Chapter 22

Galadon

Nearly every part of him had been wounded in some manner or another. Galadon had spent his life fighting terrible odds, but this day had been the worst yet. The enemy had swarmed them. Their toxic evil was insidious, filling his nostrils with their dreadful stench. They’d attacked from every side and above until he saw nothing except tainted green dragons all around him. He’d battled harder than ever to stay alive, hovering over the injured members of his group as he tried to deflect as many as possible.

Then, a legion of shifters arrived from nowhere. Their force was so large that they quickly wiped out the Kandoran. Their scent was unfamiliar, but they must be allies since none tried to harm him.

After the fighting stopped, silence reigned on the bloody battlefield.

Something pulled at his senses, and he turned to spot a female shifter less than fifty feet away. She stared at him with love and sorrow in her gaze. He instantly knew who she was despite the time that had passed. Shock filled him.

Ama? he asked.

She raced forward and nuzzled his neck. Yes, it is me, son.

What are you doing here? Galadon didn’t know how to feel or react to her.

Remember how I told you long ago I had no choice except to leave you? The Craegud and Dagowan seers said keeping you would bring about our demise. Most called for your death, but one gave me another option that would redeem you. Your father died so that I could get you to the distant land where I left you. Now, the time is nearly upon us to show the world the good you can do. Today was proof of that with the way you fought so valiantly.

He shook his head, trying to make sense of her words. She had told him such things in the short time she stayed with him on his land before leaving, but he’d been young. He hadn’t understood her well. Now that he had better control of his abilities—except when near the Kandoran shield wall—he had learned how careful one must be with prophecies. Though he only saw up to a day ahead, his visions still had to be handled carefully to reach the desired outcome. Still, had it truly been worth what she’d done to him?

I have sworn allegiance to the Faegud, he said.

Her amber gaze brightened. I heard a toriq finally accepted you, and it brought me such relief. It tore at my heart the day I had to leave you. The news that occasionally reached me made my heart ache at the loneliness you must have endured for so long. I wish I could have come sooner, but I was told it could not be before now. It was the only way—please believe that.

While he was initially relieved to see his mother again, his emotions were in turmoil. Betrayal soured his tongue. She had left him as a child, practically helpless. No matter what the seers said, why couldn’t she have stayed?

Rayna stepped into the corner of his vision, or rather, limped. She was covered in as many wounds as him, and her coppery-brown hair hung limply around her face with traces of blood soaking it. The slayer’s hazel eyes reflected concern.

Is everything okay? she asked, using her unique magic to speak into his head.

Usually, he hated it when she infiltrated his mind, except when necessary, during battle.

This time, it didn’t bother him quite as much. I am speaking with my mother. She is…explaining her absence and her reason for returning now.

From what he understood, variations of his story had been widely spread. People often got the finer details wrong, but the one thing they always got right was how his mother had abandoned him as a child. He vaguely remembered his pure dragon father fighting others as they fled, but he hadn’t known his sire haddied. Galadon didn’t doubt Rayna had heard enough rumors to understand what his mother’s return meant.

The slayer stiffened. Wow, that’s a lot to process. I’ll leave you to it, but let me know if you need a diversion. I’ll play the bad guy and interrupt so that you can make a quick getaway.

He sent a chuckle into her mind. The damn female wouldn’t know boundaries if they smacked her in her well-shaped rear, but some small part of him appreciated the offer. Not that he’d ever tell her that. Rayna didn’t need anything else to feed her immense ego.

Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.

She limped away. Galadon forced his gaze from her departing form, hating that some absurd part of himself felt attraction for her. She was a slayer—with magical powers. He knew he should be the last to judge, but it bothered him anyway. So many things about Rayna irritated him, including her arrogance, complete lack of fear, beauty, impressive fighting skills, and utter rudeness in his presence. While others had the good sense to fear him, she spent much of her time antagonizing him. It was utterly galling.

Even Bailey was kind and respectful. She made him feel like part of the team and as someone who belonged. Not to mention, she’d given birth to a shifter child. It was why he’d gone to great lengths to protect her years ago when things went terribly wrong for her and Aidan. Galadon found himself able to give that one slayer an exception, but he could not tolerate any others. He’d learned the hard way from a young age how duplicitous their kind could be even when they appeared friendly.

Why come now? Galadon finally responded to his mother.

She stepped closer, and he caught a whiff of her scent—a mix of sage and aloe. Despite the centuries that had passed, he still remembered the comforting aroma. For a moment, he wanted to let it envelop him. Long ago, it had made him feel safe, loved, and protected. He’d long since discovered he would never be allowed such luxuries from his mother or anyone else. In the end, everyone always left or betrayed him.

We came to save you from the Kandoran. It’s complicated, which sounds like an excuse, but I really had no choice except to wait until now to return to you.

Anger and bitterness filled him. While I appreciate the Craegud’s timely arrival, I do not need you anymore, Ama. Please do not trouble yourself over me.

But son, I…

If you wish to do something good, help that dragon there. He glanced over at where Eliam lay, broken and struggling for breath. Another healer tended to him, but no one would be as good as Ujala. He needs you far more than I do.

Galadon turned and left, shutting her out of his mind.

He found Bailey and Rayna a few minutes later, sitting together on a street curb and talking quietly. The others from their group were on the grass not far from them, thankfully alive, though covered in blood and injuries. It was a testament to their fighting skills that they’d survived the assault for as long as they had until help arrived.

Conrad nodded at him. “Good job, big guy. Thanks for havin’ my back out there.”

At one point during the battle, the male slayer had received a blow to the head that had knocked him unconscious for a few seconds. Galadon had chomped the tail of a Kandoran about to finish him and flung the beast across the battlefield. He wasn’t fond of this vexatious man, but Bailey liked him for some odd reason. It seemed like the right thing to do by keeping him alive. Not to mention, he was the primary guardian of the orb, which was supposed to help them defeat the Kandoran somehow.

Galadon shifted into his human form, calling forth his clothing from shiggara.

“I did it for her,” he said gruffly, gesturing toward Bailey. “Not for you.”

Conrad laughed. “And here I thought I’d grown on you.”

Galadon snorted hard enough for a puff of steam to escape his nostrils.

Titan gripped his injured side as he laughed. “Perhaps like a terrible fungus.”

“Or mold,” Freya said drolly. She held a bandage over her knee, which had been crushed when she had fallen from the sky and hit the ground. He’d spotted bone protruding earlier.

Conrad lifted a brow as he pretended to glower at them. “Glad I can help you guys find common ground to bond.”

“That’s your specialty,” Bailey said from her seat at the curb.

Galadon wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to these strange conversations. Despite the insults, Conrad didn’t seem bothered, and everyone else appeared happy to banter about unimportant matters. For Zorya’s sake, they had just fought a brutal battleandwere all wounded. How could they make jokes at such a time?

A female shifter with a petite, toned body, blue-black hair cut to shoulder-length, and light olive skin approached him. She wore the typical camrium warrior garb. Galadon had only seen her in passing but recognized her as from the Taugud. Ozara had a young daughter with Lorcan. What was she doing arriving with the Craegud?

“I heard the meeting with your mother didn’t go well,” she said, giving him a contrite look. “My apologies. Under the circumstances, there was no way to warn you ahead of time.”

He frowned. “You traveled with them from the west?”

“Yes. Aidan sent me to plead for their support.”

Confusion filled him. “Only you? Traveling for that distance?”

Galadon couldn’t imagine what possessed the pendragon to send a lone female so far away, especially since she had a young child. Anything could have happened to her during the journey, and there were no guarantees she’d gain the support she requested.

“We had little choice.” She shrugged. “But it’s a complicated story I’d rather not get into here. The important part is I succeeded, and we arrived at the right time.”

That much was true. They wouldn’t have lasted another five minutes if the Craegud hadn’t shown up and would have all died. The timing had been eerily perfect, especially after such a long journey that could have had many complications.

“Do not worry about my mother. It is my problem and no one else’s.” He paused, recognizing his tone was gruff. “I appreciate your concern.”

Ozara dipped her chin. “Of course.”

Bailey limped over to join them, clutching at her side. She looked at Ozara. “Since you know the Craegud better, can you see if one of their healers can help us? I saw someone got to Eliam quickly, but Freya and Titan can’t fly, and none of us are in any shape to travel long distances.”

Certainly, Aidan’s mate would have trouble being carried with broken ribs.

“My mother should be finished healing Eliam soon,” Galadon said, gesturing toward the shifter a couple hundred feet away. “She can help some of you after that.”

“Your mother is a healer?” Bailey asked, surprised.

He nodded. “She is among the most powerful, though I didn’t inherit her gift.”

Magical powers usually jumped generations, so instead, he received his seer talent from his paternal grandfatherand his control of theweather from his maternal great-grandmother. In addition to that, he had several other minor skills. A dragon inheriting rare gifts from both sides of the family was almost unheard of, which was partly why the toriqan for both his parents rejected him when his abilities came to light. According to his mother, it went even deeper than that. Galadon didn’t know if he wanted to hear the whole story or if it even mattered.

“You inherited what you needed,” the slayer said sagely.

Ozara gestured toward the crowded field behind them. “I saw the other healer a few minutes ago tending one of the Craegud, but none of their injuries are severe. He can also help.”

“The sooner the better.” Bailey looked up at the sky. “We need to get out of here soon.”

The last of the sun’s rays were fading, bringing inky darkness and a hint of stars through the haze of remaining clouds. He’d held the storm as long as he could for Rayna’s sakebutslowly lost his grip and let go entirely before the Craegud arrived.

Galadon frowned at the rising half-moon, peaking above a collapsed building. “I must agree. We may have a sizeable force, but the Kandoran could send many more to attack us if we stay within their territory for much longer.”

“I’ll let both of the healers know,” Ozara said, hurrying away.

Bailey gave him a concerned look. “About your mother…if you need to talk, let me know. It’s tough having a long-absent parent return to your life suddenly. I’ve been there. Just remember she might have had a good reason, and you don’t want to lose your chance to find out what that is.”

He was unused to anyone showing concern for him, let alone slayers. First, Rayna and now Bailey had reached out to him. He was there when the latter lost her father a couple of months ago—in a dreadful way. A hint of pain flashed in her brown gaze despite her attempt to hide it, and he understood. The Kandoran had tortured her sire in a way that not even a slayer deserved. Though he’d fought and killed a few of their kind, he’d never realized how much damage they could endure as long as they didn’t receive a mortal blow.

Ujala would be in danger from the enemy now that she had entered the war.

“You speak from experience,” he said, giving her a grim look. “But my anger toward my mother is too great right now. I will reach out once I feel I am ready.”

Bailey let out a breath. “Of course. Do what feels right to you.”

Galadon didn’t mention it likely wouldn’t be before the war. How he felt at seeing Ujala a short time ago told him he couldn’t stand looking at her right now. But maybe, if they survived the Kandoran, he’d try after that.