Page 143 of Swords of Soul and Shadow (Gate Chronicles #3)

KASE SET MERLIN, HIS HOVER, down at the edge of the meadow.

He’d move him later. The way Hallie’s eyes would light up when he surprised her coming home early was worth trudging back out to move it to the airfields.

That was the only reason Merlin hadn’t shot that blue liquid at him for leaving him in the wheat field.

The machine had always liked Hallie more.

Understandably. Hallie brought him a treat whenever they went on trips for her work in the form of new oil.

The needy thing still beeped sadly at him as he grabbed a small sack full to bursting with books he’d bought while on assignment in the city and climbed out of the cockpit. “I’ll bring Hals with me when I move you later, deal?”

Merlin beeped at him a little worriedly. In the ten years since their meeting, Kase had learned how to interpret the different tones quite well. “Yes, I promise Jo will behave if she joins. Deal?”

Last time, the four-year-old had drawn stars and moons on the back of his seats. Merlin hadn’t been pleased.

The hover flashed the headlights at him in agreement as Kase closed the windshield with a crisp snap. He patted its side. “Good boy.”

Kase hopped off the wing and readjusted the sack on his back.

He’d managed to find a copy of Le Morte d’Arthur at last. He’d thought they’d all been burned or otherwise destroyed during the war, but after some digging and his copilot Laurence Hixon’s help, he’d discovered a small bookshop in Lenara had been hoarding the tome for nearly a millennium.

If Kase couldn’t fly with Skibs, then Hix was the next best option.

Regardless, Hallie would probably bring the book on their upcoming trip to read to Merlin, which would only make him like her more.

Blast it.

But he guessed it couldn’t be helped. He would also have to make sure his mother didn’t sneak the copy out with her when she came over for tea the next day.

He liked having her nearby, but he was beginning to suspect half the reason she’d wanted to move out to the countryside was because he and Hallie had all the books.

Shackley Manor had been mostly restored, but she only stayed there when visiting with Clara and Jove for about a week or so every month.

The dying sunlight of the late July evening set the rippling waves of wheat aglow.

This little hamlet on the east side of the Nardens, Windwick, hadn’t been ravaged by the war.

It was made up of a small smattering of houses and a few necessities such as a dry goods store, inn, and within the last five years or so, a school.

That’d been Hallie’s doing. It’d been her first attempt at starting one outside Kyvena, and next week, she and Kase would be off to Crystalfell to open a third.

She’d also been in talks with King Asa’s council in the Cerl capital of Sol Adrid.

Skibs had started to turn the kingdom around, and a school like Hallie’s was a popular idea among Cerl citizens.

He and his wife, Queen Lucienne aven d’Fairchild, were planning on sending their children, Princess Lilian and Prince Ezekiel, there as soon as it was up and running the next year.

But while Hallie’s dream grew from year to year, they never planned on moving from their cozy little two-story cottage filled with books, too many glass figurines, and love.

They were only a half-hour Merlin flight to Kyvena and a simple Passage brick trip from Stoneset.

Hallie had said unless the world needed saving, time didn’t need any more manipulation, but she made an exception for her parents.

Problem was, once Arthur Jack had learned how to read and write, he’d started sending notes to Granna through it begging her to bring over cookies, cakes, and all sorts of confectionaries, and Zelda always obliged.

He was also quite heavily influenced by his younger sisters.

They particularly enjoyed Granna’s lemon bars.

Kase didn’t mind the extra sweets, and with Windwick being on a small lake, Stowe preferred fishing on this side of the Nardens. He, Kase, and Arthur Jack would regularly go out and catch a few, but they always had Zelda fry them up—safer that way.

Kase approached the cottage and its cobbled stone fence hugging the front garden. A little boy with bright red curls climbed up on top of the fence, a few wayward pebbles skittering in his wake.

Kase beamed, his chest light.

“Papa!” the boy shouted before leaping down, nearly tripping on the landing. He tumbled through the wheat and leapt into Kase’s outstretched arms.

“See you’ve been placed on lookout duty, AJ?

” Kase said with a laugh as he spun his son around.

The boy was only seven, but he was growing like a wildfire.

Kase had only been gone a week, and he could’ve sworn his son had grown another foot.

The fault of Stowe’s genes, and he’d blame him for it when AJ finally topped him in height.

Just like he could place the blame for AJ’s garden-grubby hands digging into the sack on Kase’s shoulder, going for the books, directly on Hallie’s shoulders. Kase put him down. “Careful! These are for Mama. Besides, what’d we say about dirty hands around the books?”

“But that one has my name on it! And a sword!”

Kase laughed. “If Mama says yes, we can read that one tonight before bed.”

AJ grumbled halfhearted complaints. Kase ruffled his curls. “I’ll even see if Mama will read each character in her funny voices. Deal?”

The boy brightened at that, nodding and taking Kase’s hand, pulling him toward the cottage. “Mama said Lolly’s bringing back Sammy and Jon the day after tomorrow too because Auntie Clara is about to have the baby. Penny says it’s a girl, but I hope it’s another boy like me.”

Penny, or Penelope, was the most opinionated and stubborn of his children. At only six, she was too bright for her own good.

“We won’t know until the baby’s here, but I’d wager Uncle Jove hopes it’s a boy, too.” Kase couldn’t imagine what Jove would do with a girl. Never sleep soundly again, probably. Stars knew Kase hadn’t. He kept a hand on his son’s shoulder as they walked. “What do you think they should name it?”

AJ thought for a moment. “Aragorn.”

Kase laughed. “Ah, Mama started reading Lord of the Rings to you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Aragorn is my favorite, too. Though I think Theoden is my second.”

“Who?”

“Just wait.” Kase squeezed his shoulder.

They’d just reached the gate when the cottage’s front door opened, and two girls spilled out. “Papa!”

The smallest one, Jo, sprinted across the garden and threw herself at Kase’s knees. Black curls flying, she knocked him off his feet. He fell backward into the wheat, his breath knocked out of him as she squealed, “ Papa! You home!”

Her big blue eyes practically took up her entire face. She was only four, but there was no doubt that she was Kase’s daughter…in looks and personality. He was in for it, that was for sure.

“Oof, Jo, I missed you too,” Kase tugged her into his lap and squeezed her, tickling her sides.

She grunted and giggled, pushing against his chest. “Stop, Papa!”

“It’s my turn,” Penny whined, waiting with her arms crossed above them.

She had her long brown hair pulled into a sensible, no-nonsense braid, her hazel eyes assessing.

Jo turned around and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Penny returned it before also leaping onto Kase’s chest as he tried to get up.

Penny kissed his cheek, then crawled over him to get to the sack of books that had fallen in the initial attack.

Kase groaned as one of the girls kneed him in the stomach. Probably Jo.

Laughter came from the cottage door. Kase shakily stood, brushing the dust and wheat and dirt off his trousers and pilot’s jacket.

“You never stood a chance of making it to the door unscathed.” Hallie stood in the cottage doorway, hand on the frame, a smile on her face.

She was even more beautiful than the day he’d stumbled into the bookshop.

Ten years hadn’t felt long at all with her by his side.

It didn’t matter how many times he’d left for work and returned home; his heart still pounded in his chest every time he saw her, as if they were still newlyweds.

She ambled over, stopping by the sack of books their children had torn into. When she spotted the top book, she gasped and picked up Le Morte d’Arthur . “Where did you find this?”

“Lenara. Paid a pretty sum to get it for you, so you’d better be happy to eat only rice and beans on our trip next week.”

Hallie hugged it to her chest. “Thank you.”

Kase bent over, setting the sack right and handed it to AJ. “Go put them on the shelf. Carefully!”

“And alphabetically!” Hallie added.

“Hals, he’s seven.”

She waved impatiently. “He knows what to do.”

AJ gasped excitedly and slung the bag onto his shoulder, sprinting toward the cottage, the books slapping against his back with each stride.

Penny skipped inside behind him, saying something about organizing them by color. Jo stomped in, whining, “I wanna touch the books too!”

Hallie blew a stray piece of hair that had fallen into her face. “I feel bad for my mother. She’s going to have her hands full while we’re gone.”

Kase slid an arm around her waist and drew her to him. “Aren’t you looking forward to some time with your dashing husband sans barbarians?”

“But they’re our barbarians.”

“True.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. She grabbed his jacket and tugged him closer.

“Ew! Mama stop! Stop kissing Papa!” Jo shouted from the doorway. “EW!”

She really had only two volumes—loud and louder.

Hallie broke the kiss, a teasing smile on her face. “Still want to discuss having a fourth?”

Kase didn’t let go of her waist as he led her toward the cottage. Jo scurried back inside, yelling something else at her siblings.

He rubbed his thumb across the bottom of Hallie’s ribs, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “Why do you think I want some alone time with you on our trip?”

Her cheeks bloomed scarlet, and a grin curled across his face. He would never get tired of the way he could make her blush.

“Something wrong with that?” he teased.

“Not at all.” Hallie turned to give him another lingering kiss. “We do have quite a few names left on our list.”

Laughing, Kase followed her inside and closed the door behind him. He was home. He had a beautiful wife, three happy children, and all the books he could ask for. It was the life he’d always dreamed of, and he was grateful he got to live it.

THE END

Thank you SO much for reading this series.