Page 101 of Suffer No Fools
"We'll push the fog ahead of us." He shrugged. "As for the eggshells, I'd need to see the ships to confirm."
After further discussion, Elder Beatrice dismissed the meeting with a triumphant nod. "This is it. Pack your weapons and armor and prepare for war. We sail for Glamiere in the morning. We'll be in Hearthstone in less than two weeks."
Hugo wished he felt more confident about their plan. Instead, it filled him with dread.
He wasn't expecting Vadim to approach him with arms raised for a hug.
"You did it." Vadim squeezed him around the shoulders and ruffled his hair, shaking a few shorter strands loose from his braid. "I'm so proud of you."
"I don't deserve your pride."
"You do." Vadim stepped back and studied him. Hugo didn't know what he saw, but he nodded and grinned. "You remind me so much of him. He would be proud of you, too."
Hugo blinked back the moisture stinging the corners of his eyes. "I hope so. He deserves justice, once and for all. We must stop Coryn."
Vadim nodded. "We will."
Gods, Hugo wished he had the same confidence. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though Stan and Tovey had left the room with the others, he could feel them through their bond. They were also proud of him, and something more. His anxiety lessened the more he tuned into their thoughts and feelings. They were as ready as they could be. There was no certainty in war. Now, all they could do was set sail, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
Hugo opened his eyes and found himself alone in the conference room. Vadim and Klaus were somewhere above him, chatting with their children, and Petri and Olivia were saying their goodbyes, since Petri would remain on the island. Like light globes in the distance, Hugo saw the location of every person on the island who had offered their loyalty to him. If he focused on individuals, he could hear their thoughts and feel their emotions.
His whole body shook, and Stan and Tovey rushed into the room. Stan picked him up before he fell, and Tovey rubbed rough fingertips across his forehead.
"What was that?"
Hugo grinned at him. "That's how we win."
#
Stan
It was strange to be on a ship again after so long on land. Stan had been on and off ships all his life. He'd even stayed in port for longer stretches, but this felt different. Bigger. Part of that was because they would either never return to Aquarion, or they would return victorious after removing Coryn from power.
Stan was also sure this felt more momentous because he was sailing with his lovers. Tovey was more than just a fuck buddy now. He was his best friend, his confidant in all things Hugo, and his crutch whenever the world got to be too much for his thick shoulders.
Hugo was their whole world, and as much as Stan tried to feel guilty about it, he knew Tovey felt the same way. Stan loved their emperor's wide-eyed innocence paired with his shrewd intellect. He was too good to be true, and that scared him more each day.
If they defeated Coryn, they would have to reexamine their relationship and its impact on their country. Hugo was bonded to them, but he was bonded to all loyal citizens of Embertide, from the strange blips of recognition Stan sensed through their bond.
More and more citizens offered themselves to Embertide as they approached the dock. From what Stan had experienced, only he and Tovey shared Hugo's thoughts, but any weaver could share power with him, even other bonded pairs and trios.
Stan was surprised to sense other trios in Luminest. He'd never met another grouping like theirs in Embertide. It was reassuring to know others had bonded the same way.
Hugo had spent most of the morning on the main deck, staring off the port side. For the first hour, he'd been trying to control the waves alone, but then Niall had joined him. When Olivia took the wheel from Efren, Stan was certain something had gone wrong. Efren, Niall, and Hugo had been at the railing for at least a quarter-hour.
Once the ship was moored to the dock, Stan swung the gangplank into position with an earth weave. Their crew had grown since their last trip. The younger children had stayed on Aquarion with Petri, but Trin and the twin air weavers, Roy and Ray, had chosen to fight. Below deck, islanders and refugees alike had packed intoStarlight Specter,leaving standing room only. The twins would man her for a second trip without them, since there were still more folks who wanted to sign up to crew the ships Jermain had built.
"He's been so distant," Tovey said. They followed the emperor at a respectable distance to the dock, where Sovereign Oton waited with their retinue of attendants.
"He's got a lot on his mind." Stan barely heard his own voice over the throng of people cheering.
Once Hugo had made introductions, Stan and Tovey greeted them, and they responded in kind. The sovereign arranged for the rest of their passengers to be taken to the shipyard and then led the way to the dockside stables.
There was only enough room in the sovereign's carriage for the two leaders. Three of Sovereign Oton's guards rode on the coach bench, and two hung off the back on steps behind the wheels. Stan and Tovey had no choice but to slide into a large coach with the rest of the sovereign's guards. Stan would have protested if he didn't know for certain Hugo could take care of himself. While the emperor hadn't yet figured out the puzzle of using all eight elements, the four he could command would stop any assailants.
The coach ride was brief, though dusty. After a short walk on a cobbled path that twisted through an immaculate lawn, they entered the spacious halls of the sovereign's summer palace. Intricately painted ceilings arched high overhead, and gorgeous landscape tapestries hung between portraits of past sovereigns.
After twisting and turning through several wings for the tour, Sovereign Oton led Hugo to a sitting room with a table set with tea and bite-size sandwiches. They claimed opposite sides of a couch and took tiny bites and sips as they talked.
