Best Interests at Heart
A woman appeared in the room, dressed in robes of gold, offsetting her blond hair. Seated at the table across from the doorway were two men, dressed in robes of gold, both looking decidedly grim. She took her place between them, waiting for the older to speak. His brown eyes met her light blue and he sighed.
"What is troubling you, Darius?" Fiona asked, placing her hand atop his in comfort.
"The Phoenix is what troubles me, what troubles us all," Darius answered.
"They have been a low threat for years now," Fiona stated, perplexed.
"They are gaining strength," Ayden interrupted.
"Who are they planning on going after?" she questioned, her voice sounding suddenly tired.
"No one…yet. But there is one we've been watching, she has a child whom she will no doubt train in their murderous ways," Darius spat.
"What can we do?" Fiona asked, looking nervous now.
"We must save the child," Ayden explained.
"What? Who are we to decide whom is born good or evil?" she erupted.
"Fiona, please listen. We will keep the child, raise it to fight for the Greater Good," Darius murmured, trying to reassure his confidant.
"You are really ready to take a child from its mother just to protect the Greater Good! That is a selfish act Darius," she chided, anger flashing in her light eyes.
"We do what must be done to preserve the balance, Fiona. We have the child's best interests at heart," Darius shot back.
"And what of the mother? She won't be willing give up her child to us," she countered.
"She will have no choice," Ayden murmured. Fiona rose, livid.
"I will not be a part of this," she snapped and disappeared in a mass of blue and white orbs.
"She will come around in time," Darius said, calmly.
"I am not so sure of that, Darius," Ayden answered.
Several hundred miles away in a small house in San Francesco, a young woman was bent over the stove, heating up milk in a pan. A few feet from her sat a toddler of about 2 in a high chair, happily stuffing Cheerios in his mouth. His mother smiled at him, a lock of dark red hair falling from behind her ear. The milk started to bubble and she immediately removed it from the stove to let it cool enough to put in the cup for her son. While it cooled she went over to her child and bent down to his eye level.
"How are we today, little one?" Aniel cooed, running a hand over his smooth auburn locks.
The boy laughed and offered up his Cheerio and saliva covered hand.
"Mommy want O's?" Carden asked, smiling sweetly.
"No thanks baby. You eat them," Aniel answered, getting up to get him his cup of warm milk.
He was a good child. He hadn't been fussy as an infant and started sleeping through the night very early on. Thankfully the mark hadn't showed up until after she'd brought him home. She knew her son would make a wonderful witch assassin when his time came. She would train him well, as her mother had done for her. Carden would carry on where she had not been able to. She handed him the cup and watched him drink happily. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a jingle. She looked to her left and there, standing in her living room were two men dressed in gold robes. She knew who they were. They were Elders.
"What do you want?" she hissed at them, moving to protect Carden. She was ready for a fight.
"We are here for the child," Darius spoke firmly.
"No. You can't have him. He's mine," Aniel shouted, rushing towards them, arms outstretched.
Before she could reach them, however, their hands were out, releasing orbs of blue lightening. They hit her and knocked her unconscious. In the background, Carden began to scream at the top of his little lungs. Ayden stepped over the boy's mother and came to stand in front of Carden. He orbed the tray onto the counter and unbuckled the highchair straps.
"Shh. You are safe," Ayden cooed in the boy's ear as he picked him up, cradling him safely in his arms.
"Mama," Carden sniffled, looking at his mother.
"Come now. All will be well young one," Darius assured the weeping 2-year-old. With that the trio disappeared, leaving Aniel to awake later.
The two Elders and Carden arrived in the Heavens and were greeted with a cross-looking Fiona. She was blocking their way to the nursery they'd set up before going to retrieve Carden.
"I thought wanted nothing to do with this," Darius spoke coolly.
"A child needs a mother," she said simply, taking the boy from Ayden's arms. He curled up against her form, so much like his mother's.
"I told you," Darius whispered as Fiona turned and headed into the nursery.