Epilogue 2
The Bounty Of Boats
In the depths of Lobahl’s capital of Carha, a young man sat at his cluttered desk. His fists curled atop its surface; there were three deep scratches carved into the back of his left hand.
He squinted at the city map in front of him, then up at the sketches and notes that he had stuck on the cracked white plaster wall.
His breath shook as he tried to contain the anger that poured through his entire being.
All other sounds disappeared as he continued glaring, until his fury reached a breaking point, forcing him to smash his bleeding hand against his desk.
A whirl of intense wind whipped through his room, sending his pages fluttering.
Some even ripped off the walls. Yet he couldn’t be brought to care.
That was unusual for him, as he kept his room and appearance meticulous every other moment of the day or night.
A nervous knock sounded on the door to his cramped bedroom.
“D-Dyse… Is everything… Is everything alright?”
His fingernails dug into his palms as he stood. He stalked over to the door and threw it open.
“Fine. Everything is fine, Amelia. Sorry for the noise.” Dyse knew he didn’t sound calm, and his wide-eyed neighbor gave a weak smile and retreated in response. They were the same age, and yet Dyse often felt as though she were significantly younger than his own twenty-four years.
“O-okay, I’m going back to the school for the evening. S-sorry if I wake you up when I come back in.”
Dyse forced a close-lipped smile on his face. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be up late working on a homework problem for the foreseeable future.”
Amelia’s gaze nervously darted over his shoulder at the state of his windswept room. “What kind of homework problem?”
Dyse took a second to reply. He worked his emotions down farther into his throat so he didn’t snarl his next words.
“Cats. I need to figure out how to run every cat out of Lobahl once and for all.”
He watched Amelia’s brown eyes widen fractionally, then blink at him.
His ire twitched in his belly, wanting to lash out at her for not having even a fraction of disdain for the creatures he loathed.
“I see… Whose class is that for?”
Dyse felt his lip curl. “I’ll tell you later. Good night, Amelia.”
She gave him a wary nod. “’Night, Dyse. Don’t work too hard.”
He closed the door firmly and stared at the pale grain for several long moments as he allowed himself to slip back into his wrath.
He didn’t care what anyone thought of him. He was determined that, no matter what, he would succeed.
Even if it was the last thing he’d ever do.
★ ★ ★
“Penelope! You can’t bring all of those, there’s a weight limit, remember?” Eli hollered.
“Luca, they will have practice swords there, so you don’t need to bring yours!” Tam called.
There was the usual response of displeasure from the children and the smattering of arguments as each parent aided a child in packing. Eventually, Tam and his family were at long last ready to board the ship leaving Austice to set sail for Troivack.
They had opted to leave from Austice as opposed to Xava in order to be able to comfortably rest at Finlay and Annika’s keep following the journey from Sorlia.
Of course, the duke and duchess showered their grandchildren with gifts during their visit, resulting in the children wanting to bring along all of their new treasures—which then created the new packing conundrum.
However, with only a bit more wrangling, Eli and Tam got both Luca’s and Penelope’s trunks closed and ready for the voyage, then joined the others in the front entryway.
Fin and Annika waited patiently by the front doors while the duchess held Nova, who gurgled happily as her husband played peekaboo.
“Alright! We are ready!” Tam announced breathily.
Annika nodded. “Wonderful. Shall we?”
The group continued out of the keep, moving toward the waiting horses and carriage. Footmen and maids bustled around them, loading their luggage.
Tam and his father first handed the ladies in, then Fin climbed in, and Tam was just about to load Luca up when his son stopped and looked up at him.
“Dad? I need to pee.”
“Why didn’t you go sooner?” Tam demanded, unable to hide his exasperation.
“I didn’t have to go before!” Luca exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air before bolting back to the keep. “I’ll be back soon!”
Tam turned and laid his forearm across the carriage’s sleek black exterior before dropping his forehead and gently thumping his fist against the vehicle in frustration.
“Dad?”
Tam wearily lifted his head to see Penelope stepping cautiously out of the carriage.
“Do you also need to relieve yourself?” he guessed.
Penelope gave a curt nod, then she, too, darted off toward the keep.
Tam plopped his head to his forearm.
“It’s a good thing the boat can’t leave without us,” Tam heard his mother say with a small laugh.
Eli poked her head out. “It’s just like bedtime.”
Tam managed a smile at that right as the sound of two sets of small feet crunching through the gravel drive reached his ears.
“We’re back!” Luca said while jumping back into the carriage, leaving Penelope to climb after him in her usual dignified manner.
Tam clapped his hands. “Fantastic! Now we can…” Eli slowly climbed down.
They stared at each other.
“Do you also need the water closet?” he asked dazedly.
She gave a beautiful smile and patted his arm. “Be back in a moment.”
When Tam thudded his head against the carriage again, he was far less gentle, and both Luca and Penelope could be heard giggling from inside.
At long, long last, the Ashowan family made it into the carriage, and all the way to the dock beside their ship. By this time, Tam felt a very strong urge to take a nap. Upon voicing this sentiment to his wife, Eli regarded him with a raised eyebrow.
“And do you think your seasickness has improved?”
Tam was silent for the span of a breath before replying. “I… I was fine the last time we sailed.”
“You’d gotten used to it by then. Should I go get some ginger tea brewing?” she asked patiently.
He sighed. “Probably.”
“I’ll race you!”
Both Tam and Eli looked straight ahead in time to see both Penelope and Luca bolting down the dock toward the gangplank.
“DON’T RUN GETTING ON THE SHIP!” Eli roared, making both Luca and Penelope skid to a halt. Several sailors flowing around the family flinched.
The response came in unison. “Yes, Mom!”
Regardless of their contrite expressions, Eli still shot them a warning look before the two children turned and continued down the dock at a far more subdued pace.
Tam smiled down at his wife. “I’ve noticed since Harris and his family stayed with us, you’re a lot quicker to shout.”
She shot him a narrow-eyed look. He smiled and escorted her down the dock while also spotting his parents, who spoke to the captain while still holding Nova.
Gulls cried overhead and the crew bustled around them with low murmurs. A biting wind occasionally sent the ships at the docks rocking, but otherwise it was a clear, sunny day.
“Do you think we’ll be able to return by Imbolsic?” Eli asked while hunkering closer to Tam as a particularly strong gust of wind froze Tam’s cheeks.
“I don’t know that we’ll want to leave at that time,” Tam confessed. “As much as I also want to get home sooner rather than later, it isn’t going to be a safe or comfortable trip to make once it starts snowing.”
Eli grimaced. “So… two months after Imbolsic?”
The couple reached the gangplank and began their ascent.
Tam was careful to watch his feet so as to not accidentally catch the bottom of Eli’s forest-green skirt under his boot, and so he didn’t get a chance to respond until they boarded the vessel. “Early springtime, yes. About four months.”
Eli let out a long breath. “Well. It can’t be avoided.”
Tam cast a thoughtful glance down at her dejected expression. “Are you nervous to be going back to Troivack given your experience there last time?”
Eli arched her brow. “Not really. I’m curious to hear more about how they plan on peacefully mediating the witch and mage school they’ve started to build.”
He nodded and felt a small rush of relief over hearing that she wasn’t going to suffer any distress about returning to a land where she had spent time as both a slave and an indentured servant.
“Tam?”
He looked back down at Eli as she smiled serenely up at him. The tip of her nose was pink from the cold, and her eyes glittered with a hint of mischief…
“Yeah?”
“How do you feel about being four for four?”
Tam blinked. Then frowned. Then widened his eyes. Then tilted his head in silent question while briefly dropping his gaze to Eli’s abdomen.
“You’re…”
“Expecting our fourth. Yes.”
Tam felt his mouth fall open.
His attention moved upward and he stared blindly at the horizon.
“If you comment on the virility of your family even once during this trip, I am shoving you overboard,” Eli informed him matter-of-factly before pressing up onto her toes to brush a quick kiss on his cheek.
“I’m going to get the ginger tea brewing for you, and I’ll let our attendants know you’d like to sleep soon. ”
Tam was barely able to snap himself out of his stupor in time as Eli headed toward the stairs that would take her belowdecks. “Hey!” he shouted.
She turned around expectantly.
“I love you!”
She smiled back. “I love you, too.”
With a final lingering look, Eli continued downward, leaving Tam to quell his racing heart by himself.
As he wandered over to the ship railing, his mind still stuttering along at this new discovery, he became vaguely aware of his father’s presence appearing at his side.
“Eli told you the news, I take it?”
Tam slowly turned to bestow his father a dry look.
The house witch grinned guiltlessly. “The new baby was already craving oranges when you two arrived at our keep.”
With a hopeless chuckle Tam braced his forearms on the ship rail and shook his head slowly. “At least she won’t give birth until next summer sometime, by my estimate.”
Fin nodded, his blue eyes warm on his son’s face. “You’re a lucky man, Tam.”
Tam smiled back at his father. “I know.”
The duke clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Your other children are probably finding some kind of trouble belowdecks. Luca is going through a growth spurt and is endlessly hungry. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already raiding the food stocks.”
Wordlessly, Tam followed his father, already well aware that his assumption was most likely correct.
“So… Feeling excited?” the house witch asked over his shoulder upon reaching the stairs.
Tam laughed. “I am. Though I think in the future I’ll make an effort to mentally prepare for boat trips in advance.”
Puzzled, Fin raised an eyebrow in his son’s direction.
Tam waved off the look. “Don’t worry about it.”
The pair continued moving, though as Tam’s mind turned over the news that he was going to be having another child in the near future, he couldn’t help but sink into the endless happiness that awaited him with open arms.
He hadn’t even gotten to tell Eli the good news that the magistrate in Sorlia had sent word that he had accepted her as his apprentice upon their return home.
They’d be busier than ever… but it was the kind of busy that allowed Tam and Eli to spend hours together cozied up in their office with warm coffee, tea, and biscuits. Their evenings would consist of hot dinners with their children followed by comfortable beds and sound nights.
It was the life Tam had never thought he’d have, and yet… it was the absolute best one he could’ve imagined, and it was all his.