Breathing in through his nose, Tam held his chest full of air. He listened to the din of bugs whirring and chirping in the summer forest around him. He exhaled while focusing on the rushing water from the river off to his left. Then he inhaled and repeated the process of alternating his focus on his surroundings, to what was happening in his body.

A snap of twigs alerted him to Eli’s presence. He didn’t have to look to know it was her. He could sense her. His blood filled with electricity and his heart started to race in excitement. How much of those sensations were because of their status as lovers and how much was because of their connection as technically familiar and witch, he wasn’t entirely certain.

“Breakfast will be ready soon,” Eli informed him.

He could hear the grogginess in her voice.

They’d all slept far longer than had become their norm.

After the soothing soak in the hot spring the previous day, they had enjoyed a dinner of rabbit and wild carrots that had filled them perfectly, along with several waterskins full of icy, refreshing water. By the last few mouthfuls of all their meals, everyone had almost been dead asleep where they sat around the fire, but Tam and Eli had herded the children into their tent under their blankets. Though they hadn’t been quick or determined enough to do the same for Lord Harris. The man must have slept outside half the night.

Despite the haphazard bed time preparations, everyone had slept a good portion of the next day away.

Tam was the first to wake up, and he had quietly formed the opinion that they should stay and rest another day or two before moving on through the woods.

Being the first one up, and not wanting to disturb anyone else’s sleep, he had ventured off a short distance to try and center his mind again. It had been a long time since he had time to process his own thoughts and plans…

Despite the fact that Eli had arrived shortly after he had even started settling in his thoughts, he didn’t mind.

Tam cracked open an eye and gave Eli a gentle smile. He was still feeling the weight of exhaustion in his own limbs. It had been an incredibly taxing adventure they’d found themselves on.

Recognizing what he was doing, Eli folded her arms and tilted her head curiously. “Who taught you how to meditate? Was it Bong?”

Tam chuckled. “No. Captain Antonio. The former Captain of Daxarian Military was like a grandfather to my sister and I. He studied the Zinferan combat style and this was one of the training methods he was forced to learn. Antonio would say it made all the difference in the world when a person knows their mind and stops to take stock of their place in the world.”

It had been a skill and habit Tam had found easy and enjoyable to add to his daily life. His sister, unfortunately, had never been able to implement the practice into her own life. Not that anyone was surprised.

Eli strode over to standing in front of where Tam sat on the ground cross legged. “He sounds like a very capable and level headed leader.”

“He was.” Tam didn’t add on to the sentiment. He still missed Antonio greatly. The military leader had always had words of wisdom for Tam, and had been a wonderful teacher back when he’d learned to fight with a sword. “He was like family… It’s why Kat named her first son Antony.”

Eli smiled at this family detail and proceeded to lower herself into a crouch in front of Tam.

“There’s something I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about,” she began carefully.

Tam’s eyes went wide. “Gods, are you pregnant?”

Eli’s expression fell flat. “No. Are you always going to be this paranoid?”

Tam let out a whoosh of air and dropped his head before looking back up to respond. “Probably. Kat had a problem stopping getting pregnant after Antony. And allegedly my da and mum it only took one time—”

“You and your family share too many details about your personal lives.”

Tam winced then laughed. “When you grow up close with a lot of people, it happens. Everyone knows everything and is in your business.”

Eli’s nose scrunched up.

Tam chuckled again while reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t be too happy to hear about that. After getting married I thought we’d move somewhere that’s away from my parents and a bit of a longer ride to the castle in Sorlia for some space and quiet.”

Eli blinked. “You’ve decided where we’ll live after getting married? Already?”

Tam froze and dropped his hand. “Er—It’s occurred to me, yes…”

Eli sighed and looked at the sky. “And everyone says it’s the women who are desperate for matrimony.”

“Wait. You don’t want to get married? At all? Ever?”

Her gaze drifted back down to Tam. Then, Eli reached over and cradled his face in her hands. “Can we finish burning down a kingdom before planning something as stressful as a wedding?”

“Wow. You actually might have more in common with Kat than you realize,” Tam teased.

Annoyed, Eli moved to take her hands back when Tam gently grasped them in his own. He proceeded to gently kiss the inside of her wrist and hold her gaze.

Eli’s cheeks flushed, prompting her to stand abruptly, forcing Tam to release her.

Taking two steps away, Eli sat back down, as though to stop Tam from being able to distract her again.“Something happened on the ship I haven’t told you about.”

Tam’s flirting ceased when he recognized the seriousness in Eli’s face, and so he stilled and listened to the story she told about Penelope.

His alarm and surprise grew as the story went on, and by the end, his right index finger was gently tapping his knee.

“What do you think that’s about? I haven’t asked her about it since that night, but that was suspicious, right?”

Tam shook his head. “No. No to me? It sounds like she’s a seer.”

Eli straightened. “A seer?”

He nodded. “Seers are rare. And the last known one was in Troivack. My sister met the seer while there. Her name was Esther. She claimed that she could see a bit of someone’s past, their present, and then no more than a year into their future.”

Eli’s hands curled into fists as she remembered Penelope’s frantic rant about Eli’s past chained with a collar, how she had known that she’d confessed her loved to Tam that very night and…

“Tam, are seers ever wrong?”

Half of his face grimaced. “I’ve never heard it happening.”

“It could still have been just a dream! Captain Woo could’ve told her about my time on board the ship, and she could have overheard us talking—”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Did they really put a collar on you?” Tam’s voice was soft, his eyes pained.

Eli’s mouth clamped shut, and her eyes shuttered. “Yes.”

Seeing her reaction, Tam didn’t pry any more than that.

“I suppose it could be a dream… We’d have to talk to her. I remember the report on the seer and it sounds similar to what you experienced with Penelope. We could maybe see if Penelope has seen anything for the rest of us.”

“If she is a seer…” Eli started to say slowly. “She might be able to tell us whether Luca is the devil or not.”

“I don’t want to know.” Tam’s firm tone gave Eli a small jolt.

“What? Tam, we—”

“No. He’s my son. That’s it.”

“We should still know even if we aren’t going to acknowledge it or mention it to others!” Eli argued intently.

“No. If he is, then we’ll find out, but I don’t want there being any risk of it changing a thing. We’re happy as we are.” Tam’s dark eyes were steely.

It was Eli’s turn to recognize that this was not a matter she could press right then.

“Alright. That aside, Tam, she says we adopt her,” Eli reminded, slapping the tops of her knees.

“And?”

Eli’s eyes widened before she threw her hands in the air. “What do you mean ‘and’ are we adopting every lost child in existence?”

Tam gave Eli a hard look, and he didn’t reply straight away as he visibly battled against anger. “If you don’t like it, I’m sorry to hear that. But if she needs a home by the end of this, we’re probably the best one. She’ll have bonded with Luca, and will hopefully feel the most comfortable with us by then. And Luca is not a lost child; he is, and always has been, mine.”

“Tam, you’re talking about parenting two kids! Two! One of which you have no idea the family she is from, or if someone is looking for her!”

“I’m not saying I won’t try and find her family,” Tam informed Eli heatedly. “I’m just saying if that was the future she saw, I have no issue with it and it makes the most sense.”

“It isn’t that easy! Taking care of two kids for the rest of your life is a massive amount of work and responsibility and—”

“And I’m okay with that, Eli. Are you?” Tam’s voice was sharp, and it was abundantly clear from the set of his shoulders that there wasn’t an inch he was willing to budge on the matter.

The two stared at each other in a stalemate, not saying a word, until the sound of rustling foliage sounded up to them from the camp, and out popped Luca, still yawning with his hair sporting two cow licks.

“Harris says breakfast is ready,” the bow announced groggily.

Shoving his emotions aside, Tam forced a smile on his face and moved to his feet.

“Thank you for letting us know. Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm.” Luca started picking the crust of sleep from his eyes.

“That’s good. I was thinking that maybe you, Penelope, and I could play some games today. What do you think?” When Tam reached Luca’s side, the boy easily slipped his hand into Tam’s.

Looking over his shoulder Luca smiled at Eli. “Are you going to play too?”

She took a little longer to get ahold of her emotions, and so while she couldn’t quite manage a smile, she did nod, making Luca beam.

The child held out a hand to her. “Come on!”

Staring down at his small palm, Eli hesitated, her cloud of thoughts taking her someplace else for a moment before she eventually accepted his hand, and proceeded to walk back to the camp.

It would seem there were going to be more than political battles ahead for them, and they were the kind that unnerved both Tam and Eli the most.

***

“Are you certain?” Soo Hebin asked, wearing a dazzling smile.

Louise Riddel and five other witches remained kneeling on the ground, with their heads bowed toward the first witch who sat beside the concubine looking significantly less pleased at the news.

“We saw no signs of them. We are assuming that they were hiding aboard the ship to attack us, but got trapped.”

The first witch’s gaze bore into Louise Riddel, her annoyance barely contained. “Is it not possible that they simply went ashore?”

Louise Riddel hesitated upon hearing the stern tone of the first witch. “We looked all along the shore and saw no signs of any lifeboats. It’s also doubtful they would have maneuvered it into any hiding points in the mountains.”

The first witch stared over their heads without speaking.

“So the devil, Princess Elisara, that annoying Daxarian duke, and Tamlin Ashowan are all dead. This is quite the day for dramatic news.” Soo Hebin eased herself back into her seat, not even bothering to look the least bit concerned over the deaths of such prominent figures.

“There is nothing the Ashowan family or the Daxarian monarchy can say on the matter either, as we were barely able to save ourselves from the monster,” Louise expounded gravely.

Soo Hebin nodded to one of her maids. “Of course. I’m sure you’ve had a treacherous journey. Rooms have been prepared for you all as well as some meals. Go rest, and we can speak more on this later.”

The group of surviving witches stood, and, still bowing, proceeded out of the concubine’s quarters, leaving Soo Hebin alone with the first witch who stared ahead of herself.

Soo Hebin bristled with mild irritation. “Didn’t you say you dealt with all the places the devil could be reborn? Doesn’t this mean he’ll simply spawn in the belly of the beast? Meaning he’ll most likely die again and again and again for years to come?”

Aradia turned to stare at the concubine slowly. “I don’t think they are dead. I think those witches are trying to give you the news you want to hear so that you are pleased and they are not held accountable for making a gross error in their work.”

Soo Hebin’s smile dwindled. “Where are they, then? In the mountains? There is next to no known sources of water or food there. Even if they did make it onto land, the likelihood of their survival is minimal. Besides, aren’t you glad you heard the news before you yourself had to go? At times it is best to look at the blessings we’ve received, hm?” Soo Hebin glowed with smugness.

Aradia looked ready to beat the woman to death with the nearest object she could lift. Which was most likely the wooden chair she was seated upon.

She briefly longed for the days when all she had to do was drink an unholy amount of moonshine and occasionally say odd things back when she was disguised as a handmaiden to the Troivackian queen seven years back.

“There is one way we might be able to glean some insight on their survival,” the first witch pushed herself out of her chair.

Soo Hebin visibly struggled not to roll her eyes in a most unbecoming manner, then forced herself to ask the obvious question. “And what way might that be?”

Aradia gave a humorless smile to no one in particular as she smoothed the black silk skirt she wore.“We tell Tamlin Ashowan’s mother and sister he’s dead, and see how they react.”