Koradan hesitated. And Lynette was shocked to realise that through Ashd’s link with him, she could not just hear his words, but also get a hint of his emotions. He was feeling unsettled, far less optimistic about the day than Lynette was feeling.It was odd. Nostalgic, in a way, to be back in a thriving city. But at the same time I felt angry that they’re all so naïve about the havoc they’re creating in our world. Even the Chalandrians. They’re all trying to find ways to help our people, but at the same time, they’re going about their own lives now. Working in jobs, flirting with potential lovers, running businesses. Is that the way it should be? We just resign ourselves to the deaths of thousands of our people and start again?
Gosta was not resigned,Lynette tried to comfort him.Nerik was not resigned. We showed up and immediately, they’re activating an entire network of people to begin steering public opinion in our favour. They care deeply about what’s happening in Chalandros, but in order to live in this world, they have to actually live in it. To influence the people around them, they have to fit in, they have to be liked and respected to enough of a degree to actually have any influence. Simply choosing to live in Minia is a huge risk to them. Once the gate shuts, the city will be swarming with warriors for the next three weeks, and there is literally a thin leather cord separating every single Chalandrian from a merciless death. That Gosta has managed to live there for twenty years is… It’s unbelievable.
And you and your men and your vreki are taking the next step. This endeavour will work, Koradan. Once people realise how valuable a service you can provide, they’ll embrace it wholeheartedly – albeit with a good dose of hypocrisy as they continue to deride the rest of the demons. All I can say is please be prepared for that. Humans can be awful, at the same time as they’re wonderful. But they are capable of change, and you and Ashd have begun that process.
There was a long silence, neither Koradan nor either of the vreki responding to her heartfelt speech. Then a faint thread of a new emotion trickled down the link between them, one that Lynette found too overwhelming to put a name to.
You’re amazing, Koradan said, his tone gruff over the mental connection.Thank you. For everything, Lynette. We couldn’t have done it without you.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Koradan felt a rush of relief as he spotted Varismont rising up out of the surrounding farmland. The faint smudge of brown on the horizon rapidly resolved into individual buildings, then he could see people out in the streets. Paul was the first to spot them – no doubt he’d been watching the sky, waiting for them – and he yelled out to the rest of the villagers. Within minutes, people were pouring out of their houses, staring up at the sky to watch them come in.
Ashd and Bel circled around to land on the cliff face west of the village. They climbed to the ground, then Koradan and Lynette slid out of their saddles. But before they’d made it even halfway back to the village, a swarm of people surged around them.
Paul came first, throwing himself at Lynette and hugging the living daylights out of her. “Okay, okay, enough!” Lynette scolded him finally, after hugging him back and having the air squeezed out of her. “I need to breathe here!”
Sigmore and Melowin were next, with Rodgard and Rigolard close behind. “You made it back in one piece,” Melowin said, slapping Koradan on the back. “Everything went according to plan?” Despite his attempt at casualness, Koradan could see that he’d been worried. Sigmore went straight to Bel, wrapping his arms around her neck and no doubt getting the full replay of her day directly. They’d have to fill him in on the parts that had happened in town, but Koradan let him spend a few minutes with his vreki first.
“As well as could be expected,” Koradan said to Melowin. “Markon is staying at the hospital for the next week, then we’ll head back to collect him.” For the time being, he left out the part about waiting for a message from Gosta.
“I caught up with Doctor Samuel,” Lynette announced, and Koradan assumed that she must have told the villagers about the various staff at the hospital over the years that she’d been living here. “He’s confident that they can save the leg and that Markon should have full use of it once it heals. They’d already set the bones by the time we left, and Markon was woozy but awake. He sends his love,” she added, smiling at Hetti, “and says he’s looking forward to coming home.”
“Oh, thank the gods,” Hetti muttered. “And thank you both, as well. You’ve both been so wonderful.”
“On a slightly different topic,” Koradan went on, wanting to get all the urgent parts out of the way, “I was introduced to a witch, who wasveryobliging, so we now have these…” He pulled out the four obsidian gems, tossing one to each of his men. “We’re likely to be getting a few visitors in the next couple of weeks, so I would recommend getting into the habit of wearing these anytime you’re wandering around outside. According to the humans in Minia, the vreki are dragons, and they were captured and are now being trained by a group of human men. No one knows anything about salases, and for the time being, for a large number of reasons, it’s going to stay that way.”
“No one threatened the vreki?” Sigmore asked, finally coming over to pay attention now that he’d assured himself Bel was safe and well.
“Not directly, no. A couple of the hospital staff were less than thrilled about the idea. But we met some other Chalandrians living in Minia.” Lynette and Koradan had both agreed not to give any details on exactly who the Chalandrians were, since every extra person who knew could put them at further risk. “They’re all disguised as humans, living ostensibly human lives, and they made a good deal of noise about how terrific an idea it is to have high speed travel to a lot of the outlying villages. It might take a couple of weeks for people to embrace the idea, but they’re working hard at it.”
The crowd devolved into a noisy mess of conversations, as a number of the villagers peppered Lynette with questions and Paul, Peter and the other salases had a dozen things they wanted to know from Koradan.
“Well, the big news here,” Melowin announced, once there was a lull in the conversation, “is firstly that we repaired that field we ploughed up when we first landed here. It’ll take a couple of weeks for the grass to grow back, but at least the ground’s flat again.”
“Thank you,” Koradan said. It was an issue he’d been meaning to address, but the crisis with the mine had been taking up all of their time until now.
“It’s hardly a big deal,” Morgan said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, you only saved twenty of our men. But no, a pile of dirt in a paddock is still a big enough issue to fuss about.”
“If we damaged it, then it’s only right that we fix it as well,” Koradan said.
“Well, if you insist,” Morgan said. “After all, it’s your paddock now, as well as ours, since you’ve decided to stay.”
“And we’re all very grateful for the privilege.” The sentiment had been expressed before, but it was worth repeating.
There was a sudden rustling in the grass, and Koradan looked up to see that the other three vreki had come over to see their returned comrades. “How’s Bnaa’s wing?” he asked Melowin, as the vreki all nuzzled each other.
“Getting better by the day. I changed the bandage this morning and helped him stretch it out a bit. It’s scabbed over and the wound looks healthy.”
“Fixing the paddock wasn’t actually the big news,” Sigmore interrupted, a grin on his face. “Rodgard? Do you want to tell Koradan about it?”
“No, I fucking don’t,” Rodgard snarled at him.
“What’s happened to Rodgard?” Koradan asked. “Because to be honest, I would have thought that if anyone was going to have big news, it would be Sigmore.” He raised his eyebrow expectantly, but Sigmore merely shrugged.
Hazel, however, felt no such reticence. “We’ve decided that Sigmore’s going to move in with me and the kids,” she told him, being deliberately offhand with the announcement. “And all the better for it, now that we’ve got that lovely obsidian gem.”
Sigmore looked a touch embarrassed at the reminder. “Turns out that humans and salases are… not entirely compatible…”
