Page 54 of When Ashes Fall

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Knox

Resting my arms on the pommel, I leaned forward as Briar tended to a rose growing out of the chair on Old Mac’s front porch. While I wasn’t one of the kids who’d gathered around that rocking chair to listen to the shifter’s tales, I’d watched them sit in a circle around a man who appeared no older than my father but was rumored to be over two thousand years old.

He’d regale the children with tales of battles, dragons, mysterious creatures, and sometimes love. One day, I slipped into the shadows beside his house and listened while he told a story about a gorgon he’d battled in No Man’s Land. He slapped his knee as his booming voice carried on the breeze; though it was a story about battling to the death, he told it with a grin… most likely because he survived.

I’d contemplated joining the children so I could hear more, but I knew what would happen if I tried. The stories would stop, and they’d all stare at me before retreating like the children in the palace did… just as the stable boys did.

I was the unfavored child, the misfit, the one who was too soft, even softer than his sisters, and too much like his mother. I was the outcast, but I was also the alpha’s son.

Instead of joining them, I waited until the end of the story before sneaking away to the woods. And then I met Briar and never contemplated going to listen to a story again.

Despite not really having known Old Mac, it filled me with sorrow to see him like this. He must have been sitting in his rocker, waiting for the children to arrive, or perhaps they’d already left for the day when the curse occurred. Otherwise, there would be more roses all around him.

When Briar finished, she ran a rose petal gently between her fingers before returning to me. The rat emerged from under a bush near the porch; his cheeks were much less full now that he’d buried some of his stash.

Briar slipped the potion into her pocket as the rat ran up to her shoulder. Once settled there, he removed a piece of red fruit from his mouth and nibbled on it.

The shadows under her eyes had faded a little, and the fresh air had restored color to her cheeks. Her eyes glowed with fresh vitality. Bringing her out here really had made a big difference.

“Do you know who this house belongs to?” Briar asked as I leapt down.

I grasped her waist and set her on the saddle before swinging up to sit behind her again. That sensation of emptiness faded when my arms encircled her; I gathered the reins as she settled perfectly against me.

“Old Mac. He was said to be over two thousand years old.”

“How interesting. Is he the eldest shifter?”

“No, there were a few older than him, but he was the most well-known.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because every morning a group of children would gather on his porch, and he’d regale them with his stories. Almost every child in the kingdom grew up knowing his tales.”

“I’m sure he had the most fascinating stories.”

“I only heard one of them.”

She didn’t speak for long enough that I stopped expecting a follow-up question as Magnazius plodded down the road. When we turned down a side street and headed toward the lake, she spoke again.

“How come?” she asked.

“I wasn’t welcome.”

She twisted her head to look at me. “He wouldn’t let you sit and listen to his tales?”

“Not him, the children wouldn’t have liked it if I joined them.”

“Oh,” she said sadly. “I understand that. The children didn’t like me much either. I was Marina’s daughter, but more than that, she never hid her disappointment and hatred of me. Everyone feared incurring her wrath if they showed me any kindness.”

“While my father never would have abused anyone for being kind to me, everyone knew I was the disappointing offspring. Many shifters didn’t want to be associated with that.”

Anger sparked in her eyes. “That’s awful.”

I shrugged.

“You’re not a disappointment,” she stated.