shifted his gaze to her. “Then you came in, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it or protect you.”
“Because of the bargain you made with Goron,” she said.
He nodded, and his shoulders sagged. “I never thought either of you would come here. But none of this happened the way I planned.”
Kirin’s cheek was bleeding, his arm scratched. “I’ve got to find Lyra.”
“I’m coming with you,” Elle said. “We’re still in this together.”
Huff got up on shaky legs. “I’m coming too. I’ll do what I can to find Stein.” His gaze slid to her hold on Kirin’s hand and the way she leaned close to him.
She lifted her chin. “You loved Mom enough to fight the Stramaglias for her.”
“You know about that?”
“I talked to Zelda. So I understand why you hate some Dragons, but you can’t hate them all for the actions of a few. But why couldn’t you understand that I loved Kirin the same way you loved Mom?”
“That’s what scared me. Because when you love someone that much you go crazy for them.”
She turned to Kirin. “You fight tulpas to save them. Or put up with a grumpy Nana and a deranged father-in-law.”
Kirin’s eyebrows rose, but before he could say anything, her dad held out his hand to him. “Whatever happens or whatever role your father played in Tara’s disappearance, I respect you. And accept you as part of my daughter’s life. It’s the least I can do.”
Kirin eyed his hand, then shook it. “Thank you.”
They walked toward the front, where Kirin quickly got dressed.
At the door, she stopped and turned to her father. “Have you ever heard of an orb changing color? My blue orb turned into an orange one, and I’d already used the orange.”
Her dad frowned. “You can’t change the color. It’s impossible.”
“But that’s what happened. It’s how I was able to merge my power with Kirin’s and blast the tulpa’s head off.”
“I saw it change,” Kirin said.
She looked up at a hollow sound, almost like faraway laughter. “Could Goron have done it?”
Kirin grunted. “He didn’t seem like the type to help if he wasn’t getting something in return.”
The deities were a mystery, by their design.
“I’ll drive,” Kirin said, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips. “Your hands need rest.”
They piled into the truck’s cab and headed to Lyra’s.
* * *
“That was a nasty trick, Goron, giving the tulpa spin-off abilities like that.” Sedash’s snarl morphed to a grin. “But the Crescents still won. Which means, my deceptive friend, you lose. I will enjoy every moment of your experience at the day care facility.”
“You changed the capabilities of her orb!”
“All’s fair when one of us is cheating.”
Goron crossed his arms in front of him, settling back in his chair. “You will antagonize the rug rats, I suppose.”
“Of course. It will be chaos!” Sedash rubbed his hands together.
Crying children, stressed teachers…hell. But chaos—ah, Goron did love chaos. He would live to see another day of it. And he would win some other wager against Sedash and make him pay. That it would be at the expense of Crescents, well, there was the pure joy of it.
* * *
Kirin turned into Lyra’s apartment complex. He paused in front of two empty parking spots that were assigned to one of the apartments.
“Lyra’s Jeep isn’t here. I’m going to check her place anyway.” He pulled into one of the designated slots.
Elle’s father was sound asleep in the back seat of the cab, snoring softly. She and Kirin got out and went up the stairs to a small front porch filled with potted plants. Lyra didn’t answer Kirin’s knock or her cell phone when he called her. After leaving yet another message, he started pacing, driving his fingers through his hair in agitation. “She must be onto something.”
Elle smoothed the hair he’d just ruffled with her fingertips, a touch that used to calm him in these kinds of moments.
“Because of the bargain you made with Goron,” she said.
He nodded, and his shoulders sagged. “I never thought either of you would come here. But none of this happened the way I planned.”
Kirin’s cheek was bleeding, his arm scratched. “I’ve got to find Lyra.”
“I’m coming with you,” Elle said. “We’re still in this together.”
Huff got up on shaky legs. “I’m coming too. I’ll do what I can to find Stein.” His gaze slid to her hold on Kirin’s hand and the way she leaned close to him.
She lifted her chin. “You loved Mom enough to fight the Stramaglias for her.”
“You know about that?”
“I talked to Zelda. So I understand why you hate some Dragons, but you can’t hate them all for the actions of a few. But why couldn’t you understand that I loved Kirin the same way you loved Mom?”
“That’s what scared me. Because when you love someone that much you go crazy for them.”
She turned to Kirin. “You fight tulpas to save them. Or put up with a grumpy Nana and a deranged father-in-law.”
Kirin’s eyebrows rose, but before he could say anything, her dad held out his hand to him. “Whatever happens or whatever role your father played in Tara’s disappearance, I respect you. And accept you as part of my daughter’s life. It’s the least I can do.”
Kirin eyed his hand, then shook it. “Thank you.”
They walked toward the front, where Kirin quickly got dressed.
At the door, she stopped and turned to her father. “Have you ever heard of an orb changing color? My blue orb turned into an orange one, and I’d already used the orange.”
Her dad frowned. “You can’t change the color. It’s impossible.”
“But that’s what happened. It’s how I was able to merge my power with Kirin’s and blast the tulpa’s head off.”
“I saw it change,” Kirin said.
She looked up at a hollow sound, almost like faraway laughter. “Could Goron have done it?”
Kirin grunted. “He didn’t seem like the type to help if he wasn’t getting something in return.”
The deities were a mystery, by their design.
“I’ll drive,” Kirin said, taking her hand and kissing her fingertips. “Your hands need rest.”
They piled into the truck’s cab and headed to Lyra’s.
* * *
“That was a nasty trick, Goron, giving the tulpa spin-off abilities like that.” Sedash’s snarl morphed to a grin. “But the Crescents still won. Which means, my deceptive friend, you lose. I will enjoy every moment of your experience at the day care facility.”
“You changed the capabilities of her orb!”
“All’s fair when one of us is cheating.”
Goron crossed his arms in front of him, settling back in his chair. “You will antagonize the rug rats, I suppose.”
“Of course. It will be chaos!” Sedash rubbed his hands together.
Crying children, stressed teachers…hell. But chaos—ah, Goron did love chaos. He would live to see another day of it. And he would win some other wager against Sedash and make him pay. That it would be at the expense of Crescents, well, there was the pure joy of it.
* * *
Kirin turned into Lyra’s apartment complex. He paused in front of two empty parking spots that were assigned to one of the apartments.
“Lyra’s Jeep isn’t here. I’m going to check her place anyway.” He pulled into one of the designated slots.
Elle’s father was sound asleep in the back seat of the cab, snoring softly. She and Kirin got out and went up the stairs to a small front porch filled with potted plants. Lyra didn’t answer Kirin’s knock or her cell phone when he called her. After leaving yet another message, he started pacing, driving his fingers through his hair in agitation. “She must be onto something.”
Elle smoothed the hair he’d just ruffled with her fingertips, a touch that used to calm him in these kinds of moments.
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