How was he supposed to tell her he didn’t want to leave? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to stay on with the Order, rather than undertake a suicide mission into the Ashen Realm.
But none of that mattered right now. He was with Maiya again, and after being broken for so long, all was right with the world. The details were just that—details. They’d figure it out. He was sure of it.
They remained there in a comfortable silence for several minutes, before Vir’s eyes slid shut and his head fell onto Maiya’s lap.
“Oh, you,” Maiya said, tenderly brushing Vir’s hair away from his eyes. “Been a while since we slept under the stars, hasn’t it?”
Maiya gently laid Vir’s head on the grass, then snuggled up next to him and shut her eyes.
After several near-death experiences, after months apart, the two halves had finally been made whole.
49THE SAME, YET DIFFERENT
“I’m sorry, Vir. The Pagan Order’s heresy must be brought to light,” Tia said, standing in front of the leaders of every major nation in the Known World. “Tell your people. Tell everyone that the Order is a haven for demons. They plot to overthrow you even as we speak!”
“No! Tia, stop!” Vir shouted, but his voice wasn’t heard by any of those assembled.
“To arms!” they cried.
The scene rippled, like a drop of water falling on a perfectly calm lake. Now Tia stood in front of an Executor.
“Did you know? Your Acolyte not only failed to complete his contract, but he actively went against your wishes. He helped the Pagan Order. That band of evil demons!”
“We shall excise him at once. The Brotherhood’s doors will be forever barred to him. Issue the bounty for his head immediately!”
“Wait! It was just a test!” Vir shouted, but yet again, his voice fell on deaf ears. “They didn’t want me to kill the demon! I swear!”
The scene shifted again, and this time, Vir’s heart nearly stopped.
“No. Don’t,” he whispered. “Please.”
“You betrayed me, Vir,” Tia said, pressing her spear against Bumpy’s neck. “If only you’d told me who you were, we could have avoided this.”
“Stop!” Vir screamed, right before Tia plunged her weapon into the Ash’va. Bumpy squealed in pain… then went deathly still.
“I did him a favor, Vir. Now he’ll no longer have to serve demon filth.”
“No!” Vir roared, shooting up with his hand outstretched.
“What’s wrong?” Maiya asked, startled awake by Vir’s cry. “Vir? Are you alright? Gods, you’re drenched in sweat!”
Vir looked around dazedly.
With a great sigh, he brought a hand to his face. “Sorry. Just nightmares.”
“Still bothered by what happened last night?” Maiya asked, holding his hand. “You can tell me anything, you know?”
There was no lie in her eyes, and Vir knew that he truly could talk about anything and everything with her. Unlike Tia.
“Tia… was more than just the leader of Spear’s Edge to me,” Vir said, gazing down at the waves that crashed against Balindam’s walls in the distance. The city was still waking up, with the sun having just poked its head above the horizon, painting the sky amber. Under any other circumstance, he’d have gazed at it, enraptured.
“As in… you liked her?”
“Huh? Oh, no. She was a friend. A good friend. Now she’s gone.”
“Friends with a princess in hiding. Look at you!” Maiya teased.
“I never even suspected,” Vir said, frowning. “Sawai, sure. But royalty? Never. She never did explain why she was gallivanting as a Brotherhood Mercenary, though. I got the feeling Rani knew who she was, but I never guessed she might’ve been doing it to hide from some threat.”
Was she hiding to protect herself? Like me…
Maiya shook her head. “No, it makes perfect sense. With the death of her parents, her brother took the crown, but Matali is a dying kingdom. There are plenty of people out there who’d love to hasten their demise. Hate to admit it, but Kin’jal’s one of them. Just that they have their own way of going about things.”
“They’ll move in and take over when Matali finally falls, huh?” Vir said grimly.
“It’s how the Kin’jals are. When Matali does collapse, it’ll be chaotic and dangerous. The Kin’jal Empire might just restore order and save some lives in the process. They might even leave Erhan in charge.”
“They’ll save the lives they themselves put in jeopardy by precipitating their downfall? What a mess.”
“Truly is. But a princess, huh? You have a thing for princesses, Vir? I’m… I’m afraid I’m not a princess, milord,” she said, batting her eyelids, pretending to look bashful. “I might be but a plain village girl, milord, but I’ve my own my charm, I assure you.”
Vir punched her lightly on the shoulder. “Believe me, I’m glad you’re not. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that royalty’s nothing but trouble. I want nothing to do with them.”
“You are so fabulously right about that. She’s like an overgrown baby. That girl seriously needs to grow up.”
“Sure does. Though she did have her redeeming traits.”
“Oh yeah? Such as being an entitled chal?”
Vir rolled his eyes. “She was daring and strong, though she bordered on reckless.”
“I can be daring!” Maiya said, and her stomach grumbled, making her blush and look away. “You heard nothing.”
“Right,” Vir said with a grin. “How about we go grab something to eat? Still some time before my meeting with the Tribunal, and I’d love to show you around the city.”
“Works for me,” Maiya said, taking Vir’s hand to help her up. “Can we go see Neel, though? Been dying to see him!”
Vir thought for a moment. “Sure, but I can’t take you with me. Not yet, anyway. Mind waiting out here while I fetch him?”
“Oh, what? In this terrible place? With that awful sunrise and that annoying breeze?” Maiya laughed. “Take your time. I could spend all day here.”
Vir rolled his eyes. “Be right back.”
Vir Leaped away, just barely catching Maiya’s “Show off!” before he was out of earshot.
Rushing to the nearest entrance checkpoint to the Undercity, Vir rubbed off some face paint to prove his identity, then Leaped through the tunnels, powered by a sense of inner warmth he couldn’t quite explain. Arriving at his home in just minutes, he found Neel sleeping lazily in a pool of his own dribble.
The moment Vir entered, the bandy sprang up, wagging his tail and running circles around Vir, howling in joy.
“I missed you too, buddy,” he said, kneeling to scratch his friend behind the ears. “Hey, wanna go meet a friend you haven’t seen in a while? Promise you’ll like it!”
Awoo. Awooo!
“Good boy! Race you there!” Vir said as he locked the door behind them, then took off Leaping again. There was a time when Neel would’ve beaten him handily, looking back at him with smug satisfaction. These days, the bandy stood no chance. Worse, the Voidlands sapped the poor bandy’s strength. Vir didn’t even need his Talents to give his furry friend some stiff competition.
They slowed only when approaching the hidden trapdoor that led to the surface checkpoint. Strategically placed inside a locked building, and guarded by Order demons, nobody was getting in or out without approval.
Vir waved to the guards before hastily touching up his face paint, then rushed back to Maiya.
“Neeeeeeeeel!” Maiya shouted, running up to the bandy with open arms. Neel jumped, tackling her and sending them both crashing to the ground.