Dark Fall

Chapter 51 - Anna

After two long days of driving, Terra suppressed an active hatred for the car. The inevitable letdown after the danger-driven adrenaline high and the demands of the growing life within her took their toll. She would have kneeled down and kissed Freehold soil if it wasn't so hard to get back up.

Haze pulled up in the evening in front of Ginny's house. He declined an invitation to come inside, then after an awkward hug, he departed. Terra had called ahead, warning them of their arrival, thus Joseph, Jay, and Moya stood with Ginny to greet them.

Ginny hugged them both as they stepped onto the porch and remarked, "No major injuries? That is an improvement."

Inside, Terra plopped down on the sofa, stretched her legs out, and let out a big sigh. "I am so done with traveling."

Will stood and recounted the tale of their adventures to the attentive audience.

After Will sat down, Terra said, "According to the mercenaries, there is a Dynasty spy somewhere in Freehold."

Ginny put on a sly grin. "It was the fabric peddler down in the square. We don't have to worry about that anymore. Joseph put the fear of God in him."

I could believe that. Replace his friendly expression with a scowl and he could be as intimidating as a charging grizzly bear.

Will said, "That's how they knew when we left town. But how did the Dynasty know we were in Freehold to begin with?"

Ginny replied, "This was where Necros was killed. It would be logical to put a spy here to watch, although it is a breach of the agreement with the Library."

Jay huffed. "An assassination team is a much bigger breach."

"The Emperor himself directed Neige to strike outside of Freehold," Terra said, "probably thinking that would not technically violate it. They still need the Library, at least for now. And they must have already known I was here to risk sending in a spy. Also, they knew the Hooded Man was with me, but they still did not know Will's name." Terra paused as a thought came to her, triggering a shudder. "There is another explanation, and it scares me — the Blue Uprising tipped off the Dynasty."

Silence cloaked the room. Joseph stated out loud what most were thinking. "Terra, that would mean the Uprising and the Dynasty are working together against you and Will."

"They both knew I would no longer support the other. And they also knew how bad we can beat them. I was counting on that, along with the Library's neutrality umbrella, for them to leave us alone." Terra dipped her head. "I am not so sure anymore."

Will frowned. "What do we do?"

Caressing her extended belly, Terra replied, "Our daughter limits our options, Will. We cannot risk her anymore, but I am not in a state to run very far."

Joseph continued the line of reasoning. "So you hide. Stay here in Ginny's house and do not venture out. It is time we leveraged the Library's influence. We will put you and Will under our protection and threaten to pull out of key areas if they do not comply. Even a threat of political action may be in order."

Terra met Will's eyes, and he nodded. "Agreed."

The eyes in the room turned toward Jay and Moya, and then back to Will and Terra. Terra's furrowed her brow. "Is there something else?"

A wide grin erupted on Jay's face. "There is one more thing. We were waiting for you to get back." He put an arm around Moya and drew her against him. "With all that happened, we decided to get married."

Will jumped up, embracing both of them. "Outstanding! Now that is something more pleasant. When is the wedding?"

"Now."