43. Alfie

Glimmer seemed to think that the territory was protected again. "We've closed the gap and we're fortifying the defences now. It's going to take a few weeks for the sprites to work their magic round the whole of the border, but I've arranged for them to work in shifts until it's done. There's no rush. Kingsley and I have been working on it for ages, and the only weakness was where Lord Somerville broke the protections."

"Can you come up to the castle? I want to talk to everyone."

When they arrived, I felt better. I hadn't realised quite how much my dragon had been pushing against my skin. I wasn't yet sure what was normal and what was my dragon trying to tell me something. All I did know was that we both liked having our clan here, surrounding us.

Inside me, my dragon griped again. Because we weren't all here, were we?

I was terribly aware that some of my clan were missing. Rhod and Glenwise were out there alone and, sure, I missed Morgan a lot. I wished I could see him again and I felt pleased that some of my magic was exactly like his because it made me feel closer to him. But my dragon didn't get riled up about Morgan being outside of our territory.

I sat and thought about it. Morgan had a clan. Glenwise and Rhod didn't. They were vulnerable out there.

My dragon snorted inside me, wanting to shift and fly after them, follow their bonds until we reached the end and found our missing clan.

"Do you think I can go and find them?" I asked.

The blank stares around me made me squirm. They hadn't been following my train of thought.

"I mean Rhod and Glenwise."

Glimmer said, "They should have come to me," and I heard the same protective growl in his voice that was lingering inside my own dragon.

Kingsley was standing by the doorway, leaning against the wall, while his mate prowled around the edge of the room. The rest of us were sat down.

"Be fair," he said. "Nobody knew where you were. That was the point."

"Still, it's not fair that they left and I can't protect them."

Kingsley looked amused but said nothing.

Uncle George cleared his throat. "If you are willing to take my son back into your clan, Alfie, I'd be most grateful."

"He's clan," I said. I had never been sure how Uncle George felt about it, but I saw him swallow and struggle to keep his expression clear.

"I have been worried," he admitted. "Him being out there all alone, and ridire hunting."

Kingsley looked awkward but I tried to reassure Uncle George.

"Don't worry, Glenwise isn't on his own. He's with Rhod."

"Is he?"

"Yes, they, um, left together. I don't know why."

I'd been about to say that they had a special bond, but that wasn't really my place to tell.

Uncle George asked, "He may still be alive, then."

Great Aunt Evangeline broke into the conversation. "You know I would have told you if your son was dead, George."

He patted her hand but said nothing.

I looked around expectantly.

"Um, does anyone know how to find them?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"I could try and find them," I began, but Glimmer growled.

"Not until you've learned to control your magic. You're not leaving the territory."

I didn't dare to defy him, but my dragon twisted in irritation. Two of my clan were out there and homeless. That wasn't right.

"There has to be a way to find them. We can work it out."

Glimmer sighed and said, "Rhod's only left the territory once, and that was to escort Morgan to the Hoskins territory. He doesn't know anyone on the outside. He won't be choosing where they go. That will be Glenwise."

At that, I got excited. That sounded like it would narrow down the possibilities. "So Glenwise knows people on the outside? We can ask them if they've seen him!"

Glimmer considered. "There has to be a record of where he did his medical training and who he met. He's likely to go to somebody he knows."

"Does anybody know where he did his training?"

Glimmer sighed again. "Rhod would know."

"But we can find out, right?"

Kingsley spoke, his voice deep and calming. Maybe my voice had gone a bit higher-pitched and panicked than I'd intended.

"Glimmer said Rhod was a bureaucrat. He'll keep records."

"In his office?" I guessed.

"Probably. And, no, you're not going tearing in there trying to find a slip of paper with a name and address on it. I'll go and look."

Glimmer put his hand to his heart. "It almost sounds as though you don't trust me."

"With paperwork? I don't. Hey, you're dragons, you'll just as soon set it alight as read it. Let me look and I'll tell you when I find something."

He turned to walk off towards Rhod's office but Glimmer grabbed him and hustled him back against the wall, pinning his mate in place and claiming his mouth in a rough kiss. I sniggered and glanced at my own mate, remembering kissing him just like that. It had felt so naughty at the time but Glimmer kissed Kingsley as though it was natural. Maybe it was.

Eventually, Kingsley pushed Glimmer away firmly and said, "Now I'm going to have trouble concentrating."

Glimmer said, "I'll come and help you."

I shook my head. "Nuh uh. Rhod won't like you messing around in his office."

Glimmer blinked at me. "But he's not even here. It's not even his office any more."

"Yes it is."

I heard my own voice come out of my mouth. It sounded like me, but there was a rumble to it. A bit of dragon slipping into the tone.

I stared at Glimmer, wide-eyed and probably more surprised by it than he was.

He nodded. "He's our treasure. We'll get him back."

Kingsley walked off, muttering, "You and your damned treasure," although he must have known we could hear him. Glimmer grinned in a slightly disturbing way and I had to point at him and frown terribly.

"You're not allowed to disturb him until he's found Rhod and Glenwise."

My dragon didn't sound in my voice again, which was disappointing.

He gave a regal nod, though, agreeing with me.

Then my thoughts turned to Seren. The last of my clan to be missing.

"Does anyone know where Seren might have gone? He never left the territory before, did he, so he won't have anywhere to go like Glenwise does?"

Around me, there was a hushed silence. My mother said, "That dragon was banished."

"But- you didn't mind me talking about Glenwise."

"He was not banished. He left. Your father never ruled him officially banished."

"So… I'm not allowed to say Seren's name? Even now?"

Mother swallowed and glanced at Aunt Silvia. "The elder banished him. We are not allowed to speak of him, nor think of him. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless the elder un-banishes him."

"But that's me, right? I can do that."

She nodded and there was a lot of tension in her body which made my dragon riled. It didn't like our mother being worried.

"Well," I said. "I'll un-banish him. Seren's my cousin. And he's weak. He needs protection. We're going to find him, too."

Around me, I could see a few of the bonds between my clan flickering. I couldn't tell what they meant, but I watched as a slim bond grew from my mother and followed the same path towards Seren that mine went. I knew he was out there and he was alive, or our bond would have vanished. Mother had her own bond with him back, now she was allowed to.

I sighed.

"I just need to know he's safe. At least Morgan has a clan."

My mother tensed again.

"That dragon was also banished." Her words were careful and, if I wasn't mistaken, hopeful. I glanced at the bond she had with Morgan, the one that had never broken.

I began to think out loud, which might not have been the best way to do it, but my mouth was running away with me again, like always.

"If I can un-banish Seren and Rhod and Glenwise, do you think I can un-banish Morgan? I know he can't come back to us because he has a new clan now, but I'd still like to know he's okay. I miss him. Even if I never get to talk to him again, I want to know he's safe."

My mother spoke just as carefully as before. Slowly, choosing her words.

"The elder of the clan can choose to form an alliance with another clan. It's possible that the Hoskins clan would form an alliance with the Somervilles, despite our history, since you are the golden dragon. The Hoskins elder might be persuaded to ally with you."

Before I could respond, Glimmer snorted.

I looked round at him. He was leaning in the doorway, where his mate had been. Maybe he was breathing in the last traces of his scent before it dispersed.

"You don't think they'll be persuaded to ally with us? Not even if I'm some fancy golden dragon?"

He snorted again, and this time I heard the amusement in it. "The Hoskins clan want an alliance anyway."

"How do you know that?"

Glimmer crossed his arms. "That depends. How much trouble am I going to get in if I say I've spoken to them?"

I sat up straight, excited. "You've spoken to Morgan? Is he okay? Does he miss me?"

"Yes, yes, and yes."

I turned back to my mother, and we smiled at each other as though we'd never stop. Glimmer said, "So you can go through the official records to see if Rhod has wiped all contact information about the clan from our servers like he was told to, and if he has you can reach out to one of the witches' covens to get the details for Lady Hoskins…"

My heart sank. That would take forever.

"…Or I can just call Dane right now."

In my lap, Blaze laughed. It was a soft, flickering sound and it made my stomach bubble with happiness. I couldn't help but laugh, too.

"That, please," I said.

Glimmer got out his phone and dialled somebody. A deep voice on the other end answered, "Hey G, what's up?"

"Hey, funny story, Lord Somerville is dead and Alfie's inherited the title and he was thinking that maybe he wants to form an alliance—"

That deep voice said, "We're on our way."

Then the line went dead and I gripped Blaze tighter, cuddling him close with excitement. I was getting my clan back.