“Grandma! What are you doing here?” I shouted excitedly. I bound up the elderly woman in a surge of joy and threw my arms around her in a big hug.

  Just as surprised to see me as I was her, grandma erupted into a bright smile as she returned the hug. “It is good to see you too, Wren,” she replied softly.

  I was delighted to see my grandma again after all this time but our moment of reunion was undercut by the ear-piercing screams of Marilyn. Still, under the effects of the blue flame, she was undoubtedly experiencing her worst fears.

  “What happened to her?” Grandma asked curiously.

  “A minor discipline problem. She will be fine in a few hours… or days,” I replied with a shrug, “Just load her in one of the carts with the fish. I am sure she will enjoy it.”

  My grandma hesitated for a moment before nodding to the commander. The man quickly saluted before delegating the task to a few soldiers. They moved Marilyn with obvious trepidation. Despite being in the throes of endless nightmares, Marilyn was still a Domain warrior. A title these soldiers normally held in reverence. I laughed a little when I saw them covering their faces to hide their identity before moving the woman into the fishy cart.

  Commander Grigoris cleared his throat as his men worked. “Councilwoman, we should really keep moving. If we delay too long, the army will send a contingent of soldiers to look for us.”

  “Yes, of course,” My grandma replied with a polite nod. She was helped back onto the wagon by the familiar face of Jacob, the butler that had served her for decades. The two still seemed to be acting professionally in front of the soldiers but I noticed that grandma still sat very close to the elderly man despite ample space inside the wagon. She patted the seat across from her as she smiled at me. “Come sit with us. You have to tell me all about your adventures since you left Aktaio.”

  “Councilwoman? When did that happen?” I asked curiously as I joined my grandma in the wagon. Mercifully, the inside of the wagon was not completely bare. It had been tweaked for passengers. It was full of cushions that dampened the terrible shaking of the simple horse-drawn carriage. Still, it was a far drop from the luxurious carriage grandma had gotten us when we left Aktaio.

  My grandma did not seem to mind the less-than-luxurious accommodations as she spoke. “After you left, Chancellor Otto practically begged me to take the empty position you created by exposing the previous councilman. He needed allies that would wholeheartedly support his war preparations and I was the perfect fit. My former husband’s reputation as an accomplished councilman himself allowed me to take the position with very little pushback from the more narrow-minded among my colleagues. Returning to the political stage was not entirely what I had in mind for my twilight years, but I could not sit back and do nothing while the rest of my family fought with monsters.”

  “I heard you even funded this entire convoy yourself?”

  My grandma snorted in a distinctly unladylike display of frustration. “Those fools in the council argue of every little thing. If I had waited for their finances, it would be another month before we could send supplies to the army. Rather than continue to argue endlessly, I decided to wake those clowns up with action rather than words. I understand how they think. The other councilors would rather see cities burn than be upstaged. A few well-placed bits of propaganda about my trip and within a few days I expect several more convoys will arrive while the councilors back home all try to virtue the accomplishment of a bare minimum they should have done weeks ago.”

  “Sounds like you had it rough,” I replied.

  “It is nothing new. I have lived long enough to know that sometimes people need a good kick in the rear before they get anything done,” my grandma said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “But enough about my dull daily life, tell me about your grand adventures. How is my little Prometia?”

  My eyes shifted away, unable to meet Grandma’s excited gaze. I felt a stab of pain in my chest as I spoke. “Mom is… resting right now.”

  Grandma’s gaze hardened. Her voice fell to a low growl. “What happened?”

  My nails dug into the skin in the palm of my hand. I stared down at the rickety floorboards of the wagon. Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke. “The Demons caught us in an ambush while scouting. We killed the Demon but Mom… wasn’t fast enough. She is still alive but her condition is not good.”

  The elderly woman seemed to age several years in just a few seconds as her face paled to a pasty white. She closed her eyes, breathing calmly before she spoke. “Take me to her.”

  I nodded numbly. Giving directions to the carriage driver, our wagon separated from the convoy and started rumbling towards Dragon’s Nest. The remaining trip was spent in silence. I could not think of anything to say. Nothing would be good enough. I simply clasped my hands together and stared at the floorboards of the wagon, praying that grandma would not blame me for being unable to keep her daughter safe.

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  It was not long before the floating island came into view. The wonder of seeing such a marvel broke the uncomfortable silence. Grandma gasped in amazement at the sight. “How does something so big float like that?”

  “It is called Dragon’s Nest. We stumbled across it about halfway to Kala. It has been our main transportation ever since. It is not very fast but it is more comfortable than a wagon.”

  “That is incredible…” she whispered.

  “I can show you around after we see Mom. Just don’t start talking to any disembodied voice. If she starts talking to you, it is never a good thing.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Let’s go. I will take you to the infirmary.”

  My domain spread out, lifting both Grandma and me into the air. “Wha! I… I’m floating! Is this a domain, like when Chancellor Otto flies over the city?”

  “That’s right. Mom and Dad both became domain warriors as well, before…” I fell silent as I looked away from my grandma.

  Flying up to Dragon’s Nest, I led Grandma inside the building and to the infirmary. She stepped through the doors to the sight of three beds. Mom, Dad, and Donte all slept with the best comforts we could acquire on the battlefield. Still, it was not a comforting sight.

  Grandma’s eyes immediately locked onto the figure of Mom lying in the bed. The blankets did very little to hide the horrible burns that covered half her body. Tears freely flowed down grandma’s face as she saw her daughter lying there. She walked to the bedside. Her legs were stiff and awkward as she walked. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch the sleeping figure.

  “My little Prometia…” she whispered in soul-wrenching pain.

  “We are keeping her sedated except for when it is absolutely necessary. She suffers too much pain to stay awake for long. The Army healers and Charly are doing their best but her injuries are too severe to heal quickly.”

  Grandma closed her eyes as she cradled her daughter's head as gently as she could. “Silly, foolish girl. Why could you not just stay in Aktaio with me? You could have married a nice nobleman and been safe within the walls. You could have lived a life free of worries but no, you had to run away to find your grand adventure.”

  I stared down at my feet, unable to think of anything that could comfort the grieving woman. Grandma opened her eyes and caressed my mom’s face once more. She looked over and saw my dad nearby as well as the cots Charlie and I had dragged into the room so that we could stay by our parents’ sides as well as the random baubles that had gathered from the many hours we spent in the room.

  Grandma then turned back to look at my mom and smiled warmly. “But this is the life you wanted, wasn’t it? That is just how you are, consequences be damned. You would rather live freely for a single day than hundreds of years safe but trapped and confined.”

  Grandma looked up and waved me over. I felt dread building in my chest as I slowly walked to her side. Keeping Mom safe was my responsibility and I had failed. I expected Grandma to blame me, slap me, and yell insults at my incompetence. Instead, I was surprised when she suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

  “It must have been hard for you and Charly all alone,” She whispered.

  I felt my throat choke up at the unexpected warmth of her arms. Unable to contain myself, I threw my arms around my grandma. Returning the hug, I cried. All the emotions I had bottled up since my parents were injured burst out all at once.

  “Shh now, it is ok. It will be ok,” Grandma said. Her hand gently stroked my back.

  It was only several minutes later that I finally recovered. I looked up at my grandma’s face for the first time since I had told her Mom was injured. She had been crying too but through the tears, she smiled down at me.

  Grandma moved over to one of the chairs beside the beds and hoisted me up onto her lap. The two of us watched my mom and dad sleep as grandma spoke. “If Prometia was awake now, she would probably berate us and call us babies for crying so much. She was always like that, even as a child. Did she ever tell you about the day she awakened her innate talent?”

  I shook my head. “No, what happened?”

  “Back when your mom was eight or nine, she ran off to go play with some other kids while her father and I talked with some of the parents. While crossing one of the streets, a nearby horse carriage got spooked by something. The horse went wild and charged directly towards one of the smaller kids. My little Tia… She didn’t even hesitate. At the moment that small child was about to be trampled by the horse carriage she exploded in an astounding flash of lighting. She was fast enough to push the child out of harm’s way but not herself. The horse's hoof broke several of her ribs and the carriage wheel shattered her leg to the point the doctors were not sure if they could fix it.”

  “That happened?” I asked wide-eyed.

  Grandma nodded. “We almost lost her that day. Luckily, her father was a well-connected senator and was able to request the best healer on the continent to come to our aid. By some miracle, little Tia’s life was saved, though she did have to spend the next several months being wheeled around in a chair. However, when she woke up and learned how close she had come to dying your mother just laughed and said that next time she would have to be faster.” Grandma chuckled with a bemused smile. “That is not the only time she has almost died either. While she was serving in the Novis army, I received reports of her being severely wounded no less than three times. Each and every time, she laughed the incident off without a care in the world. That is just who she is and no amount of worrying will change it. I expect that when she recovers from this, she will greet us with that same silly grin as every other time.”

  I brought my hand to my face and wiped away the tears that remained from before. “You’re right.”

  “Of course, that does not make it any easier for those of us that constantly worry about her,” Grandma said with a laugh, “I am sure that once she is healed, she will be right back to risking her life.

  Grandma’s laughter was contagious and even though the two of us had just been crying our eyes out, the two of us were soon both giggling freely. “Do you have any other stories about when Mom was little?” I asked curiously.

  Grandma’s eyes sparkled with delight as she began to tell me another tale about when Mom was a teenager. After some time, Charly returned and joined in on our storytelling. In turn, we also told Grandma about all the adventures we had been through since leaving Aktaio.

  Outside, there were still countless worries and troubles plaguing the world but for the next few hours, all of that faded away. For just a while, we were able to forget everything and simply laugh together.