Page 123 of Dare

Briar caught onto Flare’s meaning and sighed. “Protective instincts. Guarding people is second nature for Aire, whereas Aspen constantly seeks to validate her independence. It’s admirable, though sometimes I worry they try too hard.” She gave me a concerned look. “In this climate, what else should we be concerned about, other than predators and the elements?”

“I’ll administer something to prevent infection for each of you,” I said. “It’s not a vaccine, but it’s the best I can do. In any case, I do not prognosticate prematurely.”

“Glad to hear it.” Poet’s voice thinned to a razor’s edge. “Though on behalf of many, I’d be happier to believe it.”

Across my lap, Flare’s limbs stiffened. There it was. After learning my family was doing well—I’d interrogated the jester and princess within moments of entering the ruins—and being updated on the current state of each Season, this discourse was overdue.

The beast and I had tackled many things in private, but not yet the subject of my intentions toward born souls. How I would move forward and what I would do. Had we been given more time alone, this would have been our next conversation.

I rubbed Flare’s thigh and spoke to our guests. “You’re expecting a proclamation.”

“We’re expecting a confirmation,” Poet solicited. “For a start, enlighten us. How did this—” he swung a finger between me and Flare, “—phenomenon happen?”

Because this clan had brought supplies, Flare took up a quill and paper, courtesy of the princess. That made it easier for her to communicate.

Offering an abridged version of what had transpired after Flare escaped, we described our time in the rainforest, from the moment we’d crashed here to the instant we spotted their ship. We also clarified how Flare could hear her own voice and that I possessed the same inexplicable skill. As to the reason for this, no one had a solid theory. Though, neither did they dwell for long, especially considering Aire’s unaccountable intuition.

In any case, Flare and I omitted the obvious. No need to inform this lot of how thoroughly and deeply I’d buried my cock inside her minutes prior to their arrival, to the point where I still felt her pussy clutching me.

It took a while for our audience to resurface from the tale, including the discovery that they sat amidst The Phantom Wild. By this point, Aire and Aspen had approached, the knight taking a seat beside Briar and the girl hopping onto the tabletop. The clan had been gazing in fascination at our surroundings, but now they marveled at the forest anew.

“So the legend is true,” Aire mused.

Briar grinned at Flare. “In the dungeon. You were drawing this landscape.”

“An image hidden within verse,” Poet intoned.

Flare beamed. After the women exchanged smiles, the princess folded her hands atop the table. “Flare has vouched for you. So educate us, Winter. What is your position these days?”

I switched my attention to Flare’s expectant face. “It does not align with Winter’s regarding born souls.” Then I transferred my gaze to the group. “That said, it’s complicated.”

“What is it with Royals and the word ‘complicated’?” Aspen huffed. “If there’s a job to do, then do it.”

“Leadership does not work that way,” Aire defended. “Navigating politics and society requires delicacy.”

“Politics, society, and delicacy can kiss my ass.”

The puritan knight grimaced. “Someone should chop off your vulgar tongue.”

The girl produced her axe and flipped it between her digits. “And what appendage do I get to take from you?”

As if he’d never spent time in Poet’s raunchy company, the soldier went crimson.

Briar shook her head. “We don’t have the luxury of disregarding certain structures and traditions just yet. However biased, disdainful, and ignorant some of those mindsets have become over history, avoiding carnage is paramount.”

To stress the point, I splayed my free fingers on the table. “It’s complicated because Autumn is the only court that doesn’t view any of its citizens as abnormal.”

“Because if they weren’t normal, they wouldn’t exist,” Poet bit out.

“An oversimplification, sadly.”

“Nay, a fact. You get off on facts, do you not? Allow me to provide you with more. Confinement nor brutality have helped. Science has not educated on this front. Nothing you’ve done has aided those whom you call ‘fools.’ Nature doesn’t make mistakes; however, humans do so with aplomb. For bigotry and violence come in many guises, as do goodness and innocence. Nature distinguishes us all, not merely some of us. Thus, our job is not to exclude ignorantly.”

“It’s to unite sagely,” Briar finished.

I leaned back in my chair. “If I’d been given a chance to finish, you might have heard me agree with you.”

The table fell quiet. This clan stood divided between those who looked at the matter viscerally. Flare, Poet, Aspen. Whereas the rest of us viewed this conflict through a pragmatic lens. Me, Briar, Aire.

---