We’ll be home tomorrow. We’ll be in our own bed tomorrow night.”

“No, I won’t,” Alanar said. “Jehan will make me spend at least the night in a ward room, in deep trance to make sure my lungs aren’t damaged. The night after, we’ll be in our own bed.” He squeezed Owyn’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Allie,” Owyn said. He turned around onto his knees, kneeling between Alanar’s legs. “It’s not your fault you took sick. We’ll get home tomorrow, and everything will be all right.”

“Healer Alanar, here.” Denis came up next to them, carrying a pair of flasks. “It’s the tonic that Ambaryl sent. Then you can have some soup, and we’ll see you off to bed.” He put one flask into Alanar’s hand, then handed the other to Owyn.

Kink So Real, Chapter 1: Amazon

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