by Bonnie Lamer
Holding his hand out to me, Kallen pulls me from the chair. We quietly leave the room with Felix once again standing sentry. I don’t trust Taz not to push her crib off the balcony or something. Once we are in the hall, I ask, “How will we hear her if she wakes up?”
“We are meeting with the others in the sitting room right below our bedroom. We will keep both doors open and we should not have a problem hearing her if she wakes.”
Good thinking. “Okay.” We walk to the stairs and join the others in the sitting room.
2 CHAPTER
“She knows nothing about children. This is outrageous,” Dagda is saying as we enter the room. “For Addylyn to do such a thing when we do not even have a truce in place is contemptible. She must not care much for the child.”
“Thanks for equating me with child abuse,” I grouse as I take a seat on one of the least comfortable couches in the house.
Dagda waves off my comment. “You know what I mean. The child needs to be returned to the Elves.”
“I believe her bringing the child to Xandra shows how much she does care for the child,” Garren argues.
“I concur,” Isla adds. They agree a lot more, now.
“Uncle, Addylyn has never looked outside of her realm for help before, has she?” Kallen asks.
Dagda shrugs. “Not that I know of, no.”
“Then, we should be both flattered and wary,” Kallen tells him. “She must have high regard for Xandra if she trusts her with her child. Whatever drove her to such extreme action has put fear in the heart of the Elf Queen. There is little the Elves fear. Instead of sending the child back into danger, perhaps we should worry more about how to keep her safe. Trouble is bound to come looking for her eventually.”
The way my life has been lately, that is pretty much a given. “Look, as much as it sucks to have a baby dropped in my lap, I’m not going to do anything that will put her danger.”
“What do you know about raising a child?” Dagda demands.
“I’m sure I know more than you do,” I snark back.
Kallen puts a hand on my leg. “Sniping at each other is not going to help anyone,” he says, glancing between my biological father and me.
“It is not as if she is alone,” Tabitha huffs. “One or two of us here could probably offer her a tip or two.”
Dagda’s cheeks turn red at the chiding. “I meant no offense to the rest of you.”
“He only meant to offend me,” I mutter. I ignore Kallen’s frown in my direction.
“Do you think there is war in the Elf realm?” Kegan asks. He and Kallen both seem to have recovered fairly well from the rinsing of poopy items.
After a moment of contemplation, Isla says, “The Elves are not the most popular race in the universe, but I know of no one angry enough with them to wage war against them.”
“Civil war?” Kallen suggests.
Dagda shrugs. “The royal lineage is deeply engrained in their culture. There has never been a challenge to the monarchy in the past.”
“Things change. Most of the monarchies in my home realm are just figureheads nowadays,” I point out.
Dagda grimaces at the mention of my ‘home realm’ but doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he says, “It is possible an antimonarchy movement has arisen, but I have heard no rumblings of such a thing.”
“Are you certain we cannot send someone to find out what is going on?” Kegan asks.
Dagda’s mouth forms a thin line. After a moment, he reluctantly says, “As much as I would like to do so, Isla and Kallen are right. A wait and see approach is our best option.”
“Meaning we wait and see if someone shows up here to try to the kill the baby?” I ask.
Dagda’s eyes find me. “Yes.”
Which means they will try to kill me, too. And Kallen. Not exactly a new situation for us. “Okay, just checking.”
Dagda considers me for a long moment. Finally, he asks, “Are you certain you are up for this new challenge? You did not exactly attack the problem of a soiled diaper with your usual overconfidence.”
Is he teasing me? Since his lips are trying to curve up on the sides, I believe he is. “Maybe you could tutor me. The next diaper is all yours.” His smile disappears.
“Perhaps we could move off the subject of diapers,” Isla drawls. “There are more pressing issues to deal with.”
I look at her. “Like what? We can’t go to the Elf realm to find out what’s going on. The baby is sleeping so she doesn’t need anything. What else is there to do?”
Isla’s smile is tight and unamused. “In case you have not noticed, the child exhibits an affinity for glamour far beyond her years.”
“Okay, so there are bunnies running around the room. We all know they’re not real,” I point out. There really are bunnies running around the room and out in the hall from what I can see. They must have them in abundance in her realm.
Kallen is studying his grandmother. “Do you believe her power will grow in the short time, hopefully, she will be with us?”
Isla nods. “I believe we are seeing only a brief glimpse of the child’s true power.”
“Grandmother, Elf children are not able to use glamour to tie people to them,” Kegan scoffs.
Similar to the Sirens, Elves can seduce people to want to be with them forever. The biggest difference is the ones who go with the Elves must be willing participants. Anyone can resist the glamour if they focus hard enough. Not that they don’t get around that on occasion by preying on unsuspecting individuals. Gunnar, Grandpa’s guard, was almost a victim of glamour because he didn’t know about it or how to resist it.
I frown. “Are you thinking she will be able to tie Kallen and me to her?” I ask.
Isla considers my question. Finally, she says, “I do not know if that is possible for either of you. You are both strong of will.” Somehow, I don’t think that was a compliment. “But, a feeling of dread has washed over me since the baby’s arrival and I cannot shake it.”
“Grandmother, have you had a vision?” Kallen asks.
She shakes her head. “As I have said before, I do not have visions involving Xandra anymore. I believe this could be considered intuition.”
I groan aloud. “You’re starting to remind me of Raziel.” He and Adriel are off on another vacation. He is showing her parts of the Cowan realm. Now that I think about it, the traitorous Archangel probably wanted to get out of here before the baby arrived. Is he afraid of a dirty diaper, too? I kind of understand if he is. Nasty stuff.
Isla does not like the comparison. “I am not intentionally being cryptic.”
I am saved from having to defend my point by the sudden appearance of a raging bull in the sitting room. Its horns are down and it’s rushing straight for me. Unlike the bunnies and foxes, it is not just a shadow. It is making the floors and walls shake with its weight. Kallen wraps an arm around me and pulls me out of the beast’s path. It keeps going, knocking an end table over before disappearing into the wall. “What the hell was that?” I breathe.
“Uncontrolled glamour,” Isla says, her face a mask of concern.
I stare at her. “You mean glamour can make real things?”
“No,” Dagda says. “But the more magic used, the more solid the vision becomes.”
That makes no sense. “Then, it was real.”
Kallen shakes his head. “Basically, it was condensed magic shaped like a charging bull.”
“Isn’t everything you create just condensed magic?” I counter.
“To an extent,” Dagda says. “But glamour can never truly be solid. An object such as the bull could cause some physical harm.” Some harm? The thing almost trampled me. “But, it would not have felt like a bull trampling you.” Well, that makes me feel better. It probably would have only felt like a cow trampling me.
“Let me put it this way,” Kallen says. “The diaper Tabitha created for the baby is now a physical item. The molecules are tightly woven together and it will work as well as
a diaper from your realm. If it had been created by glamour, it would appear to be the same, but the diaper would not actually…”
“Keep the poop from soiling the crib,” Kegan fills in when Kallen hesitates.
“So, no matter how real something made of glamour looks, it is never truly solid. Got it,” I say, nodding my head. I’m not sure I do get it, or what difference it makes if the glamour-made items can still hurt me.
“Why would the baby send a raging bull after you?” Alita asks.
“Good question. I thought she liked me,” I pout.
Kallen smiles and says gently, “I believe she is having a nightmare. I do not believe she intentionally sent a raging bull after you.”
I don’t know. It wasn’t pointed in anyone else’s direction. Before I can open my mouth to say that, there is wailing from the floor above. Whatever nightmare she was having has woken her up. I suspect this is going to be a very long night.
3 CHAPTER
Deciding there is still not much to be done other than wait and see, Kallen and I decide to turn in for the evening. At least, we decide to go to our room and take care of the baby. I doubt we will get much sleep. After an hour the baby is still not showing signs of tiring. She also needs another diaper change, but thankfully, this one is only wet.
“Do you really expect me to sleep in a room with that thing?” Taz sniffs.
“You could sleep in a different room,” I suggest.
“Be chased from my home by a demon baby?” he scoffs.
“She’s not a demon.”
“She certainly wails like one.”
“How would you know?” I ask.
“I may have told him,” Felix admits.
The three of us are on the bed and I’m playing peekaboo with Lielle. How long does it take a baby to get sick of this game? I see no end in sight. “So, demons are real?” I ask.
“In my universe,” Felix hedges.
I roll my eyes. He doesn’t want to scare me. “I’m a big girl, I can take it.”
“How is it going?” Kallen asks, coming out of the shower in nothing but a towel. I let my eyes wander up and down his tall, muscular frame and have to wipe a tiny bit of drool from the side of my mouth.
“I am going to be playing peekaboo for the next three years,” I inform him dismally. I slap a smile on my face, though, and peek at the baby from behind my hands again.
“I believe she will tire of the game before then,” he laughs.
My eyebrows rise in challenge. “Okay, prove it.”
He shakes his head. “She seems to be enjoying herself. I would not want to spoil the mood.”
“Lame,” I grumble under my breath.
The bed dips as Kallen joins us. He puts his hands on my shoulders and massages my tense muscles. “You make a pretty picture sitting here with the baby.”
I look at him over my shoulder. “Don’t get any ideas.”
He chuckles. “I am not looking for an addition to our immediate family anytime in the near future.”
Good thing. Yawning, I say, “I wish she would get sleepy because I am.”
“She is in a new place with new people. I suspect her sleep schedule will suffer for it.”
I’m sure he’s right. I lean back against him. “I wonder how Addylyn is fairing without her baby.”
Kallen wraps his arms around my waist as he replaces the towel with pajama bottoms. “It must be difficult for her.”
“You might want to keep the talk of the kid’s mom to a minimum. The dam behind her eyes is about to bust loose again,” Taz informs me.
He’s right. Lielle’s eyes are getting watery and her mouth is twisting into wailing mode. I reach out and pull her onto my lap. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to her. She sniffles a few times, but she doesn’t cry, thank goodness. I don’t believe my nerves could handle another full out crying episode. Kallen moves so his back is against the headboard and pulls Lielle and me with him. The three of us sit like this until both the baby and I fall asleep.
I am jolted awake by the sound of a stampede. Where there was only one raging bull earlier, there are now at least ten of them charging toward the bed. The floor is shaking with the weight of their pounding hooves and the hot air being snorted from their noses is already reaching us.
“Now would be a good time to use some of that magic of yours,” Taz screeches, scrambling up the bed. Felix holds his ground, ready to take on the bulls. All the Familiar bravery was saved for his universe, apparently.
Glamour or not, these things are real enough that getting stomped by them would do serious damage. Minds working as one, Kallen and I throw magic toward them in the form of a wall. The bulls collide with it and dissipate into a cloud of hazy magic. I am surprised at the impact. Since it is glamour, I expected it to be like a blip against our combined magic. It felt more like Dragon fire than a blip. What the hell? I glance down at Lielle who is just opening her eyes. Her face twists and she begins to cry.
Pulling her closer, I glance back at Kallen. “Why is she dreaming about stampeding bulls?”
He shakes his head. “This is new for me, as well. Like Grandmother, I am more concerned about the force behind her glamour. It is like nothing I have ever witnessed before.”
The bedroom door crashes open and Isla and Garren rush in. They stop halfway into the room and glance around. Finding us on the bed, Isla demands, “What is going on up here?”
Kegan and Alita also join the party. “Are you alright?” Alita asks.
“The baby had another nightmare,” Kallen explains.
“Instead of one bull, there were ten of them,” I add.
Isla scowls. “It sounded as if an entire herd was trampling through the house.”
Ten isn’t considered a herd? I wonder how many there has to be for her to consider it a herd. Actually, I hope not to find out. “Is stampeding bulls a problem in the Elf realm?” I ask.
Isla considers me for a moment trying to figure out if I am being snarky or asking a real question. She finally says, “Not that I am aware.”
“Then why do you suppose the baby is having such dreams?” Kallen asks. Lielle is starting to calm again. She is grasping my shirt tightly in her little fists, but she isn’t crying.
“Because her soul purpose for being here is to make our lives miserable,” Taz whines. Felix grunts. He hasn’t voiced his opinion about the baby before but he seems to agree with Taz.
“I believe she may have witnessed something traumatic before she arrived,” Isla says. “Her mind may be processing it differently while she is sleeping, resulting in the raging bulls representing the event.”
I’m not convinced. “Wouldn’t she have had to see raging bulls to dream about them?” I ask.
“She does have a point,” Garren acknowledges much to Isla’s annoyance.
I doubt they have rodeos in the Elf realm. Where else would a baby see raging bulls? Reading my mind, Kallen says, “The Elves do keep cattle. It is possible she has at least seen a bull.”
“Since there are not any bulls actually in the house, I am going back to bed,” Kegan says through a yawn. He takes Alita’s hand and leads her out of the room. Alita gives a last, sympathetic glance over her shoulder before departing.
“We are returning to our bed, as well,” Garren says.
“Perhaps I should stay here for a while,” Isla suggests. “I would like more firsthand experience with her glamour.”
Isla spending the night in our room? That wouldn’t be awkward at all. Kallen is of the same mind. “I do not believe that is necessary, Grandmother. We will let you know if anything else arises.”
“Leave the kids be,” Garren gruffs. He tugs on Isla’s hand and she reluctantly follows him out. Wow. If he had tried that before they were married, she probably would have turned him into a toad or something.
When the room is once again ours, Kallen says, “Try putting her in the crib and I will dim the light.”
I do an awkward crab-like shuffle
to get off the bed while still holding the baby. I am doubtful she will let me lay her down considering the death grip she still has on my shirt, but I’ll give it a shot. Finally, I reach the edge of the bed and walk to the end where the crib is waiting. To my great surprise, Lielle doesn’t fuss much when I put her in it. I wonder if she has a similar crib back home. I back slowly away until I am out of her line of vision. Kallen dims the light far enough so there is just enough to see by so I don’t stub my toe on the way back to the bed.
I crawl back onto the mattress and we snuggle down under the blankets. We wait for several long minutes for Lielle’s breaths to even out. She has fallen back to sleep. Pulling me close, Kallen kisses me. I start to kiss him back until I remember there is a baby just a few feet away. “Not with her in the room,” I whisper.
“I am simply kissing you,” Kallen insists. “I am not attempting to make love to you.” He grins in the dim light. “Unless you want me to do so.”
I really want him to do so and he knows it. “You are mean,” I whisper back. I snuggle closer to him but don’t let him kiss me again. It would be too easy to get carried away. We will not be adding any more traumatic sights to the baby’s mental gallery.
4 CHAPTER
It feels like my eyes just closed when they are flipping open again in response to the entire house trembling. Kallen starts next to me. “What the hell?” he asks, staring at the same thing I am.
It’s a good thing our defensive magic comes instinctively. Otherwise, the shock of impending death by elephant trampling would have won out. There is an elephant in our bedroom. The only light coming in is moonlight from the balcony door but it is enough to illuminate the charging giant. The bulls looked solid. The elephant feels solid. It hits the wall of magic Kallen and I put up in front of the crib with enough force to cause ripples. It does not dissipate like the bulls did. It charges forward again and again.