The Ether Witch Volume 2

Tam closed the door to the inn room he'd followed his father into quietly.

His heart racing in his chest, he swallowed, and his hands that were stowed in his pockets clenched into fists.

It took him a moment, but eventually he looked up at his father.

Finlay Ashowan was hobbling over to a tall dresser that sat beside the lone window of the room.

The decor was cozy with its warm wooden furniture and dark wood floors, but cramped. The plush cozy bed with its deep red comforter was already made, its pillows fluffed. The three cots the princes must have slept on were in a similar state.

A slight creak drew Tam's gaze up to at last meet his father's bright blue eyes that studied him.

Fin leaned against the dresser, his expression unreadable.

Tam felt his anxiety burble in his belly.

He expected some kind of talk about responsibility. About thinking things through. About being careful about his actions…Maybe even about how disappointed his father was…

"Tam… What the fuck?"

Tam balked.

His father rarely swore so colorfully.

That paired with the flat note in his father's voice was one so frank that it almost made Tam laugh.

"I know it's a lot. It all kind of… Happened. I kept my promise and didn't get married without you there if that makes you feel any better."

Fin's eyes went wide as his exasperation visibly got the best of him. "No it does not!"

Tam cleared his throat again and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"You're aware that people think this boy you're traveling with is the devil, yes? Are you aware that he might be the devil?" Fin asked directly.

"Well… Yes… And no."

"What do you mean, yes and no?"

Tam took his right hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck. "I had a… A person. A woman I was seeing years ago."

"Sweet antlers. Are you serious?" Fin's volume rose.

Cheeks burning, Tam nodded, but before his father could go on a tirade (that Tam had already received from his mother), he proceeded to fill his father in on the details of Luca's birth and existence.

Then, in the stunned silence that followed, he went on to explain Penelope's appearance.

To his credit, Fin listened through it all without interrupting or asking any question.

However, when Tam described the conditions in which they had found Penelope in the cage aboard a pirate ship, as well as how she grew up on the run with the first witch's minions, Fin's expression thundered. Still, he did not stop Tam as he went on to talk about how they dealt with the concubine Soo Hebin, the corruption of the covens, meeting Wixim, and the issue of the Zinferan emperor wanting Eli to be the next empress.

At that point, Fin gestured to the small round table with its two chairs for them to sit.

Pausing his stories, Tam joined his father at the table.

Once settled, Tam resumed talking. He mentioned the Lobahlans, learning what the watch was, Penelope's visions, and he concluded the entire recounting with the fact that they now were in possession of texts about the first witch and the Forest of the Afterlife that hopefully could tell them how to defeat the first witch once and for all.

Fin let out a long, long breath when Tam concluded his recounting.

Tam waited. His palms were alarmingly sweaty, and so he took his time to wipe them on his trousers.

"Alright. So we need to send the first witch back to the Forest of the Afterlife if we are going to keep Luca safe, and most likely, we are going to need to annex the coven and send them off somewhere as they wish." Fin leaned back in his seat and folded his arms.

Tam nodded slowly. "I think we should be able to avoid an all out battle if we can all be calm and reasonable. The only wild card being Aradia. She wants her brother going with her to the afterlife."

Fin grimaced.

"I could just keep putting her in the void," Tam suggested, though he openly expressed in his face that he wasn't confident in the idea.

"She obviously got out once one way or another, so at best that is a temporary solution," Fin reasoned with equal doubt. "Is it possible we trick her? Before she goes to the Forest of the Afterlife, you instead move her to your void?"

Tam shrugged. "I don't know. First we need to figure out how to send her away. And Aradia might have some kind of trick up her sleeve like she did back in Troivack when you all last fought her."

Fin tilted his head in acknowledgement. "I suppose we better get ready to head to Austice. The sooner we get back, and the sooner everyone is on the same page, the better. Losing communication with everyone has been a massive problem."

Tam nodded in agreement, and pressing his hands into the top of his knees, rose to a stand.

"Tam?"

He looked down at his father who stared up at him wearing a half smile.

"I'm proud of you."

Tam's jaw dropped. Then he closed his mouth and cleared his throat. "Despite my accidental incident with Luca's mother?"

Fin's expression turned grim. "Yes. I'm sorry she had to go through that, and rest assured, we will protect her and her business from afar, but… I think you did your best to make the right decisions. And hey. I have more grandkids! I'm not complaining about that!"

Tam felt a knot he hadn't realized had been locking his muscles for weeks unravel, and he suddenly felt overcome with emotion.

Fin waved his hand, unaware of his son's state. "Besides. At this point it's almost like family tradition to have surprise pregnancies."

Tam burst out with a laugh. "Yeah. I've already had some kind of talk with Luca…"

Fin's smile returned as he joined his son in standing. The house witch's coloring was already improving as the morning sunshine filled the room.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Ah. By the way…" Fin started to say, making Tam pause his walk to the door. "In… In the interest of honesty, your mother knew right away that Eli was a woman when we met her as your assistant. She may have also suspected from that first meeting something would transpire between you two."

Tam felt his face fall flat. "Are you serious?"

Fin shrugged apologetically. "You know your mother. And she was desperate for a granddaughter."

Tam grumbled. Of bloody course his mother had had a plan for his romantic life…

"Anything else I should know?" Tam didn't bother hiding his irritation.

Fin clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Yeah. The mother of your next child was craving jam cookies. I recommend you see about getting those to her quickly. I'll stock up the kitchen in Austice for her once we get back."

Tam gave a groan mixed with a laugh as his father flexed one of the odd little abilities his magic bestowed upon him. The ability to tell what food someone was craving, and what food their body needed. This even included the cravings belonging to an unborn child.

Well. At least the talk had gone a lot better than planned—though Tam would most definitely be addressing his mother's meddling in the very near future.

***

Aradia stepped over the broken chair and gazed about the room.

"It was probably for the best that you weren't here for the house witch's meeting," Ansar called from behind her.

She nodded, then made her way around the round table in the center of the coven's council room, and seated herself in the only chair that was not damaged or turned over.

Aradia eyed the mess around her disapprovingly. "So. The duke got his grandsons back, and we have confirmation that Tamlin Ashowan and Elisara are here once more."

Ansar pushed some toppled books aside with the toe of his boot before he continued to move and stand across from Aradia. "Yes. And the house witch's familiar, Kraken, has returned."

Aradia tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Did Death's Carriage Driver offer you any insight on whether or not Tamlin Ashowan truly is the devil as he claims to be before he let you out of the void?"

Aradia gave a dry chuckle. "Death is not fond of direct responses."

Ansar's eyes trailed along the wall of the room. "We can always try the ritual with both of them present. They'd both die but it'd be a guarantee that you have dealt with the devil."

"It isn't a bad idea," Aradia leaned back in her seat and rested her elbows on the arm rests before continuing. "The odds of getting them both in the same spot, however, is more than a little difficult. Especially now that they are home with all of their resources and support."

"Difficult but not impossible," Ansar corrected. "We can always lay a trap, or we ambush them while they travel home. We know where they are, the house witch will be weak, and their attention will be divided with them needing to protect the princes."

Aradia's eyebrows rose. "Reasonable. But it would involve a large number of witches for the attack. We are missing a great many of our numbers. Tamlin Ashowan is powerful—luckily he doesn't seem to realize just how powerful—and if the eldest prince, Antony, is able to control his magic in any meaningful way things could get very messy."

"They won't be able to all travel in the same carriage," Ansar continued. "We can send scouts ahead of time. Odds are Tamlin and the boy will be traveling in the same carriage. We grab them, set up for the ritual nearby, and we finish it all before the house witch or anyone else can do anything. Wixim can take care of the familiar should she present a threat. Everything works out."

Aradia paused before answering. "You do realize once this ritual is performed, I will be gone, correct?"

At this, Ansar gave a laugh and leaned on the table in front of himself. "What you will be is healed. You can go home and heal yourself, and when you're better, you can come back."

"To you?"

Ansar's good-humored expression dwindled. "Yes. To me."

"And what if it is not my intention to come back to you?" she pressed next.

She watched the pain blend with his confidence and awaited his answer, not at all prepared for the surprising statement that followed.

"Then I guess I'll have to practice my ability to seduce you for when I die and see you in the Forest of the Afterlife."

A laugh burst out from Aradia. He had caught her a little off guard. "Is that so?"

Ansar smiled handsomely. "Oh, it is. I'm going to make you fall so head over heels in love with me that you'll never want to leave my side."

"You're being quite forward," Aradia knew her tone was flirtatious. Normally she wouldn't indulge Ansar quite so much, but she had to admit, his assuredness was a little charming.

"I'll beg the Gods for their blessing to dine with you if I have to. I'll gather the fluffiest animals that roam the Forest of the Afterlife and put them in a single spot just so you can pet them whenever you want."

Aradia felt her cheeks warm.

It'd been a long while since she'd felt that.

Perhaps the time in the void had changed her a little more than she'd wanted to admit. Getting to rest—truly rest, had allowed her to feel calmer than she had in years.

"Do you think we might be able to spend a bit of time together if I do those things?" Ansar's eyes twinkled.

Licking her lips, Aradia leaned forward slowly in her chair. "We can spend time as friends whenever you like."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and Aradia couldn't help her smile from widening.

"I want to court you as more than a friend. As more than an ally. I've been perfectly clear about that."

"You've suggested a thing or two, but, Ansar, I will most likely be serving time in the Grove of Sorrows for my own offenses. You will have long forgotten about me after your death in the afterlife by the time I am released." It was a little disheartening having to point out the reality of the situation for Aradia, but she didn't want Ansar to suffer. Not because of her.

Despite her rebuttal, the mortal man showed no pain over her words. Rather he pushed back off of the table and said, "Then I guess it'll be up to you to come find and remind me."

Aradia was about to open her mouth to try and further discourage him from doing such a thing, but Ansar then added,"You're worth waiting for, Aradia. I have no interest in your power. I simply want to spend eternity with you in a garden having tea, and hearing you tell me about the universe."

Aradia couldn't think of anything to say; she could feel the heat in her cheeks all the way up to her eyes.

Ansar's smile deepened, as he watched her reaction.

He proceeded to round the table and approached her side. He then knelt down, and grasped one of her hands before planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Come on. Let's go kill the devil and get you home."