Gravity Rises (S3)

CW: Part Fifteen

Soon after Lee's body was taken away, Andrew returned to the Northwest Manor. His chest was still aching, but it would magically finish healing over the next few days. The hamadryads had been able to help him before it was too late, and he was very grateful for that.

He greeted a relieved Enoch, then heard from him everything that had happened. He talked to the Symbols, who were sitting quietly together with wet faces, and could instantly tell that they were far too tired to reform the Cipher Wheel and send the township home. That was the next step, but it was clear that they couldn't take that step quite yet.

After consulting with many different people, Andrew decided they would stay here at the Northwest Manor for however long the Symbols needed to recover. Some people would go home, especially the injured who could be safely flown away. Those needing to rest here before leaving, those taking shifts guarding the Northwest servants, and a few others would stay. Gideon offered to help them find blankets, food, and other supplies they'd need.

Gaston, of course, wasn't happy with his home being turned into a makeshift hotel, but nobody gave him any heed.

The next few hours were a flurry of cleaning up from the battle (including moving the bodies of the one servant and eleven allies), getting various guest rooms ready for the Symbols, spreading out blankets in the ballroom for the others, setting up defensive spells around the servants' prison room, and generally organizing everyone. It was tiring, but Andrew knew he wasn't as tired as the Symbols. They were in no state to help, although Gideon and Melody still did anyway — and Andrew didn't stop them, because Gideon knew where everything was, and Melody had a knack for finding things even in an unfamiliar house. Melody offered to help make food, too, but that was where Andrew drew the line. The dryads could take care of that.

The perytons flew off to spread the news of Bill's defeat to the minotaur village, the fairy hollow, and everywhere else in the forest. Some also went with a group of drayds to get the ten servants who were near the Museum and bring them back to the Manor to be imprisoned with the others.

A few perytons went to get Yingtai Chiu from her home and Geneva Northwest from the Museum — the two worried mothers caused no small stir as they sought out their children to make absolutely sure they were okay. Gideon didn't have much time to spend with Geneva before he was called away to help some minotaurs find more bedding, but Candy pulled Caleb over to Yingtai and told a detailed story of the day's battle. Yingtai's horror at the violence and deaths was surpassed only by her relief that her husband and daughter were safe.

Andrew only caught glimpses of the Chius while he was coming in and out of the ballroom for his various tasks. At one point, though, he came in just as Enoch was approaching Caleb. Nephew and uncle talked for a bit — Enoch seemed distressed. But then Caleb said something that made Enoch relax. The two hugged tightly.

Andrew didn't know what they were talking about, but he was glad to see them together. And he was especially glad that Caleb had pulled through and helped the allies in their battle. After a moment of looking at his brother and son fondly, Andrew turned and went back to what he'd been doing.

Finally, everyone had been cared for, fed, and given a place to stay. Things settled down a bit, and Andrew found himself sitting with all of the Symbols in the guest room where Ford and Lee were staying. He had no idea what time it was, and doubted the Symbols did either. Oh, how he longed to be back in his own dimension, with its sun and moon and everything in between! Yes, his ancestors may have come from a different planet in a different dimension, where whole societies of his species lived — but Andrew had never been off of Earth. It was his home, and he wanted to get back to it.

Soon.

"You won't be able to completely rest, I'm afraid," he said to the Symbols. "Before we get home, we need to make plans for what's going to happen after our return."