Dusk

[Samantha Stoneridge]

Sam sits in her childhood bedroom, looking around as the sun sets, casting shadows over the walls that were once her safe haven. Her daughter's laughter floats up the stairs, mingled with her parents' voices. The sound making the task at hand even more difficult. With a sigh she turns back to the paperwork laid out on her desk. How did it all dissolve into this?

At first, she had simply told her parents Azure was busy with work and could not be torn away. Then somehow word from Galmair and Cadomyr had begun spreading throughout Falmhara. She had confessed the truth of it immediately, hanging her head in shame at her failure. Her mother simply left the room while her father took a sudden interest in sharpening a knife. The sounds of the knife scraping on leather, and Phoe's soft breathing as she slept were the only sounds that filled the room for what seemed like an eternity. When her mother returned, she was not alone.

"Samantha, I want you to meet your new best friend." her mother's smile didn't curb the sadness in her eyes, but she gave Sam's arm a gentle squeeze before she gathered Phoenix and ushered her husband out of the room. "Thomas has been our salvation more than once dear. He will see to it that you have everything you need to fix this. Papa and I will be in the kitchen with the little one. Yell if you need us."

And Thomas did not disappoint. He spent hours going over every possible hurdle she might encounter. From custody to loss of status, and being responsible for debt and/or problems caused by her ex. Every time she pointed out that she was not divorced, and was honestly hoping it would not come to that, Thomas just smiled. "Of course, of course. This is all just information in case you need it." He'd left her with a novel of paperwork, cautioning that he was only an expert in Albarian and Salkamaerian law, local procedures might differ slightly.

"Do you have someone there that you can trust to help you follow the correct process? If not, I'm sure I can send out a few letters..." Sam smiled, assuring him she knew just where to go, and Thomas nodded curtly.

"Good, then I shall leave you to look this over, and decide what is best for you and your daughter." he hesitated at the door, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Ms. Stoneridge.. I'm sorry, Mrs. Lynch, if you run into any complications. If there is even the slightest hint that you and your daughter will be in danger because of this. You contact me. I am also an expert in making people.... vanish."

The horror on Sam's face sent him stumbling to recover.

"Not like that!!" He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I mean, if people don't want to be found, I can make that happen. A new home, a new life where no one will bother you over this again."

Sitting in the darkening bedroom, Sam toyed with the idea for a moment. A new life, a chance to start over. It was all very tempting. Phoenix laughed again, joyously shouting something Sam couldn’t quite understand, and Sam knew it wouldn’t work. She would never be able to take Phoe away from those who love her. Besides, she was a terrible liar. No, the only way to get through this was to lift her chin and face the storm.

As the last of the light faded from the sky, Sam pointed towards the small fireplace in the corner. A soft mumble of words, and the logs ignited. She smiled, thinking of Phoe’s wonder at Mama’s little parlor tricks. Big blue eyes staring as she clapped her hands and begged “Ginn Mama! Ginn!” Sam would have quite a time explaining why she couldn’t hop from one side of the street to the other, or heal a scraped knee with a touch once they were home.

Home… That was another thing to consider. Where would “home” be when she returned? She couldn’t stand another night in that room in the desert alone, but could she just pack up her things and go back to living at the inn now that she had a toddler to keep safe?

And citizenship. Could she leave Cadomyr while still married to a citizen? So many questions… she wondered if there were ears burning in Galmair, knowing she was going to bombard them as soon as she got off the boat.

A soft knock broke through her thoughts, and she turned to see her mother holding a yawning Phoenix.

“Looks like someone needs some sleep.” Her mother gave her a gentle smile. “And Phoenix is pretty worn out too… It will all work out, Sam. Maybe not the way you planned, but the way it should.”

With a soft kiss on both mops of red hair, her mother was gone, leaving the Lynch girls to settle in to bed.

[Samantha Stoneridge]

Bob... she scowled at the letter for a moment, then sighed, tossing it aside. He'd known what he was doing when he went to the psychopath. He got exactly what he wanted most likely. Why else would he endanger himself and his family by going to the one man he always warned her was too dangerous to mess with? Running her hands over her face and through her hair, Sam blinked back a fresh wave of tears. She was an idiot. This was Dran all over again. Though at least she had been smart enough not to bring a child into the world with that monster.

She looked over to where Phoenix sat on the floor, playing with some blocks her father had bought. Whatever Sam had done to deserve this, Phoenix was just an innocent victim. Completely oblivious to the borderline ridiculous stupidity of her father, and the ignorance of her mother in following him to this point, the child pouted as her stack of blocks tumbled. Sam could not help but see her own life in that shaky tower of wood. As the child set to building a new tower, with a little more determination in her eyes, Sam knew what she must do.

She had received her answer, it was time to make a decision. Forget giving him the chance to make one, because he obviously already had. She would write a letter to the one man she could trust, but first, she would help her daughter rebuild. After all, learning to set a solid foundation should be taught by the parents, no?

[Samantha Stoneridge]

"What if he really is being controlled?" Sam's mother passed the note to her father with a worried gaze. Her father passed it along to Thomas with barely a glance, confirming her suspicion that he'd lifted the seal before bringing it to her. Thomas read the letter, his dark brows raising the only hint of a reaction.

"Mama." Sam sighed, shaking her head. "There are two major problems with that theory. Number one: If Mister Bob is erasing his very mind, and controlling him, how is he writing to me? Number two: On the off chance that he does gain the autonomy to write, why does he not write to someone close? Someone who can help him? Why write to the wife he's all but abandoned recently?"

She looked down at her hands, studying the gold band on the left one.

"It simply makes no sense, Mama." Sam sighed again, twisting the ring gently. "What's more logical is that he couldn't stand a simple, quiet life any longer. A stable home, a loving wife, and a beautiful daughter were too much for him... or perhaps too little. Not enough excitement or danger... too calm and peaceful. Or perhaps I simply wasn't a good enough wife."

She paused there, taking a deep breath. But when she looked up, the sadness in her eyes was overshadowed by anger.

"But instead of simply saying so, being a man and letting us both walk away with our dignity in tact, he does this." she gestured wildly to the note. "He concocted some outrageous story, where he gets to play a victim, and go back to doing what he's missed all along. And myself? Well, I am left to pick up the shards of what I hoped would be a happy life for our family. And putting MY daughter in such a precarious situation?! He is not a victim, Mama... he is a coward."

Sam's hands shook as she pulled off her ring, slamming it onto the table, then pulling her hand away as if it burned. Silence hung heavy in the room for several long minutes, until Thomas stood. His voice was soft as he placed a hand on either side of Sam's face.

"There. Keep that fire. You will need it to get through this." his green eyes studied hers for a moment before he nodded. "I think you will be just fine, Ms. Stoneridge. You and that little one have a very happy future on the horizon."

As if on cue, Phoe's cry echoed down the stairs, signaling her nap was over. Sam stopped her mother with a gentle hand on her arm.

"I'll get her, Mama... she is mine." a soft, sad smile graced her lips. "And apparently I'd better get used to doing this alone."

[Samantha Stoneridge]

Sam looked down at the sniffling child in her arms, kissing the top of her head softly as the dock faded out of sight. Clutched in the girl's tiny hands was the doll Thomas had given her as a farewell present, and she murmured softly to it about Nana and Papa. Phoe had thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the dock, babbling endlessly as the adults sat in somber silence. She had squealed with delight when the ship came into view, clapping her hands at the thought of the trip. The tears had not started until she had realized her grandparents were not joining them on the boat. It had taken much coaxing about seeing her cousin and aunt, and the sudden appearance of Thomas with the doll, to diffuse the tantrum.

Now, as the boat moved further from land, it was Sam who wanted to cry. So much uncertainty awaited them at home. But she knew the only answer was to head back and get her hands dirty cleaning it up.

The soft sound of a giggle had Sam looking down to see what had changed Phoe's mood. Following the child's laughing gaze, Sam spotted a man. Large and burly, the type of man who could make most people cross the street with a glance. And yet, here this man was, making faces at her daughter. Sam was sure that not even she had turned that shade of red when the man's eyes caught her own. He cleared his throat, bowing his head.

"Beggin yer pardon missus. Got one bout tha age me'self." his brows furrowed into a frown for a moment, drawing another giggle from the toddler. "Don' like ta see'm cryin."

The big man shrugged, moving closer and offering his hand. "Jon... tha ship is me home fer now. Find me if'n ya need somethin. Was a storm brewin when we was comin in. Probly hit'er on tha way back. Be safe missus."

Someone shouted for him, and he was off, casting a cross-eyed look over his shoulder that sent Phoe into a fit of giggles. Sam smiled, moving towards the front of the ship.

"How about we go take a look at where we're going, instead of where we've been, little dragon?"

[Samantha Stoneridge]

They met the storm about half a day out from Galmair. Somehow, it seemed fitting that they should be welcomed home by lightning and waves trying to toss their ship about as if it were a toy. Sam stood on the deck with Phoe, both enraptured by the gathering clouds and flashes of light behind them. As the winds picked up, Sam tried to imagine herself as the storm, all energy and power. Perhaps it was the loss of the mana flow again that had her closing her eyes and imagining she could at least control it.

"SAM!" Jon's voice cut through her thoughts. She turned to see him hurrying across the deck, brows furrowed. "Do ye want'em ta tell me boy tha I drowned tryin ta save a woman who'us too foolish ta take her babe in outta tha storm?"

He smirked at her, but she could see worry in his eyes. This was going to be a bad one. Phoenix reached for him, babbling and pointing, and he swung her up onto one of his large shoulders. Sam couldn't help but picture them as a pirate and a parrot. He nodded his head towards the back of the ship, and began walking.

"I know she's a beaut, lil Phoe. Butcha won' be thinkin so when she tosses ya overboard." he grinned, opening the door that led to the cabins below, and handing the toddler back to her mother. "Ya git ta yer bunk. Ya bolt tha door. An ya fine somethin ta hold on ta. An fer tha love of Elara... stay put til she's done!"

Sam obeyed, and it wasn't long before she was glad she did. The storm rocked the ship so badly, that anything unsecured began to move across the floor. Thankfully the bed was firmly attached to the wall, so they could sit comfortably. There was no sleeping that night. Sam sat with Phoe in her lap, giggling and clapping as their belongings rolled to and fro, while Sam worried over the crew up above.

After what felt like days, there was a knock at the door. Before she could call out, Jon's voice carried through the wood.

"Tha worst is over, missus. Cap'n says we'll be dockin in an hour or so. Best start findin where everthin rolled ta." she heard him chuckle as his big boots thudded away from the door.

Day was just beginning to break as they entered the harbor at Galmair. Phoe was yawning, but refused to give up and sleep, despite all her mother's coaxing. When the boat was finally secured, Sam reached for her bags, only to find a larger pair of hands already on them. Jon smirked and nodded towards the dock. He relinquished one, only when Phoe reached for him and he swung her up onto his shoulder one last time. He told her the boat would be docked for a bit, so it could be checked for storm damage, and insisted on walking her into town. She was grateful for the escort when a stray slime oozed it's way into their path. She could have handled it, but there wouldn't have been anyone to hold the nearly asleep Phoe as she did.

When he had dispatched the beast, he took the toddler from her again, cradling her in one arm while he lifted their bags with the other. He used the short walk to tell her about his home, the family and friends he saw every few months, and the son he couldn't wait to get back to. Phoe stirred when he passed her back to her mother at the inn, blue eyes fluttering open long enough to wave goodbye. Sam wearily made a checklist as she grabbed night clothes from the depot. Packing in Cadomyr, talking to Oxi, going to see Evie and Ember... but first, praying there was a dry bed somewhere at the inn where she could rest.