Page 63 of Enchanted Crown
Every time she said she was proud of me, I wanted to grab her enemies by the throat and thrust a dagger straight to their jugulars. There was absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman.All I could manage to put into words was, “Last homes are special too.”
We were in Nerede,ready to board for Dra Skor. I knew I would return to Wylan, Esta with me. She was right, this was the place which had built me. The place where we had bonded. Yet my future was leading me elsewhere.
“Come find your adventure on the open seaaaas,” John sang deep and strong as he headed up the dock.
I snorted a laugh. That sea shanty may annoy me most days, but the message and tune to it was too catchy to not also adore.
I told John he could stay in Wylan if he wanted, but he’d insisted on seeing our project through. Two of the crew members behind him were carrying his trunk, grunting and groaning beneath it.
I sent thick strands of my Enchantment out to lift and help them. “What all did you pack, old man?”
He spun to me and looked at me from over the top of his glasses. “Oh, just some light reading.”
“You call this light reading?” one of the men groaned.
“Books,” I stated. “Of course, you would.”
“One must stay up on his studies if he wishes to maintain the title of Great Mind Seducer,” John deadpanned before boarding the ship without another word.
I shook my head. “Unbelievable.”
Jorah and Esta were hugging and saying goodbye, so I scooped up Warrick to do the same.
I knew I would return to Wylan, hopefully sometime in the near future, but it didn’t make these goodbyes any easier.
“You take care of Wylan, favorite nephew,” I told him.
“You take care of your wings!” Warrick whispered, a small andstrong arm wrapped around my neck. “Better train up so thatyoucan take me for a ride next time.”
“You’ve got it, little man,” I grinned.
I put him down so he could say goodbye to Esta and moved to hug my brother.
“What do you say?” Esta said, crouching down to his level. “I know I have to leave in a few minutes, but I thought you might like one last ride?”
Warrick’s eyes tried to leave his head. “Oh, yes please!”
She had asked us earlier, and Krew had let the crew know. Esta was going to fly with the ship a bit when we departed anyway. So she shifted right there on the shore next to the dock. I scooped up Warrick and we went for one last short ride together.
As we landed and Warrick jogged back over to Jorah and Krew beaming, I saw Jorah swiping at her tears.
“Jorah?” I asked.
“This is what healing looks like,” she whispered. “For the entire realm. And I could not be prouder of us. All of us.” She gestured toward the ship, now waiting for me. “Go on. Go hunt down that traitor and make them bleed.”
I snorted a laugh. We’d gone from tears to blood in record speed.
“We love you,” Krew added.
I dipped my chin, too overcome by their words to say it back, though they definitely knew it.
Standing on the deck of the boat as we left Wylan, my breaths coming out in puffs of fog, I watched Esta fly ahead of us before circling back around.
I called my wings out as I stepped up to the side of the railing. And then I was flying, climbing higher and higher to fly next to her.
If she wanted to fly, I would fly at her side. For all of two minutes until I got tired, anyway.
Malachi was next to me shortly after, probably wanting to fly also before being cooped up in the ship.
