“You’re awake!Finally,” Dra’Kaedan said and embraced them both.
“What do you mean, ‘finally’?” Renny asked.
“I mean, everyone else is in the living room, and I was about to bust into your space, but I didn’t know if you guys were naked in there,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“It’s only been maybe five minutes since we woke up,” Brogan added.
“I must get to Drekkoril,” Rorie said. Not willing to wait for responses, he pulled on Renny’s hand as he sprinted down the hall. When they entered the great room, Drekkoril was on the couch with people around him offering comfort. “He is okay.”
“Roriethiel, what became of us?” Drekkoril asked.
Rorie held out his arms. His bemollo appeared surprised, but he stood and hugged him. “I know not what happened. Our people are gone.”
“This must be the wrath of Bétea. There was too much wrong, and everyone was going dark. We failed.”
“No, we did our best. It is my parents and their bemollos who shattered our world,” Rorie responded, fighting to hold himself together. Barely adjusted to the revised version of his childhood, the worst had happened, and he had to cope somehow. “How do I forgive them for that?”
“By remembering that they were flawed,” Saura said. “We all are, sweetie. There’s no way to know what caused the destruction of the Fae, so let’s not speculate or assign blame. It won’t help your pain or lessen your grief. We must fight now to make sure no one forgets who the Fae were, and that this world knows the genuine history of the brave men and women who became elves and sprites.”
“It is just us now, Drekkoril,” Rorie managed through his tears.
“No, there is a Dark Fae leader. Where is he? How can we help him?” Drekkoril asked.
“We cannot sense them. How do we know they are awake?”
“I do not know, Roriethiel, but if we can find them, we must.”
“First, my dears, you must mourn what you have lost,” Saura said.
“We’ll have to add something to the memorial garden,” Dravyn commented.
“You would do that for my people?” Rorie asked.
“It’s what our family does,” Aleksander answered. “We honor the memories of those that have passed on and help those that are grieving with comfort.”
“I thank you for counting us amongst the D’Vaires,” Drekkoril responded. “It is beyond my ability to tell you what it means to have found a new home before we even knew that we had lost the old.”
Rorie gave his bemollo another squeeze, then moved away so Saura could comfort the Noble Protector. His eyes met Renny’s, and he walked into his arms. For all the pain inside, he was buoyed by the love waiting for him.
Chapter 31
It was a long day of tears and questions with no answers, and for Renny, he was left with only the opportunity to be a support system for Rorie and Drekkoril. The pair had kept close since waking up and Renny was glad that out of the ashes of their world, they’d found a new bond which would strengthen in time. They’d also discovered that Drekkoril and Rorie had somehow gained beautiful glittering wings that were nearly transparent. In his normal fearless way, Rorie had attempted on multiple occasions to use them to fly, but they could not support his weight. The darkness was also drained from their magic, leaving them fully casters of light again.
Unsatisfied with Worth’s sadness over losing Asteria, Drekkoril had summoned a magical version of her without prompting. Astounded, Worth had vowed to always care for his llerka’irro, and the Noble Protector had blushed at his intense gratitude. Drekkoril refused to speak of what it cost him to offer such a gift, but Renny was knowledgeable enough to know it had been torn from his soul like a familiar. Unlike warlocks or any race descended from them, it was likely a clean break, giving Drekkoril no ability to summon her. Asteria belonged fully to Worth. There was no fear that the Duke Argent wouldn’t treat her well; he’d already roped Larissa into helping him design an entire area of his suite for Asteria. Since Worth was no longer wearing a vest or cloak, Asteria had emulated the dragon familiars and curled around his neck and shoulder.
The D’Vaires had fired up the grill and spent the evening outside, comparing how different the landscape was in Arizona versus what they’d been staring at for however long they’d stayed on the fairy realm. Just as Rorie had advertised, only eight hours had passed on earth, but Renny already understood that there would be impacts no one had imagined from their visit. Once dinner had been devoured, Noirin and Skeleton Lord Brynnius Daray had supplied confectionary treats for everyone but especially for the cake fiend, Dra’Kaedan, and the sweet-toothed Rafe. Then the D’Vaires had filtered inside, though Renny doubted many were splintering off to be alone. There was a sense of needing to be together, except for him—he needed a few minutes to settle his emotions.
The back door opened, and to no surprise to him, it was the last living light fairy wearing Renny’s jeans with a T-shirt. “Ren, I thought you were behind me.”
“I thought I’d stay outside for a bit.”
“Would you wish to share your solitude with me?”
“I would very much like your company, Protector of the Fae,” Renny said. When he opened his arms, Rorie didn’t hesitate to accept his invitation. Kissing him, Renny was grateful that somehow Rorie had escaped the destruction of his world, so they could be together.
“I am no longer the Protector of the Fae. The Fae are no more.”
“Somehow I doubt anyone is going to let you drop your title.”
