I give Pigeon a look.“That’s on you, you know,”I tell her as the possessive aggression kicks up a notch all around me.
Pigeon just fluffs her feathers and breathes deeply, like the scent of their jealousy and claim is her favorite thing to imbibe. I swear, if she had eyebrows, she’d be wagging them at me right now.
“Cree is ready to go over tactics,” the large gryphon announces, the summons clear. “The Ouphe is to come as well to discuss transport,” he adds, looking over at Wekun.
“He has a name,” I scold the healer brother, realizing that I have no idea whathisname is...oops. “The one that slips closest to the tent, without going inside, wins,” I challenge, calling on my runes that allow me to teleport around.
“Not him,” the healer brother stops us, gesturing to Treno.
Confusion prickles through me, and I let the magic I’m calling pool back into my center. “Why?”
“Because he’s Avowed,” the gryphon answers simply.
Incredulity flashes through me.Is he serious?I open my mouth to tell the gryphon off, but Ryn cuts me off.
“He’s with us, and if Cree or anyone else has an issue with that, they can discuss it with us,” he declares.
I just barely stop myself from adding a “yeah” like some kid backing up their friend in a neighborhood dispute.
The healer gryphon clearly doesn’t like this response. He tenses and seems to debate what to do, not wanting to go against his leader, Cree, but also not overly keen to piss us off either.
“It’s fine, I’ll just stay and work some more,” Treno announces, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. His declaration is even and casual, but I see a glint of frustration in his mismatched eyes.
“I could use some more work too,” I announce, waving away the questioning looks that Ryn and Wekun give me. “You guys go work out all the boring logistics and then come fill us in when it’s all sorted.”
I give the healer gryphon a pointed look. He may think that cutting Treno out of these discussions is somehow going to protect the information, but Zeph, Ryn, and Wekun are going to tell us everything anyway, so really Cree is just being an asshole.
“I can stay back too,” Ryn offers.
“It’s fine, you and Zeph know the Hidden and what they can do; I would have just been standing around anyway while you map everything out. And if Cree wants to see Treno as the enemy instead of a valuable resource, that’s her mistake. We’ll be better prepared for what we’re facing than she is,” I add.
Treno gives me a small smile, but I don’t miss the tension still radiating from him. Ryn and Zeph give me a nod, then disappear from where they were standing. Wekun chuckles and grumbles, “Show-offs,” before disappearing himself. The blond healer gryphon takes a moment to realize that he’s been left behind. He then jumps into the air where his wings hurry to help him catch up.
I watch his silhouette get smaller and smaller in the distance before turning to Treno, who still looks upset.
“He’s a dick, don’t let it get to you,” I tell him, reaching out and patting his shoulder somewhat awkwardly before dropping my hand back down to my side.
Treno looks at my hand for a moment and sort of deflates like a week-old balloon. “I’m not upset because that male is wrong, flower, I’m upset that he’s right.”
I pause and take a moment to sift through just what the fuck that means.Unless he’s confessing that he still sides with Lazza—which I highly doubt is the case—I got nothing.
“Umm...come again?” I ask concerned.
Treno shakes his head disappointedly, but it’s not aimed at me. “I am Avowed, or at least I have been my whole life. Yes, I knew that the mark had been used against the Gryphons by the Ouphe, but with it also came a more powerful breed of Gryphon,” he tells me, further explaining what he means by using the runes on his chest to call a spinning sphere of water to float just above his palm.
He moves his hand and guides the sphere of water around, like some street hustler who tells you to keep your eye on the ball and then guess which hand it’s in.
“I believed my parents when they taught my brother and me that the Ouphe runes and magic would ultimately make us stronger and better. I’ve fought battles and killed because of that belief, to protect it. It’s what I thought was right, and then…” he trails off, his haunted eyes focused on the water ball that’s still in his hold.
Treno takes a moment to collect himself, and I want to kick myself for not realizing how much he is hurting.
“And then my brother tried to kill me with the very thing I’ve spent my whole life defending. It took a split second, and everything I thought I knew spilled through my fingers.”
Treno releases his hold on the water, and the ball bursts, allowing the liquid to trickle past his palm, punctuating his point.
“I’ve been asking myself how I could be so stupid. Why didn’t I open my eyes and see what Lazza really was capable of, or at least try to understand where the Hidden were coming from? I’ve always looked at things so black and white, but now I can’t figure out why. Why couldn’t the Avowed and the Hidden have lived together in harmony? Why couldn’t it have been that those who want the Vow can get it and those who don’t...don’t?”
Treno runs his hands frustratedly through his straight white hair. He looks so lost, so pained. I hate that he’s been struggling with this, clearly blaming himself for things that shouldn’t rest on his shoulders.
