Chapter Three - A Child Without a Name
1609 Words
The cries grew louder.
Chansa ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her dress brushing against the tall grass that lined the fields.
Behind her, Choolwe struggled to catch up.
"Chansa!"
She didn't stop.
Every cry pulled at her heart.
It wasn't just a child crying.
It was fear.
Pain.
Loneliness.
She could feel it.
The deeper they ran into the forest, the quieter the estate became until the only sounds left were the rustling leaves and the little girl's cries.
Suddenly...
Silence.
Chansa came to an abrupt stop.
"Why did she stop crying?" she whispered.
Choolwe stepped beside her.
His wolf instincts immediately took over.
"She's close."
He slowly closed his eyes.
The world around him disappeared.
His hearing sharpened.
His breathing slowed.
Then...
His eyes snapped open.
"North."
Without another word, they sprinted deeper into the forest.
The cries returned.
Louder this time.
A heartbreaking sob echoed through the trees.
Chansa's heart clenched.
"She's just a baby."
As they pushed through a thick patch of bushes, the trees suddenly opened into a small clearing.
There...
Sitting alone beneath the roots of an ancient tree...
Was a little girl.
She couldn't have been older than a year and a half.
Her tiny face was stained with tears.
Her dress was torn.
One small foot was twisted beneath her.
She was trying to crawl away.
Every movement made her cry harder.
"My goodness..."
Chansa covered her mouth.
The little girl looked up.
The moment she saw the strangers, her crying stopped.
For a few seconds...
Nobody moved.
Then the child noticed Choolwe.
His height.
His broad shoulders.
The strange golden glow in his eyes.
Fear filled her tiny face.
She scrambled backwards.
"No... no..."
She tried to stand.
A sharp cry escaped her lips as pain shot through her injured leg.
She fell again.
Chansa immediately dropped to her knees.
"It's alright."
Her voice became soft.
"So soft even the wind seemed to listen."
"We're not going to hurt you."
The little girl continued crying.
Choolwe frowned.
Something wasn't right.
He slowly inhaled.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His expression changed.
"I can't smell her."
Chansa looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean..."
He inhaled again.
"There isn't a single magical scent coming from her."
She stared at the little girl.
"That's impossible."
Every creature born in Earth Z carried a magical scent.
Even newborns.
Even those whose powers had not yet awakened.
Yet...
This little girl smelled...
Human.
Choolwe's heartbeat quickened.
Humans weren't supposed to be here.
Every child born without powers was taken across the Veil shortly after birth and raised on Earth.
It had been law for centuries.
So how had a human child ended up this deep inside Earth Z?
His wolf growled inside him.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
Chansa slowly held out her hand.
"Sweetheart..."
"My name is Chansa."
The little girl stared at her with wide brown eyes.
"You don't have to be afraid."
No answer.
Only quiet sniffles.
"It's okay."
"I promise."
After several long moments...
The little girl looked up at Chansa with tear-filled eyes.
Her tiny arms stretched into the air.
"Up..."
Chansa's heart melted.
Without hesitation, she lifted the little girl into her arms.
The child immediately buried her face against Chansa's neck and wrapped her tiny arms around her as tightly as she could.
A few moments later...
A tiny whisper escaped her lips.
"Mama..."
Chansa froze.
She hadn't taught her that word.
She looked at Choolwe, whose eyes had softened.
The little girl wasn't calling her by name.
She was calling her by what she longed for most.
"It's okay."
Chansa gently kissed the top of her head.
"I've got you."
She looked at Choolwe.
"We're taking her home."
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead...
He looked around the clearing.
No footprints.
No signs of a struggle.
No scent.
Nothing.
It was as though the child had simply...
Appeared.
A cold breeze swept through the trees.
Choolwe's instincts screamed at him.
Someone had been here.
Someone powerful enough to erase every trace of themselves.
He didn't like it.
Not one bit.
"We need to leave."
His voice was firm.
"Now."
Without another word, Chansa nodded.
Holding the little girl close to her chest, she followed her husband back towards the estate.
Neither of them noticed the pair of golden eyes watching from high among the trees.
The figure remained hidden behind thick branches.
Waiting.
Watching.
Smiling.
"The prophecy..."
A quiet voice drifted through the forest.
"...has finally begun."
The journey back to the estate was unusually quiet.
The little girl clung to Chansa as though letting go would make her disappear.
Every now and then, she sniffled before burying her tiny face deeper into Chansa's shoulder.
"It's alright," Chansa whispered, gently rubbing her back.
"You're safe now."
When they reached the edge of the herb fields, several workers stopped what they were doing.
Their eyes immediately fell on the child.
"My Lady?"
One of the workers stepped forward.
"Whose child is that?"
Choolwe answered before Chansa could.
"We don't know."
Confused murmurs spread through the workers.
"A child?"
"In the forest?"
"How is that possible?"
Another worker frowned.
"She smells..."
He stopped speaking.
"There isn't any scent."
Everyone looked at the little girl.
The workers exchanged uneasy glances.
A human child.
Here.
It didn't make sense.
"We'll handle it," Choolwe said firmly.
"Everyone, back to work."
The workers bowed before slowly returning to their duties, though many continued glancing towards the manor.
News travelled quickly on the Phiri Estate.
By sunset...
Everyone would know.
•••
The moment they entered the house, Chansa carried the little girl straight upstairs.
"Tamara!" she called.
A tiny streak of golden light shot through the hallway before stopping in front of her.
The fairy hovered in the air, her shimmering wings beating rapidly.
She was no taller than Chansa's hand, with long honey-blonde hair braided down her back and a soft green dress woven from enchanted leaves.
"What happened?" Tamara asked, her tiny voice filled with concern.
Chansa gently moved a strand of hair away from the little girl's face.
"We found her in the forest."
Tamara's smile disappeared.
"The forest?"
She flew closer.
The moment her eyes landed on the child...
Her wings stopped.
For a split second, she simply stared.
Almost...
As if she recognised her.
The little girl looked back at the fairy and blinked.
Instead of crying...
The little girl clapped her tiny hands before reaching towards the little fairy with wide, curious eyes.
Tamara quickly forced a smile in return.
"She's beautiful."
Chansa nodded.
"Can you prepare some warm water?"
"Of course."
Without another word, Tamara disappeared through the hallway.
Choolwe watched her leave.
"She's acting strangely."
"I noticed."
"But we'll ask her later."
Right now...
The child came first.
•••
After bathing her, Chansa wrapped the little girl in one of the tiny towels that had been sitting untouched in the nursery for years.
She smiled sadly.
"I always wondered who these would belong to."
The little girl giggled.
The sound warmed every corner of the room.
Chansa couldn't remember the last time she'd heard laughter inside the nursery.
She sat beside the crib and gently brushed the child's curls away from her face.
"What should we call you?"
The little girl tilted her head.
She didn't answer.
"Can you tell me your name?"
The child simply blinked.
Too young to answer.
Only innocent eyes looked back at her.
Choolwe slowly knelt beside them.
"I don't think she remembers."
"Or..."
Chansa looked at him.
"She's too frightened to say."
Just then, Tamara returned carrying a tray of warm porridge and fresh fruit.
"I thought she might be hungry."
"You always think ahead," Chansa smiled.
Tamara carefully placed the tray on the table.
The little girl stared at the food.
Then looked up at Chansa.
Chansa scooped a little porridge onto the spoon and held it out.
The little girl eagerly opened her mouth.
She was hungry.
This feels much more like a toddler.
She ate so quickly that tears filled Chansa's eyes.
"She must have been starving."
Choolwe quietly nodded.
Neither of them noticed Tamara watching from across the room.
The fairy's smile had faded once again.
She couldn't stop thinking about the moment she'd looked into the child's eyes.
There had been something there...
Something ancient.
Something she hadn't felt in centuries.
As the little girl finished eating, The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes.
She looked at Chansa.
Then slowly lifted both tiny hands.
"Up..."
Chansa smiled.
She lifted her onto her hip.
The little girl immediately rested her head on Chansa's shoulder.
After a few quiet moments...
A tiny whisper escaped her lips.
"Mama..."
Chansa froze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She hadn't taught the child that word.
Tears welled in her eyes.
She looked at Choolwe.
Neither of them spoke.
The little girl then reached one tiny hand towards him.
He stepped closer.
She gently touched his beard before smiling.
"Dada..."
Choolwe laughed softly, wiping away a tear before anyone could notice.
"I think she likes you."
He looked at his wife.
She was already crying.
For years they had prayed to hear those words.
Now...
They were crying from a child they had met only an hour ago.
Choolwe walked over and gently kissed the little girl's forehead.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"We'll protect you."
"No matter where you came from."
"No matter who is looking for you."
Outside the manor...
Hidden among the trees...
A cloaked figure watched the nursery window.
The figure smiled before quietly disappearing into the darkness.
- Writer
