The Ether Witch Volume 2

By the evening of Annika Ashowan's own departure, it was time for both Hamil and Bes to leave Tam and Eli's company.

Having solved the mystery of the watch, Tam had followed through on his promise and arranged for the Lobahlans to spend the rest of their time in Daxaria awaiting a ship home with Duke Cowan. A trusted friend of the Duke Oscar Harris, who had become acquainted with the Ashowan family over the years.

Hamil had avoided Tam for the remainder of the day until the time had finally come to bid farewell. As the pair stood near the stables belonging to the brothel, Tam noted as he approached the way Hamil subtly placed himself in front of Bes.

He barely resisted a grimace. He couldn't really fault the man for not feeling amicable or trusting toward himself.

"Hamil, Bes, I hope you enjoy your time with Duke Cowan," Tam called with a light, airy tone.

Hamil's grim expression didn't budge. "Thank you."

Tam stopped a respectable distance away from the pair. "I know you two aren't going to think of me fondly, but I do hope you know how much I appreciated your assistance."

A small jerk of Hamil's head was all Tam got in response.

"Right." Tam stowed his hands in his pockets and bounced onto the balls of his feet as he peered down the quiet side street in the waning daylight. The sky flushed with pale blues and purples, and two bright stars poked their heads through the colorful visage to herald the coming night. The breeze on the cool air brought with it the scent of grilling meat, and there were the muffled sounds of laughter coming from the various establishments nearby.

"You don't need to wait with us," Hamil informed Tam, his voice tight.

"Better that I do for safety sake. Duke Cowan has a close ally that is a witch that can help guard you two, but until you're in his care I'm going to be cautious."

Hamil's eyes narrowed. "You do realize we are more afraid of you than whatever alleged war is taking place, right?"

Tam felt his cheeks warm as he cleared his throat. "I am sorry about everything. Under different circumstances I think we all could've gotten along well."

"I'm not holding my breath," Hamil muttered.

Tam cleared his throat. "It's starting to get chilly at night, hm? Already seems like autumn is getting closer."

Leaning forward from her protected position behind Hamil, Bes shyly joined the conversation. "I have always wondered what autumn in Daxaria would be like."

A little relieved that Bes didn't completely hate him, Tam smiled. "The colors are wonderful, and the harvests are celebrated with all sorts of great festivals. If you ever get the chance, I recommend visiting Sorlia or Xava. Given that they have the largest farming communities, they have the best—"

"I take it that is our escort?" Hamil interrupted loudly. His eyes were homed onto the wooden carriage varnished and gleaming, rocking its way closer to where they stood. It was a style of carriage often used by merchants. Duke Cowan had astutely provided a discreet way to transport the Lobahlans.

"It should be. I'll confirm with the driver and witch before you two board," Tam moved forward and waved at the driver who, upon reaching the trio, pulled the horses to a stop.

The carriage door opened.Out stepped a man with short, black curly hair and dark skin, wearing a fine, deep blue coat who as soon as Tam locked eyes with, broke out into a smile.

"Urick!" Tam didn't hide his surprise. "I didn't know you were working for Duke Cowan! Last I heard you were the head of one of the coven schools!"

The older man was another friend of the Ashowan family, and son of the mysterious yet famous Royal Botanist of the Austice castle. "Well, the schools are temporarily closed, and with everything being so uncertain I thought I'd lend my talents to the Cowan duchy. Glad to see you're alright, Lord Tam! I heard you'd been missing for a while."

Tam chuckled. "Something like that. Anyway, this is Hamil and Bes. They ran into a bit of trouble with some pirates and so we brought them with us back to Daxaria, but they need to get home." Turning back to the aforementioned pair, Tam was mildly taken aback by the utter shock on both Hamil and Bes's faces.

"You're Lobahlan!" Bes sputtered in awe.

Urick grinned. "I am Daxarian, but my father and aunt are Lobahlan. It is lovely to meet you both."

Bes and Hamil looked at each other in amazement, then back at Urick.

Hamil spoke first. "What is your father's last name?"

Urick opened the carriage door for the duo , still grinning. "Jelani."

Surprised, Bes's hand came up, as she thumped Hamil's chest with the back of her knuckles. "Jelani! You mean your father is Kasim Jelani? He is the one who designed and grew half of the palace gardens in Lobahl! There are public gardens and parks that he and his family—"

Hamil's hand came up and clamped over Bes's mouth. "It is lovely to meet you! Shall we talk more in the carriage?"

Laughing, Urick nodded and proceeded to help them with their luggage. Tam then informed Urick that the other members of the Lobahlan crew were staying elsewhere in the city. He would send the list of establishments they were staying in so that when the time came for their employers to set sail, they could all reunite.

With the Lobahlans safely stowed in the carriage, Tam gestured with his head for Urick to step away from the vehicle.

Once out of earshot of the driver and the carriage occupants, Tam spoke quietly. "What news have you heard about the covens and the kingdom?"

Urick grimaced. "Things are tense. A lot of witches have gone into hiding already. Mostly because the general public is starting to get wary thanks to the confusion."

"Would you say the majority of the witches are involved in the rebellion? Half?" Tam already feared the answer.

Urick's gaze wandered away as his mouth pressed together thoughtfully. "I was certainly startled when the news came out, but I have a friend or two that did come to me and tell me they had been privy to the coven's plans. So it is hard to gauge how many are aware of what is going on. The coven leaders are saying they want a state of their own. A place where witches can live, where the coven rules, and acts as its own government without reporting to the crown."

Tam nodded somberly. "I've heard about it. Allegedly they've been pushing this agenda into the schools for years. I'm glad to hear you weren't a part of it."

Urick let out a long breath. "A lot of people are becoming desperate and afraid. Some of the witches are scared they will start being hunted again, others are getting angry that the coven is doing this. Then there are the ones that believe in this movement and what it stands for. I'd say the witches in Rollom and the smaller towns tend to be more satisfied with the way things are, while the ones in Xava and Rollom have been more heavily swayed."

"I'm guessing with my father and sister's influence in Austice that the witches there are more of the mind that things should stay as they are?"

Urick hesitated, and Tam could tell that he was once again not going to hear good news.

"They are incredibly divided in Austice. Because of how often the coven leaders would be in the city for council meetings, I'm given to understand they took every opportunity to reiterate their agenda into the schools and with their allies."

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Tam stared at Urick. It was evident there was a little more to it than he was saying… So he raised a quizzical eyebrow and waited.

The ice witch made a noise of disapproval, then revealed the reasoning for his reticence in saying more. "Prince Antony… When he affected the weather in Austice and the farmers nearly lost the majority of their crops for the year… He upset a great deal of people."

"He's a child!" Tam defended before he could stop himself.

"I know. I know he's a boy, but that kind of ability? It's already making people nervous. Which in turn, I imagine, has placed a lot of stress on the king. While it made sense at the time for the queen to attend to matters in Zinfera, it seems to me that things are teetering quite dangerously toward civil unrest. Her Majesty needs to come home and help show the people that they don't need to be wary of witches, and that she can help curb Prince Antony's magic when he can't control it."

It was then Tam had the very unpleasant premonition that there wasn't much chance of things resolving tidily with the removal of the first witch. If the entire kingdom was yet again at odds with witches, then they were all in for a very tough few years.

Weariness seeped into Tam's body.

He just wanted everything to be finished so he could go home with his family.

"I'm sorry I didn't have better news for you," Urick attempted to console Tam's obvious stress.

Tam tried to pull up a smile for Urick's benefit.

The ice witch clapped a hand on Tam's shoulder. "Things will work out. Your father is most likely going to whip up some magical solution that will make us all wonder why we bothered getting so serious in the first place. I like the new hair cut by the way! And I didn't know you trained. You look good! I'm sure everyone back in Austice will be happy to see you back home."

This time when Tam felt the urge to openly wince, he managed to keep it from his face.

"Thank you for taking care of the Lobahlans. I'm sorry to say I didn't make the best impression."

Urick chuckled. "Did you ignore them and read the entire time?"

Tam shifted his feet awkwardly. "Not exactly."

Turning to the carriage, Urick issued a wave over his shoulder. "Oh, Tam. You probably didn't offend them as badly as you think."

"I don't think a lot of people respond well to threats to their well-being."

Urick laughed again as he climbed into the carriage.

Tam reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. Evidently, the man thought he'd been jesting…

Well, given the way Hamil and Bes had reacted to him, Tam doubted they would keep to themselves some of their experiences with him.

Sighing, he turned and headed back to the brothel. "I might be getting a new reputation sooner than later. To think I left Daxaria wishing it would change. Didn't think it'd get worse…"

*

Tam stood in the hall of the attic quarters they'd been given by the brothel owner with his right shoulder pressed into the doorframe. He stared at Penelope and Luca, fast asleep in the same bed, their hands clasped over the blankets.

Eli's whispering footsteps came to a halt at his side.

"You'll wake them," she murmured.

Tam smiled gently without taking his eyes off of the children. "I know. I'm going. I was just checking on them." He reached over and quietly closed the door while moving out into the hall. "Luca is growing like a weed. We need to get him clothes that are a little bigger once we get to Xava." He shook his head in awe as he and Eli proceeded toward the end of the hall. The door at there led to their shared room that was draped with several swaths of colorful fabric and the faint musk of incense clung to the air.

"Penelope, too. She probably would appreciate a pair of pants as we keep traveling and moving," Eli added as Tam opened their door and gestured her through.

Once Tam had closed the door behind himself, he nodded belatedly, his eyes trailing the floor.

"Are you alright?"

His eyes snapped up to Eli, who had seated herself on the bed, and was staring at him with her head tilted.

Blinking himself back to the present, Tam smiled. "I have you all to myself now, why wouldn't I be alright?" He stepped over to Eli, cradled her neck, and kissed her meaningfully.

When he eventually pulled away, he could see the heat in her cheeks, and could hear the quick inhale she took.

However she leaned back, her dazed eyes once again becoming focused. "I mean are you alright after what happened with Rosaline? We haven't really had a chance to talk about it."

Tam's hand fell away from Eli's neck as he straightened, then proceeded to lower himself down to sit on the edge of the bed beside his beloved, and grasp her hand. "I… don't know."

Eli's mouth twisted. "There wasn't much you could do."

"I know… I guess I just wish I had checked in with her at least once."

A rueful smile found its way onto Eli's face. "While I would agree, I do see what you mean about her not seeming to be the type to appreciate that kind of gesture."

Tam bobbed his head in acknowledgment, but once again his mind drifted to less than pleasant thoughts.

"She could've found a way to contact you. She even said so. You thought you were being respectful."

"She still suffered because of me. Because my family has some kind of fate with the Gods and the devil, she got tied up into it. She had to go through something no one should. Ever."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tam could see Eli turning to face his profile. "That is not your fault."

"Feels like it is. I think I need to teach Luca about the values of abstinence if he starts looking at girls…"

"You're still glad you had him though."

Perhaps Eli had meant to say the words as a question, but really, the volume and firmness behind them hinted to Tam that she perhaps had some of her own anxieties tied to the whole ordeal.

Laying back onto the bed, Tam tugged Eli down to lay on his chest. Taking in a deep breath, he only let it out after closing his eyes. "That's where my guilt comes in. I'm just so happy he's mine. Happy that I have him. Roasline had to suffer, and I… I can't say I regret it." Tam struggled to swallow past the stone lump that had formed in his throat.

Eli squeezed his hand. "There isn't a right answer to how someone could handle this or how to feel about it."

"Sadly, I'm aware," Tam chuckled bitterly. "You want to know the other thing I'm terrified of? One day…" Tam opened his eyes. He didn't bother battling against the tears that rose up. "One day Luca is going to ask about his birth mother. And I… I don't know what I'll tell him."

Tam could feel Eli lifting her face to him, but he couldn't look at her. Couldn't allow himself to find any sort of solace in her eyes.

"You'll tell him his mother was brave, and that she did the best she could. But when she wasn't able to be strong anymore, the Gods sent me to him. He's mine, too, Tam. You made it so."

At this, Tam relented and met Eli's gaze. The calm determination and tenderness he found greeting him even more powerful than he had anticipated.

Left with no other option, he hauled her up to himself so that they could be face to face.

This meant that he could easily press a kiss to her forehead before quietly saying, "That sounds perfect. Let's say exactly that."

Tam proceeded to hug her to himself, silently thanking the Gods for her existence.

Despite her face already growing slack with sleep, Eli still managed to say, "An abstinence talk though isn't a bad idea. I don't exactly want to be a grandmother in ten years."

Unable to help himself, Tam burst out laughing. "Sure. We can talk to him about that, too."