As they flew over the castle the townspeople came to see them, and a roar of approval rose from them all. It was over. The bastard was dead, and they were all safe from him for the rest of their days.
Sitting down on the ground, suddenly exhausted, Vance lay on his back and looked up at his family. He wasn’t sure he could join them, but right now, he didn’t care. They were alive, all of them safe, and he had done what he had to do. Not willingly, of course, but he’d done it.
Vance must have closed his eyes. The next thing he knew he was being carried into the castle and laid out on his bed. He didn’t even have the energy to thank the person carrying him, but rolled over and let sleep take him once again.
Waking several times, he only raised his head enough to see that he wasn’t alone. Sometimes the room was bright with light from the window, and sometimes it was dark in the room. But every time he woke, Micky was there with him, sleeping in the bed or reading a book.
There were people talking when he woke this time. He didn’t know the voices because they were hushed. Vance had a feeling that they were talking about what had happened and what would now happen since Butler was no longer around. Vance wondered what would change now. For them all.
“You’re awake.” He sat up then, looking at his mom as she sat in one of the forever occupied chairs. “I sent Micky for some dinner. She’s not left you very much, only when I bully her into it.”
His throat was dry, and it took him two tries to speak. “I bet that went over well. How is everyone? They’re all safe, right?”
“They’re all fine. We’ve been worried about you, but we were assured that using the sword for the first time would drain you. Something about it having to get to know you before you could become one person. I’m not sure how that works, but you’ll understand once you’re up and about.”
“How long have I been here? I’m assuming a few days.” She told him he’d been here for ten. “Ten days? No wonder you were worried. And why I’m so hungry.”
“Yes, the cook and her staff have been getting ready for you to wake to feed you. Also, the people of the village have been coming by almost hourly to check on you and to leave a token. I had no idea that was a tradition when you killed a slayer, but then I’m new to this whole dragon thing.” She laughed as she laid her knitting down. “I always believed my boys were born for great things. But I never would have thought they’d be the ones to find the jewelry. And you? You killed the monster.”
“I think that.... Is Micky a dragon?” She laughed and told him that Warrior took her body when he needed it. “So, he’ll take a person when he needs one? I don’t understand.”
“You have a great deal to hear, I’m afraid. We’ve been figuring things out a little at a time. Apparently, with you being down as long as you were, the queen, Prisane, and Caelin have been resting as well. Caelin’s son came to tell us that his father is doing well, and his mom is taking care of him. They’ve been waiting on you to wake.”
“I need a shower. And my wife. Not necessarily in that order, either.” Mom stood up and came to him. After kissing him on the forehead, then his cheek, she walked to the door. “I love you, Mom.”
“And I love you as well, Vance. And I’ve never been prouder of my boys than I am right now. All of you, good boys and greater men.” She left him there, and he got up to take a long-needed shower. As soon as he was done, he walked into his bedroom to not only find Micky on his bed, but she was naked as well.
“I think the talk will have to wait.” She laughed and reached for him. “I’m so glad that you’re all right. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Vance had everything that he would ever need, right there.
Chapter 9
They were all seated in the living room when Prisane showed up. She wasn’t wholly herself yet, and wouldn’t be until a daughter was born to Grady and Harper. The child would be all that she was and more. The daughter would be the greatest witch ever born, and would bring their kind to a new level of magic.
She could walk into a room now instead of just appearing; it was strange now, after being ghost-like for so many decades. And touching things had been a great treat for her as well. But seeing her son after all this time was the best thing that she’d ever had happen. Touching him had been the first thing she’d done when she’d realized that she could, and whenever they were in a room together, she would hold him to her for as long as he’d allow her. Men were such babies when it came to giving their moms hugs. Clearing her throat, she looked around the room at them all.
“I’ve come to talk to you about things. I’m sure that you all have questions. And I will answer them so that you understand what is to happen now. There are things that I don’t know, I must admit. As you have all been told, several times, no generation has ever made it this far. And there are things that we didn’t know at all until now.” Vance asked about the sword, which was still with him. “That will be yours forever. And when you have a son, your first born, he will have one as well. As will each first-born son that comes to your sons, and so on down the line through all the generations. But the magic that you hold, it is yours only.”
“I don’t have a dragon, either.” Prisane shook her head and told him that was one of the things they hadn’t known. “I’ll never have one then. Not like my brothers, I guess.”
Vance looked sad, she thought. Before this, he’d always looked strained to her, on edge. As if he was under too much pressure for a man his age. While sadness at the news was on his face, she could also tell that he was happier than he’d ever been, and that he was taking strides in making a life for himself outside the service.
“No, you will not have a dragon. But there is a reason for that as well. The Sword of Caelin came to you and took your dragon, for the strength of him and the magic. You were gifted the armor of the sword when you were given it. When the dragons need you or you them, then it will be your job to protect them when they cannot. And vice versa when you need them. You are forever the man who will protect them. As will your son and his son. Have you seen it yet? The armor?”
“No. I mean, I’m not even sure how I’d do that.” Prisane looked at Jorden. Jorden laughed and got up to leave them. When he returned, he had the large canvas that she’d seen him working on just that morning. “Is this how I’m going to see it? Through a painting?”
“Sort of. There will be more magic coming your way, and with that, you’ll have the ability to see all manner of things. But this is the painting that your brother did of you all. One that I hope will hang here with the rest of the family portraits that were hidden away for you all.” She looked at them all again. “You are such a handsome group of men. Some of you look so much like my family members that are long gone. Others look like me, and some Caelin in the mix. And your wives have added a level of beauty that I could never have foreseen.”
The sheet was taken off the painting, and she could see that he’d done more to it since she’d seen it. The castle was complete, and the flags of her family now took flight over the turrets. They all stood in front of the painting as Jorden explained.
“When I first had the idea to paint us all, I only wanted to put us, as couples, together on here to give to Mom. The castle was in ruin when I started, and there were only the three of us with wives. So, as I worked on it, only putting us on here and leaving space for the women who would join us, the painting took on a life of its own.” He set the canvas up on the mantel of the fireplace. “If you look at us, the men, you can see that we change. You don’t have to do anything different, just look at us.”
Prisane knew what they were seeing. The dragons of the wives were there with them. All save one. Vance wasn’t a dragon, but he and Micky were in full armor, the armor of her time that looked regal on them. And on the chest piece of them both was the crest that had been on the front of the castle since her father’s father had designed it. The crest of a dragon spread out in all his glory. Kenton asked who would see i
t like this, with them as their other selves.
“Anyone that believes in magic and dragons. Not necessarily both, but one or the other will show them that magic is here, within this house, and that dragons reside here as well.” She watched Alisha, who hadn’t gone to see the painting, and knew that she’d not be their queen for much longer. She didn’t want the job, but wanted to be with her family. “You wish to step down, my lady?”
“I do. I’ve thought about it a great deal after speaking to Caelin. It does sound like a job that I would enjoy, but I think about my grandchildren, and I want to be with them as well. Gavin has given me so much and I love him dearly, but I think of all the fun that we can have now, and I just don’t see that happening while trying to keep dragons from being killed.” Prisane nodded. “What do I have to do? I’m sure it’s not as easy as just saying that I don’t want to be the queen of dragons.”
“It is. You only have to find someone to replace you.” She looked at Emma when Prisane did. “She will make a fine queen, my lady. And she will be with her king. There is little that they won’t be able to do together. You would have done a grand job of it too, but your heart belongs to another, and Gavin is a lucky young man to have you.”
Nodding, Alisha said she’d talk to Emma later, but she was sure that she’d take the job. So was Prisane. She had spoken to her recently, and knew that she would only take it if Alisha no longer wanted to do the job. Emma thought that Alisha would want to do it for a long time, but Prisane knew better. She was a woman who needed her grandchildren to love. It was as much a part of her as her heart and lungs, to be able to love someone.
When they rejoined them, Prisane explained about Warrior. Kenton wanted to know if he was still there; no one had seen him since the day Butler had died. Died. Like he’d gone to bed that night and not woken. But they were dealing with a great deal, and she didn’t say that he’d deserved what he’d gotten. Instead, she answered the question.
“He was trapped, no other word for it, for such a long time that he needed to stretch himself out. To see things that he otherwise missed. And he did miss a great deal. Also, I think that he is planning to stay here with the family. He has been a part of their lives for so long, he wants to live with them now.” Everyone understood, and then Grady stood up. “You wish to say something more to this, Lord Grady?”
“Yes. We’ve talked it over with the family, everyone including my mom, and we’re going to stay here as well. Not that we won’t visit home, but we’re not going to live there any longer. The others have decided to purchase homes here, so that they can visit often, but Harper and I are going to make our life here.” Alisha said she was going to stay as well, to help with the new businesses. “My mom will travel a great deal between the homes. And we’re hoping that someday soon, they’ll all have permanent homes here.”
Kenton cleared his throat before standing too, with Emma by his side. “We’ve talked it over most of the night, and we too are going to stay. We’ll visit home, of course, but we’ve decided to make this our place to live.” Kenton grinned. “If you don’t mind all of us being here too.”
“Oh, this is wonderful.” She looked at the others, the other families that she’d come to love as her own, and they were nodding. “You’re all staying here too? Really?”
“Yes. We had decided to simply go back and forth for a while, but then we thought of all that we would miss.” Vance looked at Micky as he continued. “There is nothing there for us anymore. With most of the family living here, we decided that we’d start fresh here too. Micky wants to be a lawyer, and I’m thinking of becoming a teacher. Someone to help people defend themselves against bullies and the like.”
“We all have to return, however, and soon. Each of us have businesses to see to and take care of for the future. I have a restaurant that is running well even without me there that I have to sell. Or give away. I’ve not decided as yet.” Raven hit Lewis and he laughed as he continued. “I’m giving it away. To someone with a bright future in running a restaurant of her own.”
Prisane was so happy that she cried. They would all be here whenever she wanted to speak to them. And when the child was born, she’d be right there with her, her confidant and protector. She hugged them all and sat down again. It was too much for her, to make sure they knew how she felt about their decisions, but she wouldn’t have done anything different at all.
“You won’t have to purchase homes. There are enough here for all of you. And they’re large homes as well, for all the children that will be coming. The estate owns them, which means that you all own them together. You sort it out and I’ll have Caelin take care of the paperwork.” She cried a little more. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. And how happy Caelin is going to be. He was just saying how he would miss you all when you left.”
“I’d like to know what the riches are. Not that I want anything for what we’ve done. I think, as a group, we’ve gained so much more than you could ever pay us with. But I don’t think it’s money, is it? Butler seemed to think that it was all money, gold and coin, he called it. But it’s not, I don’t think.” She shook her head at Dalton, then nodded. “Just like a McCade, as clear as mud when answering a question.”
“If you’d like to come with me, I can show it to you. And the place that my son was hidden away for so long. It’s a safe place, but a little chilly.” They all grabbed what they needed, and she let Caelin know where they were headed. He told her that he’d meet them all there. “Caelin will take over showing you the area once we are there. I have used up about all of my energy for one day. I’ll need to learn to pace myself better, I’m afraid.”
They followed her to the back of the property, where the lake was still as breathtaking as it had ever been. Prisane told them how it was well stocked, and that the cook usually fished for dinner when there was anything like that on the menu for the night. She smiled when one of the larger fish took that opportunity to leap from the water before splashing back down into it.
Prisane was worn out by the time they got to the other side of the lake. Caelin could see it too when he joined them, and told her that he’d take over. She hugged him again and then a second time before making her way to the place where she’d been for all her years. The cave had served her well as a place to rest, and Warrior was there too.
“I wish to rest with you beside me, my lady.” She was glad for it, and when he started a small fire to keep her warm, she snuggled around him and closed her eyes. “How I wish that I could hold you like a man does. You have owned my heart since the first time I saw you, my lady.”
“And you mine, my Warrior. Had I been able to keep you as a man, we would have been so happy, the three of us. But alas, it cannot be.” Tears fell from his eyes and she picked up the beautiful diamond. “Tears of love make emeralds, tears of heartache make diamonds. I love you too, so very much.”
~~~
The path took them below the lake. Vance wasn’t thrilled about being under something so heavy, but as soon as he saw what treasures were hidden away, he forgot about the weight of the water just above them. Instead, he marveled at all that was there.
“My mom and the dragon moved most of this down here before I was born. The paintings that are over there in that corner I was able to get back from the people Butler sold them to for little cash. He also took some tapestries and a few plates and such, but I’ve not been able to find them. I will, I hope, but it’s taken me a long time, so I think they might be lost to me.” Caelin showed them the trunks. “These are filled with seeds and spices. My mother has a good head on her shoulders, and knew that someday these would be hard to find. Also, you’ll find that the orchard on the estate is filled with all kinds of trees and such that shouldn’t be growing here. The entire place is filled with magic that we give back to it every time we take something away.”
“Take from the earth, feed it ten times the amount.” Caelin nodded at Micky and smiled. “I’ve had my own share of taking fr
om the earth over the years, so I’m glad to hear that it’s still a practice.”
“It is. And you’ll see that every farmer here does the same. We know that we have a bounty here, and we go to great strides to keep the earth happy.” Vance walked to the wall that seemed to hold nothing but wrapped items. When he picked up the first one, he looked at Caelin when he laughed. “My mother loved swords. And these are all the ones that she had commissioned over the decades before my father. Each of them have been used in war or in practice. Even I have used them on occasion to keep up with my skills. Those are all yours, Vance. When you chose a home, I’ll make sure that they’re given to you.”
“This is too much.” Caelin said that it wasn’t, not for what he’d given them. “But these swords are worth a fortune. Aren’t you afraid of something happening to them? Or that someone will take them?”
“No one here will steal from you unless they are hungry or in need. Instead of having them arrested or turned away, we feed them, cloth them if they need that as well. But we all care for anyone that needs it.” Caelin handed him another sword, this one more beautiful than the first. “The other day I saw a man and his children stealing from a garden. Instead of turning him away as people you know would have, I brought them to my home. My wife, she bathed the children and dressed them in some of the things that are forever there, and we all ate dinner together. The next day he tells me that he can work for me. And he does now. He is a teacher that is showing younger children how to preserve and take care of our trees and land. Everything you do, it has a return on it, whether it be bad or good. Understand?”
“I do. I really do.” They wandered around the large area. Vance went to one of the walls to see what was holding it up and was surprised to see that it was only stone. Small and large ones that were held together by mud. He then realized how much time it would have taken for something like this to be put together. The forethought on how it would work. “Your mother is more than smart, I think. But brilliant.”
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