Chapter 13
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Wen
Every morning since the ritual, I’d woken up feeling like I’d been hit by a carriage. Every muscle ached. My head pounded. But we had what we needed: Tyreen’s location.
Mal was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed watching me. “How do you feel today?”
“Like death warmed over. But functional.” I pushed myself up despite my body’s protests. “I think it’s time.”
“We do not have to do this yet We can wait until you are fully recovered.”
“No.” I shook my head. “We can’t wait. We need to move now.”
An hour later, I was standing in the strategy room with our core group.
Mal stood beside me. Casimya was on the other side of the table, studying the map spread before us.
Sorcha stood near the window, arms crossed.
Aurion leaned against the wall with his usual casual grace, and Torin stood at attention near the door.
A map of the seven kingdoms covered the wooden table, Noctherion woods marked with Casimya’s tracking spell. The ink glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
“Tyreen is deep in Noctherion woods,” Casimya said, her finger tracing a path to a spot that looked concerningly far from any established roads. “Depending on where the portal leave us, we might have merely hours of journey, or maybe a few days. We need to prepare accordingly.”
“We’ll need guards,” I said.
Mal nodded. “A small unit. Too many will draw attention.”
Torin stepped forward. “I will accompany you.”
“No,” I said. “I need you with Killian.”
His face flickered with surprise. “Your Majesty?”
“You’re loyal and Killian trusts you. I need you protecting my son while we’re gone. No one else will do.”
Determination replaced the surprise. “It would be my honor.”
Then Sorcha asked the question we’d all been avoiding. “Where will Killian stay while you’re gone? Here is not safe if Igryside attacks.”
“Earth.”
Mal turned to look at me. “Earth?”
“Think about it. Igryside can’t track him there. I know the realm. My friends will help.”
Aurion spoke up from his position against the wall. “They are formidable. I have met them.”
“Killian already knows them well,” I added. “It’ll be easier hiding him somewhere unfamiliar.”
Mal considered for a moment, then nodded. “It is smart. Earth is safer.”
“I will go with him,” Sorcha announced. “Keep him safe.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
The logistics came together quickly. Ten guards would accompany Killian and Sorcha to Earth. They’d stay at my apartment above the bookstore. Aurion would rule Ravenor in Mal’s absence. We’d take five guards with us to find Tyreen, and leave tomorrow at dawn.
Now came the hard part. Telling Killian.
We found him in the family playroom, practicing his portal magic by moving his toys from one side of the room to the other. A wooden horse disappeared in a shimmer of light and reappeared across the room with a soft pop.
“Killian, baby, come sit with us,” I said.
He looked up, his little face suspicious. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” Mal assured him. “We need to talk to you about something important.”
I took a breath. “Mama and Papa have to go find someone who can help protect you. You’ll stay with Grandma Sorcha for a few days.”
His face fell. “You’re leaving?”
“Just for a few days, baby.”
“Can I come?”
“No,” Mal and I said at exactly the same time.
Killian’s bottom lip stuck out. “Why not?”
“It’s dangerous. But you get to go to Earth!”
His face transformed instantly. “Earth? To see Auntie Krystin?”
“And Auntie Bella and Daphne,” Mal added. “They’ll take good care of you.”
“Okay!” He was bouncing with excitement. “Can I bring my toys?”
“Some of your toys.”
“Half my toys?”
“A reasonable amount of toys.”
His face scrunched up. “What is reasonable?”
Mal and I exchanged amused looks. Our son, the negotiator.
“Five toys,” I offered.
“Ten.”
Mal was watching us like it was a spectator sport, clearly entertained.
“Seven,” I said. “Final offer.”
Killian considered this with the seriousness of a trade negotiation. “Seven toys AND my stuffed dragon.”
“The dragon doesn’t count as a toy?”
“He’s family.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Fine. Seven toys and the dragon.”
“DEAL!” He stuck out his little hand to shake on it. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me at his attitude.
I shook it solemnly. “Deal.”
An hour later, I was in Killian’s room packing his small suitcase.
The scary monster shirt, finally clean. His favorite blue tunic.
The stuffed dragon Mal had given him when he was born, worn soft from years of hugs.
I folded each item carefully, trying not to think about how many days he’d be gone.
Exactly seven toys sat in a neat row, waiting to be packed.
He’d counted twice to make sure I didn’t cheat.
I finished and walked to our chambers. Mal had weapons laid out across the bed, methodically sharpening each blade.
“Ready?” I asked from the doorway.
He looked up and nodded. “Ready.”
We met Killian, Sorcha, and the ten guards in the hidden hallway where the permanent portal shimmered. Killian clutched his stuffed dragon, looking tiny between the towering guards.
“Everyone stay close,” I warned. “Portal travel can be disorienting.”
Everyone nodded, and we stepped through together.
The dizzy sensation hit like always. Colors blurred, sounds stretched.
Then we landed with jarring suddenness, the storage chest in the back room of the bookstore spitting us to the floor.
I groaned at my stupid landing, Mal giving me his hand to help me get up.
He’d landed gracefully like a cat. I hated him.
He was the total opposite - a wolf. So how could he have so much grace?
We walked out of the room and into the proper bookstore. Emma was there, restocking shelves. She barely glanced up.
“Hi, boss!”
“Hi, Emma. How’s the bookstore?”
“Thriving. The new mystery section is very popular.”
I nodded, saying goodbye before we made our way upstairs to the apartment. It was evening on Earth, late afternoon sun slanting through the windows. The door opened before I could knock.
“THERE’S MY FAVORITE NEPHEW!” Krystin shouted.
“AUNTIE KRYSTIN!” Killian tore away from me and launched himself at her.
She caught him and spun him around. “Look how big you got!”
Bella and Daphne stood behind her. Daphne had come through earlier to brief everyone, still wearing her Lytopia clothes.
“He got bigger since your last visit,” Bella observed.
“It’s been two weeks,” Daphne said. “Children grow.”
Krystin was pulling something from her pocket, eyes twinkling. “Look what I brought you!”
“CHOCOLATE!” Killian’s face lit up as she handed him a candy bar.
Within seconds, he had chocolate smeared on his cheeks.
“He just ate,” Sorcha said, but she was smiling.
“Dessert is important,” Krystin declared. “Essential for growing boys.”
The guards started walking through the door behind us. Most had never been to Earth before. They looked around the apartment like they’d landed on an alien planet, hands hovering near their weapons out of pure instinct.
One guard stared at the TV, his posture suggesting he was ready to fight it. “This is Earth?”
“Yes,” I said patiently. “My home realm. Welcome.”
The guard pointed at the TV. “What is that glowing rectangle?”
“A TV. It shows images. Stories,” Bella explained.
“Magic?”
“Technology. Kind of like magic.”
His hand moved toward his sword. “It looks threatening.”
“It’s showing a cooking competition,” Bella said flatly. “Very non-threatening.”
Another guard picked up a phone from the coffee table, turning it over suspiciously. “And this?”
“Don’t touch that,” Krystin said quickly, taking it from him. “It’s expensive.”
The guard looked offended. “I was merely examining it.”
“Examine with your eyes, not your sword hands.”
A third guard was poking at a lamp, flinching when it turned on. “Sorcery!”
“It’s a lamp,” Daphne said with the patience of a saint. “You push the button, light comes out.”
“But WHERE does the fire come from?”
“There’s no fire. It’s electricity.”
The guard looked at her like she’d sprouted a second head. “Elect-what?”
Bella sighed. “This is going to be a long night.”
Bella was organizing sleeping arrangements, pulling out extra blankets and counting heads. Daphne was explaining Earth technology to bewildered guards. Krystin had Killian on her lap, feeding him more chocolate despite Sorcha’s protests.
“That’s his fourth piece,” Sorcha pointed out.
“It’s medicinal,” Krystin said without missing a beat.
“Medicinal chocolate?”
“For his soul. Very important.”
Sorcha sighed. She knew a losing battle when she saw one. Just like I hadn’t even bothered arguing with Krystin.
“Can we make cookies, Auntie Krystin?” Killian asked hopefully, chocolate still smeared across his face.
“Of course we can!”
“After you say goodbye to your parents,” Sorcha interjected gently.
Right. I knelt down to Killian’s level, and suddenly it was real. We were leaving him. My throat tightened.
“Be good, baby,” I said, pulling him into a tight hug. I breathed in his little-boy smell of chocolate and something uniquely Killian. “Listen to Grandma and your aunties.”
“I will, Mama. I promise.” His little arms wrapped around my neck.
“I love you so much.”
He pulled back and looked at my face, his brow furrowing. “Don’t be sad, Mama.”
“I’m not sad.” Tears were sliding down my cheeks. Very convincing.
“You’re crying,” he pointed out with devastating four-year-old logic.
“These are happy tears,” I lied.
“They look sad.”
“They’re complicated tears, okay?”
Mal knelt beside me, saving me from further interrogation. “Protect Grandma for me, pup. You are the man of the house while I am gone.”
Killian’s face went serious. “I will protect her, Papa.”
“I know you will. We will be back soon.”
Killian reached up and took off his flower crown. Then he pulled another one from his pocket. “For protection. I made them this morning with Grandma.”