by Bonnie Lamer
“It is only a tiny bump,” Tabitha grouses. “Nothing to make a fuss over.”
I pass Lielle back to Kallen and climb off the bed. Walking to Garren, I place my hand over his wound. He has a pretty good size goose egg on his forehead. Bigger than a tiny bump as Tabitha described it. That’ll teach him for barging into our room, I muse to myself.
It only takes a moment to have him fixed up. “There,” I say, removing my hands. “Better?”
Garren nods. “Much, thank you.”
Turning back to Kallen, I say, “I can take the first shift.”
He shakes his head. “I will.”
I’m certainly not going to wrestle him for it. “Okay. How long should I sleep?”
He shrugs. “Maybe four hour shifts?”
That won’t suck at all. Still, I nod. “Okay.”
“We will remain, as well,” Isla informs us.
We? Does she mean her and Tabitha or her and Garren? My question is answered when she increases the size of her cot so two can fit on it. Great. That won’t make things more uncomfortable or anything. I really hope they don’t cuddle in their sleep.
Kallen opens his mouth to argue. “Grandmother…”
Isla holds up a hand to stop him. “The matter is not up for debate. In fact,” she pauses to make another large cot on the other side of the bed from where hers and Tabitha’s are, “I believe Alita and Kegan should remain, as well.”
Did Kallen and I have such horrified expressions on our faces when she first told us she would be staying in our room as they do right now? “Grandmother, I believe you have things under control,” Kegan pleads.
Shaking her head, Isla explains, “This glamour is like nothing I’ve felt before. I believe it is important we all understand its strength.”
“I am willing to take your word for it,” Kegan grumbles. Despite his reluctance, he knows he doesn’t really have a choice. He and Alita walk to the new cot and sit down.
“It’s getting a little crowded in here,” I observe. “Maybe we should move to the giant living room downstairs.”
“This will be fine,” Isla insists.
With a sigh, I climb under the covers preparing for my four hours of sleep. “Sure you can stay awake?” I ask Kallen.
He nods but I don’t miss the longing in his eyes as he stares at me under the covers. He may have more than sleep on his mind. “I will be fine,” he says. “I will dim the lights so you can rest.” He gets his idea of dim from his grandmother, obviously. The room is once again bathed only in moonlight.
I have a hard time falling asleep. I am too worried about what is going to happen next. Kallen is restless and instead of rocking Lielle, he walks with her in the little bit of space left in our room. She is content but apparently not sleepy. He eventually settles in the rocking chair again in an attempt to get her to sleep. An hour later, she is still wide awake and so am I.
“Maybe a bottle,” I suggest over the not so soft snores of Tabitha and Garren. Mom thought Lielle was too old to need a bottle in the middle of the night but considering the amount of glamour she has used, she may have worked up an appetite.
“You, my love, are supposed to be sleeping,” Kallen chides softly.
“Can’t,” I say, throwing back the covers. I sidle my way between our bed and the cot Kegan and Alita are sleeping on. By the time I reach him, Kallen has extended the rocking chair so it is now large enough for two. I sit down next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. “If this is parenthood, I don’t know if I will ever be ready.”
He chuckles softly. “Fairy and Witch children do not possess glamour.”
He has a point. “Do you want kids?” I ask.
“Someday,” he says. “In the very distant future.”
“Do you want me to get a bottle?”
“No, she seems content. She is simply not tired.”
“Or she’s afraid to go to sleep,” I point out. “The nightmares must terrify her. I wish we knew what was causing them.” After a few minutes, I ask, “Is Addylyn married?”
Kallen snorts. “Five times over.”
I look up at him in surprise. I knew Elves practiced polygamy but five husbands? “That’s insane.”
“I am glad you think so.”
“I could only handle four husbands at the most,” I tease.
“You get one,” he growls and I laugh.
“So, Lielle’s dad could be any one of the five?”
Kallen shrugs. “I suppose though from what I understand, only one husband is her Consort. He is considered King though the title does not mean what it means here. He is supposed to be the father of any children Addylyn bears.”
I consider this for a moment. “Maybe Lielle is one of the other husbands’ and her Consort is angry.” Who could be angry enough to kill a baby, though?
“Perhaps,” Kallen says. “Jealousy and betrayal are often at the root of war.”
“Do you agree with Isla that we shouldn’t contact the Elves?” I ask.
Kallen sighs. “I do not know what to think. I do not want to put the baby in any more danger than she is already. Nor do I want an Elf war to spill into this realm. But not knowing why Addylyn left her here is maddening.”
I agree. “I am wide awake. Do you want to try sleeping?”
He considers for a long moment. Finally, he says, “I do not believe I will be able to sleep, either.”
“We’re going to be a mess tomorrow.”
“Most likely.”
5 CHAPTER
Despite our declarations, Kallen and I both fall asleep in the rocking chair. Lielle does, as well. This time, the rest of us are not woken by bulls, elephants or a train. We are woken by monkeys. Monkeys swinging from the bed posts, monkeys climbing on the chairs and monkeys jumping on the beds. From the oophs coming from those sleeping on said beds, the jumping monkeys are definitely solid.
“Is it wrong to hate a baby?” a tired Kegan asks Alita after a monkey wakes him by using his head as a bongo.
Alita giggles. “Yes, it is.”
There are vines dangling from the ceiling and a swinging monkey sails from one end of the room to the other, lets go and lands butt first on Garren’s face. That is disgusting even if it is only glamour. Yet, so funny. I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing because Garren is definitely not laughing. He has thrown the monkey off and is cursing while Isla tries to shush him. “You will wake the baby,” she hisses.
“I do not give a damn,” Garren growls. “I have monkey butt on my tongue and up my nose.” I really do not want to know what he means by that last part.
“If this monkey does not stop trying to ride me like a horse, we are having monkey stew for breakfast,” Taz grumbles from Tabitha’s cot. “I hear their brains are delicious.” Eew.
“Quite the party going on in here,” Dad laughs from where he’s floating in the doorway. Mom is next to him trying not to laugh as Garren tries to wipe remnants of monkey butt from his tongue. It’s just glamour for goodness sake, why is he spazzing? It’s not like he had a real monkey butt on his face.
“Anything unusual last night?” Kallen asks Dad over the noisy creatures.
Dad shakes his head. “Not a single soul around.”
Lielle stirs in Kallen’s arms. When she opens her eyes, she is delighted by the monkeys. One is crawling up Kallen’s arm and my gorgeous husband is doing an excellent job ignoring it. Lielle reaches out to pet the monkey and screeches in delight. Jumping to Kallen’s shoulder, the monkey simultaneously teases the baby with its tail while searching Kallen’s scalp for bugs. I really hope it doesn’t find any.
“Dagda and Tana are downstairs,” Mom says. She tells us this in a normal voice, not one laced with acid. Impressive considering how much she still dislikes them both.
Kallen rises from the double wide rocker and holds a hand out to me. I take it and stand with him. “Perhaps Lielle will leave the monkeys up here,” he says, only half joking. The monkey on his shoulder is still lookin
g for bugs. I hate to tell him, but I think it’s there to stay for a while because Lielle can’t stop giggling about it.
Everyone follows us downstairs. We enter the kitchen where Dagda and Tana are waiting and both of them are taken aback by our haggard appearances. “Rough night?” Dagda asks with a touch more amusement in his voice than is safe for his health. No one woke in a good mood except Lielle. At least the only monkey she kept is the one on Kallen’s shoulder.
“Killer bulls, elephants, trains, the usual,” I say climbing onto a stool next to my biological father. “Oh, and monkeys, obviously.”
Dagda looks over my head to Kallen. “Do I want to know?”
Before Kallen can respond, Tana holds her arms out. “What a lovely child. May I hold her?”
Kallen looks down at Lielle and then back at his aunt. “You can try.”
Affronted, Tana says, “I have held a baby before.”
“He wasn’t being rude,” I explain. “She just doesn’t seem to want to be held by anyone other than Kallen or me. We think Addylyn put some sort of suggestion in her mind about it.”
Slightly appeased, Tana moves closer. “Let me see her.” Kallen holds Lielle out to his aunt who scoops her into her arms.
“Feel free to change her,” I suggest with a smile. Tana ignores me.
Despite the cooing and playful noises Tana is making, Lielle’s face scrunches up in the ‘I am going to scream my little lungs out if you do not put me down’ expression she gets when she is held by someone else. Before she can suck enough oxygen into her lungs to really get going, Kallen takes her back from Tana. Lielle immediately begins to calm.
“She is rather particular,” Tana grouses.
“Trust me, we wish she wasn’t,” I inform her.
“Please tell me you can smell the toxic waste it has deposited in its pants,” Taz says from across the room. “The last I checked, you do have a nose.”
He’s right. Lielle is starting to smell a bit ripe. Kallen’s wrinkled nose means he’s noticed, as well. “Change or rinse,” I ask. Realizing what I just said, I hurry to correct it. “I’ll change, you rinse.”
After narrowing his eyes at me for a moment, he relents. “Fine.” He hands Lielle to me.
Tabitha gives me a fresh diaper and a wet cloth. Not wanting to change her in the kitchen, I bring her into the living room. Alone. I guess watching me change one dirty diaper was enough amusement for everyone. A blanket has appeared in the middle of the immaculate floor and I lay the baby on it. I work as fast as I can while being sure to breathe through my mouth again, not my nose. “Kallen!” I call when I have the offending diaper free of Lielle. Kallen strides in, takes the diaper by the corners and strides back out of the room all the while holding his breath. I hope he doesn’t pass out before reaching the bathroom.
I put the clean diaper on Lielle and call out, “Can someone watch her while I wash my hands?” There is not an immediate response so I add, “Please.”
Alita comes to my rescue. “I will try but please hurry.” Lielle is already looking unhappy about me leaving her.
I do a decent scrub job on my hands and hurry back to the living room. Lielle is pouty but she isn’t crying. Maybe she will warm up to the others. Carrying her back to the kitchen, I sit her in the highchair someone created. Tabitha already has mashed fruit ready for Lielle’s breakfast. Bananas, apples and plums. She must have mashed the last two with magic. My own stomach growls as I pick up the bowl and begin feeding the baby.
“Has there been word from the Elf realm?” Isla asks, pouring out cups of coffee which Kegan distributes to everyone who wants it.
Dagda shakes his head. “Not a word. Now, would someone like to fill me in on killer bulls, elephants and trains?” The monkeys’ part is self-explanatory. The monkey from Kallen’s shoulder has climbed onto the back of the highchair and is now checking Lielle’s hair for bugs. She doesn’t mind.
Kallen recants the night for him. When he is finished, Dagda lets out a low whistle. “You are certain the glamour is coming only from the child?”
Isla nods. “I could not feel anyone else.”
Tana is not convinced. “A cloaking spell, perhaps?”
I shake my head. “When you used a cloaking spell, Taz was able to sense it.” Her face turns red at the reminder and Tana bites back any defensive response she is thinking.
“See, I’m useful,” Taz gloats. He is hovering near Tabitha as she makes breakfast.
“It is quite easy to sense a cloaking spell,” Felix says. He is hovering near Tabitha, as well. Taz is wearing off on him. Either that or Tabitha’s cooking is. Probably both.
As Lielle eats, fruit trees begin to grow in the kitchen. Trees full of ripe fruit. Dagda gets hit in the head when a ripe apple falls from a branch. “Ow,” he exclaims, looking around for whoever hit him. He didn’t see the apple fall.
“Remarkable,” Tana says. “That actually hurt you.”
“I did not find it so remarkable,” Dagda says, rubbing his head.
“You get used to it,” I tell him. “Better an apple than a speeding train.”
“I agree,” Garren says, touching the spot where his goose egg had been the night before.
“I would like to experience her harmful glamour first hand,” Tana announces.
“She’s not a circus act,” I mutter under my breath. My cheeks flush when Tana gives me a sour look.
“If you remain in her presence, I guarantee you will experience all her glamour first hand,” Kallen tells his aunt. I hope she and Dagda do not take that as an invitation to move into our bedroom tonight with everyone else. There won’t be any room to move if another cot is added.
Dad, who went outside to do another perimeter check, comes floating through the kitchen door. “Someone is coming. I believe she is human.” Everyone is instantly alert. Even Kegan who was having trouble keeping his eyes open despite the coffee mug he is gulping from.
“Why do you think she’s human, Dad?” I ask. Being human himself, he doesn’t have the ability to sense magic or the lack of it.
Dad considers a moment. “It’s something about the way she moves. Magical beings tend to have a grace to their movements which humans often lack.” From the way he is looking at everyone in the room except me, I am going to assume I’m an exception to the rule. I’m not annoyed. I know I’m clumsy.
“Did she see you?” Kallen asks Dad.
Dad shakes his head. “No. She was several hundred feet away. I kept to the trees to avoid being seen.” He grins. He loves the cloak and dagger stuff.
“How long until she is here?” Dagda asks.
“She’s about a quarter mile away. Five minutes at the most.”
“I wonder if she’s the one who dropped Lielle off,” I say to no one in particular.
“She seems to know where she’s going,” Dad confirms.
Hands on hips, Tabitha asks, “Why are you all just sitting here? If there is going to be trouble it is not going to happen in my kitchen.”
“Tabitha is right,” Isla says, setting her coffee cup down on the counter. “Even if she is Cowan, there could still be danger. We should meet her on the road.”
I glance at Kallen and then back to the baby. Before I can say anything, he grinds out, “I am not staying here with the baby.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.” Yes, I was.
“She will come with us,” my gorgeous but annoyed husband informs me. He creates a cloth to wipe Lielle’s face and then lifts her from the highchair. He considers handing her to me but thinks better of it. “I will carry her,” he says.
I narrow my eyes. “Are you afraid I’ll drop her?”
He gives me a half smile. “No. I am concerned that if you do need to use magic, Lielle may become a conductor.”
Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. “I used magic around her last night.”
“That was protective magic. Your offensive magic likes to seek as many outlets as possible.” I can’t argue. It r
eally does.
“Just let him carry the ugly little thing so we can go. Hopefully the human is here to take it back,” Taz says as he scurries to the door. He must really want Lielle gone if he’s scurrying somewhere. With his fat little tummy, a waddle is usually the best he can do.
Kallen and I follow everyone out of the kitchen and down the driveway to the road. We can already see the girl in the distance. She’s not running but she is walking at a pretty good pace so it is only a minute or two before she is within speaking distance. She is tall for a human girl, close to six feet, and she has long brown hair held back from her face with a headband and her features are plain. She is neither pretty nor ugly. Her clothes are a little dated. She is wearing a dress which vaguely resembles that of a stereotypical fifties housewife. Her skirt is beige and goes down to mid-calf. Her blouse is a white button down and around her neck she is wearing a string of pearls. On her feet, she is wearing beige flats. Her outfit gives the impression she is older than she is. My guess is she is in her mid to late twenties.
She stops about ten yards from us and curtsies. She actually curtsies. “Greetings,” she says with her head still bowed. I don’t sense any magic from her so Dad was right. She is human. “I am Whysper, servant to Queen Addylyn.”
“Quick, throw the baby to her and let’s go home,” Taz encourages. I scowl down at him but he is unaffected by it.
Dagda speaks first. “Greetings, Whysper. I am Dagda, King of the Fae. Have you come to retrieve Queen Addylyn’s child?”
Whysper is quick to hide the surprise on her face. “I came to explain. I did not realize you already knew the identity of the child.”
Dagda’s brows rise. “Were we supposed to be in the dark regarding the child’s identity?”
“N-no,” Whysper stutters.
“Why were explanations not forthcoming yesterday when you delivered the baby?” Isla asks.
“I had to be certain I was not followed,” Whysper says in a shaky voice. “King Consort Herion would have known as soon as we were sent away. There are spies throughout the palace.”
“So, Addylyn needs to protect Lielle from her husband?” I ask.