Chapter 33
Chapter
Thirty-Three
CLAYTON
Clayton enjoyed the view from behind as his linguistically incorrect lover launched himself across the cavern to kill things.
As he watched Mal’s rippling muscles make a leap impossible for anyone but a magic user, Clayton’s mind glitched out, wondering if Mal used actual muscle for the jump, or if he used raw magic to control his body.
If it was the latter, it meant that Mal intentionally made his muscles flex purely for aesthetics.
If it were the former, Clayton would need weeks to figure out which one would be more difficult—creating a physical construct and setting it to function like an actual body without conscious thought, or shaping a physical construct on the fly and having it follow your commands to suit the present moment.
Unfortunately, Clayton didn’t get a chance to ponder the complexities of his lover’s existence, because he and his newly reunited family were swiftly being surrounded by a small fae army.
“Carwyn!” Elena cried out as the path between them was blocked by dozens of fae warriors. “Hold tight, and we’ll be there as soon as we’re done.”
“Don’t worry, son. We’ve got this, just keep the rest of our family safe until we get to you,” Naerith added with forced bravado.
Clayton would have had to be a literal toddler to believe either of them, but he appreciated the attempt, so he gave them an awkward thumbs-up.
“Carwyn?” There was a little tug on Clayton’s sleeve, and Merry’s face stared up at him, eyes bright and watery. “Why did Aunt call you Carwyn?”
Clayton didn’t answer because he didn’t have the slightest clue how to explain to her that the baby she used to coo over and protect like a second mother was now her caretaker.
Merry reached up to touch his hair, a darker shade than the wild carrot color from his childhood, but still unmistakably ginger. “Wynwyn?” Her voice was shaky, and a tear spilled down her cheek.
Clayton gave her a soft smile and nodded. “That’s me.”
Tommy threw himself at Clayton's leg, “We found you! We looked for you forever, but we couldn’t find you anywhere.” His stranglehold on Clayton’s leg was so tight that Clayton began to lose feeling in his foot.
Clayton reached down and touched one of Tommy’s tear-streaked cheeks. He produced a handkerchief from his pocket and began to pat the boy’s face dry. He produced another and did the same for Merry. “You remembered what happened?”
“Of course we remembered, Wynwyn. We promised to protect you! I’m so sorry we couldn’t find you.” Merry sniffled while touching Clayton’s face and hair as if trying to see the child he once was.
“Oh, Merry… Tommy…” Clayton's throat hurt, and his eyes burned. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault, I—”
“I’m sorry to break up the big reunion, but eighty-six-bajillion elf-pirates are beating on my shield, and I don't know how long I can keep it up,” Holly said from her squished position between Tommy and Merry. Clayton had completely forgotten he’d been in the middle of comforting her.
Being a parent was complicated.
He should get a book.
“Please forgive me, Holly, that was incredibly rude of me, I—” Clayton began, but he was interrupted.
Holly rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t rude, Clayton, Jesus Fucking Christ. Even someone like me can recognize how important this moment must be for you three, and I don’t even know what’s going on.”
“My apologi—”
“No. No more apologies. Let’s work the current problem, and then afterward we can all have a good cry.”
“Of course, Holly,” Clayton said stiffly, biting back another apology, then standing straight and trying to act like he didn’t have two tearful children clinging to him. He was the adult, after all. “How long can you keep the shield going? Is there anything we can do to help you strengthen it?”
“I don’t know the answer to either,” Holly admitted reluctantly. “I don’t even know how I did what I did. I only learned I was part-brownie yesterday when Mal told me, and it’s not like he gave me a handbook or anything.”
“Part brownie?” Clayton was stunned.
Brownies were precious and dearly cherished members of the Other. How could Holly have become lost to the norm world? Even if she wasn’t a full brownie, the concept was unthinkable.
He shoved his incredulity aside only to be slammed with a second, even more impossible realization. The only way brownie magic could have possibly worked on the shield protecting Clayton’s home would be if the brownie had bonded to him and considered his family hers.
“Oh, Holly…” Clayton sighed.
The universe had been wreaking joyful havoc on his emotions all day and didn’t show any signs of letting up. How bad must her life have been if Holly had been able to bond to his family in less than a day? Most brownies took years before finding the right family; some even took centuries.
Clayton mentally shook himself and focused on the problem at hand. He needed to protect his boat, then go save his parents, and…
He gave a quick glance in the direction of Mal, and his eye twitched at the number of nonstandard body parts his lover was currently sporting as he stood halfway inside a portal to the demon realm, gobbling up demon after demon.
Clayton would deal with that problem as soon as he’d taken care of the members of his family who were actively in danger. The only danger Mal was in was cracking his monstrous, scaled head on the cavern ceiling.
“Okay,” Clayton clapped his hands together. “This is what we’re going to do. Merry and Tommy, you’re both going to cuddle the ever-loving daylights out of Holly so she knows how much we love and appreciate her.”
Holly snorted and rolled her eyes, but Clayton knew from his own painfully recent experiences of being a teen, and the blush on her cheeks, that she wasn’t half as pointy as she wanted people to believe.
Clayton took Holly’s hands and said, “Brownies get their power from hearth and home. The strength of your connections to your family is directly tied to your magic. The brownie at the chapter house—sorry, my place of work,” Clayton added, when Holly gave him a raised eyebrow of confusion.
“She’s been bonded to my boss, Samantha, and her companion for over a century, and she’s powerful enough to hold her own against a dragon. ”
Clayton was embellishing a bit. Said dragon was actually a baby fire sprite who’d gotten separated from his family, but he’d burned down half the block surrounding the chapter house.
The stories said that the resident brownie had held back the brunt of the baby’s wrath, keeping it from turning the chapter house to ash until his parents were found.
That was long before Clayton’s time, so he didn’t know for certain.
“Companion? What is this, the nineteen fifties? If your boss is queer, just say so. Don’t be an asshole about it.” Holly’s eyes blazed with indignation on behalf of someone she’d never met.
Yes. Clayton would be keeping her.
“It’s what Samantha calls her, and we allow people to define themselves as they see fit, don’t we?” Clayton raised his eyebrows at her and gave her a prompting nod until she reddened and nodded back.
“Yes, obviously. Sorry. I’m sensitive about… well, everything, really, and that’s not going to change any time soon.”
“That’s okay, Holly. You’ll fit right in. Clayton riles up easier than anyone I’ve ever met, and we still love him,” Eira said, giving Holly a loving squeeze around the shoulders.
Holly sagged into her hold, and Clayton saw a visible difference in the shield around them. It had begun to flicker under the onslaught of Kendric’s forces, but now it blazed brightly.
For a brownie new to her powers and family, Holly was impressively strong. She was yet another surprising blessing the universe had thrown at Clayton today. He was going to have to create files for all of them and then document them properly when he had the chance.
“Okay, Holly, lesson number one,” Clayton said grandly, hoping to infect his new pupil with confidence.
“Focus on how it feels to be part of our family.” The shield went blindingly bright at the word family, and Clayton winced but forged on.
“You’re unanimously welcome to be here, and I’m delighted to have you.
Always remember this. Now, look deep inside yourself.
Brownie magic can see into the hearts of people, so you should know whether I’m telling the truth or not. ”
Holly looked doubtful, but she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her scrunched-up little face was absolutely adorable, and Clayton wished he could take a picture. After a few seconds, Holly’s eyes flew open in surprise, glistening with tears.
“You really meant it. You actually like me. How could you like me? You barely know me.”
“How could I not? You stalked Mal to my door and made yourself at home without asking.” Clayton chuckled softly. “You’re a weirdo, and weirdos should stick together, right?”
Holly chuffed, wiped her eyes, and said, “Fine, but you’re weirder than me. Like, way, way weirder.”
“I can’t argue with you there.” Clayton rubbed her head, messing up her hair. “Can I trust you to keep the rest of our family safe while I go get my parents?”
Holly nodded, instantly as serious as a soldier on a battlefield. “I promise.”
“Me too, Wynwyn. I can keep us safe too!” Merry grabbed Clayton’s arm and jumped up and down.
“Me too! Me too!” Tommy echoed, grabbing Clayton’s other arm and jumping with every ounce of energy a small boy could muster.
“Yes, absolutely. You’re both incredibly important. Holly needs your support to keep the shield up. I need you to hug Holly and imagine sending a tiny thread of light into her. It needs to be teeny tiny,” Clayton emphasized. He didn’t want them to drain themselves.
How did he even know to say that? He’d studied magic his entire life, but he knew next to nothing about fae magic.
Something inside his head pulsed. It was where he got headaches when his bad luck would rear its head, only it didn’t hurt right now. Instead of being painful and annoying, it was more like a small but strong source of energy was flaring to get his attention.
Why would he have magic in his head? It would be ridiculous for that to be the case. He’d have to be an alien or something to break such a fundamental law of magic…
Suddenly, everything fell into place. The pounding in his head. The bane of his existence. It was Clayton’s magic. His own essence, muddied and hidden away due to the bullshit between two gods acting like squabbling children.
Everyone in the Real kept their magic source in the center of their bodies. It wasn’t a thing anyone questioned because there were no exceptions to the rule.
Until Clayton came along, that is. Of course he’d be carrying his poor, confused essence somewhere else. If he was powered by chaos magic, why wouldn’t his essence present in a way counter to everything he’d learned in the Real?
He poked the spot in his mind, and it flared. It was no longer some raw, angry thing that liked to ruin his days. It felt whole and at ease. It felt friendly.
It was telling him that he was saying the right thing to his children, and that everything would be fine as long as he spoke from his heart. It was telling Clayton to trust himself no matter what.
Merry and Tommy abandoned Clayton’s arms and swarmed over Holly, telling her all about their lives and all the things they were going to do together once the elf-pirates were gone.
The shield around the boat glowed brighter and brighter, and Clayton shared a smile with Eira over the children’s heads.
He’d never felt more complete, more right, than he had in that moment. Before him, all he could see were endless possibilities.
“I’ve got it from here, Clayton. You can go to your parents,” Eira told him. “Are you going to be okay? You’re not exactly…” Eira trailed off, obviously not wanting to hurt his feelings, but still not wanting to let him run out into battle like a useless dumbass begging to get killed.
“Eira, I’m going to be absolutely fantastic.”
Clayton didn’t know why, but he believed every word he’d said. Something huge inside him had shifted, like everything that had been holding him back had fallen away. Like his soul was healing from too much exposure to the Real.
He didn’t know what he could do to help his parents, but as his mind flashed to the moment where he’d decimated the fae kidnappers in Boston Below, he knew, he just knew he could do it again.
The switch had been flipped, and now Clayton was the one in the driver's seat.
“See you soon,” Clayton said, giving Eira a cheeky salute, and then he leaped over the railing into a swarm of angry fae warriors clamoring for his blood.