Fire Weaver (Fall of the Fey #1)

Chapter 15

It didn't take long to get the Draco back into their old home. Sill, a few wings twitched nervously as though they were preparing to flee. Zereth knew that it would take a while before everything went back to normal and for his people to become comfortable again.

For now he stood at the gaping hall of the throne room looking down at the dragons dipping and twirling, showing off to each other and perhaps the human watchers below. He stood back as three lithe hunters soared upwards over the cliff to their hunting grounds. Zereth smiled wistfully.

'Brothos?' Lekinya hesitated by the doorway behind him. He had sensed her hovering for a while now but hadn't bothered turn to look at her, he wanted to enjoy the sights a little longer.

'My name is Zereth.' He told her, he hoped, for the last time.

'Zereth.' She seemed to phrase it as an apology. 'I think we should talk.'

Zereth watched the flyers for a moment longer before he nodded. They met in the middle of the throne room, both looked as uncertain as the other. Her hair shone white gold in the afternoon sunlight.

'I am truly sorry...' Lekinya started but Zereth began to shake his head at her, stopping her from continuing.

'There was nothing you could do.'

'I could have stood up to Terron with you.' Lekinya stated. 'We all should have fought for our home.'

'We're back, so it's no matter.' He told her. Her head dropped with her guilt. Zereth reached up and brushed her cheek with the palm of his hand, she jumped at the unexpected contact. 'It wasn't your fault.'

'You'll never be able to fly again.' She told him, as though he could ever forget.

'A necessity, so it would seem.'

'What is going to happen to the clan now?' She asked, he knew it was a rhetorical question but he still answered.

'You will regroup and you will defend against anyone else who tries to take what's ours.'

'Will you stay with us?' Lekinya looked away, 'I know you and Carmel have gotten close.'

'Lekinya, I will always stay with you.' He told her. Her gaze met his and he leaned down to kiss her. Even when she had chosen Terron over him, he had never stopped loving her. For her passion and her honour. Zereth knew that he should blame her, hate her, for what she did to Terron but at the same time he saw the way she had looked afterwards. He had seen her regret. Lekinya was a good person who had made a mistake.

'What is going on?' Tharoe asked from the same doorway Lekinya had been standing at not too long before.

'Lekinya and I are going to be together and rule our people.' He told Tharoe and even though he wasn't looking at her directly he could see Lekinya blush. Zereth hoped she didn't begrudge him for the statement. Even though he hadn't asked her, he was certain she would be his mate if he asked.

'What about Carmel?' Tharoe asked, 'what about following this through to the end?'

'We have obligations to our people,' Zereth stated, anger bleeding into his words, 'and so do you.'

'I was counting on you to look after her.' Tharoe retorted looking worried rather than frustrated at the two Draco. He knew that Carmel would try to fix things with or without their help but she was horribly naive when it came to people. Tharoe thought she was more likely to get herself killed than figure out what the Necromancer planned.

***

The Draco den had been cleared out since the last time Carmel had laid eyes on it. The ashes of all her victims had been swept away and without the distraction of walking corpses she was free to look at the beautiful designs on the walls that served as a history of the Draco people. She was glad, while she walked, that she was able to stop and study the carvings at her leisure. The floor was covered in plush fur that made her want to take her shoes off to see if it was as soft as it looked, she didn't, however, because she was acutely aware that the fur used to belong on an animal.