Come Home

The first rider drew alongside the roadside fence, followed by just four uniformed men. Uniformed, but not soldiers. It was the lead rider that held Jonas’s attention. He rode tall, his hair dark, his face framed by a road beard, but still undeniably Lord Gaemil Tovias of Rakun. A long ways from home.

Llew released an audible breath.

Rowan stepped closer to them. “Should I—?” He indicated Jonas’s vest, offering to grab a knife.

“We know him,” Jonas murmured.

Gaemil turned through the gate, taking everything in, and continued to ride right up to Llew and Jonas. Alvaro and Karlani followed the riders.

“Where is Anyunca?”

Llew seemed lost for words, but she glanced over her shoulder to the farmhouse and Lord Tovias took that as both direction and invitation and urged his horse onward, his men following.

“Uhm.” Llew gave Jonas an alarmed look. He didn’t know whether to be pleased to see the earl, either. Llew took off at a run back to the homestead, giving the horses a wide berth, reaching the door a few moments before Gaemil pulled his horse up outside and swung down from his saddle.

Rowan, Alvaro, and Karlani followed the horses at a brisk walk, and Jonas followed as fast as he could manage; not quite so fast.

Anya emerged before Gaemil had taken a step up onto the porch, just enough for Llew to stand beside her.

“My love. I’m so grateful to see you are safe and well.” Gaemil placed one foot on the porch and stopped, evidently reading in Anya’s demeanor that she was less than joyous to see him. “It’s time to come home.”

Anya was shaking her head the moment Gaemil started talking. “No.”

“Why ever not? You’ve ensured Llewella is alive and well.” He waved a hand in Llew’s direction, her jaw rippling over clenching teeth. Ah. Gaemil had used her full name. The name Braph had sullied.

“Her name is Llew,” Jonas stated flatly.

Gaemil stuttered to a halt and looked over his shoulder at Jonas. “What?”

“You will call her Llew.”

A couple of Gaemil’s guards bristled, taking a step closer, hands hovering over weapons.

Gaemil raised a hand to steady them. “Ah, Llew. Right.” A scowl in place, evidently unsettled by Jonas’s order, he turned his attention back to Anya. “Llew and her friends may return with us. No doubt you’re eager to leave Turhmos.” He smiled at Llew, business-like; one of those smiles that fails to reach the eyes.

“No,” Anya repeated.

“Yes,” Gaemil stated. “Your business in Turhmos is complete and we have a tenuous enough relationship with the country as it is. You’re not a civilian anymore. What you do has consequences. You can’t be here without an invitation, and you certainly can’t fight them.”

“Llew still needs me.” Anya glanced at Llew, as if asking permission to divulge more information.

“Brurun needs you.” Gaemil shuffled. “I need you. Come home.”

Again, Anya shook her head. “Not yet.”

Gaemil turned to Llew. “Make her see reason. Not that I’m not pleased to know you’re well, and you—” He turned to look at Jonas, saw the crutches, but Jonas’s trousers and boot hid the prosthetic. “We heard about your fight. Not surprised you survived it, more surprised you were captured in the first place.” He tilted his head in a that’s-a-story-I’d-like-to-hear kind of way. “And Aris. I was sorry to see him turn like that. He’d always been a good friend to me. My condolences. I will miss him, too.”

Jonas nodded his acceptance of Gaemil’s good wishes. He’d lost the Aris he’d loved weeks before the bastard had got his comeuppance.

Gaemil turned back to Llew. “Ll— Llew, please. You’re welcome back in Rakun while you settle your plans for the future.”

Llew gave a tight-lipped smile. “Turhmos is working with the magician Braph to destroy Quaver’s Kara. I think even Brurun would prefer we fight to maintain the status quo, and we have the only person capable of achieving that.” She nodded at Jonas. He both wanted to shrink under that expectation and rise to meet Llew’s belief in him. “But first, we need to fix him.”

Gaemil looked at Jonas, scowled, turned back to Llew. “How do you know Turhmos’s plans?”

“If your guards don’t mind waiting outside, I can fill you in.” Llew stepped back, opening the door in invitation.

Gaemil nodded to his guards, handed his reins to one, and entered the homestead, pausing to kiss Anya on a cheek on his way in. One of his men took up a post beside the door.

“I’ll, ah—” Rowan made a vague gesture at the farm at large. Jonas nodded and followed Gaemil into the house.

Llew introduced Gaemil to Elka, who had been cleaning surfaces inside, and invited the earl to sit at the humble kitchen table. Then she laid out the pieces of the flying machine and started filling him in with regards what they knew of Braph’s plans and actions so far. She told of her time at Braph’s when non-flying machines had crawled over her to draw blood to make Braph’s crystals. With an apologetic look Jonas’s way, she explained his powerlessness and the loss of his leg and that the broken machine had flown at Karlani, targeting her.

“We believe this is only one of several. What we don’t know is if this one was out in front and we have some time, or if it went off course and the others are already in Quaver infecting Kara as we speak,” she said. “What we do know, is that only Kara can be magicians, and with Jonas fitted with a device like Braph’s we believe we can halt their plans, or at least stand in the way should Turhmos decide it’s powerful enough to control all of Phyos.”

Gaemil had remained silent throughout, a deep scowl in place. “If what you say is true, Quaver’s Kara could already be lost. How can you undo that?”

Llew shrugged. “We don’t know we can. But I believe either Aenuks and Ajnai trees can reverse the effects of the infection, if not destroy the infection itself, or a magician can do it.” Llew nodded at Jonas like he was already kitted with the device.

Jonas couldn’t hold her gaze. She was right. They needed a magician to fight a magician, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to being queasy about being fitted with tubes and pumped with Llew’s blood at the scale required to match Braph.

The ghost of euphoria flowed through him as he remembered the day he’d fought Aris by the Ajnai tree and lost. The first time Llew had injected her blood into him, back when he’d still possessed his Syakaran powers … he’d never forget that feeling. A part of him would always hunger for it. Another part would always watch on in disgust. If he tasted that power again, could he stop himself demanding more? Karlani’s behavior after a single dose didn’t fill him with confidence.

Gaemil sat back, folding his arms. Anya watched him intently, imploring with a look alone.

“How long will it take you to build this device?”

“That depends on Rowan.” Llew smiled. “He’s our engineer.” She nodded to Elka. “And his sister Elka is our doctor.”

Gaemil sized Elka up. Physically, she didn’t look like much, with her twisted spine, legs, and hands, but the young woman brought years of working alongside her mother.

“I suppose extra hands would speed up the process and you could get on with finding out the truth and getting out of Turhmos sooner.”

Jonas shared a glance with Llew. She mirrored his schooled neutral appearance. There was no need to interrupt Gaemil talking himself into helping.

“I shouldn’t be here.” Gaemil sat forward, elbows on table. “That I am puts the whole of Brurun at risk.” He gave Anya a significant look. She had more to consider than herself and her friends, now. The wedding may not have occurred, yet, but their union was already official enough. “But it sounds as though Brurun is at risk, anyway. Our peace has, for a long time, been maintained by the balance between Quaver and Turhmos.” He turned to Jonas. “Your own murder of Aenuks had us worried.”

Jonas had to look away. He hadn’t been in his right mind at the time. He was sorry for the innocent lives he’d taken, but he couldn’t give them back.

“Luckily, myself and the other Brurun leaders worked with Turhmos and Quaver to insure Turhmos didn’t retaliate, and Quaver didn’t feel emboldened enough to act against Turhmos. A peace, of sorts, has prevailed.

“But— And I don’t mean to doubt your credibility, but you must understand I am simply taking your word, here. If what you say is true, then Quaver’s military strength is about to be decimated by a Turhmos agent. Assuming your brother—”

“Not my brother.”

“Right. Assuming Braph would consider himself such.”

“Even if he’s working alone, Turhmos is benefiting from it.”

“Although, with their own Aenuk numbers in doubt.”

Jonas conceded that. Aris had killed more than twice as many Aenuks in the last few months as Jonas had the previous year. As far as they knew, just one Aenuk barracks remained.

With a wry smile, Gaemil said, “Seems I’m not doing much to talk myself out of staying.” Wry turned to affectionate as he shifted his attention back to Anya, and then stern. “Promise me you’ll not do this again.”

“I wish I could.” She looked a little remorseful, but also stubborn.

Gaemil clamped down on whatever he wanted to say to that and turned back to Llew and Jonas.

“We’re about to help turn you into one of, if not the most powerful man in the world, something I’m only considering because I want to respect Anya’s choices. We’ve spent the best part of a year growing what we have. I certainly don’t wish to throw away our future by choosing to be on the wrong side of history. I’ve known you nearly your entire life, but I thought I knew Aris, too. It’s no easy decision to plan to put so much power into the hands of one man. It’s one thing having Immortals just out there, breeding, but …”

“We know,” Llew said. “I haven’t known Jonas as long as you, but I trust him, wholeheartedly. Perhaps it will reassure you to know he will still rely on me to access the power we’re about to unlock. Although, I understand you’ve got no reason to trust me, either.”

Any further doubts Gaemil had, he kept to himself. “Please, tell Anya you won’t need her again.”

Llew opened her mouth to speak, but Anya got in first.

“Although I do hope you’ll allow me to be Matron of Honor at their wedding.”

Gaemil hesitated only momentarily before following Anya’s context shift. “Naturally. That won’t be held in Turhmos, will it?”

Llew shook her head.

Jonas found himself picturing marrying Llew the very next day, right here on the farm. They had all the witnesses he cared for, and Anya could just as easily be Maid as Matron. It wouldn’t be quite as he’d hoped, without Ard there to officiate, but Gaemil had the authority.

Anya continued talking as if Gaemil hadn’t spoken. “And there will be newborns to attend to, and cousins to introduce …”

Anya’s vision for their future both delighted and terrified. Jonas couldn’t deny a desire to raise children with Llew, but they didn’t even know if Jonas could survive the next week, let alone where they might live if he did. Once again, he found himself glancing up at the rafters, finding comfort in this solidly built farmhouse. He returned his attention to Llew, who had fallen silent and become still under Anya’s words.

“They would love to come visit us in Rakun, I’m sure,” Anya continued. “You will always be welcome.” She placed a hand over one of Llew’s “Of course, the estate has plenty of rooms we don’t use most of the time. You could even live there.” She looked to Gaemil, as if his approval mattered after the offer had been made. “If you have nowhere else to settle.”

As often happened in the face of Anya’s rambles, Llew remained stunned to silence, which was soon broken as running feet approached. Super-fast running feet.

And Karlani burst through the door.

“Riders approaching. And this time, I don’t think they’re friendly.”