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“You’d stay for two whole years?” Isolde asked, sounding shocked. “That’s a very generous offer, and we’d be delighted to have you, of course. And not just for your healing strength and skill. We would appreciate your input on our unique administration challenges.”
“I’m not an expert administrator by any means,” Clay said, “but I’d be happy to help in any way I can. I just can’t feel right about abandoning you all with the current state of the island.”
He looked over at Amara. “I can’t help you with the sea journey back, and given my lack of success in learning from Delphine, I can’t help with Grey either. For now, at least, I think the island is where I am most needed and wanted.”
Something unspoken passed between them before she bowed her head in acknowledgment.
Clay smiled in response, his face lighting up with his usual good cheer. “I’m sure my junior partner in the clinic back home will be happy to be rid of me for a while longer. He’s been ready to take a more senior role for some time now.”
Both Isolde and Costas gained a new animation after that, although the rest of us were subdued in exchange. If Clay was willing to stay, he could be of great assistance to the islanders, but it felt wrong to leave him behind.
“Do you think Clay will be all right here for so long?” I asked Amara and Hayes later that evening. “Should we be trying to convince him to come back with us?”
Hayes grinned at me. “Is Luna’s condition catching? Don’t tell me you think you need to start looking after master mages as well now?”
I flushed. “No, of course not. It’s silly of me, I suppose. I just feel bad. I was the one who led us all here in the first place…”
“Don’t worry.” Amara gave me a sympathetic smile. “Clay is more than capable of looking after himself, and he can make a big difference here.”
“Do you think the island will want to become part of Tartora?” I asked. “I suppose Clay’s presence might help sway them toward us.”
“I couldn’t say.” Amara glanced laughingly at Hayes. “But I can tell Hayes would rather they became part of Tartora than Calista.”
“We have done a lot for them,” Hayes protested. “So there’s no harm in planting the seed.”
“None at all,” she said, still with a chuckle in her voice, but I could see a sliver of hurt in his eyes.
If Luna was right, this was the problem that had stood between them from the beginning. Hayes wasn’t a naturally ambitious person, but he had chosen to invest in the politics of his Guild and kingdom. Whereas Amara had been so scarred by her mother’s power-hungry nature that she’d rejected politics completely.
Amara and Hayes might love each other, but their lives were incompatible. The discomfort of that thought weighed on me. They weren’t the only couple whose love didn’t match the practicality of their futures.
After finally purging the last islander of mesmerization, I walked home to the manor in pouring rain. Ida was my companion for the day, and she had enough elements power to keep the rain off the two of us, but the atmosphere was unavoidably gloomy.
My mood lifted, however, when I spotted Amara and Ember waiting for us just inside the door. Even Phoenix had come inside, unimpressed with the unrelenting wet outside, and Ember happily trotted over to join us.
As I bent to pick up the fox, Amara spoke. “I’ve been monitoring the situation for weeks, and I’m confident this is the last storm of the season.”
I blinked, trying to work out her point. I had been focused on the rain, the completion of my task, and the difficulties facing Isolde in the town, so it took me a moment to realize the significance of her words.
“You’re leaving?” Ida asked, catching on more quickly than me.
Amara nodded. “I’ve already talked to Hayes and Nik, and we’ll be sailing the day after tomorrow. That should give us enough time to pack and say our goodbyes.”
“So soon.” I didn’t know what to feel.
At the beginning, the winter had stretched before us, impossibly long. But the magnitude of our task had easily eaten the weeks. Now I couldn’t believe it was already time to go home.
After a moment my thoughts caught up with me. “Wait, Ida. You saidyou’releaving. Aren’t you coming?”
She shook her head. “Isolde has offered me a place here, and I already told her I would stay. I came here because I wanted to live in safety and peace. The island didn’t turn out to be the haven I expected, but I still think I have as much chance of finding that peace here as anywhere. Whatever their reasons, the islanders welcomed me with open arms, and now they could use my help in return.”
I swallowed, sadness clogging my throat. I had become used to Ida’s solid, dependable presence, but I should have foreseen this possibility. I would miss her, but I was glad for Costas and Isolde’s sake. Ida had stepped up to help me from the beginning, even before the others sailed in, and she had become as much an expert on the island’s administration as Costas himself.
“I hope you can build the life you want here.” I wrapped her in a tight hug. “But if you can’t, you’ll always be welcome with us in Tartora.”
Ida smiled. “And I won’t forget what you’ve done for me. If you ever want to come back, I’ll make sure there’s a place for you.”
I smiled a wobbly smile. Ida had broken most of her mesmerizations herself, but she had still been ridiculously grateful to me for purging her mind completely.
