Last week I shared some of the deleted scenes from The Phoenix and The Wolf, but this week I want to share another tidbit you may not have known.

I nearly killed off Teague in this book!

It was so close because it brought such emotional weight to the story and really made the final battle that much more meaningful.

However, while at the Idaho Storyteller Summit in 2025 a reader asked me if Teague was going to die in this story. I stared at her for a moment with my mouth open thinking, “how am I going to tell her that I just killed him off a few weeks ago?” when the thought struck me of, “Do I really want to go through with that?”

Not to mention that when I polled my reader list about who should get a stand-along story next, it came back almost unanimous that they wanted to read about Teague. That also made me rethink my desire to kill off this favorite secondary character, because I want to have the leeway to write his story using the timeline of post-book 5 and running in tandem with series 2.

So, thank you to that reader for first giving me the hesitation. You saved Teague’s life and helped shape the ending of The Comstock Chronicles as it stands today.

If you want to read what would have happened had Teague died in his attempt to kill Fiora as she slept, read on, and tell me if I made the right decision.

Teague’s Downfall

“I see something!”

Tellen scanned the battlefield. Teague hadn’t come back last night and Tellen hadn’t slept. Something had happened. 

The Tellidine troops were still assembling after the warning call the Ballitus had shown up to the field early.

“Zared’s too eager for my head, it seems,” Owen said once he arrived, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Tellen finally spotted what the soldier had seen. It was a horse and rider, but the rider was on fire. His sinking feeling went into a free-fall. The horse ran straight at the Tellidine lines, desperate to get free of the fire chasing it. Tellen ran to it, calling for it to halt so they could help it.

The horse pranced, but didn’t run through the lines. The man tied to its back was quickly cut off and the horse taken away. It was clear the man was already dead. A warning then.

Once the flames were out, Tellen could finally get a good look at him, and he wished he hadn’t. There was no mistaking the feline features and spray of freckles that so resembled the patterns on his animal forms.

“Teague!” a voice behind him called.

“Demetrius is dead!” a soldier shouted.

The cry went up immediately. Tellen wished he’d have taken Teague to the camp before word of it got out. Teague had been the best fighter in the camp next to himself. And his luck had finally run out. 

Tellen curled in on himself and laid first his hand and then his head on his best friend’s chest.

“Why, Teague? Why did you go over there?” Tellen whispered. A sob escaped and he couldn’t prevent the howl that mingled with his grief. Whose hand dealt the blow?

Surely it wasn’t Nienna. She and Ross had been talking about how to prevent today’s battle, not exacerbate it. Tellen blinked away the water in his vision, so he could see his friend. Teague would have tried to go after one of three people, and Nienna and Ross wouldn’t be on that list.

Zared, the dragon, or Fiora.

He would have determined that Zared was only a puppet. The dragon could only be killed if the attacker knew where to strike him and sever his connection to his magic. And the dragon and Nienna were the only ones who knew that information, and he’d never let her tell.

No, Teague had gone after Tellen’s sister, Fiora. Who, after her attack on the Eyrie, proved that Guardians could die if the correct weapons were used and Tellen’s Grimmole dagger had gone missing last night.

Tellen pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening.

Someone sniffed to Tellen’s left and he saw Barrett Marks gazing down at Teague.

“Last night, I thought I would be fighting today to protect my mother, but I remember all the times Teague has saved my life, one way or another.” Barrett sniffed again, but stood up straighter. “Today, I am fighting for Teague. If I die, I can only hope to be half as courageous as he was.”

Tellen tipped his head. “Thank you, Barrett. I know he counted you as a friend.”

Barrett nodded and walked back to his horse and mounted up. A grim determination on his face.

Tellen picked up Teague and walked toward the camp, soldiers parting as he walked back, dazed. With the battle already at hand, he would have to give Teague a proper burial later, but he could at least get him inside the nearest tent, keeping his body protected. 

Horns sounded in the distance and Tellen wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready for any of this, but he had to be. They had to win and end this before he lost anyone else.