Chapter 11 #2
I held up a hand. “I…I’m fine,” I said. “You just…You can’t expect me to come down there every time there’s trouble. For one, Polaris isn’t our territory. Both Bressen and I got into big trouble with the High Council that last time. I was under house arrest for what I did.”
Truth be told, I should’ve been in jail, but I’d gotten off easily, and it made me angry that Brix seemed to be counting on me to rush in and vanquish his enemies, or whatever he was imagining.
“If you go back to Fernweh, you’ll be on your own,” I warned. “I won’t be able to help you again.”
Brix was quiet a moment before he shrugged. “Maybe not, but the townsfolk don’t know that.”
I made a sound of frustration. “Why do you even want to go back?” I asked him. “The vineyard is Jaylan’s, and you don’t have anyone wai-”
I cut myself off when I realized the cruelty of what I’d been about to say.
No, Brix didn’t have someone he cared for as Jaylan did, but it made me an ass to point it out.
He had both women and men in Fernweh and the next town over he flirted with, but to my knowledge he’d never shown an inclination to make his dalliances with any of them more serious.
“Never mind,” I said. “I just don’t understand what you’re so eager to get back to in Fernweh.”
“The vineyard may not go to me,” Brix said, “but neither will yours. Does it matter if I work for him or for you?”
My heart sank. He had a point.
“I…maybe we could share the vineyard,” I offered hesitantly.
Part of me loved the idea of working with Brix again, but another part already thought of the place as mine and was reluctant to give up any control.
I wanted to create my own vision for it without being answerable to anyone else, and making Brix my partner would mean compromising that.
Brix seemed to realize as much because he just smiled. “And how long do you think it will take before you and I aren’t speaking to each other?”
“I’m sure we could make it work,” I said stubbornly.
“Cyra, I appreciate the offer, but Bressen gave this vineyard to you,” Brix said.
“I want you to be able to make it what you want it to be. Right now, though, Jaylan needs my help more than you do.” He reached out and ran his hand along the cordon of a just-budding grape vine, a reminder of what I had that Jaylan didn’t.
I sighed, sensing defeat. “When do you plan to return?” I asked.
“By the end of the week,” Jaylan said. “We’d appreciate a portal when we’re ready.”
A small, bitter part of me wanted to make them go back to Fernweh on foot – or at least by horse – but I couldn’t be that petty.
For one, it wasn’t safe to travel nowadays, and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them.
For another, I did understand on some level why they wanted to return.
The vineyard had belonged to our parents.
To just let it go and leave it to lie fallow wasn’t something any of us could live with.
Still, I wasn’t sure the residents of Fernweh would accept Jaylan and Brix back.
Even if they were too afraid of my wrath to harm them or the vineyard in any way, there were other more subtle ways the people there could make my brothers’ lives miserable, and I wasn’t sure a fear of me or Bressen would stave off those attempts.
I wanted to go down with them and issue a warning to the people of Fernweh about treating my brothers kindly and fairly, but I knew Jaylan and Brix would balk at the idea, and both Bressen and the High Council would forbid it.
Warding, I realized suddenly. I could at least put up warding to keep them safe. It wouldn’t stop the townspeople from treating them badly when they went into town, but at least I’d rest easier knowing no one could sneak up on them at the vineyard.
“Whatever you need from me is yours,” I told Jaylan. “If I have a good harvest this year, maybe I can even give you some of my grapes to get you started.”
Jaylan’s face eased, although he stopped just short of smiling. “We’ll see,” he said. “You’re just starting out. We don’t want to do anything that’s going to put you at a disadvantage.” He paused. “But…we were thinking of asking Bressen for a loan.”
I felt the pain in every word of that request. Jaylan could be proud, and I knew the idea of asking Bressen for a loan was killing him. It was a testament to just what an uphill battle my brothers faced that he’d even brought himself to voice the idea.
“It’s yours,” I said. “I know Bressen will be more than happy-”
“We’d pay back every coin,” Jaylan assured me. “We’re not asking for a donation, just a loan.”
I gave him an indulgent smile. “Of course. If you really want to make it official, we can even have Samhail break Brix’s legs if you’re late with your repayments.”
“What?” Brix said in alarm.
“She’s joking,” Jaylan said.
“He’d be happy to do it,” I went on mercilessly. “Samhail likes breaking bones. I told you he broke Eddin’s arm, didn’t I?”
Brix paled. Occasionally his naiveté ran away with him, and I couldn’t help taking advantage.
“Cyra,” Jaylan warned me.
I sighed. “Fine. No one is going to break your legs, Brix, least of all Samhail. And you both have me and Bressen’s full support. We’ll do what we can to help.”
I looked to the west where the sky had begun to darken early with an approaching storm.
“We should head back to the tasting room,” I said. “The storms in this area roll in fast, and I could really use a drink after this news.”
I turned to head back, but Jaylan caught my hand, and I stopped.
“I know this wasn’t what you wanted to hear,” he said to me, “so Brix and I appreciate you supporting us in this decision.”
“It comes with stipulations,” I said. “First, I’ll be putting up warding around the vineyard, and that’s non-negotiable.”
Jaylan opened his mouth to object, but he closed it again at the resolute look I gave him.
“You’ll also check in once a day for at least the first few weeks until I’m certain things are safe,” I went on, “and you’ll be honest and tell me if people are making things difficult for you.”
“What would you do if they were?” Jaylan asked warily.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said, “but I promise I won’t overreact and try to burn the village down.”
“Again,” Brix added, and I glared at him. He only winked.
“Do we have a deal?” I asked Jaylan.
“Fine,” he said. “We can agree to those terms.”
“Good,” I said. “Then let’s go drink a few bottles of wine. You can celebrate, and I’ll drown my sorrows. Either way, we’ll drink to the rebirth of your vineyard in Fernweh.”
“Our vineyard,” Jaylan corrected, nodding his head toward me. “It will always be partially yours, Cyra. You worked just as hard to make it what it was as Brix and I did, and we won’t forget that just because we’re starting over.”
Tears gathered in my eyes, but I willed them back. It was a generous and beautiful sentiment, but it only made me sad. I was excited about my new vineyard, but Jaylan’s words reminded me how little connection I had to this place compared to the vineyard in Fernweh.
I’d worked our old vineyard from sunup until sundown almost every day for nearly two decades. I’d used my meager – at the time – magic to help our vines grow. I’d sweated and bled into that dirt. A part of me would always belong to that place, and it would always belong to me.
I smiled at Jaylan. “Thank you. That means a lot.” I paused. “Does that mean I still get part of the profits once you’re up and running again?”
He smiled back. “Well, maybe we’ll forget it sometimes.”