Loyalty and War

by Devon Vesper

  Valis sent more missiles, more balls of destruction until the entire monastery, above and below ground, was reduced to rubble the size of Valis’s head and smaller. The ceiling kept raining down. Valis sent another round of those fiery orbs straight up until great chunks blew outward and into the pink evening sky. Valis pumped more power into their shields as more and more rubble and boulders smashed into the ground, creating craters and making it harder and harder to keep the shield up.

  As the shield started to flicker, Valis called over the noise, “Everyone press in. Touch those next to you, and hold onto me.”

  Once he felt the web complete, Valis phased them out of the collapsing cavern and back to camp.

  The sky gave a splendid show. Even with as cold as it was, the crisp air welcome against his hot skin, the spring sky showed off her colors of rose and gold, lavender and violet and pewter as the sun started its descent on the horizon.

  Valis looked around and was relieved to see so many faces.

  “What are our losses?”

  “Very few,” Vodis said. “Most were just injured or knocked unconscious. We’ve been taking care of them where we can.”

  Nodding, Valis picked a bit of entrails off his pauldron and groaned. “I need a bath…”

  “Well, you silly shit, you just exploded an entire building that had enough bathrooms in it to get the entire army clean and refreshed, but nooooo, you had to reduce the entire building and cavern to pebbles,” Cassavin teased. “Good job, Grand Master.”

  Valis snorted and held his hands palm up near his shoulders as he shrugged. “Oops…”

  “Oops, my ass,” Kaltani grumbled. “I could have used a good soak.”

  “Soon, love,” Netai said. “We’ll live.”

  Aenali bounded over to Valis with Aryn in tow. She grinned up at Valis with the force and light of the summer sun. She stopped a few feet away and pointed to his armor. “You’re not hugging me until you get your armor off and clean up the blood and guts.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Valis turned to Aryn and held out his hand. “Are you okay?”

  Aryn took a deep breath and nodded. “They said I died, but the healers were able to fix me up.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I just need sleep now.”

  “Then you and Aenali need to get back to the monastery,” Valis said gently.

  “Why can’t we take you?”

  Aenali shook her head, her auburn curls bouncing. She turned her pretty green doe eyes up at Aryn and squeezed his hand. “I can’t take them all. For some reason, no one has been able to phase more than a few people that distance.” She huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. “I’ve tried. It’s enough that I can do it with just you.”

  “Then I need you to go home,” Valis said. He took the god jar from Tavros and handed it to Aenali. “Make sure Thyran gets this. Phase directly to the reliquary.”

  “After supper,” Aenali said. “I’m starving.”

  Nodding, Valis went to his and Tavros’s tent and pulled out a few clothes that weren’t disgusting yet. He took out two shirts and found a satchel. When he finished, he lit the lantern that hung from the support beam of his tent, sat down, and pulled out his pocket watch.

  Thyran answered almost immediately. “You have news for me.”

  Valis nodded and yawned so hard his jaw cracked. “God jar is secured and purified,” Valis said as he held the jar up for Thyran to see. “Kaphir is dead. The monastery is destroyed along with the entire cavern.”

  “Send Aenali and Aryn home with the jar,” Thyran said. “And for goodness’ sake, clean your armor. You are disgusting.”

  Valis smirked. “Thanks, Thyran. Love you, too.”

  Thyran’s face softened, and he smiled gently. “I do love you, child. Now, send the young ones home, and I will see you as soon as possible. Scry for me anytime.”

  “Aenali wants supper first. Then she and Aryn will be bringing you the items from the reliquary, so they don’t get damaged on our way home.” He sniffed, then looked down at himself and groaned. “And yeah. I really am gross, aren’t I? This is all bits of Kaphir. I made him explode.”

  “Gods, child. How did you manage that?”

  “Remember what happened to all those training dummies when you were teaching me to levitate by prayer?”

  Thyran’s eyebrows raised, his eyes widening. “You clever boy. You did it wrong on purpose.”

  “Yep.”

  Snorting, Thyran sat back in his chair and adjusted whatever he was using to scry with so Valis could still see him. “Genius.” He sighed. “Be careful coming home, Grand Master.”

  “Before you go,” Valis said, “how is Father doing? And Papa?”

  “Darolen is being spoiled rotten by Kerac,” Thyran said, amusement dancing in his piercing blue eyes. He ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Darolen is on a liquid diet, but he’s on the mend. Now we just have to let the sickness run its course with the medications Firil has concocted. He’s quite impressed with that bottle of medicine you sent with him.”

  Valis relaxed and took a deep breath. He promptly gagged. “Yeah. I need to get out of this armor and clean it. I just got a whiff of bowels.”

  “Far be it for me to keep you from it,” Thyran said with a laugh. “Go eat and rest, Valis. You deserve it. You all do.”

  Valis smiled for him, and once they ended the scry, Valis got up and headed for the stacks of bodies that his army had set several yards outside of camp. To his surprise, there were only a few in silver armor. He didn’t see any mercenaries or Kalutakeni in the piles, and that made his heart happy.

  He pulled out his sword and smiled as every able Aesriphos crowded around him. Valis waved his left hand, killing the grass surrounding the corpses and burning the vegetation down to the dirt. With his right hand, he set the pyre spell and broke it off from him as it took hold.

  He lifted his sword, resting his forehead against the flat of the blade as he pushed holy gold into it, shining his light onto the fallen. He lifted his voice in the funerary prayer.

  “May Phaerith grant our fallen brothers and sisters compassion, and rebirth them anew to live in His Light. May Karei and Sotec grant them endless peace in their everlasting dream. May Vorik and Xysoz defend their spirits with their savage might as they make their way Home. May Asenth and Delys cradle them, nurture and nourish them along their journey. And may Dapen and Racal speed them on their way. Blessed are our brothers and sisters, and blessed are we to carry your memories with us always.”

  Valis pulled his magic back into himself, and after his army went back to healing the wounded and getting supper ready, Valis went to his tent to strip off his armor and padding. Supper would take time, so he sat and started cleaning his armor.

  Tavros came and brought him a mug of something steaming. When the scent hit his nose, he gave his husband a brilliant smile. “Spiced milk. Thank you.”

  Tavros set it beside Valis, removed his own armor, and sat next to Valis to get their gear cleaned. “Are you okay?”

  Valis grinned. “I’m tired, and I’m magically drained, but I’m so much better than okay.”

  His husband leaned in and kissed Valis’s temple. “I’m glad.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After resting for a few days in camp, Valis and his army had made their way directly to the border garrison to collect their men, supplies, and horses. Then, with the heavy rains and constant flooding making the journey treacherous, they headed straight west to Neri City, then continued west to Urkori.

  It had warmed Valis’s heart when they made it to the village of Tigak. Govor Abinesti—the man who had offered his home after Valis and his allies liberated the village during their return from rescuing Zhasina’s caravan—insisted they shelter in the village until everyone was able to get baths and clean clothes. The work only took a few days, and they headed from Tigak straight north toward Cadoras.

  The final battle with Kaphir happened on the seventh d
ay of Ambition. Now it was Spirituality sixteenth. It had been a full one hundred and thirty-one days since that battle, and Valis was ready for it to all be over.

  When the walls of Cadoras rose in the distance, Valis’s heart eased. The backs of his eyes stung as tears threatened. He blinked them back furiously. He held up his hand as they made it to the last hill that would lead them to the lake that surrounded their home.

  “What’s wrong, love?”

  Valis grinned. “Come on.”

  Valis dismounted, and once Tavros was out of his saddle and on his feet, Valis led him to the top of the hill. He saw a lone figure sitting under a tree, eyes on his feet, raven hair shining in the dappled sunlight that filtered down from his shelter.

  With a wide grin that hurt, Valis called, “Papa! Papa, we’re home!”

  Kerac’s head snapped up and around, and he covered his mouth with a shaky hand. “Valis…”

  Valis made a hand motion for the army to head out, but they all stayed behind him and Tavros as they raced down the hill. Kerac stood. Tears trailed down his cheeks, the sun catching them as they dripped off his chin. “Valis…”

  “We’re home, Papa,” Valis called again. When he got close enough, he held his arms open, and Kerac barreled into his chest, throwing his arms around Valis’s neck and squeezing tight.

  “I have missed you,” Kerac said fiercely. “Thank you for ending this. Thank you for bringing my husband home.”

  Valis pressed a kiss to the side of his papa’s head and rocked them back and forth. “Come on. Let’s go home.” He guided Kerac toward his waiting horse once he finally let Tavros go. Valis mounted and helped Kerac up.

  As they rode toward Cadoras dock, Kerac said, “It was just like my dream.” He sighed and held on tight. “Darolen wasn’t beside me because he’s still a bit frail and tires easily. But you came home, just like in my dreams.”

  Valis squeezed his hands as they rested on his armor over his waist. “It’s over, Papa. The war is done. There are only pockets of Qos adherents left. Their sovereign priest is dead. Qos’s jar is purified and back where it belongs. It…” He sighed. “It doesn’t feel real.”

  “It is real,” Kerac murmured in his ear, making Valis shiver. He’d daydreamed about this day so many times during the return trip home, and now that it was upon him, he didn’t know what to do with himself. But first things first—he needed a bath, and he needed to see his Father.

  “And Roba?” Kerac asked.

  Valis smiled. “He helped when he could. He was quiet during the final battles for the most part and seems more contemplative now, but we’ve been doing language drills for most of the travel time. He’s taught me Urkorian, Gessian, Endyrian, and Asparian, and others.”

  Valis heard the grin in Kerac’s voice as he said, “He has been keeping your mind busy. Thank you, Roba.”

  Roba huffed in Valis’s mind. It was nothing.

  It was everything, Dad. It was fun, and it meant I got to spend time with you, got to let you teach me what we missed when Qos ruled your heart and life.

  “Is he talking to you?” Kerac asked.

  Valis chuckled softly. “He’s insecure sometimes. I’m pretty certain he thinks he’s a burden on me when I actually enjoy having him like this. When I meditate—thanks to Tavros for teaching me—I can see and touch him. It’s strange. Almost like an inward dreamwalk. But it’s a way to spend time with him that we should have had while I was growing up.”

  He smiled over his shoulder, grinning when Kerac kissed his temple. Valis turned his attention forward again. “Qos ruined so much. But now, maybe the world can heal, and maybe Qos can be again what he was always meant to be.”

  The walls surrounding Cadoras steadily rose ahead of them. As they made it to the weeping whiptails, Valis smiled as the fronds caressed his face and whispered against his armor as if welcoming him home.

  It took them almost two hours to get most of the entire army across the lake, though the Kalutakeni stayed behind to get back into their covered wagons that acted as their homes. Valis briefly wondered if they would return to their continent of Loron across the sea. Surely they all had family waiting for their return. Though, Valis would miss them, especially Venabi and Vodis.

  What about Zhasina and Seza? Would they stay here or move to Kalutakeni to live with Zhasina’s people? He glanced over and saw the way they looked at the walls, just as awed as Valis was. Either way, at least he knew they would be happy. No matter where they stayed, they could always visit the other choice.

  Valis, Tavros, Kerac, Seza, Zhasina, Brogan, and Rylas were the last ones on the ferry to ride across the lake. As they pushed off from the shore, Valis felt his cares slip away. They were still there, little concerns, but as Darolen and Kerac had told him when he’d first made this trip, the cleansing took away all his sins, leaving him feeling whole in a way he’d missed.

  He had felt the tug of Cadoras increasing as the days wore on. It had given Valis as much mild anxiety as it did a sense of hope and homesickness. Now, however, it just felt like the city was welcoming him home, like the entire lake island was opening its arms and its gates like a calm, loving parent waiting to embrace their returning children.

  You have such a fanciful imagination, Roba mused, though he sounded so fond when he said it. I do so love that about you.

  It’s just good to be home, Valis said. And it feels great to have my family safe again.

  And now you get to be the official Grand Master Aesriphos, Roba reminded. No shirking your duties.

  Promise.

  They made it to Avristin’s courtyard. The moment their horses stepped foot into the courtyard, the doors to Avristin swung open, and Thyran ran out, followed closely by Aenali, Aryn, and the former Grand Master Aesriphos—Isophel and Ephala.

  “Welcome home!” Thyran called. He came over and took the reins from Valis so he and Kerac could dismount. “I already sent word to the stablemasters to come care for the horses. Please, come inside. Go to your rooms and refresh yourselves. Get something to eat.”

  Valis helped Kerac down first, then dismounted, himself. Thyran threw his arms around Valis, hugging him for all he was worth. His short salt and pepper hair was soft against Valis’s cheek. His blue eyes were glassy with the hint of unshed tears.

  He cupped Valis’s face and smiled, seeming so happy he might burst. “You did it, Valis,” he said softly, but there was no mistaking the pride and love in his voice. “My boy, you did it. Now it is just a matter of clearing out the remaining nests.”

  Valis snorted. “Well, shit, Thyran. Are you saying I don’t get a vacation?”

  Thyran winked at him and gave him a shove toward Kerac and Tavros. “Go bathe you smelly thing. I’ll make sure everyone’s bundles and clothes make their way to the laundry.” His smile turned into a full grin. “Besides, someone awaits you inside.”

  Brother Bachris and Sister Qisryn strode over, and before Valis could do more than squeak, they both hugged him at the same time. Then they did the same to Tavros. “Welcome home, boys!” Brother Bachris said. “Is it true?”

  Valis nodded. “Yes. It’s over.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll tell you all you want to know over dinner tonight.”

  “Oh, yes, of course,” Sister Qisryn said. “You should bathe and have lunch. The dining hall has just opened for the noon meal. I’m sure you boys want to see your fathers, so we’ll leave you be.” She laced her fingers with her husband’s and tugged Brother Bachris back toward the monastery. “It’s good to see you home,” Sister Qisryn said.

  “And Valis,” Brother Bachris said, pulling his wife to a stop. “I apologize again for giving you so much grief over this expedition. Thank you for not letting me win.”

  Sister Qisryn tugged on Brother Bachris’s hand and led him into the monastery. Aryn and Aenali finally budged past Thyran as he stepped away and followed Brother Bachris and his wife inside. Aenali held her arms up and heaved her up and settled her on his hi
p. She was getting way too big to toss her around as he used to do. Still, her squeal of delight made his chest feel too small for his heart. “Welcome home, Valis!”

  “Thank you, dollface.” Valis kissed her cheek and squeezed her in a tight hug before reaching for Aryn and tugging him into an embrace once Tavros let him go.

  “You really do stink,” Aryn said with a laugh. “Come on, Aenali. Let’s go so Valis and Tav can get baths and relax a bit.”

  “Okay!”

  They really did stink, and the moment they dropped Kerac off at his and Darolen’s suite, Tavros half-dragged Valis to their own suite and closed the door to their bedroom. After each taking separate baths, draining and cleaning the tub after each scrub-down, they filled it again and soaked together. Valis grinned and straddled his husband’s lap, pressing his hardening dick to Tavros’s belly. His grin turned wicked as he felt Tavros’s cock harden in response. “Didn’t you say that lubricant we just bought was waterproof?”

  Tavros’s grin was stunning. “Why, yes. Yes, I did.”

  “Should we test it to see if the claims are true?” Valis winked and reached to the back of the tub behind Tavros, where he’d hidden the jar on the stool under their towels. He handed it to Tavros and sat back, idly wrapping his hand around both their lengths, slowly stroking, more for comfort and teasing than for getting off.

  Tavros purred, laying his head back against the tiled tub’s edge. The way it exposed his throat drew Valis in until he sucked on Tavros’s Adam’s apple and nipped his way down to his shoulder.

  Since Tavros wasn’t doing anything with the jar of lubricant, Valis took it from him and grinned, biting his husband’s chin as he set the jar on the floor beside the tub, opened it one-handed, and grabbed a small handful of the slick, strawberry-flavored lubricant and reached back, fingering his own ass, getting himself stretched while still leisurely stroking their cocks.