Except that he was.
Defeating him was her greatest achievement. It was what she’d built her empire on. Once it was known he lived, all this adoration could disperse like a cloud in wind.That’s not true,she thought.My life’s work is not so fragile.There had to be another reason why she felt the pull to return. “You don’t know Kreya. She wants me to come back, and I can’t say no.”
“You can say no to me,” Guine said.
She wondered if she was truly breaking his heart by leaving again so soon, even though it wouldn’t be permanently. She doubted it. “Yes, that’s true, isn’t it?”
“You’re breaking my heart.”
“But I’m not, am I? You don’t love me, Guine, do you?”
“Of course I do!”
“The truth.”
He hesitated. “I admire you. I enjoy you.”
She should have been disappointed to hear it, but instead she felt relieved. He wouldn’t suffer while she was gone. “Kreya needs me.”
“I think it isn’t about Kreya at all. I think she’s an excuse. You want to go for you.”
That was a troubling thought. It was much easier to simply blame Kreya. The idea that Zera wouldwantto put herself in danger again... It was absurd.
I’m returning for the sake of my friends. And my reputation. And the future of Vos.She certainly wasn’t returning to the farmhouse for any other reason.
“You want a second chance at being a hero,” Guine said, fartoo perceptive for a man who was so often shirtless. “But you don’t need one. You’re a hero in my eyes already.”
“And you... talk too much.” While her hands caressed his lovely muscles, Zera kissed him until he stopped talking and she stopped thinking.
At dawn, Zera stocked her coat with all the talismans she thought they’d need. She hadn’t had time to make more, but she had a healthy supply to draw from. Plenty of strength talismans for Stran, plenty of speed talismans for Jentt, and an assortment of others that could come in handy if Kreya persuaded everyone to return to the plains.
Using a bit of a speed talisman herself, she departed Cerre without looking back and traveled across multiple mountains to Stran’s farmhouse. She had plenty of time for second and third thoughts on her journey, and she also had plenty of time to decide that Guine was right:
She wasn’t doing this for Kreya or Vos or even her reputation.
I’m doing it for me,she thought.
It was a somewhat extraordinary revelation. She had thought her hero days were long behind her. She’d become a businesswoman and had thought she was happy with her role in life. Who knew she still had an adventurer within her, yearning for a second chance to come back into the light and shine?
Waltzing into the farmhouse, Zera sang, “I’ve returned! Are we ready to save the world? You know, again?”
Everyone turned to look at her. And Marso burst into tears.
Chapter Thirteen
“Knock it off, Marso,” Kreya said.
He slumped into the kitchen chair, buried his face in his hands, and moaned more quietly, which was fine—Kreya could think with a little moaning in the background. Full-throated sobs were harder to ignore.
Zera dropped an embroidered bag on the table. It clattered with the familiar sound of bones. A beautiful sound. “Okay, well,I’mready,” Zera said. “I vote we give everyone ten more minutes to pull their shit together, and then we leave.”
A smile tugged at Kreya’s lips. She hadn’t been one hundred percent certain that Zera would even return. It was good to have her here, especially since Stran and Marso continued to be resistant to the idea of trying to be heroes again. “I’m glad you’re back,” Kreya said. “About what I said before you left...”
“Forgiven and forgotten,” Zera said breezily.
Kreya hesitated. She wasn’t sure if Zera meant it or not. She’d seen the hurt in Zera’s eyes when she’d left. Kreya hadn’t meant to sound as if she doubted her. She’d only meant to say that it was her choice whether to return or not, but all her words had come out wrong.I’m out of practice talking with people.Truthfully,she wasn’t certain she’d ever been good at it. Barking orders, yes. Handling emotions, not so much. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure we need to stop Eklor. Sooner rather than later.”
