Reign of Embers

Chapter 15 - When you're older

Lysandra

Curled up around my children in Zephyr's bedroom, I breathe in their scents and memorize their faces for what feels like the last time. I'm only leaving for 2 weeks but if something goes wrong, then I don't want to regret a single moment. I've only had to leave for this amount of time occasionally, mostly for what I'm about to do now - seek out the ghost leopards in the mountains. It's always dangerous but now there is the added threat of the strange shadow creatures.

My children think it's amazing that I can go and live with the wild beasts - well Gavriel does, Zephyr is too young to understand what's happening but knows I'm going away, and that I can shapeshift. I squeeze them both tightly, murmuring how much I love them, before pulling away.

"I love you, I'll be back in two weeks, ok? Now get some sleep both of you." I say it to both of them, but Gavriel knows he doesn't have to go to bed for a few hours yet.

"When are you leaving?" Gavriel asks.

"Later. I will be long gone when you wake up."

" Mumma, where you going? " Zephyr wonders, he's so tired that he's already forgotten.

"I'm going into the mountains to stay with the ghost leopards." I reply, making it seem extremely exciting, which it is normally.

"Are they friends ?" He whispers, trying extremely hard not to close his eyes and fall asleep.

"Yes, they are very good friends, which is why I need to go and stay with them for a while." I say sweetly.

" Can I come ? " He asks. Zephyr inherited my powers so has always shown an interest in shapeshifting, although his preferred form is a baby bear. His tell is that even in bear form he has Ashryver eyes, it's an adorable sight.

"Maybe one day, when you're older."

" So when I'm a big boy like Gav-ril? "

"Yes, when you're a big boy like Gavriel." I say with a smile. " Now get some sleep. "

I pick him up so I can sort out the bedsheets, then carefully lay him down on the soft mattress. By the time his head has hit the pillow, he is already fast asleep, his breathing heavy. I tuck him into his unusually large toddler bed in his white and green bedroom decorated with animals of all shapes and sizes. His room is the same size as all the others, and has the same layout, but because of his small bed it seems a lot bigger. To counteract this, he has a large tipi play tent full of his toys from home that he can't live without.

I kiss my youngest son on the head, tuck him in, blow out the candles, then quietly leave the room with Gavriel.

Once on the common room balcony, we no longer have to worry about noise. This is because of the sound barriers that Rowan put around each bedroom to allow minimal noise to enter or exit. Obviously we have ways to hear what is going on in the young children's bedrooms when they are asleep, and we do this through some form of bubble of air. This bubble can be removed at any time, and it floats around near the parent or guardian looking after them. This allows us to monitor if the toddlers need anything. They can also leave their bedrooms, but not the children's wing when ever they need to, and there is always a couple of nannies sat supervising the children if we are not available. Not having to worry about noise is very helpful when you have lots of screaming children running around excited to be playing with their best friends and family.

I stroll down the stairs into the main common room area, Gavriel right beside me, to see Asterin and Aislinn having some form of magic battle while screaming songs from the new plays and musicals written by a popular theatre company. The current song screaming seems to be a mash up of multiple musicals about princesses. Asterin keeps screaming that her dad is basically a character called Elsa and will often chase her around his glass palace, or ice palace as she calls it, while she's singing a song called 'let it go'. While Aislinn is just shouting 'I am moana' at the top of her lungs. I smile seeing them so happy and crazy.