Page 80 of Glass Wings
“Oh, Arryn,” Reign cut him off, “you are such a man-child. You, the most powerful being in this realm, must be constantly coddled. Allienna spoiled you fiercely.”
“How dare you say that name,” Arryn snapped.
“She was my dearest friend, too.” Reign’s face changed. Arryn saw a sadness there that he hadn’t caught before. Silence fell between them as Kismet gnashed and growled while working through her first meal.
“I’m thrilled to see that you are allowing yourself to use your magic,” Reign finally broke the silence, taking a few steps to close the distance between them.
“Just say it, whatever news you have that brought you here,” Arryn whispered, praying that whatever she knew, had nothing to do with what he feared.
“I don’t know where Allienna is. I have very little information there,” she started while looking down at her feet. “But I feel confident enough in this to bring it to you. I think I found your daughter.”
Arryn just stared at her, processing their entire interaction. He was hurt and still so impossibly alone. He had so much loss, an endless void of nothingness in an existence meant for abundance. Everywhere he turned, he only saw darkness, but here, the Kinnari in front of him told him something he had thought impossible. Allienna made it to full term. He had a living, breathing daughter.
He had many questions, making him pace back and forth for a few minutes while Kismet jumped playfully up and nipped at his boots. He let the dragon nudge against his leg before it was satisfied and returned to its area near the stove.
“So, that just lives here now?” Reign asked, pointing to Kismet. “Is it supposed to get full-sized? I remember those terrorizing the Earth once. They weren't exactly cute when full-grown.”
“How do you know? How do you know it’s her—my child?” Arryn asked, ignoring Reign’s attempt to smooth their conversation over.
“She has the Kinnari mark and looks a lot like you,” Reign said. “She lives in the city I reside in, which in retrospect could make sense; her mother was hiding her in plain sight.”
Arryn sat there in silence, thinking of what this could mean for him. If Allienna was alive and refused to see him, then his daughter would likely not want anything to do with him. Other than Tristan, Arryn had never seen a kinnari die, but if the Life Gifter took her without any of them knowing, then his daughter was alone.
“Does she know who she is?” He managed to find a question that seemed appropriate to ask out loud.
“I really can’t tell. This girl thinks her mother is dead. She seems lost. Again, the female version of you.” Reign smiled at him, her eyes gleaming.
“Can you bring her here? Can you bring her to me?” Arryn asked.
“You can come back with me and meet her yourself.”
“No, I cannot,” Arryn said. “I have a different trip ahead.” Arryntripled the available food for Kismet before turning back towards the hallway, ready to walk back out into the snow, Reign a few paces ahead.
“Thank you for coming out here to tell me,” he said.
“You really should get a phone,” Reign teased as she walked past him. Arryn watched her spread her sharp-edged wings, contrasting dramatically with the snow, and fly into the sky, falling out of view.
The news she had brought inspired Arryn to leave his home, his place of safety, finally. He had finally given up on waiting for Allienna to return to him. It was an impossible dream. She didn’t want him. She didn’t love him—or maybe it was worse. Maybe there was reason to believe she was gone forever.
He followed Reign’s footsteps into the snow, locking the latch behind him to keep Kismet from wandering into a world that did not know of her species. Minutes later, he was airborne, too.
Arryn flew slowly, allowing his mind to wander and form a plan. He didn’t quite know why his wings were taking him there or what questions he could ask, but once his feet touched down on French soil, he began seeking out the most knowing of all beings in this realm.
He landed in a field outside a small town with cobblestone paths and buildings made of beige bricks. A cathedral was in the distance, the spire tall and defined against the skyline like a mother watching down on her children.
Arryn walked into the town and crossed a small footbridge connecting the town across a flowing river. Dusk had settled over the town while families were returning to their townhomes and young lovers were strolling the beautiful, clean walking paths.
He didn’t know where he was going. He had never been to the twins' chateau but knew that it existed somewhere near here. He wandered for over an hour, looking for any sign pointing him in the right direction, but found nothing.
Maybe I should get a phone.
He promised himself that he wouldn’t ever reveal that need toReign. She would hold that over him for the rest of eternity. He was old-fashioned and preferred his contact face to face. She accused him of not evolving with the times.
Arryn noticed a commotion up ahead, two gentlemen throwing each other out of a tavern, ready to engage in a fight. They rolled around the walkway, doing minimal damage to each other, clumsy and drunk, when Arryn sighed in relief.
In the doorframe of the tavern, a woman with fire-red hair leaned, watching the two men roll around and looked quite uninterested. She wore a tight beige dress, a small jean jacket, and suede boots. Neither her wings nor her sister were anywhere in sight.
“Roksana.” Arryn walked right up to her, doing his best to hide any friendliness in his voice. She was just simply a bitch.
