Cloud Rebel (R-D #3)(87)

Little did I understand at that moment that Prince Amlis would not see my inability to speak as a disability. As it turned out, he'd had a silent servant before.

"You understand Alliance common?" the Prince asked. He used a normal tone, knowing my hearing was fine and that there was no need to shout as if I were deaf, too. I nodded.

"You carry a comp-vid," he nodded toward my device. "Do you like to read?"

I nodded again—with much enthusiasm.

"I need help with my library," he said. "I need to stock and replace most of it. How would you feel about doing that? Are you familiar with history, geography and other books of learning and lore?"

My breath caught in my throat. Yes, I tapped on my comp-vid. I have many such in my comp-vid's memory, I added, tapping the words as swiftly as I could.

"Perfect," the Prince declared. "I name you Chief Librarian to the Prince. Rodrik will outline your duties and arrange for funds to buy books. Mind you, I want physical books as well as those you store in a device's memory. Every Prince should have an actual library, don't you think?"

Joy, such as I'd never known, swept through me and I wept from the intensity of that unfamiliar emotion.

*

James

I felt as if I were opening my eyes for the first time. All I recalled was the accident and the panic that came with it—before Nathan disappeared in murky water and my eyes went dark.

"You awake. This good," someone spoke. I blinked, discovering I was on dry land instead of a boat.

Nathan, his hand grasped in mine, lay next to me. I watched his eyes open before turning my gaze on our companion, who sat on the soft grass nearby. Below us, the green-carpeted ground dipped and fell away, revealing rows upon rows of trees, all of them covered in the sweetest-smelling white blossoms.

"Who?" I croaked. "Where are we?"

"I Bekzi. I keep promise to protect," our companion shrugged. He was young—and old—at the same time. How I knew that, I couldn't say.

Someone else appeared in my field of vision, walking up the hill toward us. He flashed Bekzi a wide grin. "That Gerrett," Bekzi stated. "He come to help."

"Jamie?" Nathan turned his head toward me. "Are we dead? Is this heaven?" His hand gripped mine tighter.

I couldn't deny that what I saw above and below us could be categorized as heaven—the sky was so blue I couldn't put a name to the color of it. Wisps of white clouds floated past that deepened the blue and gave me a shiver, it was so perfect. The air was so pure, too, that I couldn't fill my lungs fast enough.

"Not heaven," Bekzi chuckled. "This—is Avendor."

*





Epilogue


Breanne


The crypt was dark, but spelled against damp and mold. No dust settled on this coffin; a warlock had seen to that.

Sometime in the future, the beautifully carved and bejeweled box would be altered and its true contents hidden. I smiled at the thought before breaking the spelled seal and pulling up the lid with power. Weak light shone about the warlock's body, which was protected against decomposition.

Yes, I could scent the mundane kinship between us.

I wanted to laugh, then.

This one—he'd shown his weakness.

Holding out a hand, I separated the particles of his body. No warlock's spell could defeat the power I held. I felt the sadness of it, however—that the drug had interfered and altered the timeline to prevent this warlock's daughter from being born.

I intended to rectify that matter.

A handwritten book and another small object remained after the body disappeared. I would leave them there; they would be dealt with—for good or bad—in the future.

Instead, I focused on settling the body I'd brought with me inside the elaborate box—the body I'd placed in stasis to preserve it until the proper time arrived. Closing the coffin lid, I sealed it with a spell similar to the original.

Someday, it would be opened.

Someday, someone would be quite surprised to find the one I'd placed inside.

Most fortunate it was that I could Change What Was, no matter the circumstance.

Most fortunate, indeed.



The End