CHAPTER 60
Keenan
Pain. So much pain. Drifting darkness mixed with familiar voices. Then rushing wind that beat against his body until he slipped fully into the blackness.
The gentle sigh of wind through the trees brushed his ears, followed by the light call of a bird. Soon, another bird added its pretty slides to the peaceful melodies surrounding him.
Something tickled his nose, and he reached up to brush it away. It felt like…a branch covered in leaves?
Opening his eyes, he blinked at the bright sunshine filtering down into his face. Had he somehow hidden under a bush? Why was he—
He rolled toward his stomach to crawl out. Releasing a few choice words, he shoved himself away from the empty air, wincing when the residual pain in his back flared.
“You should be careful, Commandant; the drop is just as far on the other side. And your bed is rather narrow.”
Keenan’s head jerked up. A gryphon perched on a nearby branch. “Chasseur, right?” Keenan said, eyeing the gryphon’s golden eyes and sharp claws. “Is this how you imprison people? Put them on a twenty-foot stack of mattresses?”
Chasseur chuckled. “You are not a prisoner, Commandant. The children begged to have charge of you, and they were afraid you would feel your injuries if you were laid upon the forest floor. So they took up a collection to ensure your comfort.”
Creeping forward, Keenan carefully leaned over the edge. “Falling to my death would be better than feeling a little pain? Where did you even get all of these?”
“Surely you do not believe we live like dumb beasts simply because we share some features,” the gryphon said with what Keenan assumed was a smile; it was hard to tell with the beak.
“Our houses may not look like yours, since they would be ill-suited to our size, but most of us prefer something more comfortable than the hard ground. And you would not have died. Why do you think I’ve been watching over you for the last two days? ”
“Two—days?”
“You were gravely injured. You have been asleep while your body repaired itself under the influence of Helian’s magic.”
Keenan eased himself back, painfully aware of how his perch shook with the slightest movement.
“So I’m…wherever you live when you’re not traumatizing people in the caverns; you’ve been tending my wounds; and I’m not a prisoner?
” The gryphon nodded. “But why? You should be furious with me. I had the sphinx for less than a month when I lost it. Mamoru and Cherry had to—”
He broke off, terrified. “Wait! Kasumi planned to kill us all. What happened to the others? Are they here too?”
“Your friends are fine. Thanks to your caution, the daughter of the Koyoshu was able to free Mamoru and Churippu with a hard-won touch. The sphinx is right here, waiting for you to recover and resume possession of it once more.”
The gryphon extended his hand, revealing the powerful yellow diamond. Keenan reached out to take it, then hesitated. “Are you sure you want to give it back to me? I might lose it again.”
Chasseur set the enchanted object on the mattress.
“Mamoru had a long talk with your friends after bringing you here. As you did not lose the sphinx through negligence or malicious intent, we are still willing to trust you. Especially given the strength of spirit you displayed when fighting the bargain magic. Most people cannot, or will not.”
Keenan bowed his head, not feeling the least bit strong. “But I still failed. I very nearly traded your safety for Miss Liesl’s, and I didn’t even manage to gain that in the end.”
“Everyone fails from time to time, Commandant.” The gryphon’s yellow eyes softened.
“We learn, and we do better the next time. Besides, Mamoru still believes the magic intends for you to wield the sphinx. You may yet do much good, despite your mistakes.” He lowered his voice.
“And do not give up hope where your friend is concerned. We may not wish to slaughter innocents for the sake of a greedy human’s power, but we do not reject causes that are right.
Defending the innocent, rescuing the helpless – those are the tasks the power of the sphinx was made for.
And such are the tasks we expect you will call us to. ”
~
“No. No, thank you,” Keenan said, waving his hands as he backed up a step. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll walk. I have two perfectly good feet.”
The large blue dragon put her face disturbingly close to his as she stared him down. “You have no pack in which to carry provisions. And we are willing. Why should you spend a week or more making a trip that is only a few hours for us?”
“So much walking would not satisfy Helian’s instructions for you to rest,” Chasseur interjected. “We cannot allow it.”
Keenan shook his head firmly. “I’ve never even been on a horse, and this seems like a bad time to experiment. It’s a lot farther to the ground when you’re flying!”
“How rude. Neither of us is a horse,” Mamoru replied with a hint of amusement.
“Right. Because at least a horse has a bridle and stirrups!” he argued.
“You do not have to ride,” Mamoru offered. “I can carry you as I did before.”
“I’m not sure that’s better!”
The dragon sighed and set a hand on his head. “You must learn to accept help, Kyaputen. It does not make you weak to need assistance.”
“I don’t have a problem with letting others help,” he protested, reaching up to push her hand and its strange tingle aside. “But this isn’t—”
He staggered sideways. When he’d woken up after a peaceful night at ground level, he’d felt perfectly normal. So why was his mind fuzzing over now?
“Mamoru. Did you…?”
The dragon shrugged a massive shoulder and caught him as he fell. “The discussion was taking too long. This is easier.”
His thoughts scattered. But one defiant thought pulsed in his head before Mamoru leaped into the air.
Magic was really frustrating sometimes.
~
“I thought you said he would be all right!”
Keenan lifted his head a few inches. “Sakura?” he groggily said. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I—Mamoru. Did you make him sleep for the journey?”
His lips turned up. He hadn’t peeled his eyes open yet, but he could picture the haughty look on his princess’s face as she reprimanded a full-grown dragon. Similarly, he could see the dragon’s complacent expression as she set him on his feet, steadying him until he found his balance.
“Hari acted inebriated for a full hour after you used that magic on him. Oliver claims it was because you did not first gain his consent. Did you at least offer it to Keenan?”
Keenan grinned. “Look at you, quoting a guard. You’ve grown up so much.”
His princess sighed. “And that answers my question.”
“He wished to walk,” the dragon said simply. “Is a week of his presence not worth an hour of extra oddness?”
“Of course it is.” Keenan staggered forward, noting that the ground wasn’t quite as stable as he was used to, and wrapped his arms around Sakura. “Your hair smells nice,” he breathed, nearly stabbing his nose on her tiara. “I don’t remember it smelling like this in the mountains.”
“You never smelled my hair in the mountains,” she said in exasperation. “And it’s no different than it’s been since we reached the capital.”
He buried his nose deeper. “It’s still nice,” he murmured back. “And I did smell your hair in the mountains. When you were exhausted and wouldn’t let me put you down.”
That had been an uncomfortable yet pleasant afternoon. He tightened his grip, tugging her a little closer. She resisted at first, then melted against him, resting her hands on his chest. “There are people watching.”
“So?”
“I suppose you wouldn’t care even if you weren’t suffering the effects of sleep magic.” A tiny smile colored her voice. “I’m so glad you didn’t die, Keenan.”
“Me too.” He needed to speak with her about something important, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what it was.
Sakura place a light kiss on his cheek and pulled back, much to his chagrin. “Father called a meeting of the Assembly,” she said slowly. Her hands ran down his arms to grasp his hands. “As long as you’re back to yourself by then, you should come.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong with me now?”
“You’re acting like you had too much wine.”
“Never touch the stuff,” he replied with a firm head shake. “My father was always mean, but he was worse when he drank.”
Instead of replying to his comment, Sakura hooked her hand through his arm and dragged him toward the castle. “Thank you for returning him, Mamoru,” she called over her shoulder. “I’ll bring Cherry down once I have him settled.”
“Settled? What am I, a toddler? I’ll have you know, I dressed myself until you saddled me with a valet. And I only let him make it look right. I still put on my own clothes.”
His princess sighed and walked faster. “Your mental acuity cannot return soon enough.”