by Adrian Juhl
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In the floating towers, several hours later, a slender woman shook her husband awake.
"Did you hear that noise?" Faydrah perched herself up on one elbow, looking at her husband in the dark. When he didn’t respond, she shook him again. "Baby. Are you awake? I think there’s someone in our quarters."
Torbin stirred. A small snore escaped him as he rolled over. A hard day’s work in the Darklands made him sleep like the dead. Faydrah shook him, harder this time. "I said there’s someone else here! Go and see what it is."
Torbin was awake this time, and alert. He listened for a moment. A faint rustling could be heard out in the other room. The expected conflict made his heart beat faster. He dreaded conflict. After patrolling for Abominations for the last 3 years, and killing his share, his courage had eroded a little. "Me? Why do I have to go? If we went together, we could overpower whatever it is."
"Torbin, don’t be stupid. I’ll go check on our girl."
The rustling noise grew louder. Whatever it was moved toward the bedrooms. Torbin and Faydrah crept out of bed and to their door. Torbin grabbed a heavy obsidian tablet off the desk as he went, the only thing in the room big enough to cause any significant damage if needed. The familiar sound of a door shimmering open spurned the two into action. With the only other door in proximity leading to their little girl’s room, it was all the encouragement they needed to act.
Torbin was the first to arrive in Hayden’s room. "Get away from there!" he shouted as loud as a whisper would allow. He moved toward the intruder with the menace only a father could know. The intruder froze in his tracks, dropped the sack he was holding and turned around to meet Torbin’s gaze. Torbin was taken aback.
"Salunas Tac? What in all the worlds are you doing in my daughter’s room?" His grip on the tablet softened as he recognized Aazronia’s most powerful Coercer standing in front of him. Torbin looked closer to see what Salunas was holding in his hand – a small colorful box with a bright yellow bow.
Faydrah stepped forward, rattled at the rude awakening. "You could be Magistrate Marcus for all I care. You’d better have a very good reason for creeping into our quarters at this hour of the night." She held one of her high-heeled shoes in her hand, the stiletto raised to inflict as much damage as she could.
Salunas looked surprised at being caught. He wiped his hand across his mouth to remove errant crumbs, the only evidence of having been in the family’s pantry. "Shhh, you’ll wake the girl, and it’ll all be ruined!" He stood up reaching his full height, as a soft glow emitted from his eyes.
"Look at me, both of you."
As much as they tried to look away, Salunas was the most powerful Coercer in Aazronia, and he only needed to use a portion of his power to override their will.
"You are going to turn around and go back to bed. You will sleep and remember none of this. You will not remember me being here. In the morning, you may discover that your gingernut cookies and milk have all gone. You will remember that you ate them for morning tea. You will be filled with a joy and happiness that you have not known in a long time, yet won’t be able to explain why. Now go! Oh, wait. You will find someone who has done you wrong, and you will forgive them. Now go!"
The husband and wife did as ordered, their faces slack, and eyes drooping, under the Coercer’s command. Salunas watched them leave. A small smile crossed his face as he turned back to the business of Gift Giving. He took the small gift and placed it at the foot of Hayden’s bed. She hadn’t stirred at all.
