Oh man, were we gonna have some words.
To make sure he wasn’t separated from us or left behind somehow, I grabbed Ryan’s hand tightly, making sure he was at my side. There were grimaces on the faces of the people around us at the sight of him, but they continued to ignore him.
Welcome home, they said.
We knew you’d succeed, they said.
You have tamed the desert dragon, they said.
We’ve never known such joy, they said.
An illusion.
It all felt like an illusion.
We were herded toward Vadoma’s home. I would have preferred to shower and change out of my dusty clothes, to curl up in a bed with Ryan and sleep the rest of the day away, but we weren’t even given the option. I went with it, knowing the sooner we saw her, the sooner all of this would be finished. I wanted to leave Mashallaha as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if we could. We had a long road ahead of us to the mountains in the north and Castle Freeze Your Ass Off. Randall would be expecting us before too long.
I also needed to speak to Morgan, to let him know what had happened. And I wanted to hear my parents’ voices. To let them know we were alive. That we’d done what we’d come to Mashallaha to do.
So, yes. The very last thing I wanted to do was see Vadoma.
But it didn’t matter.
She was waiting for us in front of her carriages, Ruv at her side. He’d cleaned up, face scrubbed, wearing soft-looking trousers. He was shirtless and had a red-and-green band wrapped around his right bicep. He was smiling quietly as we approached.
Even Vadoma looked happy, which was weird. In the time that I’d known her, she’d never looked happy. Not like she did now. It was disconcerting, like she knew something we didn’t. It reminded me of a predator.
We were ushered to the front of the crowd, the gypsies gathering behind us. I kept my hand in Ryan’s, silently daring her to say anything about it. And I wasn’t going to be the first one to speak here. If this was a game to her, then I was going to try and maintain the upper hand.
I didn’t have to wait long.
“Welcome back,” she said, her voice carrying out into the crowd. “I have been informed of your success.”
I remembered my training. I bowed my head in deference. Morgan would have been proud. “We did indeed achieve what we set out to do.”
“And the desert dragon has committed itself to your cause?”
“He has, yes,” I said.
She didn’t even flinch at the warning in my voice. “Then you have begun the journey that has been placed before you. I have seen this path. I have seen the future and the possible outcomes. This is but one step in your ascension.”
“My ascension?” I said, confused. “Into what?”
Her smile widened. “Into the wizard that you are supposed to become.” Her eyes flickered over my companions, resting on Ryan briefly before she looked at me. “Though I’m sure the components of your journey can still be… negotiated.”
“Oh, is she trying to be undercover salty?” Gary muttered behind me. “Because Gary is starting to feel the need to bring the pain.”
And because I didn’t think Unicorn Rage was something we wanted to deal with right at the moment, I said, “Perhaps you and I can speak in private. To discuss these… components.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ryan whispered.
“Trust me on this,” I said quietly. “I know what I’m doing.”
He snorted. “You never know what you’re doing.”
“Rude,” I said. “But mostly true.”
“But of course,” Vadoma said. “There is nothing more I want than to speak to my grandson about the future. Come, chava. As for the rest of you, we have much to celebrate! Let us show our guests how much we appreciate the lengths they go to for the people of Verania.”