The night was winding down, and the tavern remained a cacophony of merriment, the air thick with celebratory spirit and the lingering smells of mead and woodsmoke. We were all pretty loaded, myself and Zephyr included, though he held his drink with supernatural grace. The revelry was chaotic but joyous.
Over at one of the tables.
Miri and Setil had moved from tearfully making up (after Miri had been completely sidelined by Setil's abrupt acceptance of Stuart) to tearfully fighting again, fueled by the wine. And sitting awkwardly between his new bride's fiercely protective brothers was Stuart Boolt, who looked increasingly miserable as they questioned every aspect of his character and finances, gesticulating wildly with full cups in hand.
The drama was a perfect distraction for the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, I couldn't stop myself from making constant, bold contact with my new husband under the table, a clear signal of my intentions.
My impatience was a physical, buzzing energy, having been forced to abstain for the traditional seven/eight days before the wedding. At one point, Zephyr had to firmly stop me from making a complete spectacle of myself and crawling under the table in a desperate bid for privacy. Once again, he proved his iron will, capable of restraint even when visibly enjoying my playful aggression.
Above the din, a new voice cut through. Miri soon took to the stage, her voice surprisingly steady, singing new songs Ciren had taught her, moving away from the usual tavern ballads. Ciren explained it was a song in a language supposedly spoken by the ancients.
Alles Lebeyndige stirbt eineis Tagues
Ob wir zum Stevrben bereit sinud oder nicht, derg...
It sounded like utter nonsense, but a beautifully rhythmic and haunting one, fitting for the late hour and the deep shadows outside.
Finally, Zephyr leaned in, his warm breath sending a shiver across my ear. "Hey.. let's leave this lot.. hmm? I think we've paid our dues." He had finally said the words I'd been waiting all night to hear.
"Fuck, yea."
I didn't bother with whispering; I wanted my husband, and I've waited more than enough. My sharp reply made him laugh, a deep, satisfied sound.
"Give me a minute... Demelza!?" He called out, and she immediately left a visibly disappointed Alex alone on the dance floor to come to us.
"Yea, I'm here," she said, her eyes already twinkling with knowledge of where we were headed.
"I need to talk to Carlos; he wanted something important to say, but just then Marcus challenged me so... I need to catch him before he slips away. Anyway, take Lylly to get some air please, sister? She looks like she's about to pass out from all the well-wishing."
"Leave her to me. Come, Mrs. Astoria, let's go." The way Demelza said my new name made me glow.
I felt fine, but I also felt my face on fire—a combination of the heat, the wine, and the sheer tension of the night. Some cold air might just be what's needed to steel myself for the rest of the night. I put my coat on but didn't bother buttoning it, walking out into the sharp night with the close support of Demelza.
~
The air was crisp and cool, the temperature having dropped significantly, but thankfully, the snow was compacted and firm. It was exactly what I needed to snap me out of the wine-induced haze.
"What a night," I sighed. With Demelza's hand on my shoulder, we both looked up at the twin moons blanketing the world in their light blue light. We enjoyed the sight and the seldom noises of the night coming from howling idiots celebrating us or themselves or both.
We were far enough from the tavern to hear other sounds, and that's when we heard it—a low, melodic sound carried by the wind:
Istenrv nvrotalsn Zephyrka idhi...
It sounded like a chant, or almost singing. My breath caught. I heard Zephyr's name, and Demelza's sharp, fearful look confirmed that she had too.
"What is that...?" she whispered, her hand tightening on my coat.
I put my hand up, silencing her, and we walked closer, drawn by a primal curiosity. The sound was coming from the narrow space between two houses that had been finished just months ago.
...osi!! Zephyrka uo...
It was a low, distorted second voice that seemed to be answering the chanting. My intoxication vanished, replaced by a cold dread. Between the two houses, a fierce, deep purple light illuminated a distinct silhouette of a tall man... a really tall man.
Marcus!
Demelza yanked us slowly behind the house so we couldn't be seen by the source of the light, but that meant we couldn't see exactly what he was doing either.
The chant grew louder, more focused, then peaked with two piercing words:
ki kosmo Ehliteka... Scipio! SCIPIO!!
And the answer, deep and resonant:
...Scipio...
The terrifying voice came again. The light flared violently once, then faded completely. Soon, heavy, rhythmic footsteps were heard. We crouched, listening as the footsteps slowly faded away, crunching the snow underneath as the man departed.
Demelza was shaking, so was I, and it was impossible to tell if the trembling was from the biting cold or the sheer terror of hearing that demonic voice respond to a man we had just welcomed into our home.
~
We rushed back towards the tavern, trying to regain a semblance of normalcy. Zephyr had already finished his talk with Carlos and was waiting for us with a slight frown of impatience.
"What's wrong.. why the face? You were gone too long," he asked, his suspicion palpable.
I forced my most natural, wide smile. "My stomach... too much sauce. I needed a minute to... recover."
He tilted his head, his suspicion not entirely erased, seeing me and then looking at Demelza, who immediately hid her face in her husband's arm.
Alexander was right before: he was suspicious. I scanned the leftover crowd, but Marcus was nowhere to be seen.
"What did Carlos want?" I asked, successfully redirecting his sharp focus.
"Uh.. guess who's ready to head back to Dharma and divorce a certain someone?" Zephyr replied, relief washing over his features as he shared the good news.
I was genuinely shocked. "Carlos is ready to...? Just a few days ago, he seemed so lost."
"He said seeing us this happy," he pulled me close, tenderly caressing my face, "made him... scared. He realized he can't put off his own happiness any longer. My love, things finally came together for all of us, didn't they?"
He looked so happy and at peace, totally unaware of the shadow we had just witnessed.
"I'm happy, my love. Give me one more minute, and you can take me home," I whispered.
I gave him a long kiss, then grabbed Demelza and Alexander, and pulled them abruptly inside the room my family had slept for over a week.
I looked at Demelza immediately. "Have you told him?"
She shook her head, clinging to Alexander.
I closed my eyes, trying to think clearly despite the wine, remembering Zephyr's earlier advice to be more cautious. If I tell him, it will ruin tonight... and that's the best-case scenario. There's always a chance he just kills Marcus to be done with it... shit, shit...
"Okay... since now it's the three of us, I'll say... We shouldn't tell him, Lylly," Alexander cut me off, walking towards the window and continued. "That man is strong. That fight proved that. But, this...? He is also a Blessed. That light you saw... that voice of a demon? He is no ordinary fellow."
Alexander looked back at us, his drunken confusion replaced by a worried intensity. "I'm afraid, once told, Lylly, it might open up things better left alone... like who he was before he became Zephyr. Maybe that guy is an ally or an enemy, we don't know. But one thing is for sure... he knows him, Lylly. He knows him, and they only met today."
"So what is your actual plan... just lie to him about everything?" I demanded.
"No... I don't know..." he was too drunk to formulate a proper strategy. "...we have too much on our plate. Adding some guy who leaves tomorrow morning might not be the best idea."
"What if he returns, Alex?" Demelza argued, regaining her voice.
"Are you suggesting that there is anyone who can defeat him? I mean, outright defeat him when he is serious?" Alexander challenged. She had nothing to add.
"I believe whatever this turns out to be, he will be able to handle the fallout. Besides, we still don't know anything. You heard words you didn't understand, and the man mentioned his name." He kept looking anxiously at the door. "Lylly, as his wife, it's ultimately up to you. We need to hurry; he will get suspicious... he already is."
I closed my eyes again and weighted things. Alexander was right. The sheer power of Zephyr's blessing meant he could handle any physical threat, but the mental cost of confronting his past, right now, on our wedding night, was too high.
"Fine. We keep this to ourselves. If anybody knows, it's because one of us blabbed. Let's go." I paused. "Wait... if he asks why were we in here so long?"
The Jartok family looked more or less the same when shrugging.
"We tell him it's about marital troubles... between you two. Something embarrassing and private. Play along, well, if he asks... Understood?"
They nodded solemnly. We were now a party to a big secret that couldn't ever reach him. I just hoped me lying just a few hours after we married wouldn't piss him off.