Eden giggled, then motioned for Romilly to put his little one down. The second Archer's feet were on the floor, Eden tugged him from the room. He sent one glance back toward Romilly as if to let him know he had it covered.
The second they were gone, Hadrian let out a breath. "That was a close call. I didn't even think when I said Soren's name. I'm sorry, brother."
"It is fine," Romilly said, his voice bone-weary. "My little one will have to know soon, either way. I cannot keep living a lie, especially when the urge to claim him is so strong."
With one last nod to Hadrian, Romilly took off for the landing pad where his brother would be. The space was tucked between parts of the castle, creating a cocoon of safety for whenever a flyer arrived. It had been built during battle times and had withstood the years since.
As soon as he was in the open space, Soren dropped before him, their large dragon form creating an earthquake of movement. Romilly smiled at his sibling.
"Welcome home."
Soren transformed in a blink, their large magenta body shifting back into their lean human form. Their long dark hairshimmered in the light of the sun. A helper rushed out with clothing for them. Soren thanked the person by name, which they were always good at, then got dressed. From their silence, Romilly took it to mean the time away hadn't gone well.
Once they were fully dressed, they stepped forward and embraced Romilly in a hug. "It is good to see you too. I am glad to be back. I was gone far too long, it seems. From what I hear, things have been exciting here."
Romilly smiled, knowing they meant his mate. "Yes, it has been quite different. I am very happy to see you. Now, should we convene here or in the privacy of my office?"
"Your office," Soren said, "and we should probably get Father."
At that, Romilly's eyes widened, because involving Father meant this was something that went past Romilly's expertise, or perhaps involved long-past commitments his father had made.
Romilly opened the channel in his mind that connected him to his family. "Father, we would like you to meet us in the office. Soren has returned."
"I will be there momentarily," his father replied.
Together, the pair walked quietly through the halls, nodding to others and greeting people as they saw fit, until they reached the office. Inside, Silas was waiting for them.
"Father," Soren said, moving forward and embracing the other man much as they had done Romilly. There was a touch more warmth there, but Romilly took no offense. Soren was most like their dad in demeanor, and the pair were quite close.
"Now tell us what you have, child. I am to believe that my being requested here means there is more to what happened."
Soren stepped back, then moved to one of the empty chairs across from Romilly's desk. Their father filled the other and Romilly moved behind it.
As soon as they were seated, Soren began. "I bring news back from the Fae. It is nothing bad, I would say, but complicated at least. Our alliance with them is weak. They have new faction leadership on the horizon. Conflicts within their ranks have led to diminishing numbers. A vote is being held to see who will be crowned next as their leader, and at this time it means our alliance is pending renewal. I am not sure if things will work in our favor afterward or not."
Silas hummed. "I see. Do you have a reason to believe they would change so suddenly? Are the people they are voting on that different?"
Romilly wanted to know the answer as well. The way Soren spoke made it seem as if neither party would be interested in an alliance. He suspected that wasn't the case, though, which begged the question of exactly who was running.
Soren closed their eyes for a moment. When they opened again, gold wrapped around their irises as their dragon came forward. Romilly immediately knew the issue.
"It is the Sablemere and Everspur families."
At their announcement, Silas nodded solemnly. "Well, I could see how one of those would be an issue. What are the odds of Everspur winning at this point in time? Did you get a feel for what was to come?"
One of Soren's many gifts was the ability to sense others' feelings on matters. They could tell when people were angry or sad, liked or not. It was the same gift their mother had, though Soren's was nowhere near as strong. It would grow with age, but for now they could pick up on large groups rather than individuals.
"I could sense that there was disquiet," Soren said. "I am not clear on who will win, but from speaking with people, I could tell that Everspur did have an advantage."
"Did you happen to speak with—" Romilly started, then stopped when Soren's gaze cut his way. It was sharp, their dragon itching to come out. Smoke seeped from their nose and ears as anger radiated from them.
"No," they said sternly. The single word carried heavy meaning.
Romilly hated that there was so much animosity between Soren and the Fae. Not all of them, but Ossiren Everspur wasn't welcome in Soren's life, nor any of the Saint family's really. It would mean a tough case for alliance continuance should they win.
But an alliance wasnecessary.
Magical beings had to stick together. It was crucial with the way humans were. Should anything be revealed, it could be catastrophic. Having alliances meant they would work together if anything were to arise, to quell any type of action taken against them.
