Their End

Chapter 19 | Flame Eater

CALDER

It seemed too soon, but then it felt like we wasted so much time going back and forth with the Council. I ignored the commotion behind me as I followed Cullen and Gentry out of the room. My mind was spinning, trying to think through the protective rage pulsing through me. It was hard to focus with the added barrage of Remi’s emotions.

Remi.

I looked over my shoulder. She was hurrying after us with Sammy right beside her. Her posture told me she intended to go after our pups, but her face betrayed her concern. “Stay here,” I tried to tell her.

“Absolutely not,” she narrowed her eyes at me.

“We don’t know exactly where they are,” I reasoned with her.

“Calder, those are my pups. I’m going with you!”

Cullen was undressed by the time we hit the back door. He jumped into the air, shifting as a soft white aura glowed around him momentarily. He landed on the ground and sprang forward, the blueish-gray scales shining against his midnight fur. Gentry was only a few yards behind him.

I spun around to Remi and grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her. She’d lost her heels on our march through the packhouse. “Let us find them. I’ll link you as soon as we do,” I tried.

“If anything, you should stay here so there is an Alpha at this packhouse,” she said, her chin jutting up defiantly. “I’m going to look for them, Calder.

I looked over at Sammy and then back at my mate. Remi could shift, but her wolf was still small and not the best fighter. If Fifi’s brother had arrived and our pups were involved, I needed to focus on getting him away from them and out of our land; better yet, our realm.

“Stay with Sammy,” I pleaded with her. “You two follow. If we find the second dragonborn, I want you both to get the pups and get far away. Leave the pack.”

“No,” Remi argued.

“I’m on her side, Calder,” Sammy said. She had the good sense to wince when I glared at her. Then she straightened her shoulders. “Those are our children, and this is largely my fault. We’re going to help you. Getting the pups out of danger is the priority, but we can help.”

“I don’t want any of you hurt,” I shook my head. Cullen and Gentry were getting further and further away with every second I argued with them.

“Gentry and Cullen found their scent,” Sammy gasped.

“If Fifi’s brother is here-” I started.

“Hand the witch over and protect your pack,” someone shouted from the door to the packhouse. I looked over Remi’s head. Half the Council now stood audience to us. “It’s your duty, Calder.”

I gritted my teeth. I didn’t need interference in this. Remi started to turn back to them, probably on the cusp of chewing them out, but I tugged her back to me. She looked up at me, a mixture of firey determination and frightened begging coming through her eyes. She was scared but wasn’t going to relent.

“Gentry thinks they found them!” Sammy said. “We need to go now.”

“Can you take us there?” Remi asked.

“I can get us close,” Sammy nodded.

I held my breath as she grabbed onto us. I closed my eyes, still uncomfortable with the feeling of moving through space magically. When I felt a shift in the wind, I opened my eyes and scanned the area around us.

“The treehouse,” Remi gasped.

All three of us took off at the same time. Despite being the shortest and least athletic of us all, Remi pulled ahead, smashing through the underbrush until we barrelled into the clearing. Remi sucked in a sharp breath and covered her mouth with her hand. I stepped in front of her and Sammy, wondering if I should have let the witch come at all.

Cerys, Callum, and Grayson stood crowded around Fifi. She held them protectively as they hugged her legs. Cullen, still shifted, was coiled and ready to attack in front of them. Gentry flanked him, crouching near Fifi and the kids.

There, across the clearing near the base of the tree, was another dragonborn. He didn’t look like Fifi, or at least the Fifi we had become accustomed to. He more resembled her when she first arrived. His armor was slung over one shoulder, a plate covering part of his bare chest. His horns were black, and his wings were a deeper blue than Fifi’s, but his skin was still pale. After being around Fifi for so long, I could clearly see the resemblance between the two.

Fifi’s brother crouched slightly, preparing to attack.

“Vilairus, they aren’t a threat!” Fifi shouted. “They just want the small ones. Let them leave here, and we can figure this out!” For once, she didn’t sound immature and naive. There was a serious edge to her voice.

“I won’t keep asking, Findra. Hand over the witch responsible for the magical imbalance and return home,” Vilairus threatened.

Gentry snapped. I cut my eyes to Sammy, who looked ready to offer herself up. She met my gaze, and I subtly shook my head to tell her no.

“Vivi, please,” Fifi said earnestly. She was begging. “Vivi, just let them take their little wolfies. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It is not our job to play jury. We keep the balance. Simply that,” Vilairus shook his head.

“The problems in this realm have long since been resolved. Findra saw to that,” I declared, pulling the dragonborn’s attention. Remi grabbed my forearm. Maybe 25 yards separated us from the pups, but no one dared move yet.

“Yes, I did!” Fifi nodded exaggeratedly.

Vilairus narrowed his eyes. His stance shifted slightly, making Cullen lean forward. Remi’s fingernails dug into my forearm as her eyes bounced between Fifi’s brother and our pups. “Don’t move until I say so,” I silently warned her. She probably didn’t register as a true threat to Vilairus, but I was taking no chances.

“Get our mate and pups out of here,” Cullen snapped at me.

“I’m thinking!” I threw back.

“If the hunt is complete, why do you remain in this place, Findra? Why have you yet to return and report?” Vilairus questioned, his eyes on Fifi now.

“Well, I learned a lot here, with this being my first hunt. It wasn’t so simple when I got here, and I wanted to make sure I could explain everything to Father properly,” Fifi tried to reason. “Just let the wolfies take their babies, and I will explain it all to you, Vivi.”

“That is not my name!” he shouted at her. I didn’t miss the slight tick of his jaw at her nickname for him. “There is no explanation. You either completed your hunt or you failed. Which is it?”

“Her job was to restore the magical balance, right?” Sammy said, stepping forward. A ripple went up Gentry’s back. He stepped back toward his mate, making himself large between her and Vilairus.

Grayson chose that moment to run for his mother. Fifi gasped and turned, knocking Callum over. Remi lunged for them. It took me a split second to react, going after her as she managed to get to Callum and Cerys. Gentry and Cullen both snarled and snapped. Gentry moved back toward Sammy and Grayson while Cullen advanced on Vilairus. Vilairus pulled a knife from his back, giving Cullen pause. I managed to get my arms around Remi, who held our pups protectively to her body.

As all of this transpired, Fifi yelped and jumped into the air, somehow managing to land between Gentry and Cullen. “Vilairus, please,” she held up her hands. “It’s not what you think!”

“She did it! She helped us! She fixed my mistake!” Sammy shouted.

“Is that the witch, Findra?” Vilairus shouted, taking a step forward.

“Samantha, stop talking!” I commanded her. Cullen beat the ground in warning with his paw. Callum and Cerys started to cry against Remi. This was getting out of hand fast.

“I will give you one chance to spare yourself. Step away from the witch, and I can end this hunt swiftly,” Vilairus announced.

“Vivi, no!” Fifi shouted. I could feel the beginnings of Sammy’s magic permeating the air. She wasn’t going to take this willingly. I caught the flickering glow of her magic igniting her fingertips in the corner of my eye, but I didn’t dare look away from Vilairus. “She’s not bad. I fixed everything! You don’t have to hurt her!”

“You’ve failed, Findra,” Vilairus sneered. “I will clean up your mess, and then you can answer for your mistakes!”

“Don’t dismiss her like that!” Sammy yelled at Vilairus. She gritted her teeth in frustration, and I silently cursed that my Alpha command didn’t work better on her.

“Calder,” Remi whispered.

My mind raced. There were too many people and too many variables. Cullen and Gentry were barely contained. There were three pups in danger. We didn’t know what Vilairus’s true capability was, and I truly didn’t wish to find out. My wolf raged at the edges of my mind, the instinct to attack to protect becoming difficult to contain.

“Watch! I can show you right now!” Fifi said desperately. She spun around and sucked in a deep breath. The magic slipped away from Sammy’s hands as if Fifi had summoned it away. It wasn’t the first time we witnessed her do it. In fact, Fifi seemed to enjoy consuming Sammy’s magic even though it worsened the ember situation.

She spun around to her brother again. She burped, exhaling a large puff of smoke as she pounded her chest. Vilairus’s posture slackened as a look of confusion swept over his face.

“See?” Fifi said, sounding slightly strained. “I’m a flame-eater. I ate all the fire and magic right up. Poof! Problem solved! And Sammy got the bad witchy, so I didn’t even have to kill her! See, Vivi? I fixed everything!”