36. The Negotiation
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
THE NEGOTIATION
“What is your name, soldier?” Riel inquired as we walked.
“Ortega, sir. Gabriel Ortega, Sergeant First Class.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Is this your first time visiting our lands?”
“No, sir.” He didn’t expand on his answer.
“Ah. Well, your diligence is appreciated.”
Sergeant Ortega gave a sharp nod in response.
Giving up on conversation, Riel turned his attention forward. We rode in silence until the trees began to thin, signaling that we were drawing near to the river. A couple of the soldiers broke off from the others to rush ahead.
When we emerged from the woods, we were met with chaos. Soldiers filled the area, unloading equipment from a barge on the water—tents, rocket launchers, and various tools. Horses pulled materials from one side of the clearing to another. They’d even taken a tank through The Rift; it stood motionless off to one side.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “This is intense.”
I couldn’t tell what Riel thought, but I got the vibe that he wasn’t happy to see them taking over the area. Not that I blamed him; knowing American history, seeing a bunch of soldiers getting comfortable on my land would have been pretty concerning to me too.
A group came to meet us from the direction of the tents. Most of them were in army fatigues except for a couple of people in suits. When I recognized George as being one of them, I felt many things, not all of them good. On the one hand, I was glad to see someone I knew. I’d already figured that I’d have to speak with him sooner or later. But on the other hand, I dreaded having that conversation with him. I couldn’t imagine it going well.
“Hey.” I greeted George with a timid smile as Riel brought us to a halt.
“Miss Avery, Prince Astonriel. So good to see that you both are alive and well.” He seemed genuinely delighted to see us, which almost made me feel bad, given that I didn’t feel the same way. “We have much to catch up on, don’t we?”
“Yeah,” I agreed, forcing a smile as I let Riel help me down. “It’s been a wild few months. I’ve learned a lot, of course, but I’ve also been doing a lot of soul searching, and…” I trailed off, noticing then just how many extra pairs of eyes surrounded us. I didn’t know any of these people. Anxiety began to raise its ugly head. “Well, maybe it’s best that we go somewhere private to talk?”
“Actually, Miss Avery, you can wait with Sergeant Ortega and his team for now.” George reached out to shake Riel’s hand. “We would like to speak with the prince about the current situation before things go any further. Miss Luenki is waiting for us as well.”
“Oh! Of course.” My cheeks suffused with heat. As if on cue, a feminine voice called my name, and I looked up to see Luenki hastening toward us. Before I could apologize for running off, she gathered me into a hug so eager that my feet lifted off the ground.
“Luenki!” Her contagious energy made me grin from ear to ear .
“I worried for you,” she sighed as she set me down. She greeted Riel with a quick, fluttering hand motion. “And you. I’m glad you were able to find each other.”
“We did,” I replied slowly, hesitant to imply all was well when she didn’t know the rest of the story. Riel moved forward to place a hand on the small of my back.
“We should speak,” he said, the quiet words directed at Luenki and George.
“Of course.” Forehead creasing in puzzlement, Luenki angled her body back toward the tents. “We have set up a ‘temporary base of operations’ over there. I have informed Mr. Kepler of the general situation, but… it will be good for everyone to be on the same page.”
Riel looked back at me. “I’ll only be a moment,” he promised.
“Okay, sure.” I could only nod. “I’ll be here if you need me, I guess.”
They split off and headed for the tent, and I was left with nothing but my thoughts. And Keersu , I supposed, turning back to the waiting animal. The soldiers that had escorted us through the woods lingered nearby. Having observed our exchange, they eyed me with some degree of interest now. Whether it was because of who I was or my fae associates, I didn’t know.
No one attempted to start a conversation as I made for the avida . He was tense, like he prepared to bolt. I imagined the unfamiliar sights and people were a lot for him to take in.
“Shall we go over there and find some tasty grass?” I murmured, patting the side of his neck. He lowered his head to nuzzle my thigh, and I had to lean out of the way of his antlers. Some of the soldiers stared as I coaxed him off to one side of the clearing. The horses that noticed us were also giving us apprehensive looks; even the best trainer in the world couldn’t prepare an animal for what they’d find on the other side of The Rift.
We waited by a knotted tree. Keersu grazed for a while, picking at the ground and bushes. He found the lichen growing on the tree’s trunk especially tasty, which was why I was digging in one of the grooves when Riel and the others found me. I sprang upright with a guilty look. Luckily, they were all too well-versed in diplomacy to ask what I was doing.
George led with the very information I’d been dreading for weeks.
“Prince Astonriel mentioned that you’ve recovered your abilities,” he said. “This is great news. Let’s get you home for now, and we can have your things gathered as soon as there’s an opportunity. Everyone will be glad to get back to work.”
Excuses clambered up my throat. I had to swallow them down and put together a rational argument. The pressure was all the more intense with Riel and Luenki there. “Well, that was actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” I began.
“See, I know things are a bit crazy right now, but I thought you should know as soon as possible so that you could plan accordingly. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to, um… the role I play currently, and I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me over the past few years, but I’d like to talk about having more of a typical employment.”
I beamed, happy with the way I’d phrased my request.
George was taken aback, though he maintained a polite smile. “I see,” he stated first, taking some time to think through his response. The fact that he didn’t immediately shoot down the idea filled me with hope, especially as he continued to speak. “We could discuss the possibility, certainly. And, uh… what sort of terms were you thinking?”
Was this really happening?
“Well, pay, of course.” I thought fast. “I think it’s only fair, but I’d be open to negotiation. I can heal a lot more people in a sitting now, so maybe we could do the sessions less often? Room and board wouldn’t be necessary anymore, because I’d… well, I’d find that on my own. Maybe you could cover transportation? ”
I held my breath as I waited for George’s response. He wasn’t smiling anymore.
“How about we resume doing things as we have for now,” he suggested, “and we can touch on this once things have calmed down some. There are a few more people we need to run this by, so it might take some time to circle back around. You know how government is.” He gave me another smile, but this one didn’t reach his eyes.
A part of me wanted to take his words at face value, but the practical side of me knew a delicate dismissal when I heard one. If that was how things were, I needed bigger guns.
“In that case,” I announced, putting a hand on the avida next to me, “I’m not leaving.”
George’s expression didn’t change right away. “Pardon?”
“I’m not leaving,” I repeated, squaring my shoulders and raising my chin. “You can go, if you need to. I’ll stay here until we get this sorted.”
“There’s…” George cleared his throat. “Miss Avery, with all due respect, we’re looking at active combat right now. It’s in everyone’s best interests to get you to safety as soon as possible. We can discuss this again when things have?—”
“Mr. Kepler.”
Riel moved to stand at my side, so close that we nearly touched. Luenki joined us, directing the full force of her smile on George in a way that communicated she was not to be messed with.
George looked between me and Riel. I saw the moment understanding dawned, because the veins in his neck stood out starkly against his aged skin.
“This is… highly unorthodox,” he muttered. Releasing a defeated sigh, he crumbled. “If you return with me now, I’ll notify the appropriate parties this afternoon. We can begin negotiating the terms of your employment contract as early as next week.”
I couldn’t believe my ears .
“I’ll have them get a boat ready,” George continued. He hesitated a beat. “A few things have changed since you’ve been gone. I’m only mentioning this since it may be relevant now. As it happens, there was another child found with healing powers. We’ve been talking to her parents, but haven’t yet come to an agreement. We may be able to work something out with the two of you working in shifts, if you’d be amenable to that.”
My lips parted in surprise. “Another healer? You’re kidding.”
“I am not.” George nodded to Riel and Luenki. “As I mentioned earlier, our men are at your disposal. Colonel Bradford will be your point of contact should you need anything in my absence.” Turning back to me, he said, “I’ll get that boat. Take your time.”
With that, my mentor, overseer, and bane of my existence for the past eight years left.
Relief and worry warred within me. On the one hand—if I allowed myself to be optimistic—this could be the first page in a new and exciting chapter of my life. At the same time, I half expected that if I let George take me back through The Rift, I’d be kept at the White House by force. I understood that Riel and I had different responsibilities to tend to, but… was this our only option?
“Another mender,” Luenki remarked, bringing her hands together. “Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yeah.” I had wondered why there were so few of us Golden Children. Maybe it was time for the magic to choose a new generation. Thinking of the girl who would find herself following in my footsteps, I cast a hopeful look at Riel. “Maybe we could…?”
“Avery.” His response bore a familiar teasing tone. “I’m flattered, truly, but it may be too early to discuss children. We haven’t even discussed the possibility of a coupling ceremony.”
“What?” My brows came together in confusion. “Oh my God, no. I meant that maybe we could help teach her about her magic, like you did for me.”
“Perhaps when things calm down,” he agreed.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the shoreline in the distance, where a boat was getting pulled together for me and George.
“I guess that means this is goodbye,” I remarked, trying to remain light-hearted.
“Only for now,” Luenki responded, bestowing an affectionate touch on my shoulder.
“For now,” Riel echoed.
I had trouble looking him in the face, afraid that I would see the same fears that plagued me reflected in his eyes. We would have to fight for each other if it came down to it, but I knew that I would. And I wanted to believe he would too.
“Will you be okay?” I asked in a small voice.
Riel didn’t reply immediately, perhaps knowing that the answer I wanted to hear wasn’t something he could promise. “I hope so,” he offered.
It would have to do.
“All right, then.”
Giving the avida at my side a farewell pat, I swallowed the lump in my throat and worked past the misery to put a smile on my face. “I’ll see you guys in a bit. Best of luck with everything. Better not throw any wild parties while I’m not here.”
“You have my word.” Riel mirrored my strained smile.
Surrounded by strangers as we were, I didn’t dare kiss him goodbye, but I wasn’t about to settle for a handshake either. I reached for him, and he enclosed me in his arms without prompting. We held each other for several seconds. It wasn’t long enough, but no amount of time would have been. The moment we released each other, Luenki swept me into another hug, not as passionate but just as meaningful. I repeated my goodbyes to delay my departure.
When I couldn’t stall any longer, I went to the river’s edge, pausing several times along the way so that I could commit Riel’s image to memory. I kept my eyes on him as long as I could see him. When I could no longer make him out, I fixed my gaze in his general direction until our boat was swallowed by the mist of The Rift, and everything dissolved into gray.
So, I returned home.
It was the same as I remembered it, yet different. After spending so long in the fae realm, the atmosphere on Earth felt strange. The comforting weight of magic was missing, leaving the air feeling oddly light and empty. I now understood the joy that Luenki felt when she returned to The Rift with me and Vivian all those months ago.
The first thing I did once George and I got to the base was seek out Felicity. While it was more difficult to draw the amount of mana needed on this side of The Rift, especially after healing so many grievous wounds only earlier that day, I had her ear fixed up in a jiffy. She cried many happy tears. On the outside, I joined her, but my tears were for another reason entirely.
George honored his end of the deal, and the negotiations went better than I ever dreamed. In return for preserving the once-a-month healing schedule, we settled on a salary of half a million dollars per year, to be deposited into my shiny new bank account. I used a decent portion of that to retain Devon and Chris. I would only need them when I was on this side of The Rift, and I hoped that would not be often, but I couldn’t bring myself to let them go.
Although I could heal a lot more people at each session, George was not exactly happy with the new terms. However, he didn’t have a leg to stand on. They couldn’t control a legal adult against her will, and I had express permission from the Ishameti leading family to come and go through The Rift as I pleased.
Speaking of Riel. The days passed with no word from him, and the ache in my heart grew. George did tell me that his family won the battle thanks to our support, so that was a relief. I did my best to stay busy and not worry, knowing that Riel would come to me when he was able. In the meantime, I spoke to the other mender girl, Shiloh, over the phone more than once, and Chris was gracious enough to let me participate in some of his wedding planning.
I also spent a lot of time reading. I hadn’t been much of a bibliophile before, but I’d developed a new appreciation for the hobby during those dull afternoons after training with Riel. The worlds in books gave me an escape when I didn’t want to devote any more energy to real-world topics. There may or may not have been some fae romance and fanfiction involved.
After a week of rest, I held an impromptu healing session, partially for the sake of those who waited months for me to return, but also for a chance to test my limits. I managed to cure a whopping seventeen people before succumbing to exhaustion. The best part was that I was back to normal after sleeping the rest of the day and night away.
A week and four days after everything went down, I was reading in my bedroom when a knock pulled me from my thoughts. Chris stood by the open door with Devon behind him.
“There’s someone here to see you,” Chris told me. He appeared innocent enough, but there was a twinkle in his eye that told me something was up. My automatic reaction was confusion, followed by doubt. Then I realized what he meant, and I think I stopped breathing.
“You don’t mean…?”
My hands dropped, letting my book topple to the floor.
He didn’t bother giving me an answer, just stood there and smiled, which was answer enough. I don’t remember getting to my feet, but I was suddenly running. I flew through the open door, past Chris, past Devon, and down the corridor toward the Entrance Hall. A flurry of thoughts resounded in my head, not all of them positive, but I ignored them and kept going. Nothing and no one could have held me back at that moment.
When I burst into the Hall, it was like a scene from a fairy tale. Rays of daylight streamed through the windows, lighting up the interior and making the floor gleam. The light shined on the two figures in the middle of the room. George was one of them, but it was the other man that had all of my attention. He was tall and blond, with seafoam-green eyes and long, delicately pointed ears. I couldn’t move fast enough. He waited patiently for me, a warm smile on his face.
With an unrestrained squeal that expressed more emotions than I could ever put in words, I launched myself into Riel’s open arms.