Chapter 37 Calypso
Chapter thirty-seven
Calypso
The afterlife smelled of rosemary and lemon. Her nose twitched at the potent scent. How strange that even in death she had a sense of her body parts. She always thought death would be an endless void, without emotion or sensation, not a place where she could breathe or feel the need to urinate.
She frowned. That couldn’t be right. Her bladder felt very full, and she needed to relieve herself immensely.
As she opened her eyes, searing bright light flooded in, prompting a headache. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the sudden and confusing pull to reality.
Ignoring her protesting muscles, she frantically scanned the room. “Vidorak?”
Her orc mate was nowhere to be found. Instead, she saw she was in the infirmary surrounded by buckets filled to the brim with rosemary and lemons. It was such an odd sight that it made her question whether she was actually awake.
“You’re awake,” Marianna answered her unspoken question. She stepped away from the workbench, putting down the tincture she had been holding. “And the orc chieftain is alive.”
The relief that flooded her was overwhelming. As was the pressure from her bladder.
“Chamber pot.” The words came out raspy from her dry throat.
Without hesitation, Marianna helped her to the washroom connected to the infirmary. Once she had completed her business, the medicinal witch led her back to the bed with a strength that was surprisingly sturdy for her short stature.
Marianna handed her a glass of water, which she quickly drank to ease her dry throat. Then Calypso raised a questioning eyebrow at the scene around the room.
Catching her meaning, Marianna explained, “Rosemary and lemon help to bring back those in deep slumber. They are not in season here, so the orc chieftain traveled south to gather this.”
“Where is he now?” Even though she knew he was alive, she needed to see for herself.
“In town with his clan.” Marianna handed her a bowl of porridge and then sat on the edge of the bed. “He wasn’t happy to leave your side, but there were pressing matters to address.”
Before she could eat, Calypso needed to know the answer to her burning question. “How many died?”
Marianna hesitated but then answered, “Eleven witches and six orcs died. More than a dozen were injured but have since recovered. You have been unresponsive for a fortnight.”
They lost almost a third of the witches who had put their trust in them. They’d fought for change, but whether that goal was achieved was something she felt too scared to ask.
Recalling her injury, she touched her abdomen and felt a dull ache.
“The wound has healed, but it took some time because his dagger was tipped with poison,” Marianna explained.
Having had a taste of food, her body remembered it hadn’t eaten in days and demanded she stuff herself.
“Slow down!” Marianna put out a hand. “You’ll get sick eating so fast. Pause while I get Nyx and Astra. They’ll have my head if I don’t tell them you’ve awakened.”
Memories from the battle flashed in her mind in a disjointed and jagged manner. One thing she recalled clearly was the end with Davinger and the dragon. It was difficult to accept what had occurred to Prince Isaac. He may be a royal, but he was also a victim of Davinger’s political ambitions.
The door swung open, and her sisters ran in. Astra burst inside and threw herself onto the bed while Nyx strolled swiftly behind her.
“Not happy to see me?” Calypso teased her silver-eyed sister.
“I am still furious with you for jumping off the balcony. You could have broken your legs.”
Seeing the demon hounds slaughter their troops had enraged Calypso to the point where she’d jumped from the balcony after instructing Nyx to blunt her fall with her wind magic.
Calypso chuckled. “I have full faith in your abilities.”
Nyx was not amused and remained stiff-backed at the foot of the bed. “You forced me to remember a spell I hadn’t chanted in years.”
“I am glad there’s at least one person who isn’t furious with me.” Calypso looked at Astra, who was embracing her tightly.
“I was angry for a week, but then it turned to worry. Then back to anger. Lucky for you, I went back to worry yesterday.” After another squeeze, she let go. “You are insane, but I am glad you are alive.”
“I am too.” Nyx relaxed her pose and came over to give her own light embrace. “If for no other reason than Astra and your orc will stop sniping at each other.”
“Is there trouble between you and Vidorak?”
“They were competing to see who could hover over you more. Marianna banned them both for a few days until she took pity upon Vidorak’s despondent appearance.”
Her heart squeezed thinking about what he must’ve gone through. She was sure that in his place she’d be just as distraught and likely very destructive.
“I want to see him.” Calypso suddenly felt an overwhelming need to lay eyes on him.
“He should be back soon. I told Marianna to send a messenger to fetch him,” Astra said while pushing the bowl of porridge back into her hands. “Now eat.”
“Only if you talk.” Her stomach growled, exposing the lie. “Tell me what happened after I lost consciousness.”
“The prince’s fire devastated the royal army,” Astra began. “I think he was trying to help us before flying off.”
Nyx shook her head in disagreement. “I saw the eyes. There was no prince anymore. It was all dragon.”
From Astra’s stiff posture, Calypso could tell she didn’t agree with that assessment. “Regardless, what remained of the army retreated quickly after that. Davinger has been in hiding since. It is possible he succumbed to his wounds.”
That would be too good to be true. While Calypso had certainly damaged him severely by ripping out his rune, she didn’t doubt he was alive and planning his next move.
“And the royal court? Who sits on the throne with the prince and regent king gone?”
“A coalition has formed between the top noble families while the incident is investigated. They call themselves the Shalimar Alliance,” Nyx answered. “We are still waiting for our sources at the court to write back. Information has been slow, unsurprisingly.”
Her mind was spinning as she considered the implications of this. The nobility likely had their own agenda that they could now put into action without the king’s oversight. Perhaps that could be to their advantage, but they would need to act fast.
“If they can form an alliance, so can we. The Witch-Orc Alliance of the North.” Calypso liked the sound of that. “There will be no persecution of witchkind in this district. Or of any other magical races.”
“There will be plenty of time to discuss that after you rest,” Astra said, but her eyes were bright with agreement.
“I’ve rested plenty. It’s vital we speak the truth before the nobility spreads their own version.”
Before she could speak further, the door slammed open, and Vidorak rushed in, his dark eyes immediately finding hers. He stared in disbelief that she was actually awake.
“We should go,” Nyx said softly, and she and Astra stood. They embraced Calypso once more before leaving.
His eyes never left hers as he approached, crouching by the side of the bed and placing his hand on her cheek. “You are truly awake.”
From the dark circles under his eyes and his loose, unbraided hair, she could tell that he was exhausted. Between her and the responsibilities of his clan, he was running himself into the ground. Unable to resist touching him, she ran her fingers through his silky black hair.
“I owe it all to your collection.” She indicated toward the buckets of rosemary and lemons. “When was the last time you slept?”
He grunted, “There will be time for that. Too many things need done.”
“Marianna mentioned you were in town. Is everything okay?”
He gathered her up in his arms and laid behind her in the bed. The furniture wasn’t made to hold his large frame, let alone both of them, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “The army destroyed several town businesses, and the clan is helping to rebuild.”
She looked at him incredulously. “Your orcs were agreeable to that?”
“The objectors came around when we also added several future orc homes,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“That is the plan? To move the clan to Taybe?” she asked, resting her head on his chest.
“It will not be a fast move, but I would like to work on it.”
Her mate may have challenged Urim from a sense of responsibility to his clan, but he was always meant to be a leader. He’d barely held the role of chieftain and already accomplished more for the clan than his uncle had in years.
“It’s what your father wanted.” She wondered if perhaps the past attempt at a colony worried him.
“It is what’s best for the clan. We can’t stay at the mountain forever.”
She was in awe of her mate and his ability to build toward a future. For so long, her view of the future was quite narrow. Nothing else had mattered outside of the pact.
“Davinger is still alive.” She felt him stiffen at her words.
For the first time, that statement didn’t make her want to track him down and peel his skin off.
Oh, she still wished for his demise and planned on being there to see it happen.
But she also wished to stay here with her sisters and her mate.
She wanted to help Vidorak establish a new orc colony out of the mountains, to formalize the Witch-Orc Alliance, and to make this an actual sanctuary for witchkind.
She put her hand on his cheek reassuringly. “I won’t stop seeking to avenge my mother, but you’ve helped me see I could do more. I plan to petition to lift Davinger’s decree and reinstate the first coven.”
“We will do it together.” His voice softened before becoming strict again. “Now, your only task is to heal. The problems can wait once you are strong enough to leave the bed.”
She hated to admit it, but he was right. “Fine. Though as long as you’re in bed with me, my incentive to leave is low.”
He chuckled and continued to massage her arms and shoulders. She wanted to say so much more, but the movement was so soothing that she eventually fell asleep.
The next several days were spent primarily in bed, though not in the way Calypso would’ve preferred.
Between Vidorak and her sisters, she was being fussed over like a helpless chicken.
On the third day, she snuck into the gardens to help replant and feel productive again.
The task exhausted her, and she earned an extensive scolding from Vidorak, who insisted on carrying her back to the infirmary.
It wasn’t the smartest decision to hurry her healing, but she was impatient to progress toward their goals. They had written up a petition to retract the decree, but there were already reports the Shalimar Alliance would blame their illegal coven on the prince’s disappearance.
When Nyx came to the evening meal with a proposal, Calypso saw she wasn’t the only impatient one.
“I want to go to the capital in disguise.”
“No,” Astra shut that down immediately.
Nyx glared and continued. “Messages aren’t going through. There is clearly a block of some sort, and we need information on the alliance.”
“It is too dangerous. If you become stuck, we may not even know or be able to help you.”
“It is more dangerous to allow the Alliance to spread lies. We cannot afford to lose the opportunity to make our case known.”
Calypso understood her point, but sensed something else. “Is that all?”
Nyx hesitated, catching her meaning. “Yes, but if I get a chance at Ker Beck, I will take it.”
Astra unhappily relented. “You need to send word every week or I will go after you.”
In the following days, Nyx readied and left with Gemma.
Despite her worry, Astra’s attention was busy with the influx of witches coming to the stronghold seeking refuge.
Calypso thought the recent fight would’ve scared them away, but many saw it as a sign of strength.
The manor was overflowing before, but now was impossible to house so many.
“We need to return to the Vestrahorn mountain,” Calypso told Vidorak during one of their afternoon walks.
“I can do my work from here,” he reassured her, but she was aware of how much he’d sacrificed to be with her.
She shook her head. “I am grateful for your support, but you’ve spent more days out of the mountain than in it as chieftain.” Then she added, “Besides, we have a mating ceremony to complete.”
“Don’t tease me, little witch.” His eyes searched hers for confirmation, and she noticed the joy reflected there.
Smiling widely, she jumped into his arms. “I wouldn’t dare.”
They informed the others and, not long after, set out to return to the mountain.
She wasn’t na?ve to think things between them would always be simple, but she was certain that he was worth the effort.
They would figure out what their happiness would look like for them.
For once, Calypso would choose happiness over revenge.