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Von was not thrilled that I had the knife out, aimed and ready to stab him when he stepped into the house using his key. “Will you put that thing away? He’s not coming here to attack you.”
“Who?”
Von looked at me like I was playing around. “The Easter Bunny.” He gasped when his eyes fell on Ezra, and the drips of blood that stained the living room carpet. “Is he...”
“He’s alright, just not moving for now. The arrow was in deep, but it’s out.”
Ezra raised his arm. “I’m alright, son. Mason and you are well?”
“I don’t think any of us will be well after today. But no arrows in my bum, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He made his way to the bedroom, unable to let Ana cry for more than a minute without intervening. He came out with the red-faced angel, and I knew from the way her operatic cries slowly lessened in waves that he was pulling a small amount to get her to calm down.
I narrowed my eyes at him and pointed with the knife. “We agreed we wouldn’t use pulling. She has to learn to self-soothe. It’s in the book, Von.”
“I can’t think when she’s screaming. I can see myself throwing whole cars out of the way when she gets going, just so I can get to her and calm her down. She’s already been through so much. Baby’s first war – and me without my camera to capture it on film for the baby book.”
“Huh? What happened down there?”
Von looked up to assess my serious tone. “You really don’t know?”
“Of course not. Finn passed out from porting three people at once and getting hit in the head with a rock, and Ezra’s been resting. What happened?”
Ezra reached up to paw at Von’s pant leg, silently asking for help to stand. Von lay Anastasia on the carpet and took one arm of Ezra’s while I took the other. “Slowly,” I cautioned. “Try not to move your back so much.” We carefully lifted Ezra and lowered him onto a chair in the kitchen, taking in his “oof” to mean he would not be leaving the house for a while. When he was situated, I poured him a glass of water and set in on the table before him. “Now tell me what happened in Terraway. Who shot Ezra?”
Von came back into the kitchen with Anastasia holding onto his finger. “Take your pick. I don’t know how Sama got his hands on so many live soldiers, but they were all wearing a mark – an X burned into their foreheads.”
The blood drained from my face as I sat down, my head in my hands. “What did he want? Just the general mayhem and dominance?”
Ezra was pale, but he managed to sit mostly upright at the kitchen table. “I didn’t stick around to find out. I knew he would want you, so Finn and I ran to port the both of you out. I need to go back down there.” He tried to stand on his own, but Von and I were firm on him not going anywhere. “Our people were ambushed! The nations were grieving together, finally united in something, and Sama shows up to attack. What for? What could he possibly want? The more people he kills, the less potential clients he has for selling rations to. And some of those mourners could’ve already been his clients. It makes no sense!”
“More deaths could mean more soldiers for him,” I suggested.
“Sure, but he would have sacrificed many of his own, waging a war like that. I don’t buy that he’d be so reckless. Sama is a man of many plans. I’m missing something, and I’ve learned that underestimating Sama is a danger to us all.”
Von’s jaw was set in a tight line. “Maybe he wanted to slaughter the council. They sunk an arrow in you easy enough.”
I shook my head, wishing I didn’t know Sama better than most. “He wants you to know he can. That’s what this is about. It’s the largest gathering Terraway’s seen in ages, right? There’s usually always fighting between the nations. Now everyone’s in one spot, united in their sadness, so Sama shows up to let everyone know he can dominate without the council, with an undead army, and do it all at any moment.” I rubbed my forehead. “He’s punishing Terraway for coming together. He wants them only united under him.”
“How can you possibly know all that?” Von gaped, bouncing his knees slightly to soothe Ana as he stood between Ezra and me.
I shrugged, wishing for a different answer. “Pillow talk. Sama told me way more about himself than he ever got outta me. Like it or not, I know him. He needs people to know he’s in charge.” I thought back to all of our conversations about his “management” job, and the subsequent ones about him ruling with me by his side. “So yeah, he might go after the council, but he prefers people come to him on their own, not as a last resort. His pride runs deep. It’s not all that complicated. He likes trophies and respect. If he killed Ezra, that would be his trophy. With the army he brought, that gets him the respect. Simple as that.” A wave of dread washed over me, and I realized my brain had been sorting things in the wrong order of priorities this whole time. “Ollie! Ollie’s down there! Your mother, Von! And your brothers. We have to go back. Where’s Mason?”
“He’s still at the mansion, love. And you’re not going back down there. You’re staying in this house, where the guys and I have reinforced the charms too many times to count. This is your fortress, so you and Ana don’t step a toe outside, understood?”
“I can’t leave Ollie there!”
“Ollie will be alright.”
I stood, indignant, rolling my shoulders back and staring up at Von defiantly. “I don’t need anyone to patronize me. We’re talking zombie army, here.” I stalked out to the living room, kneeling down beside Finn and running my knuckle down his cheek. “Finn? Finn?” I tried to rouse him, but he only responded with a weak groan.
Von strolled out from the kitchen with Ana in his arms and a cold smile on his face. “Really? That’s your plan? Ask Finn to take you to Terraway? The one thing I trust Finn with is your safety. Next time you probably should pick someone who isn’t mad about you to help you throw yourself to the wolves.”
“Wolves! Thanks, babe.” I retrieved my cell from my bedroom on the nightstand and called the mansion, requesting Mason when Lynna answered in a fretful tone. “Ezra’s alright. He’s just resting. I’ve got Ana, Von, Finn and Ezra at my house, and we’re all safe. May I speak to Mason, please?”
When Mason came on the phone, I could hear the relief in his voice at my confirmation that we were all safe. “I was worried. I need you to stay inside your house, hani. I mean it. Stay with Von and in the house. And make sure the baby stays there, too. Don’t open the door for anyone but us.”
I cringed at Von’s cocky look that didn’t have an ounce of understanding to it. “What’s that? Is Mason telling you to run your quick little legs back to Terraway?” He clicked his tongue. “Oh, is he telling you to stay put? Oh, dear. How embarrassing for you. It’s almost like you’re wrong. Now, I forget. Do you like being wrong?”
I palmed Von’s face to get it away from mine. “Mason, Ollie’s still in Terraway. You have to take me back down there so we can yank him out. Sama’s already messed up Allie and me. I don’t want him anywhere near Ollie.”
I bit my lip through Mason’s pause. I wanted to yell at him to just get over here already. When he finally spoke, it was slowly, as if he thought I was stupid. “You can’t honestly think I’d take you back down to Silo smack in the middle of a war. I know we’ve had our differences, but do you really think I’d gamble with your life like that? I love you.”
I hung my head while Von gloated. “I love you, too. Doggone.” I harrumphed when Von started turning in a slow circle, shaking his booty while he whisper-sang a song he made up on the fly about how I loved to be wrong. I swatted at his butt and tried to focus on Mason. “Are you alright over there?”
“I’m fine. I’m heading back down in a second. If I see Ollie, I’ll try to get him to safety.”
Dread clutched me around the throat, making my voice come out a pathetic squeak. “Mason, no! You can’t do that. Not without me. There’s no way you can go down into a war without backup. I can help you!”
“I have to try. My brother’s down there, too.”
“No. I’m putting my foot down.”
Mason chuckled in that way that warmed me. “Is that so? Mighty big threat, that is. You’re allowed to be scared for your brother, but I’m not allowed to be worried for mine? You forget my brother was in the chaos, too. I’ll port down, but you know the landing spot’s a couple days’ journey from the castle. It’s the best I can do, though. Have Ezra summon me if the battle ends before I get there, and I’ll come home.”
“Just stay where you are. You’ll never make it there in time anyway. Best be safe Topside.”
I could hear his indulgent smile. “Oh, you know me better than that by now, I hope. I’ll wolf out and run most of the way, so it won’t take me all that long. Plus I’ve got to help port Von’s brothers back. See you soon, hani.” He hung up the phone before I could try to talk him out of going there without me to help him fight. I’d wanted him to just port down and bring back Ollie, but I’d forgotten about only being able to land in the porting spot when you go down. Stupid magical rules.
Von had slowed his rump shaking. His brief break from the reality that our families were stuck in the middle of a war came to a crest. “I hate that I’m up here instead of helping my brothers. It doesn’t feel right.”
Ezra tapped his fingers on the kitchen table. “It’ll take a week to get our families all out. Finn ported the three of us, and it severely compromised him.” He shifted uncomfortably, and I wished I had some pain meds to give him. “Though, that could be the blow to the head, as well.”
Finn’s voice greeted us from the entryway to the kitchen. “I’d like to know when everyone lost their faith in my abilities. I closed my eyes for a few minutes. I think that’s allowed.”
Relief spread over me that Finn was upright and seemed to be moving without much hesitation. “Oh, you’re okay! Sit down. Let me take a look at you. Here, let me get you some water.”
Finn quirked his eyebrow at me and clicked his fingers, flicking water onto my face. “Save yourself the glass.” He sat in the chair next to Ezra at our quaint round table. “Are you alright?” he asked Ezra.
“Never better, old friend. You missed the round of jumping jacks I did just before you came in.” Ezra cleared his throat and lowered his voice to speak to Von. “Son, could you take my granddaughter into the next room? I fear my self-control isn’t what it needs to be.”
Von didn’t need to be told twice. He ran into our bedroom and grabbed Ana’s blanket. “I’m going to take Ana for a walk. Be back in half an hour.”
“Is that safe? What if Sama sends his spies Topside to attack? Mason just told me not to step a toe outside the house.”
“Darling, it’s either a Matruculan for sure eats Anastasia, or Sama’s spies might attack her. There’s no safe place right now, so I’ll take the lesser threat.” Von ran her out of the house to the garage where the stroller waited for her. I think we all breathed a little easier when Von made his way down the street with our collective treasure.