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"Xande is the best of us all... he took the wraith power from mother! So you do not belittle him! He will protect you better than you would be able to protect him!"
The words were playing into Moon's mind. Xande had the wraith power. If anyone would know, at this age, they could surely try to kill him. He was the most dangerous of them all. Their mother was a wraith. That was why her father allowed her to live, after all. She had been his ultimate weapon.
To have a wraith shadow on your side, under your command, now that was making you the most powerful in the world. Besides the shadow house's usual power, that everyone had in the shadows world, the wraith was a special one and very rare. they were so dangerous that they have been hunted as trophies until they have gone extinct. Almost. From time to time, one would be born and it was usually killing their parents by mistake. Without proper education of the saruman demon, the thirst that was double was hard to control.
Usually, they seemed to be impulsive and the only refugee they could find was the war. Death was their home and their single friend. They did not know how their mother could survive as a child, all they knew was that she was trained.
Moon opened the mind link by Tiger's requests. It did not end up too well, but there was more disturbing news.
it seemed that their mother suspected something and she send Xande with Shade to the border guerilla war, and he ended up proving that he was a wraith shadow. At the age of 13, he had fed from several shadows from the north-eastern shadow kingdom. That kingdom was actually ruled by their mother too, but there were three brothers in charge of it, and they had full authority, only answering to the king of the shadows.
Moon felt sad. She could never imagine their mother would keep something like this, as a secret from them all. There was trust there, that broke when she heard Shade speaking: "Mother knows too..."
"We need to find the training journals that mom kept for us. " Voices were running in her head and she just splat out of the Academy, walking so fast towards the king's quarters. Xande was there. He was there with the little ones. Xande was a wraith shadow. Was he going to hurt them? He could kill them all. Was he going to hurt them? He was capable of... at some point, when he will have no control over his demon, he might even do it.
"Send Xande to study, Moon. Keep him calm, as calm as you can. "
Moon reached the quarters and the guards opened them without announcing her. Xande was right in the middle of the room, playing the warhorse for his little sister, Amenah. Moon left out a sigh of relief, and she had projected the mental image to her brothers, Shade and Tiger.
"God, use Amenah to keep him in the study room, Moon" came Shade's voice as an instruction.
"True, Amenah was the only weakness Xande has ever shown," Tiger agreed to Shade's idea.
When the children noticed Moon looking at them worried, they stopped playing and came together in front of her. Xande looked into her eyes, most of all, with such a sad look. As if he knew what she was thinking. She saw hurt in his eyes. Did he know what she was thinking?
-Xande, we need to talk.
-Talk to us all, Amenah lifted her head proud, making her presence known.
-I am, little sister. We need your help too, she smiled thinking about what a woman this little one will become. First, you and Xande will join me in the library to...
-What? No thank you... Xande has lifted his hand in front of her face, stopping her right there, in the middle of her sentence.
-How rude, to stop a lady talk with your hand, little brother, Moon just swept his hand in front of her and took him by the shoulders, him and their little sister. When mother speaks, father never interrupts her...
-I am not father, and you are not mother, sister. Xande lifted his head facing her with a dare in his eyes, just like their little one, Amenah.
These two were just so alike!
-Yes, that is true, but until mother comes back, I am acting mother, and I will take care of you all, and I will let nobody hurt our little ones, so that is why I need to ask for your help. But if you don't...
-I can protect them too! Xande just started to pay attention, becoming interested in what she had to say.
-Well... I am not sure, you see... you did not even want to listen...
-I listen now? Moon?
-Hmm... Moon plaid her cards well, pretending she was thinking about it, just to buy some time to build motivation in her little brother. Are you sure you want in? It can be dangerous... protecting the little ones... you know?
-Danger is my middle name, Moon! Try me!
-Well, join me in the library you two!
Moon made a sign for the two and they joined her without any more comments. The last two brothers also did not want to remain in the parents' quarters so they joined in.
The royal library was a private place for the Royal Blood only. They could be safe there.
Moon gathered all four, and tried to tell herself that they were not little children anymore. They were the Royal Blood and they will start acting like it. Xande was 13, Alanai and Amenah were 11, Sarai was 8 and the last one was Niord, he was 5. They will be children no more. Her heart was hurting. But until their parents will come back home, this was not a safe world for neither of them.
She placed them all in a circle, they all closed their eyes, and she opened the common mind space, introducing them all. They could talk to her, each on their private channel, but alone they had no power yet to settle a link with them all. And they could hear them all, all of them now. In their private common space.
Amenah and Xande gathered all the mating research information, while Alanai searched for all the wraith legends to read to the little ones as a cover mission, while they were all studying parts of what they all needed to know and use. Instead of wasting time, and personal resources, they were all contributing.
They were all together now. United in a common front. No more children, but the Royal Blood in charge.
- Writer
