Nearby, Precious trotted past them. The Werecat yawned, stretched luxuriously in a patch of sunlight, and flopped over with a resounding purr that seemed to shake the flowerbeds.
Mandra glanced at the contented feline and shook his head, envy flickering through his chest. How he wished he could feel that at peace, that confident that all would be well in their world.
Ariel guided him to one of the stone benches tucked beneath a flowering arch. They sat, knees brushing. He stared at their intertwined fingers—his calloused, hers delicate—and for a moment, he couldn’t find the words.
“Mandra?” Ariel prompted softly, her voice wrapping around him like silk. “Talk to me. I could feel your distress all the way to Morian and Paul’s place.”
“I…” He swallowed hard. “There’s something I need to tell you. About the kids.”
She didn’t flinch or question. She simply waited.
“They’re gone,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Phoenix created a portal—to a place called the Seven Kingdoms. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. The kids went through almost a week ago.” His fingers curled tightly around hers. “At first, we weren’t sure where they went. We still don’t know where this world is—not exactly. But… the Goddess has been watching them. She’s been showing us glimpses. Of what they’re going through.”
Ariel’s expression remained calm, but her grip tightened slightly in his. “I can’t say I’m exactly surprised. They do tend to get into mischief when they all get together—and are bored. What have you seen so far? I have to believe if they are together, they’ll be alright—especially if there’s a Goddess watching over them.”
“There’ve been dangers,” he said, his voice rough. “Dragons. Merpeople. Magic. Elemental beings. Giants. Dragon’s ballocks—there’ve even been pirates! Those kids have done some incredible feats. The battle between the pirates was—spectacular! They really came together. We couldn’t help but be proud and cheer them on. But—” His voice cracked.
He inhaled shakily and looked away.
“This morning…” he said, then stopped, his throat closing up.
Ariel wrapped an arm around his waist. He turned to her and rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in.
“Tell me.”
“I saw Jabir—for the first time,” he rasped. “Just for a moment. He wasn’t with the others. He was on the shore of a lake. There was a creature—huge. Something out of legend. It… put its paw on his shoulder, like they were friends. Jabir said…” He trailed off, his voice breaking.
Ariel’s fingers brushed through his hair. “What did he say, Mandra?”
He looked up, his eyes full of anguish. “He said he finally felt like he belonged somewhere. I’m worried about him, Ariel.”
Ariel inhaled softly.
“He thinks… I’m disappointed in him. Because he isn’t a warrior. Because he’d rather care for animals than wield a sword. Because he’s not huge like me.” He clenched his fists. “But that boy—our boy—he’s brave and smart. I should have told him that more often. I should have told him how proud I am of him.”
Ariel twisted and sat on his lap, cupped his face, and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“He knows you are proud of him. You’ve always loved him for who he is. He’s just going through an awkward stage. We’ve all gone through it as a teenager. Everything will be alright. He’ll come home.”
Mandra closed his eyes, his heart cracking open.
She leaned in, her voice fierce and gentle. “He’ll be okay. He has your strength—and Asim’s wisdom—as well as my stubborn streak.”
He huffed a laugh despite himself.
“Plus,” she added with a knowing smile, “he has an entire world of people here who love him for exactly who he is. He just needs more time to realize that.”
“That damn monster looked pretty cute, and if there are more, you know how Jabir will be. He’ll want to bring them all back to the mountain,” he replied in a gruff tone.
Ariel laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. “Yeah, Asim is going to love that. So, what did this monster look like?”
“Oh, you know, like the creatures out of the picture books from your world—face of a lion, wings of a bat, tail of a scorpion?—”
Ariel huffed out a breath and giggled. “Sounds like something out of a fairy tale.”
Mandra held her close, resting his head against hers, and stared out over the garden. Precious let out a sleepy purr. A single golden leaf drifted down from above and landed on Mandra’s shoulder.
“What are we going to do if he doesn’t come home?” he murmured.
