Greetings Readers
I actually dedicated some time to writing on Fledgling this weekend, so several updates are waiting to happen.
Enjoy the first part of this long scene!
Red-Eye had spent every waking minute he could after his mistress’s death keeping Saita company. It had been easy for him to switch his devotion from Kay to Saita. Not only were they the same person, but Kay had made it her last order. Something he couldn’t ignore.
But at first, he had ignored the order his mistress had given him. He had returned to the Saith, hoping that the angry king would put him out of his misery. Yet, Lardan hadn’t, rather setting him free to complete the task that was given to Red-Eye.
He had returned to remain at Saita’s side. She had been terrified. He couldn’t blame her. He had hunted her for years, taken away her family, and assisted in making Saita face his mistress. Eventually, the young queen got used to him but rarely acknowledged him at first.
Soon, she started to trust him and sent him with Doran to clear the last of his brethren. This was the first time he had spoken up against her orders. He had begged to give them a chance at freedom. They were all pawns in the Fell Dragon game, and they deserved their freedom as much as he did.
She had listened, and so he and Doran worked together to scatter the packs, breaking the hold that the old Fell Dragon had on them. Saita had even told him where the planet of the Vulpine was in hopes that the Wolven would be welcomed. At first, they had formed their own pack, but in time, with the politics on the planet, they were absorbed into the various other existing packs.
But not Red-Eye. He had a mission to protect the queen. She was getting thick around the middle now and struggled to move well with the pregnancy and her new limb. He knew it pained her, but she refused to let it show as she fought against her own people’s politics.
He kept his distance though, not allowing himself to get close to her. He knew there were a lot of conflicting feelings in the queen. She had so much on her plate that she had almost forgotten what he had done to her family. Almost, but not quite. There were glares now and again, but then a resigned sigh would follow, and she would allow Red-Eye to follow her.
That all changed when he told her the truth. He had never killed Aidan or Bolx, though that had been his intent. He had been willing to let the child live, despite what his mistress had ordered of him, but Fire-Fur had fought hard to keep Mountain alive. He had intended to commit at that moment, but then they were gone. He had never told his mistress, and he had planned to keep the secret until the grave.
Then the childbirth had started going wrong. The queen was too tired, under too much emotional pressure, and she had nothing more left to fight. Red-Eye had seen Wolven females lose hope in difficult birthings, losing not only the pups but their lives as well if someone didn’t step up.
He let her know his secret, not knowing if it would help or hinder her. She had screamed at him, pulled at his fur, and cried. It didn’t have the effect that he had wanted. They were still gone; it didn’t matter that they weren’t dead. They weren’t here, where she needed them to be.
Still, he stood holding her, trying to be of some assistance. Then Mountain had walked into the room. He had smiled at the Wolven. Red-Eye was shocked. If the Saith still lived, he hardly expected a warm welcome. No words were spoken as the Saith took over the job of holding the queen up. Red Eye had seen Saita relax, and that was when the giant had instructed her to push.
Red-Eye wasn’t confused. He knew the half favour had done its job, but he wondered to what extent. He took a deep breath and found a new scent in the air. The boy! He had left the room to find Aidan, hoping that he was still in one piece, unlike the male Saith.
He found the boy in the embrace of his grandmother. Yet the moment the Wolven stepped into the room, the boy had glanced up at him. Telling him that he had forgiven him. The statement was confusing to him. Aidan and Bolx had had no reason to be as kind as they were, but they were.
The confusion of the situation had left the Wolven questioning what could possibly have happened during the time that they were gone. However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on those thoughts. The royal twins had been born, and while neither would see the human throne, the kingdom erupted with joy.
It was as if the birth of this half-human-half Saith was the embodiment of the end of the fear brought on by the Fell Dragon. For weeks, there were celebrations of life for the babies, for a healthy queen, and for the return of the heir and her partner. Then, just as the celebrations were winding down, there was a royal wedding, followed by the official crowning of Aidan.
During this time, Red-Eye had stayed out of the way of the queen and her family. He had retreated a distance far away enough to not be underfoot but could still keep an eye on her and her family. Doran came to check up on him now and again, making sure that he still lived. Even the attitude of Saita’s right-hand man had lightened to him.
He had taken to resting in a small clearing in the forest around the back of the castle. Saita knew this was where he preferred to rest instead of the castle. There were no predators that would dare approach him, and the game was plentiful, even though the castle did leave supplies for him.
He had been resting when he heard her footfalls. She hadn’t approached him in some time. His ears perked up, but he kept his eyes closed. The queen had ordered a surgeon to fix his ruined eye, and it was seeing far better than the mechanical replacement he had had after fighting his mistress. He could see colours the way they were meant to be.
His mind wandered as she sat down next to him. She was sitting closer than what she normally would. His eyes flew open in shock when she placed a hand on his back and started stroking his fur. She had never done this before.
And so Saita and Red-Eye are reunited.
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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Part 9>>You are Here>>Part
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