Page 117 of Adversary to the Villain

His gravelly voice was calm, but it did not match his rumpled clothes and disheveled appearance. “Actually, two…large guests.”

Lyssa gasped, jumping up with a joyful screech. “The guvres!”

Chapter 58

Blade

One day before the funeral…

“It’s okay, Fluffy. They’re friendly.”

Rebecka patted Fluffy’s back. “Don’t lie to him.”

Blade glanced over his shoulder at the guvres now gracing their courtyard. They’d been suspiciously docile since their arrival, swooping around the manor like soaring birds searching for a perch. The female’s belly remained extended, holding on to another set of guvre eggs she’d lay, by Blade’s guess, any day now.

They were swiftly becoming a guvre baby daycare, and Blade wasn’t certain he was at all qualified.

“Was it wise to leave me in charge of them? I know the others had to depart for the funeral this morning, but this seems misguided.”

Rebecka quirked a brow. “Your job title is dragontrainer.”

“Maybe it could be changed to Beast Greeter? I could give them a wave and bow out gracefully.”

It had been a day since the animals’ arrival, and Blade had spent most of it feeling as if he were playing The Villain himself, keeping the guvre babies away from their parents.

Rebecka was too distracted to laugh at his joke. “I don’t like keeping the babies from them. It feels cruel.”

“I agree, but if we bring them their children, they’ll all fly off, and we need them for the prophecy ritual thing.” Blade rubbed a finger down her arm. “When it’s over, everyone will ride off into the sunset.”

That morning on horseback, Trystan, Clare, Tatianna, Alexander, and Evie Sage had embarked on their journey. The others had remained behind, as the larger the group, the riskier it was, and they were already pushing it. Blade and Becky, in particular, were tasked with ensuring that the animals didn’t melt the manor before they could put the window there.

“They’re calm now, at least,” Rebecka remarked.

“That’s Lyssa’s influence,” Blade added, observing the little girl at work, using her glowing starlight to play with the animals, who in turn were made docile by Lyssa’s efforts.

Evie had given the little girl a choice, either to join them or stay behind. Though it didn’t appear to have been much of a choice to Lyssa at all, for she’d hugged her sister, whispered something in her ear that made Evie giggle, and then, with a final kiss on the head from Evie, waved them off.

“They’re sleeping,” she whispered now, tiptoeing over to them with a chunk of meat in hand for Fluffy. “I haven’t forgotten you, Fluff.” She tossed the bit of meat, and Fluffy perked up immediately, swallowing it whole.

“You faker,” Blade accused, pointing a finger at the animal, who appeared very smug about getting an extra helping. Lyssa sat on the ground and took folded parchment from her satchel. “How’s the story coming, kid?”

Lyssa’s eyes twinkled when she peered up at him. “I’m nearing the end. It just— I suppose I’m confused because all signs point to a happy ending. I worry that I’m missing something. It doesn’t feel over.”

Blade shrugged. “Then perhaps it’s not.”

Lyssa turned over her palm. “What do you think, Blossom?” She smiled down at the snail, and Rebecka groaned.

“Her keeping him as a pet feels unethical,” she said. “It’s got to be against some kind of company policy.”

Blade scoffed. “As opposed to all the ethical things we normally do?”

His tone was a bit harsher than he intended, but he caught it too late, after Rebecka flinched lightly.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been on edge since Fate showed me my father.”

Rebecka softened, and Lyssa asked curiously, “I don’t know anything about your father, Blade. What’s he like?”

“I know as much about my father as he wanted to know about me. That is to say, hardly anything at all.” Blade grimaced. This was not a conversation for a child.