“Farm!” Valeron the Second echoed.
“Gods, no! I’m so sorry, little one.” Nyka said in horror, realizing how close to eternal slumber she had come. “I didn’t mean to teach the kids bad words. I was just passed off.”
“Passed?” Lith echoed. “Don’t you mean, passed?”
“Is that how you want your children to refer to themselves when they are angry?” Salaark tapped her foot angrily after affecting his speech as well.
“Definitely not.” Lith sighed. “Thanks, Grandma. As for you, Nyka, don’t worry. My father will go crazy with joy when he hears Valeron talking about farms. At least until he discovers how he came to learn that particular word.”
“What happened, child?” Salaark asked and Nyka gave her a short recap of her conversation with the Sekhmet.
“Mother, the Guardian of Children is waiting for Lith.” Crevan pointed out while performing a deep bow of respect.
“She can wait.” Salaark grunted. “Remind her that this is my turf just like Lith is my blood. Scarlett is my guest and she’d better not forget who gives orders here.”
“I’ll pass your message.” Crevan Blinked away, leaving them alone.
“Don’t worry, child.” The Overlord smiled again. “Your aunt is experiencing what I call the whiny phase of Guardianhood. It’s just a phase and it will pass with time.”
“Is it normal?” Nyka asked.
“It sure is.” Salaark nodded. “Imagine having voices in your head 24/7, then go into seclusion with a babbling black Dragon as your only company. After that, you get dumped on a self-centered snake, a winged brute, and the worst mad scientist Mogar has ever seen.
“In this order. It’s perfectly normal to lose faith in the future and become a grumpy sourpuss. I’ve seen better Guardians than Scarlett, like Ileza, wear chains, spikes, tattoos, and ridiculous black makeup by the end of their apprenticeship.
“Then they go to Tyris and she takes their heads out of their butters.”
“What about you?” Nyka asked.
“Me? I’m not their mother.” Salaark cooed at Valeron and Elysia with a warm, soothing voice. “I’m their instructor and I love myself a broken disciple. Much easier to bend and shape them at my will. I let newborn Guardians whine and give them plenty of reasons to keep at it.”
“I see. Thank you.” Nyka gave her a deep bow.
“You are welcome.” Salaark handed the babies back to Lith. “You can go now, but I expect you to come back here for a proper goodbye or I’m going to hunt you down.”
A snap of her fingers brought Lith straight to Scarlett’s dining table.
“Well, this is awkward.” Lith looked at the unfamiliar place, the weird appearance of the Sekhmet, and her outraged expression at the violation of her sanctuary.
In this order.
“Kids, this is Scarlett the grumpy Sekhmet. Grumpy, these are my daughter Elysia and my son Valeron.”
“Gu!” Elysia said, believing it to be her host’s name.
“Papa!” The baby boy’s face beamed with joy every time Lith called him son.
“I can see through all of your tricks, now.” The Sekhmet said with a snarl. “I know you brought them here to manipulate me and it’s not going to work.”
And it didn’t. For almost three seconds.
There was a reason Scarlett was the Guardian of Children and Valeron and Elysia were too close for her to ignore them. She felt all of their joy, happiness, and in Valeron’s case, his sorrow.
Scarlett’s rage melted as she saw what the baby boy had gone through and the harsh future waiting for him once he learned the truth about his parents’ disappearance.
The dark fog that smothered the Sekhmet’s mind was blown away by the sun of the pure love Elysia sent to her father and that he returned tenfold in a never-ending cycle.
“Can I hold them?” Scarlett asked as a smile forced its way on her face.
“Sure.” Lith handed the kids to her one at a time.
“Ca?” Elysia sniffed the Sekhmet, grabbing Scarlett’s hair in her small hands.
“What a smart girl! Yes, I’m a cat.”
“Ears.” Valeron said and the Guardian made her feline ears and tail pop out for the children to play.
Lith waited patiently in silence, letting the kids soften her for him.
“Fine, you have bested me once again.” Scarlett sighed. “Tell me what you want and I’ll help you to the best of my abilities.”
“Do you know where the Ears of Menadion are or who took them?”
“No. I’m restricted to this village and so are my senses.” She shook her head. “Even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t tell you anyway. I can see the artifact plays a significant role in your future.”
“Then I have only one question left.” Lith told her about the quasi-tribulation that had taken place in the tower. “How is that even possible? There was no enemy, no trigger, nothing.”
“You are wrong. There was a trigger.” Scarlett sighed in envy. “Gods, so young and you’ve already gotten to the point it took me three hundred years and a half to reach.”
“What trigger?” He asked after the Sekhmet brooded in silence for a couple of minutes.
“I can’t tell you.” She shook her head. “I was in your exact same position four years ago, asking the same question. The only difference is that I was talking with Leegaain in the Empire.
“I’ll tell you what he told me back then. If I were to answer your question, fulfilling a tribulation would become nigh impossible. Once you know, you would do the right thing for the wrong reason: getting your prize.
“Just know this. You have arrived at the end of your journey as a candidate Guardian. Mogar has already asked you all of her questions and you’ve answered correctly or you wouldn’t be here. The ball is in your court now.”
“What ball?” Lith furrowed his brows in confusion.
“That’s up to you to find out.” Scarlett handed the babies back to him and stood up. “Just remember. There are no more trials or enemies to beat. The tribulation can take place anytime and anywhere because it’s not up to Mogar.
“It’s up to you. It’s time you ask yourself the most important question of your life.” A wave of her hand returned him to Salaark before he could reply.
The light of the children was gone, leaving Scarlett alone with the voices in her head. Unbeknownst to her, the most vicious and cruel that harassed her night and day belonged to no one but herself.
***
Lith brought Nyka back with him at the Mansion.
After the meeting with Scarlett, the young Vampire could use some company.
“I’m going to take the tower.” Solus said while handing Lith a sealed glass container. “Tista and I are taking Nyka on a picnic on the moon.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, now that your life forces are fused, we have to check if your blood is still poisonous to undead.” She shrugged. “Nyka can use a tasty treat. If it doesn’t work, Tista will provide but a deep violet doesn’t taste as good as a bright violet. Or so I’m told.”
“Fine.” Lith sighed, pricking his finger until a single droplet of blood fell off.
