Solar finally cracked a small smile. “You did fine. You were just up against someone who was completely unwilling to lose.”
Rafael looked immensely relieved. “So am I forgiven?”
“There’s nothing for me to forgive,” Solar said, then, thought twice. Because now he was thinking for two. “Maybe you should apologize to Zara, though. I think the whole thing was pretty overwhelming for her.”
“Of course,” Rafael immediately nodded and turned on his heel to go find her.
Solar had to admit that the boy had a good head on his shoulders. He liked Rafael. He always had, despite the fact that he’d tried to make a move on his woman yesterday.
The next few days passed happily, almost lazily, while everyone in the Surgere camp got used to seeing Solar and Zara as a couple. That went for Solar and Zara as well. It was new. And took a lot of getting used to.
Solar didn’t expect everyone to throw confetti everywhere they went, but of all the reactions he received, Javi’s surprised him the most. His second-in-command had barely been happy for him and Zara. Actually, the moment that they finally got to talk about it, at a meeting in the war hut, he told Solar exactly how he felt about it.
“Look, Solar. I’m happy for you that you’ve found your mate. I really am. That’s a blessing that not everyone receives in this life and I hope you cherish it.” His salt and pepper hair was tied in a knot on top of his head, his dark brow drawn.
Javi had lost his mate a few years ago in a skirmish with King Dalyer’s soldiers. Solar would never forget that. And the enormity of that sacrifice and grief was only beginning to become clear to him, now that he’d started a relationship with Zara.
“Thank you, brother,” Solar said, laying a hand on Javi’s shoulder.
Javi nodded his head. “But I have to say, now that your attention is understandably being tugged in another direction by your new mate, it only accents the way the revolution has stalled. We’ve made virtually no progress in at least 3 years. The king is dormant but active. Unfindable and wildly dangerous.” Javi got up and paced around the small room. “I’m losing my mind hiding out in this godforsaken jungle.”
Solar ran his hand through his hair. Anything that seemed like an insult or threat to Zara instantly got his back up. Another new side effect of having a mate. He had to remind himself that Javi wasn’t being critical of Zara. Solar took a deep breath. “I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong, Javi, but we have to look at this from a longer term perspective. What might feel like a long time to wait right now, is actually a very reasonable stretch of time if you think of the revolution spanning a few decades.”
“But Solar, we don’t want the revolution to span a few decades.”
“But it might,” Solar replied. His voice was firm and clear. His temper wasn’t rising. He and Javi often discussed their viewpoints this way and they were never disrespectful to one another. “Look, Jav, we’ve virtually destroyed Dalyer’s opportunity to create viable offspring. And we drove him away from the castle, the only known portal to the human realm, so he can’t have access to human women he might be able to mate with. And we deprived him of his precious Oracle.” Solar waved a distracted hand at O, who was sitting in the corner, carefully braiding colored string together. “At this point, it’s only a matter of time before the dynasty falls. There will be no one for Dalyer to pass the throne to. His family’s reign will end. Which is the point of the revolution in the first place.”
“I thought the point of the revolution was to stop the enslavement and slaughter of our people by Dalyer.” Javi’s voice was cold, calm. It was an old argument. One they’d been having for years.
“You take the local perspective. I take the global perspective.” Solar stood and paced. His only concession to the tension. “If we fly out, go looking for a battle and get blindsided, our revolution could be snuffed out in the blink of an eye. We’re the only thing keeping Dalyer in hiding at this point. If we are eliminated, he’ll have free reign again. He’ll go to the human realm. He’ll find a viable mate. He’ll reproduce. His line could enslave generations of dragon shifters. It’s too risky.”
Javi, frustrated, crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ceiling. “I know you’re right, Sol, I do. But this sitting and waiting is excruciating. People are dying. People are living miserable lives and then dying. Under a cruel, tyrant king. And we scare him. We’re the ones who scare him. And yet, we’re still impotent against him.”