Chapter 8
Beryl
Guardians of Glitter Bomb
I walked the path between the cornfield and the pond several times after my scratches and bites healed enough to stop stinging.
I followed the little otter’s scent as best as I could, but drenched otters didn’t leave that great of a scent trail, and I wasn’t sure Jade followed his trail exactly.
If I had to guess, my mate followed the kid’s screams more than anything else.
“Hey, at least he didn’t pull a knife on us like Medwin did when he met Clarence,” my dragon sounded off into my thoughts.
No, he just let his pride beat up on me without saying anything. About an hour before sunrise, Sermon joined me in the walk. He’d heard all about what happened over the flight link. We didn’t say much to each other until he finally broke the silence.
“Might want to look in the pond itself,” he said, standing akimbo and looking down into the water. It wasn’t exactly dirty water, but it was nothing like the crystal blue waters of the ocean we just left behind.
“Think I gotta get ready for the thing,” I said.
“You’re still going?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I? I came all this way to see Pras off,” I sighed.
“I’d drain a swamp to find a pebble for Gaia and then fill it back up so she didn’t cry that I drained it,” Sermon said.
“Do you think I’m wrong here?” I asked.
“I’m just saying love isn’t logical,” he shrugged. “He loves his kid. Hell, your mom would’ve probably been the same way when you were a kid. I wouldn’t go headbutting against his love for his kid. It’s probably one of three that outranks you.”
“One of three?” I blinked.
“Well, if you’re in the wrong, he’d probably side with his pride or his friends and he should,” Sermon shrugged. “But before any of them comes his kid. I don’t know the dude, but I don’t need to, Ber. If we’re going to see Pras off let’s go, but I don’t see how you’re concentrating on that at all.”
“Maybe because he chose a rock over me,” I rolled my eyes.
“Wah-wah,” Sermon sighed. “Dude, you weren’t this much of a jackass with my kids and that’s a good thing because I’d have punched you. Look, you don’t know what this guy has dealt with from alphas. If he wants you to prove you’re a decent provider and guy, do it.”
“I didn’t lose the rock! It’s not like I took the rock and tossed it into the pond,” I groaned.
“Why are you being so obtuse over this?” Sermon cocked his eyebrow high on his forehead.
“Because how could he walk away from me?”
“He was afraid,” Sermon shrugged. “His kid was upset and scared and you’re this giant ass of a dragon who threw around his pride mates.
I say, go to the funeral thing, then come back and find the rock.
Then find a way to show him that sure you’re a brute, but you’re his brute and you’re only going to throw all that weight around for his wellbeing. ”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Sermon was already walking away. What was with everyone leaving me in the mud alone?
“You’re the common denominator here, friend!” he turned back to call out to me. “If you decide not to find that rock let me know. I’ll find it my damn self!”
***
The only ones dressed up for Pras’s ceremony were the guards. Fortunately, Mum had given me a head’s up about it being more casual. Since it took place on a farm, it sort of made sense that everyone didn’t want to whip out their good clothes.
“More like they don’t want to have to fight in them if that bastard Ferrick escapes,” my dragon chimed into my thoughts.
On the walk across the farm to the gathering, we were mostly quiet.
News about the rock had gotten around and I wasn’t in anyone’s good graces.
Even Nashen, who I’d only spoken to briefly, seemed to ignore me as he carried his squirming kitten across the field.
Most people kept their kids home, but he brought the baby with him because he considered that the safest place for him.
Here and there, scattered through the crowd, I spotted a couple of children.
Mostly ones old enough to run around and play on their own.
I didn’t point out that most people hadn’t brought their kids to Nashen, because I was on enough shitlists without creating a new one.
I couldn’t help myself. I sniffed and scanned the crowd seeking out Jade. He hadn’t come and I didn’t blame him. His kid was obviously terrified of Ferrick.
“And us now.”
We took our seats. Me, Mum and Bree, and Bernard and Nashen had front row seats. They were reserved for those of us directly related to or descended from Pras Lavender. Most of the guest magic users mingled in with the guards as if they were waiting for their chances to take on the psychotic ghost.
As everyone settled in, my mind wandered to the pond.
It was wider than it looked in the dark and deeper too.
I wasn’t sure if Canton installed it or if rainwater had naturally filled it in.
Looking down into the murky water made my scales crawl.
It wasn’t dirty, but it wasn’t the sort of water I wanted to frolic in.
Clarence took his seat in front of the crowd, and I glanced around for Medwin.
“He’s at home with the baby,” Bree whispered to me.
Something about that made me sad. Ferrick had taken so much from everyone and now Medwin didn’t even get to say goodbye to his old friend.
After everyone settled in, I expected that Clarence or maybe Philip or Canton would speak but it was Pras who took his place behind the microphone.
I wasn’t sure spirits could use microphones, but maybe they gave him one for the aesthetics.
He must’ve gathered a lot of energy recently to be visible to us all.
“Thank you all for coming today,” he said, scanning the crowd. “By now a lot of you have read Clarence and Smokey’s book.”
“Medwin,” Clarence said as if anyone in the crowd didn’t know who his dead brother referred to.
“I’m not a man of many words and I think my actions speak for themselves.
We’re here today to right the wrongs of the past not to stroke a dead dragon’s ego.
Roster Moonscale was a monster. His mate who I’ve had the honor of spending centuries with was also one in his own right.
Between them they had this tug of war that seemingly wanted to expand and shrink the Moonscale bloodline.
Roster devastated the lives of many people both near and far while spreading his bloodline mostly through force.
Still, that bloodline was spread nonetheless, and I can think of no better way of honoring that than to expose the men who hurt them and to acknowledge those who survived.
There is still a lot of family tree work to be done even as the Moonscale Council is forming.
“I know a lot of you hold a grudge against me for my insistence that the truth came out but I believe now that the worst thing any of us did during the reign of Roster and Ferrick Moonscale was not to shout about what they were doing from every rooftop and basement. In silence and secret, their actions festered like scale rot across the territory. Now, not knowing the past might allow it to repeat itself. Not with Clarence or Smokey. Not with them and probably not even with their children, but one day everyone here will have lived and died and maybe even have been forgotten. Just as Roster and Ferrick aren’t often spoken of now. Well, at least before my return.
“I charge you all now with a simple task.
Many of you probably expect me to say something like love each other and be kind to one another, but love and kindness only work in a world that is receptive to that.
Sure, love each other and be kind where you can but more than that see the world around you and use your voice.
I charge you with protecting each other and to holding no one above the laws of common sense and humanity.
No one person is so important that they should be allowed to devastate others.
“Here in the GGB, I’ve seen the systems in place.
The council, the training, and the vigilance.
It’s been heaven, if I’m being honest. It’s a territory that is willing to acknowledge bad things will happen because some people will always think they’re the end all be all of shifterkind, but also has systems in place to take care of it when it happens.
Sometimes people slip through the cracks as Sharon Claudis did but that’s not a failure of the territory or even of the group.
That is what we are watching for. Had she ran unchecked for longer the devastation may have been limitless.
“There are failsafes here too. Community driven projects based on needs and wants of the community members. Most studies show that when shifters have their basic needs met there is less crime. So, leave the rabbit alone and let him feed people,” Pras laughed.
“I know I’m not saying anything you all don’t already know but some things are worth repeating.
But that is what I leave you with – a plea that you protect each other not only from the violence this planet can be filled with but also from the little things.
Life is hard and sometimes opening a door for someone can turn their whole life around.
Live loudly and live a life that you can live with when you die. ”
After Pras spoke everyone hit the buffet.
I hung around in my seat not wanting to deal with Mum and the others being pissy about the rock.
I’d come to see Pras and I saw him. I heard him out.
It wasn’t the grand revelation I had hoped for when I felt the primal need to be here but there was still some somber closure there.
“You look like a dragon with a problem,” Pras’s voice startled me from my thoughts as his ethereal form took a seat next to me.
“I’ll save you the trouble of telling me about the rock since I’m short on time before I go through my door.
It’s all anyone talked about last night.
It was nice not to be the center of attention for a little bit.
Do you need help finding it? Is it a skill issue? ”
“A skill issue?” I blinked at him.
“Don’t take an attitude with me and not because I died so your scaley ass could be here but because I’ve watched a lot of people fail their mates throughout the years. If you don’t know how to swim, get him.”
“I can swim,” I grunted and crossed my arms.
“Then what’s the problem? Are you against this rock? Do you think the kid should have to fix his own mistake? Do you hate otters or is it lions?” Pras asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“No,” I sighed. “No to all of it.”
“Then what’s the problem? Is it because his pride hurt your ego?”
“He left me there and walked off,” I said.
“Yeah, because he knew his pride weren’t going to eat you. Maybe you didn’t follow the context clues but believe it or not Claw and Vius don’t go around killing people all willy-nilly.”
“I don’t know why he put this barrier between us,” I admitted because I was tired of how much bad light his guesses cast me in. “I didn’t throw the rock in the pond.”
“And I didn’t rape and pillage all of Moonscale London, but I still tried to fix it,” Pras chuckled.
“That’s different.”
“Yeah, it is,” he nodded and I thought the conversation was over.
“Yours is easy. Not to be that guy but I’m sort of feeling like I’m wasting my breath on you right now.
Your mate is upset because his kid was in danger and lost his comfort item and you’re sitting here like it’s not your job to help that kid. That’s your kid now.”
“He left me in the mud,” I said again, feeling my fire rise into my throat.
“Yeah, he did. I watched things go down. He carried off a crying little kid who was terrified and told you to find the baby’s rock.
There isn’t any way you can spin this that puts you in the right.
It’s not that you lost the rock or that the lions might’ve overreacted.
It’s none of that. It’s that your mate is always going to put his kids first and I can get behind that.
Lions in the wild are like that too. The lionesses will beat the living shit out of a lion over her cubs.
When male lions take over, they try to kill the cubs and after generations they’ve become suspicious of all of them and rightfully so.
I died for my kids. I think you can go spelunking in a pond for yours. ”
“That was different. I’ve never even met this kid…”
“I never met mine either,” he crossed his arms and I let out a long sigh.
“I’m going to leave you alone but I hope one day you understand what I’m saying.
Though, I’d get that rock before someone else does, because you’re competing with the peace that man has found being single.
No one wants a mate who just adds to their workload when they could lighten it. He wants a partner.”
“I—” I didn’t have anything to say about any of that. Though, it didn’t feel right to let him leave without saying something. “Thanks for everything.” The words didn’t feel like enough, but they were what I had.
“Hey, any time and I mean that. Just don’t squander your life away because some kitty cats knocked you over and played rough, okay?” he said and walked off towards where Clarence stood.