27
"Dan and Jan…" Theo trailed off, squinting at the book in his hand. "…ran to the v..v-ah-n…van!"
The child blinked at the page in the Oni beginner reader before turning to Retrevan, whose lap he was sitting in.
"What's a van?"
Retrevan shrugged and Theo looked back at the book, frowning.
"I'll have to ask Uncle Zane next time I see him," he said with a sigh. He was happy enough to get the books from his aunt and uncle, but there were a lot of words that didn't make any sense. He finally closed the book and looked up at Ret, smiling.
"Aren't you so impressed? I couldn't read like that last time you were here…"
"You've grown a lot," the large guard admitted. Theo beamed proudly and opened his mouth to say something more when the door banged open. Jaqah entered, and she folded her arms crossly when she spotted Theo.
"So this is where you've weaseled off to. You're supposed to be bathing."
Theo squirmed back into Ret, as if hoping the large Oni would protect him from both the irritated Captain of the Guard and the imminent bath.
"I don't want to! It's a dumb ceremony anyways."
"It's your sister's naming ceremony. You need to be presentable," Jaqah argued. "Now are you going to go get bathed yourself, or am I going to have to have Ret carry you there?"
Theo turned to look at Retrevan with large eyes, pleading with him to take his side. The large guard shifted uncomfortably and glanced up at Jaqah, who raised one eyebrow. Finally Ret rubbed Theo's hair gently, a small smile forming.
"It won't be so bad, Theo."
"You always take her side," Theo muttered, folding his arms in a betrayed way. "Tolan woulda stood up for me."
"Which would have made me order him to bathe as well," Jaqah retorted, unapologetic. "Now hurry up."
Theo sighed dramatically and slid off Retrevan's lap, darting out of the room. The Captain of the Guard called after him.
"I will be checking the bathroom to make sure you're in it!"
Retrevan stood and stretched before putting the book Theo had left on a nearby shelf. Jaqah shook her head, thinking about Theo, and then turned to the large guard.
"Tolan got there alright?"
Ret nodded.
"Fine. Was there a reason you felt the switch was necessary? Does Cole need backup on visits again, or…"
"Omar and Tolan had been going with him; it was fine. I think the punk just needed a change of scene," she said, thinking. Jaqah finally sighed. "You know how he is. So much like Peder…but so different. The kid is willing to say whatever is on his mind, a total open book when it comes to his judgments. But when it comes to what he's feeling…"
She trailed off and Ret came over to put a hand on her shoulder.
"He's always been guarded in that regard," Ret agreed. "Something's definitely bothering him, but it's hard to say what."
Jaqah frowned, rubbing her arms.
"I don't know. Peder would tell me what was on his mind if I asked, what his deeper thoughts were. But it's like Tolan would rather pretend he doesn't have any. Maybe I should have made him tell me, rather than let him run.
"The change of scene will probably help him get over whatever it is he's worried about Jaqah. I think you did the right thing. Maybe he was just getting stir crazy running errands when he could be using his skills in the battlefield more often."
She thought about it a moment and finally shrugged.
"Maybe." She glanced up with a small smile. "Thanks, Ret. It's good to have you back. How were all those months stationed in the south, anyway?"
"Definitely more action in the south than anywhere else. Lots of slave traders and such," he admitted. "But still no sign of Adalaide."
Jaqah nodded, her expression darkening. After a few moments, she turned to the doorway.
"Well, I better go make sure the little prince found his way to the bathroom and not off on some other adventure…" she muttered grudgingly and then took her leave.
"Did I have a naming ceremony?"
Theo fidgeted as Keyda gently braided a section of his hair. The Ruler smiled softly.
"Yes. In fact, you had two…"
"One here, and one in Ninjago?" he guessed, and she nodded.
"That's right. Both were small little occasions-just family, friends, and leadership."
"But this ones with everyone!" Theo pointed out, starting to pull away so he could go look over at the ceremonial scarves Masha had brought in a few minutes earlier. Keyda grabbed his arm.
"Theo, I'm not done yet," she chastised. Theodynn sighed and froze, resigned. Keyda finished off the end of the small braid and tied it off with a bit of string. She turned him around so she could get a better look at him and began brushing the front of his hair back out of his face.
"Why is this one with everyone?" he repeated, and Keyda gave a small shrug.
"Your ceremony only included Wu, Phos, Syn, Hershel, and the four leaders. But there were a lot of Oni who were offended that we didn't make it more public. The other leaders have been talking with your father and I about making this one something that all the Oni could be part of. Things have quieted down somewhat…and goodness knows people need a few more things to celebrate."
"But why do I have to be so fancy?" Theo groused, and his mother looked amused.
"You sound like your father," she pointed out, and the child looked around.
"Where is Dad?"
"He's getting Amber. She's asleep in…"
"Everyone's gonna love her," Theo interrupted, suddenly giddy. "They are going to love her so much! She's the best baby in the whole world!"
Keyda paused in her brushing, swallowing. She didn't mention the arguments she and Cole had had with the other leaders about this ceremony…or their concerns about exactly how the rest of the realm would react to their second born child. Theo squirmed again and Keyda finally released him.
"Go put your ceremonial clothes on," she said, but he had already made it to the small orange scarf and small silver band sitting on the chair. He picked up the scarf, excited, but after a moment he turned back to his mother.
"How does it go again?"
She shook her head and gestured for him to bring them over. He did so and she helped him tie the scarf around his waist like a belt, and then positioned the silver band onto one of his wrists.
"Why do I have to wear this?" he complained again. The scarf he enjoyed…but the bracelet was bulky and irritated him. He picked at it, and his mother pulled his hand away.
Keyda hesitated in her explanation, but she finally gave him a little smile.
"It's…tradition, Theo."
She was saved from further explanation as the door opened. Cole entered, already dressed and ready in his own ceremonial clothing. In his arms Amber snoozed on in a white dress with a small scarf in a similar belt-fashion as Theo's. Cole gave his wife and son a tired smile.
"Ready?"
Keyda stared out at the crowd and her heart dropped. Hundreds of pale faces stared back, looking very serious. She sighed internally; why was it all the Oni ceremonies were so serious? She had been to several festivals in Ninjago and they seemed to use every excuse to celebrate. They even had a day dedicated to people who had died, and they still spent it eating candy and talking and laughing amongst themselves.
Amber began to whimper and Keyda bounced her, anxiety seizing her heart. The other leaders had insisted that they make her naming ceremony more public…but Keyda was hoping they could get through the rites quickly before the baby made a scene. It wasn't that she and Cole were trying to keep her powers secret, per say…but the longer they could keep them out of the limelight, the better. After all the experiences Keyda had had with people trying to use her, she never wanted her children to be any kind of target. She glanced over at Theo as Amber settled back down. The Oni Ruler had always been secretly grateful that her son had never shown signs of either kind of power. It just seemed better that way…
"Present the child."
Keyda glanced over at Phos as the Healer spoke. Despite his raspy voice, he had this way of projecting when he needed to, and as he turned to her she carefully held the baby out to him. He took the baby with surprising gentleness and for a moment Amber stared into the ancient Healer's eyes. In the next instant, however, he was looking out to the crowd.
"Presenting Amber, possessor of the Xinta, second born to the line of Keyda. Daughter of Keyda, Ruler of the Oni, and Cole, the Ahsakar."
There was silence and Keyda felt Cole find her hand and give it a squeeze. Suddenly, the small child standing on her other side began to clap, breaking the silence. Both the ruling couple and the Healer turned to stare at Theo as he enthusiastically applauded his sister.
"…Theo…" Keyda started, but then they could hear a spattering of applause start out in the crowd. It was quiet at first, unsure, but after a few moments, it spread throughout the crowd. Keyda watched wide-eyed as the gathered crowd clapped. She spotted Wu smiling fondly as he applauded, and Heavy Metal met her eye and raised an eyebrow. Even the other leaders clapped a bit. As Phos handed the baby back to Keyda the applause finally died down.
"That was a first…" he muttered dryly, and she flushed. Theo was unapologetic, however, and he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.
"Master Phos, that's my sister!" he told Phos with intensity, and the Healer scoffed.
"I'm well aware," he told the child quietly, and Amber's face contorted as she reached her limit of wanting to be outside with the wind and the noise. Keyda held her close and glanced over at Cole, who gave her a half smile and opened the balcony door for them to make a quick retreat.
Syn carried the soiled rags through the hallways, heading to the laundry. It amazed her how many things one baby could get dirty.
She turned a corner and stopped dead at the sight of Phos in the hallway. He was studying something hanging on the wall; it appeared to be a board laden with different horns carved with various symbols and patterns. The Healer didn't turn, and she wondered if she could turn around before he noticed her and avoid…
"I was wondering where you were because last I heard you were living here now."
She winced internally as she realized Phos knew she was there, but outwardly she drew herself up to her full height. Best to just walk by, then. She had a job to do.
"Yes."
He turned and blocked her path as she tried to slip around him. He had that expression…the one he always used when he was thinking deeply about something. Though it had always looked so disapproving to her.
"Dirty rags? From the yellow Xinta, no doubt."
"I need to get them to the laundry," she replied stiffly. He scratched his scruff, studying her. She tried to appear annoyed.
"Phos, I need to get by!"
He made a show of stepping out of her way, gesturing dryly that she was allowed to pass. She swallowed a little and walked past as he turned back to the mounted horns. She got to the end of the hallway and stopped. She fought with herself for a moment and finally sighed, turning back to her master of so many years.
"You're not even going to try?"
He glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow in question. She swallowed again, dropping her gaze.
"To…get me to come home?"
"And why would I do that?"
Syn's jaw clenched at his tone and she finally just scoffed and turned to leave. It was Phos's turn to stop her, however.
"Whatever it is you're waiting for…whatever it is you want me to say…"
"Nothing," she snapped quickly. Syn hesitated and finally turned to face him. "At least…nothing that I feel like you're capable of saying."
He stiffened but she was already retreating down the hall, turning a corner before he had a chance to respond.
28
"But it's not fair!"
Syn smiled sadly as tears welled up in Theo's eyes. He was hugging Star firmly; the small pup had grown to be quite large now.
"Theo…the reason she's been so unhappy lately is because she wants to be in the wild and hunt for herself. Maybe even find a pack.
"I'm her pack! Or…her friend. She can't go into the wild; she might never come back!"
His voice broke and Syn ruffled his hair gently.
"It'll be ok, Theo-boy. She'll know how to take care of herself."
"It's not fair," Theo repeated. "If Dad would just let us go outside more, then Star could be happy. She's supposed to be my friend forever and also Amber's and stay here forever…"
"You can keep her in the arena if you want," Syn pointed out gently. "It worked for her when she was a little pup. But now is the time when she would need to learn how to hunt on her own. If you don't let her go now, then she may not learn the things she needs to in order to live in the wild. And she may just get sadder and sadder…"
Tears ran down Theo's face as he looked down into the eyes of his sniffer. They did look sad…in fact, Star had been sad for a while now. Theo hadn't noticed much because he had spent so much time being excited about Amber, but when Syn had stopped him to point it out he had gotten a twisting feeling in his stomach. Deep down, he knew he should let her go…but letting things go was a very hard thing for a nearly six-year-old to do.
"Do you want to go live in the wild, Star?" he asked with a trembling voice. Star whined sadly in reply and Theo embraced her tightly, burying his face into her fur as he cried. After a few minutes, Theo looked back up at Syn.
"Ok," he said in a grief-filled voice. "We can let her go."
"But I wanna stay here with Mom!"
Cole took a seat on the floor next to his son, who was pouting defiantly.
"I'm waiting for Amber to wake up so I can hold her again! Mom never lets me hold her anymore."
"But it's gonna be just you and me today, buddy."
"But I'm s'posed to help mom with Amber!"
Cole smiled and ruffled Theo's hair.
"You're a good helper…but today we get to have a Daddy-Theo day."
Theo paused and thought about it. His defiance relaxed slightly as he considered it.
"….Where?"
"We have to go visit the orphanage today, and maybe we could go visit Wu and the dragons."
"And go to the beach!?" Theo asked, his resistance all but forgotten. Cole tapped his chin, as if thinking deeply.
"Welll….that depends on when we leave…"
"Let's leave now!" Theo said, bolting up. Cole couldn't help but laugh as he pushed himself to his feet.
"Go get your shoes."
Theo was out of the room before Cole could finish his sentence. He shook his head, amused, and then walked across the living room to the bedroom door. He knocked quietly before opening, and Keyda looked over from where she was feeding Amber in an armchair.
"Look who's up," Cole murmured, coming over to hug Keyda from behind. She smiled a little as he gave her a kiss on the cheek before continuing. "I'm taking Theo with me today."
"You don't have to, Syn could probably…"
"Nah…figured it's been months since our last outing together. No time like the present, right?"
She finally smiled teasingly.
"So help me, if you take him to the pit fights again…"
"I'll never make that mistake again. Honest." Cole held up a hand in an oath and then winked at her. "Besides, that was years ago…I'm sure he doesn't even remember going…"
"We're going to the pit fights!?"
Theo bolted into the room, his scarf tied half-hazardly around his middle with his shoes on. Keyda gave Cole a pointed look and the ninja returned it with a sheepish smile before turning to the beaming child.
"Nope. Vieri's and then the dragons, remember?" he said, lifting Theo up and putting him onto his shoulders. Theo giggled excitedly at the new vantage point and turned to his mother.
"Amber's awake! Can I hold her?"
"We have to go bud, remember? Besides she's eating right now…."
"She's always eating!" Theo groaned in annoyance, and Keyda couldn't help but smile in amusement.
"She gets it from her father; you both do."
"Not true," Cole argued, wiggling his eyebrows. She chuckled again and adjusted Amber's position.
"Get out of here you two. You're wasting daylight."
"C'mon Dad: walk!" Theo said, gesturing onward. Keyda laughed and raised her eyebrows.
"Go on, Cole, looks like it's time to go."
"Don't encourage him," Cole murmured. Sure enough, Theo started bouncing and kicking.
"Go go goooo!" Theo demanded, and Cole rolled his eyes. He carefully lowered himself to give Keyda a goodbye kiss. Theo made a face as Cole whispered to her.
"See you tonight."
"Noooo….no kissing!"
Cole straightened and gave Theo a little jolt.
"Alright, Theo…let's get outta here."
"It's getting worse."
Keyda fought back tears as she bent to lift the baby out of her crib, Amber's screams echoing in the room. She could hear Cole pushing himself out of bed.
"Here, Keyds, let me…"
She turned and shook her head.
"I've got it."
"But…"
"The birth-wound is healed, Cole! It's not a matter of me being able to lift her out of bed. It's the fact that the outbursts are getting worse."
As if to punctuate her concern, aura winds began picking up around the wailing baby. No longer were the bursts of powers a single flash of light. With each month or so Amber grew, her aural reactions became bigger. Keyda looked down and bounced the baby, hushing her in an attempt to quiet both the crying and the imminent reaction. The baby would not be consoled, however, and a few moments later Keyda winced as a powerful burst seared her arms and singed her nightclothes.
"Keyds!" Cole was at her side in a few strides. "Are you alright?!"
She grimaced as she looked down at the baby, who was still whimpering. She shook her head and the first tears began to slip out.
"Maybe we need to consider our options, Cole."
"Like what?" he asked, finally managing to take the baby out of Keyda's arms. He put her over one shoulder and rocked her as he scanned Keyda's arms with concern.
"Where did you hide the vengestone ring?" Keyda started, but Cole stiffened.
"No, we can't just…"
"What other options do we have?!" Keyda demanded. "She's just going to get stronger…and not even Phos has any ideas for what we can do. Are we supposed to just let her hurt us? Or Theo!?"
Cole's expression became conflicted as he looked between his crying wife and the baby. Amber had finally quieted, her eyelids drooping.
"There's got to be some other way," he said, and she shook her head as she walked over to the nightstand. She pulled open a drawer, fishing out the gauze and salve they had started keeping close.
"It won't hurt her, Cole. It doesn't hurt at all. She'd still be able to cry and be the same baby she's always been, she just won't be out of control," she pointed out as she wrapped the burns on her arms.
"But at what point will we let her take it off?" Cole asked carefully. "No matter when she learns to use her powers, there's going to be a while where she's not going to be in control…"
"Then we could at least wait until a point where she's old enough to learn control!" Keyda pointed out quietly. Cole didn't answer; Amber had fallen back asleep and he sat heavily on the bed next to Keyda. She leaned on his shoulder as he lowered the baby into his lap, gently rubbing Amber's head. He paused as he felt the two growing bumps on her forehead; no doubt they were the cause of the infant's discomfort and crying. Keyda sighed.
"You were ok with bringing Vengestone to Hershel, or letting me wear it during pregnancy with Theo."
"But he didn't even use it." Cole pointed out softly. "And you…well…" he cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "You abused it, Keyds."
She bit her lip, feeling indignant at his comment. But rather than yell, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Just till she's a little older Cole. I'm just…I'm terrified that Theo is going to get hurt. He's with her every second of every day. He probably would have been hurt long ago if we hadn't put him in his own room."
Cole didn't answer as he studied the tiny form in his lap. The baby was snoozing innocently, and he finally glanced over at Keyda's bandaged arms.
"The ring won't fit her," he started, and Keyda sagged. She looked over in surprise, however, as he continued.
"But we're taking a trip to Ninjago soon…I could look for a bracelet or something else that might work."
"You're invited to my birthday party!"
Jaqah looked up from her writing with a raised eyebrow as a small white hand poked up over the edge of her tall desk, pushing a small colorful piece of paper towards her.
"Theo, what are you doing in here? I told you not to…"
"…And this is your invitation. It tells you when my birthday party is. First, we are going to have one in Ninjago, but Mom said I could have one this year at the fortress too and I'm going to invite all my friends and we are going to have two cakes! One at both parties!"
Jaqah closed her eyes as she sighed and finally reached over to grab the small piece of paper. Her eyes glanced over the sloppy writing; it was clear Theo had written it himself, and none if it looked like the Oni shorthand she was comfortable reading. She looked over at the beaming boy himself, who had come around the desk so he could see her.
"What exactly is…a birthday party?" she asked carefully. He bounced on his heels.
"It's a party. I have it every year on the day that I was born!"
Jaqah glanced back at the colorful paper, stroking her chin.
"I suppose we are approaching the time that occurred, huh?" she mused. Theo leaned on her and she flinched a little, eyes flicking back down at him.
"Do you remember when I was born, Jaqah?"
She scoffed, putting the paper down on the desk.
"Do I ever. I thought the dragon-Oni wars were terrifying…but the battles I've been in weren't even close to childbirth."
Theo frowned.
"Huh?"
She looked down and sighed.
"Yes. I remember it. I had to go coax that horrid old Healer to come out of his way just to…"
"You mean Master Phos?" Theo asked, perking up. "I'm inviting him too!"
Jaqah scoffed again and looked back at the work on her desk.
"Then I'll probably be too busy to come," she said sarcastically. Theo's smile faded and he dug his toes into the floor.
"Oh."
He sounded disappointed and the Captain of the Guard sighed out loud. She finally turned in her chair to look at Theo fully.
"I'll try to make it to have some…cack," she finally relented and Theo looked confused.
"Cack?"
"Whatever you called it," Jaqah said, waving one hand. Understanding lit up in the small child's face.
"Oh! Cake! It's gonna be so fun, Jaqah. So fun!"
She watched him run from the room, no doubt off to thrust colored papers under other people's noses. She finally shook her head, looking down at her own invitation with the smallest hint of a smile before pushing it to a corner of her desk and going back to her writing.
29
"Are you sure? I could take her along with Theo and I today…"
"And what? Expose her to the whole realm? I'll be fine with her. You have fun going with Theo to hand out invites. Though, I still don't know that I want Phos to come."
Cole couldn't help but smile a little.
"Me neither; he's not exactly what I would call the life of a party. But Theo insisted."
"I don't know what he sees in that ancient grouch," Keyda murmured, turning back to the scroll she was reading. Cole came to sit next to her.
"Which account is that one?"
She shrugged.
"I've just been going through all of them to see if there was some other trick to raising a baby with powers." She unrolled the scroll further. "But so far all it's really talked about is that Healers were in charge of teaching children how to control their powers. How lucky for us that ours is trusting us with it," she finished bitterly and turned to look at Cole. He was looking over at where Amber was jumping in the bouncer Jay had given them all those years ago. Keyda followed his line of sight and her smile faded.
"I'm serious, Idiot. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine with her while you guys are out."
He tore his eyes off of the giggling baby, looking back at Keyda.
"Ok, Keyds," he said, giving her a kiss on the temple. He rubbed her neck a few moments and gave her a half-smile. "See you when we get back. It shouldn't be too late."
"Good; we still have to pack."
"Ah, in that case, we may be back kinda late," he teased, and she shook her head and shoved him playfully.
"Get out of here. One of these days I will start going on rounds and make you stay behind and do the boring work…"
He laughed and kissed her again.
"Sounds like a plan. Though, last time I checked, you do not have a dragon…"
"Please…only upstarts ride dragons around…"
Their banter was cut short as Amber whimpered. Both Cole and Keyda immediately sobered, whirling around to see what state the baby was in. She was frowning, but after a few moments she managed to start bouncing again and both parents relaxed. However, the mirth of a few moments earlier had died and Cole rubbed Keyda's neck one last time before turning to go find Theo.
"A what?"
Vieri's eyebrows were raised in her usual judgmental expression, but Theo was unabashed.
"A birthday party!" he said with a little jump. He then ran off to spread the word to those in the orphanage, and Cole took a few minutes to explain to the village leader what exactly the paper in her hand actually meant. When he finished she sighed.
"I guess we could make an appearance," she groused. "Though it's a long way to the fortress."
"There'll be food," Cole assured, and the leader scoffed.
"There better be."
She started walking towards the tent and Cole joined her.
"How are things, by the way? Are you able to get enough food this year, or…"
'We're doing fine, Outsider. Which is better than I can say for you, with your little yellow offspring…"
Cole stopped dead.
"What do you mean?" he asked carefully, and the heavy-set leader rolled her eyes and turned to look at him.
"It's no secret she's a handful…I can tell by the circles under your eyes that she still hasn't been sleeping through the night. It's been…what? Four months since she was born? Five? Normal Oni children learn to stop crying in the first few weeks…"
"She's fine," Cole cut in, his tone sharp. She scoffed and shrugged.
"If you say so. I still think you coddle these children of yours; they ain't going to learn how cruel the world is with you sheltering them like you do."
He shook his head.
"Maybe I don't believe the world is that cruel."
Vieri didn't say anything for a few minutes. They watched as Theo came running out of the tent, waving at his father before noticing a small butterfly. He began chasing it, giggling, and the leader spoke quietly.
"Then you're all in for a rude awakening."
Keyda pushed her hair out of her face, picking up another shirt to fold. She frowned as she noticed a hole and shook the shirt back out in order to get a better look. There were several of them: singe-ringed holes were scattered across the front of Cole's shirt. She fingered one of them, glancing over at the now snoozing baby in the bouncer. She sat lost in thought and finally sighed, setting the shirt aside before moving on to the next one in the pile.
"It'll be fine," she muttered to herself as she pushed a few other articles of clothing into a bag. "We'll get some vengestone, and it will be fine."
She shoved a few more things into the bag and sagged, letting out another sigh. She leaned back against the armchair she was seated in front of, jaw clenched. Keyda pushed her hair out of her face again, studying her hand. She clenched it into a fist and purple tendrils began licking the sides of her hand until the whole of it was dancing with purple aura. It came so easily now, and in this calm state, it seemed so harmless. At what point had it stopped being so hard to control? She hadn't even realized that she had made progress until the outbursts during her pregnancy with Theo…and then she had been so scared to try again. She felt a twist when she remembered her and Cole's conversation the night before. She hadn't abused the vengestone, she was protecting Theo. She just couldn't take any chances…how was it that nobody understood that?
She idly twisted her hand, letting the aura weave between her fingers and lick the air above her hand. It had been awhile since she had called the aura up like this. Partly because there hadn't been a need…but partly because she had been so weak for so long after Amber's birth. She shuddered a little remembering the feeling of being helpless and void of energy. It had felt unsettling…like the life had been sucked out of her. Even with all the pain, Theo's birth hadn't felt anything like that.
She glanced over at the sleeping form again and the aura in her hand faded as she blinked in surprise. Amber was awake, but she was silent as she leaned out of the bouncer, staring intently at Keyda from across the room. As the purple light disappeared Amber's expression contorted and she began to whimper, bouncing up and down as she stretched her arms towards Keyda. The Oni ruler frowned at the whimper and hurried over to the small child, lifting her from the bouncer with hushed comforts.
"Don't cry…it's alright. Just a few more days and you won't have to worry about all that power coming out of you."
Amber looked up at her mother's face, eyes wide and almost pleading. Keyda frowned at the expression, trying to figure out what the baby was trying to tell her. She shook her head. Tell her? Amber was an infant… she wasn't trying to tell her anything. No doubt she was hungry again, or…
The realization hit Keyda suddenly and she furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered how Amber had been looking at her from across the room. Maybe…
Keyda shifted the child's weight onto her hip so she could free one of her hands. The Ruler watched the baby's face closely as aura slowly enveloped her hand once more. Amber's constricted expression suddenly relaxed as she watched the aura flicker with wide eyes.
"You like that, don't you?" Keyda murmured with cautious intrigue. Amber reached out suddenly, trying to grab Keyda's hand. The pale Oni quickly extinguished it. The baby grunted in annoyance, giving her mother an irritated look. Keyda bit her lip, absently walking over to the arm chair. She sat down and moved the bags on the ground out of the way with her foot.
"No…touching," she said carefully, lowering Amber into the now-empty space on the ground. Amber leaned forward onto her hands in her wobbly sitting position. She began to whine again, and Keyda chewed her lip as she lit up her hand again. Amber's distress disappeared, once again wide-eyed as she watched the flickering aura. Keyda couldn't help but chuckle a little; she had never seen the yellow infant so entranced by anything. She lit up her other hand as well and Amber started giggling.
"It's just like what you have, silly," Keyda said quietly. "Just, you know, under control."
They sat like that for a while, with Keyda lighting and extinguishing her hands several times and then moving on to creating small aura orbs. Amber was a captive audience, giggling more than Keyda had ever heard from the tiny Xinta.
"Blow out the candles!"
Despite the urging coming from all directions, Theo sat pensively, cheeks full of air as he regarded the cake in front of him with six flickering candles. After a few more moments he finally released the air, managing to get four of the six little flames extinguished.
"Almost, Theo…" Jay said from the sidelines, and with another quick blow, the pale child managed to get the final two out. Everyone cheered and clapped, and Theo bounced in place as he looked around, beaming.
"Good job, buddy," Cole said, rubbing his son's head. Theo giggled and shoved his father off and Keyda smiled from her place on the side of the table. Cole started slicing the cake and Zane helped him load the pieces onto plates and then pass the plates around the crowd.
"What'd you wish for, Theo?" Lloyd asked, and Theo gave the green ninja a mischievous look before trying to snatch a plate from Zane.
"Can I have that one? I want the big piece!"
"You don't need a piece that big, Theo," Keyda chastised, and her son turned and gave her a pleading look with large eyes. After a few moments, she sighed and waved a hand.
"Alright…but don't eat it too fast."
"Yay!" Theo shouted, pulling his prized dessert closer as Cole glanced at Keyda.
"Um…I don't know, Keyds; he'll never sleep tonight…"
She watched as Theo basically inhaled his cake, his face quickly becoming smeared with frosting as he giggled. Keyda finally shrugged half-heartedly.
"It is his birthday party, Cole…you're always saying these things are supposed to be special."
"I wuvvv caaaaahkkk" Theo cut in, and everyone laughed.
"Man…wonder where he gets that from?" Kai said dryly from his place by his wife. Cole turned to his old friend, holding his hands up in defense.
"It wasn't my fault! Keyds had cake cravings during the pregnancy and…"
"Oh no, do not pin this on me," Keyda cut in, and everyone laughed again. A ruckus broke out on the other side of the room and Jay sighed as he heard the high-pitched fighting.
"Girls…those are Theo's presents," he reprimanded as he headed over to pull the twins off of each other. Sitting on the table, Colby was using his cake to paint a frosting-mural on the surface around him while Julian Cyrus sat quietly, carefully eating his piece one small bite at a time.
"What was your wish, Theodynn?" the bespeckled child asked, and Theo looked over.
"Cahn-thell…itha segwet…" he said with a mouth full of cake. Cole patted his back.
"Swallow first, Theo…" he reminded, and Theo struggled to swallow again.
"He said it's a secret."
Theo and Julien looked over to see a thin girl with a red ponytail folding her arms, one eyebrow raised.
"You can't tell birthday wishes Julien," she reminded, and Theo nodded enthusiastically, having finally swallowed.
"Yeah…or else they don't come true…"
Julien sat for a moment and finally shook his head.
"Candles do not grant wishes," he finally decided, and Keyda couldn't help but chuckle.
"See? That's what I'm always saying."
"It is a tradition, Julien," Zane explained good-naturedly. "Or…at least so I am told."
A baby cry suddenly split the air, and Cole and Keyda both flinched and began to move towards the doorway. However, Theo beat them to it, calling excitedly to the rest of the room.
"That's my sister! I'm going to go get her…"
"Theo no!"
Theo blinked in surprise as his mother grabbed him from behind, stopping his escape. The room quieted and Theo turned to give his mother a strange look. Cole had exited and Keyda bit her lip as she smoothed Theo's hair.
"We can go get her, Theo. You need to finish that big piece of cake you chose before we open presents," she explained quickly, and Theo sighed and headed back over to the table to climb back up into the chair. She hesitated, but the cries had already stopped and she finally returned to her spot next to Theo as he quickly shoved the last of the cake into his mouth. Everyone was pulling presents over by the time Cole entered a few minutes later, carrying Amber. As the rest of the party cheered Theo on as he tore the wrapping paper off of gifts, Keyda scanned Cole and noticed a raw spot on one of his arms. She frowned, and Cole subtly shifted Amber so that her small figure covered the burn. The baby seemed calm enough now, one fist shoved into her mouth as she took in the colorful array in the bustling room.
"Seems I missed the cake…"
Everyone looked up as a performer with a cane made his way into the large room, a smile tugging at his mustache. Theo bolted over.
"Papa Lou!" he squealed, and the performer wrapped him in a hug.
"How's my favorite grandson?" Lou asked good-naturedly, and Theo giggled.
"I'm your only grandson…" he pointed out, and Lou made a show of thinking about it.
"Oh…so you are. Still my favorite, though." He handed Theo a box and the birthday boy gave it a shake.
"What's in it?"
"Why don't you open it and find out?"
Theo tore the paper off the box and lifted the lid.
"…Shoes?"
He seemed a little confused and Lou laughed.
"Not just any shoes, Theo…tap shoes."
Theo still looked confused and his grandfather had him sit down. The older man deftly tied the shoes onto the boy's feet as Cole came closer.
"Dad, you didn't have to…"
"There you go, Theodynn. Give them a try!" Lou urged, and in moments Theo was darting around the room, clacking as he went.
"They're noisy shoes!" he called out excitedly, and Jay laughed from his place over by his daughters.
"Gee, those will be fun for everyone at the fortress, I'm sure. Nice stone floors, echo-y halls…"
"Ok, Theo. Let's take them off and put them back in the box," Cole said, handing Amber to Keyda so he could grab Theo before he could dart out of the room.
"Awww…"
"You can wear them another time. But for now don't you have something to say to your grandpa?"
"Thank you, Papa Lou! I love my noisy shoes!" Theo said ecstatically as Cole tugged the shoes off his feet. Lou gave his grandson a smile and then turned to Cole as the ninja put the shoes back into the box.
"You don't have to pack them up right away."
"Brand new tap shoes take time to break in; I don't want him getting blisters," Cole pointed out. Lou frowned.
"What happened to your arm?"
Cole blinked and looked down before shrugging, unconcerned.
"Dunno."
Amber started fussing from the other side of the room. Keyda bit her lip, lighting up one hand. Amber quieted and burbled, reaching out towards the aura.
"She's really into that!" Skylor mused, coming up next to Keyda. The Oni gave a start, her hand flickering and going out.
"Oh. Um…yeah. It seems to calm her," she murmured softly, and Lloyd nodded from his seat.
"Must be an Oni thing. Kinda makes sense, in a way."
"Sorry I'm late! I had three motorbikes to get up and running by noon and let me tell you, some people do not know how to care for their own possessions…"
Everyone glanced over as Nya entered the room. She spotted her son at the table and groaned, rushing over.
"Colby no!" she chastised, picking up her frosting covered son from his seat in the middle of his cake-carnage masterpiece. She held him away from her while he giggled, his dark eyes and freckles masked in smears of white and green. She turned to the sheepish ninja in blue standing a few yards away.
"Jay! You were supposed to be watching him!"
"I was! But then the twins were fighting…."
Nya shook her head as she looked back at her son, and she couldn't help but resign to chuckling at the sight.
"C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up," she muttered, leaving the room. Jay scratched his head.
"These kids always manage to get me in trouble," he groused, and everyone laughed. Theo had returned to opening presents at his seat, and Cole came back over to stand by Keyda. He held out his arms.
"I can take Amber ba…"
Keyda physically moved away, shaking her head.
"I got her," she assured quickly, and Cole lowered his arms, frowning.
"But…"
"You should go get that bandaged up," she ordered quietly, not meeting his eye. In her peripheries, she could see him wince a little, but he made no move to leave. She clenched her jaw and looked over.
"Your arm, Cole. Surely there are bandages somewhere around…"
"It's fine Keyds, really. Besides, I want to watch Theo open his presents," he replied, his tone both strained and light. Right then Theo turned excitedly to show his family the contents of another box.
"Look Amber! It's a dragon! It's even bigger than my other dragon…" he said proudly, and Amber giggled and blew a raspberry in reply. Keyda glanced down at the baby, expression hard to read, and Theo turned around fully in his chair.
"Can I hold her now?" he asked, and Keyda glanced back up at him before giving a tight smile.
"Open the rest of your presents, Theo."
30
"She's not a time bomb, Keyds. We need to stop treating her like one."
Keyda didn't look up from where she was tucking a blanket into the couch, creating a temporary bed.
"I don't even know what that means."
Cole came around the couch to face her, but she didn't look up to meet his eye.
"It means that we shouldn't keep her so separated from Theo. He's her brother. He needs to be able to…"
"He sees her all the time! I'm just being careful so that nothing…"
"You won't even let him hold her, or play with her…or even touch her."
She patted the blanket harshly a few times, finally looking up at her husband.
"He can do all of those things once she's wearing vengestone. Then we won't have to worry anymore."
Cole glanced away, expression darkening, and Keyda narrowed her eyes.
"I know that look…" she muttered as she stood. "Cole! You said you would get her something!"
"I know…I know, Keyds. But it still doesn't feel right…"
"She can't control herself yet, even if she wanted to!" Keyda grabbed his arm, which was finally sporting a bandage. "She hurt you today…do you want her to hurt Theo?!"
"Of course not! But she could learn as she grows, Keyds…there could be some other way…"
"You heard Phos; there is no other way!"
Silence fell and they glared at each other a few moments longer before Keyda finally sighed and collapsed back down on the couch. Both parents were glad that Lou had taken Theo out for a birthday dinner. Keyda dry-washed her face as she began talking again.
"You've got to get the vengestone. Then everything can just calm down and we won't have to worry about her hurting anyone anymore."
"Is that why you won't even let me touch her?" Cole asked, sitting next to her. Keyda's jaw clenched as he continued. "Don't think I haven't noticed."
"You take care of her plenty, Cole. You obviously have the scars to prove it," she said bitterly, and Cole grabbed her hand.
"That's what I'm talking about Keyds…"
She looked over at him, exasperated.
"What?"
"The way you talk about her…like she's just some…some curse we're putting up with. Some problem we're trying to solve so we can live normal lives…"
"She's an Oni baby who explodes with power every time she gets upset! I don't think I'm overreacting, Cole!"
"But she's also our daughter!"
Keyda fell silent and Cole tugged on her hand, his tone softening.
"You know that, right?" he asked, and she scoffed and turned towards him. Keyda's eyes were filled with angry tears.
"Of course I know that…" she started, but Amber began crying in her place in Lou's spare bedroom and Keyda pushed herself to her feet. She continued talking as she walked towards the bedroom. "How could I ever forget that's she's my daughter….that she's the way she is because of me?!"
Cole stood to follow her, his brow furrowing as her tone became louder.
"Keyds…"
"So I'm sorry that if me trying to protect you and our son makes me a bad mother but I'm just trying to…to…"
A sob cut off her sentence. Cole grabbed her arm, but she ripped out of his grasp to head into the room. Keyda deftly scooped up the crying baby from the makeshift crib and turned to see Cole watching her from the doorway.
"Keyda…"
"Get out of my way," she ordered quietly, more tears threatening to fall. He glanced between her and the baby that she was bouncing and shook his head.
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk. I've just got to…got to sort some things out in my head."
Amber continued to cry, and Keyda shifted the baby's weight on her hip as Cole stretched out his hands.
"Fine. But leave Amber here."
She stiffened at his tone.
"I'm not going to hurt her, Cole!"
"I didn't say you were!" he snapped. "But there's no reason for you to take the baby out into the cold! You can leave her with me!"
Amber's cries became louder and Keyda's own lip trembled as she tried to push past the figure in the doorway.
"Just let me through!" she tried, but he grabbed her arms firmly.
"No. Keyda…"
Aural winds picked up and Keyda twisted out of his grasp.
"She's going to react! Let me get her out of here!"
Keyda's tone had become desperate, pleading, and Amber began to glow.
"Cole…"
He wrapped her and the infant in a hug as the reaction exploded out. Both parents shuddered and after the shock of the moment passed Keyda began crying harder. Amber went listless.
"You Idiot," Keyda whispered as she cried, but she had gone pretty limp herself as they sank to the ground. Cole shook his head and released his embrace so he could grab her face in both hands.
"Keyds…"
"You should have just let me…"
"Keyda."
She looked up at him as his voice became sharp. His expression was gentle, however, and he shook his head.
"I will not let you try and do this yourself, Keyda. We are a team, remember?"
She shuddered again, pulling Amber closer.
"I'm not trying to do it alone. But I can't let her hurt you…not when it's my fault…"
"It's not your fault, Keyds. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Amber has powers, and that's something we have to figure out. But she's not broken; she doesn't need fixing and it's not your fault."
Keyda didn't answer as tears continued to flow, and Cole pulled her close to him again.
"We'll figure this out…we've figured everything else out. It's just hard right now."
She finally relaxed into his embrace. Amber fell asleep snuggled between her two parents.
"It scares her, Cole."
He rubbed her neck as Keyda continued.
"She doesn't understand why she's like this either…and it scares her. Please…she needs the venegstone, just till she's a little older."
Cole glanced down at the baby nestled between them, the tear tracks still visible on her small cheeks. He finally sighed.
"I'll go talk to Ronin tomorrow," he relented. He rubbed her neck a few more times before pulling back. "We better clean up before Dad and Theo get back."
As bad as Keyda felt like she was at parties, she decided she was nowhere near as bad as Phos. The Ancient Oni brooded in one corner of the room, watching everything with a dark expression. After a few moments of wondering if she should go say something, Keyda finally decided just to ignore him. If he wanted to leave, he was free to. Nobody had forced him to come.
Theo was as bubbly as ever as he greeted his guests, but there was a marked difference between the gathered Oni and those who had celebrated in Ninjago. Ret and Jaqah were having a separate discussion in one corner of the room. Wu and Heavy Metal were the only realm leaders to have shown up so far, and they were discussing something with Cole at the table. Omar trying to talk to Vieri, but she was distracted with yelling at the children and teenagers she had brought with her, who were having mixed reactions as they dug into the cake on the table. The birthday boy didn't seem to mind the fact that his cake was being ravished early; he was busy carrying his sister around to show off to anyone new who entered through the door. The baby for her part was pretty lax, not seeming to mind that her brother was lugging her from place to place. Occasionally Amber would whimper and try to pull off the bracelet that now encircled one chubby wrist.
"And how have you been?"
Keyda jumped and looked over to see Wu smiling at her. She hadn't noticed that he had come over, and she tried to pull off a casual shrug.
"Oh…just as well as usual…"
"You seem to get stronger every time I see you," he commented lightly. "Nearing a full recovery by now, I would think."
Keyda glanced over at where Syn was taking Amber from Theo so the boy could greet the lanky figure who had just come through the doorway.
"Yeah…nearly there," she murmured as she noticed Syn frown at the bracelet before shrugging and taking Amber back over to the blanket where she had first been put.
"Tolan!" Theo screamed, hugging the guard's legs. Tolan winced a little and pushed Theo back.
"Careful, Freak. That spot's tender…"
"What…someone actually managed to land a hit on the untouchable Tolan?" Jaqah asked dryly, coming over to slug his shoulder. Tolan blocked the good-natured punch and rolled his eyes.
"Last mistake the trader ever made," he muttered. "Also…probably don't expect Ottan at your little gathering here."
This time Jaqah landed her punch, this one less good-natured.
"What did you do?!"
"OW! Nothing!" Tolan said, flashing her an irritated glance. "He just has a lot to cover up with an underground ring we just discovered…"
"You mean work out?" Ret asked, smiling. Tolan rolled his eyes.
"Work out. Cover up. Same thing with him. What do you need, Freak?" the lanky guard said, looking down at the child tugging on his hand. Theo flashed him a big smile.
"Come see Amber! She's so big now!"
Tolan sighed but allowed himself to be dragged over to where the baby was sitting on the blanket, gumming her bracelet. Syn glanced up at the tall guard and then glanced away, seemingly stuck in her position sitting next to the baby.
"…and can sit up by herself and her horns are getting bigger and she's even gonna be getting teeth soon…"
"Just like every other baby, Theo," Tolan pointed out dryly. He did study the baby a few moments longer, and Amber looked up with large eyes. He rubbed his chin as he continued. "The horns are new, though…kinda ugly…"
"NO."
Tolan glanced down at Theo, whose expression had suddenly become angry.
"She's not ugly, Tolan!"
"I'm just saying, those horns aren't exactly…"
"They're special!" Theo argued, his voice getting louder as he dropped next to his sister to give her a hug. Amber made a small gurgling sound and then fell into Theo, gumming his shoulder. The pale child didn't even seem to notice as he glared at Tolan. The lanky guard put his hands up.
"Geez…they're definitely something, kid. And the bracelet's a nice touch…never too young to establish your station in life, I take it."
Theo brightened at the mention of the bracelet.
"It's new! My Dad got it for her in Ninjago!"
From across the room, Phos glanced up, his eyes narrowing as he took in Theo and Amber.
"Alright Tolan, that's enough out of you," Jaqah said, coming over to drag the opinionated teen away from the children. "How bout we fill that troublesome mouth of yours with cahk. It's got this weird flavor that's kinda nice but also makes you want to vomit…I'm sure you'll love it."
Theo watched Tolan go and turned to Syn, who had a distant look on her face.
"Amber's not ugly…right Syn?"
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at the earnest face looking up at her. A soft smile broke out on her face.
"Of course not, Theo. She's beautiful."
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Phos signal to Cole to meet him out in the hall.
"Was he angry?"
Cole looked up as he entered the room. Keyda was sitting feeding Amber from a bottle, looking at him expectantly. When he didn't answer she shifted in her seat.
"When you came back into the party you said you'd 'tell me later.' So what happened? Did he notice the vengestone?"
Cole sat down in the chair next to hers.
"Yeah, he noticed. And surprisingly enough, he wasn't that angry."
"Then what did he want to talk about?"
Cole scratched his arm, thinking back to the conversation he had with the Master Healer.
"Basically he said he didn't blame us for taking the easy way out."
She snorted.
"That's more like what I was expecting," she muttered darkly, and he gave her a soft smile before continuing.
"But he also said we need to be careful about how often we use it. He said at this age it's ok for her to wear it occasionally…but it shouldn't be something we just leave her in."
"I wasn't planning on it being permanent!" she reminded angrily, and he reached over to touch her arm.
"I know, Keyds…"
"And why does he always talk to you? If he has a problem with our parenting he should feel free to bring it up with me!" she continued, and Cole couldn't help but laugh a little. Keyda glared at him and he shrugged.
"Probably because he knew that you tend to be more…defensive."
"I am not defensive!" she snapped, and Cole raised an eyebrow. She narrowed her eyes. "I'm protective. It's different. So what, you just roll over and take his advice? Maybe that's why he wanted to talk to you instead of…"
"Keyda," Cole cut in, shaking his head. "It's not that big of a deal. He was just warning us to be careful with the vengestone. She needs to have lots of opportunities to get used to her powers so it won't be a shock when she can't rely on the bracelet anymore."
Keyda huffed a little, repositioning Amber again.
"Well aren't you lucky he agreed with you," she muttered, and Cole shook his head.
"Keyds…."
"No, it's fine. We can take the bracelet off sometimes," Keyda continued, and Cole leaned forward.
"Like now?"
She glanced over and he gave her a serious look.
"The party's over and she's practically asleep already," he pointed out. Keyda looked down at Amber; the baby's eyes were indeed drooping as she sucked on the bottle less and less eagerly. Keyda shook her head.
"Sleeping is when she needs the vengestone most!" she argued. "That's when she's most likely to have a reaction!"
"But she's already been in it two days…"
"We'll take it off tomorrow." Keyda said decidedly. "You'll have Theo tomorrow, right? She won't need it."
Cole took in Keyda's expression; she was refusing to look at him. He finally sighed and shrugged.
"Alright. We'll start there."
31
Theo fell into the dirt in the arena, huffing as he glared up at Tolan.
"C'mon, Freak…you aren't even trying!"
"I am too!" Theo argued, pushing himself up again. He looked around and found the small blade the guard had given him, picking it up from the dirt. It was shiny and well-balanced for the child's small frame, but Theo was decidedly irritated that it wasn't larger; how was he supposed to beat Tolan and his two swords when he only had this tiny one?
He ran at the guard again and Tolan dodged with ease and swiped the blade behind the child. He ripped a thin cut across the back of Theo's tunic with his sharp rapier, and Theo whirled around.
"Hey!"
"Tolan!"
The guard rolled his eyes and turned to see Jaqah standing in the doorway, looking aghast.
"What in ancient's name are you thinking, sparing with sharpened weapons?!"
"I'm not going to hurt him, Jaqah," Tolan pointed out dryly, but the Captain of the Guard came marching over anyways. She reached Theo and roughly turned him around, fingering the cut in the tunic before looking up to glare at the lanky young man. Tolan shrugged.
"See? No blood…"
"You don't use the little sense the ancient's gave you!" she argued. "This is the heir…don't you understand?! You can't just toy around with…"
"I told him I'd teach him how to fight," Tolan retorted, folding his arms. Jaqah scoffed.
"By what? Throwing him in the dirt over and over again and ripping up his clothes?!" She turned to Theo around as he was trying to pull himself out of her grasp. Jaqah quickly pulled his small sword from his hand, and Theo's expression darkened angrily.
"Hey! That's mine!"
"You can work up to it," Jaqah said, unmoved. "You start with the dull wooden blades, and you can have this one back once I determine you aren't going to kill yourself on it."
Theo glowered and Tolan shook his head.
"Honestly, Jaqah. When did you become such a…"
"And you should be headed back to your post!" Jaqah cut in, turning back to glare at Tolan. "Bad enough you abandoned it for a day!"
"Hey, the rulers invited me. What was I supposed to do…say no? Besides, until Ottan gets his act together…"
"Get out of here, Tol, and keep your excuses to yourself. You're better than that."
Tolan narrowed his eyes but finally shrugged again.
"Whatever. See you around, Freak."
"For ancient's sake, stop calling him that!"
Theo sagged sadly as Tolan left before looking up at the woman still holding on to him.
"You're so mean!" he countered, and Jaqah rolled her eyes.
"It's a mean world, Theo. It's time you get used to it. Now go get changed before one of your parents sees you."
She gave him a shove towards the exit and he stumbled a little before turning to give her one more glare.
"I said get!" she repeated, pointing towards the exit, and Theo huffed before running back towards his room. He glanced out a window as he ran down the corridors…it was dark out. It was going to be his bedtime soon…should he just get into pajamas? Or should he change his clothes like Jaqah said? He felt another rush of anger, remembering what had just gone down. She took his sword! That was his sword! Tolan gave him that sword and she had no right to take it! She was just a bossy, mean…
He reached his bedroom door and hesitated before pulling it open. He could hear Amber crying and whimpering and he looked down the hall towards his parent's bedroom. The door was creaking open and he frowned as he went over to it and popped his head into the room. His parents were not inside, but Amber was sitting up in her crib, crying as she pulled at the bracelet on her wrist.
"Hey Amber, don't cry!" he cooed, and she looked up at him. She continued to blubber, however, waving her arm at him as he came over to the crib. He bent over and fished her blanket out before spreading it out on the floor. After struggling a few minutes longer Theo was able to lift Amber out of her crib and set her gently on the fluffy blanket. He sat next to her and hugged her, shushing her continued wails.
"It's ok…it's ok, Amber."
She swung her arm around, banging the bracelet on the ground as she cried. Theo looked at it and finally smiled in understanding.
"Oh yeah, I don't like my bracelet either. Mom says it's tradition but it's annoying."
He took her arm in his hands and worked at the bracelet for a couple of minutes, his little tongue sticking out. He eventually figured out the clasping mechanism and managed to spring the bracelet so he could get it off of his sister's arm. She continued to cry a little as the bracelet came off, but it was mainly in little gasps as she calmed down. Theo beamed, proud of his work, and walked over to stick her bracelet on a nearby table.
"That's better, huh Amber?"
She didn't answer, her whimpers finally giving way to little gurgling and sighs. He looked over and noticed his stuffed dragon lying on the ground and went to pick it up.
"This is my new dragon. His name is Stone…cuz he's an Earth dragon. Like Dad's." He brought the dragon over to the blanket and sat back down next to Amber. "See? You can tell cuz it's brown…"
Amber looked at him, finally calm, though there were still tear tracks on her face. She grabbed the dragon he held out to her and immediately stuffed part of the head into her mouth. Theo blinked and then laughed.
"That's not food, silly," he said, pulling it back from her, but Amber was latched on tight. He finally shook his head and let go of the dragon.
"Ok…but don't try that on Dad's Guardian….he won't like it. He's kind of a grouchy dragon."
He watched as Amber continued to chew on the toy, and he reached out to push some of her hair out of her face. His hand bumped her horns as he did so and she made an angry noise before bursting into tears again, throwing the stuffed dragon. Theo bit his lip and immediately pulled her into his lap.
"Oh, I'm sorry Amber. I didn't mean to touch them…"
Her eyes flashed purple, but he didn't really notice as he rocked her back and forth and brought the dragon back over to her. She grabbed on firmly and he kissed her little cheek.
"Dad said your horns hurt to grow in. I don't have horns…so I don't know. But someday they will be all grown and then it won't hurt anymore, I don't think."
Amber's cries calmed as he murmured in her ear and rocked her.
"…and don't listen to Tolan. He likes us…he just says bad things sometimes. That's why Jaqah always yells at him," he trailed off, remembering what happened earlier that night. "…He's leaving again, and she wouldn't even let me tell him goodbye. And she took my sword!"
He sniffed and Amber looked up at him as tears welled up in his eyes. Her eyes widened and she made a little grunting sound as she patted his arm over and over. He looked down and gave her a watery smile.
"I'm sad, Amber…but it's ok. It's ok to be sad sometimes."
He pulled her into a tight embrace, but she didn't cry out again. Instead, she stuffed the dragon back into her mouth and closed her eyes. It only took a few minutes before they both had fallen asleep.
"Headed off already?"
Tolan stopped and scoffed softly before turning around.
"Duty calls…almost as loudly as Jaqah yells," he said dryly, looking over at where a figure was lingering in the doorway. "What do you want, Syn?"
She hesitated before coming out into the moonlight, carrying something.
"Just…figured you probably still get heartburn," she started, and he scoffed again.
"Gonna be having heartburn the rest of my life, apparently," he noted dryly, taking the small vial from her hand. "I can get this from healers in the south you know. Your 'Master Phos' or whatever his name is isn't the only…"
"Just figured I'd stock you up for the road," Syn cut in, raising her eyebrows. He blinked and finally shrugged.
"Fine. What do I owe you?"
She gave him a ghost of a smile and turned and walked away.
"Nothing. Just don't get killed out there…Theo'd never get over it."
"Just Theo, huh?"
She hesitated and turned around, putting a hand on her hip.
"Well…he is the sensitive sort. He's still a child, after all."
Tolan raised an eyebrow as if he didn't believe her, but she disappeared back into the fortress before he could say anything else. He looked over at his Hoofer tied up nearby, and the animal blew loudly out of its nose.
"You and me both," Tolan muttered, pulling himself up onto the animal before starting his journey into the night.
"I can't find him anywhere…Jaqah said she sent him to bed but he wasn't in there," Keyda said, and Cole frowned as she pushed the door to their bedroom open.
"Maybe he was hungry….I'll go check the…"
He trailed off as they both caught sight Theo and Amber, curled up next to the crib. They blinked in surprise.
"She must have been crying," Cole mused while Keyda's brow furrowed.
"Wait…where's the bracelet?"
They searched for a few seconds and she caught sight of it on the nightstand. After retrieving it she turned back towards the two children.
"Keyds, maybe we should just leave it off for the night…" Cole prompted, and she bit her lip as her eyes flicked between Theo and Amber.
"She could have hurt him…"
"But she didn't. He's fine."
She came over and sank down next to Cole, who was sitting next to the snoozing children. She glanced down at the vengestone bracelet again and sighed, leaning on her husband.
"I just….I just want what's best for them," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes as she noticed the red imprint around Amber's wrist where the bracelet had sat for two days.
"I know Keyds."
"I want them to be safe! If anything were to happen…"
"Hey." Cole wrapped his arms around Keyda from his position behind her. "They're going to be fine, Keyda. I won't ever let anything happen to our children."
She exhaled shakily and put the vengestone on the ground so she could grab his hands with hers. He kissed her temple gently as they watched the two children, one pale and one yellow, sleep on. Cole's voice was barely audible as he continued.
"I promise."
End Part 1
