Champion (War Angel Academy Book 3)

by S. J. West

  “Should I go?” Sariah asks. “Maybe we can use a wish to find him.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” Desmond says before looking at me. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s worth a try.” I look directly at Sariah. “Go get your talisman. We should make the wish with Cal present.”

  Sariah dashes out of the living room and bounds up the stairs.

  “I think we should all go.” Lilith strolls over to us. “I can at least help Jules. She probably feels a mountain of guilt for leaving the baby alone.”

  “Both her and Ethan are taking it hard,” Desmond says. “I’m sure they’ll both appreciate any comfort you can give them.”

  We all hear Sariah run down the stairs, her rainbow stone talisman in her hands.

  “Ready,” she announces, slightly out of breath as she rejoins us.

  My family holds hands and I phase us to the nursery in the palace. The sounds of Jules crying fill the room. Ethan holds her as she sobs with her face buried against his shoulder. Cal sits in a white rocking chair by the crib looking dazed and confused by his loss.

  While Lilith goes over to do what she can for Jules, the rest of us walk over to Cal. Even when we stand two feet in front of him, he doesn’t seem to register our presence.

  “Cal.” My attempt to draw his attention fails. I go to stand in front of him before taking a knee. “Cal. We have an idea about how to get your baby back.”

  This finally draws him out of his thoughts. His eyes find mine and all I see is a man who believes he’s lost everything.

  “He’s gone Jered,” Cal whispers. “He’s gone.”

  Sariah approaches my side and holds out her stone to me. Normally, she probably would have had Cal make the wish since it’s his baby, but Cal has already made his two wishes with Sariah. He used them when Lora was sick and we had to open a portal to the Void so he could pull on its power to heal her from Abaddon’s shot.

  “Take this,” she says, “and make a wish to find Cal’s son.”

  Cal blinks twice in quick succession as our plan to find his boy finally registers. Without reservation, I stand and take the stone and prepare to make my first wish.

  “I wish,” I say, swallowing hard and reverently cupping the stone in both of my hands. “I wish for Cal to have his son in his arms again.”

  “Your wish is my command,” Sariah says before clapping her hands in front of her.

  We all wait with bated breath. My heart is pounding inside my chest to see what happens next.

  Unfortunately, nothing happens.

  “What does that mean?” Cal looks to me for the answer, but I don’t have one to give him.

  “I don’t know.” All I can do is be honest.

  “I think I know why it didn’t work,” Lora’s voice holds little hope.

  She’s standing beside the crib clutching something in her right hand. When she opens it, a necklace I don’t recognize is revealed. It’s silver with a caged pearl pendant.

  “This is Rayna’s talisman,” Lora reveals. “I know for a fact that she went back to the Void. If this talisman is here, that means she’s returned.”

  “Why would she leave her talisman here?” Sariah asks. A djinn’s talisman isn’t just an object. It contains a piece of their soul. No self-respecting djinn would simply leave it behind.

  “Maybe the baby pulled it off her neck and she didn’t even realize it,” Silas suggests.

  “That makes sense.” There’s no way Rayna would knowingly leave her talisman for us to find.

  “Sariah.” With her talisman still in my hand, I make my second wish. “I wish for you to open a portal to the Void exactly where Cal’s baby is located.”

  “Your wish is my command,” Sariah says, clapping her hands and receiving the same response as before.

  Nothing.

  None of us are exactly surprised. When Cleo tried to open a portal back to the Void, Sariah’s magic wasn’t able to form a connection between our world and that one. At the time, we assumed Levi had become so powerful there that he was able to prevent portals from being made to his kingdom. Odds are, our assumption is correct.

  Cal sits back down in his chair. The rocker wobbles slightly under his weight as a distant look returns to his eyes.

  “It’s no use,” he says despondently. “He’s gone and there’s no way I can get him back.”

  Desmond tugs on my sleeve. When I look at him, he tilts his head to the door leading out to the hallway. Obviously, he wants to speak to me alone, so I follow him. Once we’re well out of earshot of the others, he tells me what’s on his mind.

  “What if we ask our Father for help?” he whispers. “He helped us go to the Void once before. Maybe He’ll do it again.”

  “We can ask, but don’t get your hopes up. I was flabbergasted He offered to send us there the first time. I’m not sure such a miracle will happen again. It’s almost like lightning striking the same spot multiple times.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask.” Desmond shrugs.

  “You’re right. It doesn’t hurt.”

  “Malcolm and Anna went back to Cirrus to gather more help for the search. I’ll phase over there and have Anna make a quick trip to Heaven to ask Him.”

  “Lilith’s here. She can do it. You don’t have to bother Anna with this.”

  Desmond shakes his head. “Let your wife stay and comfort Jules. If we pull her away now, Ethan is sure to ask why, and I would rather not get his hopes up.”

  I nod. “Good thinking.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Desmond phases to Cirrus.

  All I can do is cross my fingers and pray that God will help Cal find his son just like He helped me find Silas in the Void. My Father doesn’t interfere with the natural progression of our lives very often, but I pray this is one of those times.

  7

  (Rayna’s Point of View)

  “What the hell was he thinking sending me here to steal a baby?”

  Cal’s baby squirms in my arms. His cries started the moment I phased him out of his cozy little nursery in the castle, and he hasn’t stopped since. I hold him up to the moon and shake him. “For the sake of my sanity, shut up!”

  I’m rewarded by an even higher pitched wail and a little vomit in my face.

  “Ugh! I can’t deal with this. I just can’t.” I plop the baby down by the base of a nearby boulder and wipe my face off as best I can. The baby continues to cry, but at least the sound isn’t piercing my eardrums.

  Moonlight glints off the surface of the rocks surrounding us. My gaze travels up the side of the rocky cliff above me, and I can’t help but wonder why Alred chose this spot out of all Laed-i has to offer for us to meet. Sure, it’s isolated. No one would think to look for us here, but it’s also damp from the continuous spray of the ocean. A large gush of water rolls up and over the narrow ledge we’re on, drenching the baby with its salty wetness and causing him to start a new chorus of screams that are even louder than before.

  What would happen if the baby simply got swept out to sea? It wouldn’t necessarily be my fault. I could place the blame entirely on Alred. It was his brilliant idea for us to meet here after all.

  I nudge the baby closer to the edge with my foot. Just one little flick of my ankle and Cal’s child will no longer exist. Maybe that would be better for us all, including Cal and his baby. I may not know exactly what Levi has planned for this little bundle of screaming aggravation, but I do know it can’t be anything good. Levi only cares about one thing, power. If he believes this child can gain him more, we’re all better off with him dead.

  “I hope you’re not thinking about killing the kid.” Alred’s voice startles me and I pull my foot away from the baby’s side.

  “Thinking and doing are two different things.” Seeing that I have no choice now, I bend down and snatch the kid up into my arms. He quiets some but not enough to mend my fraying nerves. “When will you be upholding your end of the bargain we made with the
Wardens earlier? The sooner you get Azrael on our side the better.”

  “I’ll take care of it in the morning, little sister. Tell our father that he has nothing to worry about. The angel of death is as good as ours.”

  I bounce the baby in my arms, hoping the motion will quiet him long enough for me to make my wish to return home. It partially does the trick.

  “Give me your talisman.”

  Alred places a shiny red ruby in my outstretched hand. After closing my fingers around the warm stone, I make my wish.

  “Alred, I wish to go to my mother’s home.”

  “Your wish is my command.” Alred claps his hands together and a portal leading to my mother’s living room appears.

  Without any parting words, I hand Alred back his talisman and walk through to the other side. Almost instantly, the portal closes behind me.

  The home I grew up in has never been richly decorated but the few things we possessed are well kept. Her house is the only place I’ve ever felt safe, especially from my father. The prize I have in my arms should keep him occupied. Now that I’ve retrieved what he wants, maybe he’ll leave me and my mother alone.

  My mom walks through the front door carrying a basket of vegetables fresh from her garden. When she sees me, she drops the basket, causing her carefully plucked harvest to roll across the floor.

  “Rayna!” She runs to me. The joy on her face brings warmth back into my heart. I wish I could have returned to her sooner. I did everything in my power to make my trip to the living world as short as possible.

  My mother may be part djinn, but she still ages, simply at a much slower rate than a pure human would. Even though I was only on Laed-i for a day, six years have passed by in the Void. She looks a little older than she did when I left. I notice a few new gray hairs around her temples, but she’s still as beautiful as ever.

  She reaches out to hug me but stops short when she sees the baby in my arms.

  “I assume that’s him?” She eyes the baby cautiously, not knowing what to expect from Cal’s offspring. “Is that the baby Levi wants?”

  “Yes.” I look at the little devil and discover that he’s fallen asleep. “Seriously? What did you do, you little heathen? Cry yourself to sleep?”

  “Was he crying that hard?” My mother’s expression softens as she reaches out for him. I gladly hand him to her. “What’s his name?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  “I suggest you start caring.” Levi’s harsh voice cuts through our reunion. He stands in the threshold of the front door that my mother left open. “You two will be the ones who have to raise him.”

  “What?” This can’t be happening. Is he ordering me to take care of the noisy, smelly tadpole? “I know your sense of humor is sick but that’s not funny.”

  “Do you see me laughing?” He raises his eyebrows as he tosses his long dark hair back over his shoulders. His usually pristine white kaftan looks like it’s been sprayed with blood that doesn’t belong to him. I wonder which poor soul was forced to endure his twisted sense of torture this time. “You and your mother will raise Cal’s son until I’m ready to train him.”

  My heart sinks. It will probably be years before Levi comes back for the boy. How will I retain my sanity until then?

  “When will that be?” I ask. “Five years? Eight? Ten?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Levi lifts his chin and looks at me with pure disdain. “You’ll know when I show up on your doorstep. Until that time, keep him safe. I’ll know if you don’t.” Levi phases and I hear my mother sigh in relief from his departure.

  “At least we won’t have to worry about him coming back for a few years,” she says, rocking the baby in her arms. “Why is he so wet? He smells horrible.”

  “I had to meet Alred by an ocean before I could get back home.” Why isn’t she freaking out? Levi just saddled us with a baby.

  “Poor thing.” She coos to the baby like it’s the most precious thing she’s ever seen. To me, he looks like a shriveled-up toad. “We’ll get you some dry clothes. Don’t you worry, little one. You’re in safe hands now. I know I’m not your mother, but I’ll raise you just like I did Five Hundred.”

  “Mom. It’s Rayna now, remember? I earned a name by going to the living world.”

  My mother looks embarrassed by her slip of the tongue. “Of course, you did. I guess I’ve gotten so used to addressing the children here by their number that I sometimes forget.”

  “That’s okay.”

  The baby opens his eyes and sees my mom. He immediately smiles and gurgles at her.

  “He seems to like you. He hated me the moment I picked him up.”

  My mother holds out her index finger and the baby grabs hold of it. Strange. Why is he acting so differently with her? I feel slightly offended. The little traitor.

  Absently, I reach up to fiddle with my necklace but find nothing around my neck. Panic instantly sets in.

  “Where’s my necklace?” After patting myself around the neck to confirm it’s not there, I begin searching my clothes. Did the clasp break? I yank my shirttails out of my pants to make sure it didn’t fall inside my blouse. Nothing. In a panic, I strip myself down to my underwear to search everything else. It’s not on me. Where could it be?

  “When is the last time you remember having it?” my mom asks.

  “I know I had it while Alred and I were negotiating with the Wardens.” I clearly remember playing with the pendant then, but I could have lost it any time after that. The one thing I know is that my talisman isn’t here. It’s trapped in the living world, and I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever be able to get it back.

  “I know it means a lot to you,” my mom strolls over to stand in front of me with the baby, “but there’s no reason to get upset about something you can’t change.”

  “Maybe Levi will let me go back and search for it.” My hope is instantly dashed when I see my mother shake her head.

  “You’ve already given him what he wanted from there. He has no reason to be kind and send you back. Anyway, it could be years before we see him again. You heard him as well as I did. He doesn’t intend to return here until the baby is older.”

  She’s right. Levi never does anything out of the kindness of his heart. I close my eyes and bury my face in my hands. I had one thing to call my own. Now it’s gone and I may never see it again. A part of my soul could be lost forever.

  “Come with me.” She holds out a hand for me to take while cradling the baby in one arm like a pro. “Let’s take care of this baby together. He needs you just as much as he needs me.”

  “Eh . . .” The baby disgusts me. Why does my mother believe I want anything to do with the stinky creature? “Why don’t you be its mother? I’ll just help out when you need me to.”

  My mother’s disappointed sigh makes me feel guilty for about five seconds. She lowers her arm and turns to walk into her bedroom.

  “Don’t you worry, little fella. We’ll get your big sister Rayna to fall in love with you. How can she not? You’re absolutely adorable.”

  I shiver at her words. God forbid I care anything about that little mongrel. Caring too much for anyone in the Void is always a mistake.

  Six Years Later – Void Time

  “One . . . two . . . three . . . ready or not, here I come!”

  I can already hear Leo giggling from his hiding place. He’s the worst player of hide-and-seek that I’ve ever met, but it certainly makes the games short.

  “Hmm, where oh where could Leo be hiding today?” Pretending that I don’t hear him, I make a pretense of opening up the refrigerator first.

  Leo giggles even harder. This time it’s a more muffled sound which tells me he probably has his little hands over his mouth in a useless attempt to quiet his laughter.

  “Nope. Not in there.” I close the door and walk around the kitchen table in the center of the room before yanking open the pantry door by the stove. “Not there either. He must have found a really
good hiding place this time. I’m stumped!”

  “Here I am, Rayray!” Leo bursts out of the cabinet doors underneath the sink. His little cheeks are red from excitement and his smile is infectious. He runs over to me and wraps his arms around my hips, resting his head against my stomach. I comb my fingers through his messy blond locks.

  “Why haven’t you brushed your hair yet?” I ask. “School is in less than ten minutes.”

  “Do I have to go today?” He adds just enough pitifulness to make me wonder if we should play hooky again.

  “You know Mom will have both our hides if you miss another day of school this month. Don’t you like school?”

  Leo turns his head and buries his face in my stomach. “The kids there don’t like me.”

  I pull his arms away from my hips so I can kneel down in front of him. The tears glistening in his eyes make me want to go beat up a bunch of six-year-olds.

  “What makes you say that?” Maybe he’s being overly dramatic. He is a child after all. Dealing with strong emotions is hard for anyone at any age, but someone as young as him may not fully understand the behavior of others.

  “None of them want to play with me.” Leo wipes away his tears, looking embarrassed and ashamed that they’re even there. “They won’t let me join any of their games. I always end up sitting by myself at recess. What’s wrong with me Rayray? Why do they hate me?”

  I hug Leo around the shoulders. What should I tell him? The parents of these horrible children are sure to know who Leo actually is. Are they afraid their kids might get hurt while playing with him? Perhaps they’re frightened that bringing Leo into their lives will inadvertently attract Levi’s attention to their family. Whatever the case may be, the bullying needs to stop. Leo’s classmates may not be calling him names or verbally saying what they think about him, but ignoring him is just as bad.

  “I might know a way to help you with the kids in your class.”