Malik looked at her as though she’d just gone insane, but Illiandra nodded. “We are. The wraith genome is the base from which all other species evolved. It’s why we’re compatible and can intermarry.”
Malik stared at Illiandra for a long moment. His lips parted. “And you’re sure of this?”
“One-hundred percent certain.”
Malik narrowed his gaze. “It would explain so much that we come from a common root.” He smiled, shook his head, then began to laugh.
“What is it?” Willow asked, overlaying his arm with her hand. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m thinking about The Society and their mission to destroy all half-breeds, when essentially every realm-person is part wraith.”
“That’s exactly right.” Illiandra stroked the feathers at her chest.
Malik’s gaze fell to her fingers. “Huh. I thought that was a necklace, but it’s … part of you, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Illiandra’s turn to smile. “And now, I have a suggestion, because I think you’ve both been through a lot tonight.” She rose as she spoke.
Willow glanced up at her, waiting expectantly.
Illiandra’s smile broadened, “Why don’t you take Malik to get some ice cream. We have some of the best here in the Nine Realms.”
~ ~ ~
“Ice cream?” Malik was incredulous. He’d been talking about relocating an entire colony of wraiths to an island off the coast of Swanicott Realm, then learned that he was part wraith. And now, he and Willow should go get some ice cream?
He met Willow’s gaze and saw the laughter dancing in her hazel eyes. “It sounds so normal, doesn’t it? Something neither of us are used to?”
He considered her words and the light in her eyes, then felt something inside his chest finally relax. Maybe Illiandra had a point. “No, that we’re not.” He gained his feet and offered his hand. “But I’d love one piece of normal right now.”
A few minutes later, he held Willow’s hand as he walked her down the cobbled street. The town was very attractive with large baskets of flowers hanging from the lampposts. Many of the townsfolk waved from doorsteps and windows, but for the most part left them in peace.
He asked Willow about her nightly existence and how she spent her time. She was a fan of reading, especially essays on avocations like gardening and forest exploration. She enjoyed listening to classical music while crocheting or sometimes drawing.
“I lead a very quiet life as you can imagine.”
“You’ve missed a lot.”
“I suppose you could view it that way, and maybe I have, but I don’t necessarily feel that way. Do you think your life has been lacking?”
Malik frowned slightly. “Good question, so the answer would have to be similar to yours: yes and no. I guess I don’t think in those terms. Mostly, I want to fulfill my duties as mastyr to the best of my ability.”
“And I want to protect the people here.” She gestured to a group of children playing by a large fountain in the middle of the street. They weren’t in any real danger – the colony having no cars, just bicycles and donkey-driven carts.
A couple of the children in wraith form, half-ran and half-flew in their direction. The older ones did a couple of intricate loops in the air. The wraith form was somewhat elongated and very lightweight compared to the sturdier fae or other realm-folk physiques.
The oldest girl landed on her feet, not as a wraith but as a fae.
“Very neat trick,” he called out.
She beamed, showing the loss of two front teeth. “Thank you, Mastyr. So, are you going to marry Willow? We hope you do. We all love her.”
She grabbed Willow’s hand, and he saw the blush that climbed Willow’s cheeks.
You’re beloved here, he pathed.
And I love this community.
A young boy wraith, struggling to hold himself steady in the air, looked at Malik. “Will you give us a toss?”
Malik smiled. “Where’s your mother?”
The boy gestured with a jerk of his chin. Malik turned toward the adult in question, “Will you allow it, Mistress?”
The woman, in her fae form, nodded. “He’s old enough, but thank you for asking.”
Malik picked the boy up and with a one-two-three, tossed him high in the air.
The boy squealed as he did a few flips then drifted into a careful flight to the ground. “Again?”
Of course the sight of one boy having fun, brought children clustering around his knees. He had only one recourse and repeated the process over and over, always checking with the nearby parent. More than one toddler got led away crying because mama refused.
He spent the next half hour tossing child after child into the air and watching the delicate loops each could make while in their wraith form.
Malik hadn’t enjoyed himself this much in a long time. He rarely stopped in any of the villages to talk or play with the children.
Eventually, he called a halt and continued to the ice cream shop, ordering lemon for Willow and toffee for himself. He sat with her outside on a bench in one of at least a dozen narrow grassy belts that ran down the center of the street.
Many wraiths, usually in fae form and a few actually sporting feathers like Illiandra, came by and thanked him for his service and for his support of half-breeds in Ashleaf.
A small wraith toddler, levitating while holding onto the bench and anything else she could reach, finally found Malik and held her arms up to him. He glanced at her mother who nodded her acquiescence.
He lifted the light-as-a-feather girl and she promptly relaxed against him leaning her head into the crook of Malik’s neck. He continued chatting with Willow about the various wraith villages he’d spotted from the air in between licking his cone and holding the child.
When Willow fell silent, he asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all, but are you aware that the baby has fallen asleep on your shoulder?”
“Oh, I guess she has.”
“Malik, have you ever had kids?”
“No.”
“You must be a natural, then.”
“I don’t know about that, but I like them.”
She smiled. “Do you want children, lots of vampire toddlers running around your villa?”
“I guess I’d always thought one day, maybe. I don’t know.” But when he looked into the future, all he saw was more of The Society and Axton and now he had a colony to worry about.
Willow touched his knee. “Hey, I didn’t mean to distress you.”
He spoke quietly. “I just honestly don’t know what to do about all these families. If they choose to remain and Axton is after them, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through.”
“Well, I suppose that will resolve itself soon enough, but right now, I’m thinking you look very sexy holding that child over your shoulder.” She settled her hand on his arm.
Malik’s gaze shot to hers and he didn’t mistake the look in her eye. That her sweet forest-rain scent suddenly perfumed the air made him wish he had her alone.
“Sexy, huh?”
She nodded.
“Well, I’ve got another arm. I could probably hold a couple more, if only to keep seeing that look on your face.”
~ ~ ~
Willow chuckled softly, but she hadn’t been kidding. Watching him so at ease with the wraith children had lit her up like crazy. She was very female and, yes, she found herself longing for a family of her own especially when she happened to see mothers with their children.
She gave herself a shake, however, refusing to start wishing for things that couldn’t be, at least not right now when she had twenty-thousand souls to tend to.
But perhaps what moved her about Malik was that he loved and cared for his realm in the same way he held this little girl.
She liked this man a lot, even if he was a warrior.
Just as she opened her mouth to tell him as much, a familiar dizziness overcame her as well as a
n acute awareness that a new charm now worked against her protective vine shield.
So soon? She couldn’t believe it. Whoever the fae was that had been creating these spells, she had tremendous power, more than Willow had ever experienced before.
“Malik,” she said quietly. “Trouble.”
He frowned. “As in serious?”
“Another charm, and much more powerful than the last. The whole colony is in danger. I need to let Illiandra know. She’ll sound the alarm.”
He nodded, then rose and searched for the mother of the wraith-child. She wasn’t far, just chatting with another woman also holding a sleeping child. When he inclined his head to her, the woman hurried to him and drew her baby into her arms.
Willow pathed to Illiandra, alerting her to the new danger. A moment later, the white light that filled the town began to dim in slow stages and a soft whistling passed down the high street. Willow had seen practice drills, and this one went exactly as expected.
Every citizen simply melted into the surrounding streets and homes. When the light disappeared entirely, the town was in complete black-out, the stars above the only illumination.
Willow felt a strange vibration above her and looking up she saw smoke forging a hole in her protective shield. She rose to her feet and focused all her energy on her shield, but the spell was like a constant battering against her stream of energy, becoming more powerful as each second passed.
At the same time, she sensed a warning from the protective spell around her treehouse complex. “Malik, someone is in my home going through my things. This isn’t good. If it’s a fae, the one making these charms, she’ll be collecting articles that she’ll use to cast a spell against me.”
He took his cell from his leathers. “I’ll get some Guardsmen over there right now. Is the spell at your gate still down?”
Willow nodded, but she trembled. The energy she streamed pulsed through her, causing her to break out in a sweat. Her hands shook.
He shifted away from her then spoke quietly into his phone. After a moment, he addressed her. “Evan is sending a squad over to your main treehouse right now.”
“Thank you.” She’d been so right to involve Malik.
As she continued to focus her energy on holding the protective shield, she could sense that Axton’s spell had dual parts. He was not only attacking the shield as a whole, but he was also burning the vines at the entrance.
There was one thing, however, that didn’t make sense. “Wasn’t Evan at the entrance to the colony when you spoke to him? Near the vines?”
“Yes, he was.”
“Well, didn’t he see Axton? I can feel that he’s right there.”
Malik shook his head. “He reported that nothing was going on.”
“Call him again.”
Malik immediately got Evan on the phone. “Hey, Willow insists that we’ve got a spell burning the entrance vines and Axton is right next to them.”
Her legs shook now with the effort to sustain the shield, and she felt lightheaded.
She watched Malik listening hard. He then covered the phone with his other hand and said quietly, “Evan says that the vine looks the same to him, green and healthy.”
“Great. Axton is hidden behind a shield.” Could this get any worse?
Malik relayed the information to Evan, afterward returning the cell to his pocket.
Sweat dripped down her back and between her breasts with the effort to keep repairing both the shield above her and the vines at the entrance. “I won’t be able to hold this much longer.”
“Willow, how do we break the spell?”
“The same way as last time. We need to physically stop Axton, find the charm and smash it.”
“Then I’ll get over to the entrance.”
Willow shook her head. “I don’t think we should be separated, Malik, not right now and that’s my fae instinct talking. We’ve been brought together for a reason.”
“You’re right. So how about you focus all your energy on Axton.”
“I can’t. If I let go of the protective shield for a second either Axton will breach the entrance or this hole above me will explode and the entire shield will collapse.” Her arms shook. “Malik, I’m frightened. I’m so close to losing control here.”
Malik frowned. “You’re shaking.”
“Yes, I am.”
Malik grabbed her arms and the moment he touched her, power flared within her body and a new, second stream of energy began to flow straight from the heart of the realm as though it recognized him.
He glanced down at his feet. “Holy shit, that’s coming from the earth.”
“I know. I can feel it as well. Just keeping holding my arms.” She channeled all that power into her protective shield and lifting her gaze, she watched the hole seal up in a sudden quick wave.
Closing her eyes, she turned her attention to the entrance vines and visualized them reforming and repulsing the charm. Power moved in heavy waves straight to the entrance.
A moment later, the sound of an explosion rolled through the colony. She was running before she knew what she was doing, heading to the vines on the colony side of the monolith. Malik was right on her heels.
When she reached the vines, she waved them aside in stages, though the familiar burned smell filled the tunnel.
With the last lift of her hand, the damaged vines disappeared and she passed through to the other side, but Axton wasn’t there. The ground, however, looked scorched and a couple of Malik’s Guardsmen were patting their smoking shirts.
Malik called to Evan. “What happened out here?”
The levitating Guardsmen touched down.
Evan waved an arm in the direction of the vines. “A kind of explosion, but it happened so fast, I couldn’t even tell you what hit us. Energy exploded outward through this area where the vines are and that’s when I saw Axton where you said he was. But he took off before I could engage.”
“Is everyone okay?”
The four remaining Guardsmen nodded, and with that, Willow released a deep sigh. “Thank the Goddess, because I think it was my, or rather our joined power, that created the explosion.”
“How?” Evan asked.
The question was so simple, but posed with such incredulity, that Willow laughed. “I don’t think either of us knows how we did it. Although, the energy source seemed to come from the earth itself.”
“Well those wraiths must be special to have brought you two together with so much ability, however strange it is.”
Willow laughed again, then tears bit her eyes.” She turned to Malik, and he seemed to understand because he drew her against him, wrapping her up in his arms.
“It’s all over,” he said against her cheek, holding her close.
“I’m not used to this,” she whispered. “I’m not a warrior like you.”
“I know.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Axton will be back. You know he will.”
“I have no doubt of that.” He shifted slightly while still holding her so that Willow had a view of Evan. “I want a couple more squads out here just in case. I realize you couldn’t do anything this time, but we might need you when he attacks again.”
“Why the hell is Axton so intent on getting to these wraith families? He seems completely obsessed.”
Willow felt certain it would be a mistake to reveal the whole truth about the colony, at least for now. Malik, we can’t tell him. Going public needs to come from the colony Elders.
Malik nodded in agreement, then addressed Evan. “I think Axton has been on a mission from the time I took over as mastyr of this realm. He wants Ashleaf back and he wants to kill wraiths and half-breeds to get to that goal. I don’t know how he learned that Willow has been protecting wraiths, but I have no doubt that once inside, he’ll not only murder these families, he’ll use their existence as a vehicle to poison more of our citizens against my rule.”
Evan nodded. “You’re right. That’s exactly wh
at he would do. Bastard.”
“So, what’s the word on Willow’s home?”
“Ransacked. I’m sorry, Mistress. But by the time my squad got over there, the deed was done. I have several of my men standing guard.”
“Thank you.” She compressed her lips, biting back the tears. Her home had been her sanctuary during her long service as the Protector. And now someone had been inside doing a lot of damage.
“I’ll be staying with Willow through the rest of the night as well as the day. You can reach me through my cell or path me if you need to. But I have a feeling that whatever Axton plans next, Willow will know about it first. Also, I want the Troll Brigade to stand watch from dawn until full-dark.”
Evan got on his phone and made the calls. Within a few minutes, vampires began flying in.
Evan slid his phone back into the pocket of his leathers. “We’re all set.”
“Good. I’m going to take Willow home.” He glanced up. “We’ve got a couple hours before dawn. And, if Axton doesn’t make another play during that time, we should have some peace for the next twelve hours.”
With those words, Willow began to relax. She pathed with Illiandra giving her an update and letting her know that she and Malik would be returning to her treehouse. Illiandra wished her good health and fruitful dreams and with that, Willow drew her night to a close.
The shield held, stronger than ever, but she was done in.
~ ~ ~
With Willow in his arms, Malik flew her back to her treehouse complex. But even he was stunned by what he saw. Windows had been smashed and an axe taken to the beautiful front walkway railing as well as the front door. Inside the house, the furniture had been destroyed.
This was an act of hatred.
He’d seen it before and it had one purpose: to create fear and chaos. Axton’s hand was all over this.
Willow moved slowly and started to cross the room, but he caught her hand, holding her back. “I’m going to take care of this, but I want you to stick close to me. I don’t want you hurt because something falls on you.”
She nodded. Her skin was pale and her eyes painfully wide. She was clearly shocked out.
Still holding her hand, he got on his phone and contacted one of his favorite troll contractors and explained the situation.