Chapter 35 The Road Home
The sky was grey when Liana awoke. She had slept beside Kael in one of the inn's small rooms, with a thin mattress and rough blankets, but she had slept. The Watcher was silent. The hunger remained.
Kael was already awake, resting his hand on her shoulder. "It's time to go.
She sat up and put on her boots. "Is everybody ready?"
"Theron has been awake for hours. Packing up his books." He smiled, tired but sincere. "Pip is already inside the wagon."
They walked down to the common room.
Seraphina was there, holding a cup of tea, with Laurent by her side. The guards were loading up the remaining supplies.
"We should ride together," Seraphina suggested. "To the crossroads."
Kael responded with a nod. "The roadways are still muddy. It will take a while.
"Then we'll go slowly."
The caravan departed from the estate.
Liana rode at the front, with Kael beside her. The wagons creaked behind them, and the hooves of the horses squelched in the mud. The hills rose on either side, dark with trees but still white at the peaks.
Theron rode near the middle, with his map tucked inside his coat. He was observing the landscape and comparing it to the first lord's descriptions.
"The first lords built the road we are on," he explained. "If you know where to look, you'll see the stones."
Kael glanced at the ground beneath the wheels, faint shapes worn smooth by centuries.
"How far will it go?"
"All the way to the Northern Castle. "It connected the two binding sites." He gazed at the hills. "They built it to transport workers and supplies. And keep an eye on this area."
Liana turned around and looked back at the estate, which was already far away.
"We'll have to come back." To check the seal."
"Maybe every few years." Theron nodded yes. "The first lords did the same thing." Until they stopped.
"Why did they stop?"
"I don't know." He was quiet for a little while. "Maybe they thought the seal would last forever." They might have forgotten. Perhaps they just didn't want to remember.
Pip talked from the wagon behind them. "They were scared." The Watcher says they were scared. What was down there? Of what they had done.
"So they left."
“They left.” Pip’s voice was soft. “But we won’t.”
King Aldric stood at the window of his study, watching the rain fall over the gardens.
Spring had come to the capital, but the weather hadn’t noticed. The sky was low and gray, the streets were wet, and the gutters were full.
A knock on the door.
“Enter.”
Duke Vex came in with Elena, carrying a tray. A pot of honey, tea, and bread.
She said, "Your Majesty, you should eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat." She put the tray on his desk. "The news from the East?"
"The messenger from Theron came last night. The seal is made stronger. The thing in the hills is safe. He looked away from the window.
Elena was sitting across from him. "And what about Liana?"
"She's doing well." All of them are fine. He walked over to the desk and sat down. "They'll be back in the north in a few weeks."
"And what about Seraphina?"
"Going north with them. She wants to go to the castle.”
For a moment, Elena was quiet. Then: "She's been working so hard." To get better. "To be different."
"I know," King Aldric spoke softly. "She's doing well."
“I wish Liana could see it.”
"She definitely will. I trust her judgment."
Rain began at midday.
A cold, hard rain that soaked through coats and made the road muddy, not the soft spring rain in the capital. The caravan moved slowly, the horses struggled, and the wagons slid.
Kael signaled a halt.
"We will set up camp here. There is a ridge ahead that will protect us from the wind.
They set up tents in the lee of the ridge, built fires, and huddled together against the wet. The rain drummed on the canvas, a constant, soothing sound.
Pip sat near the fire, staring at the flames with her silver eyes.
“The Watcher likes the rain,” she said.
“Does she?”
“It reminds her of the old days. Before the first lords. Before the castle.” She looked at Liana. “She says the world was quieter then.”
Liana touched her chest. “I can feel her. Watching. Resting.”
“She’s glad you came.”
Seraphina sat apart from the others, her coat pulled tight, her face turned toward the rain.
Laurent joined her.
“You’re thinking about the estate,” he said.
“I’m thinking about my father. About what he did. About what he didn’t do.”
“He was afraid.”
“He was a coward.” Her voice was flat. “He let Liana die because he was afraid. He let Mallory build his estate because he was afraid.”
Laurent was quiet for a moment. Then: “My father wasn’t afraid. He was careful. He kept records, hid evidence, and planned. And Mallory killed him anyway.”
Seraphina looked at him. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” He turned to the rain. “But we stopped him. We found the truth. That’s what matters.”
The rain stopped before dawn.
The clouds broke, the sun rose, and the world turned gold and green. The mud was still deep, the road still treacherous, but the sky was clear.
Kael called the caravan to order.
“We’ll push hard today. Make up time.”
They rode.
By midday, they had arrived at the crossroads, where the east and north roads met. Seraphina stopped her horse.
"This is where we go our separate ways."
Liana stopped next to her. "You're not coming up north?"
"Not yet." I have to go back to the capital. "To finish what I started." She looked directly at Liana. "But I'll come. Whenever I have the chance.”
Liana gave a slow nod. "The castle is ready to receive you."
"I know." Seraphina paused for a moment before reaching out and touching her sister's hand. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.”
They parted.
The castle appeared on the horizon.
After weeks on the road, finally home. The walls were gray, the towers were tall, and there was smoke coming out of the chimneys. Spring had come to the north. The fields are turning green, the snow is melting, and the river is flowing.
Liana stopped at the gate and looked up at the rocks.
"We're back."
Kael got off his horse and hugged her. "We're back home."
The great hall was warm.
Marta had made a feast with enough food for twice as many people as they were. There was cheese and bread, roasted meat, and more. People from the village sat at the long tables, their voices loud and their laughter bright.
Pip curled up in her corner with her silver eyes half-closed.
Theron went back to his study and started to unpack his books.
Kael and Liana sat by the fire and looked at the flames.
"We did it," she said.
“We did.” He took her hand. “We sealed the thing in the hills. We held the binding. We came home.”
She leaned against him. “What happens now?”
“Now we live. We build. We stay.” He kissed her forehead. “That’s what we said we’d do.”
As the sun went down, Seraphina rode through the gates of the palace.
The guards stood up straight. Servants rushed to get her horse. In the courtyard, King Aldric was waiting.
“You’re back.”
"Your Majesty, I'm back." She got off, but her legs were shaky. "The seal has been strengthened. "The thing in the hills has been contained."
“And Liana?”
"She's doing well." All of them are fine. She looked him in the eye. King Aldric nodded slowly. “I’d like to see her. When things settle.”
“She’d like that too.”
Elena was in her rooms waiting.
She watched as Seraphina came in, walked across the room, and embraced her daughter.
"You've returned."
"Mother..."
“I was so worried.” Elena’s voice cracked. “Every day, every night. I couldn’t sleep.”
Seraphina held her tight. "I apologize. I didn't mean to make you worry.
"I know." Elena stepped back and looked at her face. "You've lost weight. "You should eat more."
"Yes, mother, but I need to rest first."
“Get some rest.” Elena led her to the bed. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Seraphina lay down and closed her eyes.
For the first time in weeks, she slept without dreaming of darkness.
The great hall was quiet.
The fires had burned low. The villagers have gone to their beds. Pip was asleep in her corner, her silver eyes closed. Theron’s candles still flickered under his door.
Liana stood at the window, looking out at the dark.
Kael joined her.
“You should rest.”
“So should you.”
He put his arm around her. “The binding is holding. The Watcher is quiet. The thing in the hills is sealed.”
“For now.”
“For now.” He pulled her closer. “That’s enough.”
She leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his chest, the steady beat of his heart.
Outside, the wind was rising. Spring was coming.
They would be ready.