"No," Tyrus said. "I must lead--"
He stopped short, and in his eyes, Moria saw a thoughtful look, as if perhaps he was reflecting back on what Alvar had said, mocking Gavril for following Tyrus's orders.
They are not their fathers. Yet there are similarities, and they must be careful not to fall into the same traps.
Tyrus took the meat from Gavril. "Yes, you go. Please. Tell them--" He clapped Gavril on the shoulder. "Just be careful."
Gavril nodded and headed for the doorway.
"Kitsune?" Moria called. When he turned, she said, "Be very careful. And stay away from . . ."
"I know," he said. "I suspect he is long gone. Running from battle is a talent of his. Stay here and rest."
He left, and Tyrus lifted the small dragon, grunting as he did and saying he did not plan to play dragon-nursemaid himself. Yet he moved her to the fire and took pains settling Zuri and then began cutting meat off the chunk. He tried laying it in front of her. She ignored it, until he was putting down another piece . . . and she snatched it from his hand.
Ashyn laughed. "Apparently, she expects you to feed her, too."
He sighed, and between bites, Zuri's adoring gaze followed his every move.
"She's imprinted on you," Ashyn said. "Like a bird."
He sighed again.
Moria snorted. "It's a dragon, Tyrus, not an inconvenient stray kitten. When is the last time that a Tatsu even saw an actual dragon?"
He leaned over and mock-whispered, "I know, it's amazing, but I don't want her getting too full of herself." He looked at the dragon. "You'll need to behave and pull your own weight. Or I'll have the girls put you back to sleep."
Tyrus shifted to sit against Moria, his arm going around her and pulling her close as he leaned to kiss her cheek. She turned and kissed him back.
"So . . ." Ashyn said. "I've been gone a while, it seems."
Moria smiled at her. "Just a little."
"Missed a few things, did I?"
"Just a few."
Moria could feel her sister's gaze on her, evaluating, assessing, then nodding and smiling. "I'm happy for both of you."
"Thank you," Moria said. Then she turned to lean against Tyrus and face her sister. "Tell me what happened."
"I'm not even sure where to begin."
"With him," Moria said, pointing at the dead old man. "Ronan says he told you he was our grandfather?"
"He is not."
If Moria had already decided she hated the old man for deceiving her sister, hearing the bitterness in Ashyn's voice hardened that to loathing. With the death of their father, they'd lost their connection to their family, to their ancestors and their past. Moria had been able to forget that--there was no time to dwell on it--but she knew how much it had bothered Ashyn. To not have any family was almost as great a tragedy as the actual loss of their father.
"We do have family, Ash," she said. "Somewhere. We will find them."
Her sister managed a smile. "Of course we have family. We have each other."
"And we'll not be separated again. Now tell me--"
"Later," said a voice from the entrance as Ronan ran in, breathing hard, Tova and Daigo at his heels. "We need to get out of here."
Gavril followed him in. "All had gone quiet because Dalain and Ronan were pursuing my father and Edwyn's men. Pursuing them into a trap. I had Sabre climb the tallest tree, and she confirmed it--a small army waits on the horizon. When they realize we've stopped following, they'll march back for us."