Life After Death

Lionel: tiny assassin

{Lionel}

I went flying with my son everyday, because, unlike me, he wasn't grossly underdeveloped at fourteen. The practice would teach him his wind magic better than I could, though I knew that he wanted more than just controlling winds to fly. He wanted to learn to fight, despite the lack of need. Instead, I taught him how to spiral without getting dizzy and how to gather enough air to breathe above the clouds. It wasn't as glamorous as my father's assassin training, but it would tide him over. His wings were white like mine should have been, but fuller.

When we returned from the skies, Porphia and Alessa Sade were back, Alessa Sade being only three years old.

"Eira and I are making pasta," Porphia called. "Would you watch Alessa Sade, Finran? Lionel, come make some garlic bread."

My son looked skeptically at my eldest daughter as a toddler and I clasped his shoulder.

"You and I can switch," I told him. "Go on; make some delicious buttery, garlic bread."

He grinned at me and skipped off to the kitchen. Alessa Sade had found some old blocks and was trying to build a tower. But instead of using just blocks, she seemed intent on using light as some of her building materials. In the same vein, I added little blocks of wind, making the whole structure look very precarious indeed.

"Daddy, this looks silly," Alessa Sade giggled. "Light is not a good block."

"I never said it was," I told her. "You put the light block."

"Yeah."

Alessa Sade stopped grinning for a moment and frowned up at me. "Why were you gone yesterday?"

"I wasn't gone, Alessa Sade," I said, frowning as well.

"Yes and the house was on fire and it was scary," she sighed. "I don't like it."

I suppose a normal child could be making a story up, but her childhood was weird enough that she didn't have to make up more strangeness. Alessa Sade's timeline was warped by Porphia's time travel and she didn't experience time the same way even Porphia did. Porphia had spent the first two years trying to fix it, but to no avail. Any attempt to detangle her timeline only ended up worse. The older versions of Alessa Sade said she didn't mind it much, so long as our regular timeline wasn't tampered with. If it were, then she would have two or more separate memories of an event. She said it was very confusing.

"Do you think Finran is okay?" Alessa Sade pressed.

"He's fine," I assured her, but I was not as sure as I was five minutes ago. Why was our house on fire?

"Lionel, you and Alessa Sade should wash up and come on in," Porphia called.

Putting away my concerns for now, I scooped up my daughter and headed to the sink, washing both of our hands together. She laughed as we splashed water nearly everywhere, and I settled her down on her 'booster seat,' which was just some of our thick books. Alessa Sade grinned up at me as I helped bring in the pasta and vegetables.

"How was flying?" Porphia asked me.

"Fine," I said. "Nothing exciting."

"Not as good as last time," Finran agreed. "Last time, Dad almost hit a bird."

Porphia set our plates down and gave me a bewildered expression. "You didn't tell me this last time."

"That's because Dad bribed me with candy last time," Finran grinned. "And this time, I forgot."

"Cheeky bastard," I told him.

Eira giggled. "Dad swore at you."

"Anything else going on in this family?" Porphia laughed. "Any more blackmail or chicanery?"