Incandescence - 16. Preparations

The coast was attacked earlier than planned and it didn’t take long for panicked messages to start reaching us from the Alaius. Anika and her mother were doing their best to keep the ships at bay. While Kalian’s father tried to lead the soldiers he’d been sent. The man had military experience but that meant very little when you were outnumbered and your enemy had just as much, if not more Magik than you. I hadn’t slept in roughly two days. I think. I had no concept of time. Eon was still slowly putting together his plans for Serran, but he was stalled by Krinn. He was struggling to put together a force large enough to topple Serran while also making sure his family was sent additional support. I slid my fingers over the arms of my chair. Wyn was with Meryck and Amaris. Eon’s war room was far emptier than normal.

It was just us misfits. With the addition of Loren and Suman. The room was tense, quiet. For once, even Suman was keeping his big mouth closed. Tyren’s fingers ran along the edges of the map and Hanja was holding a hand over his face. I wondered if he was trying to rub away a headache, or perhaps he was trying to crush his own face? End his suffering? Anybody’s guess was as good as mine. Eon’s eyes roamed over the map and the mess of papers in front of him. Lyme was perched on a chair nearest him. Of course. The kid wasn’t subtle about how he looked at Eon. His eyes were always on the other man. They followed him if Eon walked around the room, jerking away should Eon notice the attention. I dragged my hair out of my face and grinned. He better hope Wren stayed dead. I doubted the monster would take kindly to the way the boy looked at the general.

“The coast needs help. We should address that before we spread ourselves thin with an attack on Serran.” Tyren said.

“What of Dleth?” Eon asked.

“Lyrah has taken control, but the army is still deeply rooted in their old ways and prejudices. I do not know if they’d come to our aid. It may end in them turning on Rah.” Suman said from his chair on the other side of Loren.

“If she has taken control, why is the army still an issue? That doesn’t fill me with much confidence about your cousin’s leadership.” Hanja sighed heavily.

“So, if we cannot count of Dleth’s assistance, we will have to think of something else.” Tyren said softly, resting his hand on Hanja’s knee.

“What do you suggest?” Eon asked, frowning down at his hands.

“If our numbers aren’t enough for an attack on a grand scale, why not use a much smaller force. What else are the Verseckt for?” Lyme frowned.

“The numbers are few, so we would have to make sure we hit where it would do the most damage.” I said, resting my head back against the chair.

“While we’re talking about the Verseckt, Talon are your men following the dukes?” Eon said, glaring at me.

“Absolutely not.” I said and tried to fight my grin as Eon kept his eyes on me.

“You aren’t telling the entire truth.” Tyren said, shaking his head.

“The Verseckt are busy. I’ve been keeping tabs on them myself. Just making sure we don’t have any more wayward sheep.” I shook my head, “Don’t try and act all high and mighty Eon. You’re the one who didn’t invite them to our little get together today.”

“You are making them nervous. If they believe we don’t trust them, what’s to keep them loyal?” Eon said, shaking his head.

“How is that a problem? If I watch them, I will catch any attempt at reaching out to our enemies. If they do, that’s treason. Either way, we win. Either they stay nervous and keep on the straight path, or they don’t and they...learn the error of their ways.”

“You’re impossible.” Eon sighed, “Loren, go over with Lyme everything you know about your country’s naval force. He’s trying to plan the best move for the coast.”

“Is it true your sister was injured?” Tyren asked, resting his hand on the table.

“Yes, Anika was injured and captured. It’s not going well.” Eon rubbed his fingers over his beard and slumped in his chair. He looked exhausted and I couldn’t blame him. I remembered the day we’d been ambushed in Dleth. The day I’d seen men restraining Lyrah and attempting to drag her away. I’d been present and Kalian had saved her before harm befell my sibling. Eon was many miles away and as far as I knew, Anika’s condition was unknown. She was alive and injured, that was all the further we had. It must be maddening.

“I assume her location is unknown as well?” Loren asked as Suman sat on his lap with a bored expression, twirling the grey parts of the other man’s hair around his finger.

“Yes.” Eon sighed.

I played with the blond girl in my lap as the meeting continued around me. With Lyrah gone, she’d been dumped in my lap today. Literally. When I’d asked the teachers to take her back, begged really, Eon had intervened and said they had no time. He’d said it with a smirk that I really, really despised. Since Hanja had hated the whole thing from the start and Tyren went along with just about anything he said, I was outnumbered. Hence the toddler growing sleepy in my arms. She laid her cheek against my cheek and her tiny hand fisted in my tunic. I heard a snicker and shot Suman a dark look. He drew a heart with his fingers and made kissy faces at me. If not for the tiny child, I’d knock the damn smug look off his face. Luckily, Loren pinched the pressure point in his shoulder and Suman hissed, glaring down at him. Loren didn’t react, eyes on my brother-in-law as he spoke. The lack of attention drove Suman crazy. I could see the look in his eyes turn unstable and Loren mumbled something. Suman relaxed and actually giggled. The psychotic prince literally giggled. It made me violently uncomfortable.

I went back to paying attention enough to hear the important parts, but I was over it. I was over all of this. I was sick of sitting around and waiting for people to come and try to kill us. Why? Killing was my specialty and I didn’t need an entire army to do it. Hell, I was an army in my own right. Kalian was still asleep. It wasn’t as deep as before. He would respond to noise and touch, but it wasn’t enough to pull him to consciousness. That was fine. I would rather he stay asleep for as long as possible. Especially if I managed to get myself thrown in a jail cell somewhere. I wasn’t even sure it wouldn’t be one in Syrin.

I wandered home after the meeting, mentally preparing myself for Wyn’s training and the paperwork strewn across Kalian’s desk. I hadn’t worked out a system yet. I had started with “done” and “to be done” piles but the former quickly demanded more and more room on the desk’s surface. Once again, I had no idea how Kalian managed to keep any system of organization. Eon also wanted me to deploy the Verseckt to try and pinpoint Anika’s location and status. That was not something I added to my plans. I’d do him one better. Although, he may not think it was better. Not my problem. I was working in my comfort zone now. Violence and efficiency. They’d made the mistake of giving me power. I was done handling things their way.

I opened the door and stopped in my tracks. Laughter. Not just any laughter, Kalian’s. I groaned and debated beating my head against the door. Right when I had finally decided I could take things into my own hands. Why not? What was one more puzzle piece with melty hands and a smart mouth? I could handle it. I hoped.

I dragged myself up the stairs, carrying Eira, and trudged to our bedroom, following the voices. Nudging open the door with my foot, I smiled softly. Wyn was demonstrating how he was now able to turn his vines into whips and he could even form small rocks to throw. Kalian clapped and smiled at the boy from where he still sat in bed. Empty plates were stacked on his bedside table and a pitcher of water and a glass stood empty next to them. I nodded. Good. He was always exhausted and starving when he woke up. I wasn’t sure if the housekeeper or Wyn had brought the meal, but I suppose it didn’t matter.

“Dad! Look Da’s awake! I was showing him my new stuff!” Wyn exclaimed.

I winced a little when the boy turned, eyeing the colorful, large bruise covering most of the left side of his face. I thought back to yesterday.

One of the first few times we’d attempted to incorporate his vines into actual fighting, he’d smacked himself hard enough in the cheek that he’d broken it. I’d almost lost my mind. I take over the kid’s training for less than a week and I’ve already let him disfigure himself? This could stop Wyn’s ambition. I’d rushed forward and grimaced as I looked down at him. He was doubled over, panting, and holding his cheek. I stepped closer nervously. Crap, what if he’d blinded himself? Great, as if the fact that he had to deal with his partial healing daily wasn’t enough.

“You okay kid?” I asked.

He was still panting as he slowly straightened. I swore softly. Underneath his eye was already swelling and there was blood on the fingers held over his face. His eyes were watering and I could see him struggling to hold back tears. I couldn’t blame him. He’d never been injured like this and he was 12. I had to keep reminding myself that. He couldn’t go through the things I did. It didn’t matter that I wanted to prepare him.

“Let me see.”

He swallowed and hesitantly let his hand drop. I inhaled sharply. At least it’d missed his eye. Barely. His face was split open along his cheekbone The skin around it was already bright red and had smaller cuts surrounding the worst of it. His sclera was bloody closest to the wound. Shit.

“Stay here. Let me get my bag.” I jumped to the alchemy room and tore the room apart looking for my little first aid bag. Once I found it, I jumped back and grabbed several things before dropping it carelessly to the ground.

“This is going to hurt.” I warned softly.

Wyn sniffled a bit, but he still refused to let the tears drop. He lifted his chin and his expression shifted to one of determination. I paused, overcome with an absolutely disgusting amount of pride. I knew Kalian was his favorite, but I would do unspeakable, horrific things to keep the boy safe. I took a deep breath and ruffled his hair gently before moving closer. I inwardly cringed. Cheekbones generally belonged under the skin. I sprinkled a numbing powder (of my own creation, duh) and touched gently under the open wound. Wyn took a shaky breath and jerked away before fighting through the pain and stepping back into my touch.

“This is a situation that calls for Hanja, bud.”

“You can’t fix it? If Uncle Hanja finds out, then everyone might and I don’t think Uncle Eon will let you continue training me.” I scoffed and then realized there was probably truth to his words. Were they all committed to keeping him weak and defenseless?

“Not without a lot of pain.” I explained. I thought back to when I’d fixed Kalian’s ribs and the way he’d screamed. I could hear it in my head as if it’d just happened. People weren’t supposed to make noises like that.

“Dad…I’ve dealt with a lot worse.” I stared down at him. Kalian had told me that he hadn’t been treated well in the dungeon, but he’d never elaborated. Something dark bloomed inside me as I looked down at him and tried to imagine what could’ve caused such a young boy more pain than this would. That dark feeling spread through my body and I heard glass shatter.

“Dad! Your hand!”

I grimaced and shook my hand out, dropping the glass bottle of powder that I’d been holding. Broken shards fell to the ground and small drops of blood followed. I shook my hand again and splattered blood over the floor. It didn’t matter. I’d barely felt it. I eyed the boy, “What happened before you came to us?”

I shook off the memory and Wyn grinned at me, “Tell him how much better it’s gotten!”

Kalian’s lilac eyes drifted to me and I saw my future in them. Homicide. He was going to murder me. Oh well, at least maybe I’d get laid one last time? Was that a fool’s hope? He took in the child in my arms and his expression softened a bit. Eira was still asleep, little blond head on my shoulder and arms hanging limply. On the bright side, my husband wouldn’t murder me with a child in my arms. I hoped.

“You’ve improved at an amazing rate. You’re doing fantastic son.” Wyn beamed up at me and it made me forget about the wrath in my husband’s gaze earlier. I hadn’t expected it, but throughout our short time training, we’d grown far closer. It was awful to say, but I was glad Kalian had slept so long. I felt like an actual parent now. It bothered me that I settled for a secondary role in Wyn’s life. What made it worse was that I hadn’t even noticed how uninvolved I was. It made me nauseous.

“Little love, take the plates and things to the kitchen please.” Kalian said calmly.

“But I want to show you more!” Wyn whined immediately.

“Wyn.” I said firmly and he huffed but began gathering up the dishes. I saw Kalian’s eyes widen and he looked between the two of us, eyes narrowing.

When the boy left the room, Kalian took a breath and I held up my free hand, “Just let me lay the kid down before you rip into me.”

He waited patiently as I moved to the side of the bed. It was almost comical how small she was among the pillows in our large bed. It had to be on the bigger side because my legs were freakishly long and Kalian slept in a veritable nest. The pillows were built up around him now. I had to pull one away every time I wanted to snuggle. I was getting distracted. I tucked the itsy-bitsy human in and ignored the pang in my chest as she made a small whimper. Danger zone. I didn’t have a choice with Wyn. I had a choice here. No way Kalian would saddle me with yet another brat.

“You want to explain to me why our child’s face looks like that?” Kalian asked, pushing greasy copper hair away from his face.

“Oh, it’s healed up quite a bit since he sat like perfect for the healing process. Thanks for noticing.” I nodded and Kalian scowled at me.

“You know that’s not what I meant asshole.” Kalian growled.

“He was training. With Magik. Mistakes happen when learning does. You burned the shit out of my hands, remember?” I shrugged.

Kalian’s face fell and I felt guilty for bringing it up, but it was the truth. At no point in that sentence had I lied. I didn’t like purposefully hurting the love of my life’s feelings, but sometimes he acted like a brat and after nine-ish years, sometimes I couldn’t let it go. There was nothing I could do to change what’d happened. With either Kalian or Wyn.

“Kalian, Wyn’s Magik is strong. Every attempt to use it isn’t going to be perfect. No one is going to question how much you love him, but baby, you have to stop coddling him. He doesn’t need it. He’s strong. He can handle it. He deserves to know what we’re up against. He’s been through enough. He grew up in the dark babe, don’t keep him in it.”

Kalian had opened his mouth to interrupt, instead he shut it and looked down at his hands. I walked around to his side of the bed, using my fingertips under his chin to tilt his head up to place a kiss on his forehead. He leaned farther back and I pressed one to his lips. He sighed and glanced over at the girl. He turned back to me with a raised brow and teasing smile.

“No one’s around to watch her.” I said defensively.

Kalian shook his head and rested his hands in his lap, “You’re right and he seems to be making excellent progress. I’m proud of you both and I’m thankful that you’re my partner. Not everyone could hold our life together alone.”

“You do it.” I said as I sat next to him.

“Not alone. You help me Talon.” He looked up at me, a soft frown gracing his lips.

“I don’t do a fraction of what you do. You’re incredible.”

“Well thank you for noticing.” He tucked some hair behind his ear and then made a face, “I feel disgusting.”

“You’ve been in bed for a long time, love. I’ll run you a bath.”

“Thank you Talon.”

Late. They were late. Being in charge was the worst. Mind you, the subordinates I’d chosen for this specific task weren’t exactly known for their time keeping and social skills. I glanced behind me, Kalian was sitting on the end of the bed, playing with Eira’s hands as I leaned against the door’s molding. The view from the balcony was beautiful. We could see the lower layers and the countryside that lay beyond. Not that I could enjoy it. I was jittery. I wasn’t used to being in charge and the pressure was new as well. Kalian had been brought up to speed as I washed his hair in the bath. He knew about Anika, the coast, everything.

I had hoped he’d stay asleep so I could do what I felt needed to be done. To my surprise, something in Kalian seemed to have shifted. I watched him smile down at the girl and laugh at something Wyn said. The boy was sprawled out next to them and Eira was fascinated by his and Kalian’s eyes. I rested my head against the molding. Kalian had been ready to jump to Krinn the moment I gave him the news. When I’d reluctantly explained my plan, he’d been quiet for a long time and then he’d asked me what he needed to do. As if he didn’t do enough.

Hands gripped the edge of the balcony and Meryck hoisted himself up before dropping down on the ground. Our bedroom door opened and I turned as Loren and Suman came into the room. Suman’s hair was up and Loren had small braids on either side of his head. The two were holding hands and Suman was rubbing his cheek against Loren’s shoulder. Gross. Meryck strolled in and I closed the balcony doors.

“Two secret meetings in one day. I feel so popular.” Suman chuckled, finally stepping away from Loren who crossed his arms.

“Uncle Loren! Uncle Suman!” Wyn called and Eira followed the boy with her eyes as he ran across the room. He crashed into Suman and wrapped his arms around his waist. Suman ran fingers over his hair and grinned. The child picked the worst members to add to our weird little family.

I crossed my arms and moved to stand closer to the bed and Kalian. I tried to ignore the small hands that raised in the air, waving in my direction. I was doing a pretty good job until a painful jolt shot through my leg. I staggered and whipped my head in Eira’s direction. She was glaring until I looked and then she squealed and held her arms out. Kalian’s face had this stupid dreamy look as he watched me pick her up and I hated to admit how much it made me want to stick my tongue down his throat.

“Awe daddy Talon!” Suman cackled.

“Please don’t call him that.” Kalian’s face scrunched in disgust and I had to agree. Loren smirked at me and blatantly checked me out. Suman’s humor diminished as he shot Loren a dirty look.

“I’ll stab both of you.” I growled and Loren placed his hand on his heart, letting his eyelids flutter closed, “Swear to the gods Loren, I will rip your intestines-“

“Anyway!” Kalian sighed, exasperated and rolling his eyes. Meryck simply stood to my left, arms crossed as his eyes jumped from person to person as they spoke. Loren’s eyes moved to Meryck and he raised his eyebrow.

“I have plan.” I said, sitting on the bed next to Kalian as Eira cooed at Meryck. The teen ignored her and I watched electricity move between her fingers. The girl was a gods’ damned terror. Luckily for Meryck, he glanced down at her and raised his hand in a wave.

“Gimme.” Suman said, striding forward and snatching the girl from my arms. I glared at him. He wasn’t even holding her right. If she shifted her weight suddenly, the idiot would drop her. Then he’d have to die. I didn’t make the rules here. Obviously. Things would be way different and probably worse. More…aggressive and problematic. The politicians called that ambition, right? Suman held her and lifted his hands, emitting animal and nature noises. A small, petty part of me smirked when she twisted around until I was back in her sight. Then she yelled angrily at me. As if it was my fault Suman had whisked her away. I’d committed a grave offense in the toddler realm apparently. When I didn’t fall all over myself to cater to her and retrieve her from my cousin, tears welled. Hm, spoiled. Maybe she was somehow related to Kalian? Like some weird nature mishap?

“Get on with it Talon before Eira has a meltdown.” Kalian sighed next to me.

I stood, freeing Eira from Suman’s arms as I began to pace, “It won’t be hard to narrow down where Anika Alauis is. It’s a naval fleet. She’ll be on one of the ships. They can’t have gone far.”

“The flagship or the vice one. That’s what I’d guess. She’s a bargaining chip by association.” Loren said, shrugging.

“How fast can you identify those?” I asked, tilting my head to avoid the fist reaching for my hair.

“Eh pretty fast. They won’t be the ones engaging, more than likely. It’s where the commands come from. It’s used for control.” Loren answered again.

Having Loren was more of an advantage than I wanted to admit. Even without spending his whole life in his home country, he possessed a lot of knowledge. Being an emissary had only added to that. They had used him as a pawn to try and screw us over, but they’d made a mistake. One that was going to bite them in the ass, hard. None of us had experience fighting on the open sea, but it was in Loren’s blood. He’d been on a boat more than all of us combined in just the last few years.

“So, what’s your plan dearest cousin?” Suman sighed, growing bored visibly.

“Pretty simple. Go to Krinn and the coast, get Kalian’s sister back, and destroy the Illithian navy.” I cooed down at Eira as she giggled and I waved her little hand at Suman, “Yes, murder! The only way they’re getting home is if their corpses somehow manage to make it all the way back and wash up on shore.”

“There are five of us in this room, not including the children. You expect us to take it down alone?” Loren said, cupping his jaw and growing far more serious suddenly, glancing around the room and landing on Meryck again, “Suman’s Magik doesn’t provide much offense and I don’t have any. Apologies, I don’t even know what yours is Meryck. That will be a feat.”

“I simply need you to find my sister. I will take care of the rest.” Kalian said, expression far darker than I had ever seen it. It was deliciously intimidating.

“Even for you that’s a lot Kalian. We just got you back.” Loren frowned.

“Correct. I can do it though. From there, Eon can handle Serran.”

“Who will watch Wyn?” Suman asked.

“I can take care of myself Uncle Suman, don’t worry!” Wyn said, arms still around the man’s waist.

“I don’t doubt that child.” Suman grinned softly down at him but then he shot me a suspicious look.

“I am staying here. Suman, as soon as you return, you’ll head back to Dleth. We need to secure Lyrah’s spot and if possible, send Eon aid.” I said and winced when Eira got a handful of my hair and yanked.

“Just out of curiosity, do the teachers and Eon know about this?” Suman asked with a mischievous smile.

“No. I don’t trust the Council and they would surely want to do things the ‘right’ way. Calling meetings with the dukes hasn’t done much good for us. Has it?” I tilted my head to the side, holding Suman’s eye contact.

“Ooo so there’s the potential for treason. I’m in.” Suman laughed and Loren chuckled next to him.

The oldest man in the room shrugged, “I suppose I’m in as well. Why not? Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been country-less.”

Everyone’s attention seemed to shift to Meryck at the same time. His unique eyes blinked and he cracked each digit of each finger individually, head tilting to the side as his gaze fell to his feet. All at once, his hands dropped and he looked up, giving a curt nod. Kalian and I looked at each other. The original plan had been for me to go, but Kalian had insisted and if we were being honest, he was probably better suited to the task. I was happy that everyone had agreed, but unease spread through me quickly. Kalian would be on his own. Fighting on his own. I wouldn’t be there if anything happened and I didn’t like it. I knew he’d fought when I’d been captured, but I’d had no control then. I did now and I felt like I was throwing my husband to the wolves.

*Kalian*

Talon was nervous. He wasn’t nervous because we had a band of four to find my sister and stop a country’s entire naval force. He wasn’t nervous that two of the people in our group had a few notable instances of disloyalty and outright betrayal in their track record. No, Talon was worried because I would be away from him. He hadn’t outright voiced his concerns, but he kept sending strange looks my way. I watched him settle Eira into the bed beside an already sleeping Wyn. It was so domestic and it pulled at my heart strings. Few things were cuter than a 6’5” deadly assassin tucking in a tiny blond girl with a young boy. Talon didn’t see it, but I did. The girl was quickly wrapping him around her little finger. I loved it.

I stopped those thoughts, stomping them down temporarily. I needed to confront Talon about his lack of faith in me. That’s what it boiled down to. He didn’t trust me to take care of myself. This wasn’t new. Talon was aware that I wasn’t helpless, he’d witnessed it firsthand, but one of the bases of his personality was his protective streak. It was sweet but drove me crazy. He’d loosened the reins a bit over the years, but he’d much rather deal with things himself than have me take part in anything that may be dangerous.

He followed me back to our bedroom and continued across the room as I sat on the bed. The sheets had been changed and I was freshly showered. I shuddered at the thought of how I’d felt when I’d first awoken. Talon had kissed me! The man obviously had no standards. I smiled softly to myself, laying on my side to watch him lock the balcony doors. He stripped his tunic off which left him in sleep pants only. He climbed in on the other side and I moved the pillow between us. He raised an eyebrow at me as I continued to look up at him. He was laying down but held his head up with his elbow on the bed.

“What?” he asked, playing with my hair.

“The guards meant to protect Syrin, is Eon pulling from them to build his force for the fight in Serran?”

“No. He’s doubled it. Those of us who leave the old palace will have guards stationed outside our homes. There will be more patrols as well. That’s why he’s struggling to build numbers.” He answered, laying his head on his arm as he trailed fingers over my cheek.

“If I…If I stay awake and come home, will you go to back him up?”

Talon groaned and flopped onto his back, refusing to answer. I rolled my eyes and decided fast that it’d be easier to play dirty. I scooted closer, resting my cheek on his peck and my hand on his abdomen. He wrapped his arm around me, letting his hand fall to my hip. I slid my fingers between his abs and then lower, following the dark hair trail that led into his pants. I heard him take a breath and he adjusted, spreading his legs. I smirked and wrapped my fingers around him, starting to stroke slowly.

He turned his head and I lifted mine to meet his lips for a hard kiss. He cradled my jaw as I squeezed his base. I broke the kiss and moved down. I pushed his sleep pants down enough to free him and lapped at his tip before letting my tongue glide down to his base. Then I kissed upward before wrapping my lips around. It’d taken a long time, but we’d worked through my trauma dealing with this specific act. It wasn’t hard for me anymore, and I’d grown to enjoy it again. The noises Talon made and the way he alternated between watching me and letting his head fall back as he gripped my hair were priceless.

I bobbed and sucked, squeezing his balls gently before giving each a turn in my mouth too. He was close. It was easy to tell. I pulled off, slowing my strokes to almost nothing as I sat back. I looked down at him and he opened his eyes one at a time when my pace didn’t pick up.

I grinned softly when he looked at me and lifted his hand, licking over his fingers before sucking them into my mouth. He moaned and after thrusting them deeper, withdrew and they dipped into my pants. Talon didn’t waste time and my grip on him tightened as he pushed two fingers in. I got lost in the motions and pleasure for a long while. When I was finally able to shake it off. I removed both of our hands and slid my pants off the rest of the way. I was still wearing one of Talon’s tunics that was far too big and strategically left that on as I swung a leg over to straddle him.

The first slide down was always the hardest. After that, we fell into a natural rhythm that made Talon swear and me lightheaded. I’d been doing this originally because I needed to calm my husband down. I also wanted him to promise me he’d go to Eon’s aid. Now, though, I was lost to sensation. It wasn’t about any of that any more as tension built in my spine. It wasn’t long until I was on my back, bent nearly in half as Talon took what he wanted. That was fine by me. My nails dug into his scarred shoulders as he forced me closer and closer to orgasm.

“Ah…fuck.” He gasped, letting his head hang forward as he moved his hips quicker. I held on to the sheets above my head as I closed my eyes. I could barely think. The words tumbling out of my mouth were incoherent. I think a lot of it was just moaning and his name to be honest. I was far beyond being embarrassed like I’d been when we’d first became intimate. Talon always put forth a good effort, it was rude to not show him how good it was for me.

Later, Talon was wrapped around me from behind. His breathing was slowing and I knew he was drifting closer to sleep. I caressed the arms holding me tight and whined internally at how tired I was. I should’ve had plenty of sleep! How could I be anything other than wide awake? It was frustrating. I’m positive there was an infinite pile of paperwork waiting for me and I knew that wasn’t the only area poor Talon hadn’t been able to keep up. He’d had way too much heaped on him all at once. At least I had had years to accumulate everything I was responsible. I’d figured out how to arrange it all through seemingly endless trial and error. Talon hadn’t been given that luxury.

“Talon?”

“Mm?”

“Are you all the way awake?”

“Yes babe.” He yawned behind me and I smiled.

“I’ll take out Illiath, Serran is up to you.”

“Mm is that a challenge?” He mumbled against my shoulder.

“Would you like to make a friendly wager dearest husband?” I grinned softly.

“What kind of wager?” his voice had grown more suspicious. I had to stop myself from laughing.

“If I finish faster, we keep Eira.”

The groan was instantaneous, “That’s not fair.”

“If you win, you’ll be solely responsible for Wyn’s training.”

Talon went quiet and stayed that way for a long time. I was ready to turn and check when his soft voice reached me, “Deal.”

I slid my fingers along the straps secured over my shoulders. Loren was putting his hair up next to me and Suman was wrapping the cords around each of his wrists. Meryck was silent and had his hands clasped behind him as he waited. Talon told me he was selectively mute and I wondered what horror the boy had been through. He was still a boy. I didn’t care that he was 19. To be in the Verseckt already at his age. Talon had even said he’d been in it for some time! Thinking about what would drive a child to undergo the horrific training made me ill.

“I’ll be right back.” I murmured and jumped. There was something I hadn’t told anyone. Not even Talon. In order to wake up, I’d had to overcome something. My self-imposed block on my own Magik. I hadn’t been completely under when I slept. I got bits and pieces of Talon’s thoughts. I knew how dire the situation was. I had to rise through whatever limitations I’d put on myself. I was needed. If my son and husband could survive what they had, I could get over myself. I had spent my time trapped in my own head. It was dark and I had no idea if I was alone or if the source of my power was quietly watching, judging. It hadn’t given me any further help, but I didn’t care. I had to do this.

It took far longer than it should have and by the time I’d woken up a week and a half had passed. Not quite as long as when I’d put Anders down and brought everyone back. I took a breath as I walked down familiar steps. Something had occurred to me. The power that I’d unleashed in Dleth was far more than I’d used at Anders’ trial. I’d nearly ripped a building in half. Not just the building either. The crack in the flooring had traveled down. I’d split the earth under the castle. So deep that I’d only seen a black abyss. My limits seemed nonexistent when I lost control. When I lost inhibitions and stopped holding myself back. I continued down, farther than I’d ever gone when I’d lived here. When I reached the bottom, I sent out small flares of Magik, lighting the torches around me. I was in a circular room and in the middle lay my reason for coming down here.

We needed one more ally and I was here to re-recruit him.