Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

I stood immediately. Not because she was the queen of Wylan, but with worry instead.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I had to come right away."

"What's wrong?"

She held up a hand. "No. Nothing is wrong ."

So these were good tears instead of bad? "Jorah," I pleaded.

She pointed at the window. "There. Are. Birds."

"What?"

"I saw three birds in the forest. Just now."

My mind was working in overdrive, trying to piece together what she was getting at. "And there haven't been before our arrival?"

"No," she gasped. "I have been trying and trying to heal that forest. I have worked myself exhausted so many days." She took a shaky breath. "But all I ever got the forest to do was heal and have bugs. No critters. No creatures other than the wolves themselves."

"And you think it has to do with Esta and my bonding?"

She nodded, smiling and wiping at her tears. "Don't you get it? The forest won't return to what it once was until we undo everything your father did."

I considered her words. "But we haven't healed all of Dra Skor yet."

"No," Malachi said gently. "But you brought our queen here. Safely. And bonded to her here. Dra Skor is well on its way to being healed, even if the job isn't finished yet."

I ran a hand across my forehead. The rules of that forest just didn't make sense. And yet at the same time, they kind of did. Every time I sat and thought about all the happenings in that forest, the forest somehow being sentient , it gave me chills.

"Thank you, Keir," Jorah said just before rushing to me for a hug. "Thank you for bringing the birds back. For working so hard to heal Dra Skor."

"Thank you . For caring about the forest when no one else did. For working to heal Wylan. It's been a team effort all along."

She turned and checked on Esta. "Still nothing?"

I dipped my head toward a shoulder. "Actually, she woke once and was able to use our Enchantment one time before passing back out."

Jorah's eyes went wide. "What? That's truly amazing. What form does her magic take? What color?"

"It went too fast to note, but a blueish purple," I told her.

Jorah smiled. "Just like her scales."

"She's going to need your help when she wakes up next."

Jorah put up a hand. "I have cleared my schedule. Just in case."

"The schedule of a queen is not easy to clear," I laughed.

Jorah shrugged. "What is the use in being queen if I cannot clear my own damn schedule when there are soul bondings and birds to celebrate?" She beamed over at Malachi. "I would wish the two of you a good afternoon, but neither of you will have as great a day as I am having. There. Are. Birds."

Malachi chuckled and offered, "If you would like for me to go flying later, to see what I can find, or scare them into making themselves known, just let me know." He paused. "I could take you for a ride as well."

She sucked in a breath. "I couldn't ask that of you, Malachi. This is not your concern."

"I need to shift soon anyway. Stretch my wings. And I am beginning to see that we are all far more connected than we ever thought to consider."

Her head cocked and her face went inquisitive for a moment, deep in thought.

"What?" I asked.

She directed the question at Malachi. "If I chuck Keir off this balcony right now, would it somehow trigger him into shifting?"

Malachi looked to me, eyes full of mischief. "Is she strong enough to do so?"

"I—" I stopped to laugh. "Well, yes. She has chucked me before. So yes, she is."

Malachi gave a deep, hearty laugh as he looked back to Jorah. "It might if he were not already Enchanted to begin with. As it stands, I think we just have to wait it out. There is the possibility he doesn't have any of Dra Skor's Enchantment and only transferred some of his to Esta."

"But you don't really believe that?" Jorah asked. She'd always been far too good at reading people. Did the perceptiveness go hand-in-hand with her Iron Will?

"I don't," Malachi admitted. He thought over his words for a moment. "I do not know if there are gods or a god or what even gave us these powers to begin with, but what I have seen time and time again is that there is a counter to everything. A balance of sorts. A force at work that defies our basic understanding. So if Esta gained magic from Keir to become more powerful, I believe Keir will have some too. His counter to hers."

Tiny dragon, ready or not.

The next day, Esta was finally awake enough to do some training with Jorah. Seeing the two of them together did something to me. For all the mistakes I had made, for how hurt Jorah had been when fleeing from my Assemblage, she didn't seem to hold it against me. Nor did I hold her happiness with my brother against her. All of us were happy, there was no room for lingering resentments. No room for anything other than joy.

I was sparring with Malachi and Owen in one of the training rooms in the castle, not having anything else to do while the girls trained. I wanted to spy on them, on their progress, but Owen and Malachi agreed that it was best we just stay away and let them work. With the link to Esta, I knew exactly where she was even as I stayed away. I'd know if she was hurting or needed my help though she had yet to speak to me down our bond. One thing at a time though. She wanted to get the hang of Wylan's Enchantment so we could leave back for Dra Skor on time.

My shoulders burned. I was feeling what I thought was back to full strength, but that aching from before hadn't totally subsided yet and here I was sparring with two men who I could barely best on a good day.

Damn muscles. Who needed them?

Having managed to somehow beat Owen and Malachi separately, the two of them decided to gang up on me. I knew I was going to lose. They were both far too skilled together.

I knew it, but they also knew it. The pricks were having fun beating me two on one.

So I started using my Enchantment to level the playing field.

I threw chains at their feet to hold them in place and began quickly moving around them. Sweat beaded my forehead. It was chilly out this morning, but we should have just gone outside. In typical fashion where Owen was concerned, what was meant to be something to just pass the time got a bit competitive.

I smacked Owen in the thigh, none too softly, and moved forward to stop Malachi's practice sword.

"You wound me," Owen hissed.

"Emotionally," I offered as I spun away, "Or physically?"

"Yes," Owen grit out, rubbing his thigh.

I let the chains at his feet fall only so that he could move and wiggle his leg which was likely feeling dead. I may not play fair, but I wasn't a total monster.

Malachi lowered his sword. "Is it lunch time yet? Though none of Wylan disappoints, the queen's cookies are rather reputable. I am hoping there are some still left."

I laughed. Jorah had made Malachi cookies after taking her for a ride to see the birds. We now had sightings of a dozen of them. Where they had all come from, we didn't know.

"Once more," Owen rang out. He had that glint in his eyes which promised revenge.

Minutes later, all of us grabbing our knees, I managed to get away with only a nick under my ribs. I was going to call that a win. Owen was a beast in man form. My speed had been the only thing to save me from total embarrassment.

The tension between my shoulder blades from holding my weapon was burning again, so I placed it gently onto the floor and moved to stretch them backward.

As I did, Owen's sword slipped to the ground with a clunk.

Malachi grinned at me. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Wings," Owen said, eyes wide, mouth open. "Y—you have wings, Keir."