Page 8 of Falling Sky

Bennett was magnificent. That was all Penley could focus on, even though he really should pay more attention to Winter and his friend.

He didn’t know what Samuel’s presence would mean for Keylon, but he hoped the two of them would find an understanding. He’d already had enough of their bickering, and it had only just started. If they were going to be like this every time they were in the same room, Penley hoped Samuel wouldn’t be moving in with Winter.

Right now, Penley wasn’t even sure if Winter would be moving in. He was overwhelmed and probably didn’t know what to think of this. It wouldn’t be easy for him, and he’d need the support of the other dragons. Penley had no doubt Bennett would give it to him, but Winter might not allow it.

Everything was so complicated. Penley wished he could go back to a peaceful life, although he wasn’t sure what that looked like. His life had been peaceful before he’d first accepted Bennett as his shield, but he hadn’t been happy back then. It had been more peaceful during the past decades, but Bennett hadn’t been with him, and he didn’t want to go back to that, either.

Maybe Penley’s life wasn’t supposed to be peaceful. He was a mage, and it looked like his life would always be chaos. Deep inside, he didn’t really care as long as Bennett was with him.

Together, they could face anything thrown at them. Even if Carlyle attacked, even if somehow, the sky fell on their heads, as long as they worked together, Penley knew everything would be all right.

Jarvis had finally managed to convince Winter and Samuel to go inside. Everyone followed, but Penley stayed behind with Bennett, who hadn’t shifted back yet. Penley remembered Bennett’s dragon from before, but it had been a long time since he’d seen him.

Bennett’s dragon was a soothing light green. Penley had always enjoyed spending time with him in his dragon form. He’d never been afraid of him. Devon would never hurt him.

But Bennett wasn’t Devon, which meant that Penley couldn’t do what he would have done in the past. He needed to ask permission to touch Bennett. “Would it be all right if I touched you?” he asked.

Bennett grinned, showing Penley his fangs. As if that wasn’t answer enough, he bumped his head against Penley’s chest, almost sending him flying. Penley pushed back and gently rubbed his fingertips on top of Bennett’s nose.

“It’s been a while since I last did this,” he murmured.

Bennett rumbled and gave him another headbutt. Penley grabbed Bennett’s head with both of his hands and gave him a gentle squeeze. Then, feeling daring, he kissed Bennett’s nose.

“It’s a pity we don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “We should go inside with the others. I don’t want to leave Keylon and Samuel without supervision. Who knows how we’d find them if we did.”

Bennett huffed. A plume of smoke rose from his nostrils, and he opened his wings. Penley didn’t know if Bennett and Meyer had gone flying since they’d arrived at the castle, but he hoped they had. They’d had to be careful when shifting for decades, and now, they finally didn’t have to.

The castle was protected with several spells that also hid it. The same went for the skies around it. It had been one of the first things the mages had done when they’d decided to call this place home. They’d known that eventually they’d get the dragons back, and when they did, they’d need to fly. They didn’t want the dragons to have to hide, which meant casting a spell so that people wouldn’t notice them. That spell had gone unused for decades, but not anymore.

Penley patted Bennett’s paw. “I’m going inside. You can stay out here if you want. I won’t be alone keeping an eye on Keylon.”

Just like that, Bennett’s dragon was gone, and in his place stood Bennett the man. Penley wasn’t sure which one he preferred. Bennett’s dragon was impressive and as sweet and gentle as he was in his human form, but Penley really liked hugging his shield. That was a bit hard to do when Bennett was in his dragon form, so maybe Penley preferred his human form.

Either way, Bennett was Bennett.

Bennett hooked an arm around Penley’s shoulders and squeezed. “Let’s go. Keylon and Samuel might get into a fight, and I want to be there to see it.”

Penley gently slapped Bennett’s chest. “Don’t say that. I don’t want them to fight. I think Samuel is important to Winter, and if Keylon wants Winter back, he’s going to have to learn to live with that.”

Bennett grimaced. “I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

The others hadn’t gone far. Jarvis had chosen the nearest sitting room, and the mages and dragons were scattered around, some sitting down, others hovering by the windows. Winter and Samuel were sitting on one of the couches. Samuel kept glancing around, but Winter’s focus was entirely on Jarvis and Keylon, who was sitting next to him.

Keylon looked heartbroken. His gaze jumped from Winter to Samuel and back, and even though Samuel had said that he and Winter were just friends, Penley could tell that Keylon didn’t believe that. Seeing how close Winter and Samuel were, it was understandable, but Penley couldn’t see a reason why they should lie.

“I don’t know what this is all about, but I’m warning you that I won’t hesitate to blast a hole in your wall and escape if you have anything bad in mind,” Samuel warned as he looked around.

Jarvis smiled at him. “We were looking for Winter because he’s part of our family. As long as you don’t attack us, we won’t do anything to hurt you.”

Samuel crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Good. Now tell me more about that guy you defeated, the one who took away your dragons. What was his name?”

“His name was Carlyle, and he’s back.”

Samuel sucked in a breath. “Holy shit. You’re the guys who defeated Carlyle?”

There was a new respect in his voice, although Penley couldn’t tell if it extended to Keylon. He hoped so, because otherwise, this situation had the potential to be explosive.

And not in a good way.

* * * *

Bennett was glad to see that Samuel wasn’t gearing up for a fight. He and Keylon regularly glared at each other, but that seemed to be the extent of their bickering at the moment. Hopefully, they had let everything out in the courtyard and were ready to behave like adults.

Bennett could only imagine how hard this was for Keylon. His shield was in front of him, but he didn’t remember him, and he’d arrived with another mage. Anyone would have thought that Samuel and Winter were mage and shield, and it had to be worse than it had been for Jarvis when he’d realized that Marlow had a child. Jason’s mother wasn’t in the picture, but Samuel very much was. Keylon had to feel betrayed, even though Winter didn’t remember him.

Bennett had no idea how they’d deal with this mess, but they had to if they wanted to defeat Carlyle.

Jarvis nodded. “We are the mages who defeated Carlyle,” he confirmed to Samuel.

“And he took your dragons and their memories?” Samuel whistled. “I heard wild stories about what happened, but this is worse.”

“How would you know?” Keylon snapped. “You don’t have a shield. You have no idea what it feels like to lose your shield, and when you find him again, he doesn’t remember you.”

Samuel opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He pressed his lips together, and while he looked pissed, he nodded once at Keylon. Bennett was surprised that he wasn’t arguing, but he was a mage. He might not have a shield, but he had to understand how painful all of this was for Keylon.

“Look, I’m sorry all this happened to you and Winter, but it wasn’t my fault, and like I told you earlier, he’s not my shield,” Samuel said. “He never was, and I never had any plans to ask him to take on that role. I’m fine on my own until I find the right person.”

Keylon looked like he didn’t believe it. It would take him time to wrap his mind around this. Hopefully, he wouldn’t always look at Samuel as an enemy. Samuel and Winter were close, and if Winter decided to stick around, Samuel probably would, too.

Jarvis cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention again. He was looking at Samuel, and Bennett wondered what he was thinking. Probably that they’d have to include Samuel in the plans they were making.

“As I mentioned earlier, Carlyle is back. We trapped him in a gemstone when we fought him, but he escaped, and he’s after our dragons and us.”

Samuel frowned. “Why didn’t you kill him? It would have been easier, and you’d have been sure he wouldn’t return.”

“That was my fault,” Jarvis admitted. “Carlyle was my apprentice, and I didn’t want to believe he’d truly become that kind of person. I hoped I could change his mind, but I was wrong. The time he spent in the gemstone didn’t change him, either. He’s as angry as before, if not angrier.”

“And he wants revenge?” Winter asked.

“He does. I’m sorry we dragged you into this, but it’s best if you stay at the castle. You’ll be protected here, and Carlyle won’t be able to get to you.”

Samuel crossed his arms over his chest, and his chin jutted forward. Bennett could tell by his expression that he was about to be stubborn and kind of wanted to slap him upside the head. Luckily for Samuel, he was too far away. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to resist the temptation if he’d been closer.

“Me and my coven can protect him,” Samuel said.

Bennett blinked. He didn’t know much about the mages beyond the ones who lived here. He had dozens of questions, but he’d been focused on Penley and what they were going to do about Carlyle. He hadn’t realized that mages lived in covens, although maybe he should have, since he’d been told that dragons lived in clans until they became shields. Mages and dragons were intertwined even before they bonded.

Jarvis’s voice was gentle when he answered. “I have no doubt your coven can protect him and has until now, but do you really want Carlyle to find him? He might not look for Winter straightaway, but eventually, he will. That puts everyone around Winter in danger, including you and your coven. My family and I have been preparing for this ever since we trapped Carlyle. We knew he might come back, since the gemstone was gone when we woke up after casting the spell, and this place is the safest you can find against him. He’s still recuperating, but that won’t last forever. Once he decides to attack, he’ll take down the most vulnerable of us first. Here, we’re protected, but Winter would be a target out there, and so would you. Unless you walk away from him, Carlyle is going to try to take you out.”

Samuel opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, there was a quick knock on the door, and Jillian walked in carrying a tray. She wasn’t alone. Matthias and Thorne came in behind her.

“Jillian?” Jarvis asked.

“I have no idea what’s going on, but we have guests, and I thought everyone could use a break and a snack.”

“Now isn’t the moment,” Tyne snapped.

Jillian wasn’t intimidated. She narrowed her eyes at him as she put down her tray. “Did I ask your opinion? Because I don’t remember doing so.” She turned toward Winter and Samuel and smiled. “Welcome to our little family. Please ignore Tyne. He’s grumpy on the best of days, and lately, he hasn’t had a lot of those.”

“You make me sound like a monster,” Tyne mumbled as he snagged a small sandwich from the tray.

“You’re not a monster, but you can’t deny you’ve been especially grumpy lately. Maybe you should talk to Meyer and let go of your anger.”

Bennett gaped. Everyone else had danced around the issue, but Jillian hadn’t hesitated. She’d told Tyne what she thought, and he appeared too stunned to say anything back.

Jillian didn’t wait for Tyne to argue with her. She smiled at Samuel and Winter again, then gestured at Thorne and Matthias to follow her out. Thorne went right away, but Matthias was more hesitant. When Parker waved at him to sit down, he beamed and quickly did so, then leaned forward to stare at Samuel and Winter as he grabbed a sandwich.

“So this Carlyle guy is dangerous and wants revenge,” Winter said slowly. “And he’s the one who took my memories and my life.”

“Yes,” Jarvis confirmed.

“I want to kick his ass.”

Bennett grinned. He might not remember Winter or whether the two of them had been close, but he seemed like his kind of guy.

Jarvis shook his head. “I wish it were that easy. We don’t know where Carlyle is, and we’re unable to locate him using seeking spells. From what we know, he’s taken two apprentices. We’re pretty sure they’re human, so they should be fairly easy to deal with in a fight, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. I wouldn’t dismiss them entirely, even though Carlyle is our focus.”

“How long will it take him to get all his magic back?” Samuel asked. “I mean, he’s been in that gemstone for decades. It’s not going to be quick, right?”

“Probably not, but I’m sure he’s taking advantage of the fact that we can’t find him.”

Samuel leaned forward and took a sandwich. “So what’s your next step? What are you planning to do?”

“We still have one shield to find. That’s what we’ll focus on, and as soon as we have him, we can work on getting rid of Carlyle.”

Winter nodded. “Permanently this time?”

Jarvis briefly closed his eyes. “We won’t have a choice. It’s the only reasonable outcome after what he did last time and considering what he’s doing now. Not killing him would mean that he’ll come back again and again, and no one here wants to deal with that. Fighting him once was hard enough. Fighting him a second time is going to take a lot out of us, but doing so a third time would probably kill us. I’m ready to end this.”

The door slammed open.

* * * *

Penley jumped when Emory burst into the room. His eyes were wide as he looked around, and Penley wondered why. Emory hadn’t been in the courtyard with the others, possibly because he felt it wasn’t his place. He couldn’t shift, so he wouldn’t have been able to protect them against the people at the door. Luckily, they didn’t need to be protected. Winter and Samuel weren’t here to attack them.

Well, Winter wasn’t. Penley still wasn’t sure about Samuel, but even if he did something stupid, it would probably be against Keylon, and Keylon would probably deserve it.

“What the fuck is it now?” Samuel asked as he got to his feet and placed himself in front of Winter.

Winter growled and caught Samuel’s arm, pulling him back onto the couch. “You have to stop doing that. I can defend myself.”

Samuel snorted. “Sure you can. That’s why you needed my help when these guys tried finding you.”

“I didn’t want anyone to be able to find me. Now stop it. I might not be your shield, but I’m supposed to protect mages.”

“Alvin?” Emory asked.

Winter wrinkled his nose. “You know, I don’t like that name. I’m happy with the one I chose for myself.”

Emory blinked. “You don’t like your name?”

“I don’t know about the old me, but I certainly don’t. I’m Winter.”

Emory straightened his back. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Winter narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t have two mages before, right? You’re not about to tell me that you’re my mage, too?”

“Of course not. Every mage has one dragon, and every dragon has one mage.”

“Then who are you?”

Emory licked his lips and looked around the room. Penley hadn’t been very close to the mages and the shields before. He hadn’t had time. They’d been focused on their fight against Carlyle, and while the mages had welcomed him and had felt like family, Penley hadn’t known much about their private lives. He remembered hearing about Winter’s brother, though. He’d been the reason Winter and Keylon had agreed so readily to help Jarvis against Carlyle. Winter had been broken after his brother had vanished, and he’d known that the only way to get him back was to deal with Carlyle because he’d been the one to make him disappear.

Penley had never put two and two together. He’d heard Alvin, aka Winter, talk about his brother, but his memories were distant, and Emory had never mentioned Winter, and he certainly hadn’t mentioned them being brothers. He’d said he was here because he wanted revenge against Carlyle, nothing more.

“Your brother,” Emory said.

Samuel sucked in a breath. “You didn’t tell me you had a brother,” he told Winter.

Winter glared at him. “That would be because I don’t remember having a brother.”

Penley’s heart ached for Emory. Not only had he lost his dragon, but he’d also lost his brother. Penley had no idea what Emory had done all this time, and while he wouldn’t be surprised to find out he’d stayed at his cabin since Carlyle had hurt him, he suspected Emory would have at least tried to find his brother. Without his dragon, it would have been impossible. Hell, not even the mages had managed, and they’d all worked on it.

Penley and the other mages had failed too many times. They’d failed to kill Carlyle and secure peace and safety. They’d failed to keep their dragons and to give them their memories back. It had taken them way too long to find the dragons, and even now, they were missing one.

They’d failed to protect Emory. They hadn’t even realized he needed protecting. He’d been Carlyle’s shield, and they’d been a couple. Everyone had assumed that Emory was on Carlyle’s side until he’d vanished, and it had been too late to help him then.

But it wasn’t now. Penley’s magic might not be the strongest, but he’d find a way to help Emory. He couldn’t give Winter his memories back, but maybe he could give Emory his dragon. While he’d only found a few hints at what he needed, he wasn’t giving up.

If this was the only thing he could do against Carlyle, he’d be happy to do it. Even if it was useless in their fight against the other mage, if he could make Emory happy, Penley would be satisfied.

Winter got to his feet. He looked understandably awkward. He stepped closer to Emory, and with the two of them so close, Penley could see the resemblance.

“You’re really my brother?” Winter asked.

Emory nodded. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m really sorry, but I don’t remember you. I don’t remember anything.”

“I know, and it’s fine. You don’t have to remember me to be my brother. We can build a new relationship.”

Penley leaned against Bennett’s side. It was good to see Emory and Winter like this, even though everyone in the room knew that their problems weren’t over. They had to find Kent, and once they did, there would still be a fight against Carlyle to deal with. It was scary, but they didn’t have a choice.

It was either them or him, and Penley wasn’t about to sacrifice himself. He finally had his dragon back, and he wasn’t giving him up. He was going to protect Bennett, even if it was the last thing he did. He’d protect the other dragons and the mages, too.

Penley wasn’t as strong as the other mages. He wasn’t as powerful, and his specialty wasn’t as useful. Bennett believed in him, though, and he wasn’t the only one. Penley had never really believed in himself, but it was time he started.

And if he couldn’t, Bennett would believe in him enough for both of them.