Map of Ember and Moonlight

Chapter 39

***Above is how I picture all the characters since I haven't chosen a cast list (with Amory and Gideon in their human glamours).  It's safe to say I've been having fun on Pinterest (which is where I found the pics...so they aren't mine) looking at character and fantasy world art.***

           

Chapter 39

Lyv knew the way to the cottage like the back of her hand.  When she and Gideon stepped out of the shadows, however, it wasn't there.

"What...?"

"The cloaking ward," he said, waving a hand in front of them to create an archway where she could see the cottage inside. 

Smoke was coming out of the top of the chimney and lights were on inside.  Lyv wanted nothing more than to see her father in that moment, to know he was okay.  Gideon led her to the door, pushed it open, and let her step inside first. 

Bence was sitting at the table she and Gideon had the first night they met, sipping on a cup of tea with Jett perched on his shoulder.  And even though the last time she'd seen him he was bruised, bloodied, and chained, he looked in perfect health, wearing a simple tunic and pants that wasn't even covered in dirt or blood.  She couldn't say the same thing for herself, realizing she was still in the same blood-stained clothes she'd been in for the past three days.

His eyes immediately lifted to Lyv when they came through the door.  "Lyv..."

She was crying again when she rushed forward and launched herself into his arms.  But this time, they were tears of relief in seeing that he was okay, even after everything that happened to him.  Jett seemed a little annoyed, being knocked from his shoulder onto the table, but he was closer to the teacup than he was before. 

"You're all right," she whispered.  "Thank the gods."

"You shouldn't have worried about me, my darling.  But you..."  His arms tightened around her.  "Words cannot even express how sorry I am, Lyv."

But she didn't want to talk about that.  She just held onto him tighter. 

They ended up sitting at the table.  Jett had ditched her father for her, sitting on her shoulder and leaning against her neck as he wrapped himself in a curl.  By that time, the roast that had been cooking in the oven was finished, her father taking it out and setting it on the table between them all. 

Having not eaten in nearly two days, it smelled delicious and tasted a lot better than what she was expecting, especially since her father was the one who made it.  He rolled his eyes at her surprise, claiming that a king – former king – actually could know how to cook a proper meal.

He was trying to be lighthearted in his conversation for her, both of them were, but it didn't work.  Her heart and soul were still ripped clean open and raw.  No matter what they said, it wasn't going to fix it in a snap.

"So, you're just...going to stay here at the cottage?" Lyv asked when a moment of silence struck. 

"With the wards and being in a place not many people come across anyway, this is the best plan of action for the moment," Gideon answered. 

"I have nowhere else to go, Lyv," her father told her.  "I can't go to one of the strongholds in Ceron, Inder, or Oria.  I can't seek refuge there since there is no doubt word has spread about what happened in the city.  And before you ask, yes, I have sent messages to Ada, Rhea, and Sora, telling them everything that happened.  They should have all gotten them by now and burned them once they'd been read.  That is what I asked.  I can't have them in danger if your mother found out they knew I was still in Escarral."