His eyes rolled my way.
“Speaking from experience, wasn’t I. Ate my heart out about it. How the hell did I live with myself? I could either stay true to my oldest friend, and leave Rosie be, or I could walk away from the other half of my soul.”
I blinked, seeing Fern standing there, looking back over her shoulder at me, but it was the silver riders next to her that had my teeth grinding together.
“Your mother solved my dilemma neatly. Asked me if I wasever going to stop staring at her and make a move, because she was finished with Ray. Apparently this ‘nice bloke’ in the bookshop was making eyes at her and she wasn’t sure if she should encourage him or not.” Dad grinned. “I made clear what would happen if she did.” He looked up at me. “We were together every day after that, even when Ray stopped talking to me. He came around when he found his Joanie. Even stood by my side when I married your mother. Best day of my life, it was. Well, except when you were born.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“You were always the best of both of us, lad.” When Dad’s hand landed on my shoulder, I found myself craving that weight. It kept me grounded, in the room, rather than my head up in the clouds, watching Fern fall yet again. “And your girl, she’ll see that. Teaching her how to ride properly might be a good way to ensure she survives. A big, strong lieutenant that helps her develop the skills she needs.” He nodded in my direction. “Might be just the ticket. Did I tell you the time I tried to teach your mother the sword?”
“No,” I spluttered.
“Well…” He settled against the bar and told me the story.
“So what thehell do I do about the silver riders?” I asked. The remains of our evening meals sat on the bar, ready to be cleared away. Dad said a beer and a full belly were the best medicine and it turned out he was right. I’d managed to stop thinking about all the ways I’d screwed up, but that made way for the problems I still needed to solve. “Their beasts could eat Viridian in one gulp, and they seem to think Fern belongs to them, when I’m obviously the best choice.”
“Obviously.” Dad smiled wryly over the rim of his mug. “I think there’s a way forward that you’re not seeing.”
“What?” I said that too loud, other patrons turning to stare. Maybe it was the beer in my blood, but I couldn’t seem to care. “What, Dad? No amount of fast footwork, proficiency with theblade, is going to help me against some of the biggest bloody dragons I’ve ever seen.”
“You know what I would’ve done if your mother gave me the slightest of encouragement while she was still with Uncle Ray?” Dad paused for effect, forcing me to lean in. “I’d have pretended she was a queen of old and offered to be one of her consorts.” His eyes dropped to the floor. “She was queen of my heart, so why not?” With a shrug, he scanned the room. “Would I like waking up next to Rosie and seeing Ray’s hairy bollocks out? No, but…” Dad’s focus shifted back to me. “I loved her so damn much, I’d have made it work one way or the other.”
I sucked in a breath, ready to describe all the ways the silver riders were not suitable mates for Fern, when the front door of the tavern slammed open. Drunken rambling, then cackles of laughter, they weren’t an unfamiliar thing in a pub at this time of night. Something about it though, it had me looking up and so did Dad.
To see the three riders standing there.
“Those the riders you were talking about?” Dad grinned, slipping from his seat and slapping my chest. “Well, best of luck, son.”
And with that, he made for the other exit, leaving me standing there, staring as my competitors walked into the pub.
Chapter 31
Lorien
“Gods, what the hell have you been eating, Dain,” I groaned, struggling under the weight of my brother. His massive frame was an asset in a fight, but draped over my shoulders now, his feet slipping out from under him? Not so much. “This way.” He immediately started to veer towards the wall. “No, idiot–”
“You’re… idiot,” Dain slurred.
“Good to see you don’t lose that sunny disposition when you drink, brother, but unless you want to spend the rest of the night with your face pressed into the wall, its this way. Kael!”
“What?”
That sloppy smile, the way his head spun around made clear that while he wasn’t as drunk as Dain, I was still on my own. With a lurch, I staggered forward, carrying my own weight and most of Dain’s, right up until the point when we dropped down onto a nearby bench. As I sucked in a breath, someone approached.
“A couple of bottles of water–” I started to say, assuming it was a barmaid.
“And more beer!” Kael plucked an empty tankard up off the table and thrust it in her direction.
Make that his.
Looked like we weren’t the only rider who’d decided to hit the taverns. The lieutenant came to stand at the front of our table. Not sure why he always looked at us like we were a lump of dog turd on his shoe, but that was his expression right now.
I could eat him. ‘Fang’s voice inside my head had me smiling.I like Viridian and that would make him sad, but I’d eat his rider for you.
No need, brother, I replied.
“Hey.” Kael squinted hard, then peered at Lance. “You’re not a barmaid.”
