by Elin Peer
We encouraged the children to talk to their parents on a weekly basis, but Raven’s mother was back in a place of reflection with a self-diagnosed case of depression, and when I managed to track her down she cried and told me she was the worst mother in the world and that Raven deserved better. I couldn’t argue with that, and when she had offered again to let me adopt Raven, it had been tempting to just say yes.
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“What did Raven say?” Christina asked me softly.
“I haven’t told her yet.”
“But you’re going to, right?” she asked.
I exhaled loudly. “I love Raven, but I haven’t spoken to her about it because I don’t want her to be disappointed if I choose not to adopt her.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because it could disrupt the school project,” I said. “It would change the dynamic of the group and potentially cause jealousy among the students. You have to remember that several of the kids don’t have parents at all. What about them?” I picked up a plum and sniffed it before I took a bite. “I also specifically promised Pearl that I wouldn’t play favorites with Raven, remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” Christina said softly. “There is that.”
“What about you and Boulder?” I asked. “You both adore her, and Raven loves it here; maybe you could adopt her?”
Christina shook her head. “No woman from the Motherlands is going to allow an Nman to adopt her daughter – not even Raven’s mother. Their heads are full of horror stories about the Nmen.” She played with the hem of her shirt. “We would adopt Raven on the spot if we could, but it would be cruel to discuss it with Boulder and let him get his hopes up when you and I both know it’s never going to happen.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I sighed. “It’s just that when I see how great and protective Boulder is with Raven, I think he would make an excellent father.”
“You really think so?” Christina lit up.
“Yeah, don’t you?”
She broke into a wide smile. “Yes. I mean there are certainly a few areas that we still don’t agree on, but we have about seven and a half months to figure it out.” The way Christina’s hand fell to her belly said everything.
“You’re pregnant?” My voice vibrated with excitement.
She nodded eagerly, her eyes tearing up.
“That’s amazing.”
Christina said something but her words were drowned in my happy scream, and I almost knocked a vase to the floor in my eagerness to give her a big hug.
“How did Boulder react?”
“I haven’t told him yet.”
“Oh, Mother Nature, he’s going to be the happiest man on earth.”
“I know,” she said and dried her eyes, wearing a happy smile. “But I want to tell him in the most perfect way.”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet. I was hoping you had some kind of brilliant idea.”
“Me?” I laughed. “Why would I know what to do? I’ve never been pregnant in my life, let alone had to tell someone about it.”
“Maybe I could give him a riddle?” Christina bit her lower lip with a speculative expression on her face.
“Maybe you could just tell him?” I suggested. “I don’t think the how is very important. I just think he wants to know.”
“But I want it to be special.”
Stroking her hand, I grinned. “Believe me, sweetie, to Boulder it will be very special.”
We talked more about the pregnancy before Christina changed the subject.
“Actually, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” She lifted the little plate with cookies and offered me one. “You haven’t touched them and I baked them myself.”
Christina had never been a talented baker and sure enough, the first bite tasted salty.
“What do you want to talk to me about?” I asked and put the cookie down.
“I overheard Boulder talking to Khan yesterday.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leaned closer. “I think you’re getting a new protector.”
“Why?”
“Khan needs Magni.”
“What for?”
Christina angled her head. “I’m not sure about the specifics, but apparently, some of the Nmen feel cheated that they didn’t get a chance to fight for Pearl. Khan wants Magni to take care of the situation before it turns into a rebellion.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“According to Boulder, Magni has been doing this sort of work for years. Khan and Magni used to do it together when their father was still in power,” Christina informed me. “You know that Magni is Khan’s right hand, right?”
“Yes, I know. Do you know when he’s going to leave?”
“Soon.”
I squirmed in my seat. “And do you know who my new protector is going to be?” The thought that Archer would be my new protector both excited and annoyed me. On the one hand, it would be wonderful to work together without the interference from a third person. On the other hand, it would give Archer a kind of leverage that I didn’t want him to have over me.
“I’m not sure,” Christina said, but I think it’ll be Finn.”
“I just hope it’s not Archer. That would be awkward and only complicate things between us.”
She nodded. “I don’t think Khan would pick Archer, especially after he spanked you.” From the way color rose to her cheeks I could tell Christina was still angry about that episode. “No man should ever hit a woman,” Christina said firmly. “Nor should he hit any child for that matter.”
“I agree, but it’s like talking to a door, and Archer won’t budge on the subject.”
Christina lowered her head and leaned forward. “Promise that you won’t let him do it again, Kya.”
“I don’t intend to, but I can’t let him beat on children either.”
“But don’t you see how he could use it against you? Archer doesn’t like you much and you two argue all the time.” She was pinching the skin of her throat with an uneasy expression. “I worry that he would punish the children in the hopes of getting to you.”
I nodded slowly. “The thought has occurred to me.” Folding my lower lip between my teeth, I asked: “You really don’t think Khan would pick Archer as my protector?”
“Maybe, but Khan and Boulder discussed it before you even came to the Northlands, and Khan was adamant that he wanted either Magni or Finn to protect you.”
“Why?”
“Because Khan doesn’t trust many people and he doesn’t know Archer as well as he knows them. Magni, Finn, Boulder, and Khan have been closely knit since they were teens.”
“Does that mean he would pick Finn then?”
“Probably.” Christina smiled. “It would make sense to have a doctor on hand at the school, wouldn’t it? I mean after what happened to William.”
I played with a strand of my hair and thought out loud: “True, but then why didn’t Khan pick Finn to begin with?”
Christina took her time before she answered. “That’s a good question, but my best guess would be that Khan chose Magni because he worried about his brother.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Remember I told you how destructive Magni became after Laura left?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, watching over you was a good distraction and since Magni is doing a lot better, I would have to say it was a good move on Khan’s part.”
“Huh.” I took in her words and had to agree that Magni seemed to have calmed down a lot. I’d even seen him close to smiling a few times.
“You know what, just make sure Boulder tells Khan that I don’t want Archer, okay? I already have too many battles on my list.”
“What battles?” Christina asked.
“My biggest one is to get the Nboys to accept Tommy and Nieall,” I said with a sigh and picked up the salty cookie again without thinking. “I feel sorry for them because I see
how much they want to be part of the boys’ group, but no matter how hard they try, the Nboys treat them as outsiders.”
“Then what are you going to do about it?” Christina asked.
Brushing off some cookie crumbs from my pants, I said: “I’m not sure, but I keep having this crazy idea that if the Nboys could see the Motherlands for themselves, they would be impressed. They seem to think that they are somehow superior to the children from the Motherlands, but if we showed them how amazing the Motherlands really are, maybe they would get a new sense of respect.”
Christina’s face lit up with excitement. “I just had a brilliant idea! You know what we should do?”
“What?”
“We should get the Council’s permission and take all the children on a field trip to the Motherlands.”
“That would be amazing,” I said dreamily.
“I’ll talk to Pearl and Isobel about it.” Christina had the same determined expression on her face that I had seen when she first planned to go to the Northlands. “But just for the fun of it, let’s say they agree – what would you show the boys?”
“Well, I know sports is a big thing for them, so I was hoping we could find a big sports event or a dance performance.”
“I doubt ballet or figure skating is going to impress them,” Christina pointed out. “But maybe a concert will. I don’t think these boys have been exposed to much culture.” She raised her hand as if a sudden idea had just struck her. “Oh, and you know what else would be a really good idea?”
I shook my head while smiling at her because there was nothing better than brainstorming ideas with my best friend. Especially when only a few months ago, I’d seen Christina depressed and sad. Now she was literally bursting with life.
“If we take them down to the south where it’s warm and nice, they can spend some time on the beach. I’ll bet none of the Nboys have ever tried swimming in a warm ocean.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little bit too ambitious now?” I asked. “I was thinking about a quick field trip to cross the border, but taking them to the southern part would require days.”
“Even better.” Christina let her fingers arrange her brown hair in a ponytail that fell the minute she moved her hands. “We would have enough adults to take care of the kids and it would give us a chance to show some of the men where we come from too. Maybe a week by the ocean would make them see the benefits to a union with the Motherlands.” She winked.
“Honestly, at this point I would just be happy to have a field trip off the island. I love it here, but I haven’t seen anything of the Northlands except this island and Khan’s mansion.
“Magni still doesn’t want to take you anywhere?”
“Nope, he’s very concerned about my safety and prefers for me to just stay at the school.”
“But Pearl said that you could have some trips back home, if you wanted,” Christina reminded me.
“I know, but with everything going on at the school I don’t want to be gone too long. I was thinking a few hours would be nice, that’s all.”
“Then you and I shall go shopping together this weekend,” Christina said firmly.
“Magni would never let me do that,” I breathed.
She grinned. “Ahh, but Magni won’t be your protector anymore, will he?”
CHAPTER 14
Ten Against One
Archer
I never thought that I would be sorry to see Magni go, but the morning he announced to the children that he was leaving for the East Coast, I felt a pinch of regret.
Over the last month, he and I had butted heads more times than I cared to remember, but we had also laughed together and on occasion he had helped me persuade Kya to see things my way. Magni was rude, confrontational, and unapologetic to a fault, but it was impossible not to respect him as a fighter. Although I hated to admit it, he was the best I had ever seen.
“As you know, Lord Khan depends on me to keep this country safe,” he told the children with his characteristic self-importance. “There are some idiots conspiring to overthrow my brother, and I have to go pay them a visit and talk to them about changing their minds.” The way he pressed his right fist into his left palm gave a nonverbal illustration of what exactly he meant by “talk.”
All the children were standing in a half circle, listening to him, and from the boys’ sagging shoulders it was easy to see their disappointment. Magni was a man of power and influence and his presence had made them feel important; not to mention that he had gathered quite the little fan group among the kids, who loved to watch him train.
“Can I come with you?” Oscar asked. “I can help.” The boy pushed out his chest and although impressive for a thirteen-year-old, he had a long way to go before he would be ready for the army of strong warriors that Magni had under his command.
“Me too,” Sultan added and was quickly followed by Storm, Nikola, and Solomon, who all offered Magni their service too.
I narrowed my eyes, afraid that their hero would dismiss them and hurt their pride, but I should have known that Magni was a bigger man than that.
“Thank you! We’ll need good warriors like you to keep our country safe. For now, I have my team, but you boys keep practicing hard and I might have a spot for you when you grow older.”
“What about us girls?” Raven asked. “Can we be on your team too?”
The boys broke into loud laughter.
Smiling down at Raven, who stood on my left side, I lifted my hand to tousle her hair and tell her she was being funny.
But I stopped myself when Magni came over, raised a hand to silence the boys, and squatted down in front of her. “Raven, I know that where you come from women are strong and independent, but you gotta understand that here in the Northlands we men are very protective of females. You see, we don’t have many to begin with so we can’t risk your lives in battle.”
Raven’s face fell.
“But I want you to know,” he added, “that we all acknowledge how brave it was of you to come here in the first place. Now, I can’t guarantee you that there will be a place for a woman in my army when you grow up. But a few months ago, the idea of boys and girls learning together in a school seemed out of reach too, so you never know. If you want to be a warrior,” he said and placed his large hand on Raven’s little shoulder, “then you keep training and doing your best, okay?”
She nodded her head eagerly.
“We’ll miss you, Magni.” The soft voice surprised me because it came from Mila, who stepped out of the group to approach him. With him still squatting, Mila placed her arms around him in a hug, looking genuinely sad to see him go.
Magni responded by holding on to her and rising back up to his full height with her in his arms. “You’re not going to miss me, Mila, because I’m bringing you as a souvenir.”
The girl erupted into laughter, making both of her charming dimples pop out.
“You can’t do that.” She giggled and with a rare grin, Magni spun her through the air and put her back on her feet.
“Nahh, I guess not, but I would if I could,” he said in his deep voice.
While I wondered how I had missed the two of them bonding, Mila wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him again. And the minute she let go of him, Kya came over and hugged him too.
“You stay safe, all right?”
“Enough with this love fest.” Magni rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide a small smile.
I kept my goodbyes short, and soon after, the children waved as Magni’s drone disappeared in the distance.
“Who is going to train us now?” Raven asked me. “We’re still going to learn how to fight, right?”
“Of course you are. In fact we’re going to be having a session right now and Marco will be your new trainer.”
Raven turned her head to look at Marco and her little nose wrinkled up in disapproval. “But Magni was the best fighter in the whole world,” she complained.
“What are you sayi
ng?” I asked the girl and crossed my arms. “You don’t think Marco can teach you anything?”
“I guess,” she muttered.
“Hey, look at me,” I commanded. “Why aren’t you excited about Marco teaching you?”
Her small shoulders bobbed in a shrug, but then she leaned closer and muttered in a hushed voice. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful of Marco, but he doesn’t look half as scary as Magni.”
“Hmm.” I took a minute to look at my assistant, trying to see the young man through her eyes. Marco might not be as scarred, tattooed, or menacing to look at as Magni, but at Marco’s six-foot-three he towered over her, muscled and broad-shouldered.
“You really don’t think he looks scary?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “Marco is the pretty one, that’s why all the girls like him.
Marco swung his head and gave me a disgusted look. “Did she just call me pretty?” he asked with a grimace.
“I think she did,” I confirmed with a grin.
Raven tugged at my shirt and signaled that she wanted to whisper something to me, so I bent down.
“You want to know a secret?” she asked and I nodded.
“Rochelle, Paysey, and Nicki are all in love with Marco.”
I pulled back with my eyebrows raised. “Is that right?”
“Uh-huh!” She gave me a conspiratorial glance and looked back at him.
“What are you two whispering about?” Marco asked and came to stand next to me.
“Nothing,” Raven said too quickly.
“Raven wonders if you’ll be any good as a trainer. She only wants to train with the best?”
Marco took the challenge with a charming grin. “Why don’t we find out?” he said and called to the boys. “Any of you little boys wanna fight me?”
Ten hands flew into the air and he signaled for them to circle around him.
“So, Raven?” he called to her. “If I can take down all the boys, will you be impressed?”
The Nboys were excited by the challenge and ran to get their safety gear. My concern was that Marco might be in over his head, because he hadn’t been training with them like I had. As per my instructions, Marco had kept close to Magni and trained with the children from the Motherlands instead. I had no doubt that Marco could take down nine ordinary schoolboys. After all, I had trained him myself and he was an excellent fighter. But these boys were handpicked and they were advanced for their age. Hell, I wasn’t even sure Magni or I could handle the full pack if they attacked us all at once.