Brannal had the best shield of all the Mage Warriors, a fused version of all the elements, which made it the strongest, and so he’d been able to easily protect everyone as they’d hunted down the demons. This was yet another example of how strong Brannal was, and Perian would just have to not think about how accidents could happen.
He was happy to start training again, and he didn’t get a lot of weird looks from the Warriors, for the most part. The sheer scope of Venoran’s crimes seemed to have taken them off guard. On Perian’s part, he just wanted to focus and keep growing his skills. He was never going to be able to match the Warriors, but he would really like to give himself every possible advantage.
He hadn’t been stronger or faster than Venoran, after all, but he’d still been enough, in the moment, until help had arrived.
Chapter Eleven
Afew days later, Bennan pulled Perian aside during training and let him know that he and Chamis would be taking a rotation at the seventh district watch station, and they would be gone for about two and a half months.
“Oh,” Perian said, a little bit blankly. “I’m going to miss you so much. But I’m glad you get to go together!”
Bennan laughed and explained how he’d asked Onadal to start assigning them together, and as long as they behaved during their shifts, that was what he was going to do.
“Oh, that’s so wonderful!” Perian gushed. “I’m so happy for you.”
It was clear that Bennan was happy, too. Perian had never seen him as content as when he was with Chamis. He kept flirting with people, much the way Perian did, but it was entirely obvious where his heart lay.
“We all need to do our stint out there, you know?” Bennan explained. “But Chamis doesn’t much like change, and I’m hoping that he’ll be more comfortable out there with me.”
“I’m sure you’ll help,” Perian agreed. “And I hope you have a lot of fun out there.”
Bennan grinned at him. “I’m going with Chamis, so how can I not?”
Perian could only grin back. Bennan winked at him and then sauntered back over to his man (and ostensibly his training duties). That was exactly how Perian felt about Brannal; the situation wasn’t always ideal, but it was so much better with the person you loved. And Perian wanted everyone else to feel as happy as he did. He was going to miss Bennan and Chamis, but for the first time in a long time, he felt confident that it was all right that they were going away. Perian was going to be here when they got back.
As the weeks passed, while it wouldn’t be accurate to say that people hadforgottenabout Venoran, the unhappy events were less top of mind. Even Cormal seemed to turn a corner, so Perian didn’t even have that to worry about anymore. Oh, he was still quiet, and he could still come out with snappy comments from time to time. Perian would catch Cormal staring at him at dinner sometimes, but it felt like the level of antagonism had died way down to a sort of… low simmer, and that was so much better than open hostility.
It made everything feel possible, and Perian loved being able to look forward with hope while feeling that everyone around him was doing the same. It didn’t totally make sense; of course, people were still sad, and bad things still happened. But it felt goodoverall, a buzz that Perian could feel in his bones. Crops had been growing extremely well, and several times, Perian had been able to help the doctor and Nisal with more harvesting and more salve and tonic preparation. People were happy, already looking forward to the Earth Festival that was a couple months away.
“And after that, it’s my birthday!” Renny said excitedly. “We’re going to have a party!”
Renny would be turning thirteen. It still caught Perian off guard somehow, though of course she was getting older.
Thankfully, she was doing very well. The bout of dizziness had not recurred, and as summer neared its end, she was doing so well that the Queen—admittedly due to a lot of pressure from Renny, but still—had even allowed her to resume her riding lessons, though they had started right back at the beginning with her in the stable yard to start and Brannal and several air Mage Warriors present just in case.
Renny rolled her eyes but obeyed, because it hadn’t taken six years. It hadn’t even taken a month. Truly, Perian was impressed. It seemed like a spirit of hope had descended on the castle. They’d weeded out some bad people who shouldn’t have been there, and they’d helped some people who were hurting. Renny had suffered a setback but had come out of it kicking. Perian and Brannal were doing great, Molun and Arvus alwayshad fun, Bennan and Chamis were happy, and it seemed like the rest of the castle was following their example.
Fall was around the corner as the early days of September arrived. Bennan and Chamis were off on their adventure, and Perian couldn’t wait to hear from them when they got back. He wanted a first-hand account of just what it was like to be out there at a watch station for months, and Bennan had promised to provide one.
“You do realize I do these inspections with some regularity?” Brannal asked, bemused.
Perian had waved this aside. “I want to hear from them. From their current adventure, you know?”
Brannal gave him a funny look, but he seemed to realize that this was how Perian dealt with their absence. There was still that little bit of fear that something would happen to them, but if he focused on how they were going to tell him all about it when they got back, he felt a bit better.
Brannal did a fabulous job of distracting Perian with awesome sex, including several extremely enjoyable sessions in other locations around the castle. (He’d really thought the occasion in the library was a one-time occurrence, but he was very happy to be mistaken.)
It all felt just the way that it should, exactly what Perian could have hoped for short of actually figuring out how they were going to make this work for the long-term. Well, itwasworking, but there were still some outstanding questions. Perian wasn’t sure he was ready to give up his father’s estate, and Brannal was Summus, so it wasn’t like he could move there. Perian could keep the estate but stay here (that’s what he was doing now, after all), but hewouldwant to stay there sometimes.
But as long as he kept thinking of what he was doing now as a vacation, he could put off making a final decision. He believed Brannal loved him, just as he frequently told Perian he did, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t still be a challenge to figure out how to make the future work. But they’d committed to one another, and Perian believed that would last.
Everyone else seemed to think the same thing. Molun told him that he couldn’t wait until Perian saw the Water Festival in the spring—and that would be ayearfrom when he’d met Brannal and everyone here. He’d been injured and in Brannal’s bed when the Water Festival had taken place last year. That was still months away, of course, but it was spoken about like it didn’t occur to anyone that hewouldn’tbe there.
Could you accidentally start something permanent with someone? Perianwastechnically still living out of his trunks. He hadn’t ruined any more shirts, but he and Brannal went out into the city for shopping occasionally, and it certainly felt very domestic.
Perian surprised Brannal with flowers from time to time. They might not be as fabulous as the gifts that Brannal had given Perian, but he hoped they encompassed his feelings at least a little.
Brannal’s face lit up when he saw the first bouquet.
