41. Alfie

Ididn't know why everyone was looking at me so expectantly. Normally, I'd be blushing and stuttering, hating the attention. This time, though, with Blaze beside me, I managed to stand tall. If nothing else, I needed to make it clear that Blaze was my mate. No matter what happened, they couldn't stop us being together.

I tried to take his hand but he was still in his flame form, and I just felt the warm flames against my palm. It was almost like holding my hand in front of a fire or sinking into a hot bath. They should have burned me, but they didn't.

I hadn't realised I'd been… stroking Blaze's wick until he'd looked down at me doing it, shock all over his face.

It had felt so nice, though, and I'd needed physical touch. Just to know he was there and alive and safe.

Glimmer distracted me from my train of thought by saying, "Aw, man, I can't believe I missed you shifting for the first time."

He stood in the gap in the protections, right on the edge of the territory. He was neither inside nor out.

I looked at him, expecting him to do something. Or say something. After all, he was the Guardian. We needed him to tell us what to do now that our borders weren't secure.

He met my eyes, and held them for a few seconds. Then he asked, "Am I still banished?"

"My father is dead," I told him.

"I know. I was asking you, Lord Somerville."

"Me?"

I glanced behind me, just to make sure that Glimmer wasn't talking to someone else. He wasn't.

"You're the golden dragon. Even without being the Somerville heir, you'd be elder now. The golden dragon rules the clan."

"Oh," I said. I wanted to squirm with discomfort. That sounded like they expected me to be like my father, and I didn't think I could do that.

"So?" asked Glimmer at last.

"What?"

"Am I banished?"

There was something harder in his voice this time, a hint of his dragon. He almost shimmered out of sight, as though he was gathering his magic to him in case he needed it. Behind him, the man readjusted his grip on his sword.

"No, you're not banished. I want you back. You're my clan."

That hint of dragon was still there as he declared, "I won't come back without my mate."

"Is he your mate?" I nodded over his shoulder to the man.

"Yes, he is."

I heard the pride in his voice, and the challenge. He thought he'd need to fight about that?

Then I realised why, as my mother limped up to me.

"His mate is a ridire," she whispered.

I gawped at Glimmer. "Is he really a ridire?"

I glanced over at the warrior who was looking at me with dark eyes and an intensity that made me nervous. He was still holding his sword.

Glimmer, though, laughed.

"See, Kingsley. I told you that you still look like a ridire."

The man sounded exasperated as he said, "I'm not wearing the armour any longer. This isn't even my sword."

Glimmer grinned. "It's in the way you move. The power you radiate. You're strong."

The ridire – Kingsley – rolled his eyes. Then he looked at me again, and I stood up straighter, like I did when I was standing before my father. I didn't want to make a bad impression on Glimmer's mate.

"I'm not a ridire any longer," he said.

"So you're not a danger?" I just wanted to be sure.

Kingsley shook his head but Glimmer answered for him. Loudly.

"Of course he's dangerous. Didn't you see the way he fought? My mate is such a badass."

He was practically crowing. Where he was tucked mostly out of sight behind me – and I wasn't sure whether that was his instinct to shelter behind me or my instinct to shield him – Blaze sniggered softly.

It made me feel better.

Kingsley took a step forward. He didn't get too close. Not right up to the boundary. I wondered if he and Glimmer were still preparing to flee, if I didn't take them back into the clan.

His dark eyes locked on mine as he said, "I won't hurt you or your clan. You're Glimmer's… family."

There was something about the way he said ‘family' that sounded a bit off, like he'd been about to say something else instead but changed his mind. It was difficult to catch his scent through all the surrounding mess, the blood and singed spells and burned bodies and the churned earth, but I didn't smell any deception on him.

And I looked carefully at the bond between him and Glimmer. It was strong and hard. Two warriors, protecting each other. That bond radiated respect and strength and loyalty.

I stared as I caught sight of something else, too. Kingsley had a small, thin little bond with me. I had to focus in order to see it, since it was pale, almost as though it wanted to be invisible.

It was there, though. I searched Kingsley and saw that he had more of those bonds.

He had one with every single member of my clan.

Glimmer had a bond with everyone because he was the Guardian. He needed to protect us all. That was why he cared.

His mate had no reason to care about us at all. No reason to protect us. Yet he had flown into this fight and risked his life to stop the hag from breaking in and killing us.

He was a guardian, too.

He cared about protecting us because his mate did. It was as though he'd learned to love us all simply because Glimmer did.

It felt natural to look him in the eyes and say, "You're welcome here. You're clan."

A few of my clan gasped, but nobody said anything. To make sure they knew where I stood, I added, "Glimmer's the Guardian."

Glimmer stood taller and he stopped that shimmering magic.

"Are you going to introduce me to your mate, Alfie?"

My chest puffed up with pride as I stepped to the side to reveal Blaze. He looked magnificent and beautiful, flickering and golden-orange. He smiled at me, and I held his hand, even though I couldn't properly feel it, only the warmth of flame.

"This is Blaze. Blaze Somerville."

At last, I'd worked out what had made me so grouchy before, when Great Aunt Evangeline had called him Blaze Fire. He was mine now. He was clan. A Somerville.

My dragon rumbled inside me at the rightness of the name, and Blaze gave me a shocked look and then his expression split into the biggest smile I'd ever seen on him.

"Blaze Somerville," he murmured, testing out the name for himself.

Around me, the bonds between me and my clan shone. For the first time, I realised what those bonds meant. I was their elder. I was responsible for them. And they trusted me to protect them.

All of the bonds were tainted by worry but only one bond showed real pain. I followed it to Uncle George but he was standing tall and proud, his face practically blank.

"Uncle George?" I asked.

"Yes, Lord Somerville?"

"Oh, um, maybe can you not call me that? For now. Just… call me Alfie?"

"Yes, Alfie."

There was a note of awe I'd never heard in his voice before, and maybe… respect?

"Where are you injured, Uncle George?"

"I'll be fine. My dragon is already healing me."

"Are you sure?"

There was a beat of silence as Uncle George decided what to say, and then he said, "We have no medic. I shall recover in time."

It occurred to me then to wonder what he felt about his son leaving. I still didn't know why Glenwise had gone, why Rhod had gone with him, how Conley had died or why the two of them had fled instead of staying with us.

Uncle George had never expressed an opinion about it.

I wondered if he missed his son. He must do.

"Um, yes," I said at last. I couldn't promise to get Glenwise back because I didn't know where he was. But I wanted him back. I'd like to have all of my clan back, and my dragon agreed with me. It seemed to nod inside me, telling me I was right. The sensation was a funny one.

While I was focused on my bonds, I thought I'd try tugging on the one that linked me to Glenwise. He was too far away for me to know where he was but I could feel the bond in a way I hadn't been able to before he'd left, and I gave it a gentle tug, trying to tell Glenwise – wherever he was – to come home. Like pulling on a fishing line.

Mrs. Wilson approached me. She gave a quick bow of her head and then spoke.

"Two of the sprites are good healers for cuts and bruises. Perhaps you'd give them permission to heal those in need of it, Lord Somerville."

"Oh, yes! Where are they?" I looked around, pleased that my uncle would get at least some healing before his son got back, but then I paused. I cocked my head to one side. "Why have they never helped with healing before?"

"They heal the sprites, when they get injuries from the farming equipment and so on."

"But they don't heal the dragons?"

Mrs. Wilson gave a sniff. "They were never allowed to. Your father didn't believe that dragons needed help healing from any but a dragon."

That sounded silly to me.

"Where are they? I'd like them to heal Uncle George, please, and anyone else who needs it. Mother, how is your leg?"

She gave me a brave smile. "It was a deep cut but it is healing. You need to be looked at, Alfie."

"I'll go last. After you."

I folded my arms, showing her that I was not going to budge on that.

To my surprise, she nodded and turned to Mrs. Wilson.

"Will they meet us in the medical room?"

Mrs. Wilson blinked in surprise and then nodded quickly.

As my mother and Aunt Silvia and Uncle George left, I looked again at Mrs. Wilson. She had a slim bond with my mother. It felt more like the quiet respect of colleagues than the loving bond of a clan, but I hadn't realised they had even that much. I was seeing more bonds now than before, and wondered if that was because my dragon eyesight was better. Or my magical eyesight. I'd have to ask Great Aunt Evangeline.

And, now I looked, I saw the bonds between the sprites that were gathered, and at least a dozen more spread out in every direction.

"Where are the rest of the sprites?"

"They are circling the borders to make sure there are no other breaches, Lord Somerville."

I cleared my throat. "How did you know I was Lord Somerville now?"

Mrs. Wilson blinked at me in surprise. "I've been working for the Somervilles all my life, Lord Somerville. I know who rules the clan."

"That's good," I said. "At least I don't need to go round telling everyone that my father is dead. I don't really want to talk about that. Do you think everyone knows?"

"All the sprites know."

"Do you think I could meet them all? I know that people work in the fields but I've never been allowed to meet them before. I wasn't allowed past the woods."

I might have been imagining it, but Mrs. Wilson shot me a look of pity. "Of course, Lord Somerville. The sprites would be honoured to meet you."

"Really? Are you sure? I can't think why anyone would be honoured to meet me. Oh, I suppose I'm a golden dragon. Is that why they want to see me? Will I have to shift in front of them?"

Mrs. Wilson chuckled and she shared a look with Blaze. I saw a bond flicker into existence between them, thin and new, but there.

Turning to me, she said, "They would be honoured to meet Lord Somerville. It's been decades since they've seen the ruler of our clan."

"Our clan? You mean you're part of my clan too?"

That might have been the wrong thing to say. Mrs. Wilson drew herself up proudly and tried to look down her nose at me. She was very short and plump, though, so she couldn't do it. That didn't mean I wasn't just a tiny bit intimidated.

"We were under the impression that we were. In our own way."

I nodded, seeking out Blaze's eyes. He smiled at me and I nodded. "I'd like that."

As I watched, I saw my own bond come into existence between me and the sprite. And, around me, a dozen more. Each one looked the same, thin and new, but there. They were the sprites of my clan.

I stood there for a moment, just enjoying the fact that we were all alive.

Blaze warmed my side and I breathed in his ashy smell, more ash than woodsmoke while he burned.

Finally, I looked at Glimmer. I wasn't sure what to do. I knew I was meant to be the elder and everything, but I didn't know anything about building the protections back up.

I cleared my throat.

"Glimmer, what do you want me to do?" I gestured at the gaping hole in the magic.

He bowed his head ever so slightly to me, and it was weird to see him do it. He'd never done that before.

"Kingsley and I will stay out here and build the protections up. We'll fly the boundary in shifts for the next week, to check for any gaps, breaks or cracks, but we've been building them up for weeks so they should be strong. Only really powerful magic can break them and I'll feel it if any of the protections do break."

I nodded.

"I can help," I said, and then felt foolish. I didn't know the first thing about making protections.

Glimmer didn't seem to think the same thing.

"When did you shift for the first time?"

"Yesterday."

"Then you need to rest. You've used a lot of energy, especially as you had to fight physically and with magic to protect your clan. You'll be exhausted when the adrenaline wears off. You and your mate can rest and we'll protect the border. Keep your phone with you and I'll ring if we need you, but I would put money on those three that got away never coming near here ever again."

Kingsley had stepped into our territory by now but he was still on the edge, near the border. He nodded at the sprites nearby.

"Do any of you know how to lay protections?"

The sprites looked offended. "Of course we do."

"I thought so. Sprites have very versatile magic. Why can't I feel any of your protections along the border, then?"

Mrs. Wilson tutted loudly. "We were not allowed to lay any. Lord Somerville wouldn't allow it."

Glimmer muttered, "Such a waste. Sprites are good guardians."

I hesitated only a second before asking, "Would you lay some now?"

For the first time, Mrs. Wilson beamed at me the way she did at Blaze. She rolled up her sleeves and then promptly ignored me, turning her attention to Glimmer. "Right, where do you want us to start?"

Having been dismissed, and seeing that my territory was protected, I suddenly realised how tired I was. Glimmer had been right. Exhaustion seeped into my muscles and made it hard for me to move.

Beside me, Blaze said, "Come back to the castle now, my love."

I barely had the strength to shift again but I did, only by concentrating on the fact that my mate would be just as tired as I was and I wanted to get him tucked up safely in bed.

For the first time ever, I landed on the large ledge outside of my window. I knew that was the reason we had them, but since I'd never had a dragon, I'd never needed to use it. This time was better than when I'd gone looking for Blaze because it was my window and it was my room and Blaze wasn't locked up and frightened inside.

I hadn't left the window on latch, and I was out of patience, too tired to fly round to the front door and shift and walk through the corridors to my room from the inside. I broke the window with one claw and Blaze reached his hand through to open it.

I snorted when he reached for it, worried he'd cut himself on the broken glass, but he stroked a soft little hand down my cheek and said, "Don't worry, my darling, I'll be careful."

As I pushed into the room in my dragon form, I realised I was far, far too tired to shift back. I still hadn't worked out how I did it, so I just grabbed the blankets and pillows from my bed between my teeth and pulled them onto the floor, making a nest and curling up around it.

Blaze didn't seem to find it weird at all because he smiled and sank down into the nest, leaning back against my scales and murmuring, "Thank you for looking after me, my darling."

I ran my nose over his red hair and his shoulder, pressed it against his claiming bite, and told myself I must remember to tell him in the morning that he was worth looking after. Even if I shifted back right away, it was too late to tell him. Blaze was already asleep, his breaths deep and even.

I was proud that he trusted me enough to sleep. I knew he often liked to burn instead.

Curling tighter around him so he was protected from everything by my big form and thick scales, I finally closed my eyes and slept beside my mate.