Vir didn’t want to be anywhere near the city when that happened.
Bumpy had done surprisingly well with the rocking motions of the ship, and Vir coaxed him out onto the dinghy lashed to the side of the ship without much difficulty. The sailors had braced the small boat with wooden spars, preventing it from rocking while they loaded onto it.
The four sailors aboard the dinghy guided Vir and Bumpy to the very center of the boat, where the beast’s prodigious weight wouldn’t upset its balance. After Bumpy was safely aboard and strapped down, Maiya handed Vir his rucksack, then hopped in herself.
The four crewmen cast off the spars, and with the help of the sailors aboard Bakura’s ship, lowered the dinghy down.
Bumpy whined the instant the boat touched water, and Vir couldn’t blame him. The dinghy bobbed and rocked in seas far more than the large ship. The motions reduced somewhat when the sailors began rowing, but it wasn’t enough.
Maiya already had her face out over the water in case she needed to hurl. The ten-minute ride to shore must have felt like ten hours to his poor friend.
“Blessed. Blessed shores!” Maiya cried, burying her hand into the sand. She’d jumped off the boat at the same time as the sailors, who’d offered to beach it so she wouldn’t have to get wet.
After puking a half dozen times, getting wet was low on her list of concerns.
The sailors bid them farewell, lingering a moment before heading back with disappointed faces. Vir belatedly realized they’d been hoping for a tip.
Instead of heading east like Bakura had directed, Vir hugged the coastline and traveled south, back to Riyan’s abode. The ship had put them much farther south than anticipated, which worked to their favor. A hard day of riding would put them home before sunset.
Maiya recovered soon after on Bumpy, and the hours dragged on in silence. They had both had a long journey and neither had the energy for conversation.
The tricky eastward turn posed Vir no problems. He’d anticipated this exact problem on the way out, so he’d memorized the arrangement of the rocky hills by the shore to avoid missing the turn.
Once Bumpy was back on the sand dunes, he let the beast guide itself home, allowing his mind to wander to the grotto and the blissful rest that was soon to come.
When they arrived at Riyan’s home after what felt like an eternity, Vir spied two Ash’va stabled in the cave next to the abode. Riyan had two Ash’va, and Vir was currently on one of them.
Which meant…
“Someone’s here…”
“It is good to see you, Tanya,” Riyan said, gesturing to the silver-haired woman who’d just entered his abode. “You are one of the few mejai left I can trust.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, her lips taut. “I’ve never known you to make requests, General.”
Riyan chuckled. “Indeed.”
The woman wore her silver hair short in a bob cut, complementing her aggressive look. Full black leathers showed off her curvy figure, but it was her deep-set black eyes that Riyan had come to remember her by. Many men had cowered before that stare. If gazes were blades, then hers was pure seric. They were the eyes of a predator.
He gestured dismissively. “I am no general. Not anymore. And be sure to call me Riyan in front of them. Do not ever mention my family name.”
“Yes, sir. I mean, Riyan. This… will take some getting used to.”
Riyan laughed. “I’ve no doubt you’ll prevail.”
“So, tell me more about this girl… Is she as talented as you say?”
Riyan cocked a brow, turning toward the main door, a sly grin plastered upon his face. “Why don’t you be the judge of that? They have returned.”
39HOMECOMING
Neel bounded up to Vir the moment he entered Riyan’s home. The bandy furiously licked his face, ruining what was left of his makeup. “Haha, that’s a good boy. I missed you too! Were you good? Did you behave? You must’ve been so lonely!”
Awoo!
Maiya got the same treatment soon after, though she somehow managed to avoid his licks.
“Introductions are in order,” Riyan said, gesturing to the woman behind him. They stood in one of the living rooms, now illuminated by the warm glow of Magic Lamps. “Meet Tanya, my friend of many years. Maiya, from this day forth, Tanya will be your trainer. Follow her every direction as if it was my own. I trust her implicitly, as should you.”
Vir’s first impression of the silver-haired lady was intense. And angry. Almost like he was looking at a female version of Riyan. Vir wondered whether all of the man’s friends were equally grumpy.
Her black leather vest, pants, and boots only solidified that look. It was almost like everything about her was cultivated to make her appear intimidating. Her skin was fair and her body lithe and athletic, but she had the biggest biceps Vir had ever seen on a lady.
And when she spoke, her voice was just as low and husky as her appearance warranted. “You promised me talent, and I get this? She’s soft. Weak,” Tanya said, squeezing Maiya’s arms.
Maiya bit her tongue.
Vir could sense how badly Maiya wanted to lash back at the woman, and if this happened a week ago, she would have. But in Saran, something had changed. Her inability to escape from the guards hit her hard. She had changed.
“I’m willing to do what it takes,” Maiya said in a low voice, yanking her arm away from the woman. “I’m sick of being weak.”
“Good. But I expect action to back your words. Talk is cheap. Only results matter,” Tanya said.
Yeesh, she really is just like him, Vir thought, glad not to be the object of her criticism. In fact, she hadn’t bothered to look his way even once. Almost as if she was ignoring him.
“What are your affinities?” Vir asked, hoping to break the ice.
The mejai continued sweeping her gaze around Maiya. “And you say she possesses a Greater Affinity?” Tanya said, addressing Riyan.
Scratch that. Definitely being ignored.
“Indeed. Likely a greater primary and a lesser secondary, though you should verify my results,” Riyan responded.
“Sorry, but, Vir asked you about your affinities?” Maiya said.
“Vir? I see no one else in this room. Only you and a prana scorned.”
Wow, what a chal… Vir mentally chalked her up as another enemy. To his immense surprise, it wasn’t Maiya who rebutted her, but Riyan.
“The boy may be prana scorned, but he works diligently toward improving himself. He may be a force to be reckoned with one day, if he learns to manifest Talents.”
Vir wondered if the gods had come and replaced Riyan with an imposter. When had that man ever defended him like this? This was almost worse than Riyan’s earlier indifference. He could feel the weight of the man’s expectations riding upon his shoulders.
Tanya scoffed. “I will believe it when I see it. To answer your question, girl,” she continued, “I possess a Greater Ice Affinity, and a Lesser Affinity for Water. I carry the rank of Lesser Mejai of Ash, and my Balar Rank is 130.”
Neither Maiya nor Vir made any attempt to question her after that pronouncement. She might have been irksome, but she clearly had the power to back up that attitude.
Riyan motioned for everyone to take a seat. Vir and Maiya sat on padded stools while Riyan and Tanya reclined on the leather couch on the other side of the coffee table. Neel stretched out on the ground beside his owner.
“Now, tell me about your trip. I take it there were no issues?”
Vir exchanged a glance with Maiya. “Actually, there were. Lots of issues,” he said.