Spurned Queen

Chapter 27: Kaiden and I

Lexi

No one looked for Kaiden. After a few days of knowing her, I convinced Ma'lak to let me keep her with me in his school. Indifferently, he allowed on condition that I take her with me when I left. Rowan, meanwhile, hated the idea. He hated the girl. He refused to listen to whatever I had to say in her favor. When he met her, he looked at her with so much loathing that I rolled my eyes and decided to keep them apart as well as I could.

After the results of the meeting with Ythinca's royalties, we went ahead to recruit Ythincan warriors as the kings had allowed. Working from Vayana as our base, we travelled to the major cities to persuade and scope fighters. I appointed a group of trustworthy individuals to gather people in different parts of the dimension, and they agreed to only take willing fighters. Rowan and I were now fully immersed in the war business, gaining the ammo we had been sent to fetch. The kings did not prevent us after the hearing, not even Veron. We operated as swiftly as we could and set a fixed date on which we would make the home trip to Earth.

The beings on this plane, I realized after a few days, were no cowards. When they heard of a war going on in another world that could well affect theirs, most of them were willing to go. But the concept of a whole new world was a tad hard to swallow, especially for those with families and little ones. Most who were willing would probably die in the In-between, so there were only about three thousand I could really take. Only a tiny fraction of them were willing, and a tinier fraction could be spared. Nevertheless, I estimated that we would be out of here in just several weeks.

I brought Kaiden with me whenever she wanted to accompany me to our bases, which was nearly every time. I explained what was happening and that the reason I had come to her plane in the first place was to raise an army. She was fascinated, and, since she came along with me to the bases, she was my most consistent and devoted student.

I taught her calming techniques for her emotions. I taught her to vent them through words or tears instead of through her wield. I taught her some hand to hand combat, showing her how to fight without magic. I taught her to use thorns and briars if her wield broke through, instead of the rot. I taught her some of the mantras I used to calm my own Witch (and my Wolf too, but she didn't need to know that yet). I taught her how to meditate, how to block out sounds, how to concentrate.

In other words, I taught her everything. She was a surprisingly swift learner, and even better at practicing. Every night after a long day of negotiations or inspecting the records of my army, I taught her new moves. She caught them instantaneously as if she had already learned them and just had to dig them up from her subconscious and let her body remember them. Each night after her training, she slept soundly on one side of the bed while I took the other, stroking her hair and wondering what Aevran was doing.

The bond had indeed disappeared. I didn't feel it break like I would if he died, but I couldn't feel it. It was like it wasn't there and had never been there.

"Lexi?"

I turned, smiling fondly at the little girl. "Yes, baby? Why are you still awake?"

Kaiden huffed and dig herself deeper into my huge bed at Vayana. "You're not here," she stated with her impossibly soft voice. "And you've been staring blankly at nothing for a long ass time."

"Language," I sighed.

"You can't tell me that."

"I can't?"

"No. It would be hypocrisy. I heard you say that to King Dreiga a few days ago."

I laughed, shaking my head as I made my way to the bed. I climbed in and she stared at me, green eyes wider than ever. They reminded me of Aevran even if hers were a shade darker.