Page 17 of Family Found

“Sadir, I’m here! Take us away, now.”

That was my mate, and he was safe. The screams from beyond that wall weren’t him, but the other one, the celadon who was bleeding heavily into the newly formed moor.

Bloodletting after all.

I opened my eyes and placed my hands over Kinnek’s.

“Dispense.”

He worked his magic. Simple, solid, strong magic. We left the howling beasts and the sinking castle behind us, and I was not a brave person or a fighter, but the next time I saw an effing Koa Esher, I would release that lightning the land had promised me on them.

Chapter 7

I didn’t know where we were. Before my eyes could catch up, my brain recognized the smell of the place, unfamiliar and yet welcome. I remembered moor flowers blooming under moonlight and getting hitched to Inkiri.

I blinked a few times. “Are we on Aër?”

Kinnek looked at me, his expression pained. “They need medical attention.”

He pulled his hands from mine and turned to the freed bagua.

That left me alone with the dizziness for almost a second, but of course I had the best mate ever. Inkiri wrapped his arms around me, and when I felt his warmth, I relaxed, took a deep breath, and…spun around. I grabbed the front of his shirt.

“Are you okay? Why the heck would you do that? Are you hurt at all? You can’t just run toward danger like that!” I looked at him. His paw shoes were muddy, and for all I knew his black protector clothes hid blue monster blood. “Ink, are you okay?” I let him go and ran my hands down his arms to make sure.

Inkiri started clicking at me, the tiny sounds coming extra fast as if he meant to counter my worry. He gathered my hands in his much larger ones.

“Sadir, all is well. I am well.” He bent to push my scarf aside and lick the side of my neck. “You did so well, sweet thing. My beautiful, brave human mate.”

“Right.” I let out a shuddering breath, but the excitement was far from over.

I pulled back from Inkiri’s chest to orient myself. I recognized the stone-built Raiken to our right, the decorative facade and the swirling engravings in the stone lintels and window frames.

This was Esaka, of all places. I looked a little closer and was pretty sure this was where the protectors had brought us just after the attack had happened.

Now, protectors were coming our way, orders were being shouted, and I was being scooped up by my mate once more.

“Hey,” I said, but it sounded like “thanks, and please don’t ever put me down again.”

“I don’t want anyone to accidentally bump into you, sadir. You’ve had enough roughness for one day. How are you feeling after the magic?”

Should I tell my mate about how I had almost gotten to strike down the cola asshats with lightning like Zeus? No, scratch Zeus. He was the douchiest of gods, and too much like the cola asshats. I was more like Thor anyway, only he had goats and I had my bagua. Then again, Thor liked eating his goats, and I decided I was not ever going to compare myself to any god on account of that fact it was just going to make me look bad.

Also, I should maybe not tell Inkiri about my idea with the lightning. Yet.

Vergis looked over. There was something haunted in his expression. Charles was next to him, an arm around his son’s shoulders, speaking too quietly for me to hear over all the commotion.

I looked around for Kinnek. He was with the survivors, who were already being surrounded by Raikengana. There was a lot of clicking, and they were led into the Raiken, all of them in different stages of shock. Not that all of them looked scared though. The bagu who’d helped the one with the shoddily bandaged feet kept his back straight and a protective arm around his friend. Or maybe around a member of his sentenmen or senfesmen.

The Raikengana were already bringing stretchers. The survivor with the injured feet got on one. His bandages were now muddy as well, and I felt guilty. What if the wounds got infected because of me? I hoped the doctors here were good.

Lissir stood close to the survivors and talked to two protectors. He pointed out me and Inkiri, Charles and Vergis, then Tador and Luëris and the rest of those protectors, so he was already busy giving a report.

Then I spotted Kinnek again. A taupe-clad group of scholars had hidden him from view. He was talking to one of the survivors, and at first, I didn’t understand what I was seeing.

Kinnek was holding that bagu’s hands—the same bagu he’d sent out of the house first, that bagu with the holes in his horns and the scar across his throat.

I wasn’t able to make sense of it until that bagu turned his head and I made the connection. I’d seen the exact shade of his light blue horns before. It was in that mural in Kinnek’s house. The knowing raised its head to confirm what I’d already pieced together. But, disturbingly, I also got details I hadn’t asked for.