by Bonnie Lamer
“An honorable trait to have.”
Lielle gets upset that she does not have my undivided attention. She expresses this by throwing the rattle at me again. “Do Elves let their babies hit them with things?” I ask in annoyance.
Dagda laughs. “I am afraid I am not privy to such details in the raising of Elf children.” His expression suddenly becomes wistful. “Seeing you with her makes me wish I had handled things differently.”
“If you are going to get all mushy, I’m going to hand you the baby and teleport out of here,” I say, feigning grumpiness. I wish he had handled things differently, too.
He inclines his head. “Point taken.”
“Where’s Tana?” I ask. More and more she accompanies him on his visits. She and my mother have come to some sort of silent agreement where they just pretend the other doesn’t exist. Mom does this with Dagda, as well. Not perfect, but better than it was.
“She is busy today at the Siren refugee camp.”
When the Sirens lost their ability to lure anyone to them unless the person had done something really bad against women, many beings from different realms were suddenly free of their spell. Tana has set up a camp for them where they learn about their home realms and what has happened there since they were enslaved. It’s a nice set up. “Does she still want me to educate the Cowans and Witches about my home realm?” I ask.
Dagda nods. “After we have taken care of this situation, yes.” He wants to comment on my use of the term ‘home realm’ but he doesn’t. I was born and raised there. Whether he likes it or not, I associate the Cowan realm with childhood and home. The Fae realm is my adopted home.
“I’m not trying to be rude,” I begin, taking the rattle out of Lielle’s hand before she can hit me with it again, “but why are you here?” There is usually a point to his visits.
“Can a father not seek out the company of his daughter from time to time without some sort of agenda?” he asks.
I cock my head to the side. “Why are you really here?”
“Honestly, I am worried about you. Isla filled me in on what happened earlier.”
I shrug. “I’m pretty good at defending myself, you know.”
He smiles. “I am aware. I still worry.” I find I like that he worries about me. We have certainly come a long way since the first time I saw him.
“Do you know what I’m really afraid of?” I ask.
Dagda’s brows rise in question. “You are afraid of something?”
I nod. “I am terrified of poopy diapers. Maybe you could save me from such an evil task.” Not that Lielle needs to be changed again right now.
My biological father turns a shade of green I haven’t seen on him before. “I believe you have that well under control,” he says.
Laughing, I tell him, “She doesn’t really need to be changed yet.”
Crossing his legs and trying hard not to appear queasy, he asks, “Where is Kallen?”
“We decided we had better sleep in shifts. It’s getting dangerous for us both to sleep around Lielle at the same time.” I do not want to wake up with a knife wielding shadow standing over me again.
“Do you still want to wait two more days until we travel to the Elf realm to discover what is going on?” Dagda asks.
“Yes. The things that happen when Lielle’s asleep are just as disturbing for her as they are for us. We can’t really get mad at her over it.” I can get mad at Addylyn for not sending along a list of instructions, though. Something along the lines of ‘sleep is not recommended when caring for this child.’
“Who are we getting mad at?” Kegan asks as he and Alita join us.
“You,” I respond.
“The usual then?” he teases back.
“Pretty much.”
“Any more scary nightmares while we’ve been napping?” Alita asks.
I shake my head. “No, but she hasn’t gone down for a nap, yet.”
“The two of you are supposed to be watching the Cowan, are you not?” Dagda scolds.
His cheeks reddening, Kegan says, “She was all for taking a nap when we did. We just checked on her and she is still sleeping.”
“A nap? Perhaps a closer eye is better,” Dagda says dryly. “You do not know she remained in her room while you napped. I suggest the two of you sleep in shifts as Xandra and Kallen are.”
Ducking her head, Alita says softly, “Of course.” I mouth sorry to both of them.
A big smile forms on Lielle’s face and I look up to find the reason why. Kallen just entered the room. “You’re supposed to be sleeping,” I remind him.
He shrugs. “I slept for a couple of hours.”
As he comes closer, I stand so he can give me a hug and kiss. In my ear he whispers, “I was too lonely to sleep longer than that.” I suspect I will have the same problem. I’m just not used to sleeping without him anymore. Not to mention how much I would like to make love. Which is a complete impossibility at present. Louder, he says, “You should try to get some sleep now.” He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek and kisses me again lightly at first. The kiss deepens and suddenly we are the only two people in the world. At least, until a very pointed clearing of a throat comes from the direction of my father. Reluctantly, we end the kiss.
I would much rather stay right here with him, but he’s right. I need to try to sleep when I can. Sleep deprivation and my magic are not a good combination. Who knows what imbalance I could cause when my mind is crazy from lack of sleep? “Okay.”
Kallen sits himself on the floor next to Lielle who is still smiling. “Hey, there,” he says, poking her gently in the belly. She giggles.
“Good night, all,” I say, Princess waving at them. I leave the room to a round of good nights. I debate teleporting but decide against it. I really need to exercise more so I climb the stairs. In our room, I crawl under the sheets which are still warm from Kallen. I snuggle under the covers and close my eyes. As much as I thought I would have trouble falling asleep, I find it’s not really a problem. I am asleep almost instantly.
I guess nightmares are contagious, because none of my dreams are pleasant ones. I dream I leave Lielle in the living room while I dispose of her diaper and when I get back, she’s gone. I search the entire house for her only to eventually find a note on the terrace from Whysper stating she brought her back to the Elf realm to be killed. In another dream, the shadowy figures of Lielle’s dreams appear. Several of them are gathered around her crib, all with knives in their hands. One turns to say over his shoulder, “You can’t stop us this time.” All of their knives plunge into the sleeping form of Lielle. This is the dream that has me sitting bolt upright and searching the room for the monsters. I sigh in relief when there aren’t any. I lay back down and look at the clock. I have only been sleeping for an hour and a half.
Try as I might, I can’t settle my brain enough to go back to sleep. I lie here staring at the ceiling for several minutes debating whether I should get up or keep trying. It’s the smell of smoke which helps me decide. I climb out of bed and run down the hall searching for the flames. Nothing on this floor. I am running down the stairs to check the next floor when I hear Whysper screaming. The sound is coming from the first floor. I teleport to where I think she is.
It is chaos in the living room. Whysper is still screaming and Kallen is trying desperately to wake Lielle up before the black flames encircling him, the baby, Dagda, Kegan and Alita reach them. Both Dagda and Kegan have thrown up magic but the flames made of glamour are quite persistent in their goal to burn them all alive. I’m not quite certain why Whysper is screaming, though. She is on my side of the flames. Maybe because she can finally see glamour and sees how deadly it can be?
Lielle still isn’t waking up. She must be trapped again. Pieces of furniture are being engulfed and I need to do something. Fast. I debate between water and stomping the flames out. Since water would probably damage some of the furniture, and it is doubtful it would work on glamour, I decide to go with stomping
it out. Figuratively, anyway. I wrap my magic around the flames and slowly press forward until I am touching Kallen and Kegan’s magic. A risky move but what choice do I have? When there is no more space between our walls of magic, the flames are extinguished. I let my magic go as fast as I can so as not to have it attack theirs. I drop to my knees when it comes flying back through me and back to the earth where it came from. “Are you guys alright?” I pant, my breath stolen from me by my magic.
“The murderous little beast tried to kill them. Of course they are not okay!” Whysper shouts at me.
Murderous little beast? “She is not a monster,” I inform her. “And if you speak of her that way again, I won’t prevent her glamour from killing you next time.” That’s not true, of course. I’d never do such a thing, but she doesn’t know that. The fear in her eyes confirms this.
“You are as bad as they are,” she huffs. I assume she means the Elves.
“If this is how you are all the time, I can’t believe the Elves kept you,” I retort. I don’t hear what she mutters under her breath because I am too focused on Kallen and Lielle. The baby’s eyes flutter open and there is terror in them. More than an innocent babe should ever have.
“We are fine,” Kallen assures me. “Obviously, she fell asleep.”
“Babies do that,” I tease.
“Other babies don’t try to burn up everything around them,” Taz points out. He and Felix had also come running when the fire started. “You may want to put a bucket of water next to her crib to douse her with.”
“I am not going to pour a bucket of water on a baby.”
“Suit yourself. I could always pee on the flames, instead.”
“Gross. Don’t you have something better to do than make disgusting suggestions?” I ask the most unhelpful Familiar ever.
“And leave you alone with Little Miss Pyrokinesis over there?” He considers for a moment then sniffs the air. “Cinnamon rolls! You’re on your own.” He waddles out of the room toward the kitchen to beg Tabitha for fresh baked goods. Least. Helpful. Familiar. Ever.
“So, how was your first real taste of Lielle’s glamour?” I ask Dagda.
He stares at the baby, his expression a mixture of awe and anger. “I do not understand how this is possible.”
“Join the club,” I mutter. I sit down on one of the couches next to Kallen and Lielle. The latter has tears streaming down her cheeks. She holds her arms out to me and I transfer her to my lap.
Dagda reaches out and touches a wooden table. “It is charred,” he says. “The flames were hot enough to cause damage.” His eyes find Whysper and pin her to her spot. “You claim you are immune to magic yet you seemed perfectly able to the flames.”
“She saw the shadowy figures earlier, too,” I point out.
“So, you are not as immune as you claim,” Dagda surmises. His annoyance is looking for a target and Whysper is going to be it.
“I-I don’t know what’s happening. Why I can see it,” she stammers.
Dagda sizes her up while Whysper tries desperately not to squirm under his laser sharp gaze. “Perhaps if we remove you from her immediate presence, the nightmares will cease.” I hadn’t thought of that. Could having Whysper around really be what’s behind the nightmares? Lielle is terrified of her.
“Moving her to the palace would be a good start in discovering where the nightmares are coming from.” Kallen says. Noticing how her eyes light up when he says palace, he adds, “Keeping her well-guarded, of course.” The hope fizzles out of Whysper’s eyes. It’s kind of sad.
“Of course,” Dagda agrees. Turning to Kallen, he says, “Send a message to Sindri informing him of our newest guest and have him get a room ready.” Kallen nods and sends the message.
“Would you like me to assume my duties at the palace?” Alita asks.
Dagda shakes his head. “You belong here for now.” His eyes find me. “Do not hesitate to call for me if you are in trouble.”
“I won’t,” I promise. He takes Whysper by the arm and leads her toward the kitchen and the door leading to where his carriage is waiting.
Kallen drapes an arm around my shoulders. “Did you get any sleep?” he asks.
“A little.”
“Do you want to try for more?” There is a trace of concern in his voice. How sweet.
I smile and shake my head. “I’m too awake now.”
Kegan puts his feet up on a coffee table. “Since we no longer need to shadow Whysper, I guess we have moved on to be your shadows.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I tell him. I hate being shadowed. “Trust me, you’ll know if there’s trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Dad asks, floating into the room. He and Mom have been at the palace keeping an eye on Zac.
“Same kind as usual,” I tell him.
“I came back to check on things. I take it there are still issues with the baby’s glamour?”
Nodding, I say, “Yes.” I don’t go into details because I don’t want him and Mom to worry any more than they already are. “But nothing we can’t handle,” I add.
“Would you tell me if it was otherwise?” he asks with a knowing smile.
Since I don’t want to feel like bugs are crawling on me, I answer truthfully. “No.”
“If anyone cares for a cinnamon roll, I just took some out of the oven,” Tabitha says, walking toward us and wiping her hands on her apron.
“Are you sure Taz left us some?” I ask.
“I do not waste my baking on forest creatures,” she lies. I glare at her for giving me the creepy-crawlies. She pretends not to notice. “Come into the kitchen if you want some.”
None of us hesitate to follow her back to the kitchen. I put Lielle on my hip and carry her. Tabitha has created a high chair again and I place the baby in it. “Show off,” Kallen mutters when I effortlessly get her situated without having to remove the tray. I give him a simpering grin in response.
“You could take Lielle for a walk,” Alita suggests. “Maybe the fresh air will do her good.”
“Or she’ll catch pneumonia and be too sick to use her glamour. You should do it,” Taz agrees, checking for any crumbs he missed from the cinnamon roll Tabitha supposedly did not give him.
“Not a good idea,” Kallen says in response to Alita’s suggestion. He proves we are on the same side regarding this when he explains, “We run the risk of being seen which means more people know she’s here.”
“We could also run into more Elf soldiers the King Consort will probably send.” I have no illusions about whether or not he knows the location of Lielle. A sickening thought hits me. Did he torture it out of Addylyn? I really hope not.
“Good points,” Kegan agrees.
“If you would like to take her outside, we could scout the area for you,” Felix suggests.
I smile down at him. “That’s sweet, but it’s probably best if we just stay here.”
“I understand.” He is such a better Familiar than Taz is.
After we finish our rolls and Lielle polishes off the pieces of biscuit Tabitha gave her, I ask, “What do people do all day with their children?”
“No idea,” Kegan admits.
“You could play with her again,” Alita suggests. Does she not understand how monotonous peek-a-boo gets?
“True. Any other suggestions?” I ask Tabitha. After all, she’s the only one here who has ever cared for a baby.
“Talking to her is important so she begins to understand words have meanings. You could read to her again or play with her. Babies’ interests are rather limited,” she tells us. I’ve noticed.
“Perhaps after our time in the closet, she would be willing to let Kegan and I play with her,” Alita says, smiling at Lielle as she stuffs the last piece of biscuit in her mouth.
“What?!” Kegan exclaims. “That is a terrible idea.”
“What is the matter, Cousin,” Kallen drawls. “Are you afraid of babies now?”
Kegan glares at him. “Bab
ies who can use glamour like she can? Yes, yes I am.”
I can’t help but think Lielle is following the conversation because she keeps glancing back and forth between Kallen, Kegan, me and Alita. I shake my head. “I don’t think she will let Kallen and me out of her sight.”
“You do not need to leave,” Alita explains. “I can try to entertain her with you in the room.”
I look back at Lielle. If she is following the conversation, she must not mind that suggestion because the pouty look she had on her face a moment ago is gone. “Sounds like a plan,” I say.
“Shall we go back into the living room?” Alita asks. She is way more excited about playing with Lielle than I am.
After wiping remnants of biscuit off her face and hands, Kallen lifts Lielle from her highchair and we all settle back in the living room. I believe this is the most amount of time I have spent in this room since moving here. Kallen sets the baby down near the toys and Alita joins her. Kegan tries to sit on the couch across from the one Kallen and I now occupy, but one look from Alita and he is on the floor with her.
As long as Kallen and I are close, Lielle is willing to be entertained by others. I am impressed. Alita doesn’t seem to tire after the fiftieth peek-a-boo. She will be a natural when it comes to motherhood. I cuddle up against Kallen and watch them play.
Kallen leans down and whispers in my ear, “Do you think we could sneak upstairs for some adult time?”
I moan at the delicious thought. “I wish.”
“We could try,” he encourages.
I snuggle closer to him and whisper, “You are mean teasing me like this.” I lift my lips to his and kiss him deeply.
“Sorry for the intrusion,” a nervous voice says behind us. We turn to find Sindri, Dagda’s assistant, standing there. “The King requires your presence at the palace.”
“What has happened?” Kallen asks.
“The King has been paid a visit by the new Queen and the King Consort of the Elf realm.”
Oh, crap. I turn back to where Lielle is playing. “What are we going to do about Lielle? We can’t bring her to the palace with us.”
Sindri clears his throat. “The King thought of that. He suggested you come, Princess, and that the Prince stay with the babe.”
