By the time Lith woke up, every member of the expedition had returned. They had mustered the courage to check on the outcome of the battle only after they had realized that they had no way to open the closed doors.
Quylla returned their items to them from Ellkas’s dimensional amulet and Phloria took Morok with her to explore what remained of the room. Gaakhu was still alive, and she couldn’t afford to leave their back exposed to the alleged traitorous mage.
She didn’t have to search for long since the missing Professor’s corpse was waiting for them in the next room. No one would even know that just like the Odi, their slave seal on their victim’s life force required the Mana Reactor to work.
The moment the device had run out of power the spells engraved in Gaakhu’s life force had consumed her vitality in an attempt to prolong their existence. Phloria stored the corpse in her dimensional amulet. Traitor or not she didn’t deserve to be left there to rot.
After Quylla checked Lith’s condition, Morok Warped them all to the Tek’s breeding facility and Phloria activated the dimensional runes until she found one that led to a safe corridor.
No one had any desire to walk until they found a way back to the surface. After Phloria marked the rune on the outside, so that the Royal Forgemasters could spot it and easily get access to Kulah’s lower floors, they used earth magic to dig their way out.
From there, returning home was easy. As soon as the army could pinpoint their communication amulets again, Commander Berion sent a rescue team to their position.
Less than an hour later, the members of the expedition had said their goodbyes and had been sent to their homes.
Lith was brought to the Ernas household since Quylla refused to let him go anywhere until she was certain that his life force was stable, his life span was unaffected by the strain of fighting a literal one-man army of Odi, and he answered at least some of the questions that were tormenting her.
Kamila was overjoyed to see him and appalled by his condition.
“Good gods, you look terrible.” She said while looking at his pale face and battered body. Even though Lith had eaten non-stop since he had regained consciousness, he still lost a few kilograms when healing all his wounds and reattaching his arm.
“I missed you too, babe.” He said, holding her tight for a few seconds before giving her a passionate kiss. After feeling so close to death for so long, he needed to feel alive again.
“Stop right there!” Quylla separated them. “No action, of any kind is allowed until you have recovered. You’re too weak for anything more ‘romantic’ than a hug. Healer’s orders.”
“Can we at least eat together? We both need to get some weight back.” Lith asked, prompting Phloria’s stomach to rumble in agreement. She had been too tense to eat properly after escaping from Kulah.
The three of them told their story in turns during the late dinner they consumed with Orion and Jirni, soon joined by Lith’s family who wanted to see him as soon as Jirni informed them of his condition.
Later, when Kamila and Lith were cuddling in their bed, Lith couldn’t stop thinking that the Ernas had accommodated him in the very same room where years ago he had spent his first night with Phloria on purpose.
Sharing that bed with another woman was really awkward for him.
“How is Zinya doing?” He asked, trying to find a way to introduce the topic he really cared about. During the last few weeks, Lith had shared so much with Phloria, and now even Quylla knew part of his secret.
Yet Kamila, the most important woman in his life, was still completely in the dark. He would have lost her at the hands of Fallmug if not for Jirni, but due to the distance separating them and the countless impending threats at the time, he had failed to realize the real meaning of such an event.
After almost losing Solus, after finally holding Kamila between his arms, looking at her pale and gaunt skin, he now understood how fragile human life was.
“She’s doing pretty well. Fallmug’s death was a huge shock for her, but I think that having her children back made her too happy to waste even a moment of her time grieving.
“She also received all of his possessions as compensation for the abuse Fallmug inflicted upon her over the years. Between Vastor’s testimony and Fallmug’s attempt on my life, the judge had no qualms imposing the maximum sentence.”
“Is she still at my parents’ home or has she gone back to her house?”
“Are you kidding? Neither Zinya nor her children want to step foot in that horrid place again. She’s selling the house and everything in it to get a fresh start. Zinya has moved to Lutia now, to stay as far away as possible from Fallmug’s family and our own.”
“What? Where?” Lith asked. The implications of that piece of news startled him a bit.
“She’s bought a house near yours, so our families are neighbors now.” Kamila blushed a little, but hid her embarrassment by burying her face in his shoulder. “Your parents did a lot for her and she has fallen in love with the warm climate of the south.
“She can now afford a tutor for both herself and the kids to get them homeschooled. They’ve been apart for so long that she wants to make up for the lost time and give them the freedom they never experienced.
“Their grandparents weren’t as harsh as Fallmug was, but so far their childhood has been reduced solely to fear and duty. They deserve to know happiness just as much as their mother.
“It’s all thanks to you, you know? First, you gave her sight, and then you gave Zinya her life back.” Kamila snuggled up to Lith, searching for his embrace.
“Nope, it was all thanks to you, Kami. It was you who never stopped fighting for her, even at the cost of your personal safety. By the way, there’s something I’d like to tell you…”
“Is this about me losing too much weight? Do I really look that bad?” She asked. Embarrassment was the only thing that gave a bit of color to her face.
“No, but actually yes. I mean, you’re bordering on putting your ‘assets’ at risk. You can’t afford to skip even one meal. The fate of Mogar depends on it!” Lith replied with an overly dramatic tone while checking her goods.
“Stop it.” She moaned. “You heard your Healer, you need rest.”
“This is no foreplay, just a medical examination that I’m conducting as your personal Healer. We can always call Quylla, if you need a second opinion.”
“Pervert! That’s not your professional face.” She said before giving him a slow, deep kiss.
“Is it important?” She asked, receiving a serious nod in reply.
“Can it wait, please? I’ve already had too many emotions for today. The only thing I want right now is to enjoy your company and the first happy moment I have had since Fallmug’s attack.”
“It can wait.” Lith said. That speech had been on stand-by for so long that a bit more couldn’t hurt.
They both had quite a lot of pent up stress and being so close reminded them of how lonely they had felt without each other. Yet Quylla’s instructions prevented them from doing what they really wanted.
