The Ether Witch

By the time Tam’s ship pulled into Ori harbor, he was well aware that his confrontation with the pirates had sparked a new reputation for himself.

Sadly, it was not one he liked any better than his old one as a mentally unwell, possibly blind, cursed, or scared of his own shadow, lord.

No, unfortunately, everyone that had borne witness to his fight with the pirates that fateful night instead had concluded…

That Tam was the devil.

Even the captain barely managed to appear cordial and unruffled in the future duke’s presence.

Luca, who thankfully hadn’t witnessed the moments of Tam’s leaking magic, noticed the way everyone but himself and Eli were treating his father. He had asked both of them why this was, and Tam had explained that everyone was simply worried that the pirates would come find them again.

Though Tam could see the uncertainty in Luca’s eyes with that answer.

At the very least, Luca was aware that it seemed to be a sensitive topic, and amazingly, he was able to stop himself from asking questions.

Eli and Tam stood, both leaning against the railing of the ship as it was unloaded onto the dock, while Luca had gone to the upper deck to marvel at the harbor town from a better view.

“My lord, we should leave as quickly as possible before the rumors about you spread throughout Zinfera,” Eli murmured to her employer while eyeing the sailors as they hauled out Tam’s trunks filled with books.

“And we will. I doubt Luca is ever going to see Ori again, so might as well let him take his time looking out.”

“There’s nothing much to look at,” Eli commented under her breath irritably while turning her face toward the sea that sparkled in the early afternoon sun.

Tam lifted an eyebrow and shot her a sidelong glance, while stowing his hands in his pockets. “Are you going to be alright being back home?”

Eli’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “It’s been years. People have probably already forgotten about me.”

“I doubt that,” Tam gave a snort of disbelief and pushed off from the railing to go holler at Luca, unaware of the stricken look Eli was giving his back.

The trio gradually made their way down the gangplank to touch down on the dock, taking in their surroundings as the harbor master spoke with the ship’s captain.

Ori was small, and it wasn’t what most would call an attractive town.

While the roofs of the buildings had the classic Zinferan tiles with their curved shape and peaked roofs, the walls of the structures were layered in thick coats of dust and salt from the sea, as were the pillars that were painted a bright red with black, whirling designs that marked the end of the dock.

Beyond Ori, was leagues of desert that Tam, standing in the thick, roasting day, was in no way looking forward to traversing.

“Your mother mentioned that our guides are well known to your family,” Eli recalled while already craning her neck to look along the rocky beach to see if anyone was waving to them.

“Yes. She tried to keep it a secret, but they’re from Lord Ryu’s family and-”

“Lord Ryu?” Eli spun around abruptly. “Is he going to be here?”

Both Tam and Luca halted in their tracks, and unbeknownst to them, they wore identical facial expressions in response to Eli’s outburst.

“Er… No. I believe he was sending his sons. Bong and Jeong,” Tam explained while watching the potent panic in Eli’s face.

The assistant swallowed, and started nodding to herself, visibly calming herself back down.

“Do you happen to know… Lord Jiho Ryu…?” Tam ventured delicately.

Eli’s eyes darted down to Luca, then back to Tam.

Ah. She knew him when she was a princess in the emperor’s court. Tam interpreted seamlessly.

“Well, Bong and Jeong should be here already waiting for us at the local inn. I can ask some of the crew to see if they know where we can find-” Tam stopped talking, frowned at something over Eli’s head, then leaned to peer around around his assistant, while Luca did the exact same thing in the opposite direction; a puzzled Eli followed suit.

There, coming down the dock, were two Zinferan men.

Both had their black hair tied in buns atop their heads, one was wearing a silk teal coat with white lapels that was tied closed at his waist, while the other wore a royal blue coat. Both wore white, loose pants that fluttered in the wind as they proceeded to leapfrog over one another.

The one in the teal coat was giggling exuberantly as the other one in the royal blue coat launched himself over his companion’s back, making the sailors filing down the dock give them a wide berth and bewildered stares.

“What in the-”

Eli’s words were cut off as the man in the blue coat spotted Tam, and instead of going down into a crouch, straightened.

“TAMLIN!” the man shouted with a bright grin, his white teeth flashing… Until the young man behind him leapt at his back, unaware that there was not a lovely little frog in front of him, but a tall obstacle…

An obstacle that was pitched forward by his companion headbutting his spine.

The two men lay in a heap on the dock seven feet from where Tam and Eli stood.

Luca was laughing.

Eli on the other hand… “My lord… Are these men… Our guides?”

“Tamlin!” The man in the blue coat hollered up once more, though it was mixed with a grunt as he tried to right himself enough to look up at Tam. “I’m… Bong!”

The Zinferan in the teal coat lifted his hand from his face planted position on Bong’s back. “Jeong!” he shouted, though the introduction was muffled. He proceeded to push himself off his brother while trying to stretch his nose that was red from the impact.

Freed, Bong leapt to his feet energetically, his short goatee spreading with his smile as he bowed and held out his hand. “It is an honor to finally meet you! My father has spoken endlessly about your family!”

Tam, caught between amused and wary, slowly reached out and shook Bong’s offered palm.

Bong, with his high cheekbones, and pointed chin, was a delicate kind of handsome, with a smile that was filled with unbridled happiness.

Behind him, his brother finished tapping his nose experimentally as though feeling for a break in it

“This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other better, Tam! We’re here to take yo-oooouuu… Why is there a little version of you here?” Bong pointed at Luca when he suddenly noticed the boy, who blinked, and went cross eyed while staring down at Bong’s finger. “We heard about your lovely assistant…” Bong continued while tilting his head in confusion.

At this, Jeong lunged past his brother and grabbed Eli’s hand, plucking it up and kissing it. “Marvelous to meet you.”

She stared horrified at him, prompting Tam to gently grasp her wrist with one hand, place his other palm on Jeong’s forehead, and shove him away.

Tam knew Eli was probably reeling behind him at being recognized as a woman, and also for the untoward greeting, but he kept his gaze locked with Bong.

“This is my son, Luca. And this here, is Eli–”

“Your wife! My apologies for my brother, Lady Eli! Here in Ori there aren’t many women you don’t pay to share company with-” Bong started to bow to Tam’s assistant while rambling, until Tam cleared his throat loudly, interrupting him.

“Eli is my assistant. Not my wife.”

Both Bong and Jeong regarded each other, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“So… She’s the mother of your son… and your assistant. By the Goddess are things ever different in Daxaria!” Bong shook his head in wonder, while Eli’s jaw dropped, caught in a state of apoplectic embarrassment that had her ears and cheeks burning red while Luca grinned up at her and decided to be a little like his father in being a bit of a mischievous arse, and grasped her hand as though to confirm the Ryu brothers’ speculations.

“No… No… She’s just my assistant. Luca’s mother… Is not joining us on this trip,” Tam explained vaguely, intending to plunder onto a preferred topic such as where they were staying, or what was going to be their strategy for surviving the desert, but both Bong and Jeong were still struggling with the introductions.

“Wait… So you are… single?” Jeong asked, leaning forward once more with the start of a hopeful smile curling the corners of his mouth upward.

Eli shifted backward, her brows lowering– though she hadn’t realized she was holding Luca’s hand, when Tam side stepped between her and Jeong.

“She is my assistant, nothing more,” the firmness in his tone as well as his movements deterred Jeong from making any further advances.

Bong smiled affably. “Very well… Congratulations on your marriage back in Daxaira though! My father will toast to the good health of your-”

“I’m not married.”

“Oh my.” Both Jeong and Bong lifted their hands at the same time to touch their chests. Though instead of disgusted or upset by Tam’s explanation of his illegitimate son’s presence, they looked more enthralled by the notion of such a scandal.

“Shall we go to the inn to discuss when we are departing?” Tam’s eyes were hard, but despite that, neither of the Ryu men looked chastened or worried.

“Absolutely, Tam! Would you like to leapfrog back? Because of the bounce of these planks you get far more height to your jumps!” Bong clapped a hand on Tam’s shoulder and thumped the dock beneath his black boot as proof.

At first, the future duke opened his mouth to say no, but then he paused and tilted his head, the hint of a smile lighting his face.

“You know… Luca, I’m sure you would enjoy trying it!” Tam swung around and stared at his son, whose eyes widened at being put on the spot.

Luca looked at Tam in wordless wonder as to why his father would do such a thing, but Tam glanced down at his hand that was still clasping Eli’s, and the knowing smile on his face had Luca blushing and hanging his head in acceptance while letting go of Eli at last.

“Come along, little Tam! Or, sorry, what was your name again?” Jeong proceeded to babble while crouching down into a frog position expectantly.

As the game resumed, the Ryu brothers hopping over one another and Luca in between asking all sorts of questions, Eli and Tam loitered behind.

“They knew I was a woman instantly… I need to cut my hair,” Eli whispered more to herself than Tam.

He looked down at his assistant with a sympathetic smile. “Pretending to be a boy might have been something that worked when you were younger, but I think you’re better off owning the fact you are a woman… The choice is up to you, though.”

Eli lifted her face to stare grimly at the Zinferan shore as they walked, her dread visibly growing.

“It’ll spark rumors about you, my lord.”

“For one, I’ll remind you I am not traveling as a lord, but as a scholar, and for another, even if my identity is found out, my traveling with a woman I think will be overshadowed significantly by Luca’s existence.”

Eli’s sulky expression faded then, as she stared at Tam. “Why did you tell them the details of his birth?”

Tam shrugged. “It wouldn’t be hard to find out if I lied, and it could make a lot of things more complicated later on. If I lied and said I was married, my parents would hear about that and I’d have chaos waiting for me at home. If I lied and said he wasn’t my son… That’d hurt Luca.”

Eli fell silent in the face of such reasonable answers.

“Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’m personally more worried about dying of thirst in a desert with you and Luca.” Tam touched his chest and made his eyes comically wide when he stared at Eli, trying to bolster her sour mood.

“Is it the company you’re worried about dying around, or the thirst part?”

“That depends. Are Bong and Jeong perfectly hydrated asking me invasive, personal questions when it’s happening?”

At last, Eli cracked a smile, which instantly made Tam smile and let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

“What do you reckon… Three weeks in the Torit Desert?”

“That’s if we don’t run into problems… It’ll be hard on Luca.” Eli lifted her chin in the direction of the boy whose infectious laugh could be heard echoing back to them.

Tam sighed. He thought about his idea the night he had fought with the pirates… Sending Eli and Luca back together would definitely put his mind at ease while investigating matters in Zinfera, but… He subtly stole a glance at Eli’s profile as they walked. She had a funny bounce in her every day walk Tam had come to learn. Like she exerted more effort in springing upward as opposed to propelling herself forward.

He felt that fluttery, warm feeling in his chest that he’d noticed occurring from time to time as a result of his crush, and recognizing this prompted him to give his head an errant shake.

There were more important things to do or think about.

Though he didn’t have the audacity to lie to himself and say it wasn’t making the entire trip feel a lot more pleasant and fun regardless of a surprise son, pirates, and gaining the mistaken identity of the devil.

***

Eli stepped over the bench and seated herself beside Tam, her attention hovering around the bartender who was giving her an equally suspicious stare.

She had just come from ensuring Luca was in bed, along with organizing Tam’s own room in the inn they were to stay in for the night.

In the morning they were going to find proper footwear and clothes for Luca and Tam in order to blend in better, and afterward, they would ride in a carriage on the treacherous desert road that was known for having an alarming number of bandits. The kind ones simply lightened you of your valuables, the more nefarious kidnapped and sold people, and the worst kind killed you and took whatever they pleased afterward.

“We are going to take you on a detour from the original plan,” Bong began once Eli had settled down, even though she wasn’t mentally present for the meeting between herself, Bong, Jeong, and Tam.

“I don’t have time for detours. Detours are risky. I need information on the person your father told you about, and I need to tour the mountains on the other side of the kingdom.”

“Yes, and while I agree that traveling the Torit Desert and sledding down dunes could be a good time,” Bong countered, sounding alarmingly serious. “You are going to find more about your… person… in Junya. Rumor has it she wants to make Junya the capital of Zinfera again once she manages to wrestle a certain child of hers into a position I don’t need to name,” Bong expounded carefully and with remarkable insight. “If she’s already begun taking action, then that means she has those she trusts the most in Junya. It’s better than talking to those towns under her thumb in the desert, and you have more people to converse with about the… mountain… occupant.”

“More people can recognize me in Junya,” Tam argued back, leaning his forearms on the table and lowering his voice.

Bong grinned and looked at his brother.

Despite only having met the Ryu brothers that afternoon, both Tam and Eli knew it wasn’t a good thing when they looked at each other like that.

“To be perfectly honest, you already have the perfect disguise.”

“Someone who looks partially Troivackian claiming to be a scholar is still going to stick out-” Tam interjected, but Jeong was too excited to bother hearing the future duke’s perfectly reasonable argument.

“Not if you’re there because your wife’s family is sponsoring your research!” Jeong looked at Eli with glittering eyes.

Both Eli and Tam turned to breathing stone figures.

“Are you… Suggesting…” Tam started to say, already cringing as Jeong practically vibrated in his seat with delight.

“You, Eli, and Luca can be a happy family! You’ve been raising your family in Daxaria, but your wife’s family is funding your research in Zinfera! It means you can research the dragons without suspicion and you, Miss Assistant, can inquire about Junya becoming the capital as you would be very interested to hear about how Zinfera has been changing!”

Tam didn’t bother hiding his frustration. “I’m not forcing my assistant to do that. Besides-”

“I’ll do it. It does make sense. It’s safer to travel with Luca, we can learn more, and we don’t have to worry about dying in the desert. We can stay put in Junya for two months. Do you already know where we can acquire accommodations in Junya? There will be the assumption we’re staying with my family.”

“Just say they live in the capital, or Haeson, and you’re joining them later. Junya is best known for their astronomy records which explains why you aren’t staying with them while your scholarly husband studies!” Jeong waved off Eli’s worry easily.

“They also have great astrology books,” Tam added, though his voice sounded like it came from a distance as he processed the dramatic shift in plans.

“What’s the difference again?” Jeong wondered aloud while looking to the ceiling, his round, clean shaven face illuminated in the lantern lights.

“Astronomy is the positioning and rotation of the world, sun, moon, and stars. Astrology is about the stories associated with the stars,” Eli clarified before her employer could.

Both Tam and Eli seemed more than a little determined to not look directly at each other.

“With your assistant on board, it sounds like we have a new plan!” Bong concluded brightly, leaning back in his seat.

The future duke audibly swallowed.

“Now all that’s left will be to tell your son, Luca in the morning,” Jeong chattered. “Do you think he’ll mind?”

Tam had no idea.

Nor did he know if he himself minded. And that particular elusive answer was making his palms already start to sweat.