Page 194 of Rose and Shadows
“You want to cut out early?” Sylas asked, leaning over me, and unable to resist fondling my hair as he did.
Lazriel gestured at the shimmering gold scroll in his hand. “Got the goods, walked the stage, let you guys and my parents see it and memorize it forever. We’re good to go. Besides, the place I have in mind to head off to right now is gonna be a blast.” He looked at Ketheron. “And a place you’ve been looking forward to visiting.”
Ketheron’s eyes lit up and he suddenly shot up in his chair. “Let’s move.”
I laughed. “Fine. Let’s go.” I struggled to get up, having to push a little into Sylas at an angle, and only then lift myself out of the chair. The pregnancy was really far along now, so movement from certain positions was an art form in its own right.
Cassius and Sylas were on me before I’d fully made it to my feet, helping me on either side so I didn’t have to strain.
“Thanks,” I said, beaming at them.
A Lazriel surprise was just what I needed.
Before coming here, I’d been with Brandise Parker, the specialist Healer, finally attending therapy.
She’d come toGlacialis Arxto do the session.
It had been... a lot. But I had also felt a bit of a weight lifting off as I’d gotten into everything.
Ketheron was even attending therapy. After the mind-meddling he’d suffered through, and all the mentions of Corvin recently because of Morien, it had brought a lot of difficult things to the surface for him.
He’d had his session right after mine, so I’d waited there for him to make sure everything went okay for him, and because I figured he’d need some comfort afterward. I’d had his bear at the ready when he’d finished, and we’d just sat for a while together talking about light and fun things like Cloud Muffins, planning the furnishing and interiors of the rest of our castle home.
I smiled to myself as we headed away from the graduation ceremony.
We’d movedGlacialis Arxfulltime a few weeks ago when Lazriel and I had finished up our year. It was now our permanent home.
We’d shifted the entrance to the Rifted Cradle that it resided within to right next to Sylas’ log cabin home. It had seemed apt, being out of the way and enhancing the protection even more so. And Sylas had also wanted to keep the place around, given all the history there, which had now become our shared history.
Cassius created a portal once we were out of sight, and we all stepped through.
As I did, I felt a twinge in my belly.
It had been happening all morning.
Not the same as the baby kicking, more cramp-like.
I shook it off.
I was still three weeks away from my due date.
Today was all about celebration and focusing on the here and now, and that was what I was determined to do.
Sanctum Sands Beach.
That had been Lazriel’s surprise place to visit today.
The place where I’d defeated my parents and thwarted their acolytes with Cassius,Thryne, and King Darethor.
It didn’t hold pain, though.
It held a sense of victory, of liberation, of empowerment.
Ah… I’d told Lazriel as much a few weeks back when he’d randomly brought it up. Now it was clear it hadn’t been random at all. I’d even heard him asking Cassius about it, who’d told him that it wasn’t a tainted place for him either, but a mark of what happened whengood triumphed over evil.I grinned to myself. Of course Cassius had said that.
The place was packed, so many supernatural beings all over the place.
Word had gotten around over the months about our efforts in the war in bringing downPuritasand Morien, so people kept sneaking glances our way, smiles, chin lifts.
