by Mikayla Lane
Tricia had just straightened and passed through the door when it slammed shut behind her, the little gold ball of energy spinning in the opposite direction as it sealed the door again. She was going to ask Gibly about it when the ball flew from the door and within inches of her face before Tristan caught it in midair.
Gibly nodded his head vigorously as he beamed.
“Yes, yes! The boy is learning fast!” Gibly said.
Tricia was stunned to see that Tristan had caught the speeding ball of energy and had begun weaving it between his fingers and palm like a magician.
No five year old has that coordination, but especially not Tristan, Tricia thought, watching him walk down the hallway, twirling the ball without missing a step.
Tricia’s mouth went dry and she quickly shuffled to Gibly.
“What’s happening?” she whispered, her eyes trained on her small son.
Gibly chuckled.
“He’s finding the strands in the energy that he is familiar with and showing his prowess,” Gibly said. His eyes shone with excitement.
Tricia looked confused.
“Prowess? The explosions? Half the mountain gone behind us?” she asked.
Gibly sniffed.
“He pull the wrong strands. OK . . . OK, more than once! But, he’s learning! He will have it mastered in no time!” the cat said with a mischievous grin.
Tricia smiled weakly and rubbed her aching back, unwilling to ruin Gibly’s enthusiasm by asking if Tristan would master it before or after killing them all up.
Instead, she moved passed her son and walked ahead of him little as went toward another door in the distance. She was determined to get to this one first. She actually thought she’d make it until Tristan’s arm flew and she barely saw the blur from the corner of her eye before the golden ball hit the wheel and spun it wildly before the door opened. Before she could begin getting over how impressed she was, the ball flew back to Tristan and the little boy caught it in his hand with a sparkle of gold.
“Good job! Tristan, you’re doing wonderful!” she said with a smile, proud of how well he was doing, though she really wished he’d let her check out the way ahead before he opened a door into something bad.
Tricia was getting ready to go through the door first when white-hot pain shot through her back. She grunted as she slumped against the wall, holding her back and trying to will away the sharp pains.
It hurt so bad that even Tristan’s little hand on her back caused her to flinch and moan in pain, but Tristan wouldn’t let go and within minutes Tricia felt a warmth permeate her back, erasing the pain completely. She turned and smiled down at her wonderful son.
“Thank you, baby. Mommy really needed that,” she said, leaning down to kiss the top of his head.
He stunned her by throwing himself into her arms and holding her tightly to him in a way he’d never done. Never.
He isn’t fond of physical contact, she thought as the tears ran down her face, and she held him close, memorizing every second of a moment most mothers took for granted.
She felt like crying harder when Tristan let go of her, but was left breathless when his dark eyes met hers, and he didn’t look away. He held her gaze, his eyes shining with a light she’d never seen in them before, and he gave her a beautiful smile before taking her hand and pulling her down the hallway.
Unwilling to give up even the feel of his small hand willingly holding her own, Tricia followed him, marveling at how his fingers felt and the strength she could feel running through his little body.
She barely saw him throw the golden ball at the next door and was a little surprised when Gibly and the cats shrieked and ran through it. She heard screams and angry yowls as Tristan dragged her through the door.
Tricia stood in stunned shock as the 12 cats held two obviously terrified hybrid women against the wall. Deep scratches in their uniform pants showed just how close they came to being torn up by the cats’ dangerous claws, but not a drop of blood was drawn, and Tricia had to admit she was damn impressed.
She turned an angry gaze on them as she rubbed her belly with one hand, and held her precious son’s with the other.
“Where the hell is my husband and my people?” she asked.
When the two women just looked at her and Tristan like they’d lost their minds, Tricia tried calling on her Prime power to sift their energy, but pulled back when she saw that crafty golden ball of energy swirling quickly in Tristan’s palm as he moved towards the first woman.
The woman tried to shrink away from him but was held immobile by the spitting and growling cats. Tristan stared at the two women as the golden ball of light moved from his hand and up his arm, growing larger as it went.
Even Tricia was transfixed as the golden ball began swirling around Tristan so fast she couldn’t see him anymore. Suddenly, it grew in size and stopped with an audible pop.
Tricia was left speechless by the large, golden warrior standing where Tristan had been.
Does he have wings? she wondered.
She barely registered the shrieks of terror from the women as the winged warrior drew a sword from his side and held it aloft.
Seconds later a deep, vaguely familiar voice boomed around them and shook the tunnel walls.
“Where is my father?”
Tricia held her stomach and panted, trying to catch her breath. Her mind tried desperately to understand what she was seeing and hearing. She leaned against the wall for support as the women remained wide-eyed and terrified of the large, golden warrior.
“Who is that?” Tricia heard herself ask. She barely recognized her shaking voice.
The Sibiox grinned.
“That is the Warrior that your son is, in the realms where he is master,” Gibly explained. “Now you see, your true child, the light bringer. It is the man he will become when he masters this realm after the conversion.”
Tricia slid down the wall and sat with a thump on the ground and absently rubbed her aching back while she stared in awe at the winged warrior who had his back to her.
He was a little taller than Grai, and wider, with heavier muscles. Large, golden wings sprang from his shoulder blades and spread out behind him like an avenging angel.
Suddenly, the warrior took his left hand and gently placed it on the head of the closest hybrid while the other continued to scream. Seconds later, the warrior’s hand glowed a bright golden color that encompassed the woman’s head before completely disappearing when he removed his hand.
The hybrid slumped to the floor with her eyes fixed on the winged warrior. Her mouth opened and closed though no sound escaped.
“What did you do to her?” the other hybrid yelled.
Without a word, the winged warrior cocked his head to the side before placing his hand on her head and doing the same to her. She slid to the floor beside the other girl and also stared up at the warrior with wide eyes.
Tricia stared at the women.
“Are they alright?” she blurted.
Tricia sucked in a sharp breath, but couldn’t take another one as the warrior turned to her, and she saw Tristan’s eyes looking back at her from a face that looked so much like his father’s that Tricia burst into tears.
Though tears blurred her vision, she saw him give a brilliant smile, fold his wings and kneel in front of her.
“I didn’t hurt them, mother. I was never brought here to hurt anyone. I have simply allowed them to see the consequences of their actions if they continue to follow orders they know are not right. And I have not only found father, but am also leading him towards us,” he as he held out his hand to her.
Tricia cried harder, unable to stop the flow of tears at seeing her beautiful child become more than she had ever dreamed possible. She always knew he was special, even if others just couldn’t see it.
“My baby . . .” she choked out before she took his strong hand and launched herself into his arms.
Tricia felt and heard his deep chuckle as he held her tightly fo
r a moment before gently pulling back from her.
“I can’t stay like this for long. This form, in this realm, is still very unstable and the energy still foreign to me. I need to conserve the energy I am controlling until we need it the most. We are not done here,” he said, trying to make her understand.
Tricia choked for a second on her tears and the air she was trying to get into her lungs, before she nodded her head.
“I understand, baby. We need to get your father and the others,” she said as she watched his form get brighter before he shimmered back into the little boy she loved so dearly.
She pulled the child into her arms and rained kisses on his face and head, him allowing it for the first time. She sniffed back her tears as her little boy pulled away, grabbed her hand and pulled her past the still-silent hybrids.
*****
Within a thousand mile radius of that mountain, hundreds of children labeled disabled awoke in the early morning hours and began rocking, humming, and gesticulating wildly in the air. Each child used their movements to weave and gather the energy around them before sending it towards the mountain. Undetectable by the human eye, tiny golden wings emerged on each child as they manipulated the energy in the realms they commanded.
Soon the energy had spread, each child “lighting up” and sending a call to those near them who did the same until there were thousands of children around the world, unbeknownst to their parents and caregivers, simultaneously calling the energy to aid the warrior child, leader of the light bringers.
The awakening of the light-bringers had begun.
*****
By the time Leif found True, she was cornered in someone’s bedroom caught trying to steal a weapon. He walked in the door, stupidly thinking things were under control, when he was dropped to his knees by the large fireball that nailed him perfectly in the groin.
If the pain of the hit hadn’t been bad enough, he emitted a series of unmanly yelps and shrieks as he smacked at his own crotch to try and put out the flames. By the time the fire was out, he was on his back in pain and in no mood for his damn crazy mate and her flaming temper.
He was getting ready to flip over on his stomach when he heard a giggle to his left, where a security team member was cowering behind a chair, trying to avoid the literal firefight occurring in the room.
“What?” he roared in anger.
The woman giggled.
“Did you get the fire man-scaping on the front to match the back?” she whispered.
“Damn it!” Leif roared, irritated as hell. Not only was his junk singed and sore, but this whole damn thing was going to make him the kind of legend he didn’t want to be.
He stood, voiding non-stop to try and keep the flames to a minimum, and stared at the frustrating but beautiful woman who only looked more angelic in her anger. He snorted, trying not to succumb to the crazy woman’s beauty. She was a she-demon and nowhere near an angel.
“You!” he said angrily as he stalked towards her.
True smirked, waiting for him to stop waving his hands around so she could nail him again.
“Oh look! The little bitch who thinks he’s my mate is here! Gonna drug me again because you can’t play fair? Where is Grai, you little puke?” True asked angrily, her voice rising until she was yelling.
Leif had about all he was going to take for now. Honestly, he needed to cage the she-beast and try to figure out how to deal with the war breaking out around them. Cowardly or not, he knew dealing with the hybrid war would be easier than dealing with the enraged hybrid flame-thrower in front of him.
He was so paranoid about voiding her abilities that his hands were waving wildly in front of him and left him completely unprepared for the she-beast’s kick to his groin. This time he dropped to the floor and saw stars as he moaned and cupped his now burned and battered crotch. Which, of course, was now as partially exposed as his ass cheek, his cotton pants no match for the crazed fire-demon.
That explains the man-scaping comment, he thought briefly as he touched a few bald places on his sore balls.
With a roar of rage, mixed heavily with embarrassment, Leif stood and began stalking the she-beast around the room. He still waved his hands to void her flames, but this time he was prepared for her to take her cheap shots at him.
True tried really hard to keep a straight face as the blond giant tried to look tough as he stalked her around the room. His once really-well-groomed hair was now sticking up all over, and bald spots where her taped hands had torn out chunks were clearly visible.
His previously pristine khaki pants were covered in blackened holes, one of which displayed his singed butt cheek, but it was the other one that was killing her, and she finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.
True burst into a cackle.
“Can you please put it back inside? Watching that thing flop back and forth as you walk is just killing me, man! How can I take you seriously when your floppy dick is leading the charge against me with a burned ball as back-up?” she laughed.
Leif was so stunned he stopped and looked down as more than one person began howling with laughter behind him.
Oh fuck, he thought, as he looked down and saw that she was right. His dick and one partially bald ball were hanging out of the burned hole in the front of his pants.
He looked up at True, knowing that he was blushing a bright red. All over. He noticed how distracted she was by her own laughter as she tried not to stare at his damaged junk.
Damaged by her! She’s laughing at her own handiwork! he thought in a snit of anger at the she-beast.
With his mind only on keeping the hellion distracted, Leif put his hands behind his head, spread his legs and rocked his hips from side to side until his leader and its bald backup were swinging back and forth.
Leif watched True’s eyes widen and her mouth drop open.
“You’re getting veeerrry sleepy . . .” he said.
That was all it took for True before she started laughing so hard that tears were sliding down her face, and she tried to furiously wipe them away.
This is the enemy? she thought as she laughed even harder.
“Your eyes are getting veeerrry heavy,” Leif said, trying to stop his own chuckle.
By now, there was loud laughter coming from every hiding spot in the room as the son and grandson of legends swung his burned junk like a pendulum and tried to hypnotize his mate into surrender.
“Now that’s legendary,” someone said before the room erupted in renewed laughter.
Even Leif snickered, wondering what his legendary parent and grandparent would think if they saw what he’d been reduced to by a small hell-beast. He didn’t have to wonder long.
He watched as a small shot of light hit True, and she dropped unconscious to the floor mid-laugh. Leif turned as the room fell silent and looked into the one good eye of his grandfather, Legend Senior, a man who was routinely mistaken for the Norse God, Odin, back in the day when the Norse ruled most of the land and sea.
He was more affectionately known around Fiorn’s Folly as Legendary Asshole #1, or Ass 1. His father, Leif Erikson Sr. was, of course, Legendary Asshole #2, or Ass 2.
Leif took a sharp breath and dropped his arms to cover himself with his hands as Senior stormed into the room, and holstered the pulse weapon he’d shot True with.
Senior looked ready to snort fire when he saw the boy’s anatomy hanging out of his pants.
“What the hell are you doing, boy?” the bearded man roared. “Have you no—what the fuck is wrong with you?”
Remembering how he’d seen the boy rocking from side to side when he came in the room, Fiorn Erikson could only imagine what it had looked like from the girl’s point of view, and he stared at his grandson.
Perhaps I should have shot the boy instead, he thought.
Fiorn snatched Leif up by his shirt, inadvertently grabbed a charred part and watched as the shirt sleeve fell off Leif’s shoulder while he held only a burned section in his hand.
Which of course, was when Tara walked in and burst out laughing as the son of legends stood there, chest half-exposed with patches of singed hair. His scorched junk still peeked from his burned pants.
Leif knew his humiliation was complete when six other hybrids crawled out of various places around the room where his she-beast had them pinned down by fire.
He braced himself as another tremor rocked them, signifying yet another barrier door evidently blown by a small child. Leif looked down at his beautiful mate and realized just how fast this situation had gone from really bad to just . . . all out fucked.
Like every other child in the universe, Leif contacted the one person through the Shengari’ that he knew could fix this whole situation and make everything alright.
“Nana? I really think you need to get to the folly now. On the bright side, I found my mate. On the down side, she hates me and Grandpa and Dad are gonna get everyone here killed,” he said. “Oh, and the mountains of the folly are being demolished by a tiny, little boy that Gramps and Dad are sending strike teams after,” he added quickly.
As expected, the response was immediate.
“Oh my, baby! A mate! Of course she doesn’t hate you! You’re too wonderful to ever hate! She must adore you! Nana will be there in a few hours. You hang in there, my sweet baby, and I will be there soon. And don’t you tell Paw Paw and your daddy I’m coming. I want it to be a surprise.”
Leif chuckled as he reached down and lifted his she-beast back into his arms, thankful that her body sufficiently covered his swinging junk and turned to the others.
“I want everyone to get to your duty stations. Do not engage anyone—I mean anyone until you hear from me or Tara,” he ordered.
One of the male hybrids in the room snorted.
“Leif, in case you didn’t notice, your chick wasn’t shooting blanks. You want us to stand there and get whaled on?” he asked, incredulous that Leif would even suggest it.
