Page 137 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
Brenton shifted to draw me closer to him. His arms wrapped around me while I rested my forehead against my leg.
“Whatever you need, sis,” he said. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
I turned my head to look at him. His eyes had faded in color.
“They’ll always have a home with me,” he said, his lips pressed together in determination. “They’ll never be alone or not know what it is to have a family.”
Another tear spilled down my cheek. “I know.” When I sniffled, I rubbed my nose with the back of my hand. “You’re the only one I trust to raise them.”
He kissed the top of my head. “The idea of losing you and Elias—” Head bowed, he shook it. “But I swear to you, I’ll always do my best by my nephews.”
The fissures of my heart cracked wider. Wide enough I was sure the tears I held back could drown my heart in sorrow.
The tavern wasfull of fae and humans. While most of the humans huddled together, away from everyone else, a small number of them mingled with the various fae, particularly the shifter fae. A sorrowful emptiness filled every silent corner of the large establishment, with an undercurrent of anger and betrayal that lingered and soured the air. Like a pulse that kept the heartbeat of every child we’d lost.
Quite a few of our people sought Elias out when we first arrived, a few even asking me questions about the mages, lirio, and nyxx. I wasn’t surprised at their curiosity, not when those very same beings had fought alongside our fae after the attacks.
Despite the distraction, fear clambered inside me.Although the tavern was spacious, it housed too many strangers. Sure, Alastor and I had put the protective barrier over the tavern, and I trusted his magic just as I trusted my mage magic, but the terror remained.
Alastor, who’d told me Javier was fine with the girls going to the tavern while George was present, guided the girls to sit with our friends. I kept a watchful eye on the girls, while answering the questions I could. When I suggested Alastor answer what I couldn’t, many fae seemed pleased with the idea.
Alastor joined us, hands in his pockets while he maintained some distance between himself and the fae from Niev. It wasn’t until two shifter fae with mage blood stood at his side that some of that coiled up tension released.
My anxiety rose though, and I felt Alastor reach for his magic to test the barriers with a luminescent light that I tracked as it reached the walls and showed me the barrier that still stood.
“You’re safe, Teddy,” Alastor’s low, calm voice reassured me. “Your family is safe. No one can harm you here.”
I gave him a jerky nod, my smile a little wobbly when Elias peered back at me in concern.
“When do you think we’ll start healing Respandora?” the female shifter asked Alastor.
Something inside me stirred at the name.Respandora.
Alastor’s brows rose while he chewed the side of his lip.
“Is that the name of our land?” he asked.
The female eyed him curiously. “Have you not heard the name before?” When he shook his head, she continued. “Our land, our home is Respandora. Have you at least seen it?”
It felt right to consider Respandora our land and home.Already, I felt a connection to it without even having stepped on her dirt.
“Teddy showed me a vision of her once.”
The female waved her hand to reach into the inner pocket of her magic and pulled out several sheets of yellowed paper. Carefully, she placed it on a nearby empty table. The papers wore deep creases that she tried to smooth out from the middle.
My heart raced as I looked around Alastor’s shoulder to get a better view. One side of his lips tilted up in an amused, half smile when he pulled me in front of him. Much taller than me, he rested his arms on my head. Too entranced, I didn’t bother glaring at him but waited with bated breath for the female to continue.
“I believe it was my great-great grandmother who drew these.” She placed each sheet on an empty spot on the table.
One illustration showed home after home, all the same size and with roofs that peaked at the center. The homes themselves seemed to be made of various rocks, while the roofs were similar to those in Alastor’s village. Flourishing gardens surrounded each home in an array of colors. Alastor leaned around me to pick up another drawing, this one a group of ten mages. Their faces were frozen in laughter that I swore filtered through my ears.
Goosebumps covered my arms, so I moved my hands to smooth them.
One woman in the painting held the bottom of her long, flowing skirt in one hand and a basket of flowers in the other. Her dancing eyes seemed to stare at us from the page, and I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat. Her hair fell in loose, dark curls, but it was the round bump of her belly that I kept my attention on.
“Do you know who this woman was?” he asked, voice tight.
The female pressed her lips together, watching Alastor as he traced the outline of the woman.
