Chapter 27
Vaughn surprised Eurwen once more. He was patient, kind, and understanding.
He hadn’t pushed her, despite what he wanted.
He accepted what she could give him right now.
It was enough for her to figure things out.
Though she knew what little she had given would only last for so long before he would likely force her to make a decision.
And that’s what she didn’t want. She didn’t want to have to choose between her brother, the dragons, Zora, and…the other.
Ugh. She couldn’t even say it. Why? What held her back?
You know why.
Her subconscious knew just where to hit to land the best punch.
Eurwen might not want to admit it, but she was afraid.
Terrified, actually. The only one who really knew her was Brandr, and he had to like her.
They were twins. They were all each other had had for so long.
No matter how many times Eurwen visited Earth and saw others interacting, she couldn’t imagine herself in one of their places.
All she knew how to be was the person she was here.
Suddenly, a loud roar split the air, interrupting her thoughts.
Both she and Vaughn jumped to their feet.
Without a doubt, the sound was a dragon in agony.
She didn’t say anything to Vaughn, just started running, shifting mid-step before taking to the sky.
She was surprised when she looked over and saw the teal dragon next to her.
“That sounded some distance away,” Vaughn’s voice said in her head.
She nodded as she called Brandr’s name through their mental link. When he didn’t answer, she flew faster in the direction of the roar. She began to worry that it was Brandr who was hurt.
A peripheral glimpse of gold caught her attention. Eurwen glanced to her other side to see her father coming up alongside her. Vaughn was a big dragon, but Constantine was even larger.
He nodded, and she returned the gesture before saying to both Vaughn and Con, “Something didn’t feel right when I came through the doorway today. It only lasted a second, but that’s all it took for me to sense it.”
“I’ve no’ felt anything,” Con said. “Then again, I’m still learning this realm.”
Vaughn’s eyes briefly met hers. “I was too busy looking for you to sense anything, but there are a lot of new sensations here. Like Con said, I’m still learning, too.”
Eurwen had hoped one of them might have felt something as she had. A knot of worry began in her gut. “Brandr felt it. Apparently, it’s something he’s experienced before.”
“He didna tell you?” Con asked, concern clouding his voice.
Eurwen shook her head.
They flew for several more minutes before the mountains gave way to rolling grassland. Eurwen saw the dragons circling overhead and recognized two as Brandr’s generals. She shared the information with Constantine and Vaughn.
“Don’t interfere,” she warned them.
As they drew closer, the two dropped back, allowing her to approach the dragons first. When she saw the dragon general, Nundro, lying unmoving on the ground with Brandr beside him, the band around Eurwen’s chest lessened. At least, her brother wasn’t hurt.
The dragons circling moved away as she approached. She tucked her wings and dove from the sky, only to spread them once again to stop her descent and land softly upon the ground before shifting to her human form and rushing to her brother.
“What happened?” she demanded.
Brandr didn’t even look her way. When she reached his side, she saw the massive wound that split open Nundro’s yellow scales on his side. Her brother tried to stanch the blood.
“Brandr,” she urged.
He glanced at her. In that second, she saw his fury, resentment, and apprehension. “I doona know.”
She gathered magic in her hands and joined it with his, but it didn’t seem to do any good. Nundro moaned in pain, his breathing growing shallow.
“Let me help. Please,” Con said from behind them.
Eurwen looked over her shoulder to Con then at Brandr. She could tell her brother wanted to refuse. “This isn’t about us. This is about a dragon. Con can save him.”
“I wish for nothing in return,” Con said before Brandr could allude to such a thing.
Finally, Brandr’s lips flattened as he removed his hands and stepped away. “Fine.”
Eurwen looked around for Vaughn and saw him circling with the other dragons overhead.
That’s when she realized that they weren’t just there for protection.
They were searching for whoever had done this.
She glanced about. There were no hiding places in the open fields, and they were far from the border with the humans. So, what could it have been?
When Con lifted his hand, she focused on him. Erith had told her all about Con’s magic. Every dragon was born with individual magic, specific to them. Con could heal anything but death. Since Eurwen had never seen him use his power before, she wasn’t about to miss it now.
Con didn’t make a great show of it. He simply put his hand over the wound and concentrated.
Eurwen’s gaze slid to Nundro’s gaping injury and saw it slowly mending itself until it was gone entirely.
Constantine then lowered his hand and took a step back.
Nundro lifted his head and looked directly at Con with his purple eyes.
Their words were private, but Eurwen knew the general was thanking her father.
The dragon then got to its feet and faced her and Brandr. Eurwen felt a soft nudge in her mind. She opened a channel to hear Nundro say, “That was closer than I want to admit.”
“What happened?” Brandr asked.
The general shook his great head. “I didna see or hear anything. I was returning from following the mortals when the pain shot through me. My wings wouldna work, and I began falling. I landed here.”
Eurwen glanced up at the other dragons. “Was anyone with you?”
“I was alone,” the general answered.
Brandr glanced at her. “I wasna far when Nundro cried out. Neither were these dragons.”
“I wish I could tell you what happened and how,” Nundro said. “I doona want this happening to anyone else.”
Brandr smiled at him. “You’ve earned some rest. Return to your family.”
Before Nundro left, he paused once more and bowed his head to Con. Eurwen watched a muscle in Brandr’s jaw twitch. Con had saved Nundro’s life. Brandr should be thankful instead of worrying that their father wanted to take over.
“I take it nothing like this has ever happened before?” Con asked Brandr and her.
Brandr refused to speak. Eurwen gave him a dark look before she faced her father. “No.”
Con slowly studied the area. “Does this have anything to do with what you felt when you came through the doorway?”
“Possibly. Brandr knows more about it than I do.” She inwardly patted herself on the back when she saw her brother’s nostrils flare in anger.
Con looked at Brandr. “You have capable dragons at your disposal. However, I’m offering my, Vaughn’s, and V’s services while we’re here. More eyes can never hurt.”
Eurwen was surprised when Brandr didn’t immediately refuse. The fact that he hesitated told her how worried he was. She didn’t understand why he had kept it all to himself instead of sharing with her, but now wasn’t the time to ask him about it. She would do that when they were alone.
“I’ll take you up on that offer,” Brandr replied.
The dragons overhead began disbursing until only Vaughn remained. He didn’t land, and Eurwen was thankful for that. Brandr had been pushed to his limits today. Sooner or later, he would have to talk to Vaughn, though. Just as he would have to talk to her.
Thank you, she mouthed to Brandr when he looked her way. He shrugged, but it was a step he had refused to take before.
Brandr cleared his throat and turned his head to Con. “Thank you for saving Nundro. He’s no’ just a good general. He’s also my friend.”
“I know that feeling well,” Con said and raised his gaze to Vaughn.
The hairs on the back of Eurwen’s neck prickled with awareness. She whirled around to look behind her, but there was nothing.
“What is it?” Con and Brandr asked at the same time.
She rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know. I could’ve sworn someone was there.”
A large shadow moved over them as Vaughn swept across the sky and soared about twenty feet above the ground before flapping his wings and darting upward and then turning back to face them.
“Nothing,” Vaughn told them.
Brandr touched her arm. “Perhaps it’s better if we return home and put a plan in place.”
“I agree,” Con said.
Eurwen gave the area one more look before shifting and jumping into the air. When she saw that Con, Brandr, and Vaughn were flying with her, she could only stare in amazement. This wasn’t something she’d ever thought to see.
When they returned to Cairnkeep, they didn’t immediately tell Rhi, Claire, or V what had occurred.
They all spent time cooing at the newest addition to the Dreagan family.
Eurwen had never been this close to a human infant before.
She was in awe of the little creature, as well as a bit scared of it.
“Want to hold her?” Claire asked her.
Rhi smiled, nodding. “Go on. I’ve taken my fair share already.”
Eurwen shook her head and stepped back, bumping into Vaughn, who steadied her. “Not now.”
“I understand,” Claire said with a grin. Then her brown eyes swung to Brandr. “Thank you. I don’t know what you did, but I somehow know that you saved Pearl’s life.”
Everyone turned to her brother. Eurwen had never seen him nervous before. It was like Brandr didn’t like the attention, which wasn’t like her brother at all. “What did you do?” she asked.
Brandr looked at each of them. “The only way I can explain it is that it was almost as if the bairn called to me. I went to Claire, and that’s when I felt it.”
“Felt what?” V asked, concern filling his face.
Rhi nodded. “Yes, felt what? We all tried our magic to help, but nothing seemed to work.”
“Because that’s what she was counting on,” Brandr said.
Eurwen shrugged. “Who?”
“Usaeil,” he replied.
Con fisted his hands. “Will we never escape that bitch?”
Eurwen noticed the curious way Brandr watched the bairn. “What did you feel?” she pressed.
“Dark Fae magic,” Brandr responded. “It was holding the babe in place, refusing to allow her to be born.”
“Oh, God,” Claire said breathlessly, her eyes clouding with tears as she looked down at her daughter.
Fury rolled off V in waves. “I knew Usaeil would do something like this to us. Brandr, we owe you a debt we can never repay. We can no’ thank you enough.”
“About that,” Con said.
Vaughn added, “Something is going on here. We told Brandr and Eurwen we’d help.”
“I’ll do whatever is needed,” V said.
Rhi nodded. “Me, too.”
“Someone has to watch over Claire,” V stated.
Rhi grinned. “No one will get near her or your daughter. I promise you that.”
“Said like a queen,” Con replied with a grin.
Eurwen saw the loving exchange and leaned back against Vaughn.
He squeezed her hand, letting her know that he would be there.
A flutter of happiness filled her stomach.
She wasn’t used to such emotions. Sure, she’d dreamed of feeling them someday, but to actually have it?
She worried whether it was real. Or did she experience it simply because she wanted it so desperately?
Brandr interrupted her thoughts as he began describing the attack that had just happened to Nundro. When he reached the part where Con had healed the general, Rhi’s face softened into a smile as she looked at her mate.
“Were mortals responsible?” V asked.
Eurwen shook her head. “While the border isn’t too far from that area, it wasn’t near enough for any humans to attack and run without being seen.”
“Unless they had help,” Rhi pointed out.
Con shook his head. “The area was grassland as far as the eye could see. If someone had been there, we would’ve seen movement when we approached. There was nothing.”
“There’s the crone,” Brandr said.
Eurwen blinked. “The one who pulled Varek to our realm? You’re still searching for her?”
“I want to know how she did it and why,” Brandr replied.
Vaughn scratched his neck. “I would, too. If she did it once, she could do it again. We want to make sure she can no’.”
“Did anyone know that someone on this realm could do such magic?” Claire asked.
Eurwen and Brandr looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.
“Either she’s been hiding…” Rhi began.
Con crossed his arms over his chest. “Or biding her time.”
“Neither option is good,” V said.
Eurwen shrugged. “Perhaps she’s running from something. Jeyra said that no one with magic was allowed in Orgate. Maybe the crone was once a part of the human city and had to leave.”
“Or she could be a powerful being threatening us,” Brandr replied. “That’s why I want to find her.”
Eurwen threw up her hands in irritation. “You asked Jeyra multiple times. She told you that the crone found her. If you continue hunting the crone as you have, you may never find her.”
“We’ll find her,” V stated.
Brandr raised his brows as he shrugged. “We have to know if she’s the one who attacked Nundro.”
Eurwen nodded slowly. “If she is, she’ll answer for it. But first, we need to find out why. To focus solely on her is foolish. It could’ve been anyone.”
“Especially if there are mortals on this realm with magic,” Vaughn added.
Con dropped his arms. “Then we need to start planning how to do this.”