Page 144 of Courting the Dragon King

More plates of food appeared, followed by more wine. They ate and drank. They laughed and talked.

Wraith looked around at the group, at this mishmashed family.

My mishmashed family.

Wraith’s eyes prickled, and he suddenly had a little trouble seeing, because it did feel like his family. A group of people who saw him for what he was and accepted him.

Wraith leaned against Konrad, placing his hand on his knee. Konrad wrapped his arm around Wraith’s shoulders. They sat together, listening to the others talk. Wraith finally had somewhere he belonged and was accepted.

They remained together well into the night, as if no one wanted to leave. No one spoke anymore about a peace treaty or the future.

The future would come, of course, as it always did. But they’d face it. Together. Tonight, they’d focus on their victory and the fact that they were alive and could celebrate it.

Epilogue

Konrad tilted his head back and stared at the clear blue sky above. “I guess it is time to leave.”

“I guess so,” said Wraith.

Elias squinted back at the doors leading into the monastery. “Maybe I should have gone with our belongings in the carriage. That seems far safer, and then I don’t need to be in the air.” His fair skin had a grey tinge to it.

“Our belongings will take much longer than we will to get to Draconia.” Gerard placed his hands on Elias’s arms. “You’ll be fine. We’ll be there quick as a flash. Just close your eyes and it will soon be over.”

Elias did not look convinced.

Luther came out of the monastery and entered the courtyard in just a robe, with Onyx, fully dressed, by his side.

Luther leaned on his cane as he walked. He yawned, dark bags under his eyes. “I drank way too much last night.” Then he jabbed his finger at Onyx. “Then he kept me up for hours.”

Onyx chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Luther’s waist and tugged him close. “As I recall, you were begging for it.” Then he nipped his ear.

Luther laughed. He said something to Onyx, but his voice was too low for Konrad to hear. Which Konrad was glad for. He did not need any more details regarding his younger brother’s sex life.

Ash, Barrett, Juniper, and Senta came out and joined them in the courtyard.

“Ready to depart?” Konrad asked.

“We are,” said Barrett. “Although, we are planning a slight detour.”

Ash nodded, beaming. “Juniper and I have been talking. She thinks we can fix the Sessun River.”

“The Sessun River?” Konrad glanced between them.

“During the war, I … well—” Ash paused. “I poisoned it.”

And Konrad immediately knew the river he was talking about. He’d never seen it himself, but he’d heard about it and read the report.

Pretty pink flowers, created by nature mages, had grown along the river. The flowers were incredibly poisonous. A great number of the Draconian infantry had died, having drunk from the poisoned water. Animals and plants along the river had also died.

However, it turned out that it wasn’t numerous nature mages who’d created the flowers, as they’d assumed; it was a single nature mage. Ash Rosewood. The River of Poison was what the Draconians had called it.

“It will be nice to see it fixed and the land around it flourishing once more,” Barrett said.

“I think it will take time, though, perhaps a year or two to cleanse the area completely,” said Juniper.

“But it’ll be worth it in the end!” Ash said. “It will be wonderful when the poison is gone and everything is back as it should be.”

Barrett smiled at Ash. “It will be lovely.”