Chapter 14
Fourteen
Avalon
Hayle was happy to be home. There was a lightness to him as he moved through the Mistwoods, like they were where he belonged. A tension I didn’t even recognize had been pulling at his features was now completely gone.
When Braxus and Alucius met us just outside Hamor, it was like the world was right again. Both hounds had run in circles around me, licking my face and shoulders, and they’d even given Vox, Lierick, and Iker a stray kiss and nip here and there. They’d obviously been worried.
Alucius had thoroughly groomed Epsy like a wayward pup, while the stolt just stood there and took it, his fur standing at weird angles, soaked in hound slobber. He’d climbed onto Braxus’s fur and held on tight as they darted in and out of the trees.
More animals appeared, the closer we got to Hamor.
Unusual animals you wouldn’t see normally in the woods.
Bears and foxes with two tails, huge golden eagles, war cats and wolves.
Each of them came up to Hayle, booping him with their nose or waiting for a head scratch, and they all watched me with interest that would be unsettling in any other circumstance.
I wondered if any of them were actually Third Line members shifted into their animal form. I didn’t ask, though; I wasn’t sure that I was meant to know that little secret just yet.
What I really wasn’t prepared for was how beloved Hayle was.
As we entered the fortress walls of Hamor, people appeared from thin air to excitedly welcome him home.
Little old ladies kissed his cheek, and men slapped him on the back, or hugged him.
Actually, a lot of people hugged him. My brain couldn’t even comprehend that level of easy affection.
Vox looked… uncomfortable, and I reached out to grip his hand.
They weren’t exactly greeting him with open arms, more like with eyes of suspicion.
I understood it, though—how could you not?
They’d spent years being adversaries, so the Third Line weren’t just going to accept Vox into the fold like a long-lost son.
Hayle did his bit, though. Whenever he’d double back to us, or point something out, he’d wrap an arm across Vox’s shoulder with complete ease.
“I should head up to the manor and announce my presence to the Baron,” Zier told me quietly, lingering a little longer like he wanted to say more. “Be safe.”
I wanted to ask if he’d come back, or if this was him making a choice. Maybe he would stay in Hamor, as far from me as possible. Instead, I chewed my lower lip and nodded.
Hesitating slightly, he reached up and pushed a strand of my hair back from my face. “I’ll see you soon.” With that, he moved through the crowd.
I watched him go. There was an ache in my chest, like I wanted to drag him back, but I ignored it. I had no right to keep Zier with me, none at all. I’d brought him nothing but misery, and if he was smart, he’d run as far and as fast as possible.
I was distracted from the negative spiral of my thoughts by a familiar face bounding up to us, and I couldn’t help but smile. Lucio Taeme was here, his wide smile a throwback to a time when Eugene Rovan had been my biggest worry.
“It’s good to see your ugly faces,” Lucio crowed. “Well, except Avalon, who seems to be more beautiful than ever. Being a resistance leader suits you. Looking hot.”
Hayle slapped the back of his head. “Stop ogling my Soul Tie.”
Lucio smirked, completely unrepentant, but Hayle’s words had stopped several people in the street. I guess it wasn’t common knowledge yet that Hayle had found his mate for life, his Soul Tie.
The nerves I felt ratcheted up to maximum levels. They were all going to know how unworthy I was of their Heir. They’d be able to sniff out my inadequacies, and hate me. And what if they thought my relationship with Vox and Lierick was a spit in the eye of the Goddess or their Line or whatever?
Hayle’s arm dropped around my waist. “Stop overthinking. They’ll love you like I love you.”
“Honestly, they’ll probably like you more,” Lucio added. “Besides, I have a surprise for you. You’re going to love it.”
“Compliments and gifts? Really, Lucio? Are we going to have to fight it out in the middle of Hamor Hall again?” Hayle teased.
Lucio just chuckled. “After she sees my gift, we might have to. It’s pretty good. Actually, I think Vox’ll like it too, so maybe I’ll steal him from you as well.”
Vox rolled his eyes. “Unlikely.”
Lucio led us through the village to a tavern close to Hamor Hall, the residence of the Taeme family. He was all but bouncing on the spot.
I saw Leviat, his warcat, and stopped to scratch her behind the ears. “Hey, girl. Good to see you.”
Opening the door to the bar with a flourish, Lucio stepped aside. What was inside the bar made me gasp. Or maybe I should say who was in the bar.
Viana, Acacia, Polus, and Link were all sitting around the table, laughing. With them was Shay. I felt Vox’s sigh of relief behind me, though I’m sure he didn’t show it on his face. He’d been worried about Shay. We all had.
“I figured that if you all fucked things up too badly, these guys would become targets by association, so I invited them all to come and stay here in Hamor, at least for a little while.”
I turned and threw my arms around Lucio. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” I breathed, racing toward the table as they all turned and realized we were there.
“Avalon!” Acacia shouted, and they all stood as one. I was grabbed up in arms and hands, hugged like they’d actually missed me. It was so nice, I considered crying right there onto Viana’s shoulder, but I resisted.
She pulled back. “We were so worried about you. Where have you been?”
I laughed. I wasn’t sure they’d believe me if I told them. “Lots of places. I’m so glad you’re all right. Are the rest of the Twelfth okay? Boellium?”
Their faces grew solemn. “Come and sit. There’s a lot to talk about.”
Boellium War College was empty.
Master Proxius had cleared out the Lower Lines first, and then the Upper Lines, claiming there were some kind of toxic mold spores that needed to be eradicated.
It sounded like bullshit to me, but the Upper Lines weren’t willing to risk the lives of their precious children.
Well, for anything less than glory and a good marriage.
Apparently, some of the Second Line soldiers had helped sell the idea by adding in hallucinations of mold spores dripping from the walls and students lying curled in the corners, coughing up blood. It sounded gruesome, but at least it was effective.
“So no one’s left at Boellium?” It seemed like such a foreign concept, like a ribcage without a heart.
“Svenna and the Librarian Enora, and most of the Tenth Line conscripts are still on Boemouthe, even if they aren’t behind Boellium’s walls,” Viana said softly.
It was so good to see them, I hadn’t realized quite how much their safety had been playing on my mind. Somewhere in my time in Boellium, they’d become my family. I loved them, especially these four, who’d been through so many things with me, both in this life and ones before.
“And the rest of the Twelfth Line conscripts? I know the West is still in the grip of the drought. I didn’t mean to send them back to starvation.”
Viana reached out and patted my hand. “You didn’t send anyone anywhere. The country’s problems don’t fall on your shoulders, Avalon Halhed. The Lower Lines will survive as we always have, and if the news spreading through the streets of Hamor today is true, then it won’t be for long anyway.”
“What news?” Vox asked softly.
“That the Dawn Army has split. Your little speech earlier was heard not just by those in Fortaare, but in further barracks as well. That’s some impressive power,” Polus teased.
Iker narrowed his eyes. “The village at the southern border of Hamor hadn’t heard yet, but if he had that kind of range, it won’t be long.” He rubbed at the beard that had grown since our time on the road. “You say it’s split?”
Polus nodded. “Half of their ranks are Lower Lines, even if it isn’t anyone in power. The rank-and-file soldiers are almost exclusively Lower Six. You can have the biggest army, but not even you can lead it around by the nose, if it decides to stand against you.”
“Will they join us?” Lierick asked, and Link shrugged.
“Time will tell. The Second Line has been gone for generations, so you’ve become an unknown quantity.
At least the First Line is a known horror.
There’s always a chance you’ll be worse.
” He leaned forward, his eyes meeting Lierick’s.
“If you want to secure their loyalty, you’ll need to prove that the Second Line isn’t just here to claim their own power and leave the rest of us out in the cold. ”
We talked more, about the other conscripts, and the college, and what had happened after we left Eaglehoth. There’d been a huge scandal when Vox and Hayle hadn’t returned to Boellium.
Some people had said they’d murdered each other, their fight for my affections spilling over into bloodshed. Others had said they’d run off together, and judging by the sly look on Acacia’s face, perhaps the Twelfth Line had something to do with that rumor.
The more prevalent one was that they’d just been called to Fortaare for Conclave business, then hadn’t returned, due to the mold thing. Either way, no one really knew, and my name wasn’t brought up all that often.
Too soon, Hayle stood. “We better head to the hall and check in with my parents,” he said softly. Nerves struck me out of nowhere again.
I stood, and Viana came to hug me again. “They’ll love you. You’re incredibly easy to love,” she whispered into my ear, and I squeezed her back.
Acacia hugged me too. “We’ve got your back, Avalon. We stand where you stand—that’s what families do.”
I was going to cry. I wrapped an arm around both of them and held them tightly. “Thank you,” I breathed. “For everything.”
“We’ll be here when you’re done,” Polus added, patting me on the shoulder like a wayward little sister.
We waved goodbye, and Shay stood too. She leaned over and whispered something in Acacia’s ear, before kissing her cheek and moving after Vox.
I smiled at her, waggling my eyebrows between her and Acacia. “That looks cosy,” I teased her as we made it back to the street.
She looked haughtily around the guys, who all hovered closer to me in the crowd. “I believe I could say the same, Ninth.”
I grinned, because I guess she was right. “It’s not a bad thing. But just know that if you hurt her, I will make your life a misery.”
Shay scoffed. “If I hurt her, she’ll make my life a misery. You’ll be the least of my problems.” Even as she said those words, she smiled a little goofily. Well, as goofy as Shay got. “I promise, it means something to me too,” she said quietly.
I patted her arm. “You deserve something beautiful.”
Lierick halted in the street, tilting his head and making a face. “My father has landed at the port and is coming to meet with the Baron of the Third Line. He’s requested our presence.”
Letting out a relieved breath, I stepped to the side. “I’ll head back to the inn and wait for you guys to return then?”
Iker snorted, while Lierick looked apologetic. “He’d like all our presence—yours included, Avie.”
Hayle wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Guess you’re meeting all the parents at once. Like ripping off a scab,” he crooned, and I winced at the visual. “They’ll love you, because I love you. Besides, you’ve already met my father, and he’s by far the scariest of my parents.”
I glanced at Lierick, who gave me what I’m sure he thought was a reassuring expression. But behind that, I could see the worry. His eyes flicked quickly to Vox, then away.
Oh. Suddenly, I was glad I wasn’t in Lierick’s place, because while I might not be good enough for Hayle, at least I wasn’t the son of my Line’s greatest enemy.