Page 32 of Suffer No Fools
Stan tried to control his temper with Niall's grandmother, Bea, but he had a difficult time accepting the location of their new quarters.
"You want us to live on Horseshoe Island, and what, commute to the barracks each day?"
"Frost lives on Horseshoe Island," Bea said, her voice even and reasonable, as though she was speaking to an unruly child.
"Hugo should be trained with the others. Jasmine is a fire weaver, too."
"We moved the training facility to Horseshoe Island, too."
Stan frowned. That made no sense. "The island isn't big enough. Where will the children live? And their families?"
"I think you need to see our renovations before you make too many assumptions." She patted him on the shoulder. "Come with me. The skiff's over here."
"We left you with minor earth weavers," Stan said. "Who made all these changes?"
"Wildfirearrived three days ago with five earth weavers and two air weavers from Landale," she said. "The air weavers know Vadim. The earth weavers were waiting for a navy ship to claim them, but Devon convinced them to switch sides."
Stan's cousin could be very convincing when he wanted to be, especially with conscripted earth weavers. Devon's scars from the war were almost as numerous as Vadim's.
"They'll be very happy to see Emperor Hugo, along with the rest of the crew," Bea said. "Where is His Majesty?"
"He prefers Hugo to titles, and he's with Tovey ..."
Tovey and Hugo walked arm-in-arm down the gangplank. They were the same height, a fact Stan hadn't noticed until he saw them together. Their disparate beauty stunned him to silence.
The trunks behind them jarred Stan's attention. The one he made from the divan and Hugo's sail bed hovered behind them on a platform of air.
"Should we have docked at Horseshoe?" He pointed to the other two trunks following behind them, gifts from Efren. They were to take the trunks to Gulde's shop to see what royal garments she could make from them. There had been some beautiful dresses and petticoats, but Hugo had convinced Efren to give them to Trin rather than repurpose them to suit his needs. The dresses looked lovely on Trin, and the first time she wore a hoop skirt with petticoats, she nearly fell overboard as she spun round and round to show them off.
"Where is Gulde?" Tovey asked in lieu of greeting. "I'll take the trunks to her while you show Hugo where he'll be staying."
"He won't be staying here," Stan said, unable to hide his displeasure.
"I'll meet you here, and we'll go together." Tovey barely slowed down long enough to release Hugo's arm, leaving him standing a few feet from Stan and Bea. The trunk Stan had made fell to the sand so close to Hugo's heels it splashed sand on him.
Hugo glanced back at the trunk and then grinned at Stan. "Sturdy."
"Aye."
Hugo bowed to Bea and then extended his hand. "Good morning, Elder Beatrice."
"It's damn near afternoon, young man." She frowned and held out her arms. "Around here, we hug in greeting. It's so nice to meet you."
"Thank you. It's wonderful to be here." He locked eyes with Stan, as though asking for a reprieve from the woman's hugs, but Stan had to endure every return the same way.
"Stan tells me you don't like titles." She stepped back and looked up at him. Hugo wasn't as tall as Niall, her grandson, but he was tall enough to make her crane her neck. "What would you like me to call you?"
"Hugo. Emperor Hugo if you must. The rest are too stuffy or remind me of my mom and dad."
"Aye, if there ever was a reason to break with tradition, that would be it," Bea said. "We are very glad to have you here, Hugo. We'll have more of a chance to show you around later. For now, I want to get you to your quarters."
"Please tell me we won't be in the caves," Stan muttered under his breath.
"I thought you would prefer the caves, earth weaver."
He mulled over her words, still wondering where they could have built anything on Horseshoe Island. The land was rocky and uneven to protect the sentinel tree and prevent intruders into the cave structure below. Any excavating or construction without Jermain's knowledge of the layout would have been foolhardy.
In the time it took Stan to carry Hugo's trunk to the skiff, Tovey had returned, and they were off on their next adventure to Horseshoe Island. The coastline was still a little warped from when Niall and Bea had shifted the sands to prevent Coryn from landing there. The water was still as clear as ever, and Stan found himself drawn to it more than usual as he watched Hugo take in his surroundings.
