Page 4 of Distinctly Daray
It was mildly terrifying to be sitting in a room full of men with grand titles while Keegan gingerly ate his snack, but he had little choice. His limbs were vibrating gently with weakness, but at least the worst wave of nausea had passed. Keegan considered that a significant milestone. He was conquering this whole resurrection thing already.
“Where is Sam?” asked Baxter’s mate, Daemon Lord Benton.
“No clue,” Arvandus answered. “Probably somewhere flirting with Brynn.”
Keegan listened politely as he crunched and easily deduced that they were speaking of the final Venerable Knight, Samson Osdraconis-Daray. Samson was the lone person who’d started his resurrected life as a fire-breathing dragon as well as a fallen knight. His other half, Skeleton Lord BrynniusDarayvipera, was also a shifter, and Keegan couldn’t wait to meet both men.
“We don’t need to fill this room up with people,” the Arch Lich stated. “Let Sam and Brynn do whatever they want.”
“Honestly, there are three too many fallen knights in here already,” Baxter remarked.
“Someone has to help Keegan,” Arvandus replied.
“You’ve done nothing but comment on his freckles and hair, which is unlike Albie’s. I’ll have to ask Victor, but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to point out things on people’s faces if you aren’t friends or family,” Baxter retorted.
“To be fair, I don’t know what I look like yet,” Keegan said between crackers. “I enjoyed learning that my hair is red and I have freckles.”
“Fallen knights are annoying,” Baxter muttered.
Benton elbowed his mate. “That is definitely rude.”
“Everyone shut up and let Keegan eat his fucking crackers,” the Arch Lich ordered. “Do you need additional snacks, Keegan?”
Keegan plucked the last cracker off his plate, and Baxter rushed over to take the dish from him. “No thank you, Arch Lich.”
“Don’t worry if you’re still hungry. Breakfast is soon,” Arvandus commented with another amiable smile. “We won’t let you starve. Help yourself to more of that water.”
Unable to refute what Keegan considered an order, he grabbed the tall glass from the small table next to the cot where he sat and drank heavily.
“Bax can refill it if you like,” Roman offered. “Then we’ll see if you’re ready to stand.”
Not caring how much effort it’d take or whether he yet had the strength, Keegan set the now-empty glass aside and gingerly swung his sneakered feet toward the floor. The roomspun for a second but quickly righted itself. It was yet another milestone to celebrate. Keegan was eager for the future and was determined to conquer every second.
∞∞∞
A bit self-conscious thanks to the bright pink flowy pants he’d splurged on, Victor swung open the door to the headquarters of the Sentinel Brotherhood.
“Look at you,” his best friend, Evergreen Tenebri, said the moment he spotted him. In a crisp suit of deep gray, a soft green shirt, and a floral embroidered tie, the druid-necromancer hybrid looked chic. “Give us a twirl.”
With a laugh, Victor grabbed the sides of his voluminous trousers and swung around on the toes of platform boots. “You like?”
“Yes, of course. You’d like them too if you’d let yourself,” Evergreen remarked sagely as he lifted a black brow and studied Victor’s face.
“Stop reading my mind. I do like them.”
“But you’re worried they’re too loud.” Evergreen waved toward the sentinel who’d once been tied to his soul. “Dudley, tell Victor his pants are fabulous. So are those highlights. You didn’t tell me you added them when we talked last night.”
“Your pants are a pleasing shade of pink,” Dudley Tenebri intoned formally. The sentinel rose, and Victor shook his head. Sentinels almost exclusively stuck to wearing uniforms and rarely concerned themselves with fashion. But Dudley was kind and would do anything to put someone else at ease.
“Thank you both. Now, stop complimenting me and let’s grab some lunch.”
“We should refrain from leaving the building,” Dudley cautioned.
“Uh oh, what’s wrong?” Victor asked as Evergreen walked from behind the large desk he and Dudley manned as office managers of the Sentinel Brotherhood and looped their arms together.
Evergreen sighed as Dudley stalked over and opened the door. The minute they were in the hallway and headed for one of the nearby cafeterias, the hybrid grimaced. “I’m afraid this morning didn’t go smoothly.”
“Something went wrong with the resurrections?” Victor asked, his eyes widening. Chander was the most gifted necromancer in the world. It was impossible for Victor to imagine anything going awry with his spell.
