Page 96 of Interion

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Zion transported us to a spring near the Dornéu arena. There was a small forest there, and in the center of it, a natural pool awaited us. Its water was so crystal clear you could see the white sand at the bottom perfectly.

As my eyes scanned every corner of the untouched wilderness, I realized it was a miracle that preservation areas like this still existed in the outer wall region, since Interion was running short on space for farming and raising livestock. I asked Zion why this region wasn't used for agriculture, and he told me the Dornéu was the only preserved area precisely because the ruins were a historical heritage site.

The three of us drank and splashed around a little to cool off. When night fell, we headed back with Zion holding me firmly in his arms. The truce had ended, but apparently we'd managed to find a balance in our relationship, and even though it was fragile, it was already something promising.

I thought about everything I'd discovered in the last three days and smiled to myself. Zion was a descendant who had worked with my parents. This indicated there was much more to learn, because my parents weren't bad people—they wouldn't have handed over camps to be exterminated. They died precisely because they defended the people kept in them. I realized the story was unfolding before my eyes. I just had to connect the dots. And I would.

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“Mommy, who is this man you're talking to?” I asked, entering the living room of the treehouse.

My mother hid the earpiece she carried with her everywhere. A man's voice came through from the other end, and she quickly turned off the device, cutting off the sound.

“I already told you, my love.” She sighed, relieved to see it was just me. “He works with Mommy.”

“Can I talk to him too?”

My mother had red hair and was a woman of strong build, fierce and shrewd, as any Drutes should be. When she spoke, everyone stopped to listen, as if her voice held them in a spell only she knew how to weave. Her eyes were the color of molten gold, and even the strongest men trembled under her gaze. I loved her more than anything, but I feared her just as much.

“I can't tell you his name, my little scarlet.” She picked me up and tossed me in the air while I laughed. “It's dangerous for a little doll like you.”

When she stopped tossing me up and held me in her arms, I squeezed her cheeks with both hands.

“But you're also a little doll, Mommy. So why can you and I can't?” I insisted, pouting.

“Because you're still a fragile little doll and could break. You need to become strong like Mommy. Then, when that happens, I'll tell you. For now, it's not safe. There are bogeymen who can get into your thoughts and hurt you.” She walked two fingers across my chest and poked my ribs.

I laughed from the tickling, squirming in her arms. Then Mommy moved her fingers up and placed them on my forehead, giving a light push. Even with all her charms, I didn't forget my curiosity.

“Is he a good man, Mom?”

Lagertha sat down on a wooden bench in the room and settled me on her lap. Then she began braiding my hair into two tight plaits close to my scalp, just as she did with her own.

“He is a good man, little scarlet,” she replied, her voice thoughtful and worried.

“What does he do, Mom?” I was so curious about him. When I heard his voice, it was as if I recognized it—it made my little heart beat faster. As if to confirm it, my heart began racing again, and I rubbed my chest, uncomfortable.

My mother looked at me with tenderness and hugged me tight. Then she leaned close to my ear and whispered:

“He is someone who looks after our people.”

Chapter 25

“You’re going to soak the whole room if you keep that up—just stay still,” the general said to the chimera as he filled the jacuzzi tub along the wall.

It was his favorite of all the changes Kyller had made to the house—not that he’d admit it was for his own pleasure. He claimed it was because the chimera fit perfectly inside. She drooped her ears and slowly sank into the water while Zion scrubbed her neck and then lower, where the fur ended and blended into white feathers at the base of her wings. The bathwater was still brown, and this was already the second time he’d drained and refilled it.

“I don’t see why I need another bath when I already had one earlier.”

“And then you rolled in the mud by the fishing pier. Now you reek of carrion,” Zion retorted, working in the shampoo his partner had given him earlier.

He sat on the black marble edge with his legs dangling in the foul-smelling water. The stench of dead fish permeated every corner of the room, clinging even to his hair, which hung disheveled around his face.

“That, my love, is the scent of happiness. It’s not my fault your nose isn’t as good as mine.”

Zion held back a laugh, scrubbing even more shampoo into Kiara’s chubby body. He’d been at this for an hour now, trying to get the smell off the creature, and he was mentally begging for a bath of his own.