“I did it!” Morok clenched his fists in triumph before hugging those he already considered like his in-laws. “Father, mother, I won’t let you down.”
“Please, don’t call me like that.” Orion and Jirni said in unison as their stomachs churned.
“While we are at it, do you have any relative who’s still single? My Little Flower can use a hand in choosing her partner.” Orion asked both Morok and Nalrond.
“Dad, stop it!” Phloria became beet red, trying and failing to put an end to the discussion.
“Sadly, no. I’m the last survivor of my village.” Nalrond said, drawing compassion from the small crowd around him.
“Thank the gods, no. As far as I know, I’m the only one my father experimented upon. You don’t have to worry about him, I got him killed.” Morok said, making Jirni and Orion wonder if it was too late to take back their offer.
“That’s… unsettling. Explanations are in order but they can wait. I don’t want to ruin this party with morbid topics.” Jirni said.
“Giving your daughters away like cattle is morbid, Mom!” Phloria’s words only earned her a reproachful look.
“If you had taken better care of your personal lives, you wouldn’t have forced your parents to vet your suitors for you. All three of you.” Jirni said to her daughters before turning to Tyris who was still giggling at the family drama.
Salaark was a public figure and Leegaain always introduced himself by his real name. Once Jirni had noticed Constable Griffon shadowing Kamila one day out of three, it hadn’t taken Jirni much to figure out the Guardian’s real identity.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid that after everything she went through with Lith, my daughter had enough of Dragons and Phoenixes for two lifetimes. Do you have any Griffon you could introduce to her?”
“Mom!”
“What? First you, then Kamila, then Marth, and now your sister has decided to follow in Valeron’s footsteps in your dating partners. The good thing about it is that you have a wider choice.” Jirni shrugged.
“My sons are too old for Phloria, but I have a few great-grandsons who would be delighted to make her acquaintance.” Tyris replied.
“Great Mother almighty! What did I do to deserve this?” Phloria said while stomping her foot in frustration.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but thank you.” Tyris chuckled, making Phloria realize her blunder. “Gods, this never gets old. As for your question, you are a good person and you deserve all the joy that comes your way.”
***
Blood Desert, Salaark’s beach house, a few days later.
After the end of the mission, Quylla had certified that Lith needed absolute rest to recover. Keeping his Abomination form for a prolonged time had inflicted great strain upon his life force so the Royals had granted him and Kamila a few days of leave.
The Royal Forgemasters and the Awakened Council were still studying the blueprints of the Golden Griffon. Until they devised a spell that would destroy the lost academy without endangering the rest of the Kingdom, they had no need for him.
Quite the contrary, the Royals wanted Lith to return to the top of his game as soon as possible.
Kamila had been true to her word and had brought him back to the place where they had spent their honeymoon. They had lots of happy memories there and she hoped that with time, privacy, and Solus’ help they would manage to fill the gap that had formed between them.
After the Void had lashed out in front of the Royals to protect Solus and Kamila had learned about Lith’s past as Derek, she was struggling to keep up the appearances of their relationship.
She had gotten over it while he was inside the Golden Griffon, driven by the fear of losing Lith and that their final memory together would be that of an ugly fight. Now that he was back and in the safety of their home, however, Kamila found herself back to square one.
Ever since the day of the revelation, holding hands was the most intimate gesture she could bear. Being alone with him felt awkward so she made sure that they were never alone.
“Man, I almost had a stroke when I saw that hunting cabin with chicken legs running through my fields.” Raaz said, sunbathing while keeping an eye on the children playing on the beach. “For a moment I feared that Baba Yaga had come to avenge Dawn and Night.”
“You aren’t the only one, dear.” Elina chuckled while quickly dipping into the ocean to find relief from the Desert’s sun. “The members of the Queen’s Corps had a lot to do and Lith had lots of explanations to give once Baba Yaga left.”
“Yeah.” Lith nodded. “Thank the gods I was with Vladion so her presence was justified. Also, Tyris backing up my story and saying that she had business with the Red Mother made everyone stop asking questions.”
No one in the Royal Court, the army, or even the association dared question the words of the First Queen. The identity of Constable Griffon was still a secret, that was why Tyris had appeared in front of them in her true form.
At that point, their only worry was to not anger her and become her meal.
“You are lucky that Tyris takes her vow seriously because under normal circumstances you would have been on your own.” Salaark was sunbathing as well, eating non-stop from a huge platter that a column of servants made sure never emptied.
Her swollen belly and her unusual break from work were testimony of how close she was to term.
The baby was due any moment now and she didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a diplomatic discussion.
It had already happened in the past and it had been embarrassing even for her.
“Are you sure you are alright, little brother? You are awfully quiet.” Rena was enjoying one of those rare moments when someone else took care of her children and she could spend time with adults. “Usually when you are forced to take a break, you complain all the time.”
“I’m physically fine, thank you.” Lith replied with a snort. “My problem is that I still feel guilty for Jormun and the fact that everyone looks funny at me doesn’t help.”
He was now this close to getting the Dragonslayer title, which for a human, a Fae, or an Emperor Beast would have been among the greatest honor that his kin could bestow upon them.
Unluckily for Lith, Dragons and Phoenixes called him a Kinslayer and there was nothing good in receiving such a bad name. He had killed Xedros the First Wyvern, Syrook the Black Dragon, and now Jormun, the First and probably last Emerald Dragon on Mogar, wiping out an entire bloodline.
To make matters worse, Xedros and Jormun were both Leegaain’s Firstborns, just like Sinmara, Surtr, and Gentor the Golden Dragon. When even Sinmara had started to act awkwardly in front of Lith, he knew to be in trouble.
The only silver lining was that both Leegaain and Salaark didn’t seem to care. They continued to follow and protect Kamila as if nothing had happened.
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