Page 137 of Oath of Rebellion

Then he'd shifted back to dragon to fly them both to Vidrland. She'd slept through the entire thing. He'd tucked her into the treehouse he normally stayed in, then had gone to see how he help get everyone settled.

Now that dinner was ending, several others were trickling into the main lodge. He kept catching snippets of conversations as he talked with John, Ashur, the two old druids, and the other half dozen around the table.

"He lets just anyone listen in on political meetings? How original."

"What's this voting thing about? How does that work?"

"Did you see him fly into town this afternoon with the princess? Wait, is she still a princess or is she a queen? Is this a town, a city, or a village? What are we?"

The last one had made his lips twitch as the teenager had hit the nail on the head. What were they?

Just then Lailant tapped her cane on the floor where she sat at the table. She'd insisted on joining them at the table and listening in.

Lailant looked at Knox. "Are you ready to assume the mantle of responsibility you were born to?"

Knox nodded silently, his jaw clenching. She must've heard the teenager too.

Then Lailant nodded her head and arched a brow. "Then you know what to do."

He sighed and rubbed his head as he looked over the crowd. Eirwyn walked through the door, smiling and nodding as she listened to one of the cursed castle servants. A human watering can who seemed to leak water out of his sleeves.

He consulted with the others at the table, then he lifted his voice to the crowd and said, "We're going to have our first public meeting in one hour. Spread the word. Anyone can join but we need to outline some rules, policies, and procedures."

Eirwyn came to him, and he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly as people began to stream out the door to invite others to the meeting.

"Sore." Her wide grin and twinkling eyes made him pull her closer.

"Have you eaten dinner?" She nodded so he continued. "In that case, let's take a quick dip in the hot springs. John, we'll be back in half an hour. You have the agenda drawn up with our talking points?"

John nodded, so Knox placed his hand on the small of Eirwyn's back and led her through the bustling crowd. Before they walked through the door, a stray thought had him turning. He took in the large room. They'd never be able to fit everyone inside.

Eirwyn seemed to know what he was thinking because she squeezed his hand. "In the capital, there's a coliseum with rows of bench seating. Could you make something like that in here?"

He ran his other hand on the side of his head and nodded. He took a deep breath and waved his fingers. On three sides of the building, he built rows of benches, angling them down toward the center of the room.

He created three sets of stairs and aisles but left a wide area around the central oval table and near the massive fireplace on the fourth wall. Those still inside yelped at the shifting floor and walls, but none of them fell.

When he was done, he sighed and Eirwyn looked up at him, pride shining in her eyes.

"That was amazing." Her voice was awed, and he felt his cheeks heat.

"Wait until you see how we're going to build up the town." He grinned and led her outside.

He was going to need to push back the wall of trees around the growing town, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. They approached the S path entrance to the hot springs. It was tucked in a secluded glen, and he was grateful to see it empty. Everyone was scrambling to prepare for the meeting.

He wasn't worried, though. With his mate by his side, they could handle anything.

"You're rather quiet tonight," he said softly.

She sighed and leaned her cheek on his arm as they entered the glen. "I know. It's just a lot to take in. My brother is dead, my friend is... well, I don't know what Bella is anymore. And Scarlet–"

"Will be alright. She's tough, a survivor, and she has Olive's help."

Eirwyn sniffled and nodded. "I know, but she's stuck in the forest now unless she goes into Glathen. Some refugees are Hunters, did you know? What will they do for income? How are we going to feed all these people through the winter? And there are so many Growlers here."

Knox waved his fingers on the edge of the hot springs and formed a bench. He sat and cupped her face, wiping her tears away. "It's going to be fine. We're going to build up Vidrland into a proper town and protect the people. That's what our meeting will be about tonight. I'll explain how we're going to build shelters, where we'll find food, and how we'll set up a trade network with Glathen, with your help that is."

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