Page 42 of My Eternal Light

“Meryn! That’s rude,” Amelia fussed.

Meryn sighed. “I’m sorry. Why for are you here strange person?”

“Saying the same thing in flowery language doesn’t make it any less rude,” Amelia admonished.

“Yes, it does. That’s politics. Beth is teaching me,” Meryn argued back.

The older woman wiped away tears of laughter. “I’ve heard about you, young lady. You saved my grandson’s mate, so you don’t have to worry about being exceptionally polite to me.”

Meryn frowned. “I did?”

The woman smiled. “My name is Boragina Sageson. I’m Micah’s grandmother.”

“Kick ass,” Meryn whispered.

Amelia beamed at Kendrick. “I have the best athair ever!”

Meryn rolled her eyes. “Anywho. Back to the freakishly awesome sounding hate language.” She looked to her uncle. “Uncle Bren?”

Even the consort looked unsettled having heard Kendrick’s tirade. “The ancient tongue. I haven’t heard it in thousands of years and even then, never with such creativity.”

“It sounded angry.”

“That may have just been Kendrick,” Brennus pointed out.

She shook her head. “It’s like paranormal German. Kendrick, teach me to say, ‘eat shit and die, motherfuckers!’.”

He uttered a phrase that sounded positively gruesome.

Meryn shocked everyone when she repeated it back perfectly. “Kick ass!”

“Kendrick Ashwood! I care not what comes out of your mouth, but how could you teach my denka such filth?” Ryuu admonished.

“She asked,” Kendrick said shrugging.

“Denka, I can teach you other things, try not to use that particular phrase,” Ryuu asked.

She was going to protest but nodded. “You don’t ask for much so, how about this? I’ll only use it when I absolutely have to. I’ll be really… what’s the word? Discerning.”

“I suppose the fact that you are trying to learn discernment is a step in the right direction. Thank you, for considering my feelings,” he placed a plate of small cookies in front of her.

Cord, recently returned from the sitting room, walked up on her other side with a small plate of oranges. “Swing by the kitchen later and I’ll teach you some ancient fae phrases.”

Meryn popped a wedge in her mouth and nodded.

“Why would the council come for us?” His father asked.

Kincaid turned to Kendrick. “What were you able to tell them?”

“Just that they were in danger and to gather up the kids. We didn’t have a lot of time. Patrols started as they were packing,” Kendrick answered.

Kincaid looked at his parents and smiled weakly. “I may have forgotten to tell you some tiny little things.”

His mother’s eyes narrowed. “Kincaid Julian Bayberry, you better start talking.”

Across the table Kendrick choked on his drink. Kincaid stared, then he began to crack up. It hadn’t dawned on him until now that he had been named after his teacher.

“Now, mister,” she warned.

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