Page 49 of Earthbound

‘Go back to your homes,’ Furi shouted to her citizens. ‘Let your conscience rest easy knowing justice was served well this night.’

As the fae began to disperse, Pila arrived.

I’m so glad you’re here. Yeeran buried her face into her fur. She didn’t mourn Motogo’s death–they had never been particularly warm to her–but she was still shaken.

Two murders in one night, is not a very good night, Pila said grimly.

No, it is not.

Pila looked at Malak. The elf hadn’t moved. Did Rayan turn him into a stone too?

Thankfully not, though I’ve no idea where we go from here.

Furi noticed Yeeran watching him. ‘You know we can’t let him go back to the elves, right?’

Yeeran didn’t meet her eye. There was so much left unspoken between them. And now this. Death haunted them both.

‘Make sure he’s taken care of, though,’ Yeeran said. What else could she do? Malak had been privy to a crime that would bring war down on Mosima.

‘Take Malak to the prison,’ Furi said to Anyah. ‘And give him provisions to last a few days.’

This brought Malak out of his shock. ‘I am a prisoner of war now?’

‘You are a guest, being assigned new quarters,’ Rayan said placidly.

‘Yeeran, are you really going to let them do this? What about all our work?’

‘The treaty turned to ash the moment the obeah was killed,’ Yeeran said honestly. ‘And that, Malak, is not my fault.’ For a second she saw Malak’s temper flare in the depths of his eyes. She flinched from the heat of it, but then it cooled as quickly as it came.

‘Motogo did not do this, you’ll see,’ he said, and Yeeran believed him. ‘But do what you have to do.’ Then he let himself be led away.

Once the woodland was empty of all fae, Rayan turned to the grieving Zayed. ‘Do you have family nearby that you can go to?’

He nodded, tears still streaming down his face.

Rayan called forward another faeguard. ‘Escort him home. Have another soldier carry his love.’

‘No,’ Furi said. ‘Amnan will carry her–if you would let him.’

Yeeran was shocked. It was an intimate thing to touch an obeah you were not bound to. It was a sacred rule that respected the sanctity of the binding. When Amnan had reached for Yeeran in the past she had known how exceptional the moment was and she’d cherished it.

Zayed bowed low. ‘You honour her,’ he said, his voice raw.

Furi beckoned Amnan who had arrived with Pila. Then she removed her cloak and tenderly wrapped Cely in it, veiling her nakedness.

Silent tears fell down Furi’s face and Yeeran wanted to go to her, but she was unsure whether she should. ‘I don’t want you to misunderstand what this is,’ Furi had said.

So she stood apart from the fae and watched as Furi and Rayan positioned Cely on Amnan’s back.

Once she was secure, Zayed turned to Furi and said, ‘Thank you.’

In those two words were an ocean of gratitude. She had sated his vengeance before it had consumed him. Furi had claimed another loyalist for life.

Amnan left with Zayed by his side.

Now it was just Furi, Rayan, Pila and Yeeran left. And Motogo’s body.

The only sound was the flapping of the star glider wings, until Furi spoke, ‘I killed another chieftain.’ Her voice cracked at the end.