Chapter 97: Ninety Nine

Silas POV I nearly ruined everything, and now I can’t face her. Too scared to even go near them so instead I go to the stables to finish the cradle Dragus had made. Putting another coat of lacquer on it, by the time the sun was up I was finished, and Peter was walking in to tend to the horses. Peter noticing me walks over to see what I am doing.

“Congrats daddio” He says smacking my back.

“Thanks” I tell him though I don’t know much else to say when I can’t even be in the same room as them.

“What’s up?” He asks.

“Nothing, can you grab the other end so we can put it out in the sun to kill the fumes” Peter nods walking to the other end and carefully grabbing. I could have carried it but was worried I would break it if I just picked it up. Dragus had really done a good job on it, it looked amazing, the little mobile was the perfect little touch, I know Elora will love it, I just hope she likes what I did with the ruins that were nearly finished. Though the ruins aren’t just for her but to represent what I hope the future holds.

Placing it on the tarp out front of the stable door in the sun we set it down.

“I saw the ruins the other day, Dakari showed me. Looks great but where are you going to put it it’s huge” He asks.

“Where the water fountain is, have to smash it and remove if you want to help” I tell him, his face lighting up.

“yes I have always wanted to break that ugly fountain” he says making me chuckle.

“It’s not that ugly” I tell him and he scoffs.

“What fountain has gargoyles watching everyone beady eyes, it was once pretty, its now decrepit looking”

“Fair enough” I tell him, it was ugly.

“You are all good with your hands, the detail is unbelievable he says holding the little dragon figurine gently between his fingers.

“Yeah, well back when I was younger besides kicking stones the only thing to do was whittle” I tell him.

“Yeah, must suck being as old as dirt” He replies.

“I’m not that god damn old” I tell him roughing his hair.

“No just old enough where you played with rocks and sticks like it was prime entertainment” He says with laugh. I like Peter he was good kid, and his father should be proud of the young man he was turning into.

“How is your family?” I ask him.

“Good grandma is sick with the flu, I actually need to see Victor if that’s alright later”

“I actually just saw him, we can go see him now if you want. Cough medicine?” I ask him and he nods.

“Yeah and antibiotics if he has any, my grandmother was helping mum in the garden she cut her leg up on some steel I think its infected” He says.

“Come then we can go see Victor and take the stuff to her” I tell him.

“No, I can do it later the walk back home will take forty minutes” He says.

“Not if we fly?” I tell him and he suddenly stops.

“What you aren’t scared of heights now are you Peter”

“No, more worried you will eat me” He says “No, you’re to scrawny not enough meat on your bones, need to fatten you up before I do that”

“Should I be worried about all that candy you keep sending me home with?” He wonders as I drape my arm across his shoulder forcing him to walk to the green houses.

Victor was busily compounding medication when we walked in, no matter how old he gets and how cold it gets he always shows, his dedication to the people and the apprentices he was teaching was admirable.

“Hey Silas, Peter” He says acknowledging us as we walk in.

“What can I do for you?”

“Peter needs antibiotics and flu medicine if you have any”

“Yes have both, but what’s the antibiotics for”

“Grandma cut her leg open think its infected”

“Geez how did lucy do that?” He asks rummaging for what Peter came in for.

“In the garden” Peter tells him.

“How long ago”

“Couple of weeks ago, it won’t heal and he leg is turning black” Peter says, and Victor drops the bottle in his hands looking to me. Yeah, that wasn’t a good sign.

“Peter if the infection got that bad antibiotics may not even help her” Victor tells him gently.

“But she will be alright though?” Peter asks and Victor looks to me.

“I’m sure she will be fine” He says though it was obvious he thought it was going to kill the old woman.

Peter takes the medicine, oblivious to what Victor was trying to tell him, and Victor I could tell didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise. “Can you check on my son and Elora later please”

“He has been born, I thought I heard the sound of a baby crying, how exciting. Of course I will head up straight away”

“Thank you” I tell him.

“You know I watched that girl grow up, I was neighbours with her grandmother, loved that woman stubborn. I guess that’s where Elora gets that strong will of hers from. I can’t believe I lived long enough to see her have her own child” Victor beams unable to hide his excitement. I smile his excitement contagious.

When Peter tries to walk back toward the castle, I grab his shoulder.

“Ah ah, nope I will walk” He says.

“Here hold these” I tell him as I start stripping off my clothes. Peter looking anywhere but at me.

“What I can’t rock up to your house naked”

“I don’t think mum would mind but you might give my grandmother a heart attack” He says before laughing.

I shift and Peter covers his ears not liking the sound before turning around to look, he takes a step back.

“Nope I am good” He says making me laugh my chest rumbling. I step forward towards him and he bolts.

“Hell no” He says his little legs taking off through the paddock while I chase him before scooping him up, he squeals like a little girl high pitched making me laugh as I clutch him in my talons.

“Chicken” I tell him.

“Wait how did you do that?” He asks when my voice flits through his head as I climb higher.

“Mind control, I could probably make you quack like a duck if I wanted” I tell him. I could feel his entire body shaking in my claws where I had him caged.

“Wow that’s so high” He says his voice trembling.

“Don’t you drop me, I may just soil myself” He says my chest rumbling with laughter.

“The green roof” He says pointing below as we fly over the city.

I find somewhere to land, plopping him on the grass in the park I picked before landing. I shift back startling a few people as they avert their gaze.

“Is that the dragon king?” I hear their soft murmurs.

“Oh go he is going to eat the boy” I hear another making me laugh as I slip my pants on that Peter was clutching so tightly in his frozen hand.

“Come on lets go see your family” I tell him and he nods.

“Just a bit of warning my grandma can be a little rude, she not to fond of dragons” He admits.

“I am sure I can handle the old bat” I tell him, and he laughs leading the way to his house. The house was weathered and the tiles on the roof had been broken. The porch steps creaking under my feet as we step on it.

Peter lets himself in, and I see a woman rush down the hall to see who it is. She had dark hair unlike Peter’s, so I guess he gets the blonde curls from his father. He had her blue eyes though. She stops freezing completely on the spot when I walk in behind him. It was clean inside but run down. The doors not sealing properly, paint peeling off the walls.

“Hi ma” Peter says stopping.

“This is Silas” He tells her.

“Hi” I tell her wondering what her name is and Peter finally realising that Speaks.

“Oh yes Silas this is Wendy my mother, sorry I am used to calling her mum not her name” I chuckle holding my hand out to her. She hesitantly takes mine squeezing gently.

“Is something wrong, did we do something?” She asks nervously.

“No, I was just giving him a lift home and to check on your mother” I tell her.

“A lift?” She says furrowing her eyebrows.

“We flew here, damn near crapped my pants” Peter says grabbing my arm and leading me into a kitchen which was run down and missing half the cupboard doors. His mother following us frantically when I see a woman sitting at the table with white hair, she looked to be in her sixties, her lips pursed as we walk in and her brown eyes watching us.

“Hey grandma this is Silas” He tells her pecking her cheek.

“I know who he is son, why is he here?”

“Nice to meet you Lucy” I tell her, and she seems taken aback.

“He brought Peter home” Her daughter tells her.

“Gosh you’re a big brute,” She says looking up at me. Peter pulls her dress up revealing her leg.

She smacks his hand. “Don’t be undressing me boy” She snaps at him. Swatting his hands.

“I am just looking, I brought antibiotics” He tells her.

“I don’t need none of that witch voodoo, just gotta piss on it. You young ones need to toughen up” She tells him. Her leg looked like gangrene; he was definitely right about it being infected.

“Not sure which old wives tales you been reading but that definitely needs more then piss” I tell her shaking my head at her logic.

“Young ones no idea what they talking about” She mutters.

“Grandma he is older than you” Peter deadpans. She huffs annoyed but allows him to clean it.

Wendy rummages around in the bottle grabbing the flu medicine before getting a glass and making juice.

“Those antibiotics won’t work” I tell them looking at her leg as Peter tries to clean it. I look away toward her daughter who seems to know that already. As she smiles sadly.

“But she will be alright?” Peter says looking at me. I say nothing before going over to his mother. I grab a knife from the draw.

“Wait you are not cutting off her leg” Peter squeaks.

“You come near me with that knife I will shove it up your ass” His grandma snaps at me.

“I can help” I tell her.

“I don’t need help from you”

“Your leg says otherwise”

“Nope I am fine, you can go now”

“Please help her” Peter asks, and she smacks him up the back of the head.

“Be quiet boy” She tells him. Wendy squeezes another orange into the glass, and I turn around my back to Peter before reaching for the glass and taking it from her. I slice my hand and Wendy looks at me.

“She won’t drink your blood” She says looking at my hand.

“She will if she doesn’t know” I tell her and I see her look over her shoulder at her mother. I let my blood drip into the glass the juice darkens before I rinse my hand sliding the glass back to her. I point to the oranges and she squeezes more into the glass. I turn facing Lucy who has a scowl on her face as Peter fusses over her leg.

“The pills” Wendy asks her son, and he grabs them from his pocket. Wendy reads the label before taking two out and handing them to her mother along with the juice.

“I don’t need them”

“Grandma Victor made them not Abbie”

“She has a thing against witches?” I ask. Peter shakes his head.

“No just Jackie Abbie’s mum, old grudge” He says with an eyeroll.

“That old wench stole my first husband” Lucy snaps, “I don’t want nothing from her devil spawn” I chuckle at her words shaking my head.

Wendy and I hold our breath as she tips the glass to her lips before popping the pills in her mouth. She drinks the juice making a face.

“Something wrong with those oranges bloody foul tasting” She says before Peter gasps before looking over his shoulder at me.

“What is it boy?” She says before she looks down noticing her leg.

“You! what did you do?” She says her eyes snapping to me as she points her wrinkly finger at me.

“Dragon voodoo” I tell her, and she presses her lips in a line.

“See all better, you should say thank you” Wendy tells hers and her mother glares at her.

“Thank you” Says Wendy turning to me when her mother stands up grabbing her walking stick before she suddenly realises she doesn’t need it, she brandishes it like a weapon.

“You old dinosaur” She says.

“Dragon” I tell her with a chuckle as she advances toward me. Peter grabs my hand pulling me from the room as his grandmother follows quite quickly for an old duck brandishing her weapon like it’s a sword.

“Quick she will actually do what she says, you want that up your ass” Peter says, and I chuckle, he was truly scared of the old bat. I follow him out the door while Wendy tries to calm her mother and cops a whack with the walking stick.

“Mum” I hear her sing out as we flee out the door.

We walk back to the castle.

“Thank you for helping her, she can be mean but she is really nice most of the time” Peters says.

“She is old, she is allowed to be mean. Kind of reminds me Marian” I tell him and he nods.

“Do you miss her, she worked at the castle for years” He asks.

“Yes, she was a good woman” I tell him, and he nods.

“What now?” He asks.

“The ruins, I want to hold a feast for the city, do you think the people would come?” I ask.

“I think so, most people’s views of you have changed and they like Elora” He says.

“When?” He asks.

“Next week the ruins should be done by then” I tell him, and he nods.

“Can we see Elora, I want to meet this baby of yours?” He asks and I sigh.

“If she will let me” I tell him.

“What do you mean?” He asks as we finally hit the castle grounds.

“Doesn’t matter” I tell him walking towards the castle doors.

“So how does it work, is it all your kid or just one you?” Peter asks intrigued by our relationship and its dynamics.

“All, we have marked her so even if only one of us got her pregnant the child would still carry all our DNA, because our DNA is in hers”

“So does that make her immortal like you” He asks.

“Yes, kind of, and I am immortal but I can still die”

“How?”

“Why you planning on knocking me?” I ask my lips turning up.

“No, just find it interesting”

“Well Elora can kill us if she really wanted to, but in turn it could kill her because we are mated. Elora is immortal because she is ours but normally Fae just live long lives, so if we hadn’t marked her she would be like an ordinary Fae”

“So she basically she is immortal then?” I nod, “What about your son?”

“Same deal he is dragon that much I can sense, mine and Matitus’s DNA has over ridden Dragus werewolf DNA so he should be able to shift, but I think he may have Fae magic too, his scent is different though, I can tell he will be dragon but his eyes are hers” I tell him as we walk down the corridor.

Victor walks down the stairs as we get to them. He pats me on the back. “Both are fine and healthy, kid has a set of lungs on him though, have you picked any names yet, I forgot to ask her?”

“Not sure yet, what ever she decides I will be happy with” I tell him, and he nods continueing down the stairs.

“She is awake your mates are with her and Abbie” He says, and I nod walking up the stairs. I stop at the door.

“Are you coming in?” Peter says looking at me wondering what I am doing.