CoS44

## Chapter 44

SPOILER WARNING*Selestra foresaw that the page "CoS44" may include spoilers about a number of topics covered on Alexandra Christo Verse, She warns you to proceed with caution.*
**Chapter 44** of **City of Spells** follows **Wesley**.

## **About**

### **Characters**

* **Wesley Thornton Walcott**
* **Saxony Akintola**
* **Karam Talwar**
* **Zekia Akintola**
* **Tavia Syn**

## **Full Version**

SAXONY, KARAM, AND ZEKIA were seated on the grass by the riverbank, where the next train to Rishiya waited. Most of their army had congregated inside, except for those who wished to stay in Creije. Or those who planned on getting the first train they could out of Uskhanya entirely.

“Is Tavia here?” Wesley asked.

Saxony looked at him with a raised eyebrow, untangling her hand from Karam’s. “I’m sorry, is our company not good enough for the underboss of Creije?”

Wesley shrugged, his smile tipping upward.

“She is by the Crook,” Karam said. “Where else would a busker be?”

That sounded like Tavia.

Wesley sat down on the grass beside Zekia, resigned to the fact that his suit was ruined.

“How’s our Doyen?” Saxony asked.

“Busy,” Wesley said. “Who knew reshaping the world was so much work?”

It had been a week since Dante Ashwood had been killed.After they had addressed the realms from the Halls of Government, they had traveled back into Creije to begin reopening the capital city’s most notorious and inspiring landmarks. The museum, the library, and, of course, the bars would soon follow. The Crook would be the first of them to open its doors and wet its glasses with Cloverye for the nervous patrons, helping to ease everyone back into the routine of daily life.

But despite all that, it would be at least another few weeks until their armies would be able to properly scour Uskhanya and find the strays of Ashwood’s people. Not to mention that there were bound to be hundreds of innocents scattered around the realm, in need of saving and curing. Wesley couldn’t see himself getting a break anytime soon.

“Are you excited?” Zekia asked.

Wesley turned to her with a curious expression and lounged back onto the palms of his hands. “About what?”

“Being in charge,” she said.

“I’m always in charge,” he said. “I’m just excited to be home.”

Saxony looked down at the grass. “I almost forgot that you’d be staying.”

Impossibly, Wesley had too.

He had been so busy helping to amass enough prisoners to fill the Halls of Government to bursting, and enough victims of the Loj to fill the Grand Infirmary and keep their healers occupied for the foreseeable future, that he had forgotten that he didn’t need to leave Creije again.

“I need to stay to get a proper drink,” Wesley said. “It’s a good thing that Ashwood didn’t destroy my bar.”

Karam couldn’t help but laugh, but Saxony didn’t mirror her smile in the slightest.

“You could come with us,” she said, in a voice soft enough to make Wesley shuffle. “The Rishiyat Kin would love to have you home.”

*Home.*

Only, Wesley was already home. Rishiya was his past, but Creije was his present and his future.

“I don’t think they need me around,” Wesley said.”Not with their new Liege taking the reins.”

Wesley nudged her with his shoulder.

“Zekia and I agree that it’s your destiny,” Wesley said.”Don’t we, kid?”

“Yep,” Zekia said. “I’m going to dream and relax and have Amja tell me stories.”

Saxony smiled, but Wesley could see he hadn’t given her the answer she wanted.

“Do you think the Kin will be mad when I go back?” Zekia asked.

She looked up at him with worried eyes, her chin nuzzled into his shoulder.

“What if they hate me now?”

“If you want advice on redemption, then you’re talking to the wrong sibling.” He ruffled her hair and Zekia pulled away from him to smooth it back out. “You’ve seen a thousand futures, kid. At least one of them had to have been on your side.”

Saxony let out a disbelieving laugh. “Look at you, the wise old man.”

Wesley frowned at the word *old*, but thought the *wise* part was enough of a compliment to let it slide.

“Just take care of her,” he said, pushing himself up from the grass.

He needed to find Tavia. It had been hours since he’d last seen her.

Saxony, Karam, and Zekia stood too, and there was an awkward moment where Wesley thought Karam might hug him, but instead she merely stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.

“You fought well,” she said. “Even if I fought better.”

Wesley would take that goodbye.

He’d miss his favorite fighter. Despite everything, Karam and he had been in each other’s lives for years, and that meant he couldn’t think of anyone who he’d rather have accompany his sisters back to Rishiya. There wasn’t a person in the realms he trusted more to guard them. And to love them.

“I’ll see you around,” Wesley said to her. “Look after those two, okay?”

Karam gave him a rare smile.

“Of course,” she said. “I will go with them back to Rishiya and watch over them.”

That was good enough for Wesley. Knowing Karam would be watching over his family meant that he knew they would always be safe.

“You’ll be okay here?” Saxony asked.

“I’m always okay,” Wesley said.

Saxony said nothing in return, but she pulled him into a tight hug that threw Wesley for a loop. He was not a hugger, but he’d also never been a brother before, so he guessed things changed. He wrapped his arms around Saxony and felt the moment she sighed against his shoulder.

“See you soon, little brother,” she said, pulling away.

Wesley sucked in a breath. “Let’s stick with first names,” he said. “See you around, Saxony.”

She put her hand on his cheek and it was then that Wesley realized for the first time just how much taller she was than him. And how suddenly he was not only a big brother, but that he had a big sister, too.

For the first time, he had someone to look up to and rely on. Someone whose job it was to have his back.

“Stay safe, Wesley,” she said.

“Sounds boring.”

Saxony rolled her eyes. “Stay boring, then.”

Wesley grinned. “Never.”