18
"They're so little."
Syn smiled at Theo's awed tone and nodded.
"They're only a few days old…some of them haven't even opened their eyes yet."
The Oni child reached out to touch one, but Nip growled in warning and Syn grabbed Theo's hand to hold it back.
"Sniffers are protective mothers, Theo. She doesn't want anyone to touch her babies."
Theo accepted the explanation and rested his head in both hands, kicking his legs a little as he looked on from his position on his stomach. There were six sniffer pups total, each a slightly different shade of grey. The one on the very end of the pile was a milky silver color and Theo marveled at how the light reflected off the tiny form's fur.
"Did you name them all?"
Syn shook her head.
"What are you gonna do with them?"
The young woman didn't answer right away as she watched Nip lick the heads of her tiny, helpless young.
"I don't know, Theo. Phos thinks Nip will take them into the wild when they are old enough and teach them how to hunt…."
"And then will they come back?"
Syn's expression flickered with a pained look and she finally shrugged.
"I don't know."
Theo didn't seem to notice her becoming quiet as he stared at the baby animals. He finally pointed at the silvery form at the end.
"That one already has a name."
Syn picked at a weed poking up in the dirt.
"Oh yeah? What's her name?"
Theo tilted his head and smiled.
"Star."
The young woman couldn't help smile at that as she looked over at the small boy, who was still staring at the sniffer pups in rapture.
"That's a pretty good name."
"Yep. It's cuz she looks like a star."
"She kinda does," Syn admitted. She stood up and brushed herself off. "I have to get some chores done, Theo…wanna come with me or stay here with Nip and the pups?"
He was about to answer when a shadow flicked across the sun. The Night-sniffer bore her teeth at the large dragon that was making the descent and Theo sprung to his feet.
"Daddy!"
Cole basically fell off the dragon as he dropped to his knees to catch Theo in a hug.
"Theodynn…I was looking everywhere for you!"
"Mommy got sick so we had to come to see Master Phos. And look!" Theo had already pushed out of the embrace, grabbing his father's hand in an effort to drag him over towards Nip's outdoor home. "The sniffer had babies! I named one of them; I'll tell you the name and you guess which one it is…."
Cole resisted the pull, rubbing Theo's head.
"In a minute, Theo…where's Mom? Is she inside?"
The boy sagged in disappointment but nodded.
"Yeah, she's inside."
"I have to go check on her, alright? I'll be right back…stay out here with Syn, ok?"
"….ok…."
Cole disappeared into the tent and Theo frowned, kicking a rock. Syn gave him a sad smile and came over.
"He's just worried about you and your Mom, Theo."
"He never wants to play anymore," the boy argued. "Like never ever."
Syn put a hand on his shoulder and tilted her head.
"It's been a stressful day. C'mon, let's go see if we can catch some bugs. Hershel showed me where there are some really big ones not too far from here."
Theo let her take his hand, but he couldn't help but glance sadly back at the tent behind them as they walked away.
"Cole?"
The Elemental Master was glaring into the fire, head in his hands, and Keyda frowned. She reached him and slid a hand on his shoulder. Cole dry-washed his face with one hand.
"I should have been there."
Keyda sank down to sit next to him on the couch.
"There's no way you could have known that was going to happen…"
"I should have been there."
She blinked at his tone and then sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Where were you, by the way? Theo said that you went to the southern province."
"Yeah."
"Any particular reason?"
Cole rubbed his face again and sighed heavily.
"Wu said….apparently there was an Adalaide sighting…" he murmured, and she stiffened.
"What?!"
"I scoured the area and asked around but no one had any information except that there were strange purple flashes in the mountains some nights and someone had seen a willowy figure stealing food from one of the farms closest to the Varghall Peaks…"
"Did you at least have Ret with you?" Keyda demanded, and he fell silent. She sat up and glared at him.
"Cole, what if it had been a trap!? You know better than to…."
"I know…I know. And it was a trap. But not for me."
They both fell silent for a few minutes, watching the fire. Finally, Cole sighed.
"Why didn't you tell me about the vengestone, Keyds?"
She didn't answer right away, and when she did she gave a half-hearted shrug.
"I knew you wouldn't like it."
"Because it's wrong to cut yourself off in that way, Keyda...these powers…they aren't a bad thing…"
"I never said they were!" she snapped. "But they got too unpredictable. And then I was just scared, so scared that I would hurt you or Theo and then…." she trailed off, her expression crumpling as her voice became quiet. "It just got easier."
Cole's own expression softened as he looked at her. He put an arm around her and pulled her in.
"Someday Theo'll unlock his powers, Keyds, and you'll be the one there to teach him."
She squeezed her eyes closed and exhaled shakily.
"We don't know that," she started, but then she remembered what Phos had said about the baby still inside her. Her hand went to her middle and she began to cry as she tried to imagine helping someone else control something that she still didn't feel confident in. Cole rocked her as she told him in halting sentences what Phos had said before Cole arrived. The Elemental Master kissed the top of her head.
"If that's true then we'll teach her, Keyds. Just like Wu taught me and Phos taught Hersh and you…"
She swallowed, deciding against telling him what the Healer had said about the toll it would take on her. She still didn't know what he had meant by that, but despite Cole's gentle tone, she could tell by the stiff way he was sitting that he was just as scared as she was. She didn't want to worry him further.
Eventually, they fell quiet again. They had started to drift to sleep together on the couch when the door from their bedroom creaked open.
"Mommy?"
Keyda started awake, which caused Cole to stir as well. She looked over to see Theo in the doorway, his tattered green blanket in hand. She sat up a little.
"What's wrong?"
Theo didn't answer as he came over and climbed up onto the couch, finding a spot for himself in a space between her and Cole. He snuggled in and rested his head on her chest, pulling the green blanket close to himself. A drowsy Cole rested his hand on Theo's head.
"Hey buddy…"
Theo reached up and captured his father's hand, dragging it down near his heart and his blanket. A little while later the three of them were fast asleep as the dying coals cracked in the fireplace.
"Do it again!"
Keyda gave a weary smile as she summoned another aura ball around her hand. Theo watched with wide eyes as it licked her fingers and finally went out.
"Does it hurt?"
She shook her head and Theo scooted closer to lean against her. He reached out to gently pat her large stomach.
"Is she coming soon yet?"
Keyda's smile faded a little as she put her own hand on top of his.
"A few more months…"
A whine sounded from another side of the room and Theo bolted upright, looking over. Keyda frowned, turning towards the sound.
"What was…"
"Nothing!" Theo said immediately, getting to his feet. "Can we go get something to eat now? I think I want…."
A serious of yelps cut him off and Keyda narrowed her eyes at her son as she carefully pushed herself to her feet. Theo bit his lip as she headed over to the corner. Right as she reached a bundle of blankets, a silvery form shot out and began making a beeline for the doorway. She jumped back in surprise and Theo took off after the small form.
"Star! Star stop!"
Keyda blinked and finally sent a blast of power to slam the door shut. The sniffer pup screeched to a halt and a moment later Theo tackled it, getting a good hold on her.
"Theodynn….what in ancient's name…"
"Master Phos said I could have her!" Theo whined, and Keyda folded her arms, fixing him with a reproving look.
"Phos is not your mother young man; he's not the one you need permission from!"
"But she really likes me mom! All her brothers and sisters went into the wild with Nip but this one kept coming back and she likes me…"
"Theo," Keyda sighed. "There's about to be a baby around here, we can't keep…we don't have anywhere for…."
"I'll take care of her! Syn showed me how to dig up roots for her and we could keep her in the arena cuz there's lots of space to run around and I'll make sure she doesn't make messes in the house…"
"It smells like she already did," Keyda pointed out. "I'm sorry, but sniffers belong outside, in the wild. And we're far too busy to train her. End of story."
Theo's eyes filled with tears and his grasp around Star tightened.
"That's why I want her…because you and dad are just gonna be more and more busy and you don't have time for me now and I just want someone that will be my friend…"
Keyda looked at Theo's expression, her resolve starting to fade. Finally, she just sighed.
"We'll ask your father when he gets home."
"You weren't supposed to say yes."
Cole and Keyda watched Theo throw the stick that the small pup couldn't be less interested in.
"Wha…you could have said no…"
"You're supposed to be the strong one!" she argued, and he chuckled, pulling her closer. Theo waved the stick in front of the pup's nose, talking through the instructions slowly on how to 'fetch'.
"Between the two of us, I was never the strong one," Cole murmured and she rolled her eyes.
"How did the mountain search go?"
His smile faded.
"Nothing. Even with those reports, we haven't been able to find anything up there. If Adalaide is hiding in the Varghall Peaks, she is doing a really good job at..."
He trailed off, his expression contorting in pain as he put a hand to his chest. Keyda looked over, her brows knit in concern.
"It's happening again," she guessed, and Cole swallowed.
"It'll pass…"
A few moments later she watched as his expression relaxed and she shook her head.
"What did Phos say?"
Cole didn't say anything as he watched Theo chase after his own stick as Star once again refused to.
"Cole?"
"It's…like the Element is trying to tell me it wants to move on," he finally admitted.
"Move on to what?"
Theo finally sat, frustrated, and chucked the stick out of anger as he gave up on training his pup. Star wandered over and climbed into his lap, making herself at home, and the child's irritated expression dissolved into pleasure as he gently pet her.
"Um…just….just move on. But the feelings will pass…"
"Has this happened before? That your powers just wanted to leave?"
Cole shrugged, his tone becoming soft.
"I saw it once in someone else," he admitted and Keyda cocked an eyebrow.
"And the feeling just went away for them?"
Cole finally turned to her and smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Eventually."
19
"I said no, Theodynn."
Theo narrowed his eyes at the Captain of the Guard, but Jaqah folded her arms, unfazed.
"But Star needs to run around outside…"
"There's plenty of room in the arena. There's no reason for you to be sneaking outside."
Star whined and Theo folded his arms to match Jaqah's.
"I wasn't sneaking."
Jaqah just raised an eyebrow and the small child stamped his foot.
"It's so boring here! I want to go outside or to the market….I haven't got to go to the market for a long long time!"
"It isn't safe," Jaqah said bluntly.
"It is safe. If you came with me I would be so so safe!"
"The answer is no."
"My mom would let me!" Theo exclaimed defiantly. "I'm going to ask my Mom!"
He went to go running towards his room, but Jaqah intercepted him deftly, scooping him up off the ground.
"Put me down! I want to talk to my mom!"
Jaqah marched him to a chair and sat him in it, fixing him with a firm stare.
"Keyda is resting and you are not to bother her. You aren't going outside; deal with it and find something else to do."
Theo glared at her and Star began running around in circles, hissing and nipping at Jaqah's ankles. The guard unsheathed her sword, pointing it at the silver pup in less than a second. Star yelped and ran off.
"Don't do that!" Theo yelled, and Jaqah shook her head.
"Something attacks me, I attack back," she explained, sheathing her sword. "Don't let me catch you sneaking out again; you're parents have made it clear that you are to stay inside."
Theo fell into a glowering silence and finally slid off the chair, darting vengeful glances in Jaqah's direction as he went over and scooped Star up from her position under a nearby table.
"Guess I'll just go to the boring boring boring arena…" he whined, stomping off down the hallway. Jaqah shook her head as she watched him go.
"I'll never understand kids," she muttered.
The pup and boy eventually made it to the arena, and Theo pushed one of the heavy doors open. Star yipped happily as she streaked across the dusty bowl, and Theo trudged in and sat down in the dirt, watching the pup run around and around with his head in his hands.
"I never get to do anything," he complained to the empty room.
"Cuz you're still a kid, Freak. Didn't you know? Kids never get to do anything."
Theo turned in surprise and caught a familiar figure on the steps up one of the arena's aisles. The boy blinked and pushed himself off the ground, heading over to where Tolan was sharpening a sword.
"Whatcha doing?"
Tolan shrugged and kept sharpening. Theo climbed through the railing and came to sit next to him as Star continued to run around in the large dusty bowl.
"That's not your sword."
The scraping stopped. Tolan's brows furrowed as Theo continued, pointing.
"Yours are skinny and long…this one's big like Jaqahs and the hilt is different. Is it a new sword?"
The lanky guard was silent for a few moments and he finally started sharpening the sword again.
"It's old. It belonged to an idiot who should have used it better."
Theo swung his legs from his seat on the bench.
"Can you teach me sword fighting now, Tolan?"
"No."
Theo pouted.
"You said you would teach me but you're never around…"
"Cuz I'm busy, Freak. I'm one of the guards that keeps this place running, and I have to work more than ever now that your Mom is down for the count."
Theo blinked.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm doing a lot more heavy lifting than I should have to when…"
"What does down for the count mean, Tolan!?"
The guard rolled his eyes and looked over at the boy, the sharpening stone coming to a stop once more.
"C'mon Theo, you aren't stupid. Keyda can barely stand most days now, let alone lead a nation. Cole's never around because he's busy trying to make up for it, and the rest of us are stuck between filling in the remaining responsibilities and babysitting you before some baddie comes to make off with you for blackmail or worse. And every week Keyda just gets worse. This baby is going to be bad news."
"No it isn't!"
Tolan blinked in surprise as Theo jumped to his feet.
"The baby is fine and my mom is fine! She's just tired! And Dad…"
Theodynn kicked the ground in frustration, his train of thought changing tracks.
"He never takes me with him anymore….I never get to go anywhere! He always just goes by himself and then I get stuck here and there's nothing to do and it's so boring and you won't even teach me swords even though you promiiiiiiised…."
Tolan held up his hands as the torrent of words came out.
"You're problems aren't my fault, kid. You don't like something your parents are doing, you bring it up with them, not me.
Theo pouted, looking at the sword resting in Tolan's lap.
"I will."
Hershel splashed more cool water on his face, gasping. He leaned up against the work counter, eyes closed as the water dripped off. Eventually, a breeze cut through the door flap; he shivered and reached for the towel nearby.
"Ancients, you look terrible."
He straightened and pulled the towel away from his face, looking over at where his sister had come into the room. Syn had one eyebrow raised and she finally shook her head.
"What exactly are you guys doing when you go out there?"
Hershel shrugged non-committedly.
"Just…training…"
Syn grabbed his shoulders and glared.
"'Just training' doesn't cut it, Hersh. It's bad enough I'm not allowed to train as an apprentice, but to know that you're going off doing who knows what that's leaving you so drained…"
"Syn." Hershel gently removed her hands from off his shoulders, shaking his head. "I'm fine, promise. We've been working on larger destruction spells…they take a lot of energy. But Phos said that I'll build up endurance eventually."
Syn huffed and blew a curl out of her face as she straightened. She had grown to be almost as tall as her brother, though neither would ever be considered tall. Hershel put the towel back down on the counter and tilted his head as he studied his sister.
"How have you been, Syn? You seem a little…tense."
"I'm not tense. I'm concerned."
"About what?"
"About you, stupid! About how quiet and distant you've been and the dark circles under your eyes and that Phos hardly even talks to me anymore and the fact that Nip never came back…"
Her throat constricted and Syn became irritated with herself as she cleared it.
"But if you're good then it's fine," she snapped and turned to head back outside. Hershel caught her arm and she sagged, not turning to look back at him.
"Nip hasn't come back yet?"
Syn clenched her jaw and shook her head and Hershel frowned.
"I didn't realize…"
"How could you? You're never here. And when you are you're so out of it," she pointed out, easing her arm from his grasp.
"Hey."
Hershel's voice was filled with concern and Syn glared at the floor, her lip quivering despite her resolve. The Healer Apprentice pulled her into a hug, not really sure what else to say. Syn hugged him back, burying her face into his shoulder.
"It just feels like….like I'm always alone," she admitted. "And it's stupid but it feels like nobody needs me anymore…like I don't have any reason for being here."
"Don't say that, Syn," Hershel murmured. He frowned as he felt a twist of guilt. "Of course Phos and I need you here."
"Need me for what? To put the tea on? To greet people who show up here when you guys are gone?"
"We need you to…to…"
Hershel trailed off, his cloudy mind going blank as he tried to think of what to tell her. Syn exhaled shakily, pulling away.
"Exactly."
Before Hershel could think of what else to say she had disappeared back out the back door.
"You're getting worse."
Keyda took a few more shallow breaths as Cole gently lifted her face to meet his eye. He scanned her pale, gaunt face, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and her dazed look.
"Keyds…"
"It's only for a few more months," she reminded weakly, but Cole shook his head.
"We have to go see Phos again, Keyda. I don't care what he said; there has to be something that can be done to make this not so…"
"There isn't!"
Her voice became stronger and Cole trailed off. She swallowed and shook her head.
"He was clear the last time we went, Cole…we just have to wait it out. It's just a harder pregnancy."
"No, Keyds, this is killing you!"
"It isn't. I'll be fine."
Cole's brows furrowed as he looked at her, and once again unbidden memories came to mind of another dark-haired woman lying in bed with an ashen complexion and gaunt face…
"Let me take you to Ninjago," he murmured, grabbing her hands. "The doctors there…they could do something! Maybe they have some kind of medicine that Phos doesn't…"
"No."
Once again, Keyda's voice gained strength and she pushed herself up in the bed, glaring at her husband.
"I will not go back to that…that hospital place where they'll do all those tests and who knows what else to me!"
"Those doctors are the reason I can still walk! They could help you!" Cole protested, but she shook her head adamantly.
"I won't go there. Phos said I just have to wait it out and that's what I'll do."
"Keyda, please." Cole had been sitting on the bed to talk to her, but now he slipped off to kneel so that they would be face to face. "I can't see you like this anymore."
He reached out and pushed some hair off her forehead; it was sweaty, and his heart pounded at the feverish feel that had been there the last few weeks.
"I'm terrified I'm going to lose you," he finally admitted, his voice barely audible, and her determined expression softened.
"You aren't going to lose me, Idiot," she whispered back. "You just have to be patient."
He clenched his jaw and she reached out to touch his face, giving him a tired half-smile.
"I'm going to be ok, but promise me, Cole. Promise me you won't take me to those hospitals in Ninjago. Promise me that you can be patient. We just have to wait this out…"
His expression crumpled and she pushed herself up further and pulled him in.
"I'm not going anywhere, Cole."
20
Tolan hesitated, his hand fiddling with the hilt of one of his katanas. A moment later, however, he was picking his way across the brush towards the figure sitting on the ridge of the plateau.
"Come here often?"
The figure straightened, and Tolan smirked. He sat down next to her casually, not waiting for her answer and not bothering to ask if he could join her. Syn sat rigidly, not turning to look at him. They sat in silence a few minutes. Tolan picked at a nearby plant, unconcerned.
"What's the bag for?"
One of Syn's hands went to the large bag at her side, but she didn't answer right away.
"I'm…leaving."
He stuck a blade of grass in his mouth, chewing it as he thought about her answer.
"Got sick of being bossed around here, huh? I'm surprised you lasted this long, with only your dour brother and a walking skeleton to keep you company."
She finally turned to face him as she glared.
"What in ancient's name are you doing here?" she spat, and Tolan shrugged.
"Heartburn. No one was home in the tent so I figured I'd track you up here."
She snorted, rolling her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her knees.
"You know where the salve is kept. I'm surprised you didn't just take some…"
She trailed off as Tolan fished a vial out of his pocket and winked at her. Syn shook her head, refusing to encourage him with the slightest amused expression.
"I figured I'd better track you down to pay you, though."
"And why's that?" she asked dully, moving to accept the few coins he held out to her.
"Because that skeleton you work for gives me the heebie-jeebies and I don't want him tracking me down in the night."
She sighed and pocketed the money, turning back to look at the dusty horizon. Tolan leaned back on his arms, a breeze stirring their hair as it whipped past.
"If you're leaving, you sure didn't make it far," he pointed out, and she shrugged, not answering. Tolan glanced at the bag next to the young woman.
"You don't know where to go," he guessed and Syn shrugged again, her expression darkening as she turned away. He pulled the blade of grass out of his mouth and studied it for a few moments before tossing it. "Western Province is nice. My brother and I grew up there; they could always use an extra wandering healer. I expect that's what you're planning on doing, yeah? You seem like the type of responsible girl who wouldn't run away without a plan…"
"I'm not running away!" she spat, turning on him again. "I'm just…I'm just not doing anything around here. I need to go out and find out what I want to do with my life already."
"Well, I guess it's good to know you don't aspire to sit around a tent making tea for the rest of your life," Tolan mused, watching a dragon's silhouette fly across the sky in the distance. "Why not go to work at the fortress? They need all the help they can get lately with Keyda being on death's door."
Syn suddenly looked sick, but Tolan's expression remained unconcerned.
"Is she getting even worse?"
He shrugged.
"She's not getting better…"
Syn was silent as she thought about it, but she finally sighed.
"I can't go to the fortress."
"Why not? Still too close to the place you're trying to leave behind?"
"No. Too close to you," she snapped. "Imagine having to see you every day."
He turned on her and raised an eyebrow.
"So bitter…" he tsked. "I remember when you would have given anything for that chance."
She physically shoved him then.
"You sure did love that… having the ground you walked on worshiped. Too bad for you I grew up."
"Don't worry, Syn. I don't hold that against you."
She flushed and stood abruptly, grabbing her bag. His brow furrowed as he watched her.
"Do you push everyone else's buttons as much as you push mine? Or do you go out of your way to bother me especially?"
He shrugged again.
"No…most people are usually just as annoyed with me," he decided, and she scoffed.
"Well it's good to know you don't give me any special treatment," she muttered, turning to go. There was a whir of motion and suddenly Tolan was in front of her, katana drawn. Syn huffed in annoyance and folded her arms.
"What in ancient's name are you doing?" she muttered, and he held out the weapon to her.
"You asked me to show you a few things, once," he reminded, and she scoffed.
"That was years ago," she reminded bitterly. "And you never did."
"I got time now," he pointed out, and she went to side step him. He stepped in front of her again and she simmered angrily as he deftly flipped his sword around in the air, catching it and winking.
"C'mon…most people like it. The only reason Jaqah can still stand to be around me is because I let her try to beat some sense into me during training every week."
Syn raised an eyebrow.
"Just try?"
He shrugged, smirking.
"It's a well-known fact I'm the best fighter in the regiment, so it's not like she ever gets very far."
Syn snatched the katana out of his hand and his smirk grew a little as he deftly unsheathed his second katana with his left hand. The curly-haired woman glared at him, pointing the blade at his face.
"Someone needs to teach you a lesson, Tolan…one you won't soon forget!"
"Trust me, lots of people have tried."
Syn swung quickly, but he deftly blocked the blow and gave her a smug look that only infuriated her more. They sparred for a good while, with him giving her tips as she became angrier.
"Don't ever hesitate before the blow; your eyes tell your opponent right where you're headed," he said, shaking his head as he pushed her back again. Syn shoved the sweaty hair out of her face, glaring at him. She darted into another attack and Tolan almost rolled his eyes as he blocked blow after blow with ease. Finally, in a quick twisting movement, he used his katana to rip Syn's out of her grasp. She panted in annoyance as she watched the weapon land a few yards away. Then she turned to glare at Tolan. He shrugged unapologetically as he sheathed his katana, their sparring over.
"I tried to tell you, Syn, but you're a slow learner."
She marched up to him until they were nearly faced to face, though she was much shorter than him.
"I certainly don't have as much training as you, Tolan!"
"It's all about keeping your guard up," he chastised, hands on his hips. "The second your opponent can do something they know you won't expect, they will…"
He was cut off as Syn moved suddenly. In the next second, her arms were around his neck as she kissed him, and Tolan froze, his mind going blank. He didn't even have a chance to recover from the shock when she delivered a knee to his groin. He dropped, groaning in pain, and Syn shook her head as she backed up.
"Like that?" she asked, tilting her head. Tolan blinked up at her.
"What in ancient's name…."
"Maybe you should have kept your guard up," she chastised, grabbing her large bag from off the ground as she turned to walk away. "But you were right; I do feel much better now. And I hope you learned your lesson…"
She paused and turned to face him one last time.
"It hurts when people toy with your emotions."
He watched her head back to the Healer's tent. As her figure became smaller on the horizon Tolan finally stood, shaking his head as he bent to retrieve the katana he had knocked out of Syn's hand. He glanced at his flushed reflection in the sharpened metal and finally scoffed before sheathing it.
"I will never understand women," he muttered, glancing back towards the tent in the distance once more before turning to head back to where his Hoofer was tied up at the front of the village. He shook his head again as he walked, trying to figure out why the last five minutes wouldn't stop replaying in his mind.
Cole dry-washed his face as he tried to decide whether to go to bed or try to squeeze in a little more work. He had almost decided on bed when a small figure burst into the room, running up to him. Omar reached the door a moment later, poking his head in.
"He wanted to see you," he explained apologetically, but Theo had already reached his father and was climbing up into his lap.
"You're back now so it's time to play…" he informed the Elemental Master as he began hanging off of Cole's neck. The ninja sighed as he carefully pulled his son's arms off.
"I don't really have time to play right now."
Theo's expression immediately hardened as he crossed his arms.
"You never have time to play," he complained. "You're always gone."
Cole leaned back and reached out to ruffle Theo's hair, but the boy ducked out of his reach and squirmed off of his father's lap.
"There's been a lot to do, Theo…." Cole started, but Theo stamped one foot.
"You said you would play with me!"
"I said we would have to see," Cole countered tiredly. He pressed a hand to his temple; he had been up since dawn checking in on the central villages before heading down to the Southern Province for another mountain sweep. There was still no sign of Adalaide; all he had gained from his efforts was a migraine.
"You lied!" Theo protested, and Cole leaned forward.
"Lower your voice, Theo. Your mother is sleeping and there's no reason to be yelling."
"You said you would and you aren't and so you lied!" Theo pressed, not lowering his voice. Cole shook his head.
"I don't have the time, Theo!"
"You have time right now…"
"There are things I need to be doing right now! You were supposed to be playing with Star and Omar…"
"Star is sick of the fortress! We want to go outside! We want to go to the market again!" Theo demanded, stamping his foot some more. If Cole hadn't been so frustrated he might have mused over the fact that Theo's angry expression looked just like his mother's.
"Star is fine in the arena. You can't go outside, Theo...we've talked about this…"
"It's not fair! It's not fair cuz you get to go outside every day and I'm stuck in…"
"I have to go to work! It's different."
"And then you never play with me! You never come home ever!"
"Theo, I said you need to lower your voice…"
"You said you would play with me!"
"There are some things that are more important than playing, Theodynn!" Cole snapped, standing. "I can't play all the time! I have to make sure that everything's going smoothly in the realm and try to track down some bad people while also trying to make sure that you and your Mom are safe and that all the leaders are checked up on and that no one is going to starve this winter! There's a lot going on right now and you need to drop it. I can't always play with you and you don't always get what you want! That's not how life works!"
Theo's eyes filled with tears at his father's harsh tone, and after a moment the child shook his head.
"All you care about are the stupid villages and the stupid dragons and the stupid realm. You don't care about me!"
Cole blinked as if he had been slapped. Theo turned and raced from the room, slamming the study's door behind him. Part of Cole was furious; did his son even realize everything he had to do every day? All the plates he had to keep spinning in the air? But the other part of him twisted with guilt. Instead of chasing after the small boy, Cole sank back down into his chair and cradled his head in his hands. The migraine had gotten worse.
The door to the study from the bedroom opened and Cole stood after glancing over and seeing who it was.
"You should be sleeping," he chastised softly, coming over to stand by his wife. Keyda had one hand on her large stomach as she leaned up against the doorframe, studying him with an unreadable expression.
"With that racket going on?" she teased softly, and Cole shook his head as he put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Keyds, it was just…"
"You don't usually lose your temper with him," she pointed out, reaching up to touch his face. "Are you ok?"
He sighed and grabbed the hand on his face, shrugging.
"I'm fine, Keyda. Part of me just wants him to understand, to have him realize that there are real problems that we're dealing with and that life isn't all fun and games …." he trailed off and sagged. "And the other part of me is realizing I'm turning into my father."
She couldn't help but smile at that as she shook her head.
"You're still missing the mustache," she pointed out quietly, and Cole rewarded her with a small smile of his own. Keyda continued, shifting to lean onto him rather than the doorway. "What makes you say that you're becoming like…."
"The thing that always bothered me about my Dad is that it always felt like he put music and dancing before me…like no matter what I did I would never come first to him. And I mean the security and survival of an entire realm of people is a little more important than dancing but…but what if I'm doing the same thing to Theo? And he's gonna grow up and be as bitter as I was…"
She shook her head, hugging him.
"Things'll calm down, Cole. It's just because you're having to do both our jobs right now. Once I'm less useless you won't have to do so much."
"You're not useless, Keyds…"
She scoffed like she didn't believe him.
"I can't even get out of bed without you telling me I should be back in it," she pointed out, and he rubbed the back of her neck with his hand.
"Not because you're useless, Keyda, you just need to…"
"Rest," she finished and then sighed. "Theo's getting older while I spend all day in bed. In some ways, I can't wait for this baby to hurry and get out of me so I can get back to normal. But at the same time…"
She swallowed hard and shrugged, and Cole frowned as her lip trembled.
"But how could I love this one as much as Theo? Especially when she…it…whatever it is has been doing all of this to me?"
Cole was silent as Keyda clung to him, not really sure what he should say. He finally kissed the top of her head.
"I don't know why this pregnancy has been so hard, Keyds…but we can't blame the baby. We're going to love them just as much as Theo…it will be just like it was with him."
"How do you know?" she mumbled into his shoulder, and he smiled.
"Because that's how it works."
"How what works?"
He rubbed her back and then pulled away.
"Love. Let's get you back to bed, Keyds."
She sighed and allowed him to lead her back into the bedroom and tuck her back in.
"You coming to bed, then?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Just let me go track Theo down," he murmured. He was able to find Theo in the arena, where the child was drowsily playing with Star. The sniffer whined as Cole came in. Theo looked up and frowned, but his drooping eyes betrayed how tired he was and he didn't protest as Cole scooped him up. The small Oni wrapped his arms around his father's neck, laying his head on Cole's shoulder as the Elemental Master carried him back towards the bedroom.
"Daddy?" he mumbled.
"Yeah Buddy?"
"Do you still love me?"
Cole stopped dead in the hallway that he had been walking down. He rubbed his son's back, clearing the emotion out of his throat.
"Forever and ever, Theo."
Theo's arms tightened around Cole's neck, but he didn't say anything else. By the time they reached the bedroom, Theo had fallen asleep.