Page 51 of The Arcane God

The sun was fully down by the time Xena turned to him and announced their arrival.

“It’s just ahead,” she said without preamble.

And sure enough, through the dark with his venator, he could just make out some humble, snow-covered shelters, most of them with smoke coming out of their tops.

The camp was smaller and way less significant than Ty had imagined—impermanent shelters, with only about a dozen of them dotted throughout the trees. But at this moment, he couldn’t care less about them anyway, as he used his venator immediately to keep an ear and eye out for his people.

Several other stryx were standing around outside the tents—he guessed that’s who they were, because their skin was the same eerie pale shade as Xena’s, only their eyes were different. They were all black as darkrock, unlike Xena’s mismatched ones, which was curious.

Then suddenly—thank fucking Iblis—he heard a voice he recognized.

“I don’t know, but I’d give her some time,” the voice was saying, coming from inside one of the tents closest to him.

“Turner!” Ty called. “Are you in there?”

Turner’s voice stopped suddenly, and Ty heard shuffling as whoever was inside moved to stand, then pushed the flap covering the tent’s entrance violently to the side.

Then the man stood before him in all his glory. The same blue eyes—wide in surprise. The same innocent face, at odds with his bulky form.

“Ty?” he asked, shocked, as if he were looking at a ghost.

“It’s me, brother,” Ty said, smiling at his dumbfounded face. “What, you thought a river would be my end?”

Ty barely got the sentence out before Turner barreled into him, grasping him tightly in a hug that enveloped him whole. Relief surged through him as he held his friend. He really was here, and he seemed alright.

Turner’s voice broke as he spoke. “We—we thought you were dead, you son of a bitch,” he said, grasping him even tighter.

Ty held him back firmly, reassuring him with his embrace that this was real. He was real. “I almost was,” he said solemnly.

After a minute, the two of them reluctantly released one another. Ty wasn’t surprised to find tears in Turner’s eyes. They glistened in the moonlight, and he realized in that moment how dire things must have seemed for them when they couldn’t find him.

“And you? Are you alright?” Ty asked him, tears coming to his eyes in return.

Turner nodded. “Yes,” he said, huffing a small laugh. “Yes, I am now. You have no idea how relieved I am to see you.”

“Same,” Ty responded seriously, grasping his cousin’s shoulder. “And I’m so glad you’re okay. Now, where the fuck is my wife?”

***

Ty all but ran in the direction Turner had indicated—deep into the darkening woods.

He needed to see her—feel her—to know she was alright. She and the baby. Turner had assured him that she was, but something about the hesitant way he’d said it told him something else was going on. Something he didn’t want to tell him yet.

He used his venator to catch her familiar blackberry scent on the wind, and he followed it to a beautiful, crystal-clear stream. Then, he spotted her, and he felt the tension he’d been feeling for weeks melt from his body.

The hood of her cloak was down, and he could see her dark hair braided down her back. She sat, resting on a downed log by the water. He couldn’t see her face, but he could tell from her body language that something was wrong. She was staring at the water as if it was haunting her—deep in thought—and it reminded him of when he’d found her by the River Wry after the unbinding ritual. When he’d confessed his love for her and told her he would never leave her again.

Guilt surged through him then, because it was another promise he’d broken, even though he hadn’t done it intentionally.

He paused—watching her for a minute like a hunter stalking its prey—wanting to just soak her in.

Her head turned towards him in the dark. She Knew he was nearby, but probably couldn’t see him yet. She didn’t have enhanced eyesight like he did, but she no doubt heard him.

Her face was tired, and filled with worry, so Ty started moving faster, and he could tell the exact moment she spotted him through the darkness.

She gasped, her hand going to her mouth in disbelief, and he froze, not wanting to scare her.

“Is this—is this a hallucination?” she asked, her voice shaking.