Page 97 of Claiming Sarah

Sarah stared at him in confusion. “Wait, you have a consort, and you want to unite with Silence?”

“I lost my consort in the war,” Mock said. “I burned her body here on Halla, and she should be here, unless she has been born to the ether. Since you are the only living conduit, you are the only one who can call to her, if her ghost is still on Halla. I don’t know—she has never come to me here. I need to know if she approves of the union.”

Sarah gave him a humble smile. “I have called a ghost to me only once and that was in a temple. I’m not sure I know how to do so without a temple, but maybe we can go back—”

“I can teach you,” Omen said, stepping up to her.

Valor glanced at Silence, the love he had for her shining in his eyes. “What do you think, my dear?”

In response, Silence graciously bowed before Mock, accepting his generous offer. “How can I repay this kindness?”

The older man looked flustered. “Now, now, none of that, please. You are a princess, I am nothing more than a lowly servant—”

“You would be my prince, Mock,” she said in that sweet voice of hers. “You are no lowly servant.”

He chuckled nervously. “Oh. Well, still, no bowing please.”

Silence smiled down at her companion-to-be, in name only. “As you wish.”

Valor smiled at them, then Sarah. “Are you sure the cottage is big enough for you? I wasn’t sure, but the bed we built should be large enough for all three of you, and there are extra bedrooms, should you need room for any children who might come along.”

Sarah blushed a becoming shade of pink. “It’s plenty big enough, Valor, thank you so much. All of you.”

Once the festivities for Silence and Mock’s upcoming union were settled, I grabbed Deacon and Sarah and took them into her new cottage. I kissed them in turn and said, “I know things are tense right now with the conduit situation and Rex, but for the first time in a long time, I think things are looking up. What about you two?”

Sarah smiled at us both and slowly nodded, her eyes shining bright. “I know what you mean. It feels like things are finally coming together.”

Deacon said, “Dun dun, dun!”

Sarah looked at me, then him, and giggled at his very earthly turn of phrase. “Are you saying that we jinxed ourselves?”

Deacon laughed, and I loved seeing this light-hearted side to him when things had seemed so bleak such a short time ago. “Isn’t that what you told me? That humans think confidence is a bad luck?”

She nodded. “Something like that. But, as long as tonight goes well with Rex and the conduits, we can start to build a real life on Halla. Starting here. In my own cottage.” She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at her new home.

“Are you happy, Sarah?” I asked, needing to know the truth.

She took my hand, then Deacon’s, looking from me to him, emotion brimming in her eyes. “Being on Halla…it’s dangerous and it’s crazy and I love it,” she said, all with a big smile. “I’m in the thick of it.Imatter here. And the men I love are here. I have purpose and love and I have both of you to thank for that.”

Sarah stepped up to me and kissed me, and Deacon moved up behind her, skimming his lips along the side of her neck. She swayed toward me and moaned seductively…just as the sound of engines roaring outside signaled a ship’s arrival.

Someone knocked on the cottage door, bringing an end to our amorous moment. “They’re here!”

“This time will go better than the last,” Sarah said optimistically, referring to our recent battle with the conduits in the forest. “I can feel it.”

Our beautiful consort took our hands and we left the cottage to greet Rex and the conduits.

CHAPTER 30

Deacon

Just before the full moons’ rise, Rex landed a slate blue ship twice the size ofAllegiantnext to my ship.Of course, his ship had to be bigger.

I rolled my eyes and kissed the back of Sarah’s hand, before I let it go on my way to greet him. The passenger door opened, lowering a ramp to the ground, and he led the charge out of the ship. Rex was followed by no less than twenty fighters, and all but Rex were armed with hand cannons, which I found a bit concerning.

“Those won’t help with the ghosts,” I said, pointing out the obvious.

Rex dismissed my concern with a flick of his hand. “They always carry them, as a part of their job. I’m hated by more than ghosts. Just a precaution, my boy, I assure you. Are the conduits here yet?”

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