Page 6 of Bonds of Blood
Satchel wailed as he threw himself on the ground — Baylor’s shoulder, actually — his little chest heaving as he started bawling again. I needed to remind Ember to help him rehydrate later. Ember, who was sitting at a not-so-nearby table with the rest of my friends.
Sylvain was slowly working on a piece of cake, casually avoiding my eyes as he pretended not to take deep interest. Bruna was doing a far better job, resting her chin on her hand as she took occasional sips of her iced tea. Namirah would have been the subtlest of all, looking at her phone and chatting away with the others.
Except for the fact that her human ears had obviously transformed into cat ears, a dead giveaway that she was listening in.
Not that I minded very much, really, because it spared me the trouble of filling my friends in on the details later. Ember sat on Namirah’s shoulder, openly staring at our table, giving the occasional smirk and chuckle each time Satchel burst into dramatics. Kind of adorable, actually.
“There is much to discuss,” Baylor said. “I still have to explain to all of you why I’ve been away for so long. But I do believe that we’ll have plenty of time to catch up, now that my journey is ended.”
Mom reached over, clasping his hand tight. “All the time in the world, my love.” She reached for my hand, too, forming a chain of Wildes as she offered me a sincere, hopeful smile. “All the time in the world. Just me and my boys.”
I nodded and smiled, fighting against the little twinge in my throat. Much of my anger had already faded, yet there was still so much more I wanted to discuss. But they were right. We had plenty of time for that later.
Father took a sip of his black coffee, then set the cup back down on its saucer with a clink. He cleared his throat, clasped his hands on the table and leaned toward me.
“You’ve come so far, Lochlann. To think that you’ve finally acquired your Summoner’s Crest. You’re a full graduate now, aren’t you? Perhaps you’ve even surpassed the expectations of your instructors. Just like your old man.”
I scratched the back of my neck, sheepishly fighting away a blush. “Well, I don’t know about being just like you.”
“Nonsense. Perhaps one day, you might even become a grand summoner yourself.”
I bit the inside of my cheeks, felt the burning on my skin. Gods, I was definitely blushing.
“Now, I’ve already missed so much. All my absence in all your years at the Wispwood? It’s time to catch up.”
Grand Summoner Baylor Wilde steepled his fingers as he leaned back in his chair.
“Lochlann. Tell me everything.”
4
The piercing cryof a phoenix split the sky of the Oriel of Earth. Heat flashed as it shrieked through the clouds above us, this creature of purest fire, its wings and plumage tipped with flame. The smell of woodsmoke stung my nostrils, fragrant and acrid all at once as it heralded the death of our quarry.
It was a great moss-covered giant, another guardian of earth. The creature had almost completely burned to blackened cinders, leaving in its place a glossy, forest-green gemstone, a chunk of elemental essence. Another lump of Blood of the Earth, perfect for profit.
Dr. Fang had really done me a solid, introducing a very efficient method of generating income to my routine. I hade zero complaints about her career counseling. I chewed on my lip, feeling a little sorry for the dying guardian, but I reminded myself that it would only be reborn anew, regenerating its forces within the cocoon of its gem-shaped lump of essence.
I reached for the clouds and closed my fist, calling the phoenix back, my own guardian of fire. It dissolved into a streak of scorching orange light, almost blinding as it re-entered its own elemental gemstone embedded in the medallion at my throat. The corresponding gemstone pulsed with brilliant energy as the phoenix returned to sleep within its egg, deep inside the Heart of the Flame.
Beside me, my father clapped. My spirits lifted, my heart swelling with joy. This was an uncommon feeling, but to be fair, it was an uncommon situation, too. Grand Summoner Baylor Wilde was proud of me. Who would have ever thought that I would one day enter the oriels with my own father at my side?
He’d asked for us to go ranging together so that I could demonstrate what I’d learned at the Wispwood. How could I turn down a chance to reconnect with a man I’d lost so long ago, not just in terms of his physical disappearance, but our link as father and son?
As much as I wanted to believe that I still hated him deep within, I knew it was more important to find the kernel of affection that surely still remained between us. And it was going well, as far as I could tell. I’d used the phoenix to harvest another sample of elemental essence, one that would no doubt fetch a reasonable price from someone in need.
Two tiny people, each no bigger than a hand, fluttered on buzzing wings toward the remains of the moss giant. Satchel crowed triumphantly as he reached the gemstone first. He immediately yelped when his fingers met the Blood of the Earth, tossing it from one hand to the other, a one-person game of hot potato.
“It burns!” he screamed. “Oh, it burns!”
Ember laughed as he hoisted the still-glowing lump of essence above his head. As a fire sprite, he had no problems handling a little heat.
To my other side, Sylvain elbowed me and laughed. “They do make a lovely pair, don’t you think, little human?”
I held back a laugh, but it still came out of me in a small, amused snort. I could tell that Sylvain wasn’t just talking about the two of them, but also hinting at our compatibility as summoner and eidolon — and naturally, as lovebirds as well. The absolute nerve of him to bring up that implication so brazenly in front of my father, but it seemed that Baylor Wilde wasn’t paying attention to my prince of flowers and his not-so-subtle flirtations.
“You really have it made here, Lochlann,” Father said. “To think that you not only have your own familiar, but someone who almost acts as a secondary familiar as well. Someone that you brought home from the Oriel of Fire, no less. A powerful ally. And to think that I plied my trade on fear and violence all this time. I might actually have one or two things to learn from you, Son.”
I tugged on the collar of my shirt, trying not to look too flattered. “Well, first of all, Father, Ember is his own person. I appreciate that he’s helpful in his own way. And second, it was his own decision to leave the Oriel of Fire and join us. I think he was just a little lonely in there.”
