She crossed the room in four strides and scooped the infant out of my hold before I could answer.
“Mom—”
“Hush,” she said absently, cooing at the tiny firedrake. “Look at you, little one. Where did you come from, hm?”
The baby blinked at her, then let out a small coo, apparently deciding she was better than me.
Mom’s expression melted. “Jesper Wyvernheart, how in Kalista did you get a baby?”
“There was a village in the Bizarre,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “It was hit last night by humans. Everyone wasslaughtered. The centaur foster family hid him under the rubble. He’s an orphan.”
Mom’s face fell, eyes going glossy. She hugged the baby closer, careful not to squish him. “Oh, sweetheart. You poor thing.”
Soft footsteps sounded down the hall.
Aunt Maelis emerged from her room like a ghost stepping out of fog.
Her blonde hair hung loose and unstyled. Her blue eyes, which were usually the color of a clear sky, had dulled and hollowed since Darian died. She was pale, cheeks hollowed out more than they should be.
She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but then she saw the baby.
“Nymera,” she whispered. “What…?”
Mom turned, beaming through tears. “Come look, Maelis. Jesper found a baby.”
Aunt Maelis drifted closer as if she were afraid any sudden move would make the baby vanish.
“He’s a firedrake,” Mom told her softly. “Brown eyes. Look at that hair.Oh, he’s perfect.”
The baby stared up at Aunt Maelis, tiny fingers flexing toward her.
Something shifted in her expression. Her blue eyes lit up. Not fully like before, but a spark that hadn’t been there since Darian was killed had come back.
“He’s beautiful,” she cooed.
Rune stepped up beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist. “His foster parents died protecting him. Jesper found him. No one else even heard him crying.”
I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling too big in my own house. “This is probably too presumptuous. He needs a family, and Rune and I thought you might…”
Aunt Maelis looked at me, tears spilling over now.
She laughed, but it came out broken. “Jesper…”
“This baby,” I continued, “finding him feels like a gift from the Fates. Like he was meant to be found by me and given to you. He is meant to be here with someone who understands what it is to lose and still have love left to give.You,Aunt Maelis.”
Mom pressed a trembling kiss to the baby’s forehead and then transferred him into Maelis’s arms.
“You heard him,” she said. “He’syours.”
Maelis cradled him as if he were made of glass. The baby grabbed a lock of her hair and gave it a tug, cooing.
She laughed again; this time it sounded less broken. “He’s perfect,” she told us, voice cracking. “He’s…perfect.”
Rune put a hand on Aunt Maelis’s shoulder. “Second chances are real. Sometimes the Fates don’t give us what we asked for. Instead, they give us what we need.”
Aunt Maelis slid one finger into the baby’s tiny fist. He latched onto it with a strength that made her wince slightly.
“Mason,” she whispered.
