Epilogue

EPILOGUE

He who makes the dish notices most its flaws.

~ Chef Lord Tavodar of Moortaft

"I have a quest for you, Fray," Kaylina said as morning sunlight slanted through the windows of Stillguard Castle, the fog of the previous night gone.

She moved about the kitchen carefully. Every time she twisted slightly, her side twinged where Sabor's dagger had caught her, but Penderbrock had bandaged the wound, saying it didn't need stitches. Fortunately, the spymaster had only grazed her.

Her brother yawned, pushed hair out of his eyes, and drank from a mug containing three parts honey and one part coffee. "Is it to improve upon my salmon dish? It got fewer rave reviews last night than the others, but I have some ideas."

"You can work on that, but I'd also like you to see if you can use your vast research abilities to learn what was in this and what it does." Kaylina showed him the broken vial she'd collected from the alley. The liquid in the bottom had dried, but a faint blue smudge remained.

"Uh, that's not a lot to go on."

"Yes, but you're smart, resourceful, and love puzzles. I'm certain you can figure it out."

Frayvar squinted at her. "Flattery?"

"Naturally. I thought you'd like it."

"More than Silana making marks all over my seating chart and telling me the aisles were too tight. They most certainly were not. I used math—precise computations—to choose where the tables and chairs should go."

"I thought they were perfectly placed."

"So did Sevarli." Frayvar took the vial and lifted his chin. "She complimented the food and the way I ran the kitchen."

"She either likes you or got a lot of tips and was happy."

"She said she'd come back to help again tonight."

"It could be both things."

Pink tinged Frayvar's cheeks, and he muttered, "I'm sure she doesn't like me," as he turned away.

Silana walked in so Kaylina didn't point out that a girl his age, who thought his food was good, would be a more realistic person to pursue a relationship with than Lady Ghara.

"Oh, there you are, Kaylina."

"Here I am." On the outside, Kaylina smiled, but she braced herself for censure about how late she'd gotten home. By the time she'd returned the night before, all the patrons had been gone, and the dishes had been washed. Being kidnapped and locked in a cell was a good excuse for being gone, but… Kaylina didn't plan to tell her sister about any of that.

"We missed you last night," Silana said.

"Especially for the cleanup," Frayvar said, though he was studying the vial by the light of a window.

"I'm sorry. I'll handle it all tonight." After her adventures, Kaylina might need a nap before they opened for the evening, but she wanted to make up her absence to her siblings— especially Frayvar, who'd had to endure a horribly maligned seating chart.

"Despite your noticeable absence," Silana said, "the evening was quite successful. I'll report that to Grandma."

Kaylina almost swooned with relief. With so much else going on, she hadn't realized how tense she'd felt over her sister's visit, over the dreaded report she would take back home. She made a mental note to thank Vlerion for putting the word out to the aristocrats and whoever else he'd told about the grand opening.

"We got more bulk orders for your mead," Frayvar added. "I hope it's safe enough for you to venture into the preserve to gather gallons of honey. We'll need it."

"I…" Kaylina imagined showing up in that valley with a cart pulled by taybarri—taybarri who expected a cut of the honey for themselves. She might have to go on an expedition in search of more hives left by the druids. "I'll see what I can do. I need to visit Vlerion later and take his mother some mead."

A bribe to ensure further kidnapping attempts didn't occur.

"We're raising the price," Frayvar said. "With our supply so limited, we'll have to charge more."

"I'm not charging Vlerion's mother."

"Didn't you say she was behind your kidnapping attempts? I'd charge her double."

"Kidnapping?" Silana asked.

"Nothing." Kaylina laughed and waved away the notion while shooting a glare at her brother. "Just a joke."

He made a face but didn't naysay her.

"The people up here are having an influence on you," Silana said. "They're rough. Some of the men and women who visited last night had the demeanor and manner of pirates."

"If you mean the table of guys who kept pinching your butt," Frayvar said, "those were nobles. They're pompous and arrogant. It's why groups of commoners are rebelling."

"Ghastly," Silana said. "At least they tipped well."

Kaylina wondered if she could convince the plant to do some mild defending of any staff who were treated poorly by handsy customers. A vine wrapping around a wrist might startle even a pompous aristocrat into good behavior.

"Anyway," Silana said, "I'll take my leave soon. It looks like you have some decent helpers to run the services, and I miss my husband and children. It's such a long voyage to get up here. I don't know why you had to cross the entire kingdom to prove yourself."

"The capital seemed a good place for it," Kaylina said.

"Hm."

"Thank you for coming up to help us." Kaylina lifted her arms for a hug. "Even if you were also spying on us."

Silana snorted but didn't deny it. She returned the embrace.

Frayvar glanced over and, perhaps afraid the hug would be contagious, fled the kitchen.

After they stepped apart, Kaylina said, "When you're back at the Gull, if you see a green-haired man, you might mention that I exist and would like to see him."

" Any green-haired man? Or the particular one?"

"The particular one, though I suppose I'd be curious to meet any of them." It was the truth, since Kaylina had more questions than she could wrangle, but she doubted a man who wasn't related to her would sail a thousand miles and more to the north for a chat with her.

"I'll keep my eyes out," Silana said.

"Thank you."

Once her sister departed, Kaylina delved into the cellar to select a bottle of mead to take to Havartaft Estate. Even though the cooks there were doubtless plying Vlerion with good food, she also boxed up some of Frayvar's bread and leftover lamb for him. She'd tasted them and knew how delicious they were. If the meadery turned out to be a success, she would owe her brother a great deal for it, for drawing so many people with his food.

Kaylina remembered to set out a dish of milk in case the cat who'd helped her came by. It showed up immediately, trailed by ten more, a ragtag bunch with mangy fur and torn ears. They surged to the milk dish like piranhas in the Bloody Basin near the Vamorka Islands.

A stronger-than-usual purple glow from the tower indicated the plant was watching over the premises—or watching over her. It didn't communicate with her, but she sensed an emotion coming from it. Satisfaction? Over how she'd handled the night's events? Maybe it was pleased she was drawing upon her druid power to inveigle help from trees, plants, and seaweed.

A cat licked its lips, meowed, and weaved between her legs.

"Yes, and animals too," Kaylina murmured.

Before leaving, she gave the plant more honey water. It glowed at her with contentment.

If only she could use her burgeoning power to keep Vlerion from getting in trouble over Spymaster Sabor's death.

"Thanks for coming with me," Kaylina said as she rode on Levitke beside Sergeant Zhani and her mount.

They were heading north to Havartaft estate, the afternoon sky a pale blue, the sun warming their faces. Kaylina wore a dress and sandals instead of blacks, and the sword was in a holder instead of belted at her waist, so she didn't feel like a proper ranger on the big taybarri, but Levitke didn't mind. Her hind end sashayed as she walked, her tail swishing back and forth.

"I don't really think there will be kidnappers waiting for me, but if Vlerion explained his reason for being exiled here to his mother, she might have changed her mind about me."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't entirely my idea."

"Targon sent you?"

"To make sure Lord Vlerion is where he's supposed to be and that the two of you don't decide to… what did he say? Hare off somewhere together ." Zhani slanted a long look at her. "I don't know what happened last night, but the captain was back and forth to the castle three times this morning, scowling every time."

"He scowls most of the time."

"I believe that's usually when he's dealing with you. He gives me a nod and a polite Good morning, Sergeant Zhaniyan when I see him. Though the nod is occasionally more toward my boobs."

"He's an ass."

"Sometimes." Zhani smiled faintly, like she might not entirely agree.

Kaylina wagered her boobs agreed. "We're not going to hare off anywhere." She meant that but felt wistful at the notion. "Unless the king or spymaster's disciple sends an execution squad out here to kill Vlerion."

Zhani blinked. "Is that likely to happen?"

"I hope not."

A worried furrow creased the sergeant's brow.

Since Kaylina couldn't wave dismissively and claim it had been a joke, she forced a smile and said, "If we did want to hare off, would your homeland be a good place? It sounds vast and like it would be easy to avoid pursuers."

"It's vast without much water, so it's easy to die if you don't know where the oases and rivers are. The summers are brutal, the winters are cold—though not as cold as here, I'll admit—and the nomadic tribes are cantankerous and dangerous, whether you're behind city walls or not."

"If those sage assassins come out of those tribes, I believe you. Do you ever miss it, or is it better here?" Kaylina waved to indicate the Strait of Torn Towers, the valley, and the mountains, their peaks still snow smothered despite summer's arrival.

"I don't mind it here. I do miss my family, but… it's safer for me here." Zhani bit her lip and, for a moment, looked like she might explain, but instead she patted her sword. "Captain Targon suggested I continue your training while we're out here. He said Lord Vlerion is too injured to entertain you for long."

"Is that so?" Thoughts of her fight with Sabor came to mind, and her gut churned at the memory of delivering a killing blow. Kaylina didn't long to wield the sword anymore and again thought wistfully of escaping. Or at least returning to Stillguard Castle to start planning her next batch of mead. That was far more appealing work than sword fighting.

"Something about contraindications." Zhani shrugged.

Kaylina snorted but dropped the subject. They'd reached the circular driveway that led to the manor, and neither butler nor servant stood in the doorway. Instead, Lady Isla herself awaited them. Kaylina examined the topiaries and trees dotting the manicured front lawn but didn't see any kidnappers poised to spring.

Isla's face was as grave as ever as she lifted a hand to greet them, but she surprised Kaylina with a smile as they approached. After Kaylina dismounted and offered the bottle of mead, Isla stepped forward and hugged her.

"I'm glad you could come this afternoon." Isla accepted the bottle, holding it reverently to her chest, and nodded to include Zhani. They must have met at some point before. "Vlerion is restless."

"Already?" Kaylina asked. "His exile just started last night. Did he even arrive here before dawn?"

"Shortly after. He's relaxing out back—his doctor and I both ordered him to do so until his injuries heal—but he's a man of action. He's flipping his dagger and looking longingly toward the mountains, like he hopes hordes of Kar'ruk will invade the kingdom at any moment."

"That is typical behavior of many rangers," Zhani said. "We are trained to always be prepared for enemy attacks."

"Perhaps so, but I'm sure Vlerion would delight in having female company to distract his ranger mind."

"Some female company more than others." Zhani smirked at Kaylina and pointed toward the stable. "I brought training equipment. I'll set it up for later while you visit with him."

Kaylina glanced at Isla, wondering if she would object to Kaylina being alone with Vlerion. Given their tendency to be drawn to each other and leap into kissing and touching, his mother might prefer a chaperone.

Not remarking on that, Isla said, "I'll have some snacks brought out to go with your mead. Or perhaps some of our mead. We'll save this for a special occasion." Isla patted the bottle from Stillguard Castle. "And possibly only for me."

Kaylina didn't object. She was glad Vlerion's mother enjoyed her mead.

After Zhani moved away, Isla pointed around the house. "You'll find him back there. Maybe you can discuss ideas for lifting his curse."

The belief that Kaylina could do that shone in Isla's eyes.

Though glad to have her faith, Kaylina didn't yet know how to do what they both wished.

All she said was, "An excellent topic."

"Yes."

Kaylina left Levitke with Zhani and followed a path around the house. She'd been that way before but hadn't wandered down the flagstone trails that branched off, meandering through gardens of flowering bushes. Bees, butterflies, and birds flitted about, enjoying the area.

At first, she didn't see Vlerion, but one of the trails continued farther behind the house to a small lake, the water almost hidden by reeds growing in the shallows. The flagstones led to a dock that stretched through a gap in the reeds, widening to a square platform at the end with a rowboat tied up next to a diving board. Vlerion and his brother must have played out there as boys.

Now, Vlerion lay on a lounge chair with his shirt off and his feet bare. A book and the dagger he must have been flipping earlier rested beside the chair, but his eyes were closed. Though relaxed, his body always emanated power, reminding Kaylina of a panther that could switch from lounging in the sun to springing upon enemies at any second.

As she approached, she admired his muscled chest. Bandages covered some of the cuts and burns, but she could see plenty of his lean form, and her libido bestirred itself. She imagined walking up and straddling him on the chair, pressing her hands to his shoulders, and leaning down to kiss him. Such positioning probably wasn't properly reverent, but the thought of it was arousing.

Kaylina didn't think she made noise as she stepped from the flagstones to the dock, but Vlerion's head turned, his blue eyes finding hers. She blushed at her thoughts.

He nodded toward her, looking at her dress—or maybe her body—and letting his gaze linger with appreciation. That gaze heated her as much as thoughts of straddling and kissing, and she couldn't help but notice how much privacy the foliage provided back here.

If only…

Vlerion sighed, perhaps thinking the same, and sat up. "Thank you for visiting."

"Of course. Your mom is going to have someone make us snacks but not, she warned me, the mead I brought. She's keeping that for herself."

"So we get something inferior?" His eyes crinkled, and he patted the cushion next to him. He might have winced ever so slightly as the movement made his wounds twinge, but he masked his expression quickly.

Kaylina wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be tough for her, but stoicism was spoken about often in the ranger handbook. He probably didn't know how to show his pain.

"Probably mead made on your estate." She waved in the direction of hives in the fields between the highway and the manor.

"Ours isn't dreadful, but it's not made from druid honey."

"Few varieties are."

Kaylina sat beside him, their hips touching, his bare torso drawing her gaze again. Using a separate chair would have been safer, but there wasn't one on the dock.

"Do you have a shirt?" she asked.

"Does my nude torso offend you?"

"No, and that's the problem." She lifted a hand, tempted to touch him, to stroke and caress him, but when she spotted the flare of interest in his eyes, she lowered it again.

"Ah." A hint of sadness replaced the interest. "I suppose I shouldn't suggest you remove your dress and swim in the lake then."

"Definitely not. It's not that warm anyway, especially given how cold the waters in this part of the kingdom are."

"And I can't even offer to warm you up afterward. It's a tragic state we find ourselves in."

"I know." Kaylina clasped his hand, hoping that would be safe, that it wouldn't lead to temptation.

Vlerion accepted her grip, and they arranged themselves to sit shoulder to shoulder, gazing out at ducks paddling in the lake.

"Your mom wants us to discuss lifting the curse. She seems to have faith now that I can do it."

"Yes. She shared her version of your adventure last night. I'm thankful that you watched out for her even though she tried to betray you. You may not want to be a ranger, but you've all the honor and courage that we value. That I value." Vlerion's eyes flared again, interested and intense, and he brought her hand to his lips to brush them over her knuckles.

A zing of awareness swept up her arm, making her tingle all over, the urge to kiss him returning.

"I just talked a muskrat into helping us," she said to dismiss her role as having been that great.

He didn't look away. "A muskrat is not what allowed you to defeat Sabor last night in that alley."

"No, that time it was a cat."

Vlerion snorted softly. Since he'd been unconscious, he wouldn't have seen the cat and didn't know that it had indeed played a role in her surviving that confrontation. Since his eyes were so full of gratitude—and was that even admiration?—for her, she didn't continue to downplay what she'd done.

"I can't regret that the spymaster is dead," Kaylina said, "but I shouldn't have let you take the blame for that."

"Let me?" His eyebrow twitched. "I did not seek your permission before doing so."

"No, and that was rude."

"Or maybe noble."

"Rudely and presumptively noble."

"I am, as you've so often pointed out, a haughty aristocrat. We're trained from birth to be presumptively noble."

"That I believe."

Vlerion lowered their clasped hands to gaze more seriously at her. "I had to protect you, Kaylina. Not only from blades but from less tangible but equally threatening dangers. Besides, my station and service to the kingdom should… if not armor me fully from repercussions, make them less severe than you would have endured."

"Hence why you've been promptly exiled."

"Exiled instead of executed."

"For now," she said softly.

He might have more inkling of how he would be treated than she, but he couldn't know for certain what the future held for him either.

"Yes. I'll deal with whatever blowback comes. After all, it's not like I didn't try to kill him myself." Vlerion raised his hand, curling his fingers to indicate claws. "If the magic hadn't faded at that moment, I would have."

"I regret ordering you—the beast—after him. I was just…" Kaylina bit her lip.

"Trying to deter him from celebrating his victory by mating with you," Vlerion said grimly.

"Yes, but I've now twice promised the beast that we would mate if he did what I wanted. I feel like I'm betraying him every time I show up."

Vlerion squeezed her hand. "You should do whatever you must to keep him from hurting you or forcing you to do anything. I wouldn't forgive myself if I woke up as a man with you underneath me and…" Eyes bleak, he looked away. "I wouldn't forgive myself if the beast hurt you," he murmured.

Even though he said it was okay for her to make false promises to the beast, her feelings of guilt lingered. It wasn't as if they were entirely different beings. Betraying the beast also felt like betraying Vlerion.

Kaylina leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "While you're resting and enjoying your exile, I'll find the answer we both long for."

She also felt guilty that she'd been promising that for a while and hadn't had the time to do much research. But now that she'd realized and accepted that she had druid power, she believed she was closer to a solution.

"Then we can be together," she murmured. "Me and you , the man."

"I do appreciate that you added that clarification." Vlerion wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"The beast isn't who I fantasize about when I see him naked."

"Since we can't let ourselves get too worked up, I won't ask you for details of your fantasies." His eyelids drooped as he gazed at her, promising he wanted to.

"You might not like them. They're not reverent."

"Imagine my shock."

"Captain Targon wouldn't approve."

"I won't be consulting Targon when we can finally be together."

"Good." Kaylina gazed up at him, tempted by the lips that weren't far from her eyes.

With his lids still drooped, she knew he was tempted too.

Fortunately, one of the servants arrived then, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks. A second man followed him, wordlessly toting a chair up the dock. He set it down and waved that Kaylina could use it, which made her wonder if the reeds didn't offer as much privacy as she believed.

Lady Isla might have faith that Kaylina could one day lift the curse, but she probably intended to keep an eye on her son, especially while he was on the estate, to make sure nothing too arousing happened in the meantime.

Understandable. Kaylina selected a couple of triangle-shaped sandwiches for herself and sat in the chair opposite Vlerion. It was safer that way.

He raised a glass toward her in a rueful salute of acknowledgment. But he watched her over the rim as he drank, his eyes promising that they would one day be together.

THE END

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story! If you're ready for more, The Curse and the Crown wraps up in Book 4, Scions of Change .