Ketheron looked as worried as me.
“A balance just needs to be struck,” Ambrose assured us both. “It’s unfortunately a long overdue conversation they’ve needed to have.”
“Do you want me to call your mom? Father? Your Pops—actually, no, not Lazriel. He’ll throw himself into that vicious argument and escalate. How about your darling loves? Vaxan, Evira, Zayn?”
“It’s okay. No. That’s all right.”
“You’re sure?”
“I just…”
“He just wants his dad to be well, treasure.”
“Oh. Of course. He will be fine.” He whispered to me, “Do you really think even Ryker Morgan or the entire Guardian Movement can stop your dad?”
I startled at his words and also the look in his eye. He even winked at Ambrose.
“Ketheron,” Ambrose cautioned.
“What?” I asked. “What did that mean? My dad doesn’t possess unlimited power.”
The two of them exchanged another loaded look.
“What’s going on?” I pushed.
“Let’s just say that it’s not always about power alone,” Ambrose answered.
Ketheron tapped his temple with his free hand that wasn’t already busy supporting my weight. “It’s got a lot to do with smarts and thinking ahead… contingency plans, tiny god.”
What the—
A spark of green power erupted, and I saw Ryker teleporting out.
And then Dad’s crimson magic sparked all around us, and he teleported in front of me. He eyed Ambrose and Ketheron either side of me. “Thank you for taking care of him while I was… delayed.”
“Sylas, to be clear, Ambrose was going to channel me, and he would have then warped Risen Reckoning to make it temporarily ineffectual and unharmful. We wouldn’t have harmed Winter.”
“I know, K. It never crossed my mind.” He looked at Ambrose and I saw grief and something I wasn’t used to seeing from my dad—terror.
“You did everything right. Intervening would have done what you’d already realized,” Ambrose told him. “And now he’s not on that track. I don’t feel it from him.”
“And Ryker?”
“His reaction isn’t coming from his personal stance. It’s those he’s accountable to. The dark shadows of the past also. He wouldn’t have left if he didn’t recognize what Winter had accomplished today, so keep that in mind.”
“Accomplished?” I asked wearily.
Actually, with every moment that went past, I was growing so tired.
“You maintained control of supreme power, son,” Dad told me, easing me from Ketheron and tucking me into his side. “You did extraordinarily well.”
“I… didn’t. I almost lost control.”
Dad winced and told Ambrose and Ketheron, “Head on out, I need a word alone with my son.”
They gave a nod. Ketheron rubbed my shoulder. Then they both teleported out hand-in-hand.
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
