Chapter 4

“Mom!” Ikhaya skidded to a halt in front of Sophie, out of breath from running. Sophie straightened from the laundry tub, grateful for the interruption; her back wasn’t as young as it used to be. She looked at her daughter, tall and dark and beautiful, once again full of pride and love for this wonderful woman she had raised.

“Yes, love?” Sophie asked, taking in the dusty leggings and sweat dripped brow of her daughter. “Where have you been?”

“Scouting ahead,” she replied in her melodic voice. How, Sohpie thought, had 21 years gone by so quickly? “We’ll enter the forest tomorrow, thank the gods, and get out of this blasted sun!”

Sohpie grinned at Ikhaya’s moue of distaste and replied, “How exciting. Now, why were you running? I’ll bet you a week of laundry that it wasn’t because of the forest.”

“Jessie’s back.” Ikhaya said, bouncing excitedly. “She’s almost here.”

Sophie’s grin echoed Ikhaya’s and she turned to take the laundry cauldron off the fire. “It’s about damn time, she’s been gone for a month! Have you told Jamie yet?”

“Of course I did! I stopped by her wagon first. Honestly, Mom, I’m 22 years old.”

“Defensive much?” laughed Sophie, raising her hands in surrender. “I was just asking!

Together they walked back in the direction Ikaya had come running from, saying hello to people as they passed. At the edge of the large camp they found Jamie, waiting impatiently, split skirts swaying as she paced. “A whole month!” she groused. “Took her time getting back here.”

Sophie put an arm around Ikhaya’s waist (she was a full foot shorter than her daughter) and chuckled. “She’s nearly here, Jamie. Have patience.”

“I’ve had patience for a month! Not a word for a month!” her words were punctuated with large gesticulations and Sophie felt Ikhaya shake with suppressed laughter.

“What’s all the yelling for?” Jessie asked from behind them causing Jamie to spin, trip on a rock, and windmill her arms.

“Finally!” She ran at Jessie, throwing her arms around her, and then the two were sharing a very passionate kiss. Ikhaya, still young enough to be embarrassed by such a public display of affection, coughed, looked down, and shuffled her foot. Sophie merely grinned, happy for their happiness.

She turned to Ikhaya to give them a moment to greet each other and asked, “ Did she come back empty handed?”

“She had her packs, as usual, but I didn’t see anything special. Still, a month is longer than usual.”

“That’s because I wasn’t successful. Had to keep going.” Jessie said, embracing Ikhaya warmly. “People were less willing to trade this time. Preferred known sellers to strangers.”

“Well, happy returns. You were missed, as usual.”Sophie hugged her in her turn and then they all headed back to camp, Jessie and Jamie hand in hand, relishing the closeness after being apart so long.

As they came around a family wagon, doors open to catch the slight hint of a breeze, their group ran into another group heading the opposite direction. At first, Sophie stared in shock, eyes moving from face to face: a tall man, a shorter one in armor, an non-human with red eyes. And then her brain caught up and her heart slammed into her throat and she reacted on pure instinct.

“Run, Ikhaya. Run, now. RUN!” She was pushing her daughter, shoving her in front of her. Some of her panic rubbed off and Ikhaya listened and took off running, her longer legs taking her ahead of her mother.

“Hey! Wait!” Sophie glanced back to see Jessie and Jamie had placed themselves in front of the group and were holding them up as best they could, bless them. “Move, women. Move!”

The red-eyed one leapt over them and began running, unbelievably fast, toward them. She was going to catch them, it was unavoidable; Sophie looked ahead and found that Ikhaya was far ahead of her and running full out. So, she stopped, spun and, threw herself at the non-human. It was the only thing she could think of and it worked.

They fell in a tangle and all the air left Sophie’s lungs as she hit the ground, trapped beneath the non-human. She was on her back, could feel the other one trying to rise, and so she wrapped her arms around her, gripping with all of her strength.

“Let go of me, woman!” snarled a voice somewhere above her head. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

She didn’t let go. She tightened her grip as much as she could, wishing she were able to wrap her legs around as well. Hands shoved at her, trying to get a good enough grip to pry her off.

“Get her off of me!” A hand grabbed her hair and pulled, causing her eyes to water. Hands in her armpits trying to pull.

“Sophie, let go, they’re...well, they say they aren’t here to hurt you or Ikhaya.”

She shook her head, pressed too close to the other person to speak without biting her.

“Mom.” Ikhaya’s voice cut into her like a knife, sending panic through her. Why was she here? She was gone, she could have lost them! Why had she come back?! “Mom, let go. I’m ok.”

While her child’s voice sent her into panic, it also cut through it. She had always heard Ikhaya, at night when she cried, during her tantrums, if she called her for help; her voice had always reached her no matter what she was doing. She loosened her arms, and was shoved away. Gentle hands helped lift her up, and brushed off some of the dirt and grass. She stood, smoothing her hair as best she could, and looked around.

Jessie and Jamie flanked Ikhaya, Sophie noted with approval, while the three strangers stood around their family. She stepped in front of her daughter and placed her hands on her hips. “What do you want?” she demanded.

The three looked at each other. The armored one cleared his throat and bobbed his head. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Could have fooled me,” replied Sophie dryly. “Appearing out of nowhere with no warning, like you did. Answer the question. What do you want?”

“You obviously, uh, remember us,” he replied, with a small smile. “The child has grown up well, it seems. Thank you.”

None of that helped her nerves at all. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. “Stop avoiding. Answer the question.” Behind her she heard Jessie draw her knife and Jamie shuffle her feet. Ikhaya was silent, but Sophie knew she was armed as well. A wise woman knew how to protect herself.

“We’re here for her.” He said calmly, as if those words didn’t cut into her heart, sharper than any knife.

“Well, prepare yourself for disappointment. You aren’t getting her.”

“Mom,” Ikhaya’s voice was a whisper. “Are these the people who left me with you?”

Sophie closed her eyes; shit, she heard the desire in her daughter’s voice. The desire for knowledge, to finally know her origin. As she was an adult, there was very little Sophie could do to stop her from leaving with these people if she wanted to. Opening her eyes, she stared hard at the man who had spoken, finally saying, “Come on, back to our wagon. Are you thirsty?”

She turned and herded her daughter in front of her, Jessie and Jamie following behind, knowing that they would follow her, for what other choice did they have? Their camp was toward the center of the large gathering, two wagons (small houses on wheels) around a central firepit. It was the closest thing they had to a home and the sight of it usually warmed her heart. Now, feeling as if a parting was near, it filled her with sadness.

“Stay here, I’ll be back with something to drink. To her surprise, Ikhaya followed her inside. Sophie didn’t say a word other than asking for cups or a platter deciding to let her daughter speak first if she wanted.

“Mom,” Ikhaya’s voice was quiet. “Will they try to take me?”

She put down the pitcher of water and turned to take her hands. “Not if I or Jessie have anything to say about it,” she told her daughter putting as much conviction into her voice as she could and looking straight into those golden eyes. “You know that.”

Ikhaya nodded. “They know who I am.” It was a statement, a fact. “Will they take me back to where they found me?”

“I don’t know, honey. I don’t know anything about them other than what I’ve told you. Do you want them to?” Sophie held her breath, afraid of the answer.

“I used to dream they would come back, you know.” Ikhaya said with a small smile. “They’d come and take me home, and I’d meet my relatives and everyone would cry and say how much they missed me.” Her eyes, cloudy with memory, fixed back on her mother. “But I always had you to come back to. It would be nice, knowing my heritage, but I don’t trust those people.”

“Well, we agree on that,” Sophie agreed, handing the finished tray to Ikhaya and then grabbing her rifle, which always hung above the door, loaded, just in case.

They returned to the group to find them sitting around the fire pit in awkward silence. Jessie was ostentatiously sharpening her long knife, and Jamie was stringing her bow; Sophie eyed the stranger’s response to this: the one in armor sharpened his sword in kind, the tall one avoided eye contact and dug his toe in the dirt, and the non-human sat back as if she were in a palace.

No one took the proffered drinks, and finally Sophie stood, rifle in hand, staring at them across the fire pit. “Spill.”

“You were hard to find,” the one in armor said.

“Not hard enough, apparently,” Sophie remarked. “Introductions would be a good start.”

The tall one stood, giving a small bow. “Madam, I am David the Little,” he said with a small smile. “This is Robert of Smythton. “He gestured to the one in armor. “And that is, well, we call her Lily. I’m not sure I can pronounce her true name.”

“As if I would ever tell you my true name,” Lily told him. “Lily is a worthy title.”

Sophie nodded. “I’m Sophie, that’s Jessie and Jamie, and this is my daughter, Ikhaya.”

No one questioned her statement, for which she was grateful. They all looked at each other again until Sophie rolled her eyes. “Look, we live here. YOU are the ones who dropped in unexpectedly. Why?”

Robert spoke this time. “I told you we would be back.” He look at Ikhaya. “She needs to go home.”

“I am home.” Ikhaya replied. “It’s going to take more than that to make me leave.”

Robert grunted. “What do you know of the southern countries?” When they all shrugged, he nodded. “I thought so. They provide most of our timber and a good portion of our precious metals, but no one knows anything about them. It’s hotter in the south and the people are darker skinned, but that’s about where the similarities end. Some are full of jungle, some are arid deserts, and some are mountainous. But they all, and I mean all, are full of magic.”

Sophie looked around at her family; they all seemed as confused as she. “Uh…”

“The Jewel of the South, the center of it all, seems to be the hub, where it all starts. There are more magical creatures native to that area than anywhere else in the world. The ruling class is a mixture of human and magic, because in order to rule such a diverse population, they have married outside of the human race. This has made them incredibly powerful as well as bestowing them with odd forms and physical attributes.”

“Well, this is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with me?” Ikhaya asked impatiently.

“You are from a family in The Jewel. Your father was a professor at a university in the capital, and your mother was one of the country’s top most scientists.” He nodded at Ikhaya. “Yes, scientist. Even amid all the magic, or maybe even because of it, science fields are encouraged. They have plotted more stars, invented more, and created more theories than any other country, probably ever. They are a wealthy country and they have the opportunity to encourage the scholarly arts.”

Robert leaned back. “A drawback of science and academia,” he glanced at Ikhaya and added, “you father was a history professor. As I was saying, a draw back is curiosity.”

“Surely that’s not a drawback. Curiosity drives education,” Jamie said.

“Not in this case. You see, with all the mixing naturally, your mother was curious about how the magic mixed in the offspring of two parents with different magic. From there, she wondered if you could mix the magic without requiring the mating to two beings: can you infuse someone with one magic with the magic of a different being when they were an adult? And from there, can you create a being with the magics you desire.”

“What? How could you do that? A mating mixes the essences of two beings, you can’t do that without a mating, without a female and a male.” This comment came from Ikhaya, who was following this way better than Sophie was. Proof that she came from a smarter gene pool, Sophie supposed.

“I’m not sure how she was doing it, but she wound up impregnating women she hand picked for certain types of magic with babies she had created outside of the womb. I was not there, nor have I seen her laboratory, but from all accounts, that’s what she was doing. It was dark and dangerous, and very very unethical. It was your father who discovered exactly what she was doing.”

“He disapproved.” Sophie surmised.

“He was horrified. She had created creatures that were never meant to be, that would most likely have never occurred naturally. Some were deadly, some not, all were monstrous in their own ways. When he confronted her, his wife refused to stop, saying she was close to creating the perfect being. And that you,” he said, pointing at Ikhaya, “were going to be her best creation.”

Silence fell in their circle. Sophie reached out and took Ikhaya’s hand. Ikhaya squeezed it before saying, “He took me.”

“Yes, he took you and ran,” Robert confirmed. “When he couldn’t get your mother to stop or even use a different child, he took you. We were paid by him to keep going. To keep you alive, until you were old enough to come back or until she gave up her experiments. He turned back at the end, to go back to her, to try and reason with her. We haven’t heard from him since.”

Sophie’s frowned. “You aren’t taking her back there.”

“Mom,” Ikhaya said.

“No.” She told her. “No! That woman would have turned you into a...a...monster! And I’m betting she killed your father for taking you. NO.” Ever instinct was screaming at her to lock her daughter in the wagon, to run, to do whatever she had to protect her.

“Uh,” David coughed. “We aren’t taking you. None of us has any interest in going there.”

Sophie frowned and asked. “They why are you here?”

“We gave up looking for you a long time ago,” David said. “You just went poof and we have no idea where your dad went or what happened to him, so there’s no guaranteed pay for us now.”

“It’s crazy down there. Spliced monsters roaming, magic spilling out of everywhere...it’s madness.” David shook his head. “No, this right here is an accident.”

Sophie stared hard at them. “Then why did you chase us?”

“Chase you? I was running the hell away,” replied Lily. “I didn’t want to get caught up in it.”

“But...but you said you were here for her,” Sophie reminded Robert.

“So I did.” He agreed. Sophie was so very confused, even more so when he started glowing.

At first she didn’t believe what she saw, but after a few seconds it was hard to deny, and a few seconds after that it was so bright the fire seemed dim. Everyone around the fire pit stood and backed away, muttering in confusion.

“Robert?” David asked hesitantly.

“No.” His voice, which had been so deep before, was full of a timbre that seemed to shake the ground now. His body glowed and he as he stood, it seemed to lengthen.

“What is this?” Sohpie asked, pushing Ikhaya behind her and grabbing her rifle, fiting the hock to her shoulder but keeping the point low. It was damned heavy and she didn’t want a weak arm shaking and throwing off her aim.

Jessie and Jamie came to stand by her, Jessie with her bow at hand and Jessie with a throwing knife grasped in her hand. “Answer the question,” Jessie told what had once been Robert.

“I have come for her. Her mother waits for her. She calls to me.” His voice was so deep it seemed to shake her very bones. Lily clapped her hands over her ears, obviously more sensitive to the sound than the humans. “Come home child, she waits for you.” A inhumanly large hand reached out and beckoned.

“Go to Hell and stay there,” Ikhaya answered immediately. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

“Then I will bring you to her,” he said. And charged.

Sophie had but a moment. Instinct took over and she lifted the rifle and shot. At such close range, she was bound to hit him, but he didn’t stop. His roar filled her ears and the earth shook with it. Her rifle was now useless, so she threw it at him, watching it bounce off his head and him coming as if he hadn’t just been shot and beamed with a large metal stick. The only thing she had left to protect her daughter was herself, and she didn’t hesitate. She threw herself at him, feeling the heat pouring off of him, feeling it singe her skin. Her hair tried to stand up all over her body and sparks flew from her hands to his body. She braced for the impact, but felt nothing. She felt nothing and then she felt no more.

Next Chapter: The Decision