Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) Chapter 51: 51: Lucky

Read chapter 51 of Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) by Deb E Howell on NovelPedia.

After quick showers in guarded and otherwise empty bathhouses, they rode out on two borrowed horses, with saddle bags full of dry breads and meats to tie them over for the next fortnight, leading Fern, retracing Llew’s path. Jonas was able to mount from his horse’s near side as usual, but with his prosthetic’s inability to bend at the knee, he had to leave his right leg to hang down that side, which set his horse to prancing and crabbing out of the barracks compound and down the street. Jonas kept himself cool and relaxed, encouraging the horse to focus on the job ahead. They’d expected some trouble in this regard, and so had attached Fern’s lead rope to Llew’s saddle. The mare, having already completed one journey that day, was docile. A part of Llew wished they could have stayed a night in relative comfort and safety, but there was little guaranteed while they remained in Quaver and, as Jonas had said once before, even as a Syakaran he was just one man. Quaver had turned on them once before. Kane may have softened some after Aris had crossed them and Braph’s creations caused so much harm. Could Quaver afford to betray Jonas now? Certainly, they could overpower him, and even kill Llew. How many Kara would they then sacrifice to bring Joelin home? And for what purpose? Another hero for their army so they could keep fighting Turhmos? The costs to maintain that animosity seemed too high, yet Llew well knew the squalor people would tolerate to avoid the work required to build something better. She’d lived amongst it. She’d lacked the power to change anything then. Things were different now. With Jonas at her side, she could live a better life and help others do the same. Perhaps they could have made a stand, insisted Jonas could do whatever he liked no matter how Quaver felt. But it was a concentration of Kara that wasn’t worth being in the middle of. Besides, they had a fortnight or so of road travel ahead of them. There was little reason to put off getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. It wasn’t as if warm water and soft mattresses had been the norm for most of Llew’s life. No. As much as she and Jonas may have wanted to tell Quaver of the brighter future ahead, it was far more important that they lived to bring it about. They rode past the Ajnai garden without stopping, having already said all they had to say to the entwined souls this day. Knowing they could still connect via the trees at the farm made the passing easier. Besides, Jonas’s mount remained agitated. As Llew had promised, they returned to the home of Hisham’s mother. The woman, Vida, had never met Jonas in person and took the opportunity to gush over the presence of her nation’s hero at her doorstep, pulling him in for a hug, delighting at his surviving the Karan infection and for his role in preventing future deaths. Of course, she asked after her eldest son. Llew suspected Vida knew the answer before she asked. Finding out that Hisham had died fighting for Quaver – Llew figured, in the long run, Jonas would be proven to speak truth – rather than suffering the slow, agonizing death brought by Braph’s creation, brought the mother some comfort. Still, she and Jonas lingered in an emotional embrace. Llew wanted to join them, Hisham’s sacrifice coming back raw, but she didn’t belong in this particular moment. She simply stood with the horses, managing her own emotions. Vida seemed like a warm woman who cared for her son, even if Quaver had kept them apart these past eight years. Once again, Llew wished she’d had the chance to know Hisham better. Vida invited them to stay for dinner. With the dinner hour still a couple of hours away, and them yet to leave Taither, they declined, as they wished to return Fern to her home before stopping for the night. Vida mentioned a couple of other Karan children in the care of Quaver’s military, but Llew and Jonas couldn’t help enlighten her with regards to their fate since Braph’s bug had swept through. Jonas stood a momen