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Their beaming smiles warmed her heart. They only wanted to be accepted as they were and make a difference in the world. For they were not just beasts or monsters, they had a heart and soul, and Nina couldn’t be prouder of them. But she would find a cure, no matter how long it took. She owed them that much.
Chapter Fifty-Three
New Adventure
Michael
I spent a day sifting through the rubble of my home, salvaging what I could and piling the debris in a heap by the road. Heaving armfuls of wood I had chopped earlier, I stacked logs in front of the broken walls of my home that still stood.
I made my way over to the apple trees by the stream, their weeping boughs casting a sorrowful shade over Peter’s gravesite. A cairn of stones marked his resting place, so I added one more to commemorate his passing and one to Mother’s. Though we didn’t have a body to lay her to rest, I made a place for her next to Peter.
Closing my wings, I wiped sweat off my forehead. “What do you think? The same size or bigger?”
I imagined my parents telling me, “Michael, build a home you want.” Only, I had planned to travel for a while. Have an adventure of my own, to see what was out there.
The water looked inviting so I took off my shoes, rolled my pants up to my knees and dipped in up to my ankles. The cool water gave some relief to my aching feet. So I scooped up water and splashed my face and bare chest.
A human passing by might think of me crazy, for winter was approaching and the water was freezing.
“Michael!” Abagail sprinted toward me from the road, waving her hand as fast as her hair flapping behind her. And … Kyle? He ran with her while holding her hand.
After we blasted Mount Stones, Gorgo’s soldiers took the survivors to a small hidden village in a forest where Gorgo had escaped to when he left his brother. By King Victus’s order, the survivors got their homes back, and if their farmland was destroyed, they were compensated through coins. But some villagers continued to stay with Gorgo in the forest.
Gorgo sauntered up with Tank, Otis, Dawn, Snow, Markane, and Abacus. What a pleasant surprise. Even Sunshine and Midnight held on to Snow’s shoulders, one on each side.
I didn’t bother to put on my shoes or a shirt and took Abagail and Kyle in my arms. I had asked Gorgo to escort my sister home while I cleaned up the mess. But I didn’t mind the extra visitors.
“Michael, it’s good to see you again.” Snow’s voice melted me and I forced my gaze to the others to be polite. The two mice bowed and wiggled their noses in greeting.
I extended my hand and offered a courtly bow. “Welcome to my humble home. Asmodeus decorated the place. Don’t you just love it?”
“Praise the heavens that motherfucker is dead.” Tank cleared his throat. “Don’t you have a shirt?” He crossed his arms and twitched his biceps.
Insecure, is he? I snorted. “The shirt rips when my wings expand. I’m extra-large in more ways than one. And I only have one left that has a slit in the back.”
The one my mother made for me.
I winked at Snow and got a giggle out of her.
Dawn’s lustful gaze roamed down my body, likely imagining how large.
Abacus smacked Tank’s back. “It’s okay, big guy. At least yours is bigger than Markane’s. A long story, but Joleen called him Tiny Dick.”
Markane scowled and bared his teeth.
We laughed harder except for the littlest visitor. Abagail had covered his ears. The mice flipped side to side, squeaking as if they were laughing too. Did they understand what was said?
“No more talking about you know what.” I jerked a chin toward Kyle, then gave a wide smile. “It was nice of you to come visit, but I have much work to do. Please stay and talk among yourselves, and maybe eat some apples.”
I headed to the pile of logs and picked up a hammer and ax. Footsteps trailed behind me. Everyone, even Kyle picked up a tool.
“It’s faster if we pitch in.” Gorgo shrugged. “Besides, this was once my sanctuary away from my family. Your parents welcomed me with open arms so I would like to help.”
“I didn’t know your parents,” Markane threw in for a good laugh as he twirled a hammer. “But I would like to assist you. And Abacus too, even though he’s small.”
Abacus threw a punch at Markane’s face but missed, and Markane playfully throat choked him from behind.
Abagail covered Kyle’s eyes again as she shook her head. Before I could protest, Dawn and Otis took flight, their wings fluttering toward the roof. Tank tossed logs toward them one by one the way he had tossed the children at Mount Stones.
