Page 41 of Triadic

"Bello!" Wren exclaimed. "You've been gone all of five minutes, calm down, boy!"

My stomach clenched at seeing him. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by insecurity, especially as Marit and Corbirushed over. Wren was handsome in a homely way; his eyes danced, and his laughter lit up the room. Marit had told me how Wren had trained himself theurgically from a young age, having dedicated his magical focus toward connecting to the higher planes and therefore reaching upward toward the gods. Now he was the keeper of these lanterns, their presence so strong in the room it felt like I breathed them. How on earth could I ever hope to compete with that?

Out of reflex I had stepped forward when Marit rushed by me, but now I held back. I was surprised when Marit did not hug Wren, but instead cupped his face and stared right into his eyes. Neither did Corbi move in for an embrace, but rather took Wren's left hand and covered it with his left, closing his eyes in concentration. I knew from my beginner's training that they must be checking him, Marit with his astral vision, and Corbi with his etheric sensitivity.

"Any changes in consciousness?" asked Marit.

Wren hesitated to answer. "To me I feel totally the same. It's Uli that says sometimes I say things that don't make any sense to him, and that sometimes he… doesn't recognize me."

My jealousy flew right out the window at this heartbreaking admission.

"Who's Uli?" Marit asked.

"Ulbrecht the Great," Wren whispered.

I had to sit down. The floor was dusty, and I had to push the dog away when he apparently thought I wasgetting on the floor to play with him, but I sat right where I'd stood because this monk, and my lovers' former partner, had just said he was paired with the Danubian High King.

"You think the changes have brought you closer to them?" Marit asked softly, his eyes darting briefly towards the flickering candlelight.

"I know they have," said Wren. "I can feel them more easily now and have an idea of their input through my intuition. That's why I didn't go to the monastery. Not even crossing their protective barrier, but even just traveling into Helvetica, it didn't sit right in my gut. I don't know why, but the feeling was strong enough I couldn't ignore it."

"Your life force feels the same to me, Wren," interrupted Corbi with a pleased smile, "energetic and bright. Maybe a little stronger even, but you're still human. On the etheric plane, I'd argue these gods haven't changed you that much."

Wren breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Corbi."

Awariye barged in between them and wrapped Wren in a hug. "We're back."

Igor had queued up right behind Awariye, expecting his hug also, and my heart softened at the hard fighter dutifully caring for his charge.

"Ceredigion! I'm so glad to see you safe!" Wren hugged Ceridor.

Even then, he still didn't hug his former lovers, but instead turned to me, arms open. I didn't know what to do, so although I stood back up, I stayed rooted to the spot, too many conflicting emotionsrushing through me. He'd never met me before. Why was he being so welcoming?

I held my ground. My words flew out of my mouth in a rush.

"I love Marit and Corbi. With all my heart. They're mine, or at least I want them to be."

Corbi uttered "Mausi" beseechingly right as Marit said, "We're yours,Schatzi."

Their fast assurance slowed my insecurity, but I had to get this out and clear the air. "Even if you return, Wren…you three were together for so long that I don't feel as if I have the right to deny you, but…if you ever were to come back, please don't replace me."

Unknowingly, through my sputtering, I'd squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my fists. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes straight into a vision.

Wren had lowered his arms from my rebuff at his offered hug, but he'd not lowered them all the way. Instead, he still held them out slightly, as if I might change my mind and leap into his arms at any moment. In that posture he looked like the statue of an angel or a saint, hands outstretched and giving to those who might kneel at his feet. But the vision took it further, and I saw snow on his stone shoulders and leaves bunched here and there, strings of ivy crawling up from the base and dangling from his hands. This was so far into the future that even the statue to commemorate his work had been forgotten as it was slowly absorbed into the forest.

Blinking the vision clear, I found just Wren watching me, though with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so glad," he said, those tears spilling down his face. "I'm so glad you said that, Peter. I was grieving Corbi and Marit, alone in a mountain hut with no one but a dog and lanterns for company. We had steadfastly adhered to the monastery rules to always put the gods first and never fall in love with each other, even if we shared a bed and shared our whole selves. I was extremely lonely and grieving because only then had I realized my heart had wanted me to say those forbidden words to them."

"We had wanted to say them too, Wren," Marit cut in. "We love you, and we loved you when the three of us were together."

I choked on a sob, apparently also willing to fall apart.

Wren's reddened eyes were downcast as he processed those words. "Thank you. I love you both, and I loved you then, too. I am so happy that Peter found you."

"We are, too," said Corbi, smiling at me.

"It was in that grieving that Uli found me," continued Wren. "It was love at first sight for him. He had held an unrequited love for his best friend his whole life. When Uli became king, of all things, his best friend fell in love with Uli's fiancée. So Uli had given them to each other and resigned himself to forever being alone. That was eight years ago. Then he found me grieving and swept me away. I couldn't resist how openly and selflessly he cared for me, not expecting anything in return. My heart doesn't work like that. Before I knew it, I already loved himback."