“Alora…” Kaevin hesitated, glancing behind him to be certain no one else could hear. Dare I tell her about the defender bond? I’m not even positive we’re bound. “Alora, I’m confident Jireo won’t die. I’d know if he was going to die, in the same way I knew he was in danger before we went to Laegenshire.”
“How? How could you possibly know for sure?”
“Jireo and I… When we were young, we promised to guard each other. We cut our hands and sealed the promise in blood.”
“Oh, I think you mentioned that one time. You’re blood brothers.”
“We call it a defender bond.”
“No matter what you call it, just because you promise to defend each other doesn’t mean you know what the future holds. Unless you have some kind of crystal ball.”
“Crystal ball?”
“A crystal ball. You know… you look into it and see the future? Never mind. The point is, you can’t know Jireo’s going to be okay.”
“Very well. Suffice it to say, I have a very strong feeling Jireo will recover fully. I’m not worried at all.”
Alora took a deep shuddery breath. “Okay. I guess that does make me feel better. That and the fact our heads quit hurting.”
“Yes, the absence of pain is a wonderful thing.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, noting the intoxicating scent of her hair had been tainted with smoke.
“Oh-oh. Here comes Uncle Charles and your father, and they don’t look particularly happy.”
Kaevin pivoted to face the expected berating. “This won’t be pleasant,” he murmured.
“Too late to run and hide.”
Her mouth kicked up on one corner, an expression he’d come to adore. Somehow, with Alora at his side, he felt he could handle his father’s disapproval.
The parental pair wore identical scowls. Charles spoke first. “Graely and I would like to speak to the two of you in private before Doc comes out with the results of the scoping procedure. He said we wouldn’t be disturbed if we use this room.”
Alora’s hand gripped tight to Kaevin’s as they followed his father and Charles through a door labeled ‘Consultation Room,’ her lips trembling on the background of her pale face.
*****
Alora grimaced at her uncle’s stony expression. Graely had evidently been chosen as spokesperson, and so far his barrage of questions and indictments showed no sign of subsiding.
“You’ve still given no reasonable explanation for your behavior.” Graely’s jaw muscles flexed so hard, Alora could almost hear his teeth grinding. “Why would you go to Laegenshire to retrieve Jireo, in direct opposition to our prescribed plan, without consulting me first? As your father and your clan leader, I demand obedience in these matters.”
“I’ve tried to explain, Father, but you aren’t listening. I had a strong urge to go to him at once. Considering Jireo’s dire circumstances, don’t you feel we made the correct decision? Is it your wish that we’d ignored the feeling? Jireo might very well be dead now, had we not arrived when we did.”
“And our headaches are gone, too,” Alora added. “We think it had something to do with Jireo.”
“I’m glad you’re both pain-free and, of course, I’m glad Jireo lives. However, you can’t make decisions based upon your feelings. You must obey orders. You have to trust the wisdom of your leaders and your elders. Not to mention, the disrespect you demonstrate by your disobedience.”
Kaevin’s fists clenched as two bright red patches appeared on his cheeks. His temper barely held in check, he opened his mouth to speak. Alora held up her hand before he said something he might regret.
“Wait, Kaevin. Maybe I can explain it.”
Graely sat back, crossing his arms. “Please. I’ll be happy if I you can enlighten me.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking, maybe Kaevin and Jireo really can sense each other. Remember how Kaevin heard Jireo crying out when Arista was kidnapped? Then we both heard Jireo call out during the last battle. Then today, our heads quit hurting after we saw him. Maybe they really do have some kind of connection. It could be because they were practically raised together. Kaevin’s told me lots of stories about growing up with Jireo. Or maybe there’s something to this bloodbrother thing. Or maybe, since they spent almost every—”
“Bloodbrother thing?” Graely sat up straight in his chair.
“No, that’s the wrong word. What was it? Oh… they’re defenders. Right, Kaevin?” Alora looked to Kaevin for confirmation, but his eyes were glued to the floor.
“Defenders? Are you referring to the defender bond?” Graely’s brows dipped low over his eyes.