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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

IN WHICH THE PARTY COLLECTS THEIR PROMISED REWARD

Fae trains might not be as advanced as modern human engineering, but they served their purpose.

It brought us through plains and forest to the mountains over the course of two days.

We collected more passengers a handful of times, each stop quick and efficient.

By suppertime on the second day, our destination came into view.

The sight of Ild Lamon, the Kereti capital, could strike a wise man dumb. A multi-tiered fortress of sun-bleached stone carved into the side of a mountain, it could surely withstand anything thrown at it, whether that be an enemy siege or rampant tourism.

Disembarking the train was only the beginning.

I’d never seen so many stairs and hills in my life, and certainly not so many made of solid granite.

Narille paused long enough to explain that her family resided at the top, because of course they did.

While the streets of Ild Lamon were a work of art—dwellings hewn into the mountain along the inside and mighty walls across the way—I did not look forward to the climb.

At least this is it.

I soothed myself with thoughts of what we could do with the reward money.

I didn’t have a plan beyond taking time off to process this whole thing and enjoy myself.

We could hire someone to help out with menial tasks around camp so that Jük and Vee could relax and spend more time with Ked.

I could even settle them into a home of their own, some place quiet, for Ked’s sake, but near enough to the action that Vee could make some friends.

Getting into the city took longer than expected due to Narille’s popularity.

Lost in daydreams, I took a position in the back as Narille made her way through throngs of delighted people.

Hohem and Luthri felt similarly out of place, judging by the way they kept to one side.

We nodded and smiled but went largely ignored. Fine by me.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn they had a rudimentary elevator composed of a platform and pulley system.

I filed in with the rest of the gang, and we were hauled slowly and steadily to the top tier of the castle city.

A wide balcony courtyard fit for royalty met us at the top, along with a host of guards excited to see their beloved lady.

The few that hung back warmed up with some reassurance from their friends.

My gaze strayed to the entrance carved into the mountain. The main doors had to be decoration. How could three-story-tall pieces of wood serve a functional purpose?

As they opened a side door for us, Narille took my hands in hers. Eyes sparkling, she implored, “Please, come in and visit for a while. My parents would love to meet you.”

She cast a meaningful glance in Hohem’s direction.

The offer was tempting. But we’d suffered weeks of travel, been through the emotional and physical wringer, sat around on a train, and now found ourselves faced with jubilation we didn’t feel.

Judging by the expressions on my companions’ faces, they were no more eager for the opportunity than I was.

Squeezing her hands, I replied, “Thank you for the offer, but we’re tired. Ready to be home. I’m sure you feel the same.”

“You can sit the entire time, and I will make sure my parents keep it brief,” Narille wheedled, a light tug on my hands inducing me to take a step toward the entrance. “Your efforts deserve to be celebrated. You’ll have your reward and be equipped to set out before the day’s end, I swear it.”

Another cursory evaluation of my companions told me they were down for whatever would get us out of here with the least amount of effort. And I, for one, didn’t have the energy to fight her further. “If it’s quick,” I allowed, trying to keep the misery out of my tone.

Narille squeezed my hands before letting them drop, any guilt there might have been overshadowed by her eagerness to see her family again. A drove of guards met us at the entrance, and we were ushered inside the mountain castle.

The grandeur of Rugaveld’s mansion paled in comparison to the opulence of the royal family’s dwelling.

Mana sconces and chandeliers bathed the interior in light, showing off high stone walls carved from floor to ceiling, alcoves with statues cast in precious metals, and wide hallways that seemed to never end.

Soldiers in layered cloth armor were spaced every few feet, standing tall even as they called out eager greetings.

As the guards started to thump their staffs against the floor in a thundering welcome, Narille returned the greeting with that odd nod/shake of her head.

We progressed down the main hall to a humongous throne room.

An underground river with footbridges spaced across it ran through the center of the marble floor, ending at an unoccupied platform that resembled a church altar with chairs.

While I was admiring the castle features, mouth wide open, we were accosted by a small crowd of friends and family.

Our party was edged out of the throng as numerous adults and children with the same colorless skin and ruby eyes surrounded Narille, all making cooing sounds and reaching over one another to stroke her limbs and skirts.

It made for an odd sight, but there was no mistaking the love in the reunion. It only served to amplify my need to be home.

Narille broke off from the group to introduce us to her parents and siblings, and before we knew it, we were being funneled into a banquet hall and seated at long marble benches rooted to the floor.

We lost sight of the heiress, but time flew.

Within the hour, we were being plied with food and drink, from rich roasted meats and root vegetables to pastries and beer.

Another hour or so later, Luthri and I were spinning and stomping along with dancers as drums pounded a rhythmic beat.

It was impossible to tell the time of day inside the mountain, but I had to put my foot down when the celebrations showed no signs of slowing.

Narille was seated with her parents, deep in conversation.

How they could talk during all this, I had no clue.

I kept my approach slow so as not to intrude.

She noticed me right away, perked up, and waved me over.

I tried to ask her if we could go, but I couldn’t make out her response over the sounds of the festivities. Narille said something to her parents and stood, using hand gestures to suggest that I gather Lu and Hohem and our things. Eager to get going, I scrambled to comply.

Narille guided us out, flanked by several guards. I was pleased to see that it was still daylight when we emerged from the mountain—no later than midday. That gave us time to make some headway on the return journey before nightfall.

“Thank you for humoring me,” Narille began as we found ourselves in the tower courtyard once more. “I am sorry that we couldn’t speak more, but my family…”

“I understand completely,” I assured her. “I’m sorry to cut things short, but we should be getting on the road. We have a long way back home.”

“Of course. If you wait here, I’ll have your money sent out to you. Oh, but… Hmm.”

The heiress tapped her lips with a finger.

“It would be more than you three can carry, I think. I can send some people with you to spread out the load and help deter bandits, or I can send you home with an avida and cart.” Without waiting for an answer from us, she added, “Let me confer with my parents and get back to you. Thank you again for everything! ”

With nothing else needed, the heiress hurried inside with her guards to rejoin the party.

“That was… something,” Luthri murmured at my side.

It was, indeed. Unable to shake the feeling that something was off, I posed a question to the air. “Does any of this rub you the wrong way?”

“Hm? Does what?” Lu followed my gaze to the doors.

“I don’t know, the ease of everything. Getting here, the beautiful city, getting our money. It’s not… screaming ‘Munarzed’ all over again?”

His hand closed around mine. “Perhaps you’re suspicious because you’ve been burned before?” he suggested, brushing his lips against my knuckles. “Residual warning signals that a couple of peaceful days hasn’t quite been able to erase?”

“That could be it,” I admitted. Munarzed left a mark on all of us, it seemed. My focus strayed to Hohem. The stark hurt in his expression had faded during the lively mood of the last two hours, but he still appeared too frail, as though a stiff breeze could send him to the ground.

Was it better to try to get him to talk or keep avoiding the topic?

They said time healed all wounds, but loss was a funny thing.

Maybe it would be worth looking into a mind mender—a therapist. Did Vhalder have one?

A small town might not have a specialist like that.

Perhaps Luthri, with his mother’s connections, would know someone who could help.

It wasn’t long before there was movement, but it wasn’t Narille.

A half-door, one of a series between two tall pillars off to one side of the main entrance, swung open to reveal a middle-aged man dressed in casual clothing.

He led a narciso-yellow avida mare out by a set of reins.

A laden cart covered in canvas followed at the animal’s heels, attached by a series of straps and wooden supports on either side.

Huffing and puffing, the handler made a beeline for our group.

“Yer the ones getting the reward for the lady’s return?

” he asked breathlessly, as if there was anyone else who stuck out as sorely as we did.

He held out the reins and continued, “We loaded it up for ye. Be kind to ’er, yeah?

Devynn’s a lover, not a fighter, but she’ll bite if she needs to. Don’t forget it.”

When I didn’t move, Luthri accepted the reins, casting a concerned glance my way.

“Really?” I couldn’t quite believe our luck. The value of an avida and cart might pale in comparison to the reward money, and they did have a marble mountain castle, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise… Well. To think things went this easily for “heroes.”

The handler misunderstood my reaction. “Oh yeah. She’ll give you a nip on the arse.”

“No, I…” It wasn’t worth it. I let the matter drop. “Yes. Okay. Thank you.”

Eyeing the beast of burden, I plotted out our next steps, starting by taking stock of what we’d been given.

True to the Kereti family’s word, the provided cart contained more money than I’d ever seen in my life, plus more than enough travel supplies to cover a couple of weeks for three people and an avida .

I rested my elbows on the rear platform, considering the bounty.

We needed a map, which we could find somewhere in the city before leaving.

The rest—food, clothing, cooking utensils, and sleeping accommodations—was all accounted for.

We couldn’t take the train again with all that, which meant a long trip home.

What else was new? At least with the supplies, it would be a pleasant one.

I closed the canvas covering, hiding the money from view, and explained my plan to an attentive Luthri and indifferent Hohem.

We agreed to hunt for a map and set out without delay.

Lu tried to get me to sit in the cart, but I refused, telling them we could take turns when our feet got tired.

Otherwise, we should conserve Devynn’s energy.

Trekking down the spiraling streets of Ild Lamon, we prepared ourselves for the migration home.

A kindly man gave us directions to a shop selling paper goods and sundries.

There, we got our hands on a map of the Kereti territories and splurged on a sketchpad and a set of metal puzzles to serve as entertainment in the evenings.

If the shop owner found it strange that we paid with such a large denomination of coin, they said nothing.

“I guess that’s it, then?” Luthri questioned as we left the shop.

“I guess that’s it,” I agreed. “Mission accomplished. Goddess bless. Let’s go home.”

I took Devynn’s lead from Hohem and clicked my tongue. The animal lumbered forward, launching the cart into motion. Just like that, our quest drew to an end.