These Divided Shores

They all had to change. They all had to make up for what had happened and the things they’d done. But as far as Vex was concerned, this was his redemption: happiness.

“Seriously, what’s with you?” Vex adjusted the bean in his ear. “Gunnar not calming you down enough?”

“Hilarious.”

“Hey, you went six years without my delightful personality in your life. Gotta make up for lost time.”

“Oh, I thought of a great wedding present for you,” Vex told Ben.

Nayeli and Cansu raced past Kari and Lu, who halted some conversation they’d been having. Lu laughed, the sound pulling Vex to his feet. He started forward.

“You don’t need to send a gift—oh, Gunnar is informing me that it is rude to refuse gifts. I think being the king’s consort is already going to his head.”

“He’ll like this gift. You both will, I promise.” Vex grinned. “It’s a crate of Extin.”

Ben barked a laugh. “The plant that makes its taker fireproof? You’re awful.”

“Brilliant, you mean.”

“No, awful—Gunnar! Thank you for that, Vex, you’ve given him all sorts of ideas.”

“My pleasure.” Vex stopped behind Lu.

“You hear, everyone? Kidding. Ben has no plans to send an armada to Grace Loray. For now.”

“Vex!”

“What did she say?” asked Ben, through the Budwig in Vex’s ear.

“Ben’s not yet to Argrid. He says he’ll send his armada back to Grace Loray to kick your ass for me,” Vex told her.

“Don’t promise things like that! It’s too fresh still.”

“Kidding.” Vex waved his hands, looking around at anyone who might’ve overheard

Vex made an inappropriate gesture at her. But he smiled.

“Really?” He scratched at the bandages under his shirt. “Sticking with the injury jokes pretty hard, are you? You’ll have to find something else to mock when my rib heals.”

Nayeli shrugged and dropped the barrel into the pile of rubble she’d made. “Well, if you could handle your magic like a normal person, you wouldn’t have to heal on your own. I have weeks of poor broken Vex jokes ahead of me.”

“Here, help me lift this—ohh, that’s right. You can’t.”

Vex shot Nayeli a look from where he sat on a crate, sorting through a stack of nets to find the ones that hadn’t been damaged beyond repair.

It really wouldn’t be a surprise, then, if Ben married a Mecht Eye of the Sun warrior. It might not help his reputation or his station, but it would help him.

Ben launched himself at Gunnar and kissed him. He felt Gunnar smile against him, his arms pinning Ben to his body. For a moment, there was only this moment, Ben whispering, “Yes, all right, I’ll marry you,” between kisses that grew desperate with need.

Devereux Bell was nineteen, and he was happy.