24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Viola
A s the boat docks, the weakening from the attack causes shakes and creaks, jostling me against the railing. With tightly gripped white knuckles, I look out at Pran with wide eyes.
Despite hearing so much about it, I've never been here before. It's smaller than I thought it would be, full of ramshackle homes built several layers high to accommodate as many people as possible. Under the familiar briny scent that permeates all seafront towns is a burnt smell that reminds me of overdone bread. Tulip is beside me, sighing happily. A solid night's sleep and she thinks she's back to normal, but I have my doubts. She still seems a little unsteady on her feet, and the scars from the barbs on the Charbydis's tentacles still shine bright pink.
"We're home," she coos, leaning over the banister.
"Are you ready to be welcomed home as a winner?" I ask her, one hand between her shoulder blades. She looks at me and nods, a flush coloring her cheeks. It's unlikely Tulip will ever get used to being called a winner- and in her Ascension year, no less.
"I was terrified, you know," I whisper, the fear that permeates my voice foreign to my ears. "I thought I was going to lose you."
She reaches her hand out for mine, clasping it tightly. "But you didn't."
"But I didn't."
For a moment, it's silent, just the two of us looking at her hometown, all the words we can't say hanging between us. What good would it do to continuously talk about the worry that we will lose one another? Tulip has gone from someone I didn't want around me at all to someone I would be willing to rip hearts out for. The woman has wormed her way under my skin, taking every nurturing part of me I thought didn't exist and thrusting them to the surface. I never want to feel the way I felt when she was injured again. I know I cannot always keep her safe, but I am going to do my best to.
She has become more important to me than words can say.
And so we sit there in comfortable silence, just two women who found themselves thrust together and managed to get under each other's skin.
"Morrow was out there with me the whole time," I say quietly.
Tulip turns her head to look me in the eyes, her eyebrows lowered. "The whole time?"
"Yep. And when Jaz came down and called you a girl, he corrected them and said you were a woman."
She laughs at that, her cheeks warming. "He's learning."
Before I can press her about Morrow, he and Mace climb up the stairs holding our bags, with Plume trailing behind them. I motion for them to put them on the deck and then work on rearranging the way they packed them.
"Is there a problem with how I packed?" Mace asks, his tone hinting at amusement.
"Yeah, how can we carry these comfortably? Everyone needs their own pack, with their things and their weapons." One blade is already strapped to my thigh, but I pull out my other two, completing my set. I wrap my whip around my waist and shove my clothes in the smallest of the bags, cinching it tight before tying the rope diagonally across my chest.
I pack Plume's bag next, shoving her blow gun and darts into a leather pouch to tie around her waist on a belt that I've shoved her blade in. Her clothes get tied to her back next in a light linen bag. Morrow has already put his clothing in a bag and strapped it over his shoulder with his quiver and bow, and he holds his axe in his hand, resting it against his shin. I give him an approving nod. I toss Tulip her javelin, which she deftly catches, and slide a blade into her waistband before wrapping her clothing in a burlap sack. I go to throw it over her shoulders, and Morrow takes it without looking at me and shoves it into his pack.
Finally, I look at Mace, who's staring at me with his mouth open. "You're… efficient," he says, cracking a smile.
"I've done this a time or two before." I tie my spare set of thigh holsters onto his legs, blushing at the proximity of my face to his crotch.
He cranes his neck down to me and whispers, "If you wanted to get on your knees for me, you only needed to ask, my numen." I pull the holster tighter than it needs to be, and he yelps. "Point taken."
Sliding the blades into the holders and his pack of clothing on his back, I point at the Mace. "You good to carry that mace, Mace?" I fight back a laugh.
"Weird sense of humor, Shadowweaver," Morrow grumbles as Mace's face breaks into a large grin.
Once our crew is outfitted with enough weapons it looks like we're going to war, Jaz shows up. "The ramp is down, so you're good to go." My team moves down the gangway, clapping Jaz on the back and thanking them for the hospitality, with Tulip apologizing for causing a scare. Jaz waves them away and tells them it was a pleasure.
Soon, it's just the two of us looking at each other. "Viola, I can't say I'm glad I gave you this ride, but I'm not upset I did either. It's good to know what's to come and what happened."
I nod, understanding the conflict someone would feel once all that knowledge became available. I'm still dealing with it myself. "I appreciate you opening your ship to us. I know it may have cost you some crew mates." While I have the smallest kernel of guilt over that, it was necessary for the good of Krillium, so I won't lose sleep over it. Jaz is an excellent captain, and they'll have no issue replenishing their crew once they get back to Dalery.
"Well, I suppose it would've cost me more not to have you lot. You did save us from the Charybdis."
"You know, I kind of forgot about that in the fear about Tulip. I never asked, is Kira okay?" How had I managed to block all that out just from worry? And Mace being the one to defeat it! We hadn't talked about his superior Storm magic. I make a mental note to do a fight debrief with the group to talk through how it went.
They run their hand through their short, curly hair. "Nothing could take Kira out," they say with a laugh. "Anyways... how much of this can my crew talk about when we get home?"
I wrinkle my nose. "I suppose all of it, except the stuff about the Race and the winners. I think it'd hurt too many people to get out, and nothing good could come of it." Jaz's nose wrinkles in displeasure. I almost fill the silence between us with justifications, but they nod their acceptance. Rushing to change the subject, I add, "But you can tell people that Himureal is back and not to be trusted and that I am working to fix it and save the rest of the Gods."
"And about you? Do we tell them you're a God, too?"
Rubbing my hands up my arms, I shrug, looking out at the water. "I don't know, Jaz. I don't think you can be a God if people don't believe in you, so if you believe I am one, then sure. If not, that's fine too."
They clap my shoulder, pushing me towards the ramp down to the shore. "It was good to see you, friend. I have no doubt we'll cross paths again."
Once we've left the docks, Tulip moves in front of the group to direct us, thrilled to have us in her homeland. "What should we see first?" she asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.
"Do you want to give us a tour or just get down to business?" I can tell by his tone Mace is hoping she says business. I wouldn't mind a tour, but I know time is of the essence. There is no telling what Himureal has planned or what he could be mobilizing against us.
"It's actually going to kind of be both? Where we need to go is on the edge of the city, so I can take you the semi-long way to show you everything. Also, we don't have any inns or taverns here, so we're going to have to camp on the outskirts of town. I could ask some people I know for a place to crash, but with all these beautiful fae, it'll be easier for us to camp," Tulip calls behind her, walking a swift pace through familiar streets.
"Beautiful fae, huh?" Morrow says, increasing his gait to walk directly beside her. "Who do you need to introduce your beautiful husband to, wife?"
Plume coughs to disguise her laugh and leans into my shoulder. "Do you think he'll ever give that up?"
I shake my head. "Absolutely not. He's obsessed with her."
"It's like she's a God, and he's got the draw," Mace adds.
I wrinkle my brow. "What's the draw?" Plume looks equally confused at the statement.
Mace jerks his head to us. "Neither of you know?"
Plume clears her throat, "Mace, Viola is a human, and I'm not as uh… well read as you." I can tell by her tone Plume wanted to say so much more, and I roll my lips inward to hide a smile.
The Autumn fae shoots us a questioning glance. "It's something I read about in the high priest's journal. She would bemoan her's a lot, like it was a hindrance to her happiness. It's like a magical tether from a person to a God that marks them as the high priest. They're unable to resist it." He ruffles his hair, pushing the slightly too-long bangs off his forehead. "Of course, Tulip isn't a God, so it's not that, but that's what it reminds me of. A pull towards her that Morrow can't explain or avoid."
"Wouldn't it be something if that would happen between non-Gods?" Plume sighs. "It would be nice to know who we were meant to be with."
"I thought you didn't want to be with anyone?" I ask her, remembering what she told Zeph in the garrison.
"I don't want to lay with anyone, but I would still like a partner in love. But the likelihood of that happening feels slim at my age." She looks sad, eyes slightly misty.
Mace puts his hand on her shoulder. "You're sixty-seven, Plume. You have plenty of time." She scoffs and pushes his hand away, wrapping her hands around her elbows self-consciously.
Plume is beautiful, with long shiny hair and soft, sensual curves. There is little doubt she's had numerous options for suitors, but finding one who is accepting of her desire to never lay with them must be difficult. In a lot of ways, she's the opposite of how I've walled myself off. I've never had problems having sex with someone, but when emotions get involved, I leave.
But that's my choice. Plume doesn't have that luxury. She can't help who she is.
I find myself wishing for the draw to be between non-Gods as well, just so she could know there was someone for her out there, too.
With the tour Tulip is giving us, I notice that, on the surface, Pran isn't much different than Dalery. Dusty streets, a center square where a market is set up, and people with worn clothing and tired looks on their faces. But it is all shrunk down. The city itself is smaller, necessitating the homes being built up several levels like they were in Ytopie. It's still a shock to me that structures can bear that kind of weight. Everything in Dalery is a single level. I'm not sure if the homes here could survive a strong storm.
It's late afternoon, and people are everywhere, casting us confused glances. We must be quite a sight walking around the city. A local girl who all must've been told won the Race, a human, Mace Nightroot, and two stunningly beautiful people who could only be fae. On the edge of the city, torches are lit with orange flames, and people are gathering with excited murmurs. Drumbeats can be heard drifting through the air.
Tulip stops walking and gasps, spinning around to face us. "It's Linna!" The four of us exchange confused glances, and she sighs. "You don't have Linna? Not even in Dalery?"
I shake my head. "Never heard of it at all. What's Linna?"
She spins around, holding her javelin aloft like a scepter. "It's a festival of sorts! Pran, in general, very much still worships Solarius and even those who don't still celebrate Linna. It's the day in the summer when the daylight is the longest. We dance, drink, eat, and just generally get up to mischief."
Morrow grins. "The Summer Solstice, then."
She wrinkles her brow. "Sure, if that's what you call it. It's a city-wide celebration! Oh, we have to join, we just have to!" Tulip rushes forward and clasps my hands, her eyes wide and pleading. "Don't make me remind you I almost died."
I laugh, shaking my head. "I'll never forget. And I wasn't going to deny you. A Solstice festival sounds like a good chance to get to know the people here. Is there a likelihood we'd meet some of those you wanted to introduce us to?" I think the only celebrations I've been to are weddings and the gala in Ytopie. I'm not sure what to expect at a festival, but there was no chance of me ever denying this of Tulip. The least I can do is try to enjoy myself.
Tulip chews her bottom lip. "Yeah, I think so. Most of the city celebrates. We need to store our weapons, though, or we won't make any friends. And if Plume could help us with something to trade…"
Straighting at the sound of her name, Plume nods. "I can get us something. Beast or plant?"
"Beast, if at all possible. Meat is hard to come by here, too. We're just fishermen. "
Tulip continues walking us through the city, giving the celebration a wide berth. As we pass crumbling buildings, she points out the schoolhouse she learned at, the corner where she had her first kiss (Morrow glowers through that whole story), and the bench Twig fell off of and broke his arm while attempting something stupid.
The more stories she tells, the harder it is for me to keep a smile on my face. I can't help but think that was the childhood I was supposed to have. I have so few happy memories of that time, and Tulip is practically bursting at the seams with them. Even after her parents died, she still managed to have a happy life with Twig.
We end up on the outskirts of a copse of trees. Plume works to carve us an oasis in the middle of it, and Mace pulls rocks to protect the sides and opening. Inside, it reminds me of the clearing where I first met Tulip. We stash our bags and weapons within, each of us keeping a blade hidden on our person. I loan one of mine to Morrow so he's not left unarmed.
I go to braid my hair back, and Tulip stops me. "Unmarried women wear their hair down."
"Why?" I say with a wrinkled nose.
She shrugs. "No idea. Unmarried men go shirtless, so off with it, you two."
Mace flushes but complies, pulling his shirt off and revealing the firm planes of his chest, a small coating of dark hair between his pectorals and leading down to the top of his pants. My mouth nearly waters at the sight of him. A brief flash of jealousy at the idea that people may see him and think he's available shoots through me, but I push it down. I'm the one who has kept him at arm's length emotionally. I don't have the luxury of jealousy.
Morrow crosses his arms, refusing to remove his shirt. "Sorry, love, I am married."
Tulip laughs, pulling her hair out of her braid to fly wild around her head. "You may be, but I'm not! I don't seem to recall a ceremony." Her words have a teasing tone, but with her back mostly turned, she misses the brief flash of sadness on Morrow's face.
With a frustrated grumble, he pulls off his shirt. Tulip turns just as he does and her eyes grow wide at the sheer size of him, arms rippled with defined muscles. His stomach is soft and comfortable, and curls of black hair peek from the top of his pants. With his long braids cascading over him, he strikes an impossibly handsome figure. Tulip's cheeks redden, and she stares at him for just a beat too long before turning to look at Plume, who is slowly combing out her hair with her fingers.
With a glance around the hollow we're calling our temporary home, I survey my team. Two men so attractive they are bound to cause a stir and two women, one with wild hair and beauty and the other so ethereal, every curve of her body screaming luxury, we certainly are a sight to see. I allow myself a moment to forget the trouble we've been in, the trials we've already faced.
When I made it to Ytopie, I was determined to have a normal life, with fighting and training behind me .
Well, I'm certainly not getting that any time soon. But for tonight, I can give Tulip's normal a try.
Max would've loved this.
Tulip grabs me by my hand and pulls me forward. "Let's go get into trouble."