51. Aryn
Aryn
The journey back toward the rift feels different this time.
We’re more prepared, and the dark stretches of forest are less daunting now.
The Viskari are in panic mode, our supplies are plentiful, and traveling on sylvarenback makes the trek much faster than before.
The mounts also keep predators at bay, so there’s less fear of an attack.
On the second day, we ask for a quick detour.
The guards seem annoyed by the request, though Ailynor appears amused as we explain we would like to visit the Khileon farm that took us in when we first arrived.
She reminds her guards the people who live this remotely don’t receive the same benefits as those in the cities, and that it would do them all some good to remember their privilege.
They duck their heads, chastised, though one of them tosses a glare at Cato’s smirk.
A couple of hours pass before the trees part and the farm stretches out before us. Despite our short stay, the home is familiar. Smoke curls from the chimneys and kravache graze in the distant fields. The zarrok circle the livestock, eyeing us warily.
Thulga and Grimhild come bursting out of the door, her with an apron around her middle and him with his axe slung over his shoulder. Both look positively murderous until they spot our crew, and then Thulga’s face splits into a wide smile.
“Well, this is a surprise,” she says with a hearty chuckle as she takes long strides forward. “We thought we’d never see you again!”
Lillith hops down first and pulls her into a hug, and the rest of us greet the couple with heavy handshakes and warm embraces. Thulga’s gaze shifts past us, her expression shifting from welcoming to stunned when she spots Ailynor.
“My Vaelor,” Thulga breathes, bowing deeply. “We are honored.”
Ailynor dismounts with graceful authority. “The honor is mine. I hear you gave shelter and kindness to my son and his companions. For that, you have my gratitude.”
“Your son?” Thulga asks, eyes wide as they swing to Ronan.
“It’s a long story,” he says with an amused grin. “But we didn’t want to pass through without stopping by to say hello.”
The Khileon couple is flustered, but gracious.
They insist on hosting us for a hot meal despite the short notice.
We gather inside their home, and Thulga drags a reluctantly shy Mezie into the room to join us.
The family is just as welcoming as before, and even more curious, asking endless questions about the capital and our journey.
Ailynor is surprisingly personable. Some leaders think themselves to be above small talk, but she chats and laughs easily with the others. They share stories of the farm and its history, and Ailynor states she’ll have her quartermaster reach out to purchase vark for her soldiers.
Thulga drops her face to her lap at the promise, fat tears sliding down her cheeks before she composes herself once more.
When they describe the problems they’ve faced with the Viskari, Ailynor has her guards take notes and even pulls out a large map to mark troublesome spots.
By the end of the meal, they’ve come up with a plan for Ailynor’s agents to use the farm as a central point while they address issues in the area.
Thulga tries hard to insist we stay the night, and the idea is tempting. We could reclaim the bed where Cato and I first discovered we were mates and give it a proper breaking in. But as eager as I am for a few minutes of privacy, we’re all anxious to continue with the mission.
When we prepare to leave, Thulga finds things to press into everyone’s hands.
Cato and I are loaded up with smoked meats and bags of vark, while Taryn receives a gemstone pendant on a leather cord.
Thulga wraps a homemade shawl around Cameron’s neck, and the others get food and small trinkets from around the house.
Despite Thulga’s insistence they couldn’t stand the constant noise of the cities, something tells me she gets lonely out here.
It’s another casualty of the worlds falling apart. Maybe if we can fix this, people will move further south again.
Maybe it won’t be so isolated.
Grimhild and Mezie shake our hands, while Thulga makes her rounds with more hugs. “Safe travels,” she says, still with a touch of awe in her eyes as they linger on Ailynor. “May the Fates watch over you.”
We’re warm and refreshed as we hit the road again, bellies full and spirits high despite the frigid night beginning to descend. The days it took us to travel this distance on foot are eaten up by the sylvaren’s pace, and we reach the rift the following morning.
The air is charged as we dismount, buzzing with faint static you’d miss if you didn’t know it was there. The group falls quiet, everyone taking a moment to look around and soak in the morning light. The snow is undisturbed here, the trees still, and the sky a pale dusty orange with the rising sun.
Ailynor and her guards circle the location, swiping hands through empty space as if they might will the rift to open.
Her expression is pensive but intense as she holds quiet conversations with her advisors.
They move into discussions of logistics, and as the talk moves to the temporary camp that will be set up here, I tune out.
Cato comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my middle, resting his chin on my shoulder. He presses a kiss to my cheek with a sigh. “I’m going to miss this place.”
“You said you want to come back,” I say carefully. “Did you mean it?”
He takes a deep breath and squeezes me tighter.
“You know, my whole life I never really felt like I belonged. I had my family when I was a kid, and I loved them, but even then I knew there was something more out there. I chased that feeling my entire life… searching for the part of me that was missing. Turns out, it was here all along.” He kisses me again, trailing his lips along my jaw. “It was here, and it was with you.”
“Getting romantic on me, are you?”
“Always, darlin’. You just can’t tell anyone.”
“Think they’d believe me if I did?” I ask with a small grin.
He huffs a laugh. “Ah, probably not. They’re going to have a hard enough time believing that I’ve been tied down, much less that I’m a fuckin’ sap about it.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I promise as I turn my head to meet his eyes. The orange morning sun shines through his copper strands, turning him as wild as the flames he carries inside him.
His smile falters as he leans in and presses a kiss to my lips. “I love you,” he whispers against my mouth. “In this world, and every other.”
The rift heeds our command much more easily this time. I don’t know if the magic between Cato and me has added to its potency, or simply because we’ve done this once before. Hells, maybe we’re all so ready to be home that the pull between the worlds actually hears our pleas.
Sovran said it was about intention, after all.
A ripple forms that spreads into a shimmering line. The opening widens into a doorway large enough for us to step through side by side. Cato lets out a relieved laugh at the sight of blue skies waiting beyond, and Cameron smiles with watery eyes.
Ailynor hisses at the blast of hot air that blows through, her tails alert and twitching behind her. She bares her fangs as she takes a cautious step closer, ignoring her guards while she reaches a hand through the opening and then yanks it back.
“Told you it’s hot,” Cameron drawls with a grin.
Ailynor is wide-eyed as she stares at him, then at Ronan, as if verifying it’s safe. He nods in understanding. “The heat is unlike anything you've ever experienced, but it won’t hurt you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Cameron mutters.
Ronan shoots him a fondly annoyed glance before focusing on his mother again. “It is uncomfortable, yes. There’s a real risk of dehydration and overheating if you aren’t used to it, but we’ll manage. These extra layers will need to come off as soon as we’re through, or everyone will be miserable.”
“Why don’t we go first?” I offer, gesturing between Cato and myself. “We’ll make sure the other side is clear before the rest of you step through, but we need to hurry.”
Ronan nods in agreement. “It’s easier to hold open this time, but it’s draining my energy.”
After one final wary glance at her advisors, Ailynor squares her shoulders and addresses the guards at the back of the group.
“The two of them will pass first, and the rest of us will follow. Remain here for a short time to ensure you aren’t needed, then start the preparations for camp. We don’t know how long we’ll be.”
Instructions continue to pass between them, along with hearty agreements and respectful echoes of ‘Yes, Vaelor’, but Cato and I tune most of it out.
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask him.
He reaches out to join our hands and gives mine a tight squeeze. “I was born ready, darlin’.”
With one last, longing glance at the orange skies and snow-covered ground, we step through together, hands linked.
The heat hits us like a wall. The air is so thick and humid it wraps around us like a living thing.
Brittle, yellowed grass crunches under our boots and kicks up dust from the dry ground.
Birds chirp loudly in the trees—a sound I didn’t realize I missed until now.
The sky stretches in a brilliant and endless blue above us, the sun beating down without mercy.
No snow.
No biting cold.
Just the sticky, oppressive warmth of home.
The word tears me right in half, and I wonder at what point I started considering this place mine.
Cato lets out a shaky laugh. “Fuck, I forgot how brutal this feels after so long in the cold.”