27. Cadmus

"What the hell did you do?" I glared at my uncle, furious at the thought Arim might have ensorcelled my affai. We'd landed in Tanselm, and Ellie still hadn't woken. I cradled her closer to my chest.

"I had to transport us to Tanselm, Cadmus. How exactly did you think I intended to do so?"

Eyeing the satisfaction in my uncle's gaze, I knew the wily sorcerer had done more than transport us home. Then Ellie moaned and blinked up at me.

"Finally. Are you okay?" I kissed her, relieved.

"I, ah, I guess." She wavered on unsteady feet and stared in confusion at her new surroundings.

The small clearing in which we stood sat just outside the western kingdom's north wall. We must have arrived mid-eve, for the sun descended over Morn Mountain to the east, the steady, warmer temperature a welcome relief from Seattle's frigid version of spring. Birds chirped and bees hummed, and the sweet scent of leraffescoming into bloom made my head spin with joy. I wanted to revel in my homecoming, awash in the familiar and much-missed sensations of home. But worry for Ellie tainted my pleasure.

"What did you do to her?" I asked my uncle again.

"What I needed to do," Arim challenged, but I refused to back down.

"Look, uncle or not, if you're fucking with my affai because you can't handle the Dark, think again." Ripples of power surged through me, Tanselm's welcome more than effusive.

Though it had been over a year since my last visit, I knew for a fact I'd never felt such strength. I tested my power and watched with grim approval as nearby roots shot with incredible speed through the green grass to wrap around Arim, imprisoning the startled sorcerer. I held him fast with the psychic energy humming within the land itself.

By the Light, the rush was extraordinary.

"Interesting." Arim made no move to free himself. He watched me with curiosity. "What now, Earth Lord? Going to beat the answers out of me?"

I gathered Ellie to me and hugged her. "I'd like nothing better. Now tell me what you did to her or I'm going to —"

"Cadmus!" yelled one of my brothers.

Protecting Ellie within my arms, I waited cautiously for my brothers' approach. Darius and Marcus strode from a secret entrance in the north wall. They stopped in surprise upon seeing Arim covered from neck to toe in tree roots, his body several feet off the ground.

"Oh, this looks like fun." Darius chuckled.

Marcus grinned evilly at my uncle and said to me, "Cadmus, nice to see you back home where you belong."

"Well, I figured things were most likely going to hell here without me, so I had to come back." My pleasure in being with my brothers again eased some of my rage at my interfering uncle. "It's good to see you two."

Ellie cleared her throat, and all eyes turned to her.

With pride, I introduced her. "I'd like you to meet my affai, Ellie Storm." I loved the blush on her cheeks.

"Ellie Storm?" she murmured.

Darius smirked. "Who'd have guessed?"

"Nice to see you too, Darius. How's Samantha?" Ellie earned a grin from Darius at mention of his affai.

"She's fine, I'm sure," Arim interrupted in measured tones. "Now unleash this ancient trunk before I'm forced to kill some of Tanselm's living forest."

I unclenched my will, and the roots released Arim, streaking back into the ground. The grasses covered what holes had formed, making it appear as if nothing had happened.

Marcus whistled. "Nice work. It seems we aren't the only ones with increased power." He gave Ellie a subtle onceover. "It appears your affai is indeed much more than just a pretty face."

Darius grunted. "Yeah, she's a knockout, and she's Djinn. First Aerolus with Alandra, now Cadmus with Ellie. Too bad we don't have another brother. Then we might welcome a Dark Lord into the family."

I saw the humor in the situation. Even Ellie smiled.

Arim watched the group silently, his gaze disapproving.

Marcus broke the sudden tension. "Okay then. Time to see Mother. She's been out of her mind with worry since the last Netharat attack."

"When was that?"

Ellie and I joined the others, and our group entered the entrance into the kingdom. The door closed behind us, magically protected and sealed with an invisibility spell. A dark passageway opened before us, one that tunneled under the kingdom, branching into several strategic exits as well as leading directly into the main keep. Darius held a small ball of flame to lead the way. Ellie walked by my side, and Arim and Marcus brought up the rear.

Darius spoke. "The Netharat hit again just a few days ago. A weak attempt to divert our attention from the west. They struck at your territory, Cadmus."

"The north," I clarified for Ellie.

"Of course, that attack was nothing on the one we struck when Aerolus nearly bit it."

I gaped. "What?"

Darius filled me in as we walked through the narrow stone passage that would take us right into the heart of the castle.

I squeezed Ellie's hand, pleased when she squeezed back. As happy as I felt to finally be home, I worried about Ellie's impression of Tanselm. Seattle had been her world for her entire life. In just a short span of time, she'd been hit hard with the Djinn culture, then was jerked out of it only to be shoved into Light Bringer central. Hell, I'd had a hard enough time adjusting to Foreia, and I was used to magic. I could only hope Ellie had an easier time here.

Are you doing okay? I asked her.

I'm fine. Tanselm seems very welcoming. Being down here in the cool dark feels really, really good. It's like a big cocoon of magic.

Too warm for you outside?

I could feel her shrug. I'll adapt. I always do.

"You know, you could have just teleported us into the castle instead of making us walk the long way," Marcus complained to Arim.

"But where would the fun, brotherly camaraderie be?" Arim said with fake cheer. "So Ellie, what do you think of Tanselm so far?"

"It's ripe with magic."

"That it is."

"It's a lot like Foreia, actually." She sounded surprised, and I watched the academic within her come to life. "That feeling of power brims in the soil beneath your feet. You probably don't notice it so much since you're used to it. But trust me, it's very different from Seattle."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Arim's speculative gaze. I wished I knew what my uncle had really done to my affai, but I knew I'd get no answers from him. Maybe Aerolus could look at Ellie later and shed some light.

A subtle probe brushed my mind, and I immediately withdrew into myself, using the techniques Lexa had taught me to shield myself.

Odd that I would automatically turn to the teachings of a Dark Lord in my homeworld. Odder still I didn't instinctively turn to Arim for help. Concern for my affai overwhelmed me, the sudden thought that I had brought her into danger untenable.

Acute pain lanced through my skull, and I stumbled as visions overtook me.

My mother's welcoming face, her green eyes blazing with love and affection. Then she lay still, unmoving on the cold stone floor, her dress scorched above her heart, the burn of blue flame still smoking while her attacker fled the scene. Shouts and incriminations, tears. Samantha and Tessa leaned over Mother as Darius and Marcus shouted the alarm. And there, behind them, Ellie backing away, guilt stealing over her face as she continued to apologize over and over. She glanced up at Jonas with tears in her eyes and murmured something I couldn't quite make out.

"Cadmus." Ellie breathed a sigh of relief when I blinked up at her.

Up at her? "What am I doing on the ground?"

"You tripped over your own two feet, you clod," Darius growled. "What the hell happened?"

"A vision?" Marcus asked.

Aware everyone waited for me to speak, I couldn't keep from studying Ellie, wondering what in the hell that vision had meant. My mother hurt? Ellie involved? Had she been guilty of not reacting quickly enough or of perpetrating the attack?

"Cadmus, are you all right?" Arim asked quietly.

I glanced at my uncle. Should I share this vision with the others? But they'd surely turn on Ellie. Though Darius and Marcus didn't seem to mind her Djinn nature, and Aerolus would welcome her regardless, Arim was another matter.

Deciding to keep what I'd seen to myself, I said, "I'm good. Sorry. I had a weird vision of Mother crying and welcoming me home, and it threw me."

"Well, be glad she's just crying. She nearly knocked me on my ass to welcome Samantha when we walked through the door," Darius said.

Marcus chuckled. "Hell, Darius, we all wanted to congratulate Samantha. I still can't believe you found a woman who can tolerate you."

"Me? You're one to talk, you pompous water-walker."

"Here we go," I said to Ellie as my brothers started in on each other. The argument grew in volume as we traveled toward the castle.

"So tedious." Arim sighed, but a smile curved his lips all the same.

Ellie smothered a laugh when Darius suddenly turned to her. "Tell him, Ellie. Tell him what an outstanding bartender I really was."

"Ah, yeah. You did a good job."

"A good job?" Darius glared, his eyes flaming red and glowing in the dark. "I took home huge tips."

"That's because the women wanted in your pants," Marcus said dryly. "Had nothing to do with your uncanny ability to serve drinks."

Darius turned to her again, but Ellie shook her head. "Sorry, Darius, but he's right. Now I was an amazing bartender."

Darius scoffed and drew Ellie into a heated debate about clients, tips, and the art of pouring a decent drink.

Hmm. Had I really missed my idiot brothers?

"So, dirt-for-brains, what the hell have you been doing with yourself since we've been gone?" Marcus asked me.

"Oh, I've been busy. Making deals with the Djinn, seducing their leader's daughter, dancing with wraiths." I glanced over my shoulder to see Arim's eyes narrow dangerously.

Marcus blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, he is." Arim growled, clapped once, and we suddenly appeared in my mother's chambers, where she sat talking with Samantha and Tessa, her daughters by marriage. "You four are giving me a headache. Cadmus, go greet your mother. Introduce her to your affai properly."

Surprised Arim wanted me to admit my ties to Ellie, I pushed my disturbing vision to the back of my mind. I took Ellie's hand, and we approached my stunned mother. I bowed gracefully. Before I could speak, Mother had me in her arms, crushing me in a hug.

"You're choking me." I coughed, trying to breathe, and heard laughter behind me.

"Where have you been, Cadmus? I've been worried sick!" My mother pushed me back and stared from the top of my head to my leather Djinn boots. "And who is this lovely young woman, hmm?" Her impish grin told me she already knew, but the delight in her eyes made it hard not to go along with her.

"Mother, I have the great pleasure of introducing to you my affai, Elliara."

"Elliara?" Darius murmured, and Samantha elbowed him in the stomach to be quiet.

Ellie blushed but stepped closer to Mother. "Just Ellie, actually. It's a pleasure, ma'am, ah, Your Highness."

Alandra and Aerolus suddenly appeared, hand in hand.

"Might as well start calling her Mom," Alandra said with a grin.

"Man, I hate when they do that," Tessa said as she joined hands with Marcus. "Freaks me out."

"I have all my children together, and such beautiful brides. Ellie," Mother said, tears in her eyes. "Welcome to the family." She embraced Ellie with a sincerity that made my own eyes burn, and I had to blink rapidly to keep from looking like a lovesick idiot.

Fortunately, everyone was watching my mother and Ellie. The pleasure on Ellie's face at being accepted made my homecoming more than special, and I couldn't thank my mother enough for her warmth and love. By the Light's breath, I'd missed her.

"It's so good to be home again," I said thickly, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yes, it is." She linked one arm through Ellie's and the other through mine. "This calls for a celebration."

Marcus groaned. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Hey, at least you don't have to procure several barrels of rare cinarum," Aerolus complained. "That ale is expensive and ridiculously difficult to fabricate."

Alandra chuckled. "Not really. He just likes to grumble to feel duly appreciated."

Aerolus gave his affai a look, one that had her batting her eyes in innocence.

"You see, Arim? I told you everything would work out." Mother beamed, looking around at all of us. "So much joy in our house again. How I've missed it."

Arim's gaze settled on Ellie, and he pursed his lips. "Everything is working out. I just wished I knew for whom."