Sala was somewhat glad to hear that.

Chapter Four.

When the main settlement of Sylph Valley was first created, a lot of thought went into how it should be laid out. Buildings were planned that wouldn't be needed for years, as well as an underground maze of apartments and storage areas that the town could retreat to in case of severe weather or attack. Every building that existed was thanks to the sylphs, from the huge warehouses to the single homes and cottages. Even the henhouses had been made by sylphs, shaped from the earth and rock itself.

At the same time the sylphs built the rest, they made the land fertile again and brought in water for drinking and sanitation. Along with the buildings, they'd also put in greenery. Where earth sylphs were pa.s.sionate about building, shaping rock as though it were merely clay, water sylphs were fascinated by things green and growing. Often with the help of masters who'd drawn them through the gate by being just as pa.s.sionate about gardening, these sylphs helped restore life to the Shale Plains. In the town center, they took that pa.s.sion further by creating elaborate gardens.

Today, Solie didn't see the elaborate, always-changing glory of the park, a pet project of three particular water sylphs and their masters, so beautiful that already it was being spoken of in other kingdoms and people were starting to travel to the Valley just to see it. Not caring about the explosion of endless colors or the rich scent of healthy earth, she sat on a wide stone bench, her head resting on Heyou's shoulder. She watched a trio of small children play on an expanse of green gra.s.s, screaming and yelling. A young woman with a little baby sat on a bench directly across the gra.s.s from them, discreetly nursing her child. Back in the hamlet where Solie was born, everyone would have been disgusted with the woman for feeding her baby publically, but if anyone so much as looked at her funny in this place, Heyou would react. So would any of the other half-dozen battlers spread throughout the garden.

Solie glanced around. They didn't know for sure if they caught all the a.s.sa.s.sins yet, no matter how much she trusted her reading of the first. She hadn't been able to take being locked inside and guarded anymore, but now that she was outside and guarded, she couldn't stop herself from staring at the young mother and wished she hadn't bothered.

Heyou's emotions spiked toward true alarm. "Why are you crying?" he asked.

Solie put a hand to her cheek, surprised to find it wet. She stared for a moment at her hand, her head still resting on his shoulder. The fabric of his blue coat was scratchy under her skin.

"It doesn't matter," she said at last.

Confusion washed through him, along with something else. She could feel it, a growing need to know. Heyou wasn't the type to question, but she could feel it was going to happen anyway. Even as she cringed, she wondered how he waited so long.

"You're upset. You're sad all the time. Why? It's worse now. I don't understand." He glanced around, searching for something to attack, something from which she needed defense. Other battlers appeared, drawn along garden paths by his distress. Solie recognized Dillon, Claw, Hector, and Blue, and she hoped they wouldn't come closer. She didn't want their scrutiny. They thankfully held back, sensing her reluctance.

Heyou was a very young battler, inexperienced and likely to defer to older battlers like Mace, even if he was the one who slept with the queen. He wasn't stupid, though, and his gaze finally settled on the playing children and the mother with her baby. He couldn't help but notice. Solie couldn't stop staring.

"You want babies?" he asked in a whisper.

Solie took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter."

"Oh," he managed, and she heard a world of hurt in his voice. She put her arm around him, hugging him, and he held her back, his emotions as sad as her own. That just made her feel worse, for there was nothing he could do about it. Heyou couldn't give her children, and she didn't want to be with anyone else, not even if he would allow it. She could order him not to mind, but to do that to a battler would destroy him. She couldn't be so cruel. Not even to gain a child.

A noise sounded: battlers tense and suddenly roaring, flashing into the sky as smoke and lightning. The playing children froze in fear. Others ran, the new mother joining them. She looked back fearfully over her shoulder as she did.

Solie started to rise, all thoughts of children gone. Heyou's arms went around her, his upset trumped by the urge to violence. He didn't shift form, though. He stayed to protect her.

More battlers flashed upward, rising over the town and moving to the east. Solie saw the big cloud that was Mace fly overhead, and she looked at Heyou in surprise. "What is it?"

He stared after the others, his body tense. "An air ship."

Solie was confused. Air ships were an uncommon form of transportation, being expensive and requiring enough air sylphs to carry the load, but they did exist. Battlers didn't normally react so badly to them.

Heyou picked up on her confusion. "The air sylph carrying it. She's from a hive." He frowned. "She has a queen."

Solie gaped. A queen? How was that possible? Sylphs who crossed through a gate from their old world lost all connection to their original queen. They took masters in order to stay in this world and feed, but they were generally singular in their connection. The only way to turn a woman into a queen connected to many sylphs was for a battler to take her for both master and lover. The Valley was the only place in the world where women were allowed mastery over any kind of sylph, let alone a battler. That truth was also something they kept very secret. There wasn't anyone outside the Valley who knew how Solie became queen.

"Are you sure?" she asked, suddenly frightened at the possibility.

In the distance she could see a wide-sailed ship heading toward the Valley, still tiny against the mountains behind it. A dozen battlers circled it.

"Yes." Heyou tilted his head to one side, his emotions turning speculative. "But Ril's on that ship. He says it's okay."

"Really?"

Solie focused on the vessel again, concentrating. This would never come to her as easily as Heyou; she might be queen, but she was still human. Faintly, though, she could hear the call of Ril, one of the first battlers to join her hive, telling her they were back, that they'd succeeded in what they needed to do. That- "They found Lizzy!" she crowed. She was so glad to hear it. When Lizzy Petrule was kidnapped, Solie never thought she'd see the young woman again. She'd never hoped to see Leon or Ril again either. Not really.

Heyou hugged her. "Do you want me to ask Leon to come see you?"

Solie shook her head. "He'll want to see his family first."

She felt the longing again. Heyou's grip around her shoulder tightened.

The Racing Dawn slowed near the warehouse district. The sylph who'd carried it from Meridal was a placid shimmer overhanging the entire ship, barely visible to the humans. Her original name was Forty-seven Air, but now she was called Ocean Breeze and her master Kadmiel, once a feeder, sat beside her. Both were guarded by a half dozen Valley battle sylphs. Her master seemed scared, but he drew strength from Ocean Breeze while he waited.

Leon nodded rea.s.suringly at him. Kadmiel was a good enough fellow, and he was in remarkable mental shape given what had been done to him. He'd be all right-which was good, as the last thing Leon wanted to deal with right now was anything that would keep him away from his family. It had been months, and his heart pounded at the thought of seeing his wife and daughters again.

Nearby, Lizzy clung to Ril's arm and waved down at people she recognized. Given the reaction of the Valley battlers to the ship's arrival, there were a lot of people down there, all gathered to see what was happening.

Leon glanced at the big battler standing next to him. "I'll need to see the queen in the morning," he said. "First thing."

Mace nodded. Her calendar wasn't his responsibility, but he would make sure Devon knew to arrange a meeting.

"Tell her that Meridal now has a queen, and that she is interested in a formal alliance with us. I'll want to go over the options."

Mace regarded him steadily. "It is strange to make arrangements with another hive."

Leon slapped his arm. "A lot of things must be strange to you here. Trust me when I say it'll be worth the effort."

Lizzy grabbed her father's arm. "Look! It's Mother! Mother!" she shouted. "Mother!"

Leon turned, Mace and Solie forgotten. Hurrying forward to the rail, he could see a dark-haired woman in a long, pale dress, hair bound up on top of her head. She carried a four-year-old in her arms, and three more girls ran after her, ranging in age from seven to ten to thirteen. The family's neighbors followed, but Leon had no eyes for them. Betha.

Lizzy giggled excitedly beside him, and once the ship was settled, she ran for the ladder. She got there just ahead of Justin, who'd been looking over the rail at his father. The boy jumped as he nearly walked into her, but Lizzy didn't spare him a look. She scrambled over the side.

Ril looked at Justin, baring his teeth in a silent warning before following Lizzy. Leon sighed and went over the side as well, clapping the boy on the shoulder in silent sympathy before climbing down to the street.

The ground felt odd under his feet after so long on the ship. Leon looked over his friends and neighbors, Galway with his wife and many children, Gabralina with a strange woman at her side. Devon with his air sylph playing with his hair. Dozens of others. He only processed his wife and family.

Lizzy was throwing herself at her mother, sobbing. Ril ducked forward, collecting Mia into his arms, and Betha hugged her daughter tightly, crying. The other girls crowded around, only Cara leaving them to run to her father. Leon hugged her, luxuriating in the feel of his thirteen-year-old child before setting her down.

"Have you been good?" he asked. "Listening to your mother?"

"Of course, Daddy. It's so good to have you home!"

Leon just smiled.

Done hugging their sister, Nali and Ralad came to him next, and he hugged them as well before turning to his wife. Betha stared at him with tears in her eyes before rushing into his arms. Everyone cheered as he kissed her.

"I was afraid I'd never see you again," she cried. "Oh, Leon, I missed you so much."

He hugged her close. "I missed you, too. I never want to leave you and the girls ever again."

She wiped her eyes. "Careful. I'll hold you to that."

A thin and balding, nervous-looking man with dark circles under his eyes pushed through the crowd, followed closely by an earth sylph that looked like a child made entirely of mud. It was Cal Porter, and he eyed them for a moment before his entire face lit up. His only son had returned.

"Justin!" he cried, meeting the youth with a hug. "Oh, my poor, dear, brave boy. It's so good to see you again. I thought about you every day, I really did. It just wasn't the same, not having you around. Surely it wasn't. I don't ever want to go through that again."

He pulled back, grinning at Justin before looking to Leon and Lizzy. "And you found Lizzy! I knew you could do it! When's the wedding?"

Ril immediately stepped between Lizzy and the Porters, Mia still in his arms. Lizzy's lips tightened, and she looked away. Leon opened his mouth to try and explain, as much as he could. This wasn't exactly the place.

Justin beat him to it. "There won't be a wedding," he said bitterly, loud enough to be heard by everyone. He jerked his chin toward Lizzy, who went white. "They turned her into a wh.o.r.e over there." He stared at Ril. "She's f.u.c.king that monster."

The only thing that saved Justin's life was Solie's rules. Ril growled but didn't move. He couldn't without more provocation.

In the sudden silence, Leon stepped forward. "Go home," he told the boy. Justin flinched.

Turning, Leon saw his wife's shocked gaze. Lizzy was still white, staring at the ground, and Leon ached for her.

"Let's go home," he said aloud, and led his family away from the air ship. Behind them, the people who'd arrived to welcome them back could only watch them go in silence.

Gabralina pressed her hand against her heart as she watched the Petrules leave. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but they looked beaten where they should be victorious. Leon had been so kind to her when he brought her to the Valley, and in a little tiny way she loved him. This wasn't fair.

She glanced at Sala, who was watching the boy with the big mouth being shaken by his father while the man demanded answers. Gabralina saw the speculative look on her friend's face. She felt a familiar chill.

"Interesting," Sala said before they continued on the tour of the town. "So, tell me. Who was that blond man with the beard? He's cute."

Devon Chole watched the two women stroll off, Gabralina chattering about how Leon had saved her life and how he was chancellor for the Valley. The beautiful blonde and her much less attractive friend were soon out of sight, and he shook his head with a sigh. Gabralina was definitely not available, even if she'd had anything to her other than looks, which he doubted.

Turning back, he saw Justin Porter storm away from his shocked father. It wasn't often that Cal Porter was rendered speechless, but the man gaped after his son while the crowd murmured about what they'd just seen. Devon wondered how serious this was going to turn out. In the city he'd been born in, what Justin said would have ruined Lizzy's life. Here, women were less restricted. Lizzy had every right to be with Ril and, crippled or not, the battler was no one to mess with.

It was still sad. Until now, none of them had known if Lizzy would come back. Here, in the first moment of her return, Justin had hurt her as much as anyone could without touching her. All because he hadn't gotten what he wanted. To Devon's mind, that showed a lot more about Justin's quality than it did Lizzy's.

Airi ruffled his hair, constantly blowing it up and smoothing it back down. Devon kept it just long enough for her to be able to do so without it getting in his eyes. He felt her attention turn to the boy and heard her sigh.

He's angry, she said.

"I'd imagine so," Devon murmured. "Still, I guess that was the worst he could do, and he only managed to make himself look like an idiot."

I guess, Airi replied.

Devon turned, intending to head back to the queen's hall. Given the recent problems, Solie was staying away from crowds and had sent him to find out what was going on. Heyou might have come instead, but sylphs didn't always give human descriptions of events. Heyou was one of the worst culprits.

Completing his turn, Devon came face to chest with Mace. Heart pounding, he glanced up. Even six years after this place was founded, he was still terrified of battlers. He'd been raised to fear them, those bound by Eferem's masters, and by the terror brought by their projected hate. He'd also seen them fight, which still brought nightmares. Mace was at the forefront of those nightmares, tearing men apart around him while Devon tried to flee. It didn't help that Mace could feel exactly what Devon felt and didn't care at all.

He felt Airi press against his back, sharing his fear even while she tried to comfort him, and Devon swallowed. "What is it?" he managed to ask.

"Arrange for the queen to meet with the chancellor first thing in the morning," the big battler said. A moment later he vanished, swirling into smoke and lightning and then soaring away over the crowd.

Devon sagged, exhaling heavily. "Right," he muttered. "Whatever you want."

Chapter Five.

For the nights he wanted it, Ril had a room in the Petrule house. A proper bedroom had been set up in the attic.

It was better to have a room of his own, though he'd never admit to anyone that he appreciated having his own s.p.a.ce. It still felt unnatural. He was the only sylph who needed to sleep on a regular basis, though, and he didn't much care to do so lying on the floor. He was now of the opinion, however, that the bed was too small.

Shifting and nearly falling off the edge, he snapped awake, lying on his side with his arm over Lizzy. She'd crept up the ladder to join him after her parents and sisters went to sleep, probably without her mother knowing. After Betha's reaction, he hadn't been sure he'd ever be let near her or Leon again. He was glad Lizzy had taken the initiative, but the bed was definitely too small. The wooden frame was pressing into his back.

Ril kissed his lover's bare shoulder and rolled off the mattress, catching himself on the wooden floor with a wince. Achy and out of sorts, he stood and headed down the ladder, needing to move these human muscles he'd given himself. More, he needed to go to his original shape and rest, but he couldn't do that without dying. Not unless Luck the healer sylph helped and another sylph held him together. The same injury that made him need to sleep now kept him from changing shape without agony and from changing to his original form at all. Normally that didn't bother him so much, but he and Leon had been gone looking for Lizzy for a long time, and just being home made him itchy.

Ril climbed down the ladder and then the stairs that would take him to the main floor. Everyone was asleep. He could feel Leon and Lizzy most clearly, but he could sense the others as well. Not wanting to wake them, he went into the kitchen. He didn't need to eat human food, but the chairs were comfortable. He sat in one and looked out the window at the night sky.

There were sylphs out there, none of them needing sleep. A few humans as well. Ril sensed their emotions and scanned them by instinct, looking for hostile feelings that might be a threat. He was just turning toward one, a snarl on his lips, when he heard footsteps in the hall. A moment later, Leon's wife appeared, dressed in a long nightgown with her dark hair braided and hanging over one shoulder.

"Betha," he said. His snarl was gone.

The woman stared at him, her lips pressed tightly together, fine lines stretching out from the corners. She'd been part of his life since he first came into this world, trapped in the body of a hawk. At first she'd been the only woman he'd seen on anything approaching a regular basis, and then she'd been the mother of all the girls and his beloved Lizzy. Finally, once he gained his freedom, she'd allowed him to live in her house. They'd never been close.

Ril felt her anger and frustration, and he glanced down at his hands on the tabletop. While Betha resented that she shared too much of her husband with him, she'd never been cruel. They'd had a quiet sort of coexistence where Ril did what she asked and they tried not to get in each other's way. That peaceful truce was ended. He was sleeping with her daughter.

She had no control over him; she wasn't his master the way Lizzy and Leon were and she couldn't order him. While battle sylphs were subservient to females, Ril was different in that aspect as well. To save Lizzy, he'd killed a lot of women in Meridal, yet he would never hurt Betha. She was no threat to Lizzy, only to him.

"I looked in Lizzy's room," Betha said, standing on the other side of the table with her hands on the back of a chair. "She's not in there."

Ril watched her evenly. He might never hurt her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fight back. "She's fine."

Betha's lips tightened even more. "Where is she? In your room?"

Ril nodded, his tension increasing. He had to calm himself or wake his masters. He felt a sudden urge to lash out with his hate, but he suppressed that as well.

"She's sleeping," he said.

"I'm sure she is. Do you have any idea of what you've done to her?"