Furious enough to use his sword on the neck of whoever she was making promises to, he took a step forward, intending to push through the door and demand an explanation when another voice responded, young, excited, undeniably familiar.
“Really? Ye promise we can finish the story about Thunder and the sea monster?”
Codie.
Elijah felt his entire world shift, the anger draining out of him so quickly it left him dizzy. His son’s voice—when was the last time he’d heard it sound so bright, so eager?
Even through the door, he could hear the happiness bubbling up in the boy’s words.
“I promise,” Iris said warmly. “And maybe we can even make some new boats. I saw some lovely broad leaves in the garden that would make excellent sails.”
“Could we make a whole fleet? With different kinds of ships for different purposes?”
“Of course! We could have merchant vessels and war ships and maybe even a few pirate ships for the battles.”
Codie’s delighted laugh rang through the corridor, and Elijah felt his chest tighten painfully.
When was the last time me son laughed like that?
Not the careful, subdued chuckles he sometimes made at appropriate moments but genuine, uninhibited joy.
Yesterday, in the garden. Before ye ruined it.
The realization hit him like thunder bolts. His son had been happy, truly, completely happy for the first time in longer than Elijah could remember. And what had he done? Crushed it. Sent the boy away in shame for the crime of behaving like a child. This was what Iris had tried to tell him, but he’d been too stubborn to listen.
“Will ye tell me more stories about sailin’?” Codie was asking now. “The ones about brave captains and hidden treasures?”
“I’ll teach ye everythin’ I ken,” Iris promised. “And we can make up new stories together. What do ye think Captain Thunder’s next adventure should be?”
Before Elijah quite realized what he was doing, he pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Both Iris and Codie looked up in surprise, and he saw his son’s expression immediately shift from joy to wariness.
There it is. That careful mask he wears around me.
“Faither,” Codie said quickly, straightening in his chair. “I was just... Lady Iris was tellin’ me about...”
“I heard,” Elijah said quietly, and he saw Iris’ eyes narrow as she tried to read his mood. “It sounds like ye’re plannin’ quite an adventure.”
“We were just talkin’,” Iris said carefully. “I was gettin’ ready to leave for the village.”
“Actually,” Elijah interrupted, his decision made before he could second-guess it, “I think Codie should come with us.”
Both of them stared at him in shock. Codie’s mouth fell open slightly, and Iris looked like she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
“Come with us?” she repeated. “To the village?”
“Aye. It’s time he learned more about how the clan operates. How disputes are resolved, how decisions are made.” Elijah kept his voice steady, matter of fact, even though his heart was beating faster than it should. “He’s old enough to observe and learn.”
Elijah looked at his son, who was still staring at him with those wide, uncertain eyes. “What do ye say, lad? Would ye like to come see how clan business is conducted?”
For a moment, Codie said nothing. Then, slowly, a smile began to spread across his face, cautious at first then growing brighter.
“Really? I can come with ye? Both of ye?”
“Aye. But ye’ll need to get ready quickly. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll help him,” Iris said immediately, standing up. “Come on, Codie, let’s get ye into yer ridin’ clothes.”
As they moved toward the door, Iris paused beside Elijah. When she looked up at him, there was something in her eyes he couldn’t quite interpret, surprise, certainly, but also something that might have been approval.
