Earlier that evening, as the sun was beginning to set, Ayden was riding north to Brunya City, when he saw Matt heading south on the road ahead. He stopped, just as Ayden pulled back on his own reins, keeping several yards between them. They stayed atop their horses and stared at each other.

“Don’t shoot,” Matt said, seeing Ayden’s hand rise a few inches. “I just want to talk.”

Ayden rested his hand on his leg, keeping it ready in case, and continued to glare.

“I’m the heir, Kieran’s son,” Matt said flatly. His eyes were intense and there was no doubt he was deadly serious.

Ayden’s gut twisted. He should have known. He had never trusted him and now he damned himself for thinking it was just his own hate and jealousy. And he had left Tess with him.

“I used you and Tess to help me get the dagger,” Matt continued. “It can bring spirits back to life.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Ayden asked tightly. “Where’s Tess?”

“Tess is on her way to Malluk’s true temple to be sacrificed. It’s too late for me to help her now.” He stared at Ayden intently. “She’s safe until the morning of the fifteenth. Find a way to help her before then or she’s dead.”

“You’d let her die?” Ayden asked, surprised.

Matt sighed forcefully and raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t want her to die,” he told him. “That’s why I’m telling you. I tried to save her, but she’s too damn stubborn. She wouldn’t get away from me when I told her to. Now Malluk’s people have her, and there’s nothing I can do for her.”

“But you’re—”

“Just save her,” Matt cut in sharply, then turned and headed north, pushing his horse into a gallop.

Ayden sat still on his horse for a moment, staring at the spot where Matt disappeared from sight. If Matt was the one behind all this, why couldn’t he help her now? Why did Ayden need to rescue Matt’s girlfriend?

He took a deep breath. It didn’t matter. Right now, regardless of what had happened, he had to help Tess. He kicked his horse and rode fast, not stopping until he reached Tess' house. He didn’t bother wasting time with the stable; instead he tied his horse to the front gate.

He knocked on the door then rubbed his tired, stinging eyes as he waited. He usually walked in—the key was in a small pouch on his belt as usual—but he felt weird about it now, partly because it was the middle of the night, but mostly because of his current relationship with Tess, or rather the lack of one.

“Go back to bed, Gavin,” he heard Falcon say before opening the door.

He had never thought of Falcon as intimidating before, but now he realized just how scary he could be. He was six feet tall, just two inches taller than Ayden, but the fitting green t-shirt and shorts he wore showed how muscular and strong he was. And he was the captain of the guard. You didn’t get that position by being weak. And Ayden could never bring himself to use any magic against him, no more than he could his own father—he could never hurt either of them.

Falcon was usually a lighthearted person, always in a good mood. Ayden didn’t think there was anyone who didn’t like him, actually. Falcon was the kind of guy who got along with everyone, except for the rare person who got on his bad side.

In a few minutes, Ayden was sure to be one of those people.

“Ayden,” he said, surprised. “Where’s Tess?”

Ayden swallowed hard. “Can I come in?” He cleared his throat and forced himself to speak louder, so he could actually be heard. “It’s a bit of a story.”

Falcon suddenly looked fearful. “Is she okay?” he asked, his voice tightly controlled.

“Yes,” Ayden said quickly. For now, he added to himself.

Falcon let out a relieved breath as he opened the door all the way, though he still remained tense, knowing that something was wrong.

“Ayden?” Julia asked. She was tying the sash around her white robe as she came down the stairs, her light spell floating above her. “Where’s Tess?”

“He’s about to tell us,” Falcon said as he took his wife’s hand and led the way into the dining room. Julia sat at the head of the table while Falcon sat on her right.

Ayden followed them in, but remained standing; that way, Falcon couldn’t just reach across the table and strangle him. Ayden began pacing and wringing his hands.

“That bad?” Falcon asked.

Ayden nodded. “I just found out that... Tess is on her way to Malluk’s true temple,” he said a bit breathlessly—he couldn’t seem to breathe right. “She’s going to be sacrificed to bring Kieran back to life.”

Both Falcon’s and Julia’s mouths literally fell open.

Ayden laughed nervously. “Bet you thought you’d never have to think about her again.”

“How?” Falcon asked.

“Well...” Ayden had to pause to force himself to take a deep breath, he was starting to get lightheaded. “In Halimi we met a guy named Mathias who said Kieran’s heir was going to bring her back to life, and he was going to sacrifice Tess and Sera to do it. So we got the Spirit Dagger to use to destroy Kieran’s spirit before June fifteenth, when her son was going to bring her back. But it turns out that he’s the heir, and he wanted the dagger because it also has the power to bring a spirit back to life.”

“And he has Tess now?” Julia asked.

“And the dagger?” Falcon added.

“He said Malluk’s people have her, so they probably have the dagger too,” Ayden answered.

“But you escaped,” Julia said.

Ayden shook his head sadly. “No.”

“I don’t understand.”

Here was the hard part. He took another deep breath. “I was upset... with Tess... and I left her with him.” He looked at the floor as he spoke. “I always had a bad feeling about him, but I thought that it was just because I hate him so much. I didn’t realize I was leaving her with the heir. I just found that out and came straight here.”

“But how could you leave her at all? Why would you?” Julia cried.

He closed his eyes and fought the images that appeared behind his lids. He felt sick, and his heart constricted painfully. “I can’t tell you,” he whispered, opening his eyes again. “I’m sorry, but... Tess can if she wants to. It’s not for me to say.”

“I would have never believed anything could have made you leave her,” Falcon said, his voice thick with disappointment.

“I know,” Ayden mumbled. “I shouldn’t have left her.” He wiped a tear away. “At least not while we were on a quest.” He glanced up at her parents. “I’m so sorry.”

Falcon ignored his apology. “How did you find out that he’s the heir if you left them?” His tone was commanding and businesslike now, in captain mode.

“Matt came and found me. He told me that he’s the heir and what’s going to happening. He also said he tried to save Tess, but that it was too late for him to help her now.”

“Okay,” Falcon said with a brisk nod. “I’ll get things ready and we’ll leave at sunrise. Luckily, Cael is home, so I’ll get him.” He stood to go.

Julia clung to him. “I’m coming.”

“No, you’re not.” His expression softened as he looked down at her. “You need to stay with Gavin and the orphanage. Lotus can stay with you.”

“But—”

“Jules.” He sighed as he bent down and held her hands in his. “There’s a good chance this is a trap. If Kieran really does have a way back, she’ll want to make sure that everyone who had a hand in her defeat is dealt with.”

“You can take some guards, right? You’re the captain. You can get them to—”

He shook his head. “You know I can’t. Temple grounds are out of government jurisdiction. If the guild finds out what I’m doing, I’ll lose my job. So no one can know. I’ll make up some reason for my sudden absence, and we’ll stick to it. Don’t even tell Viv the truth,” he added, since Julia talked to Vivyka about almost everything. He reached up and touched her wet cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ve got Cael, and...” he glanced at Ayden. “You're coming?”

“Of course.” It hurt that he had to ask, though Ayden understood why.

Falcon nodded and looked back at his wife. “We’ll bring her home,” he promised.

“What if Kieran’s really back?” Julia said, crying harder. “And her son... he’s probably just as horrible. What if—”

He brushed the side of her face with his fingers then cupped her cheek in his hand. “Shhh. Don’t think about it. It’ll be okay.” He kissed her gently, then leaned back to look into her eyes. “I’ve been with the guard for almost twenty years now. I have a whole lot more experience this time. I know what I’m doing, and so does Cael.” He kissed her forehead, then stood and spoke to Ayden again, returning to a business tone. “You go up to Tess' room and get a few hours of sleep. You won’t be of any use if you’re exhausted.”

Ayden hated the idea of going into her bedroom, but he nodded, quick to do whatever Falcon ordered. “Yes, sir,” he said and obediently headed for the stairs. “Oh... um...” He turned back. “My horse is out front, I—”

“I’ll get it,” Falcon said curtly. “Sleep.”

“Thank you,” Ayden said quietly and went up the stairs. He heard Falcon sigh behind him and felt, if it was possible, even worse.

He walked down the dark hallway and turned into Tess' familiar bedroom. He cast his light spell on the lantern beside her bed, and something glinted next to it. He looked sadly at the charm bracelet laying there. He touched the silver chain gently with his fingertips and new tears came. He pushed them away and sat on the bed.

He looked down at her quilt, at all the little scenes of heroic stories, and ran his fingers across one, feeling the tiny, close-set stitches. He and Tess had sat on this bed together so many times while he read her these stories, or while they dreamed of being out there together. Always together... until now.

He lay down, not bothering to take off his boots or get under the covers. The pillow beneath his head smelled like her and he held it tightly, burying his face in it. He closed is eyes as he inhaled her scent and desperately wished it was her.

It hurt more than anything to be parted from her. He didn’t want to be without her, ever. He wanted to stay with her... but he couldn’t. He couldn’t handle looking at her and just seeing her body pressed beneath Matt’s, remembering her face, hearing her—

He opened his eyes and stared at a random painting on the wall so he wouldn’t see the memory anymore. He should have told her, should have made sure she knew, should have told her every day that he loved her more than anything in the world. But he hadn’t, and now it was too late.

__________

The early morning light was just starting to peek through the slit between the blue curtains when a hand touched Ayden’s shoulder, and he felt someone sit down next to him. He was on his side with his back was to them, but when the hand brushed his hair, he knew it was Sera—he didn’t think anyone had a touch as tender as hers. Healer’s hands, he supposed, but also it was just her. She was incredibly soft and loving.

He opened his eyes and turned his head enough to look up at her. She looked miserable, her big summer blue eyes full were of tears, and it made his heart ache more.

She lie down and put an arm around him, holding him close, then kissed his cheek and rested her head against his. “I wish my healing powers could ease your pain,” she whispered. They couldn’t, but she did have a healing cleric’s comfort aura, and that helped a bit. It made him feel more relaxed, like a warm bath after a long day.

“It’s my own fault,” he whispered back.

“Blame doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“I’m coming with you,” she told him.

He moved out of her arms and sat up, which in Tess' small bed almost pushed Sera off the edge. She repositioned herself to sit beside him and took his hand in hers. “You can’t go,” he said anxiously. “Kieran wants to sacrifice you too. She interfered with other temples before.”

Sera nodded, causing her white-gold curls to bounce gently. “I know. My dad doesn’t want me to go either, but I am. I promised him that I’d stay at the temple in Port Vallyn, though, so I’ll just be coming with you for the journey.”

Ayden gave her a small smile of acceptance, selfishly wanting her to stay with him. With her empathic ability, just being around him was a painful experience, but she would never dream of leaving his side if he needed her. Sera never thought of herself first, she was always more concerned with helping others.

He pulled her into his arms and just held her. She snuggled close and rested her head against his chest. He was thankful for Sera; she was like the sun—light and warm and always making even the darkest day a bit brighter.

Ayden thought about how she was such a beautiful person. She was an angel on the outside, but even more on the inside. Most people didn’t realize how strong she was, not physically, but her mind, heart, and spirit. She handled so much, the pain of so many people as they came to her at the temple, not just to get their bodies healed, but to talk to her about their problems, to ease their minds. He rested his cheek against her soft curls and wondered idly why it wasn’t her he had fallen in love with.

After a while, she sat up straight again. “We’d better get going. They’re waiting for us,” she told him gently. When he nodded, she gave him a warm, reassuring smile and kept hold of his hand as they got off the bed and left the room.

Downstairs, Sera’s father stood ready near the front door. His eyes were harder than Falcon’s, but that was normal. Even though Falcon was captain of the guard, Cael was a natural leader. In times like this he was more elf than human—calm, level-headed, and capable of making decisions with detached reasoning. He didn’t let emotions cloud his judgment.

Ayden’s step faltered on the stairs, and Sera gave his hand a little squeeze. “I know he looks scary, but he’s not. He’s only disappointed, not angry,” she told him quietly, though it didn’t matter since Cael had elven ears and the enhanced hearing that went with them. “No one is against you; they’re just worried about Tess.”

Cael caught Ayden’s gaze and gave him a small nod of agreement.

When they got to the bottom of the steps, Sera released Ayden so she could go to her father’s side—like Tess, Sera was a quite a daddy’s girl. Cael put an arm around her and she leaned against him. She was the shortest of the group at five-foot-three and standing beside Cael, who was eleven inches taller, she looked even more delicate than usual.

Ayden watched them and frowned. He suddenly felt alone for first time since his mother had died. But then he thought of Sera, he had her, and as soon as they got to the stables, she surprised him by insisting on riding with him. She stayed close to him for the whole journey, even holding his hand when they slept. He was thankful for her comfort aura, and especially for her ever-loving touch.