“I must assume so; they are rarely together. He will not allow his Faedrekan to be out with Orlami. Drekkoril has yet to explain any of it, but he is most displeased to be connected to one at all.”
“Why did he bother? It’s unfair to the Faedrekan to keep him bound. I once had a horrible relationship with my dragon and allowed others to blind me to his needs. Why tame one or if he found it not to his liking, why not let him go?” Rafe asked.
“They are questions only Drekkoril can answer, but he has always refused to,” Rorie explained. Although Drekkoril was his bemollo, Rorie knew little of him and since his summoning had detected barely anything in common with him.
“Do you need to keep Orlami with you for a certain number of hours a day?” Renny inquired, petting the appreciative beast.
“I do not believe so; I have kept him free for long stretches of the day with no repercussions that I know of. However, I could not allow him the freedom I wished as many people fear him.”
Orlami was rolling on his back, and Renny used both hands to rub his belly. “He’s so cute, though.”
“We can give him a pretty cool setup out here if you want,” Rafe offered. “Maybe a bed, some Faedrekan toys, and tasty food.”
“I fear for his health,” Rorie answered, as he thought about the caved area where he’d found Orlami. “Faedrekan require a water source. I am not sure, but I believe it is vital to them.”
Dra’Kaedan closed his eyes, then put his hands on his hips. “What if we put a magical lagoon out here? There’s plenty of room; we can make it big enough for him to bathe in if he wants or whatever. That’d be fine, right, Rafe?”
“Absolutely.”
“Could we make it large enough for two Faedrekan?” Rorie asked. “Perhaps Drekkoril can be persuaded to allow his freedom once he has the power to summon him.”
“What’s his Faedrekan’s name?” Renny asked from the ground where he was still loving on an appreciative Orlami while Rorie grinned at the pair.
“He named him Zurenzi,” Rorie supplied, sinking to his knees, no longer able to allow Renny to be the only one having fun with Orlami.
“They’re going to need somewhere to lie down comfortably,” Rafe said.
“Larissa will know what to make,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“This will be wonderful,” Rorie enthused. “When we return to the Fae realm, I hope I can convince Drekkoril to set up something similar at our castle.”
“Right,” Renny responded, rising and brushing the dirt from his knees. The mood shifted abruptly, yet Rorie had no idea know how to fix it. Rorie understood that Renny had a life here with his family, but he could not comprehend why Bétea had paired him with someone unwilling to return to his home. There were responsibilities there that could not be ignored, and Rorie was unable to set aside his need to help the fairies despite it being Drekkoril who was picked to rule.
“I guess if you can summon your Faedrekan, you’re one step closer to returning to your realm,” Dra’Kaedan said thoughtfully.
Rorie had awakened that morning, aware that he had more than enough power to do something so simple as teleport. While Drekkoril wasn’t at the same point, he could easily attach a spell to Rorie’s, so his bemollo’s lack of full magic was no excuse. “Yes, I suppose I can try, but Renny and I have yet to figure out our future. I still need him at my side for half the hours of each day cycle.”
“So, you can go back?” Renny asked.
“I have not tried,” Rorie confessed. “Though perhaps I should.” With no further discussion, Rorie ran his finger across his ring and pulled Orlami inside it. His Faedrekan safely with him, Rorie let his lashes slide to his cheeks and focused on the wonderful place he missed. Thinking of the pinkish-purple sky and the blue grass that surrounded the pale gold bricks of his castle made him homesick. As he’d done countless times in his twenty-eight years of life, Rorie pictured himself standing in the enormous chambers that contained his bed, sitting area, and the silvery water of the lagoon he used to bathe in. Except nothing happened. “It is not working.”
“Not enough magic?”
“I have enough; there is nothing there if I push forward to venture to my home. I do not understand this.”
“You don’t remember how you came to our realm yet?” Rafe asked.
“I get a headache if I think on it,” Rorie growled, lifting his lashes to glare at the world. “There are too many mysteries here to know where to start. How did I get to this strange place, and why can I not return?”
“You didn’t ask why you’re here,” Rafe pointed out.
The storm clouds brewing in Rorie’s mind fizzled away while Renny studied him with an expression he could not read. “I was brought here to find my v’airsell nioll. I have no argument over the journey itself, just what surrounds it.”
“With none of us having a clue about the Fae realm or ever visiting there ourselves, I don’t have high hopes that we’re going to figure out how to help you,” Dra’Kaedan remarked.
“I appreciate that you wanted to assist. I know it will not be easy for you to leave here when we are prepared to do so.”
Dra’Kaedan’s brow lifted, and he turned to Renny. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”
