Page 52 of Tethered Thrones
My body was bright, still humming with the remnants of Tsuki’s incomprehensible visions. Bright enough to act as a light in the darkness. I ventured as far as I could, hoping to be abeacon to them when they emerged; they had to appear, Hadi and Sun. I did not have time to decipher her vision entirely, her strange message. We had to find Sun and heal him. Only then would I give myself time to think about it again.
Across us, the rushing waters were stained with blood. I could tell we were very close to the human’s new stronghold. And this was the end of the surprise tunnels they’d dug into cavernous walls. If Sun and Hadi didn’t emerge here… Surely then…
“Apologize to Kiar,” Bracken growled as I ignored him.
Why? That wasn’t important!
“I will not. Hopelessness will not help us now,” I grumbled, and Bracken’s palm connected with my ass and part of my backside.
“Ow!” I whined and then straightened, embarrassed. It had been over a decade since I was spanked like that for being disrespectful.
“Brats will be punished on and off the battlefield. Now part your lips and apologies to him before I force you, Clem,” Bracken growled, pointing to a gory wound I had not seen on Kiar’s arm until now, and I hung my head in shame.
“You master a little magic and lose your mind. Kiar has done nothing but shield you; his body is torn and bloody from protecting you as your mistress sent hervisions,” he scowled, spitting out “visions” derisively. “You will not disrespect him in your grief. None of us! He has done more than enough to earn your respect.”
I tried to puff up, be brave, and snap back. But my bravado was just that, bravado when I was forced to turn and look at Kiar thoroughly. And then I looked up to Bracken, and crestfallen couldn’t begin to explain my emotions.
Bracken was not mad. No, master was… I shuddered. It was far worse than anger, disappointment was palpable in the air.Kiar’s eyebrows knitted together, his breathing labored, weak, weary. I’d been an ass.
I balked, my light illuminating Kiar more fully as he approached. His underside was torn and bloody, and his chest littered with scars. He was more hurt than both of us combined but hadn’t complained once other than to voice his sorrow that Sun was slipping away from us.
I fell mute, and Bracken smashed his fist into the cave wall, grumbling, “I will dig deeper and make the hole wider for when Hadi carries Sun here.”
He left Kiar and me behind, my light still bright as Bracken dug and dug, desperation radiating from him.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I healed Kiar slowly, my powers draining from me, and I was afraid I’d be too weak if I used anymore now. But I had to help him.
I couldn’t meet Kiar’s slit eyes. Master… Bracken… All I wanted was to be seen as their equal and treated like a real bond worthy of the title, and as soon as I gained a little strength, I let it rush to my head, drunk on power.
“Don’t listen to that bastard,” Kiar crooned, the back of his cool palm brushing against my cheek, the scales on his tail rippling beside me as he nestled me into his tail like a chair. “He has the most disrespectful mouth in the kingdom and berates you about manners? Beyond belief.”
He rolled his eyes, but I shook my head, still not meeting his gaze as I finished healing him faster than the bond would usually allow.
“No, Master,” Kiar cocked an eyebrow, and I bit my lip, as I hadn’t called him that in weeks, “Brackenwas right to correct me. I was weak before, and now I feel strong. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”
Kiar’s gaze softened, and I was shocked to feel his arms wrap around me affectionately as Bracken slung mud and dirt overour heads, “No, you were right, and I was wrong. No matter how we feel, we shouldn’t give into despair. We are still breathing. That’s proof enough that they are, too. We wait. Hadi is strong. He’ll protect him just as I’ll protect you. You don’t have to fight for anything to prove yourself to us. We are with you.”
I nodded, smiling as his tongue glided from my chin to the corner of my eye and back to my cheek. It was like a kiss, about as sweet as a naga usually gave, a kind Kiar didn’t usually share with Sun, who would indeed look at him like he grew another head. I didn’t know when everything had changed between us, the exact moment, but I grinned, realizing I was chasing what was already beside me. It felt so right.
I was a part of them as much as they were a part of me. They didn’t rule me but protected me. In my desperation to prove myself, I’d forgotten this.
“Sun!” Bracken shouted, and we bolted upward, my head and wings clipping Kiar’s chin as we tumbled closer to the entrance.
Sure enough, our warrior rode triumphantly on Hadi’s back below us, who smiled. Healed! Another miracle from our goddess of darkness.
Lord Hadi smiled, and it was quite… beautiful. I grinned back just as happily, and by the way Sun shielded his eyes, my glow must have intensified.
With our help, they broke through the mounds of mud and dirt, and we were all over each other as we sighed and moaned our immense relief. But we did not have time to savor this moment. We had a war to win.
“Where are we?” Hadi asked looking around.
“North,” Sun said proudly. “Nearly at the gates of Kari.”
“Yes,” Bracken agreed. “And there is already an army waiting to meet us there.”
He hadn’t mentioned seeing anything like that while we flew, but looking at his face, I just knew he hadn’t wanted to worry us even more.
“You should rest,” Kiar told Sun, but he shook his head.