“Me too.” Lith avoiding the “We need to talk” conversation starter reassured Kamila, but not so much.
“Jormun didn’t care one bit for the war. He was just there for his wife and son yet he died anyway. I know that you are protected by the three Guardians of Garlen but I don’t want the same to happen to you.
“Now that Thrud hates my guts, I think it’s best if once you are done with your work, you come back here to the Desert with Mom while I stay in Lutia with Dad and Solus.” Lith said.
“What? Why?”
“Because safety and prudence aren’t mutually exclusive. Sure, nothing can physically hurt you but you can still be traumatized and the people around you wounded. Also, I think it would give you the time and peace of mind you need to make your decision about me.” He replied.
“What are you talking about?” His concern moved her yet his words wounded her, tearing Kamila’s heart in two.
“I don’t know if you still want to be my wife but I can promise you that whatever you decide, I’ll be there for both you and the baby. I’m willing to raise her on my own if that’s what you want.” Lith stared into her eyes to show her how serious he was.
“Do you really think I would abandon our daughter?” Kamila’s voice was full of outrage and fury.
“Morok’s mother did and I can’t blame her. Nor could I you.” Lith shrugged, his tone calm. “You both got tricked by a man who got close to you under a fake identity. I’m afraid that seeing the baby might be painful for you.
“A constant reminder of my deception that might fuel your fear that our daughter is as alien as me. You don’t deserve it while the baby deserves to be raised with love. I’m just willing to take care of her so nobody gets hurt.”
Kamila opened her mouth to reply with harsh words that she would never use in the presence of the children, yet no sound came out. Her righteous fury died when she realized that he was right and that she had never thought about how Derek’s past might affect their daughter.
***
While a shocked silence filled the nursery, mayhem and yells echoed through Salaark’s dining room.
The Blood War had reached its apex when Aran had called Leria a “Lesser Verhen”, making her cry.
“What in my own name is this chaos?” Salaark entered the room while holding the small Shargein.
Since neither parent was actually human, the baby was already able to eat semi-solid foods, but the Guardian preferred breastfeeding since her human form would undergo all changes of a normal pregnancy.
“Aran is mean!” Leria cried in shame and outrage.
“Leria is a bully!” Aran pointed at the chore spell marks Leria had used when she had realized she couldn’t win with reason.
“I was asking your parents.” Salaark said with a sigh.
It took Senton a minute to explain the ridiculous cause of the dramatic conflict.
“Good gods, usually they say it takes a village to raise children, but yours need a damn Guardian.” Her words made everyone turn red and lower their gaze in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Grandma.” Aran said.
“Me too.” Leria quickly followed.
Neither of them really meant it. Salaark was the cool Grandma just like Lith was the cool brother so they didn’t want her to think badly of them.
“You should tell that to each other, not me.” She threw them a reproachful look. “Scratch that, you owe me an apology. I was still grieving the loss of my powers that you dragged me here.”
Having a baby, even an unknown hybrid, was no big deal to Salaark.
She didn’t need to rest and being a mother was second nature to her. Going back to her regular strength after having enjoyed double the power of a Guardian, however, was hard to accept.
“I’m really sorry, Mother.” Raaz had to call her that or she would pretend to not hear him. “Usually Lith is the one dealing with these shenanigans. Kamila has gone pick him up but she has yet to return.”
“Don’t bother them. They have a lot to talk about.” Salaark couldn’t see them nor hear what they were saying, but from so close she could perceive their distress without even trying. “I’ll take care of this once and for all.”
“How?” Parents and children asked in unison with a helpless shrug.
“It’s actually easy. After all, the problem lies in Aran bragging about his potential and Leria being insecure about her own. All we have to do is to see it for ourselves.” The Guardian took a deep breath, activating her bloodline ability, Blood Imprint.
Akin to what Leegaain had done the day back, the power of her blood started to resonate with that of everyone who shared her bloodline. Unlike the Dragon Dance, Blood imprint could trigger even the most latent trace of Salaark’s essence as long as she willed it to.
Blue-veined black feathers popped out of Aran’s skin while red-veined silver feathers appeared on Leria. Raaz too found himself covered in black feathers while Rena’s were gold-veined.
Even the triplets burst with respectively, black, silver, and blue feathers. Shargein was too small so he was unaffected.
“There, happy now?” Salaark said with a snort. “Case closed. If you work hard and don’t bother your parents, all of you have the potential of awakening your bloodline.”
“Okay, but who is going to be strongest among-” Aran tried to say, but the Guardian’s glare shut him up.
“I said case closed, young man. In the Desert, I’m the law. In these halls, I’m god. At this table, no dessert is served without my permission. Did I make myself clear?”
“Crystal, Grandma.” He swallowed a lump of saliva.
Aran had failed the grasp the first part, founding it more cool than threatening. Once Salaark had gotten to the dessert line, he had gotten the message loud and clear.
“Good. Then apologize to Leria. Or do you think that’s how Lith would treat his niece? Or his nephew?” Salaark pointed at Shargein who actually was Lith’s lots-of-greats uncle.
Yet when talking with kids, she preferred to keep the family tree simple. Especially since due to the age gap Lith would be a parental figure to look up to, not someone to take care of.
“I’m sorry, Leria. I was rude and mean to you.” Aran gave her a deep bow, sniffling due to how guilty he now felt for his earlier behavior.
“I’m sorry, too, Aran.” Leria didn’t need one more word to catch Salaark’s drift, her glare already spoke volumes. “Violence is never the answer.”
“Excellent! Now if we are done, I’d gladly go back to my room and whine like a spoiled brat who has lost her favorite toy. With the difference that I’ll do it in my private quarters where no one will witness my tantrum and it will bother no one.”
The children nodded in agreement, yet their parents would have preferred that Salaark had taught them how to accept disappointment with dignity instead of just hiding their childish behavior.
