45. Jaxus
FORTY-FIVE
JAXUS
I was home, and Kiera was with me. Despite the circumstances, it felt wonderful.
I came through the living area and joined her on the balcony. “Part of me never imagined I’d see this view again,” I admitted, coming up behind her to look over the balcony into the valley below.
I wrapped her in my arms and shared the breathtaking scene with her for a silent moment. Dragons circled the valley, going about their day.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, at ease this high up and not at all afraid. As she’d said in the trees she grew up in, it was never the heights she was afraid of.
“I’m sorry I had to lie,” I said softly into her hair, so relieved the walls were finally down between us.
She turned in my arms and held my face in her hands. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“You had every reason, but I swear to you, there are no more boundaries between us.” Even if we had to stay here, she was worth it. Not losing her trust was worth it.
She smiled and I picked her up, wrapping her legs around me and sitting her on the ledge of the balcony.
She gasped.
“Trust me,” I murmured. “You know I’d catch you if you fell.”
“It’s not that. The stone is cold.”
I chuckled and then kissed her deeply, loving the feeling of our uninhibited bond. Magic flowed between us in celebration, and even though we were technically captive here for now, I felt truly free with her for the first time since we met.
Suddenly, the front door to my home banged open, and a familiar gait entered. I growled, reluctantly setting Kiera down.
“What was that?” she hissed.
“Company,” I told her begrudgingly.
“Is it true?” a voice called out.
“It’s true,” I yelled in reply. “And you need to learn to knock.”
“Now why would I do that?” my brother answered obnoxiously as he came into view, and then he stopped abruptly. His eyes went wide. “Because you have a mate,” he stated in realization.
“How can he tell?” Kiera whispered.
“He can scent it,” I said, turning my gaze from my brother to her briefly. It was long enough to catch her cheeks coloring.
“Kiera, this is my brother, Drystan. Drystan, this is Kiera, my soul-bonded and ryder.”
Drystan was speechless, something that never happened, and I loved it .
He caught himself gawping and shook his head. “Brother,” he said with such choked emotion creeping up on him that I got a lump in my throat. Then he dove at me, slamming our chests together and grabbing me into his arms in a bruising hug. It told me everything I needed to know. I was home.
“When Augustus and Xavi returned without you, I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen,” I assured him, pressing my forehead to his. “We are more than blood.”
“Forever deeper than the path the Goddess put us on,” he finished the old saying.
He pulled away slightly and looked me up and down. “You’re okay?”
“I’m good, brother.”
He glanced at Kiera, who stood watching with a smile
“You’re better than good, I think. A mate and a ryder? What are the chances?”
“Well, if I’d stayed here, absolutely zero. The Goddess clearly intended for me to leave and find her on the outside.”
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” he said wistfully, suggesting what I’d already wondered.
“Indeed. Our paths take us where they must.”
He released me and gripped my shoulder, really assessing me. “Maybe you should share some of that wealth.”
“It looks like I can’t. The elders won’t let me go back.” I met his eyes, saying more in silence than I said out loud.
He nodded, understanding. “So what’s it like out there?
I blew out a breath. “Everything and nothing like they say it is.”
“And the threat you left to assess?”
“Worse than we imagined and creeping closer to our borders every day,” I said truthfully.
He turned solemn. “That’s what Augustus and Xavi said, but without you, the council wouldn’t listen. They counted you as lost and closed the subject.”
I huffed. “I think they wish I’d stayed lost, too. But I’m back, and I intend to try and make them listen.”
“To what end?” Drystan had always been more practical than I.
I looked to Kiera, and she nodded. She was happy to accept Drystan as one of our trusted the same way Gran was.
“Come sit,” I said. “I’ll make tea.”
“Tea? I think this calls for a raid on your ale stores, Jaxus. I’ll accept nothing less.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder as he descended into the house.
“Are you telling me I’ve been gone for half a year, declared lost, and my ales stores are still intact? Goddess, come to think of it, I’m shocked the house is still habitable.”
“I never doubted you’d return.” He took a seat, crossing an ankle over one knee. He’d aged five years in six months, which meant there was more going on here than what he let on.
I poured ale into mugs, chilled from the rock face it was stored in, and we drank. “I’ve missed this taste.” I sighed. “Ale in the First Kingdom is never this cold and crisp.”
Kiera agreed, seeming to enjoy the difference.
“So apart from bad ale, give me more? Are you tight-lipped on purpose? How are the cities? The fae?” Drystan pressed.
“It’s not the same as we’ve learned, that’s for sure. It’s?—”
“Primitive?” he suggested, then caught Kiera’s face. “Sorry.”
She giggled. “No, it’s fine.”
“It’s in no way primitive. It’s barren.”
Drystan pulled a face. “What do you mean? Famine?”
“Of a type. Their magic lacks because the land is drained, and their rule and law are needlessly restrictive and oppressive. No one has any real choices. But the society is vibrant and thriving nonetheless. It could just be so much more if fae were allowed to choose their own path and do what they were passionate about rather than what their bloodline dictates.”
He tilted his head. “What do they not have a choice in?”
I blew out a breath. It was so different there. Almost impossible to explain without seeing it for oneself. “Dragons are expected to relocate to the First Kingdom to be in the King’s army. It’s the law. There is no choice. If you are a dragon, you fly for the King. You can’t be anything else.
“The King enslaves dragons?” Drystan choked.
I thought about my words carefully. “Yes, and no. You and I see it that way, but they see it as a societal norm. An honor, too. No one has ever pointed out that it seems wrong. It’s the same with healers,” I said, taking Kiera’s hand in mine. “The healing magic is stronger in the kingdom Kiera is from, so therefore, all healers come from there, and if you are from there, you become a healer. There is no other option.”
“It sounds barbaric. What if you have healing magic and you are from somewhere else?” he asked, mystified.
“The healing magic in you is probably never recognized because it’s not seen as of value, and therefore, it’s never cultivated.”
“They might train you if you are an adept, but without training, how would you ever know? So it’s rare,” Kiera added.
“That makes no sense.” Drystan glanced between us.
“It’s the same all over the realm. Every fae stays within the prescribed confines of the role their origin dictates. They could be so much more if it were different.”
Kiera listened, her brilliant mind working overtime as she digested the thoughts I’d only really hinted at before and begun to explore just recently. But without directly comparing it to our society, it was impossible to make her see the possibilities .
“So this is the change you want to make?” she said, really seeing the scale of my ambition for the first time.
“Yes. I want fae to have free will to choose their path, but more than that, we shouldn’t be ignoring powers because they are born in the wrong place. I think the realm would be better for it.”
“You’ll never convince the King.” She met my eyes, and I knew what she was saying.
“Not with a war threatening, but one day, maybe.” I gave her a tight smile. I’d been told the same about the elders. But they couldn’t rule with the old ways forever. I wouldn’t say it, but all kings died, and even theirs was getting up there in age. He had heirs that might be easier to convince.
She looked me over, confusion in her eyes. “Why do you care?”
“Because I have known safety and security my entire life, I’ve had room to grow and learn what my passions are and do with them what I please. Your people have been deprived of that. Sure, they are thriving under their circumstances, but there’s no autonomy. You are free in one sense but enslaved in another. Same as me. I am free to choose my own path, but at what cost? My mate, my other half, was out there in a place I was cut off from, and I would have never known. Things need to change, Firefly. But in ways the leaders are not ready to accept. I think it will take a war to make them see, and it’s coming.” I brought her hand to my lips. “And what if that’s the reason magic is dwindling in the kingdoms? It’s not spread evenly, nor is it used to its full potential. The Goddess takes away gifts we don’t use.”
“That was deep, brother,” Drystan smirked, taking a huge swig of his ale.
“You’ve known all this time magic is disappearing there, because you can see that it’s normal here?” Kiera realized.
“Yes, so how can I not believe it has something to do with how we live? ”
“It could be because you have more dragons,” she countered.
I lifted my shoulders. “It could be anything, but I’d rather try to reverse the tides than let the rivers run dry.”
She nodded pensively.
“Do you think I have a mate out there?” Drystan added to the silence.
“Always thinking about yourself!” I laughed.
He grinned. “I’m tired of Dad pushing for children when half the fae in the city won’t speak to me.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have bedded so many of them.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s not welcome in half the taverns either.”
Kiera laughed. “Got a reputation, do you?”
“Don’t let my brother lead you to believe he doesn’t either.” Drystan grinned at me.
“I’m a happily mated male. Do not bring my past into this.”
“I want to know!” Kiera said playfully.
“I’ll tell you later,” Drystan leaned around me to say.
“Arsehole. She doesn’t need to hear stories of our exploits.”
“Maybe I want to!” Kiera sipped her ale.
“I like her already. When you leave again, don’t leave me here.”
“I’m not sure anyone is getting free from this place again.” I met his eyes, knowing we’d be watched closely. I had to be careful how I talked to him until we could find some privacy.
He shook his head. “After how they acted when you left, I don’t think you’ll convince them.”
I shrugged. “I have to try. They don’t want an army of the undead coming over the mountain rage.”
“If it’s going so poorly, why come back? You’ll be stuck under their watch now. You won’t get away easily.”
“Convincing them was not our reason for returning,” I said carefully. “That doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
“Then what was your reason?”
“I swore a blood oath in order to leave, and not telling Kiera where I was from was hurting our bond. I had to bring her so that she could see for herself what I couldn’t tell her.” I lifted my chin, thumbing at it, giving him our old signal that I had a plan and I’d explain later.
“Well, I hope it was worth it,” Drystan muttered, settling with that much information for now.
I smiled at Kiera to let her know it was totally worth it to fix what was breaking between us. “It was, and it will be.”
She slipped her hand in mine. “Are you going to tell him?”
“I already did, in part.”
Her brows rose. “Just like Kol and Nyx. Fucking brothers.”
“I’m going to speak to Emrys and Faolan,” I told Drystan in a low voice.
“The elders won’t like that.” Drystan sat back, shaking his head. “Are you sure it will help your cause to mix with his kind?”
“He’s come a long way, and he’s exactly who we need to pull this off,” I said in a hushed tone.
“Sounds dangerous. I’m in.”
“I’d hoped you’d say so.”
“You didn’t doubt me, did you?”
“I’ve asked some things of you in the past, but this one is life-changing. I’d understand if you didn’t want to have anything to do with it.”
“We are family, brother.” He smiled. “Oh, speaking of family, I’d say you have less than an hour before the parents come knocking. I heard you were back from Silas and came running, but it will filter down to them with haste, and if they’ve heard you have a mate with you, you know they will be banging down your door.”
“At least they know how to knock.”
Drystan rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying you might want to put whatever that was I interrupted on ice because you are getting the full mother treatment any time now. ”
“I’m going to meet your parents?” Kiera asked with a little fear and a little awe in her tone.
“Oh yeah,” Drystan delighted. “And they are going to want babies and everything.”
Kiera paled.
“Drystan is being a dick. It won’t be like that, I promise.”