Dragoncrest Cliffs i’m hoping that after this fever i’ll survive

Njord’s cage was still rattled by the hurtful things Chacal had said to him in the heat of their argument. He shivered with Meerkat as they pressed together, but the seaman’s trembling derived from duplicity he felt deep in his passionate heart. Day in and out he had worked to mend the wrongs he had inadvertently committed. By now, he had been back in Sapphique longer than he ever had been away – and still, she so easily severed any thread of trust left between them! All because she shouldn’t handle any criticism for her actions.

He felt unheard. Unprotected. Vulnerable. What was a father to do when a leader did not believe in the people that they shepherded? Njord’s lips curled with ire. He had given so much of his life to Sapphique…and now, their young Roja stood on the shoulders of the giants who rested in their graves, enjoying the silver spoon put into their mouths.

Meerkat’s words grounded her man.

Frosty clouds snaked from Njord’s mouth, body hot with emotion. If he had hands he would have clutched her shoulders and then rubbed them to help warm her. “Aye,” he agreed as his mind’s eye focused on the young men in the infirmary. From the complexity of his expression, it was clear there was more going on behind his oceanic gaze.

Silence passed between them, the vibration of their energy in quiet conversation. Then, she asked and Njord answered.

“Forever.”