Page 65 of Dragon Keeper

I didn’t discuss it with her. I didn’t say wasting sickness, I just said that she passed away. What was I supposed to tell her? That Mother was hiding in a closet?

So snippy! Being pregnant makes you snarky,Aleana teased.

Don’t be mean. I didn’t say anything bad to her. I didn’t mean to scare her. I was just telling the truth that our father, who she knows, was a water dragon and our mother was anearth dragon. And she asked where she was. You’re lucky I didn’t tell her you had her head in a box under the bed or something.

Aleana chuckled softly.No, that would be braedor. That would totally be something he’d do, casting spells on it.

And you accuse me of being awful to your child.

I didn’t say it out loud. I have plausible deniability; only one person could possibly have heard me.

You know, I don’t even know why I brought you here.He winked at her and scooted closer. “I didn’t mean to scare you, little one. Mama’s perfectly well.”

“I told her she couldn’t have a baby. She has to wait until you’re done and then she can do it.”

He had no idea what to say to that, so he just smiled.

I can’t wait to hear what she’s going to say when you start showing.

I’ll just send her to stay with you, and then when your baby is born you can send her home. She’ll never know the difference.

Tyr thought that was a terrible idea.Mmm. You do know your child would be very unhappy here, away from the ocean and you and her father.

You’d have to worry most about her father. Mari would come and put you on a pike if you tried to take his little girl. He adores her.

So do I.

“It looks very serious in here. Why is it so foggy?” Sloan came into the cavern, laden with food.

“I was scared that my mama was going to die. Did you know that Tyr’s mama died?”

What do I say? What do I say?The trays teetered, Sloan panicking.

Just tell her you have snacks.

“I have snacks!”

“I love snacks!” Fredda paddled toward the cut rock edge of the pool.

“Oh, good.” Sloan’s two big platters of snacks held grapes and cheeses, and other fruits and ohhh pickles. Pickles and olives. He’d just discovered olives. Olives were magical.

He’d already talked to Myk about them. Olive trees needed to become a thing. He wasn’t sure how, because Myk said one couldn’t grow olives where they were. It had to be somewhere warmer. So he wasn’t sure how that was going to work, but olives were amazing.

All is well, love?Sloan asked him, meeting his gaze with a bit of worry of his own.

All is well. I made the mistake of mentioning to Fredda that my mother died of sickness, and she was worried about her mother because Aleana hasn’t been feeling well and it devolved from there. Tyr held out his hand to Sloan, who set the trays of food aside on some built-in rock shelves that were strewn around the edges of the pool and came to join them in the water.

Sloan took his hand, pulling him close to kiss his cheek.She doesn’t seem terribly upset now.

Her biggest worry now is that her mother is pregnant. She does not want Aleana to have the baby at the same time as I have mine. It’s my turn, she says.

Sloan laughed softly.How very egalitarian of her.

Tyr turned and put his back to Sloan so that Sloan could pull him against that wide chest and let him lean. He kicked his feet up so they would float, the weightlessness feeling good even though he was not terribly heavy with a child yet.

“Uncle Sloan! I was diving!”

“Were you indeed, sweet girl? And are you very good at it?”