52. Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Mace - 6 Months Later
" I promise, it's a good surprise," I say, my hands over Viola's eyes.
She squirms uncomfortably under my hands as I march her across the courtyard and past the Equinox tree. The tree has become the symbol of Rainworth, of it's joining of magic and culture. Children gather under it for city-wide story time, couples get married under it, and if the weather is good, our town halls are held beneath it.
Most of the time, we forget that there is a former God entombed it.
"I'm tempted to say boots," she grumbles as I push her along.
"This is not that kind of blindfold, so your safeword does not apply." I lean down and bite the end of her pointed ear. She groans, cursing me under her breath for teasing her.
I pull to a stop once we exit the keep, standing in the wide training field right outside the city. Viola shuffles back and forth on each foot, anxiously tapping on her thighs. "How much longer?"
Dropping my hands from her eyes, I watch as she blinks to adjust to the sunlight. Her vision comes into focus. "Plume!" she says, reaching out for our friend and pulling her into a hug. "You're back?"
"We're back!"
Plume looks like a different person, her hair braided on one side, the other flowing loosely. Her skin has gained color from the sun, a smattering of freckles across her upturned nose. Her clothing is more form-fitting than I've ever seen her wear, and there is muscle definition on her arms that wasn't there before, clearly from helping out around the ship.
Sea life really suits her.
Jaz steps out from behind one of the many trees we've grown around Rainworth, a large box in their hands. "We're not the surprise, though," they say with a rakish grin.
Viola looks at me, confused, and then back at our friends. "What do you mean?"
"Look in the box," Jaz says, stepping back a few steps.
Kneeling, Viola slowly removes the lid of the box, and then gasps so loudly I stumble. She reaches into the box and pulls out a struggling, squawking chicken. "Hilda!"
"We found her poking around your old place, thought she'd prefer it here," Jaz says with a shrug. Viola hugs the very uncomfortable chicken to her chest and turns away from us, walking around the walls of the city. "Where are you going?" Jaz shouts after her.
"Since you left, we've added a paddock for livestock. I'm going to get her settled into her new home," Viola calls without looking back .
"Why does it feel like she cares more about that chicken than anyone else?" Jaz mumbles under their breath.
I can't help the laugh that slips out. "Because it's probably true, knowing her." I clap Jaz on the shoulder, pull Plume in for a hug, and then jog to catch up to my partner.
Viola and I head into the dining hall ahead of the community dinner to see what kind of help we can provide. She insists on doing this at least once a week.
No one likes it when she does.
It came as no surprise to any of us that Viola Mistflow is a terrible cook.
She has mostly been relegated to only chopping things. She is quite good with a knife, after all.
This time, though, a familiar face shocks us.
"Lady God!" Huck says, dropping the potato he was peeling. "Whatchoo doing in here?"
"Me? Huck, what are you doing here?" she says, gaping at Huck. "When did you leave Feria?"
The door to the kitchen swings open and Quade, the proprietor of the tavern and inn we stayed at in Feria, comes lumbering through. He's just as tall as I remember, his large arms and stomach taking up a ton of space in the cramped area. He smiles widely beneath his beard, rubbing the top of his bald head. "We just got in today with Jaz's ship."
"I didn't even consider you two would want to come," I say, grasping forearms with Quade. "What about your tavern?"
"Ah, I left it to my brother. I just felt like this was where I needed to be." Is he blushing? It's hard to tell under the beard. "When you lot left, it just felt like we should've gone with ya, is all." Definitely blushing.
"We're glad to have you here," Viola says, her smile wide. "I can't imagine why you'd want to come to a town that's barely settled."
"I mean, official chef of the Lady God, that's gotta be the dream, right?" Huck chuffs out a laugh, going back to peeling potatoes. "I mean, if I knew to dream it when I was a boy s'all."
"I told you to call me Viola, Huck."
"Nah, Lady God. It's respect, ya know?" He leans towards me and whispers loudly so she can hear, "And it makes that little vein in her forehead twitch when I do it, and that's right hilarious."
Quade claps Huck on the back of the head, who chortles and rolls his eyes. "What are you two doing in my kitchen?" Quade asks, turning on us and crossing his arms across his broad chest.
"Viola and I help out every few days for community dinner." He looks at me like I've spoken in another language, shaking his head.
"No, absolutely not. No more of that," Quade says, ushering us out of the kitchen into the main hall. "No God is cooking in my kitchen."
"Hey! Everyone pitches in here," Viola says, fighting against his shoving.
"I'm sure they do, but Huck and I are used to cooking for crowds, and we'll pick our kitchen staff, thank you very much. And it will not include a frosty God like you."
"So what, you just come into my city and take it over?" she says, turning around and crossing her arms, mirroring Quade's stance. There isn't much bite in her words, but she has narrowed her eyes on the man.
"That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm the professional here. I don't tell you how to do whatever it is Gods do. I've already seen the amount of food waste you lot have, and that's unacceptable. Stand out of the way, and let me do this." He steps towards her, ducking his head deferentially. "Shadowweaver, you've got enough to handle. I came here because my gut told me you needed me. This is what I'm here for."
The small amount of fight that was in her drains out. "You'll tell me if you need me?" she asks quietly. I know giving up control is difficult for Viola, but in this case, I think even she realizes it's for the best.
"Absolutely. Now, go spread the word that anyone who is interested in working in the kitchen needs to come see me," Quade says with a broad smile.
"Or me!" Huck shouts from the kitchen.
"Not him," Quade says under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Can you imagine a kitchen full of Hucks? I'd ask you to put me out of my misery right then and there."
The sun is long set, the moon high, and I press my back up against the Equinox tree, staring through its strange branches.
"I know it doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but I feel closest to you here," I say quietly. "It's a little morbid, considering what this tree is and what it stands for, but I can feel you the most here."
It's been months since we lost Zeph, and the grief still feels fresh a lot of the time. When it does, I come here and talk to him. It may seem odd to most, but damn if it doesn't feel right. "I'm not getting to enjoy being a high priest as much as you. There aren't any battles to give her devotion, so mainly, I only transfer if she's used too much to build new buildings."
Rainworth has extended outside of the original walls, with more people than expected wanting to live here. Ytopie is all but empty now, with just a few holdouts refusing to leave. It wasn't a strict mandate but a strong suggestion. Trade support has been cut off to Ytopie, and while that may seem harsh, it was necessary for change.
Gone are the days of the fae literally looking down on the humans. They are living side by side, working side by side, to make Krillium a better place. Jaz's boat wasn't the only way humans came over. Huge groups made the pilgrimage across the land and others had their own, smaller boats that they traveled in.
Viola' s uncle, Ritter, and her cousin, Bean, arrived not too long ago. Both of them said it felt right to be close to family. Watching Viola try to navigate family has been surprisingly fun. She's trying hard, but it's going to take more than a few weeks for her to get used to it.
"Cirrha is good, though. She's taken to being a high priest. She leads daily devotions, which Viola runs away from every time, refusing to even think about them for fear of becoming like Himureal. Taegan has written down most of what's happened from now back to the battle, and now he's working background for our journey through Krillium. I wish you were here to talk to him about what it was like being Himureal's high priest." I inhale deeply, wiping the tears that are sneaking out of my eyes. "I wish you were here for a lot of reasons, brother. It feels wrong, somehow, to continue to grow and change in my life without you here."
"He's never going to be really gone, you know?" Morrow's deep voice reaches me. He sits beside me, leaning against the tree. "Don't mean to intrude, couldn't sleep. That fucking rabbit of Tulip's is driving me insane."
"At least it's cute and fluffy. I've got a fucking snake that slithers across me at night."
He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's worse. Way worse."
"How's she coming along with her magic?"
"Good, she feels a lot more confident now. It's strange seeing her with it, but I can't deny I'm relieved to know that we've got a lot of years ahead of us." He tilts his head against the tree, eyes closed as he faces the sky.
I examine his profile, trying to imagine what it would have been like without him on this journey. I can't picture it. "You've got it bad, huh?"
"Have from the first second, you know that."
"I know. What's your plan with her?"
He turns his head to me, one eye open. "Are you asking me for my intentions with her like you're her father?"
"Not her father, but the partner of the person who would absolutely flay you alive if you hurt her."
"She wouldn't kill a high priest," he says, closing his eyes again.
"You say that now. See what happens if you make Tulip cry."
His shoulders shake with laughter. "I'm sure one day I will hurt her, but it'll never be intentional. I love that woman so much I ache sometimes, Mace. How can loving someone hurt?"
"Wish I knew, but I'm right there with you."
We sit in silence, both of us staring at the sky between the branches of the Equinox tree. I'm not upset at him for interrupting my talking to Zeph, not in the least. Morrow has become my best friend through all of this. He calls my shit in the way Zeph used to. He keeps me from wallowing.
"I'm gonna marry her, Mace. I mean, for real this time."
"I figured as much." I can't hide my smile. "Viola never wants to get married."
"Never?"
"You know how she is."
"I do, but I figured she'd do it for you," he says, turning to face me. He pulls one leg up and rests his residual limb on his knee. "Don't you want it?"
"It would be a title upgrade. But I don't know, I don't think we need it."
"I'm just saying, brother, once she sees Tulip get married, she's going to want it. You need to prepare yourself."
"It's gonna be soon, then?"
His smile nearly breaks his face in half. The orange glow of the moon lights up his white tunic and reflects on his face. "Why wait? This is it, no need to wait around."
We sit in silence for another hour, and my mind wanders through my loved ones, my friends, my family. We've lost so many but gained some too. Morrow and I didn't know each other before this journey, and now look at us.
I don't know about fate, but sometimes it feels like we all ended up exactly where we were supposed to be.
"Your thoughts are loud, Nightroot," Morrow grumbles, his voice thick with sleep. "You and Viola are so alike it's nauseating."
"You're one to talk about being nauseating with all that love you were spilling."
"Love is beautiful. Your fretting is not."
"I'm not fretting!" I insist. "And to think I was thinking about how grateful I am for you, you ass." I shove his shoulder, and he stumbles over, struggling to catch himself .
"Wow, you pushed me on the side with my stub, so I can't catch myself. Real class act there, Nightroot." He cannot hold the serious expression on his face for long, and he laughs loud enough to wake up the houses that neighbor the courtyard. Luckily, none of them come out and yell at us.
"We should go," I say, standing up. I look up at the sky one more time, kissing my first two fingers and holding them up to the stars. "I love you, Zeph. I'll hold it all down here, I'm used to carrying your share of the load anyways."