“Richard is a beautiful baby, indeed,” Derek said. “He’s got Anjani’s emerald-gold eyes and Jovi’s black hair. He’ll break some hearts when he grows up.”
“Yeah, the same could be said about Chantal,” I replied.
Bijarki and Vita’s daughter was a breathtaking specimen, in my opinion. She had her father’s eyes and her mother’s pale blond hair. Chantal also had Bijarki’s glimmering silvery skin, which made her look as though she’d been sculpted from the most beautiful crystals. On top of that, she was already making the candles in the room flare up whenever she got hungry. I looked forward to seeing what she could do once she grew up.
“Mm-hm. We’re doing a birthday party for her tomorrow, in Luceria,” Sofia said. “I hope you’re all able to attend!” she added, looking around the table.
“I won’t be able to,” Amal replied. “But my sister and Ridan have already RSVP’d.”
“And I have an assembly to hold for the Draenir,” Rakkhan said. “Thank you for inviting us, nonetheless. It’s most kind of you.”
“Fiona and Zane will be coming,” Elonora continued. “And they’re bringing Sophia.”
Sofia blushed at the sound of the baby’s name. Fiona and Zane had named her in honor of Sofia, after all. They said they wanted her to grow up to be just like her—smart and beautiful, resilient and honorable, kind and loving, like “the mother of The Shade.”
“Caia and Blaze are bringing Jericho,” Dmitri said.
“Oh, yeah, bring a dragon-fae baby to a party. What could go wrong?” I muttered, making the others laugh. “What? You all forgot the last time Jericho was in the room with all of us, huh?”
“How could we forget?” Elonora giggled.
Indeed, how could they? Jericho had been a handful from the day he was born. Barely a few hours old, and he was already spitting fire. Thankfully, Caia was immune to the flames—the nursery room, though, not so much. They had to refurbish it three times in his first month alone. Still, that spelled great things for Jericho’s future. Once he grew up and was able to control his fire, he was going to be a remarkable hybrid.
“Okay, so, basically we’re gonna have the triple threat in the same room again, huh?” Herakles concluded with one eyebrow raised.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I retorted.
He offered a shrug, and pointed at his hair. “Provided I don’t walk out of there bald again, I’m good.”
“Wait until Serena and Draven’s baby comes,” Derek said. “It’ll be a quadruple threat, then.”
The entire room roared with laughter. It took us a few minutes to get back to the meeting subjects. Derek was, of course, the first to regain his composure.
“I’m now a great-great-grandfather,” he said. “I still can’t believe it.”
“And what a great great-great-grandfather you are!” I replied. “You’ve done well, Derek. You’ve helped us all grow and become better versions of ourselves. I hope you know that.”
“You have your parents and your grandparents to thank, as well,” Derek said. “Especially you and Lenny. Heck, all of you. You’re all incredible creatures. I’m honored to be here, surrounded by all of you.”
Rakkhan cleared his throat, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You’re too humble, Derek. You and your people saved our world. You’ve helped us evolve more than I would’ve thought possible.”
“Speaking of which!” Amal interjected, wearing a polite smile. “The end-of-year reports are in. I’m pleased to announce that we’ve had good crops this autumn. We have enough to feed the entire population for the next two years, at least.”
“The reserves are sealed and the temperatures are monitored,” Amane added.
“The entire population. You mean all three species?” I asked.
Amal nodded. “Yes. The Draenir and the Faulties have worked the fields together. I’m impressed by the output, to be honest.”
“What about infrastructure?” Derek replied.
“It’s on point,” Douma said. “All the settlements, every village, town, and city, are fully powered and connected. The energy consumption is moderate and clean. The Perfects finalized the power networks last month.”
“That’s fantastic news!” Sofia exclaimed. “So everyone has access to basic amenities. Power, light… fresh water, too, I suppose.”
“Yes, the filters are fully operational,” Amane replied. “We have the rivers, too, but we’re able to draw water from the ocean, directly, and process it into drinking water. We’ve made sure to make the system available to the smaller islands, too.”
“As for the political system, I admit, I am impressed,” Rakkhan said. “We have a good relationship, and my people are treated with respect. We’re honored to be considered educators, as well.”
“Our schools would be useless without you,” Douma replied, smiling. “We are but young minds still, waiting to be further shaped by you and your experiences.”
“GASP is doing phenomenally well, I see,” Derek added, looking over a printed file. “Record recruitment numbers… We might have to send more trainers. Right?”
I nodded. “Probably, yes. If the numbers keep growing like this, we’ll definitely need extra hands on deck next spring.”
“We could send the vampire-fae we have,” Sofia suggested, looking at Derek. “There are five of them, and they’re currently stationed on Neraka. They could do with a change of pace, I think.”
Vampire-fae were still a rarity in our world. Few of the fae had dared to undertake the change, but those who did came out stronger in the end. Vampires with fae abilities were considered superior fighters and were also very good teachers. The five we had that Sofia had just mentioned were responsible for some significant upgrades to Zane’s daemon army.
I could certainly see them training Perfects and Faulties alike.
Derek made a note on his file, and glanced around the table. “So far, so good, I think. Now, before we dig into the details, just a brief reminder, as per my beloved wife’s request: Harper and Caspian’s wedding is in seven days. I suppose you will all be attending?”
This time, he got a resounding yes. How could we not attend? Harper had not only survived the Nerakian hell, she’d also been our rock during the war with Ta’Zan—one of the voices that kept us linked to Calliope in some of the darker times that had befallen our world. Of course we were all attending!
“It will be an honor,” Douma said. “Do we know anything else about your blood, Derek?” she asked, frowning. Then she gave us all an apologetic smile. “Forgive me for bouncing from one point to another, but I’ve been meaning to ask for days, now.”
Derek exhaled deeply, leaning back into his chair. Sofia held his hand, squeezing gently.
