Chapter 55: Does Your Mom Know Your Plan?

She couldn’t wait to tell Ilyana that she spent her birthday on a boat, cruising King’s Harbor, and gorging on the freshest seafood on the western side of the empire. On the day they scheduled to celebrate her birthday, it was just the O’Tuaghs and Gueveras left at Moss Hill, allowing for a small, relaxed celebration.

The morning started with a full breakfast and gifts from the family, which were something Tori didn’t expect as she wasn’t at home in Presidio. She received a few dresses, some pearl jewelry, bags of dried goods to bring with her to the delta, and a small wooden carving of her dungeon crawl character, a warlock. It was accompanied by a drawing Ava made of their ‘party’.

Tori had carefully placed it in a spare leather folio and planned to have it framed and put on her desk at the dorm.

After breakfast, they took a carriage to King’s Harbor and got on the family’s ship to lazily cruise the harbor. Kasen brought her watercolors and she and her little cousins made and then traded a few paintings. They had lunch on the ship and were headed back for dinner.

She was told that after dinner, she would get a massage and hot bath before bed. Being pampered was an excellent way to end the day. Tori was sure Ilyana wouldn’t lecture her about taking a rest now.

“How are you handling your motion sickness?” Andy approached her as she sat by the railing on the bow of the O’Tuagh family’s private schooner that ferried them around the harbor area.

Tori lifted her left hand to show the firmly tied ribbon around her wrist. A small, smooth crystal was pressed against her acupoint to help with her sea sickness. “It’s not a problem anymore!” she said with satisfaction.

Andy chuckled and sat down next to her. He slid his legs between the railing and let them hang over the edge as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the rails.

“That’s good, because we just found out that Sea Siren II will reach the Cosora Delta tomorrow. They didn’t stop at any of the usual ports and went directly from King’s Harbor as soon as the weight capacity was almost reached. It took a large, weighted down, shipping vessel like that a week to get that far. How long do you think it’ll take one of our brigs to get there without that much cargo?”

Tori wrinkled her nose and thought. “I don’t know? Maybe it’ll save a day?”

“Hmm...I don’t know, either,” Andy said with a nod. He looked down at her and smiled. “Do you want to find out for yourself?”

She sat up straight. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I have another three weeks before I need to report back, and Deidre’s Ocean Queen is just sitting there at the dock, available for use at any moment,” Andy said as his smile grew wider. “Do you want to take Ocean Queen back to the Cosora Delta?”

“She’ll let us take her ship?” Tori looked at him with wide eyes. Deidre was a captain in the O’Tuagh navy and was thus an accomplished sailor. Tori didn’t think she’d lend out her personal ship, which was an engagement gift from Eili, so easily.

Andy nodded. “I asked. She said it’s fine and had it checked. Kasen will come with us and we’ll drop him off at Tres Arcos, which is the closest port to Presidio. From there, it’s about three days to Presidio by land, but it’s still several days faster than traveling by carriage from here.”

“I’m not in any rush to get back,” Tori said. “I scheduled a little over two weeks for a journey back.”

“Well, you don’t have to go back by ship. I just thought it would be a nice experience and you can see some of the larger port cities along the coast on the way to the delta. Mezzaluna is lovely and on a clear day, you can see the Temple Mountain from Karap.”

“Karap?” The town brought to mind Constantine, though technically he was from Temple Mountain. He always spoke highly of the ‘town below the mountain’ and encouraged her to see it. Tori chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully.

It would be fun to check out coastal towns. And if she traveled back by ship, it would not only save her time, but she’d avoid Chetterswickshire and another possible run-in with Alessa. She knew Alessa left several days earlier, after the succession ceremony, by carriage. It was highly unlikely they’d cross paths at sea.

“Of course, if we do stop at the coastal towns, we’ll lose time and you’ll reach the delta at your scheduled time,” Andy said.

“I’ve never been to the coastal towns in Sur....” Tori trailed off and Andy grinned.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, coaxing. Tori tried to hold back a smile and nodded.

“If it can be arranged, let’s go back that way.”

Andy let out a hoot of approval before rubbing her head with his hand. “You made an excellent choice!” He pulled himself up and got to his feet. “I told you she’d say yes! You owe me a drink, Kasen!” Andy shouted above her as he walked towards the center of the ship.

Tori snorted as she looked over her shoulder, but remained seated and continued kicking her feet over the edge. A week or so long journey would be a nice adventure before returning to the delta. She nodded to herself, satisfied with this turn of events.

When they returned to Moss Hill, Tori immediately went to find her parents to let them know of the change of plans. Her parents were on the terrace with her grandparents and the former Marquis O’Tuagh when she reached them.

“Tori! How was the harbor cruise?” Lawrence said as he looked up from where he was talking to her parents.

“It was great! We did some watercolors on the boat.”

“That’s wonderful.” Her mother smiled. “Dinner is still another two hours or so away. Why don’t you go up and rest until then?”

“I will, but first I wanted to tell you that Andy offered to take me back to the Cosora Delta by ship. It’s faster and I can visit some other port towns on the way there,” Tori said with some excitement.

Her mother’s smile didn’t falter, but her father frowned. “But you were going to travel back part way with us.”

“Gregorio, why don’t you and Antonia go with them by ship? Your carriages can return on their own, can’t they?” Lawrence said. “Take some of the knights with you. The rest will go with Uncle back to Presidio by carriage.”

“Why do I have to go back by carriage while everyone else leaves by boat?” Tori’s grandfather looked over at them and frowned.

Her grandmother chuckled and gently patted Gramps’ hand. “My love, you get terribly seasick.”

Tori drew in her lips and bit them as Gramps scowled at the reminder. “Gramps, you can come, too.”

“No, no...your Grammie is right....I’ll only suffer.”

“I can tie a crystal against your...uh...energy point on your wrist to try to relieve the sea sickness,” Tori said, lifting up her wrist that still had the ribbon around it. It was working very well for her.

“I appreciate the offer, my sweet girl, but someone does have to go and make sure all the carriages and whatnot return to Presidio,” Gramps said, giving her a soft smile. “We can try next time.”

Tori nodded and looked at her parents. “Mama, Papa, do you want to go with us? I’ll talk to Cousin Andy about it. We were going to drop off Kasen at Tres Arcos and he’d take a carriage back to Presidio from there.”

“It’s only a few days away from Tres Arcos,” Antonia said, looking at her husband, apparently approving of the suggestion. “Even if we stopped at a few ports on the way so Tori can sightsee, it’s still faster than going over the mountains by land.”

Gregorio rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. “I suppose you’re right. We’ll have to let Sebastian know to send a carriage to Tres Arcos, then.”

Tori’s eyes widened. “Oh, perhaps, he can meet us there! Can he leave Presidio if the rest of the family is away?”

Her father nodded. “Yes, as long as it’s not for too long.”

“Then, he can meet us at Tres Arcos and come with me to the delta from there.” Tori beamed. She was sure Sebastian would be pleased with the plan.

From the table, her parents and grandfather appeared confused. Gregorio knit his brows together and leaned towards her.

“You want to take Sebastian to the delta?”

Tori nodded. “It’s faster by ship than by carriage. It would save him some time.”

Her father’s eyes narrowed. “Did he plan on visiting?”

She nodded once more. “Yes, he’s going to observe some crystals being installed around one of the islands....” She trailed off and her smile fell. “Did...did Sebby not tell you?”

Her father frowned. “What was he supposed to tell us?”

Oops.... Tori pursed her lips. “He’s going to come to the delta after you get back from the ceremony.”

Her father froze and her mother narrowed her eyes. “When did he say this?” her mother asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

I need to call Sebby as soon as this conversation is over. “When we talked while I was still in the delta, just before Kasey and I left. Master Ramos is going to be there for a project and Sebby wanted to come.”

Her father released the coffee cup he was holding and looked at her mother. “Darling, you continue to talk. I have to make a call.”

Tori winced and took a step back. “I’m going to go rest!” She turned around and ran back inside, reaching into her pocket for her comcry. As she shot out into the hall, she slid her finger across the crystal and whispered. “Call Sebastian de Guevera!”

With some luck, she was able to get through to her brother before their father could.

“Tori-”

“Sebby, why didn’t you tell Mama and Papa you’re going to come to the delta!” Tori rushed out her words as she cowered in a corner to try to keep her conversation hidden.

“Ah, thanks for the reminder. I’ve been busy trying to get everything I’ve been working on finished or ready for my trip. I haven’t had a chance to let them know.”

Tori swallowed hard and shut her eyes. “Sebby, I told them.”

She heard Sebastian take in a sharp breath. “You...told them?”

“I didn’t know you didn’t tell them yet, so when I asked about arranging for you to meet up with us at Tres Arcos, Papa asked what I was talking about.”

“Wait one moment.” Sebastian didn’t sound worried, which only worried her further. “Why are we meeting at Tres Arcos?”

She nearly wanted to scream that now was not the time to think about that. “Papa is trying to call you about this!”

“I know, my comcry is flashing,” Sebastian said in a blasé voice. “Answer the question. Why are we meeting at Tres Arcos?”

“Andy has leave time left, so he got Cousin Deidre to lend us her ship to take us back to the delta before he goes back to the navy,” Tori told her brother. “He said we can make some stops at some of the big port towns along the coast for me to explore.”

“That’s a good idea. It’ll be faster, too, even if you spend a day or two in the larger cities. When do you plan to get to Tres Arcos? I’ll need to schedule when I leave.”

“I don’t know, yet, we haven’t made a schedule.” Tori ran a hand down her face. “Sebby, I think Papa’s going to be mad at you.”

“He’s always getting mad at me for one reason or another. It’s fine. I’ll take care of him. Just figure out the estimated arrival date at Tres Arcos and I’ll meet you there.” A moment later, the comcry dimmed and Tori stared at it in disbelief.

She wrinkled her nose and snapped it closed. “Fine, I tried to warn you....” She shoved it in her pocket and marched to her room to take a nap before dinner.

Tori felt that she just dozed off when a knock came from the door and her little cousins’ voices called for her to come down to eat. Tori rolled onto her side and looked towards the window. It was summer and the sun was still out. She stretched out and swung her legs over the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.

“Tori!” Aiden almost seemed to complain as he continued his knocking. “Come out! It’s time for dinner!”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Tori said as she opened the door. She ran a hand through her dark, curly hair and grinned. “Okay, lead the way.”

Aiden nodded and walked ahead as the girls took each of her hands and pulled her forward. She expected them to lead her to the dining hall, but found that they were taking her out into the garden. Her eyes widened as she walked through one of the sunrooms and could see the sprawling garden beyond the open double doors.

Light crystals were hung overhead as a long table was prepared, lined with food and drink, as musicians played under a gazebo to the side, beyond the blooming rose bushes. A wide smile filled her face as she walked out to see her parents and grandparents dancing while her cousins and Kasen laughed from where they were seated at one end of the table.

Aiden rushed forward and let out a loud cough to try to get everyone’s attention. It seemed to work, at least a little. “Let’s welcome Cousin Tori to her birthday dinner!”

Tori laughed as she walked out, her little cousins still pulling her forward. Her cousins and brother all rose from their seats and clapped at her arrival.

“Thank you, thank you!” she said with a cheeky smile.

“About time we celebrated, isn’t it?” Gramps said as he came forward to hug her. “Happy fifteenth birthday, my sweet girl!”

“Thank you, Gramps!” One-by-one, members of her family came to greet her and give her a hug. Maeve and Ava had her sit at the head of the table and she was given a crown of flowers they made.

Tori couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire meal. The meal was an array of regional dishes, particularly some that Tori really liked. Once the post-dinner coffee was finished, the table in front of her was cleared. A crudely drawn map with a grid over it was laid in front of her, along with dice, a notebook where they had been keeping track of their adventure, and several carved wooden figures.

They played dungeon crawl for another hour, until well past the sunset. However, it was enough to attract the attention of her parents, grandparents, and Lawrence.

“Dad, you want to play, too?” Eili asked as she glanced up from her sheet.

“I’m just curious,” the now-retired marquis said. “What is the goal of this game?”

“Adventure,” Maeve said with utmost seriousness.

Eventually, one of the maids came to tell Siobhan that Tori’s room was ready for her massage and bath. She loved playing with the kids and her cousins, but she hadn’t had a massage since she transmigrated.

“Druid Ava has communed with nature and become one with the spirits. The god of fate gives her the power of destiny over her party for one night,” Tori said as she lifted her flower crown off her head and removed one of the flowers to make it a little smaller. She then wove it closed and placed it on Ava’s head. “Ava is now the master.”

“No!” Aiden and Eili cried out in protest at the same time as the four-year-old began to laugh maniacally.

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Tori snickered as she skipped away, heading back to her room. Two maids were waiting for her as they opened her door, and a gentle floral and herbal scent reached her nose. A large wooden tub was by the hearth, filled with water with bits of floating petals and leaves. She chewed on her lower lip as joy filled her eyes.

“My lady, an herbal bath has been prepared for you. It is an imported blend gifted by trading partners,” one of the maids said. “When you are finished with your bath, ring the bell beside the tub and we will come to assist you and prepare for your massage.”

Tori took a deep breath and whispered. “Thank you....”

As instructed, the maids left her to undress and sink into the comfortably hot water. Tori leaned back and let out a small moan as her body seemed to relax at once.

I don’t know what ‘herbs’ are in this bath, but my God, I could do this again. Tori closed her eyes and relished her bath, wondering to herself if she could get some of the herbal blend. Ilyana would love this. Oh, and Sonia. She can use it after practice. We can do a girls spa thing. But then Ewan and the others will probably complain that they’re missing out. If I get some for me and the girls, I should get some for the guys. Tori furrowed her brows. This is a Japanese game...we should have a ‘hot springs episode’.

Her thoughts eventually led to building a bathhouse on the delta. Specifically, thermal bath styled bathhouses like the ones in Budapest, or hammams. It would be a good place to relax and socialize. Tori made a mental note to discuss it with the project leads and see if such a thing was culturally acceptable in Soleil.

If it wasn’t she’d figure something out.

When the bath water was starting to cool, Tori stretched out and reached for the bell by a table beside the tub. She rang it and immediately, two maids rushed in, pulled a screen around the tub, and helped her out, wrapping her body in a warm robe.

She then sat on a low chair that reclined, allowing her hair to fall into the tub, so they could wash her hair. After running a towel through her cleaned hair, they laid out some blankets on the bed to soak up the oils from her massage.

Tori laid face down, her butt covered by a towel, as the maids gave her a massage. She should’ve known it would’ve put her to sleep as after she closed her eyes, she awoke what felt like a moment later and was told that it was over.

They had wiped the excess oil off her body and laid out her nightgown. After they left, Tori changed and walked out into her small balcony that overlooked the harbor. Below was the garden where they had dinner and she could hear Duncan telling Aiden that he could continue the game the next day; it was time for the children to go to bed.

“How can I continue?” Aiden said. “Ava killed me!”

“She didn’t kill you.” Eili’s voice wafted up as Tori chuckled. “You walked over a pit of vipers and were bitten. You rolled too low to survive. That’s not her fault.”

Tori leaned against the stone railing and opened the comcry she’d brought out with her. She slid her finger across. “Call Ilyana Agafonova.”

Her friend answered. “I called earlier, were you still eating dinner?”

“Nope, better,” Tori said. “Guess who had a massage.” She went into detail on her experience and after a while, Ilyana stopped responding with impressed ‘oohs’.

“Tori,” she said in a low voice. “I should’ve opened a thermal spa.” Her friend’s voice was filled with regret and Tori grinned.

“It’s not too late. I wanted to bring it up with the project leads as a possible business to open on the delta,” Tori said. “We can have some people trained. I can ask my cousins where their maids learned.”

“I’m going to call Henrik tomorrow and see if he’s interested,” Ilyana said. “He hates being left out of business opportunities.”

“Sounds good. Oh, we can make it under Lions Gate.”

Ilyana gasped. “Spa Lions!”

“We will work on the name,” Tori said as she shook her head. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Tori!”

The call ended and Tori wandered back into her room and fell on to her bed. Before she left Moss Hill, she wanted to finish up some things so she could focus on travel.

The last few days before they left, Tori spent most of her time doing work related to the delta and Lions Gate. This included meeting with more merchants, nobles, and organizing paperwork. Every night, she reported to Ilyana what she was doing and Ilyana began to revert to telling her not to overwork herself.

“I’m not.” Several nights after her birthday celebration, she was once more on the balcony of her room, talking to her friend. “You worry too much.”

“Every day, you’ve been doing work. You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

“I am, that’s why I’m trying to get some things done before we set sail,” Tori said. She wandered back into her room and fell back on her bed, holding the comcry in her hand. “Andy and Eili and I mapped out a bunch of places to visit on the way back, so I want to be able to focus on them without worrying about the delta or Lions Gate.”

“Tori, we appreciate your hard work, but you don’t have to focus on the delta or Lions Gate every day.”

“I’m pacing myself.”

“You need to rest. You can’t keep trying to do everything while you’re supposed to be enjoying time with your family,” Ilyana’s voice came from the comcry, sounding both frustrated and tired.

“I am resting,” Tori said confidently as she laid on her bed, staring at the canopy. “Just today, I didn’t have any meetings or meals with people in regard to the delta or Lions Gate or for socio-political purposes. I just spent today indoors, taking naps, and reading.”

Ilyana was quiet for a moment. “What were you reading?”

Tori’s eyes darted around the room and landed on a ledger and several stacks of leather file folders on her desk. She wasn’t lying. She did spend the day taking naps and reading. It’s just that she was reading notes, quotes, estimates, and invoices to finalize a budget for her project for the next three years.

“Nonfiction.”

“You were working on your project!” Ilyana’s voice echoed in the room, filled with disapproval. “I knew it!”

“I wanted to finalize the budget before school starts,” Tori said, pouting. “You don’t understand; we just selected and signed all the suppliers for construction supplies. Coupled with the pay for hired workers and staff that has already been fixed, the quotes for artisan and fishing supplies, and the costs for day-to-day living for everyone on the delta, I have made a suitable budget!”

“You are supposed to be enjoying your time with your family.”

“I am enjoying my time! I’ve been playing with the kids. I went out on a boat and got an introduction into sailing. I explored King’s Harbor and ate a bunch of good food; I’ve been enjoying my time greatly!”

“All right,” Ilyana still sounded suspicious. “Perhaps I shouldn’t say ‘enjoy’ and say ‘rest’.”

Tori cringed. “I rest at night.”

“I bet you stay up late and then get up early.”

“The sun is already up by the time I get up.”

“The sunrise is earliest in the summer months, Tori. Have you been going to sleep after our calls?” Ilyana always called at a specific time and would tell Tori to ‘go to sleep’ after their call was finished. It was her way of trying to remind Tori to sleep, just like when they were in the dorm, Ilyana would make her turn off the light crystals to encourage Tori to rest.

But Ilyana wasn’t there to stop her.

“Sometimes,” Tori said. “There was that time I was playing with the kids and one night, we went out on the boat to stargaze from the water.” But most of the time, Tori was working on something for her project or Lions Gate, and didn’t want to admit it.

She heard Ilyana sigh heavily once more. “How many more days do you have until you leave?”

“We leave the day after tomorrow. I’m almost all packed,” Tori told her. “We’ll be on a boat for the next week or so.”

“At least I know you’ll spend time exploring those ports as opposed to shutting yourself in a cabin and looking over paperwork.” There was a deep resignation in Ilyana’s voice and Tori rolled her eyes.

“The budget is pretty much done. After this, it’s just making sure that things go according to plans and following up when they don’t,” Tori said, confident. “At most, I’ll need to make a few calls just to check in with the project leads at the delta. The rest of the time, I’ll be enjoying my trip back. It’ll be relaxing.”

“Hmm....”

Tori gave her comcry a deadpan expression. “You don’t believe me.’

“Your record makes it difficult to, in this case,” Ilyana replied. “Do your brothers know you overwork yourself?”

“Ilyana, I’m not overworking myself,” Tori stated one last time. “I’m taking breaks. Trust me.”

“Cousin Tori, you have to believe me.” Ava looked absolutely serious as she looked up at Tori. “I will come visit you next summer at the delta.”

Tori looked at her with some concern. “Does your mom know you plan to cross the empire to get to the Cosora Delta?”

Ava was quiet for a moment and seemed to think as she bit her lower lip. She then looked back at her cousin and reached for Tori’s hand. She took it and gently patted it. “I will figure it out.”

Bridget raised a brow as her daughter clung to Tori as they stood on the family’s Moss Hill dock, which was down a series of well-kept, but narrow set of stairs that almost zig-zagged across the cliff below the castle. They had to walk across the garden to get to a gate house and then down the stairs.

There was a wooden railing, but just beyond it was a drop over the cliff and jagged rocks. Tori had kept one hand on the stone face of the wall, trying to keep as far from the edge as possible. The children had happily bounced down the stairs without a care. Tori had stared at them in horror as Bridget tried to assure her that the children were fine and were used to the stairs.

The Moss Hill dock was a jetty that had a wooden dock jutting out into the harbor. A schooner was waiting to take them out to deeper water, where Deidre’s fully rigged, red and black ship with brilliant white sails, Ocean Queen, was waiting. Their things had already been brought on board and a full staff was waiting for them.

All that was left was for the Gueveras to board.

“Ava, we’ll discuss whether you can go to the Cosora Delta when we look over your studies this year,” Ava’s father, Baldwin, said with a stern look. Ava slumped forward, as if already defeated by her academic performance.

“Ava, if you can’t come next summer, then come when I graduate Lycée,” Tori said as she knelt down in front of the little girl. “I am hoping to have a small home on the delta by then. You and your cousins can stay with me, all right?”

The child tilted her head back and let out a groan. “That’s too far! I’ll be old by then!”

“Then you can stay, and Maeve and I will go,” Aiden said as he smirked. Ava shot him a glare and pointed at him.

“You dare!”

“All right.” Tori bent down and plucked up the child into her arms. “I have to go now, so give me a hug.”

Ava threw her arms around Tori’s neck and buried her face against her shoulders. “Call me to play dungeon crawl.”

“Once a month. I’ve scheduled it with your mother.”

Ava kept her face buried against Tori and her small shoulders began to shake. The other two children who were waiting their turn to hug Tori looked at each other and then towards Ava.

“Ava,” Maeve said in a careful voice. “Are you cry-”

“You’re crying!” Ava shouted in a broken voice. Tori stroked her back and kissed the side of her head.

“I’ll miss you, too, baby,” Tori said softly. Ava sniffled as Bridget pried her off and held her against her hip. Tori hugged Aiden and Maeve, who said they would study hard to be able to visit. “Then, I look forward to it.”

She bid her cousins good-bye and hugged Grammie and Gramps tight before climbing on to the schooner. They untied the ship and Tori stood to the side, waving at the family she was leaving behind as she watched them get smaller and smaller.

“Did you have fun?” her brother asked behind her. Tori nodded as she lowered her arms. She remained watching the dock.

“I did,” Tori replied. “I saw many things and learned a lot.”

“Good,” Kasen said. “You were working almost as much as me.”

She let out a small scoff. “As if anyone can work as much as you,” she said as she gave her brother some side-eye. Kasen chuckled.

They reached the side of the Ocean Queen and carefully crossed over onto the other ship. Once they were all on board, the schooner headed back to the dock. Tori looked towards Moss Hill sitting firmly on the emerald hill just beyond the cliff.

As she watched the stone castle fade into the horizon the further away they sailed, Tori squinted. Sometimes, she didn’t understand Victoria.

She had such an amazing family. She was loved so much.

And she threw it all away.

What was stranger was that Tori was certain that Victoria loved her family deeply. She could feel it in her bones.

She shook her head and bit her lips. This family was now also hers. She still wasn’t sure if it was her own feelings or if it was lingering from the original Victoria, but the love and affection could not be denied.

Tori wanted to survive the game, of course, but priority number one was to protect her family. If she couldn’t save herself, then she’d try to save them.

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