Page 20 of My Eternal Light
“You found us?”
“I had help from a dubious source.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
She thought it over moment. “A man that does bad things, but doesn’t come across as one-hundred percent bad, told me where you were.”
“If he helped us, he can’t be all bad right? Maybe he’s like us and knows what it’s like to be hurt,” he said, taking Meryn’s hand in a comforting manner.
Meryn blinked. “I think you may be right.”
“Do you have a guardian?”
Meryn pointed to Abraxas. “He’s kick ass, right?”
Cody nodded. “But, I think Aldrya is prettier,” he confessed blushing.
At the mention of her name the radiant guardian pulled the little boy in for a hug. “I think you are perfect.”
Cody hugged her, then quickly ran to Aerson bashfully.
Kincaid watched as Meryn looked from Abraxas to Aldrya and back.
Shit.
She was about to say something they probably wouldn’t like. He edged closer to her, just in case.
He watched as she opened her mouth then closed it. She then turned and looked at the kids, then back at the tree. Finally, she turned back to Abraxas, opening her mouth and closed it again.
Kendrick walked over, looking somewhat scared. “You’re trying to censure your words. How bad is it?”
“She’s what?” Amelia asked, walking over.
Kendrick pointed. “She’s actively trying to find the right words to say.”
Meryn scowled. “This is why I don’t try being nice more. You’re making fun of me.”
“I’m actually terrified for what you’re about to say, I assure you bullying is the last thing on my mind, this time,” Kendrick assured her.
Aiden came up behind Meryn and wrapped his arms around her. “Whatever you have to say baby, you can say it. No one here will hate you for it.”
Meryn sighed. “Yeah, but sometimes when I say what I think is obvious y’all look like you’ve been kicked in the nuts.”
Aeron and the boys laughed at her language.
“Meryn child. You hesitate because you care. You heart hurts for me, does it not?” Aldrya asked softly.
Wordlessly, Meryn nodded.
“It is our job to protect you, not the other way around. Now. Please tell me what you see,” the guardian said in a firmer voice.
“We don’t have branches for them all,” Meryn said, in a small voice. “The other kids, they can’t bleed on the tree, I hate that they never got to come home, like me.” Meryn began to scowl fiercely. “We know they rotated names from letters ‘A’ through ‘D’, but we don’t know how many times that happened. I don’t like that the other children don’t get branches.”
The queen staggered back. “Gods above.”
Aeron pushed his way forward and took Meryn’s hands. “Ariel, Atlas, Amery, Asia…” He continued the names in a singsong manner, like one would a nursery rhyme.
“Bethann, Brigit…” Brea took up a counter point to Aeron’s song.