12. Lost Prince
LOST PRINCE
GAIRO
I t was impossible to deny that Magdorian was my brother the moment that I laid eyes on him. He looked like a smaller version of me. I wondered what else I had lost through my amnesia. He was clearly part of my lost past.
As soon as I got near him, he swept me warmly into a big hug. “It’s good to have our clan’s other prince return.”
“What do you mean, ‘prince’?” I asked.
“I’ll explain later. It’s good to see you, Rathgar and Zyloxia!”
He totally ignored my pregnant heart-mate. After she got off the ship, I kept her hand in mine, which my brother noticed with a long glance.
“Zyloxia reported other me that Tyrlyn had a surrogate.”
“I’d rather be called Gairo. Tyrlyn might be my birth name, but I am more used to being a flyboy than a prince.”
* * *
When I got to the massive grand hall, there was a parade waiting for me. There were cheering groups of people. The noise was overwhelming, and I had to wave at too many people. Finally, Magdorian let us into a big palace and into a suite of rooms where we could wash up. He told us all, “A feast has been prepared. We have some people to get the females ready. I want a private talk with my brother.”
“I’ll keep an eye on Vi,” Rathgar reassured me.
Magdorian got me into a separate room. “I thought you were dead. I’m the second born from our father. Until I heard from Zyloxia about you running around with a surrogate, I thought that you were dead.”
“I didn’t know that you were looking for me. When I woke up with amnesia, I didn’t know anything about myself.”
“Let me get you up to speed on our family history.” He took a textbook off the shelf. It was hardbound, not a digital one at all. “It has the family’s story in it.”
It was heavy and looked like a dusty tome. “You expect me to read that?”
“Not all at once, but you can keep it in your chambers.”