by D. E. Morris
“It was my parents.”
He frowned and shook his head. “King Wessely? I was young, but surely I would have remembered-”
“My birth parents.” Turning back around, there was a sad hopefulness on her face as she swiped at her tears. “It adds up with everything we read in the journals and everything Tasarin told us. My mother used to look after Nealie the way I look after Rowan until, I suppose, Nealie grew up enough to not need her anymore. If you met them all together twenty years ago, my mother either would have been pregnant with me or would be soon. She and Nealie could have still been close at that time, and with the both of them being Elementals, it would make sense for them to try to form their own army to fight back against Tadhg and search for the missing Elementals.” She looked at Killian with wide, pleading eyes. “Tell me everything you remember about them. Please.”
Regret drew his lips downward. “There is little to tell. I met them the one time only and it was Nealie that did most of the talking. All I remember is the gentility of the woman...your mother...when she did speak. Your father stood tall and strong, a fierceness about him that I remembered long after he had gone. You got that from him, I should think.”
Ashlynn chuckled quietly. “And Kenayde got our mother's tender spirit.” She ran her hands through her hair and laughed again, wondrous. “How small the world can be.”
“Your father spoke of valor and integrity. He had a way of making all of us feel inspired to protect those who could not protect themselves, and I wrote down nearly everything he said.” Killian quieted, replaying memories he'd long since forgotten. “The way he looked at your mother...I have never seen anything like it.”
Ashlynn felt her heart could burst. There was no true way to explain what a gift Killian had just given her. She'd heard all the same stories about her parents over and over through the years, both from Wessely and from Tasarin, who'd served them at Altaine for years. Everything she had been told led her to believe that Nir was a great king indeed, but had little more adventure in his life than the day he sailed into the sea to face down a dragon who had slain many, the dragon who would reveal her true self to him and become his wife. Siobhán had been quiet and demure in her human form, much like Badru, but fierce and deadly when shifted. Ashlynn had always been led to believe that she, like Nir, had lived a quiet, peaceful life until the day Tadhg attacked. Knowing that they had not been so passive in the plight of the Celts gave her such a strong sense of pride that it nearly made her burst.
“You speak of ballads being sung about Jaryn and me, but theirs was the love for the ages, I think. They just didn't have enough time together for many to see it.”
Killian nodded. “It is a shame, then.”
“And you never saw them again after that?”
“No.” He paused, his brow wrinkling. “Do you remember when you asked me how many Elementals I believed existed? I told you six, but your mother believed there were twelve. She told us that long ago, when the Elementals were still new, there were great places of power for all of them and that we were to seek out these places as we protected those who needed our help...that these sacred places needed our protection, too.” He shook his head, frustration making him scowl. “I have been trying to find them, to put pieces of maps together to aid me in my search, but so far there has been little to show for my effort.” Pausing, he looked down at his hands as sadness turned the corners of his lips down. “I fear a friend of mine who has been helping me continue the quest may have been caught and killed.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I have seen the ship in the waters at night and the banner they fly. She wore a scarf just like it. I would know it anywhere.”
Ashlynn swallowed, her tone sympathetic. “I'm so sorry, Killian.”
“As far as your parents went” he continued, bringing the subject back around to something less heartbreaking, “they were there at the beginning when we were coming together as Keepers and left only a day or two later, saying they were going to try to gather more in the other countries. Nealie stayed a few days after that, then left as well. The next time I saw her was when she came to give me Rowan.”
It was a struggle for Ashlynn to keep her thoughts on the original reason why the conversation had taken the turn it did. She still had so many questions about her parents, and now these supposed places of power, but those could wait. They had to. “Did she know Donnchadh was the father?”
“She did, but she remembered how I had been from childhood and knew of the training I had gone through to become a captain of the Keepers. I learned how to fight in many different styles...how to hunt and how to hide, and how to keep safe what needed safekeeping. She trusted me more than Donnchadh, something I will always be grateful for. She gave me a daughter when I would otherwise be alone, so at the age of nineteen, I became a father.” He looked down. “It broke my heart to see how little she cared for the baby. She hadn't even named her before she left. I named her after my own mother.”
“Did Nealie even come back to see Rowan or to see you?”
“If she did, she kept her distance, but that was often how she operated when checking in on all of us. The day she gave me Rowan was the last time I saw her. She had changed so much, then. She was cold and hard, and wanted nothing to do with the fighting. It was almost as though she had become a completely different person.”
“The loss of my mother may have done that to her. Tadhg was not responsible for her death, but I wonder if Nealie ever knew as much since my father was killed so shortly after my mother died.” Ashlynn sat back down and heaved a thoughtful sigh. “At least she had the foresight to give her child to someone trustworthy, rather than casting her away somewhere and hoping for the best.” She paused only briefly to redirect her thoughts. “Tell me more about this secret army - the Keepers, as you call them.”
Taking her prompting as an invitation to sit again as well, Killian did so and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. “We were charged with watching over the Gaels, protecting them when they needed protection, hiding them when they needed to disappear, and assuring them safe and guarded travel to a place where they could be free. Sometimes that extended to others like the unicorns and the dwarves. I spent my days on the farm, learning about horses – how to breed them, train them, break the wild ones and prepare them for battle – and I spent my nights training to be a mercenary, learning sword craft, the bow and arrow, the staff...all of it. All of us needed to be prepared for whatever situation came upon us so we would never be at a loss and our charges never in any more danger than we could handle.”
“When did you sleep?”
Killian's answering smile was small and fleeting. “I found time here and there. It was good for me to be busy. After the loss of my brother, I needed to be kept from my thoughts. For a time I actually thought about following him into the Giver's arms.”
Ashlynn's shoulders slumped. “I'm so sorry. I can't imagine losing my little sister, let alone losing a twin.”
“It is like losing half of yourself. There were months before the Keepers were formed that I don't remember simply because I just existed. I woke up, did my chores, ate when I needed to, and went to bed. I had no purpose until Nealie gave it to me.” With a smirk, he added, “Twice.”
“And you all have this mark? Is it men and women both, only humans?”
“In order to be accepted into the order, yes, you must get this tattoo. It is our way to communicate camaraderie without having to say a word. This mark alone has saved lives on many occasions when speaking aloud would have surely given us away.” He glanced at her. “It was both men and women, yes, though not all human. Many Gaels joined us over the years in the hope of saving their kindred. We have not been needed since Tadhg was killed, however. With you on the throne here in Siness and the Elemental of Darkness reigning in Caedia, we knew the world was returning to a place where it was safe to be different again.” He looked at his arm as though he could see his tattoo
through the leather of his sleeve. “That is not to say the symbol no longer means something. If you should ever find yourself in trouble...anywhere...look for the mark and any help you need will be yours.”
Ashlynn nodded and answered quietly, “I will remember that.”
A light breeze swept through the garden, rustling the dry branches of bushes still waiting to bloom and scattering dead leaves that been unearthed in the melting snow. Ashlynn watched as they scratched their way across the stone path, unaware of Killian's eyes on her until she looked away from her distraction and in his direction.
“Things will get better, Your Majesty. No matter how you feel now, they will get better. I know you worry for your safety and that of your family, but rest assured that I will do everything within my power to keep you safe.”
He didn't have to tell her he would give his life for her if it came to that; she could see it in his eyes and it startled her into silence. Her guards were expected to pledge the same oath before joining the service and they did it without blinking. Killian's promise, however, felt much more personal and real. She felt unsettled by the intimacy of the moment and how close they sat together as he spoke, knowing she needed no excuse to get up and leave, but praying for one anyway.
“Ashlynn?”
The prayer had hardly formed into words for thoughts before her name was being called. She turned to the sound of the voice, hearing footsteps draw nearer. “I'm here, Lilia.” Standing, Ashlynn swept her hair behind her ear. “I'm by the roses.”
Killian stood as well just as Lilia appeared on the path ahead. She had a woven shawl wrapped around her shoulders and pulled it tighter when she saw Killian. Her gaze on him was curious, but turned chiding when it fell upon Ashlynn. “I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you all right?”
Ashlynn waved a hand and smiled. “I'm fine. I just needed some fresh air.”
“Yes, well, I'd say you got it. You're lucky I didn't sound the alarm.” Linking an arm with Ashlynn, Lilia turned her for inside. “Come on, let's get back inside where it's warm. I'll have the servants build up a fire in the hall if you can't sleep. We can play cards.”
“Yes, that's fine.” Ashlynn looked at Killian once more and dipped her head. “Thank you...for everything.”
He bowed his head in return but said nothing. Standing with his hand on the hilt of his sword, he watched the two women disappear back down the path. Though it was dark, the scathing look Lilia cast back at him before rounding the corner was not missed. He waited a moment to make sure they were well ahead of him to follow, resuming his station as the ever-present, invisible protector.
Chapter Seventeen
Jaryn closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. His sleep in the night had been restless and filled with strange dreams after spending the day sleeping the day before. He had also begun to feel how unsettled he was away from Ashlynn. As he had dressed, he realized that three nights away from her was the longest time they'd spent apart since they were married two years ago. It was decidedly a thing he would be sure to avoid in the future. He missed having her near to talk to, to joke with, even just to have in the same room with him so he wasn't alone.
There was incessant babbling behind him that kept trying to break through his calm – men from Connor's council trying to tell him how dangerous his departure from the country would be and the boy's rather assertive arguments – and Jaryn took a big, purposeful deep breath in. Beneath him, Misuzu shifted on her feet, her long, sinuous dragon form seemingly reflecting the slow moving gray clouds above. “You can talk to Cailin without hurting her, right?” Jaryn asked, leaning forward on the dragon's back to prop his chin in his hand. “Blink once for yes, twice for no.”
Yes.
Jaryn hissed, righting himself and holding his head. “I said blink! Dear Giver, I miss my wife. She never abused me liked this.”
“No,” Cailin agreed with a smirk, undoubtedly recognizing the look of pain from someone not used to speaking through telepathy. She fastened the buckle on the bag she carried, then tossed it up to Jaryn. “Ashlynn abused you in other ways.”
He caught the bag with a bit of a wince. “Aye, there is real truth in that. At least hers is done out of love.”
“So she says.” With her hands on her hips, Cailin turned to the group surrounding Connor and sighed. She put her teeth on her bottom lip and gave a sharp, loud whistle to gain their attention. “We're leaving in thirty seconds.” There was a mad scramble for Connor to pull away from the group that Cailin didn't see. She turned her back to them to walk several paces away and shift herself. Everyone watched her clothing melt into her skin, turning into sharp green and brown scales, their color highlighted by the occasional spot of gold. Connor ran as quickly as he could away from those he was leaving behind, taking no moment to pause before running up Cailin's tail and onto her back, plopping himself down in front of her wings, his knees resting on her shoulder blades.
“Go,” he urged, “before they try to run up here, too.”
It was all the encouragement Cailin needed. She extended her thin, leathery wings and gave them a mighty pump, her powerful back legs launching her into the air as small rocks and twigs swirled below in her wake. Jaryn turned to give the men watching a wave, then found himself clinging to Misuzu's back as she slithered into the air like a water snake in a river. He'd flown on dragons plenty of times and was used to the way they felt beneath him. Like a good war horse, their muscles were strong and could be felt with every precise movement that was made, confidence in every beat of their wings. Riding an air dragon was a completely different experience. Having ridden her all the way from Siness, he knew better than to sit so far back, but he had also been unprepared for the quick take off and wasn't sitting where he'd been intending to. It was like being rocked back and forth in a constant dramatic rhythm and it was quickly making him sick. Misuzu's body was always in motion, rippling through the air and dense clouds. Careful so as not to fall, Jaryn slowly inched his way up Misuzu's body, gripping tightly with his thighs, until he could latch onto the downy mane that framed her head, the only part of her that stayed stationary. When he looked over at Connor and Cailin, flying close beside, he saw the boy laughing and the humor in Cailin's big brown eyes.
“Har har!” Jaryn yelled into the wind. “On the way back, you can ride the air snake!” Misuzu dipped suddenly, making him cry out and wrap his arms around her. This only succeeded in bringing on more laughter.
“This is amazing!” Connor bellowed. Holding on tightly, he bent to the side just enough to look far below, watching his countryside pass by under the dappled clouds separating them. He looked over to Jaryn and pointed downward. “I've always wanted to see Ibays like this. Cailin, go south!”
Jaryn was tentative to release the death grip he had on Misuzu as the two dragons banked and turned. When he felt steady enough, he looked down as well, then returned the boy's grin. “Nothing will ever give you quite the same thrill.”
With a happy holler, Connor sat up straight on Cailin's back. He lifted his chin to the sky and bravely extended his arms at his sides, eyes closing. The wind rushed past him, whistling in his ears. Though it was cold enough to make tears form in the corners of his eyes and his red hair like a fiery cloud above his head, he beamed as though he had never been so happy and at peace before.
Jaryn watched him, remembering the feeling of his own first flight. He'd been terrified at the time, completely opposite from the way Connor was reacting, yet just watching the boy gave him his own sense of giddiness. It was easy to understand why Gaels loved to fly so much and oftentimes lost themselves over to their draconic form because of it. He glanced at Connor once more, then lifted his own arms out and closed his eyes. His stomach flipped and his heart beat wildly, a whoop of joy building in his chest before passing his lips. Up there it was almost as if none of the troubles from the ground existed. He couldn't remember feeling so carefree before.
Adventurous, he dropped his arms and l
eaned forward, pressing himself as close to Misuzu's body as he could in hopes that she would hear him. “Since it's the lad's first time in the sky, I say we show him just how much fun flying can be.”
The one eye Jaryn could see crinkled just a bit, and he knew she was grinning. Cailin's head turned slightly toward Misuzu as though they were engaging in some silent conversation. Her maw parted to show her many sharp teeth, and Jaryn laughed. “You might want to hold on,” he shouted to Connor.
Connor's eyes opened as his hands dropped, and he looked at Jaryn with confusion. “What?” There was no time to answer. Cailin's entire body angled upward, causing him to double over and hang on for dear life. He screamed, terrified, but soon fell silent in anticipation. Cailin flew as high as she dared, then simply stopped pumping her wings. For a split second it was as if they floated there, gravity something they had bested, but the moment passed quickly and soon they were falling. Cailin tucked her wings in close to her sides, making herself as streamlined as possible. Connor was still rendered speechless, unable to do anything but hold on as they shot past Jaryn and Misuzu, heading straight for the ground.
“Let's not let them have all the fun!” Jaryn held on tightly to her mane and pressed in with his knees. “Go!” Misuzu needed little more for encouragement. She doubled herself over before springing to the ground like a cat from a perch. Twisting and turning as she went, making loops and spirals in the air, Jaryn let an expletive or two slip in surprise, but he couldn't have enjoyed himself more if he were Connor's age.
Cailin burst through the cloud cover but kept angling downward, even as the ground got closer and closer. “Pull up!” Connor screamed in a panic. “Pull up!” Seemingly at the very last second, she flung her wings wide and caught the updraft that sent them shooting upward like an arrow. Finally Connor cheered, knowing they weren't going to die. They evened out in the sky just as Misuzu shot past them and Jaryn hollered out a challenge. Suddenly the race was on. Cailin raced after Misuzu, pumping her wings as hard as she could. Connor bore down on her back, prepared as any hunter might be to catch his prey.