Chapter 37 Breaking Barriers
Childish Chats
Tam sat beside Eli in the carriage that was trundling its way toward Austice. The air was damp and thick with the promise of rain. After boarding the boat back to Xava from the Isle of Wittica, Finlay Ashowan had remained unconscious and had not stirred the entire day.
Luckily, the duke had already prepared a carriage for himself, the princes, and Aster back on shore once the ship had landed.
One of the knights close with the Ashowan family—Sir Lewis—had met the battered group on the docks of Xava and kindly assisted Tam with his father and the princes.
Henrietta had opted to ride with the knight.
As it turned out, Henrietta’s family farm was on the land neighboring Sir Lewis’s, and she had a great deal of questions about the crops for the year.
Tam had then sent them all off ahead with Kraken curled up on his witch’s lap. Meanwhile, Tam had gone back to the cottage to find Luca and Penelope in a hidden crawl space under the cottage.
The four of them had departed immediately.
They couldn’t risk the witches following them, though unlike in Zinfera, they could at least travel by the main roads, as the knights stationed along the roads would help them rather than attack. In the quiet, Tam raised an issue that was troubling him.
“I thought you were worried about turning into Kasha.”
“I sensed your pain, and I saw the princes through your eyes…” Eli replied quietly.
Penelope was asleep with her head resting on Eli’s lap, while Luca had also fallen asleep, but with his face splattered across the carriage window on Tam’s right. Tam pointedly ignored the smear of drool, while also admiring his son’s ability to sleep in such an awkward position.
“It was dangerous,” Tam continued, his eyes still stuck on Luca. “I understand why you were worried, but in the future please stay with Luca and Penelope.”
Eli’s expression frosted over. “Is that an order?”
A trickle of sweat gathered and dripped down Tam’s back in the span of a breath, moving as though it, too, feared for its existence.
He chose his next words with the same caution one might exercise while covered in lamp oil and lighting a cigar. “Well… What do you think we should do in the future?”
The silence that followed was weighty.
“I should’ve just gone and introduced myself as a familiar,” she retorted.
“What if they had hurt you before you could say anything?”
She was quiet.
Tam wasn’t foolish enough to think it was because she accepted his suggestion.
Eli tilted her head. “Remember when we had that fight outside of Wixim’s cave about how I told you the rules for engaging in battle, and you were upset that I didn’t approach it as a discussion?”
“Yes… Yes, I do.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
He cleared his throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry that I’m not making this a discussion.
I was worried about Penelope and Luca being left alone, and you getting hurt while pregnant—also that you were forcing yourself to join the fight when you have been anxious about turning into Kasha.
What do you think we should do in the future? ”
Eli’s sights drifted over to the scenery rushing by the carriage window. “I will try to avoid getting involved as much as possible while I’m pregnant, but we should try and arrange for Penelope and Luca to have a safe place to hide in case of an emergency.”
Tam nodded slowly. “At my family’s keep in Austice, there are a number of secret rooms and passages.”
At this, Eli raised a quizzical brow and moved her attention back to Tam.
Luckily, she appeared to have let go of her earlier grievance against him.
“That reminds me. Your family owns a multitude of brothels, has aliases, and a slew of underworld connections, judging from the fear and reverence those madams treat you with. I’ve come to the opinion that your family is not nearly as wholesome as you portray yourselves to the general public. ”
Tam grimaced. “That’s… not entirely inaccurate. My mother… she has been a… a well-informed person for her entire life. And the information she gathers and the deals she makes have made her rather valuable to the crown of Daxaria. I started helping with her work a few years ago.”
“She’s a spy for the king,” Eli surmised bluntly.
Tam’s gaze darted to the children then back at her. He gave her a tight smile to convey that she wasn’t wrong, but to maybe not be quite so open in her thoughts with their charges present.
Eli continued to stare at Tam. He could see the thoughts whirring behind her eyes.
Wanting to change the topic as quickly as possible, Tam’s attention fell to Penelope. She looked sweet… nothing like the sharp-tongued child who was too smart for her own good.
“We still need to have a talk with Penelope about stealing my mage crystal for the watch,” he began.
Eli looked down at the child in her lap and gently stroked her hair. “I know. She was just so frightened by it, and she did it weeks ago.”
Tam tilted his head in acknowledgment. Anytime they had attempted to broach the future battlefield Penelope had seen, she would turn rigid and begin breathing rapidly.
“I don’t know if I told you this, but after she and Hamil saw those visions, she actually called me Dad,” Tam recalled, a smile rising up his face.
Eli blinked, her expression tensing. “Oh.”
Perplexed over her reaction, Tam stared at her with a subtle frown. Until it dawned on him what her reaction was revealing.
“Are you jealous?”
His betrothed bristled.
Tam barely stifled a laugh as she avoided meeting his gaze. “Alright, I won’t tease you too much.”
“Good.”
Tam turned to look out Luca’s window. The first streaks of rain pattered against the glass, blurring the lush fields now tipped with gold as autumn neared.
“Hopefully the witches won’t attack us on the road,” Eli said abruptly.
“I doubt they will. They seemed to be spread quite thin.” Tam resisted the urge to clear his throat, but Eli still worked out the reason for his slight discomfort.
“Is it because you keep putting witches in the void?”
“Erm… It might be. I mean, some coven members could still be in Zinfera.”
Eli lifted her eyebrows dubiously but didn’t comment any further. In fact, neither one said much else until the carriage pulled to a halt at an inn, which was around the time Penelope and Luca stirred from their sleep.
Without a word, Tam and Eli shared a knowing look. The children would not be tired for a long time after such a lengthy nap. Tam wondered about getting them to play a long game of tag…
Stepping out onto the soggy grass, Tam took his time having a leisurely stretch. The air had cooled and the humidity eased, making the world smell fresh. The gray clouds above dimmed what little daylight remained. At least for the time being, Tam could still see their surroundings clearly enough.
If they got up early and only stopped for a change of horses, they could be back in Austice in a day. Tam was antsy to get home as quickly as possible, motivated by the idea of being surrounded by people who could help protect Luca and the thought of a proper bath in his own tub.
Squinting toward the inn, with its multiple chimneys puffing smoke and the persistent froth of voices from a crowd inside enjoying their meals, Tam looked forward to getting a good dinner for everyone.
He rounded back to the open carriage to hand Eli out, then Penelope, and lastly Luca before shutting the door and calling a thanks to the driver.
It was starting to feel as though the chaos was at long last coming to an end, and Tam was more than ready to wrap up the first witch’s nonsense and get on living with his family. With any luck, Penelope’s vision would be wrong, and life would soon be simpler.
★ ★ ★
“UNCLE TAM! UNCLE TAM!”
The cacophony of pounding fists on the door made Tam raise his head from his pillows. Likewise, Eli, Penelope, and Luca, the room’s other occupants, stirred. The princes, Fin, and the physician had settled in before their arrival, so there hadn’t been enough rooms for everyone to have their own.
Everyone gaped dumbly at the door as the cloak of sleep failed to fall off them.
Only Tam was quick to launch himself to his feet to see what was wrong, and upon throwing open the door, he discovered his three nephews outside dressed and waiting. Before he could even ask if something was the matter, all three princes paraded themselves into the room…
And behind them stumbled in Finlay Ashowan. The duke was pale and visibly weary but awake.
Tam opened and closed his mouth, then rubbed the back of his neck. His father wouldn’t have known about Eli, Luca, or Penelope being in the room, and the boys hadn’t had a proper introduction to anyone, either.
Moving his hands to his pockets, Tam did his best to stay calm. “Is everything alright? We all are… uh…”
“I’m decent.”
Eli’s voice made Fin jump. His head whipped around. The house witch blinked, then his gaze fell to Eli’s round middle, where she had just cinched a robe closed. He blanched.
Tam worried his father was about to faint. “Right. So… There are some things we need to talk about—”
“Who’s that?” Asher pointed at Luca’s face.
Luca had risen from his pallet on the floor and was grasping his hands together nervously as his eyes darted to Tam. Penelope—who was sporting some impressive bedhead—stomped over from her own bedding to Luca’s side and glared down at Asher.
Antony pointed at Penelope, though he at least didn’t shove his hand close to her face. “And who’s that?”
“Um. You see, I… I had kind of wanted to have a discussion with your grandfather alone first.”
“He looks like you, Uncle Tam.” Charlie had hung back by the door, but his attention hovered on Luca’s face.
Tam quickly took in the state of the middle prince. Charlie’s eyes were shadowed, and the way he hunched his shoulders told Tam that it would take a long time for the mental trauma of what he’d gone through would fade.
“It’s rude to point.”
Penelope’s cool tone pulled Tam free of his worries for his nephew, especially once he turned and noted how she had crossed her arms over her chest. She stared down Antony, who frowned in response.
“Well, it’s rude not to introduce yourself,” Antony fired back.
“Kids.” Tam raised his voice, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Let’s try this again. This here”—he gestured toward Luca—“is my son. I didn’t know about him for the past few years, but he will be living with me, and he is your cousin. His name is Luca.”
“What?” Antony burst out.
“ Wow!” Asher shouted, hopping excitedly.
Charlie managed to give Luca a shy smile. “Hi.”
Fin reached out and gripped the corner of the dresser beside the door.
“And this is Penelope. Eli and I are adopting her, but she is actually a distant cousin of yours whom we found in Zinfera.” Tam shot his father an apologetic smile before he murmured, “She is Caroline Levin’s daughter. She and her husband sadly died.”
Fin swallowed.
Meanwhile, the boys stared blankly at Penelope, who lifted her chin in the air as though daring them to say anything.
“And Eli is actually a girl?” Asher asked, referencing their first, albeit rushed, introduction shortly after they had boarded their boat leaving the Isle of Wittica.
A physician had whisked the boys away to ensure they were not injured shortly after they had boarded, which meant a longer discussion among them all hadn’t been possible.
“She is,” Tam confirmed with a chuckle. “But she is also my betrothed and your future aunt.”
“Oh Gods.”
This utterance came from Eli, making Tam turn to her in confusion.
She blushed and, looking incredibly sheepish, went on to say, “I forgot that meant I’d be their aunt.”
Tam lowered his voice. “Can’t back out now.”
“No ring on the finger, no guarantee, Ashowan,” she reminded him with a slight growl.
Tam laughed again then returned his attention to his nephews. “You can each ask me one question. Then I think your grandfather and I should have a private talk.”
All three boys raised their hands into the air.
Tam nodded. “Charlie.”
“Is Eli Luca’s mom?”
“She did not give birth to him, but she will be his mother by law. Antony?”
“How old are they?”
Tam chuckled. Luca had asked Penelope the same kind of question when they first met.
“Penelope is the older, around nine, and Luca just turned eight. Asher?”
“Um… Grandma always says, says that I shouldn’t ask this kind of question. But—uh—Eli looks round. I mean not really, but kind of—”
Tam spared his nephew—and Eli, in fairness—from the question he was clearly trying to formulate. “Eli and I are having a baby, yes. She’s due in the spring.”
A dry cough dragged Tam’s attention back to his father, whose mouth hung open.
Tam felt his cheeks burn.
“Alright. Tam, why don’t you and your father go into the princes’ room for your chat. That way I can get dressed behind the screen here,” Eli suggested delicately.
She, too, was avoiding looking at Fin.
Tam bobbed his head in assent and gestured to the still-open door. “Shall we?”
His father reached up and idly scratched his forehead while clearing his throat. “Yeah. Yes. I would very much like a long private talk with you.”
The duke ambled out of the room ahead of Tam, allowing him to share a nervous smile with Eli before following his father. He paused in the doorway and addressed the children over his shoulder. “All of you… play nice.”
Luca leaned over to peer around Antony and shot Tam a wide-eyed stare that screamed Please don’t leave me like this.
Tam tried to mouth You’ll be okay , but it was unclear whether Luca understood him. Guilt-ridden, Tam closed the door and took his leave.
If only Luca knew how I’d much rather hang back with him and the monsters… Depending on my da’s reaction, I might be meeting Death a little sooner than I thought.