Page 68 of Forge the Blade

“Oh, they’ll have a fit.” Linda grinned. “But I love the nod to history. Fits the theme.”

Ellisandre waggled their eyebrows. “Good. Because I already ordered the suit and have a fitting tomorrow. Managed to find a shop that used to make them in the nineteen thirties and still had some of the patterns. Oh, and I took in two of your old suits in to be adjusted for Alice, so she’ll be ready for next month. She can be your second assistant behind Tristan when the ambassador from Canada is visiting.”

“The tour, with the governor. Yes, I finished the itinerary. Give me the security assessment.” Linda rummaged through her tabs on her computer and pulled up a document.

Ellisandre

Ellisandre opened the large suitcase on the floor of the living room in the Bolthole. Inside were a few bags and packaged accessories, but most of it was a knitted weighted blanket. It would provide padding, and sound muffling, without clinging across a body or face.

Rei balanced on one leg beside them. His ankle could handle weight again, but it was still slightly sore and he’d just been moving around cleaning up from breakfast. In the bedroom, Lisa and Sevastyan were preparing for a day of installing security features in the new condo. So much for giving Sevastyan a full training day, though knowing their boy, he’d make the most of the time. Getting more space was higher priority for the moment. While the Bolthole was secure, it was also small and lacking in practice space for training or exercise. Ellisandre had almost tripped over Rei doing modified pushups earlier that morning. And Sevastyan had bruised his knee in the bathroom while checking on Lisa’s thigh. It was high time to move.

Lisa came strolling out of the bedroom. He could walk better than Rei, when he focused, though anything more than a few minutes and he started to limp. “What’s that for?” He pointed at the suitcase.

Sevastyan exited the bedroom right behind Lisa and slapped a hand over his mouth, casually pulling the other man back against his shoulders. “Slaves don’t ask questions.”

Lisa’s shoulders dropped and his eyes closed. Ellisandre consciously said nothing. Sevastyan nonchalantly gripped Lisa’s neck, cutting off blood flow. In seconds, Lisa’s knees buckled. Sevastyan caught him and lowered him to the floor.

Ellisandre glanced towards Rei. Rei stayed where he was, not moving, though his eyes were on Lisa. Within moments, Lisa stirred. He jerked once, and roused uncertainly, pushing himself up on his knees and staying there, hands on the floor at Sevastyan’s feet. Ellisandre’s stomach turned. A beat later, Sevastyan threaded his fingers through Lisa’s hair, petting him. Lisa pressed his forehead against Sevastyan’s leg, seeking reassurance. Sevastyan stroked over his head, and lightly scratched his neck, working over the places he’d gripped to take Lisa’s consciousness away from him. Lisa’s shoulders tightened for an instant, then relaxed, followed by his entire body. Sevastyan gripped his hair, tugging at it gently in a way Ellisandre had come to realize was silent praise for both Lisa and Rei.

“This is how you’re traveling with me today,” Ellisandre moved on. If Sevastyan didn’t want to verbally acknowledge what had just happened, then it was likely best they also not acknowledge it. They did not know the world Sevastyan was soon going to have to re-enter with Rei and Lisa. If training like this kept them safe, then Ellisandre could find a way to stomach it.

Stomach it and dedicate themselves to bringing about its downfall. If this was how Sevastyan trained, there had to be much worse. Both Rei and Lisa’s skin were a testament to the fact.

Ellisandre moved parts of the weighted blanket to the sides of the suitcase. Rei shifted slightly, glancing at his master. He’d known since the day before where he was going and had accepted Sevastyan’s direction without a word. What Ellisandre wasn’t certain about was how Rei felt about it, or how he would react.

Ellisandre tapped the suitcase. Rei stepped inside and knelt down. Ellisandre offered their hand, guiding him to lie on his side with his knees drawn up. They moved the blanket around, cushioning his arms and legs like they were packaging a doll. An extra pillow from the couch under Rei’s rear and another behind his head settled him in.

“How long do you think you can hold this position?” Ellisandre asked him.

“As long as you want me to,” Rei answered. His voice was soft and disassociated.

Ellisandre turned to Sevastyan. “Give me a timeframe for what’s safe for him to hold it.”

“An hour, no more,” Sevastyan said.

Ellisandre nodded and zipped the suitcase closed. There were air holes drilled through and Rei had his phone for communication.

“Good luck with the new flat.” Ellisandre stepped into Sevastyan’s arms and embraced him, tousling his hair. Lisa moved subtly aside to make space for them. Sevastyan kept one hand on Lisa’s head and wrapped his other arm around Ellisandre. “Keep my boy safe.”

“I will.” Ellisandre brushed their nose against Sevastyan’s cheek and stepped back.

Rei

In the suitcase, Rei kept his eyes closed. He had been able to tell when Ellisandre put him in a vehicle and started to drive. They were stopped now. Ellisandre moved around. The zipper on the suitcase hissed. Ellisandre opened the lid. Rei blinked up at them.

Ellisandre held out their hand to help him out. “We need to talk.” They were in the back of a van without any windows. Ellisandre sat down cross-legged across from him.

“We can play this two ways. I can bring you in with me early and hide you. You’ll be able to see bits and pieces. Or I take you in under an assumed name. You keep your masks on, wear these glasses—” They held up a pair of almost ugly, large tinted glasses. “Keep your hoodie up and help with the shoot as the weird, quiet person I brought with me.”

The air inside Rei’s chest froze. He’d been under the impression that he was going to be stashed somewhere safe near where Ellisandre was working.

“Master?” he managed to whisper.

Ellisandre tilted their head. “Sevastyan is trusting me with you.”

“Junseo will be there.”

“They’ll all be there. Junseo, Yoihei, Geun, Jaewoong, Su-jin, Damian, Collin, Richard, Émeric—and Alice and Ash. Alice has already seen you once. She knows I’m protecting you and she’ll help. She won’t tell anyone who you are. She doesn’t know.”