The Payment

by Michelle E Lowe

  Pierce grabbed some bread and a bowl of soup from the cook and went to the upper deck.

  “Oi, Robert,” he said. “I heard you were coming around, mate.”

  With Robert were Archie, Clover, and Nico.

  “Where am I?” Robert asked groggily, squinting at everyone. “You’re onboard the Ekta, lad,” Pierce explained. “Your incredible wife suggested I kidnap you.”

  It took a moment for Robert to register who exactly was speaking to him.

  “Want some soup?” Pierce offered, holding the bowl out to him.

  Robert’s eyes grew wide. “I’m dead!”

  He squirmed about until he rolled right out of the hammock.

  “Bloody hell, mate,” Pierce complained. “Calm down. You’re not dead.”

  “Yes, I am,” Robert argued, standing up and backing away until his back hit a column. He pointed a shaky finger at Pierce. “You’re dead. I saw your body, which means I’ve joined you.”

  “Mr. Blackbird,” Clover said soothingly. “It’s all right.”

  He grimaced at her. “Oh, not you, too, Miss Norwich. You’re so young!”

  Pierce huffed and set the food down on top of a cask. “She hasn’t croaked, you lummox, and neither have you.” He went over to his distressed friend and explained calmly, “And I’m not pushing up daisies, either. We’re alive, each and every one of us.”

  Robert studied him a long moment.

  “Pierce?” He reached out to his face. “Is it really you?” His fingertips touched his cheek. That seemed to be all the proof he needed. “Goddamn, Landcross.” He quickly pulled Pierce toward him and embraced him strongly. “How is it possible?”

  “Oh, what a tale I have for you.”

  As Robert ate, Pierce retold the story.

  “You’ve been knighted?” Robert asked in pure shock.

  Just like Clover. After all the other unbelievable events that had occurred, his mate was focusing on one minor detail.

  * * *

  By mid-afternoon, the Ekta dropped anchor. Pierce, Robert, Archie, Clover, and Nico took a longboat to shore while the Sea Warriors finished their repair work for the long journey home. Pierce relied on his memory of what Kolt had told him and found Freya’s house. When he saw Kolt—his son—standing outside, his heart swelled with affection.

  “Kolt!” Clover yelled, shoving Pierce aside to run to him.

  She wrapped her arms around the boy and kissed him passionately.

  “Uh . . . ” Archie spoke up, seemingly about to intervene.

  Pierce slapped a hand on his chest to stop him. “Let ’em be, lad.”

  Archie sighed with frustration. “You are right. She is, indeed, a young woman now.”

  They entered the house where Vela waited nervously. For the first time, Pierce got a good look at the daughter of his late brother. Her resemblance to her father was uncanny.

  “It’s good to finally meet you, lass,” he greeted her peacefully.

  “Really?” she said, sounding surprised. “Even after everything?”

  “Aye. Vela, would you care to visit your father?”

  A mile away, they found a place to rent a horse, using whatever they had as collateral. Vela mounted up with her uncle and they rode north to Stonehenge.

  When they arrived, Pierce brought his niece to the single tree where the family had buried Joaquin years ago. They stood by the gravesite, which had now become one with the earth. He told her stories about Joaquin, both heartfelt and humorous.

  He handed her a daguerreotype of Joaquin that Pierce had torn out of Penelope’s book while waiting for Robert to come home. “This is your father. He was a good man, Vela.”

  Seeing her father’s face for the first time made her gasp.

  “He . . . he does look like me. I wish I could’ve met him.”

  Pierce smiled at her.

  “Uncle Pierce?” she said, looking up at him.

  Uncle Pierce. Sir Landcross. He needed to adjust to these titles.

  “Aye, lass?”

  “What is to happen to me now? I have received little education, and I have never been given the chance to experience what I am truly capable of doing. I do not wish to simply marry and settle down at my age.”

  Vela desired to have some sort of purpose in life. Pierce saw it as clear as day. She needed something to be passionate about. He got an idea.

  “Do you like toys?” he asked.

  * * *

  By dusk, they reached New Forest and Indigo Peachtree’s cottage. The old toymaker, who was much older now, was over the moon to see Pierce.

  “Ever since I heard you were in England, I wondered if you’d visit me,” Indigo said. “I heard about the train.”

  “News travels fast,” Pierce grunted.

  “It does nowadays with these new technologies that keep popping up. I wonder what will come next.”

  Pierce introduced him to Vela. Over dinner, he told Indigo everything that had happened.

  “You know, I went to the In-Between once,” Indigo admitted. “In my past life, I drowned in the pond in my parents’ backyard when I was a child. I have dreams about it from time to time.”

  When the Toymaker showed Vela his wondrous automaton toys, the girl knew she was home.

  “I’ll help you, Mr. Peachtree!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Whatever you need, I’ll help you with it!”

  Her energy and enthusiasm to learn the trade of toy making made the old man look thirty years younger. With Vela around, Indigo would have the help he needed to make toys, while he gave her a new outlook on life. Pierce was content that they both would do just fine.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Reunited

  The following day, Pierce bid farewell to Indigo and his niece, as well as Robert and Nico. His cousin had decided to join Robert and Penelope when they sailed to New York City. Clover accompanied Kolt to London to retrieve his mother’s body and bring her home to Hamburg, Germany for burial. Kolt promised to travel to Maui and visit Pierce after the funeral. Pierce, who wanted nothing more than to get to know his son more, looked forward to it.

  * * *

  Archie returned to his own family and found everything as it should be. His wife was herself again.

  “Did you find Clover?” she asked.

  He was so relieved to have her back to normal, that after the children were in bed for the night, he and Eilidh spent half the night making love.

  * * *

  Callum Grant and his horse eventually woke up. He lied to the authorities about what happened to him and said the thieves who robbed him had drugged him and his animal. Callum still had chloroform in the carriage, and the eyewitnesses who had spotted the bandits fleeing the scene were able to verify his claim. Now penniless, Callum made his way home. There, other lawmen collected him based on what Ryan and Joe Anker said, and took him into custody. He was charged with robbing the train, tried for it, and sentenced to five years in prison.

  * * *

  Ron Wakefield returned to St. Mary’s Island. The aches and pains in his body told him he had severe arthritis. The joints in his hands were so sore that he could no longer make a fist, which made it difficult to grasp anything.

  For years, he had used his magical abilities to block out his distress. Now, without magic to deaden it, he was forced to deal with it. The pains grew worse over time—much more painful than what he remembered when he’d decided to ignore his body’s misery.

  Unable to cope, Ron mixed poison in with his tea and died alone inside his house.

  * * *

  The Ekta raised her anchor and sailed west through the Atlantic and into the Gulf, passed through the Panama Canal, and then into the Pacific.

  After months at sea, Pierce finally saw the island of Maui. He lowered his spyglass and sighed anxiously.

  “Nearly there, Landcross,” Waves of Strength said, standing at the helm with him.

  When they dropped anchor, Pierce’s excitement almost drove him to jump off the s
hip and swim the rest of the way. He was convinced, however, that it was best to go by longboat.

  Nearly the entire sea-weary crew rowed to shore. Once they had passed through the breakers, Pierce spied his daughter, Galina, down on the beach, digging a hole in the sand. She had grown plenty since he’d been away.

  He stood, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, “Galina!”

  She looked up and searched for where the voice was coming from before spotting him. “Daddy!”

  She sprang to her feet and started running up the beach toward them. Seeing her was all the impetus Pierce needed to leap out of the boat. He jumped into the waist-high waters and sloshed his way through. Galina rushed into the ocean, kicking up water before it deepened enough for her to swim.

  “Daddy!’

  “There’s my girl,” he said, lifting her up.

  Despite his excitement, he wasn’t prepared for her added weight and fell over backward into the ocean while still holding her. They resurfaced, laughing while hugging each other.

  When they came ashore, he saw his other children were running toward him. Pierce dropped to his knees and opened his arms to them. His son and both daughters gripped him, and he enfolded all three in a strong embrace.

  “I’ll never leave you lot again,” he promised.

  Under the trees, sleeping peacefully in the hammock, was Taisia. She lay on her back with an arm draped over her head, the other resting just under her breasts. She wore a white sleeveless blouse and a long matching skirt that flowed over the edge of the hammock and fluttered in the gentle breeze. The sunlight brightened the strawberry blonde of her hair. The blouse was a few inches too short and couldn’t cover her beautifully round belly.

  Her pregnancy was something he had discovered when he visited her on the night he left for the In-Between. Seeing it for himself as a living man made him giddy.

  He gently laid a hand on her stomach. A baby kicked. He leaned over and kissed his wife until she eventually kissed him in return.

  She opened those stunning cognac eyes of hers and looked up at him. He smiled down upon her and slid his fingers down her face. It was just as radiant and soft as he remembered.

  “Pierce?” she whispered.

  “’Ello, love.”

  Realizing he was real, she quickly wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Pierce!”

  She kissed his neck and then his face, saying in between each kiss, “You’ve come home to me!”

  She wept, and as she wiped tears away, he pulled her wedding ring off his pinkie finger. He took her left hand and returned the Celtic Knot ring to its rightful place on her finger.

  “Think this looks better on you,” he remarked.

  They pressed their palms together so the rings touched, the same as they had on their wedding day, and then laced their fingers together.

  “Look, Grandmother!” Joaquin shouted. “He’s here! Daddy is here!”

  Pierce helped Taisia out of the hammock. Soon after, he and was greeted by his mother, father, and grandmother.

  “Cheers, Grandma,” he whispered into her ear as they hugged. “I wouldn’t have survived without your help.”

  She pried herself away and shook her head. “I played but a small role in that,” she waved it off modestly. “But you are welcomed.”

  It felt so good to be among his tribe once more. His entire family was reunited, and from that day on, he never left their side again.

  Epilogue

  Pierce returned to his life, waking up each morning thrilled and grateful for what he had. He told everyone about his journey, and they told him what happened with his son, Joaquin. Pierce promised his son he would teach him how to be a better tree climber.

  He met with Durothil and Aleta, the mother of his nephew, Foster.

  “’Ello, Foster,” Pierce said, holding the infant. “We’ve met before in another time. You and I had the strangest conversation, we did.”

  Pierce explained to his grandfather what he had learned while in the 19th century, and Durothil assured him he’d be there for him when the time came.

  Pierce also had confessions to make, and when he found himself alone with Taisia, he told her about the kiss he shared with Frederica, and the night she tried having sex with him inside his hotel room. It hurt her, and she was sore at him for days, but after deep consideration, she offered him her forgiveness with a strong warning about repeating any such action. Pierce swore on his life and honor that there would be no repeats. He then confessed about his and Frederica’s son. Again, it was something for Taisia to digest.

  Months later, Taisia gave birth to three healthy babies—two boys and a girl. Even while dead, Pierce had never predicted triplets!

  Shortly after the births, Kolt arrived with Clover. The lad met with the other side of his family, including Taisia, who welcomed him warmly. Pierce decided he was fortunate to have such a wonderful spouse.

  In the years that followed, they received other guests such as Robert, Penelope, and their boys, who called him Mr. Kirkpatrick Macmillan. They had been living in New York City, running the Owl Eye Costume industry as planned. After staying with Robert and his wife for a couple of weeks in New York City, Nico journeyed to New Orleans to see about his boat. It turned out that the storm that had come over the city on the night they escaped the US Navy had taken Nico’s boat down into the water. He eventually made his way west to California and there, met a girl and started a family of his own.

  Clover wrote three more books in The Adventures of Pierce Landcross series, Lawman, written about his time as a bounty hunter in Mexico, Love & Loss, which was about him and Frederica, and the last one, Death of a Legend. Pierce thought the title was a bit of an exaggeration. At the end of the series, he was hanged at the gallows and stayed dead, which made Pierce very happy.

  After the books’ release, Clover went on to write other books—children’s stories that she had started as a child. She was able to put her own name on the covers of those books.

  She and Kolt eventually became engaged. Later, they visited the island of Maui with Archie and Eilidh and their children. There, Clover and Kolt had their wedding. Grandmother Fey performed the ceremony as she had done for Nona and Jasper, and later, for Pierce and Taisia.

  Afterward, Clover and Kolt moved to France and bought Robert’s old château.

  Most of the Sea Warriors retired from sea life, including Sees Beyond, who decided to be with her son and husband. The Apache tribe left Sonora to live in the untouched lands of Alaska. Chief Sea Wind, his wife, Waves of Strength, and any of the Sea Warriors who couldn’t leave the sea behind, continued sailing until their ship was sunk near the coast of Florida by the American Navy. Every one of them perished. Chief Sea Wind was seventy-two.

  Darius Javan remained the governor of England’s southern territories for many years. He died at the age of eighty-four.

  Prince Albert was taken to his grave by stomach cancer. Pierce wrote a condolence letter to Victoria when he heard about his passing.

  Vela developed a passion for toy making, and after perfecting her skill, she took over for Indigo. On his death-bed, Indigo stated how happy and proud he was of her.

  Vela died of cancer, the same as her father, at the age of fifty-six.

  Pierce and Taisia never had any more children after the birth of their triplets. Six children were enough for them. Over time, each child grew up, and while some stayed on the island, others went off to find their own place in the world.

  Joaquin was one of the first to leave. After the American Civil War, another war broke out that hit the east coast of America and moved on to Europe.

  The First Machine War, during which people fought against living automatons. Joaquin joined the British Army to fight against these machine people.

  Pierce and Taisia were blessed with fifteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and a handful of great-great-grandchildren, many living in different parts of the world, doing all sorts of things.

 
; The years were both cruel and kind. Grandmother Fey was the first to pass on, then Jasper, and years later, Nona joined them both. The day of her funeral marked the last time Pierce ever saw his grandfather.

  Pierce and Taisia’s tiny spot in the world changed very little. Animals came and went, sometimes a traveler stopped by. The Moana Village remained more or less the same, drawing in people from all over for a little adventure, even after Kale was crowned chief after the passing of his father. Pierce was satisfied with letting the changing world grow and develop its new technologies without his knowledge. He had lived a full life and felt he was fortunate to age peacefully alongside the love of his life.

  * * * * * *

  The day was warm and cloudy. Pierce sat on the porch, his chin resting over his hands, which were on the head of the cane he had carved himself. He needed the cane after a nasty fall he’d taken ages ago that resulted in a broken leg.

  Beside him was his cockatoo Marco Polo, who’d grown old right along with him.

  Sitting on the other end of the porch in her rocking chair was his wife, Taisia. She was in the middle of putting together one of her nautical chimes. Her painful joints kept her from making many these days.

  They stayed active. They took their daily walks, went swimming, and at times, Pierce caught lobster with his grandchildren.

  He needed reading eyeglasses now. His granddaughter in Asia had sent them two pairs. A pair of silver-framed spectacles for Pierce, and a brass-colored pair for Taisia so she could see far distances.

  Pierce stared at the ocean, reminiscing about past events. They were enough to keep his mind entertained for hours. Then he stopped to focus on the present. Everything in this single moment was perfect, especially his wife, who casually rocked back and forth in her rocking chair. She’d gone grey like him, and she moved slower than she used to. Wrinkles now creased her face.