Page 183 of Grave Situation

But she’s already walking away, her laughter floating back to me. She was joking. Of course she was joking.

I’ve convinced myself of that by the time I get to the apartment I now share with Jaimin. We had some small hiccups when I first moved in, even though we’d basically been living together for months at that point. It seems that cohabitating while traveling isn’t the same as when you’re at home and in your usual routine. But we worked it out, and now these rooms, with him, are my favorite place to be.

My family is waiting for me inside, and I grin at them as I slide into my chair at the table. “Sorry I’m late. The students were cooperative, and it threw me off-stride.”

Jaimin and Master Samoine, who know all about my teaching style, laugh. The others look bemused.

Jaimin passes me the platter of roast beef, and I help myself to a serving. “So, Arimen… you wanted to talk to us?”

Our young friend nods solemnly, his face serious. He’s changed a lot from the timid boy I met all those months ago—after everything he’s been through, he’s no longer intimidated so easily. He spent a month in the spring with me and Jaimin in Rebithia, helping us get the estate settled and people back on their feet after the trauma of living with zombies, and that made him very introspective. We offered to take him home, but he declined, saying he needed time to think first, and he’s spent the summer here at the City of Knowledge, talking to every healer, mage, and rider who’ll reply (which was all of them—he’s Arimen of the Heroes now) and studying in the archives with Master Samoine’s guidance. He’s still ridiculously young—only time will change that—but he’s matured a lot.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. For a while, I was so disillusioned by what the temples did that I gave up on the idea of being a priest. That was hasty—I know that my calling is true. I’m supposed to be a priest, just not the kind who would betray the gods.” He takes a breath. “I’mafraid hubris took me for a while, and I began to build grandiose plans of revolutionizing the temples.”

None of us say anything, and he wrinkles his nose. “It’s okay—I got over that. The truth is, I still have a lot to learn if I’m going to help people. If I’m going to be the kind of priest who inspired me. And I think the best way to do that is to learn from him.” He looks around the table at all our faces and says, “I’m going to go back to the Halyn Isles and finish my service as an acolyte.”

“You’re leaving?” Coryn asks, devastated. “I haven’t finished teaching you to use a sword. And who will read me stories?”

Peiris pats his arm. “He’s a competent swordsman already, and I can read you stories. We can’t hold him back from his destiny because we’ll miss him.”

“It won’t be forever,” Arimen assures them earnestly. “A few years, and I’ll be back on the mainland. And we can visit in the meantime.”

Coryn doesn’t look convinced, but he smiles bravely and nods. He went back to Lenledia in the spring for just long enough to help in Lenle’s cleanup of zombie remains, and then he resigned from the King’s Own Guard and came here to start training dragon riders. I was right that they were grateful to have such a skilled fighter, especially when they saw how comfortable he is around dragons, thanks to Leicht. The dragons themselveslovehim. He talks to them and pets them and has healthy respect but no fear. Plus, Leicht told them all how Coryn beheaded the high priest of Wasianth for his part in Tia’s death, and that won them over instantly.

Peiris also went home in the spring, but only to update their parents and collect some personal items. They convinced the Imperial Pair to make them an official liaison between the Baswich Empire and the City of Knowledge, to enable information sharing so something like this won’t happen again.Before summer really had a chance to begin, they were here, demanding a voice on the combined council and spending every spare second with Coryn, who welcomed them eagerly. The two of them have been talking recently about adopting a cat.

Privately, Peiris told me that they’d probably have to return to the Empire and take up public duties when their older sibling inherits the Imperial throne, but that won’t be for a long while yet, and they’ve already decided that Coryn will go with them.

I’m just happy to have them all here with me, and I understand how Coryn feels about Arimen leaving. But…

“I think that’s an excellent plan, Arimen. I’ll miss you a lot, but now that you’re comfortable with me talking to you telepathically, we can stay in touch all the time.”

He beams at me. “Exactly! I need to do this if I’m going to be a good priest.” He bites his lip. “I really want to be a good priest.”

“You will be,” Master assures him, and I nod. I don’t tell him that one day, he’s going to be the High Priest of Wasianth. He’s got a long way to go before that happens, but I can feel it in him—he’s going to be my voice in the world.

“When do you want to leave?” Jaimin asks. “We’ll have a party to send you off.”

I swear, Arimen’s eyes get glassy. “Really? Do you think anyone will come?”

“Everyone will come,” I assure him. “They like you.” Even if they didn’t, I’d make them come.

“I-I was thinking… in a couple of weeks? I don’t want to be traveling in bad weather, and winter sets in earlier up north.”

Master nods. “That’s a very sensible decision. We’ll get you supplied, then, and make your travel arrangements—and plan the party.”

“Let’s have a toast,” Coryn says abruptly, standing. “To Arimen, who’s going to make so many lives better.”

Arimen flushes but can’t hide his happy smile, and the rest of us raise our glasses.

“To Arimen!”

That evening,long after our friends have gone back to their rooms and Jaimin and I have finished our duties for the day, we recline in the bathtub, wrapped in each other’s arms, and watch the sun set over the mountains through the big windows.

“Are you really okay with Arimen going?” he asks me quietly, and I sigh.

“I’m going to miss him. And worry, a lot. But this is his path, and he needs to forge it. We might want to plan a trip to the Isles soon, though.”

“How about in the spring?” the love of my life suggests. “It’s far enough in the future that he won’t feel like we’re checking up on him, and it means you won’t need to leave the academy this winter.”

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