Chapter 4 #2
"And they didn’t pick a very imaginative name," Stella added as she pulled up to a modest ranch house with a well-maintained yard. Before we could unbuckle our seatbelts, the front door opened.
The woman who stood there had literal fire in her eyes.
They flickered between gold and red. She would never have been able to hide that from mundies.
I understood why she was having a hard time controlling her phoenix heritage.
She was maybe thirty, with dark copper hair pulled into a messy bun and the exhausted look of new motherhood stamped across her face.
"You must be Phoebe and Stella," she called out as we approached. "I'm Ember. Thank you for coming."
Her grip was firm when we shook hands and warm enough to be uncomfortable. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us." I smiled at her. I probably looked deranged, but I couldn’t help it. I was too worried about my babies.
"Are you kidding? When Stella said you'd survived an attack too, I would've driven to you." She gestured us inside. "My mate's at work. He wanted to be here, but I figured this was better as a mother-to-mother conversation anyway."
The living room was dominated by a circular arrangement of cushions and blankets with a bassinet at the center. The temperature in the room was at least ten degrees warmer than outside. The baby inside radiated heat like a tiny furnace.
"That's Ash," Ember said, pride and pain mixing in her voice. "He’s one month old today."
I moved closer. His hair was the same copper as his mother's, but streaked with gold. "He's beautiful."
"He's a survivor." Ember knelt beside the bassinet. "The night they attacked, I'd just put him down. I barely made it to the kitchen when I felt the creepy sensation of being watched. Then the window exploded inward."
Stella had pulled out her notebook. "Can you describe the attacker?"
"It was difficult to see its face because it had this hood that covered everything.
It had gray skin and those hands—" Ember shuddered.
"It had long fingers with black claws at the ends that were at least three inches each.
It moved in this flowing way, like silk in water.
It was completely silent." My stomach turned, and my breath caught when I recalled how it went after Melaina.
"It went straight for Ash's bassinet. Didn't say anything, didn't hesitate.
Just launched this spell that looked like rotten blood and smelled like decay.
" Ember's voice cracked. "I threw up a shield, but it wasn't strong enough.
The thing did something that started eating through it.
That's when my one-month-old baby burst into flames. "
"He’s got great survival instincts," I murmured, thinking of Melaina's heat surges.
"That's what the healer said. You have to understand that what he did is not normal for our kind.
Normally, babies just warm up. Ash created a wall of fire hot enough to force the attacker back.
" She looked up at me. "I spent his entire first month celebrating every milestone.
Now I'm celebrating that my infant can weaponize himself. "
I'd been thinking the exact same thing about the triplets. "I know," I said softly. "I hate that they have to be weapons before they can be children."
Ember's eyes filled with tears. "Nobody warns you about this part. About being grateful, your baby has the power to defend himself while simultaneously mourning the fact that he'll need it."
I sank down beside her and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment, then melted into it. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. Behind us, Stella quietly texted someone. No doubt she was making arrangements for protection for the family.
"Oh, I did get something." Ember stood, moving to a shelf and retrieving a small glass vial. Inside was what looked like ash. "Where the spell hit my shield before Ash burned the attacker, it left residue. My mate collected it before it could dissipate."
Stella's eyes lit up. "May I?"
"Take it. If it helps identify these bastards, it's yours."
We spent another thirty minutes going over every detail. Stella catalogued everything while I held Ash, marveling at the heat radiating from his tiny body. "One more question," I said as we prepared to leave. "The lunar phase. When was Ash born?"
Ember's expression betrayed her surprise. "Waning crescent. It’s a peak window for fire elementals. Our clan elder told me it was lucky that his powers would develop faster." She laughed bitterly. "Some luck."
Stella’s phone pinged with a message. "Shit. It looks like there were two other attacks. That makes five families so far, and they all had children born during peak phases," Stella explained. "We think that's how they're choosing targets."
"So, they'll keep coming." Ember took Ash from me.
"Yes. And we found out today what we're actually dealing with." I took a breath. "They're called the Thessmark. They extract magical essence from children to extend their own lives."
Ember's face went white. "Extract. You mean—"
"Remove their power," I explained. "The victims do not survive the process.
A goddess came to our house this morning to warn us.
In five days, during the next peak lunar phase, they're going to be upping their efforts.
We're building a network to share information and coordinate defenses. You're not alone in this."
Ember shifted Ash to her shoulder. "Keep me in the loop. And if you need backup, my mate and I can both fight. We'd love to dish out some payback."
We promised to stay in touch and told her someone would contact her about protection. Stella informed me we were headed to the industrial district next as we got back into her car. I thought it was an odd place for a family. To each his own, I guess.
The drive took us through downtown Portland.
Stella pulled up to a converted warehouse with reinforced windows and what looked like a bank vault for a front door.
The woman who answered our knock had a Scottish accent and steel in her eyes.
Kaia was tall and willowy, with long dark hair.
She had the same exhausted look of new motherhood.
"Come in," she said, stepping back. "Apologies for the fortress. After the attack, I may have gone slightly overboard."
“I don’t blame you. If we hadn’t already warded our house with everything possible, I would still be casting them,” I admitted. “It makes you go a little crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” Kaia muttered as she led us inside. The interior was stunning. It had exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. But what caught my attention was the pool. An indoor pool took up nearly a quarter of the space.
"They're amphibious," Kaia explained. "Born needing water as much as air. The attack happened while I was nursing them here."
She gestured to a spot beside the pool where scorch marks still marred the concrete. "They came through the skylight. Dropped right in. Sounds like the same creature Stella said went after yours."
"What happened?" Stella asked.
"Praying they couldn’t follow, I pulled my babies underwater and hid in the cave we have.
" Kaia's jaw set. "Selkies can breathe in both forms from birth.
It tried to drain the pool with magic, but I'd already triggered the wards.
By the time it realized it couldn't reach us, my mate came in with reinforcements. "
She moved to the pool's edge, where two bassinets floated on specially designed platforms. Inside, twin babies slept peacefully. Their skin carried a faint silver sheen. "They're only three months old. They should be learning to smile and track objects, not swimming for their lives."
We went through the same questions. Kaia had no physical evidence to offer. "But I can tell you one thing," she added. "Whatever these things are, they have a goal. It didn't attack me. Just kept reaching for my babies as if nothing else mattered."
"We found out what they are today," I said quietly. "They’re called Thessmark,” I told her what we know about them and about the network we were putting together to protect the children.
Kaia's face hardened. "We have already begun to fortify our house. We will make sure that when they come, they regret it. I’m so glad we're in this together."
By the time Stella and I returned home, the sun was setting, and my head was pounding. Mom wrapped me in a hug the moment we walked in. "That bad?" she asked softly.
"These babies are resilient. So are the moms." I sank onto a barstool, watching her return to chopping vegetables. "They're all so young, Mom. And they've all—" My voice cracked.
"Changed." Mom set down the knife, her eyes finding mine. "Like our babies."
She was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm terrified of losing them. After almost losing you to Lyra, to that parasite—" She pressed her palm against her mouth, fighting for control.
"I don't think I could survive it. Watching those babies die would destroy me. "
"You won't have to," Binx projected from his spot on the windowsill. "We will protect them."
"But what if we can't?" Mom's question hung in the air like smoke, heavy and suffocating.
"Do not underestimate the force you guys present together. Remember what Hecate said. We have the power to beat them. Hold onto that belief," Binx advised, his tail swishing with more confidence than I felt.
From the living room, Melaina's wail pierced through the kitchen, and my milk let down in response. Of course. Because my body was now a finely tuned infant-detection system.
"I'm coming, love," I said as I got up and hurried to the next room.
I scooped Melaina up from her crib. Her little face was scrunched and red with fury at the world. I carried her back to the kitchen. Settling into the chair, I lifted my shirt and guided her to latch on. I winced at the initial pull. It still hurts at times.