Page 69 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“I’d never thought about it like this before.”

“No, I don’t think anybody in this kingdom has. I think a lot of what is in place now dates back to the time when thekingdoms were unified. It was a time when the war had torn the realm apart and some structure was needed in order to rebuild. But times change, and these things never have.”

“I can’t believe you got anybody to go for this.” I mused out loud.

What would my father say when he heard of it? As much merit as I think Jaxus’ ideas have, he is going up against the most closed off of all fae. Healers were not going to welcome such radical thought.

“We need all the help we can get,” he argued. “If there is a war and their weapon is Dragon’s Bane, we won’t be able to send vital healers out with the flights. So we have you. And then we have what we can train others to do.”

He had thought of everything.

I had to go over all of this. Make sense of it fully in my mind, but it could work.

“I see your wheels turning. Don’t worry, you can shape it how you want it to be. And you can set up a schedule and a plan. I know you like to be in control. But I wanted to show you before you said no.”

I tried to reply, but he stopped me with a finger pressed to my lips before I could say anything. “And you would have said no, Kiera, so don’t deny it. You’d have said it can’t be done. But I’ve proved it can, and your father agrees.”

My mouth hung open. “My father knows about this and thinks it’s a good thing?”

“Of course. Did you think I made this happen behind his back?”

Come to think of it, that would have been nearly impossible. But I couldn’t believe he was on board so easily.

“Did he put up much resistance?”

“He made me show I’d worked through all the possible issues and prove I’d thought it through. But I can be pretty convincing, you know.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He said he likes that in your flyer.”

“He said that?” I refused to accept it. My father didn’t like anyone. Let alone flyers. He knew I’d been called to be a ryder, but I’d hardly had a chance to see him to hear his thoughts. I thought he wasn’t happy about me being a ryder. And I know the council will hate it. But it’s out of their control as much as it is mine.

“He said, unlike most flyers, I have a brain, not just meat in my head.”

I was lost for words. I wanted to thank him. But most of all, I wanted to go back to bed.

“You doing okay?” He looked concerned, clearly seeing on my face the wave of exhaustion that crashed over me all of a sudden.

I didn’t want to admit it to him because he would be insufferable, but I was spent already just from being upright and active for a few measly minutes and not actually achieving anything. I knew I wouldn’t last much longer and if I was my patient, I would have cautioned that at first, even the smallest effort would be draining and to go carefully. But the weight of my work had dragged me here and now, it seemed I could maybe afford to rest a bit longer after all, and it all hit me.

“I think you need to go back to bed,” he said without any reply from me.

“I’m good. I just—I have to check out all your hard work,” I insisted.

“I have Vanya overseeing it. She’s been monitoring the helpers and checking everything. You don’t need to be here right now when you look like your legs aren’t going to support you much longer.”

I moved to the doorway and looked out at the team of workers getting so much done and felt torn in two.

“I’ll make you a deal. Come back to your chambers and I’llhave Vanya bring you a full report and sit with you to talk over the plans. How does that sound?”

“Let me just see what they are doing first.” I walked ahead, not waiting for a response and approached the first bench, listening in on the instruction being given by the healer.

“Kiera,”he said into my mind.“You’re exhausted. It’s written all over you.”

I ignored him, moving along to the next bench, where there were two of the bigger flyers pounding ingredients in a pestle with a vigor I doubted this room had ever seen.

I swayed slightly and I put my hand out towards the bench to steady myself.