Page 158 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

I blinked. How was I meant to respond to that? After all these years of mistreatment, now I was welcome?

He looked suitably acquiescent, but could I trust it?

I didn’t get too much time to think before he looked to his ryder and they seemed to exchange words through their bond then he nodded and looked back with a sheepish smile. “And I think we’d all like you to show us that move you did to mount up.”

My lips curled up without my permission. “I can show you, but it’s healing magic, so I don’t know if it will translate.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“We’ve recently learned that a few of us have a little of that. So if you have time to teach us, I’m sure we can grasp it with some practice.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t look so terrified, Firefly,”Jaxus spoke softly through the bond.“Stand your ground and hold your head high. We are the strongest pair in the legion behind Nyx and Zaria. They should kneel, and they should want to learn from you. Own it.”

His words were a balm.“I love you,”I replied before mustering every scrap of confidence I had in me and launching into a lesson on how I control air, the healer way.

SIXTY

JAXUS

Ilifted my gaze to the door of the training room and saw Nyx watching my flight training. He tilted his head in a signal to join him. I turned to Kiera, and she spotted Nyx.

“You go. I’ll oversee this,” she said confidently.

It made me almost burst with pride at how far she had come since our assessment day. Not only was she now able to be in a room with those who had previously tormented her, but she was confident enough to lead them in a training exercise based on using her very unique skills in battle.

Things like this had never been done in these kingdoms, and she was pioneering it. The thing was, while it was my idea back when I just wanted to get her some help, it had turned into something much bigger than she was running with. There were so many ways to utilize specific powers in battle scenarios that the flights have never explored since they had dragon fire and brutestrength. The flyers in our flight had really taken to the idea, and we were now having special extra training sessions to tap into what other powers our flyers had in their arsenals and share the skills with each other. We would be a formidable unit by the time war came if we had all taught each other how to tap into magic we never thought could help.

I left them talking and headed for Nyx.

“Can you talk?” he asked as I reached him.

“Yes, Kiera has this. What do you need?”

“Come to my office,” he said, turning on his heel and heading for the stairs.

“Uh oh,” I murmured, following.

When we reached his office, he held the door open for me, and I found Luka sitting in one of the chairs.

He waved. “Hey, Jaxus. Good to see you.”

“Hello, Luka,” I replied, sitting in the other chair. I hadn’t seen him since—well, since Kiera was poisoned. “How’s it going?”

“That’s why I came to get you. Luka is going to fill us in on his findings,” Nyx told me, rounding his desk and taking his chair.

I turned my eyes back to the unassuming fae in surprise. “You’ve been working on the river all this time?”

“Yep, and it took you fools long enough to realize I needed you to pull me out.” He rolled his eyes.

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Nyx chuckled. “What he means is that he got himself so entangled with what’s going on down there that he couldn’t risk being seen with any ties to the palace, so he just kept working with his new friends and waited for one of us to come looking for him.”

“So, how did you pull him out without giving it away that you knew each other? I’m confused.” I said.

Nyx sighed. “I was tired of Zaria asking every day if I’dheard from Luka, so I took a stroll down to the river to see what I could see.”