Chapter 22
Family Friends
B y the time Tam’s ship pulled into Ori harbor, he was well aware that his confrontation with the pirates had sparked a new reputation for himself.
Sadly, it was not one he liked any better than the old one as a mentally unwell, possibly blind, cursed, or scared-of-his-own-shadow lord.
No, unfortunately, everyone that had borne witness to his fight with the pirates that fateful night had instead concluded…
That Tam was the devil.
Even the captain barely managed to appear cordial and unruffled in the future duke’s presence.
Luca, who thankfully hadn’t witnessed Tam’s leaking magic, noticed the way everyone but himself and Eli were treating his father. He had asked both of them why this was, and Tam had explained that everyone was simply worried that the pirates would come find them again.
But Tam could see the uncertainty in Luca’s eyes at that answer.
At the very least, Luca was aware that it seemed to be a sensitive topic. Amazingly, he was able to stop himself from asking questions.
Eli and Tam stood, both leaning against the railing of the ship as its cargo was unloaded onto the dock. Luca had gone to the upper deck to marvel at the harbor town from a better vantage point.
“My lord, we should leave as quickly as possible before the rumors about you spread throughout Zinfera,” Eli murmured to her employer while eyeing the sailors as they hauled out Tam’s trunks filled with books.
“And we will. I doubt Luca is ever going to see Ori again, so might as well let him take his time looking out.”
“There’s nothing much to look at,” Eli commented irritably under her breath while turning her face toward the sea that sparkled in the early-afternoon sun.
Tam lifted an eyebrow. “Are you going to be alright being back home?”
Eli’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “It’s been years. People have probably already forgotten about me.”
“I doubt that.” Tam gave a snort of disbelief and pushed off from the railing to go holler at Luca, unaware of the stricken look Eli was giving his back.
The trio gradually made their way down the gangplank to the dock, taking in their surroundings as the harbormaster spoke with the ship’s captain.
Ori was small, and it wasn’t what most would call an attractive town. While the roofs of the buildings with their curved shapes and peaked roofs had the classic Zinferan tiles, the walls were layered in thick coats of dust and salt from the sea, as were the pillars that marked the end of the dock, originally painted bright red, with whirling black designs.
Beyond Ori lay leagues of desert that Tam, standing in the thick, roasting heat, was in no way looking forward to traversing.
“Your mother mentioned that our guides are well known to your family,” Eli recalled while already craning her neck to look along the rocky beach for anyone waving to them.
“Yes. She tried to keep it a secret, but they’re from Lord Ryu’s family and—”
“Lord Ryu?” Eli spun around abruptly. “Is he going to be here?”
Both Tam and Luca halted in their tracks, wearing identical startled expressions.
“Er… no. I believe he was sending his sons. Bong and Jeong,” Tam explained.
His assistant swallowed, visibly trying to calm herself.
“Do you happen to know… Lord Jiho Ryu…?” Tam ventured delicately.
Eli’s eyes darted down to Luca, then back to Tam.
Ah. She knew him when she was a princess in the emperor’s court , Tam interpreted seamlessly.
“Well, Bong and Jeong should be here already waiting for us at the local inn. I can ask some of the crew where we can find—” Tam stopped, frowning at something over Eli’s head, then leaned to peer around his assistant. Luca did the exact same thing in the opposite direction; a puzzled Eli followed suit.
There, coming down the dock, were two Zinferan men.
Both had their black hair tied in buns atop their heads. One was wearing a teal silk coat with white lapels tied closed at his waist, while the other wore a royal-blue coat. Both had on white, loose pants that fluttered in the wind as the men leapfrogged over each other.
The man in the teal coat was giggling exuberantly as the one in royal-blue launched himself over his companion’s back. The sailors filing down the dock gave them a wide berth and bewildered stares.
“What in the—”
Eli’s words were cut off as the man in the blue coat spotted them and straightened. “TAMLIN!” he shouted with a bright grin, his white teeth flashing… Until the young man behind him leapt at his back, unaware that there was not a lovely little frog in front of him, but a tall obstacle.
An obstacle that was pitched forward by his companion headbutting his spine.
The two men lay in a heap on the dock seven feet from where Tam and Eli stood.
Luca was laughing.
Eli, on the other hand, didn't hide her concern. “My lord, are these men… our guides?”
“Tamlin!” The man in the blue coat hollered up once more, though it was mixed with a grunt as he tried to right himself. “I’m… Bong!”
The Zinferan in the teal coat lifted his hand from his face-plant at Bong’s back. “Jeong!” he shouted, though the introduction was muffled. He pushed himself off his brother while trying to stretch his nose that was red from the impact.
Freed, Bong leapt to his feet energetically, his short goatee spreading with his smile as he bowed and held out his hand. “It is an honor to finally meet you! My father has spoken endlessly about your family!”
Tam, caught between amusement and wariness, slowly reached out and shook Bong’s offered palm.
Bong, with his well-defined cheekbones and pointed chin, was a delicate kind of handsome, with a smile filled with unbridled happiness.
Behind him, his brother finished tapping his nose experimentally as though feeling for a break in it.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other better, Tam! We’re here to take yo-oooouuu… Why is there a little version of you here?” Bong was pointing at Tam when he started speaking, however his finger slid over to Luca when he suddenly noticed the boy, who blinked and went cross-eyed while staring down Bong’s digit. “We heard about your lovely assistant…” Bong continued in confusion.
Jeong lunged past his brother and grabbed Eli’s hand, plucking it up and kissing it. “Marvelous to meet you.”
She stared at him, openly horrified, prompting Tam to gently grasp her wrist with one hand, place his other palm on Jeong’s forehead, and shove him away.
Tam knew Eli was probably reeling behind him at being recognized as a woman, and also at the untoward greeting, but he kept his gaze locked with Bong.
“This is my son, Luca. And this here is Eli—”
Bong clapped his hands together. “Your wife! My apologies for my brother, Lady Eli! Here in Ori there aren’t many women you don’t pay to share company with—” Bong bowed to Tam’s assistant while rambling, until Tam cleared his throat loudly, interrupting him.
“Eli is my assistant. Not my wife.”
Both Bong and Jeong regarded each other, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“So… She’s the mother of your son… and your assistant. By the Goddess, are things ever different in Daxaria!” Bong shook his head in wonder while Eli’s ears and cheeks burned red. Luca grinned up at her and apparently decided to emulate his father in being a bit of a mischievous arse: He grasped her hand as though to confirm the Ryu brothers’ speculations.
“No, no… she’s just my assistant. Luca’s mother… is not joining us on this trip,” Tam explained vaguely. He was hoping to divert the conversation onto a preferred topic such as where they were staying, or how they planned to survive the desert, but both Bong and Jeong were still struggling with the introductions.
“Wait—so you are… single?” Jeong asked while aiming a hopeful smile in Eli’s direction.
The assistant shifted backward, her brows lowering—she didn’t seem to notice that she was holding Luca’s hand.
Tam sidestepped between her and Jeong. “She is my assistant, nothing more.” The firmness in his tone, as well as his movements, deterred Jeong from any further advances.
Bong smiled affably. “Very well… Congratulations on your marriage back in Daxaria, though! My father will toast to the good health of your—”
“I’m not married.”
“Oh my.” Jeong and Bong lifted their hands to their chests at the same moment—rather than looking judgmental, they appeared pleasantly enthralled at the notion of a scandal.
“Shall we go to the inn to discuss when we are departing?” Tam’s eyes were hard, but neither of the Ryu men looked chastened or worried.
“Absolutely, Tam! Would you like to leapfrog back? Because of the bounce of these planks, you get spectacular height to your jumps!” Bong clapped a hand on Tam’s shoulder and thumped the dock beneath his black boot as proof.
At first, the future duke opened his mouth to say no, but then he paused with a hint of a smile.
“You know… Luca , I’m sure you would enjoy trying it!” Tam swung around and stared at his son, whose eyes widened at being put on the spot. Luca looked at Tam in wordless wonder as to why his father would do such a thing, but Tam glanced down at his son’s hand, still clasping Eli’s, as explanation. Realizing his crafty act had been caught, Luca blushed and hung his head in acceptance while letting go of Eli’s hand at last.
“Come along, little Tam! Or, sorry, what was your name again?” Jeong crouched down into a frog position expectantly.
As the game resumed, the Ryu brothers hopping over each other with Luca in between asking all sorts of questions, Eli and Tam loitered behind.
“They knew I was a woman instantly… I need to cut my hair,” Eli whispered more to herself than Tam.
He looked down at her with a sympathetic shine in his eyes. “Pretending to be a boy might have been something that worked when you were younger, but I think you’re better off owning the fact you are a woman. The choice is up to you, though.”
Eli lifted her face to stare grimly at the Zinferan shore as they walked, her dread visibly growing. “It’ll spark rumors about you, my lord.”
“For one, I’ll remind you I am not traveling as a lord, but as a scholar, and for another, even if my identity is found out, I think my traveling with a woman will be overshadowed significantly by Luca’s existence.”
Eli’s uneasy expression faded as she stared up at Tam. “Why did you tell them the details of his birth?”
Tam shrugged. “It wouldn’t be hard to find out that I lied, and it could make a lot of things more complicated later on. If I lied and said I was married, my parents would hear about that and I’d have chaos waiting for me at home. If I lied and said he wasn’t my son… That’d hurt Luca.”
Eli fell silent in the face of such reasonable answers.
“Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’m personally more worried about dying of thirst in a desert with you and Luca.” Tam touched his chest and made his eyes comically wide when he stared at Eli, trying to counter her grim mood.
“Is it the company you’re worried about dying around, or the thirst part?”
“That depends. Are Bong and Jeong perfectly hydrated when they ask me invasive, personal questions as I’m dying?”
At last, Eli cracked a smile, which made Tam smile back. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
“What do you reckon… three weeks in the Torit Desert?”
“That’s if we don’t run into problems. It’ll be hard on Luca.” Eli lifted her chin in the direction of the boy, whose infectious laugh could be heard echoing back to them.
Tam sighed. He thought about his idea the night he had fought with the pirates…
Sending Eli and Luca back together would definitely put his mind at ease while he investigated matters in Zinfera, but… He subtly stole a glance at Eli’s profile as they walked. She had a funny bounce in her everyday walk, Tam had come to learn. As if she exerted more effort in springing upward than in propelling herself forward.
He felt the fluttery sensation in his chest that he’d noticed occurring from time to time as a result of his crush. He shook his head. There were more important things to do or think about—though he didn’t have the audacity to lie to himself and say her presence wasn’t making the entire trip a lot more pleasant and fun, regardless of a surprise son, pirates, and gaining a reputation as the devil.
◆◆◆
Eli stepped over the bench and seated herself beside Tam, her attention hovering around the bartender, who was giving her an equally suspicious stare.
She had just come from ensuring that Luca was in bed, along with organizing Tam’s own room at the inn where they were to stay for the night. In the morning, they were going to find proper footwear and clothes for Luca and Tam in order to blend in better; afterward, they would set off in a carriage on the treacherous desert road known for its alarming number of bandits: The nice ones simply lightened you of your valuables, the more nefarious ones kidnapped and sold people, and the worst kind killed you and took whatever they pleased afterward.
“We are going to take you on a detour from the original plan,” Bong began once Eli had settled herself, even if she seemed not yet mentally present for the meeting among herself, Bong, Jeong, and Tam.
“I don’t have time for detours,” Tam cut in. “Detours are risky. I need information on the person your father told you about, and I need to tour the mountains on the other side of the kingdom.”
“Yes, and while I agree that traversing the Torit Desert and sledding down dunes could be a good time,” Bong countered, sounding perfectly serious, “you are going to find more about your… person … in Junya. Rumor has it she wants to make Junya the capital of Zinfera again once she manages to wrestle a certain child of hers into a position I don’t need to name,” Bong continued with remarkable insight. “If she’s already begun taking action, then those she trusts the most will be in Junya. It’s better than talking to those towns under her thumb in the desert, and you will have more people to converse with about the… mountain… occupant.”
When Bong’s brother looked at him in confusion, he added a suspicious cough while uttering the word, “Dragon.”
“More people can recognize me in Junya,” Tam argued back, leaning his forearms on the table and lowering his voice.
Bong grinned and looked at his brother.
Despite having met the Ryu brothers only that afternoon, Tam and Eli tensed with the knowledge that it wasn’t a good thing when they looked at each other like that.
“To be honest, you already have the perfect disguise.”
“Someone who looks partially Troivackian claiming to be a scholar is still going to stick out—” Tam interjected, but Jeong was too excited to bother hearing the future duke’s perfectly reasonable argument.
Jeong looked at Eli with glittering eyes. “Not if you’re there because your wife’s family is sponsoring your research!”
Both Eli and Tam turned to breathing stone figures.
“Are you… suggesting…” Tam started, already cringing as Jeong practically vibrated in his seat with delight.
“You, Eli, and Luca can be a happy family! You’ve been raising your family in Daxaria, but your wife’s family is funding your research in Zinfera! It means you can research the dragon or meet who you need to without suspicion. And you , Miss Assistant, can inquire about Junya becoming the capital, as you would be very interested to hear about how Zinfera has been changing!”
Tam didn’t bother hiding his frustration. “I’m not forcing my assistant to do that. Besides—”
“I’ll do it. It does make sense. It’s safer to travel with Luca, we can learn more, and we don’t have to worry about dying in the desert. We can stay put in Junya for two months. Do you already know where we can acquire accommodations in Junya? There will be the assumption we’re staying with my family.”
Jeong waved off Eli’s worry. “Just say they live in the capital, or Haeson, and you’re joining them later. Junya is best known for their astronomy records, which explains why you aren’t staying with your parents while your scholarly husband studies!”
“They also have great astrology books,” Tam added, though his voice sounded like it came from a distance as he processed the dramatic shift in plans.
“What’s the difference again?” Jeong wondered aloud while looking to the ceiling, his round, clean-shaven face illuminated in the lantern light.
Eli clarified before her employer could. “Astronomy is the positioning and rotation of the world, sun, moon, and stars. Astrology is the stories associated with the stars.”
Both Tam and Eli seemed more than a little determined to not look directly at each other.
“With your assistant on board, it sounds like we have a new plan!” Bong concluded brightly, leaning back in his seat.
The future duke audibly swallowed.
“Now all that’s left will be to tell your son, Luca, in the morning,” Jeong chattered. “Do you think he’ll mind?”
Tam had no idea.
Nor did he know if he himself minded. And that particular elusive answer was making his palms already start to sweat.