Chapter 29

Cleo sat on the front steps of the Ayverian palace with Jai and Elys, all three of them watching the skies above them. Jai had Lenora curled up in his lap, the three-year-old asleep against him, her hair up in a bun, lips slightly parted. With the chaos the day before, Len hadn't left Jai's side, either holding his hand, holding onto his beltloop, or in his arms.

Just as she did with Lyv, Cleo loved watching Jai with his daughters, too. This powerful, handsome, and sometimes deathly scary Fae male who would do anything to protect his family, and yet was still loving and gentle with the females who held his heart completely. Over the years she'd been a part of their family, Cleo found herself being one of those females, too.

Now, though, it was Lenora he was concentrating on, only because keeping a tight hold on her was probably keeping him from losing it in the never-ending waiting game. Having everyone around only made it worse. Gideon and Thia saw it almost immediately, making Milena, Eamon, and Archer go out for the day, then making themselves scarce, too. Not only for Jai's sake, but also Dessa. She didn't need all of them hounding her with questions the moment her boots hit the stone.

Both Cleo and Jai watched as Elys paced the length of the front courtyard, one arm crossed over his chest, his other hand fisted against his mouth as he stared at his boots.

Jai heaved a sigh, absentmindedly rubbing his hand up and down Len's back. "Give it a little more time, kid. They'll be back soon."

Elys turned to narrow his eyes at him. "They should have been back an hour ago. What if something happened? What if they decided to stay a little longer in Escarral? What if...?"

Cleo raised a brow. "You do realize you'd be able to answer those questions yourself, right? Including when they'll be back?"

His glare turned to her. "Shut up, Cleo."

She grinned, holding up both hands. "Just saying."

Even Jai was chuckling beside her, rolling his eyes.

But Elys did indeed try to look through his visions as to when Dessa and Lyv would be back. His eyes went white as he paused, frozen on the spot, as he searched and searched for any answers he could manage as to why they weren't back yet. The scowl on his face when they cleared once more had a knot of worry twisting in her stomach.

"Everything all right?"

Elys ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Dessa's blocking me. Just like she's been doing all godsdamn morning." Then, realizing he'd cursed, he quickly looked to make sure Len was still sound asleep. "I swear, if something..."

But he broke off and started pacing again.

Cleo smiled over at Jai, who returned it with his own. "He's not in the best of moods when it comes to handling being blind, is he?"

"Nope. He's been like that since he was little. Doesn't happen too often these days, though I bet with him and Dessa it will more often than not. She likes to keep him on his toes, especially after she learned how to manipulate his visions with her own choices. Usually it just annoys him, but this...this is like it was before. When Lyv first went dark."

This time, it was Jai who cut himself off, his memories of what happened almost twenty years before flashing in his sapphire blue eyes. It wasn't just him who sometimes fell into them. Everyone else did, too, including Cleo with that final battle, the look on her mother's face just before she disappeared, the despair that consumed her as she watched Lyv take that one final breath after burning straight through her magic to save them all.

She leaned closer to Jai, reached over to brush a fallen strand of Lenora's burgundy hair behind her ear. "This little one's all tired out from running around Ayveri this morning with her daddy, huh?"

Thankful for pulling him back to present, Jai looked down at the sleeping Len before kissing her forehead. "Just like her momma and sister, she wanted me to buy her every book she managed to carry...which, of course, I did."

"Oh, you and giving all the special females in your life everything they want. I'm surprised your royal coffers are still full."

"My father says the same thing, but I got the love of spoiling the females in my life from him. Both Eamon and I did. Destan was the same."

Grief washed over his features as he squeezed his eyes closed. Even though it had been a little over two decades since his brother's death, it still affected him more than he would admit aloud. The guilt he carried, knowing his brother had given his life to protect both him and Lyv, would forever be a burden. At least he and everyone else found a little bit of comfort in knowing Destan was safe and loved and happy where he was in the land of light and shadows.

Cleo felt the same way about Adeena, even though she wouldn't have been able to save her from what happened. It wasn't until Lyv told her she'd seen her when she was a space in between this world and the next, between life and death, that she was able to let go of some of that guilt.

"At least I know my sister's being taken good care of by him in the next life," Cleo said quietly.

Finally, Jai cracked a half smile. "Very true."

She reached up, poking at his cheek to lift the other half of his mouth. "But I know you're not acting this way just because we brought up our siblings. You're worried about Des."

Again, he tightened his hold on Len, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. "How can I not be? Seeing her with onyx eyes, black flames all around her, then being taken away through a portal of her own making...gods, it was like seeing Lyv being taken over by the darkness all over again. I have to keep reminding myself that this magic is different from the magic Lyv and I had before. I have to remember she's going to be able to control it, that she's going to be just fine."

"And still the same sweet and sassy Dessa Jai Deverell Ayveri we all know and love. But can we just appreciate how badass she looked wielding her onyx flame sword? She's going to rival me with overly dramatic entrances in no time at all."

There. She got him laughing. A laugh that had Lenora sighing as she woke, blinking heavily, and let out a yawn.

"What's funny, Daddy?" she mumbled, trying to wiggle free so she could look at his face.

"Cleo's being funny."

"Cleo's always funny. Are Momma and Dessa home yet?"

"Not yet, baby. Should be soon, though."

Soon turned out to be just a few minutes later.

While Lenora chattered nonstop about all the books Jai had bought her that morning, Elys had continued pacing in front of them. A roar from above had all four pausing to look up as two massive dragons circled high above, coming down steady into the courtyard. Elys backed up to the steps just as Cleo, Jai, and Lenora stood, giving them enough room to land.

Roshan was the first. Lyv had already been undoing the harness on the saddle and quickly jumped down before her dragon took off once more. When she saw the four of them, she gave a slight smile and a nod before watching Eria do the same. Dessa was staring straight forward as she finished unfastening herself, then jumped down and gave Eria a kiss on the nose before she took off after Roshan, both bound for the Branvon estate where they could rest.

Jai set Len down on her feet, who then ran for her big sister. Dessa leaned down, arms open wide, just in time for her to jump into them. Len was whispering something to her, holding her tight around the neck, and Dessa answered with a nod before kissing her cheek. After a few more moment, Len was passed to Lyv.

Jai had Dessa in his arms then, holding her tight against his chest. He didn't say anything, didn't want to when all he really needed was to have her there. After kissing the top of her head, he leaned her away from him, eyes sweeping over her.

"You're all right?" he asked her then, sounding choked as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Dessa nodded, holding her hands against his. "I am. Promise. Still a little shaken up, but I'll...I'll get there. I know I'll get there. With my...with my magic, I mean."

"We know you will. It'll just take practice and you have every one of us to help you, including me. Just say the word and I'll be there."

"I'm going to work with you on wards, though. Not him," Lyv told her as she stepped up beside them with Len leaning her head against hers. "If he does, he'll just throw you out in a rainstorm and tell you to do it like he did with me."

Dessa let out a quiet laugh as Jai dropped his hands from her face, though he never let her go. "It's still strange to think about it," she said then. "My magic...I never thought I'd ever get to say it." Finally looking up at Cleo, she gave her a smile as she stepped around Jai. "And you've got great timing, apparently, since I know you're going to be one of the most helpful with it."

"Don't I always?" Cleo smiled, then pulled her in for a quick hug and kissed the side of her head. "Just like they said, though, you're going to do perfect. I'll be here for a few more weeks and we'll see just what all you can do, huh?"

She nodded against her, but Cleo could feel the tenseness in her back, her spark of fear as she swallowed hard. She didn't have any trouble in understanding what it was about.

Taking Dessa's face in her hands as Jai had, Cleo stared at her. "Your light and dark magic is yours and yours alone. You are the one in control of is just as I am with mine. You don't have to fear it, but you do need to learn how to control it...specifically that fire of yours. Do you know how jealous I am with how badass you looked wielding your sword with it?"

This time when she laughed, she sounded on the verge of tears, too. "I'm going to appropriately name it shadowflame."

A good name for it, too.

Cleo leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You've got this, sweet girl. I promise. And even after I leave to head back to Arloerin, you know I'm just a few days' flight and a portal jump away...though I suspect you're going to be able to get there a lot quicker now that you have portal magic, too."

"Portals..." Dessa whispered, almost as if she'd totally forgotten.

But she hadn't. She was just remembering there was another piece to her portal magic she hadn't met the eyes of yet.

Elys.

The hesitation and worry were completely gone from Dessa's face as soon as she looked at him and in their place was anger. Her sapphire eyes narrowed, hands fisting at her sides as her shadowflames sparked to life, curling around her wrists. Elys wasn't looking at those flames, though, only her face.

"I think I'm going to head up to my room," she said then, flames flickering out though anger still laced through her tone. "It's been a long day of flying, so I just want to wash up and rest."

Lyv was still looking between Dessa and Elys. "We'll see you at dinner, all right?"

She nodded once more, giving them all a smile, before her glaring returned as she strode toward the silent Elys.

Cleo wasn't the only one to see the change in the way she held herself with every step. Shoulders back and head held high, Dessa walked with grace and purpose and power just as she always had. Lyv was the same way. Jai, too. But with their daughter now...she radiated a power uniquely her own, one she already knew how to wield to her advantage even if it wasn't with her magic.

Cleo, Lyv, and Jai all watched her walk toward Elys, who followed her every move and watched her ascend the steps. She brushed past him, her shoulder hitting him and knocking him back a step.

She only paused when he said her name, when he tried to reach out for her hand. "Dessa, wait..."

There was no turning, no eye contact. Just a hand pulled away from his and held up to shut him down before he even finished. She continued inside without a word.

Elys was already taking the steps two at a time as she slammed the front door shut.

Then Jai yelled something up at him Cleo didn't quite understand, something that had Lyv smacking him on the stomach and smiling.

"Remember your promise to me, kid!"

All Elys did was give him a rude hand gesture before storming inside, one Len luckily didn't see since she was reaching for Lyv again.

After situating Len on her hip, Lyv heaved a sigh, which made Cleo and Jai look over. "She didn't wake up in the best of moods this morning. Wouldn't tell me why. I thought she was all right after dinner with everyone in Escarral. She even spent the night with Imrie and Balian, just talking and catching up. She was fine when we went to bed, but then...I don't know. She's been quiet. Not that we could really talk much on the flight back, but..."

"What happened when you got there?" Jai asked her, absentmindedly reaching for her hand and pulling her to his side with Len wedged between them. "Was she...?"

"Still trapped in her flood of magic? Yes." She paused, leaning her cheek against the top of Lenora's head. "It reminded me of when the darkness would try to take me over, but I was able to help her through it. She's a natural at getting a hold on it and had a much easier time than I did in the beginning. I just...I don't want to see her fall into it, to have it somehow take her over."

Lyv had reason to be afraid. Had personal experiences while being controlled my dark magic she was still trying to sort through. The pain and suffering and death of others by her hand. She couldn't have her thinking it was going to happen to her daughter, though. Not when they had Elys to tell them so.

"But it's not going to take her over," Cleo said, squeezing her arm in comfort. "You know that. Dessa's magic isn't like the magic you and Jai carried, though it's similar. Like I told her, it's hers and hers alone. And gods, she's going to do wonders with it."