Page 31 of Renegade Queen

My childhood was complicated, growing up in the court. But Fizzle was right.

It was all gone now.

A lifetime ago.

And one that there was no point reminiscing about; nothing would bring them back. Not even all the magic in Nymeria.

But all this time, I’d been building a life from the scraps I had left. And Fizzle? He’d been left here all alone. Mourning the family we’d lost in self-imposed isolation.

“Fizzle, I…” I didn’t know what to say.

The guys were still pleading their case, but I was stuck on how much I’d let my friend down. Even if he was one amongst the many, it didn’t make it hurt any less.

His knowing black eyes locked with mine, and I knew he could see everything I couldn’t find the words for. He’d always known me better than I knew myself. It was like he could see to the very core of me. It was frustrating most of the time, but today, I was more grateful for it than ever.

“I saw them come through,” Fizzle admitted before sighing dramatically. “You are correct that they were ill-prepared.”

Fizzle nodded behind us, but I didn’t need to look at the scorch marks to know what had happened.

“How did they come through at this exact point?” Tank asked, looking at the damage caused by the inevitable explosions of trying to bring human weapons into Nymeria.

“What do you mean?” I asked Tank, grateful for the reprieve of what I knew would be Fizzle telling us how the others died.

“The General doesn’t know about this portal. You showed him a different one. So how did they cross and end up at the same place we did.”

Fizzle ruffled his feathers as he tried to stay seated in his spot on Tank’s shoulder, looking pissy at the fact that he’d dared move.

“Obviously, they crossed through the same portal,” Fizzle huffed like always. “It’s a doorway; you go in one side, you come out the other.”

That wasn’t exactly true, but part of me was ashamed to admit to Fizzle what I’d nearly done when I first met the general.

“But how did they find this one? Not to mention, how did they open it?” Tank stressed.

It was a good question with an obvious answer that Fizzle was more than happy to give him.

“Obviously, someone told him about it.” He sighed before turning back toward me. “I’m starting to think this one is only good as a perch. You should choose your friends better, Alyssa.”

My lips twitched involuntarily. The laugh bubbled inside me, trying to force its way to the surface. I’d forgotten how infuriating the little owl gryphon could be. Not having it aimed at me for once was actually kind of refreshing.

“He’s not just my friend,” I snarked back, making Fizzle rear back in disgust as Tank simultaneously seemed to grow a couple of inches as he puffed out his chest in pride.

Yeah, that was a good feeling to push back the dark thoughts this place inevitably brought out in me.

“The general isn’t our concern right now. We made it through without interference, and our only goal is to find out where Damon is and then make a plan for our next steps,” I calmly explained.

The men around me looked like they were about to take off running in opposite directions, like it would get them to our goal quicker. The problem with Nymeria was that sometimes the trees moved, and the landscape flowed into a different view entirely. If we separated now with no clear goal, we’d only lose each other and get ourselves killed quicker. I wasn’t joking yesterday when I said we didn’t want to still be in the forest when night fell.

Fizzle glared at me, and I stared right back at him. I knew he wanted me to leave. He’d gotten me out of this place at a significant cost to himself, and I had a feeling his self-imposed exile out here had more to do with him feeling like he was paying penance. Maybe there was a way I could take him back with me. No one would bother him if he was in the cathedral, and he wouldn’t have to be alone. He’d have Tank and me.

My eyes drifted to the others as I realised it might not just be Tank and me in my vision for the future, but surely there was no way they’d stay with us once they had what they wanted. I needed to start seeing this whole venture as nothing but a business transaction with them, not that I had any idea what I was getting out of it.

“Fine.” Fizzle sighed, his wings doing that weird shrug thing as he rolled his eyes at me. “If it’s the quickest way to get you out of here, I suppose I can show you to the clearing where the humans went.”

Maddox and Ryder seemed to perk up at the news, and I could have strangled Fizzle for giving them the hope that I knew was about to be shattered. Only Dean frowned in confusion as he no doubt replayed what Fizzle had said in his mind. Because he was offering to take us to where they went, he said nothing about them still being there. Even though I suspected some pieces of them may well be.

This would be the second-worst thing I’d ever had to do in my life. Given the first thing was watching my entire family and court be slaughtered, the fact that this was a close second said a lot.

Fizzle looked at Tank and raised one of his feathery eyebrows, pointing a wing in the direction we needed to go. “Onward then.”