Epilogue
Varis
The scent of late summer wafted through the open windows of the estate, and Varis did his best to summon cool mist from his breath. The eggs protested, but Varis wasn’t a fan of the unreasonable heat, reminding him too much of his years aboard the abandoned ship.
A sweet scratching noise drew Varis’s attention, and he touched the top of Auril’s egg. A struggling chirp of sound squeaked free of the shell, and Varis sat up straighter, shouting out as the shell bulged and rocked. “Ghreid! Come! Someone!”
Varis flapped his hands anxiously as he whispered soothing words to his little one, begging them to wait for their father. “Please. Wait for him!”
The egg, Auril, had no intention of doing so and a single point bulged on the egg, a talon pushing outward, struggling before another sharp chirp. Panic rocked the inside of the egg, and Varis called out once more. “Graylan! Slath?”
Galatan was the first to respond, jogging into the room with hair mussed and eyes wide. “What’s going on?”
“They’re scared and struggling.” Varis covered his mouth as another fierce swipe of limb from within bulged the shell.
As if the panic of Auril drew their attention, the other two struggled, Kine and Ine in turn, clawing at the inside of their shells more fruitfully, pale lines forming from the inside of their shells.
“No! Wait for—” Varis waved his hands and moved from one shell to another until Galatan muttered a hurried apology, his hulking form vaulting over, claws drawn.
With a quick prick of his claw over the top of his shell, a split formed and a single flailing scaled arm thrust free.
“Well, that’s unexpected.” Galatan grinned as bright-gold scales glimmered in the sunlight, a rainbow sheen caught in their pattern as slick albumin dripped.
“I’m coming!” Ghreid shouted down the hall, flocked by hurried whispers, brothers filing in, Graylan circumnavigating the lot of them.
“I’m here. Apologies.” Graylan rolled up his sleeves as Varis glared toward him.
“Where were you? You knew they were hatching soon!” Varis bristled as Graylan gave him a placating gesture.
“I was visiting Falustus. He’s on his way.” Graylan slid into their nest to finish what Galatan started, shuffling to the side to let Ghreid slide in as a pretty, slick face pushed free with a soft cough and sneeze, bright-blue eyes opening to blink up at them.
Graylan gave a quick gesture to Varis, encouraging him to lift their young one up, and to nobody’s surprise, the little one, Auril, chirped happily, rubbing his sticky self over Varis with enthusiastic noises.
From Varis’s arms he slid to Ghreid’s, the child so similar to his father in appearance, a golden beauty, uncommon among dragons to sire young that shared their colors.
“I would hazard to say that our little Auril is a new soul, wouldn’t you, Gal?” Graylan glanced at Galatan.
“I would agree.” Galatan opened his arms and allowed the little one to leap from Ghreid to snuggle into his chest and chirp enthusiastically.
Wasting no time, Ine tore free of their shell, scales a pretty sea green, like jade but with an opalescent sheen that told everyone at a single glance, he would be a bearer.
He crawled over Varis’s lap then Ghreid’s, purring adoringly before climbing out, seeking another before headbutting Slath’s leg with a chirp.
Slath cradled the little one, smiling down at him with a complex expression. “Hey, Ine.”
He nuzzled and buried his face in Slath’s neck and took a deep breath, a huffing sigh that had him deflating in utter contentment.
Kine was the last to emerge, shredding his egg in a flailing fit of anger and spit that left him bristling in place, silver eyes darting from one dragon to another.
Scales a dark blue, darker than even Rath shone in the sunlight, patterns of silvery specks at the tip of every scale, like stars in a night sky.
Kine spit and coughed, doing something Varis wasn’t aware a hatchling could do, magic clicking at the tip of his tongue, a spark like starlight itself.
“A night dragon.” Ghreid stared at the little one and opened his arms, accepting the reluctant affection of a haughty little prideful hatchling. The babe licked himself a few times until he glanced about and spied Graylan.
Graylan, returning the babe’s stare, opened his arms as if the hatchling would come to him.
Kine, surprisingly, did, slithering from Ghreid’s arms, nudging Varis on his way in an affectionate gesture before posturing himself haughtily before the red-scaled healer.
Graylan didn’t close the gap between them, but rather knelt down, leaving his arms open as he quietly spoke, “Hello, old friend.”
Kine spit a spark of his starlight dragon fire at Graylan, a pop of blinding light missing him to scald the floor with a molten-hot spot in the marble. He grumbled and stomped forward as Graylan did his best not to flinch away.
Kine stomped his way over Graylan’s lap and into his arms, claws pricking expensive garments before he huffed with an utterly annoyed expression.
With Ine in his arms, Slath knelt down beside Graylan and leaned in, whispering something to Kine that Varis couldn’t hear.
Whatever he said made Graylan turn his head in surprise, eyes wide.
The babe grumbled and pricked his talons as if he were a cat sharpening his claws over Graylan’s arm.
Satisfied, he leaned over to give a spiteful little bite of his hand before dropping down to wander toward the doorway, glancing up at Rath.
Naxima and Bessam sat at his feet obediently with Asha at his side.
And in that moment, they stared at one another as two equals.
“Does he seem…” Varis watched, his heart doing flips in his chest.
“It’s not uncommon for a hatchling to have a moment of clarity in who they are,” Graylan said, not looking back at the little one.
And he did nothing to nurse the wound on his hand, lightly dripping blood.
“Once he grows tired and sleeps, it’ll pass.
It’s important, sometimes, for closure between family. ”
Slath didn’t glance back at him, his expression stone.
Rath, for his part, knelt down before the little one and placed his palms flat on the floor.
Kine spat a spark and snorted at Rath before bowing his head low.
“Kineer.” Rath bowed his head in return for a single dip before the little one canted his head. “I’ve done you proud.”
The little one bobbed his head once, drawing a peaceful smile from Rath. The little one went to each of his sons until Falustus arrived, standing in the doorway, skin pale and worse for the wear. He was doing too much too fast, and Varis would need to fish for him again.
Kine stomped over to Falustus, headbutted his leg and snorted before circling back to Graylan.
“I promise I won’t hurt him, Kineer. You know how these things go.” Graylan cast his gaze down, and Kine snorted, still glaring at the male. Graylan, for his part, leaned down in a full bow and whispered four words that, this time, Varis caught. “I truly love him.”
Kine narrowed his little gaze and stomped up, giving his bleeding hand a single lick.
“Is that an apology?” Varis leaned over, whispering to Ghreid.
Graylan, answering for him, shook his head with a half grin. “No. Kine never apologized for anything he did. He did what he meant without shame. He spoke freely.”
“So, what was that, then?” Varis opened his arms as Kine approached, curling up contentedly in his papa’s grasp.
“Knowing Kineer, tasting to see if he could stand to eat me later on.” Graylan shook his head and with his clean hand, wiped at his eyes.
Slath rested a hand on Graylan’s thigh and patted once before Ine slid down and nuzzled against Graylan’s leg, this one an apology for certain.
And as the two returned to their parents, Varis felt in his heart of hearts, that it was a goodbye of sorts.
Ghreid placed a hand on each of their heads and leaned in, whispering where only Varis and the two little ones could hear. “I will not mourn, and I will not pine. You are in my heart for always.”
And if Auril had any missives from the beyond, greetings or goodbyes to say, the moment was gone, as he snoozed gently in Galatan’s arms, hot tears leaking over his face one at a time as he held the little one close.
“Gal?” Lapryda rested a hand on his shoulder. “You’re hogging the new nephew.”
“That I am. And I will not part until he wakes.” Galatan sighed heavily and grinned. “Welcome to the family, new soul. You are pure as starlight, and sweet as sugar. Magic flows through your blood, and in time, your fire will flow in the mountains.”
Lurin, who had hung beyond the doorway curiously, brightened when Falustus invited him in. Their hands clasped together, and they leaned against one another.
“Let’s get them settled in, and I’ll go fishing.” Varis grinned, and Ghreid opened his mouth to protest, but dropped it. “Until then, Falustus, would you like to come snuggle with the little ones?”
Falustus opened his mouth and closed it a few times as if he wanted to say something.
“If you won’t, I will.” Galatan stood, and Falustus barged forward, his eyes as tear-filled as Galatan’s.
Varis moved back and situated their little ones while Ghreid cleaned the shells up. And whether they were invited or not, seven brothers, two mates, five baby dragons, a strange healer, and an awkward priest snuggled into the nest together in a sea of bodies.
In the first moment of silence, a soft sigh came from a sleepy Falustus. “Last time I was in a bed with this many blokes, it was an orgy.”
“I’m out!” Varis slid from the nest as Rath and Draenvir followed, Lapryda not far behind. “Anyone else up for lacemaker for dinner?”
Lurin followed, his face a crimson mask of flush. He was good at cleaning, so Varis allowed him to follow. They were a family, even Lurin. Varis knew it to be true.