Page 149 of Tailwind

I was thankful for Bach’s suggestion, I didn’t have any words of my own. One by one they squeezed my shoulder, patted Gottyk and headed for the door.

‘Bach, did you know she has wyverns? Plural.’ Josie’s attempt to lift the mood drifted away.

‘Really?’ Bach sounded interested, talking over Cam’s grunts and shushes to Josie.

With one last thud of the aviary door I was alone with Gottyk. He cooed at me, letting me hang my arms around his neck as I shook, still crying. I couldn’t let go. Not since I’d seen him crawl out of his egg four years ago had I ever been able to think about anything else.

‘I’m sorry.’ I cradled his snout in my hands. ‘I’m so sorry.’

His inner lids blinked, then his outer ones.

I laughed, choking on my tears at the goofy attempt at cheering me up.

‘Did you know, buddy …’ – He tilted his head and rumbled, as curious as ever. – ‘… that I love you so, so much?’

Gottyk huffed at me, blasting my face with hot air.

Yes, he knew.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The late evening sun warmed my back. It was one of the best things about being home – dry heat with a light sea breeze. The other good parts were Lynk’s cooking, hanging out with Cam and being able to bring my friends with me. The small garden behind the cottage was full.

‘Just let me see the wyverns and I’ll be able to advise you on race strategy,’ Josie leaned forward on the picnic table, bypassing my failed attempts at being a buffer.

‘No.’ Cam was as surly as ever on the other side of me. She ripped into a grilled sausage from the barbecue.

Lynk, who was doing the grilling, watched in awe as Josie continued to bother Cam. Colly stood with him, deep in a one-sided conversation.

‘My dad says you should let the meat rest. I can’t remember if it was before or after cooking it though, so maybe we should do both? It was either for fifteen minutes or fifty minutes.’ He shot a worried look at Quinn who was happily eating his meal with us at the table. ‘Does that taste like it was well rested?’

Theo hid a laugh with his bottle of beer next to Quinn, catching my eye.

‘It still doesn’t feel right letting you drink that.’ Cam grunted at him, taking out her annoyance on anyone other than Josie.

‘As if you didn’t know me and Lena were taking some up to the cliffs by the time we were sixteen.’ He gave her one of his winning smiles.

Cam tossed the remainder of her sausage at him. It bounced off his head on to the floor where Colly inspected it.

‘I forgot that doesn’t work on you.’ He fussed at his hair. It was messy, but not the specific messy he’d styled it in before the sausage had hit.

‘It’s a Paldon thing.’ Cam brushed him off the same as always.

Theo glanced at me, as if expecting me to disagree.

‘Okay, make room for more!’ Trea came out of the house and added more plates stacked with food to the table, leaving a small gap in the middle. ‘Bets are open, gang. Now that Ellas Ruan is off to Volitant Forge next season, who’s winning Chroma? My money’s on Lena Paldon!’

She dropped her cash into the only space left on the table and winked at me. The others started rummaging in their pockets.

‘Quinn Potts.’ Quinn matched Trea’s bet. Out of all of us he was most likely – he’d ended up second behind Ellas at the end of the season.

‘Colly Balen!’ Colly raised his hands in the air as he called his own name. Then he leaned over Quinn’s shoulder. ‘I don’t have any cash. Can you spot me?’

I snorted a laugh. It was funny, but his chances at a championship win in the next season were very serious.

Josie went next. ‘Lena Paldon.’

‘Can’t disagree with you on this one. Lena.’ Cam added to the pool.