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“To what?”
“My fathers.”
He tossed the cloth aside as he crossed to her. “You’re calling your fathers asses?”
“No, that’s just for you.” She gripped his hands. “At fourteen, I opened the Book of Spells, and all it held blew into me in a storm of power and knowledge. With that I leaped into the Well of Light to take the sword and shield from the fire.”
“Now you’re just bragging.”
“No, no.” She laughed, squeezed his hands. “All of that, all of it, is no more magickal than being able to stand here with you, knowing I can be afraid with you and we can do what’s next. Knowing we will do what’s next.”
She brought his hands to her lips. “I’ll make a home with you. Here, there, or somewhere else.”
He started to draw her in to hold that moment. And they both felt it.
“They’re back.” She let her hand lay on his heart another second. “Mallick and the others.”
They gathered in the war room after Duncan went to get Will. As her mother’s daughter she made coffee, tea, lit the fire, and struggled to be patient until everyone settled in.
“I want to thank all of you for making this journey,” Fallon began.
Travis gestured with his mug. “I want to say, straight off, the snow queen’s got, you know, style. Her HQ’s the next thing to a palace.”
“Excessive.” Meda chose tea, black, no honey. No frills.
“Yeah, maybe, but it didn’t hurt my feelings to have a little taste of luxury. Which she definitely has.”
Arlys, prepared to take notes, shot Travis an indulgent look. “She’s converted what was a five-star hotel in the heart of Montreal to her headquarters, her home. She lives the high life, literally, in the penthouse suite—and takes the entire floor. However, she’s also seen to it her people have housing, food, clothing, medical attention. Other buildings we toured have been converted into clinics, schools, greenhouses, tanneries.”
“She indulges herself, a great deal,” Meda put in with clear disapproval. “Fancy clothes, dripping jewelry. But.”
She jerked a shoulder in what Fallon read as reluctant respect. “Her people aren’t neglected or misused. They have food, shelter.”
“And she listens to them,” Travis added.
“Yes, in her way. They use, primarily, wind and solar energy. Their training facility could be improved, but their security’s strong.”
“She was very gracious,” Arlys put in, “and seemed receptive to Meda’s suggestions on their training facilities and methods. It’s certainly a different feel from New Hope. Her center’s very urban, and she’s most definitely in charge. She has advisers, but it’s not the sort of setup where they do any more than advise. She rules.”
“And how do her people feel about that?”
“They love her,” Travis said. “They trust her, and they feel safe. She loves them. It’s not bullshit. Their safety and well-being are important to her.”
“Did you? Trust her?”
“Yeah. She’s an easy read.”
“She tried her wiles on him,” Meda added.
“Is that so?”
Travis grinned. “She’s too . . . fancy,” he decided. “Hot, yeah, but too fancy and not my type. And it was more of a test. She likes sex, a lot—another easy read. But it was more of a test. Same with Mallick.”
“She—” Fallon’s gaze flew to the sorcerer, who sat silent and placid. “Really?”
“Just a test,” Travis continued. “Maybe with some thoughts in there on gaining a little advantage if she could bag Mallick the Sorcerer and the brother of The One. Anyway, not my type.”
He shot a look—close to a leer—at Meda.
“Act your age, little man.”
“This is acting my age. I like hot warrior chicks.”
“I think we can move on from that. Mallick, other than attempting to seduce you and a teenager, were there negotiations that apply?”
“Yes. She wants your allegiance very much. She’s very aware she needs you more than you need her. Her concern for her people is, as Travis said, very real, and very deep. She is particularly concerned that the children in her region are not only safe and educated and sheltered, but happy. Her ambition is not slight. She wants the region, and believes she can bring it safety and prosperity.”
“She’s not wrong,” Arlys said. “She’s ensured loyalty because she gives it. It may be a kind of benign dictatorship, but we’re in a different world. I didn’t see any cruelty in her or her rule.”
“She offers two thousand fighting troops for that allegiance.”
“Three now.” Mallick poured more tea. Winter chilled his bones now in a way it hadn’t for centuries.
“Three?”
“She has four,” Travis told her. “An easy read. But we agreed she needed to hold back a portion to secure her city, her people.”
Mallick nodded. “There are old and young and others unable to fight who need protection. As well as the city itself. The three thousand come with arms—and her forges will continue to produce weapons. As you suspected, she has other alliances. With these negotiations, she brought in those leaders. They are both smaller groups, but we have, between them, another fifteen hundred.”
“Over four thousand.” Feeling the surge, Fallon sat back. “What did we promise in return?”
“We recognize her rule and the sovereignty of the other alliances. If needed, we assist them against our common enemies. We open trade with them, while respecting their borders. A small side deal with Vivienne is her request we assist her people in creating a tropics area and the means to begin growing coffee beans, tea, cacao, pepper, citrus, and so on.”
“Smart,” Fallon decided. “Not only will she have that capability, but she’ll be able to trade directly with her other alliances. I’d prefer if we sent a coven up to create it rather than giving them the means to do it themselves.”
“Which is what we agreed to. She’s satisfied with that.”
“Good. Over fou
r thousand and, with luck, nearer to five when Mom and Dad and Ethan get back.”
“From where?” Travis demanded. “I thought they were just busy somewhere.”
“They are. Just not in New Hope.”
She explained the mission, listened to the back-and-forth. Then rose. “I want to thank all of you. By successfully negotiating these alliances, you’ve given us a strong advantage. We have allies in the north, and thousands of troops who’ll fight with us. We’ll need them to take New York. Meda, would you be willing to go west with me to find more? To hopefully find and forge other alliances?”
“I answer the call of The One.”
“Travis, I need you on this one.”
He sent a wide grin to Meda, who answered it with a stony stare. “No problem.”
“Arlys, I’d love to read what you’ll write on this in New Hope News.”
“It’s all but written. I promised Vivienne a copy. They have very, and that’s very, rudimentary IT, but Chuck will figure it out.”
“Okay then. Mallick, if you could stay for a minute.”
The rest headed out, Duncan and Travis to the barracks, Will and Arlys back to New Hope, and Meda to prepare for the next journey.
Fallon poured Mallick more tea, moved to sit beside him. “Three words to describe Vivienne.”
“Vain, ambitious, loyal.”
“I can work with all of those.”
“I’ll add she envies you.”
“Me?”
“Your power and position. With the envy is genuine admiration, and a little fear.”
“I can work with those, too. Is there any reason to think, if we help her secure Quebec, establish herself as head of that state, she’ll want more?”
Pleased she thought beyond the battle, he picked up the tea. “I think not. Quebec is personally important for and to her. More would require more work. I believe she’ll be a staunch ally. She sent you a gift.”
Rising, he walked to the bag he’d brought in, took out a small pouch. Intrigued, Fallon opened it.
The moonstone pendant glowed white. Carved on it, as if as one, three figures blended. The owl, the wolf, the alicorn.
