Nightless [Vol 1]

A Whole New World.

P.O.V Allaster

My power shifts as I realize the little one has car-hopped through the warp, I lean in closer and grab her. Scared of losing the princess to an alternate world I scoop her up into my arms. She blinks up at me as I hold her and pull her mothers limp body into my chest. The princess's eyes sparkle gold as she moves her hands forward to my neck. My birthmark, a bar down the side of my neck, shines under her touch.

"Why is your angel kissy different?" the child looks at me as her hand rests on my mark. Our magic swirling together catches my breath in my throat.

"Because Princess, we are different things you and I." I say lightly removing her impossibly tiny hand. "your magic is different love" my eye softly gazing at her little sleeping cat mark.

"I got magic?" she says her eyes are growing wide and the gold is starting to brighten and swirl. Her soft curls bouncing in the wind of the warp.

"Yes sweet princess, I'll show you how to use it if you'd like." I smile at the little princess. I've always been fond of children, I've raised many over the past few thousand years. But, nun of my own. never my own. My heart feels that familiar ache as I think of one day getting to raise my own little mage.

Suddenly the warp stops and we are home. I look down at the woman, such a tiny little thing. with a sigh I sit the small princess down and pick the woman up. walking her to the back room I lay her on the bed. the warp wouldn't have hurt her, she must of been scared, or tired. the warp has a way of letting your feelings overcome you.

"Is mommy going to be ok?" the little princess asks standing in the doorway. "She looks sleepy. Is it her nap time?" she asks, coming to grab my pant legs.

"Oh yes princess, your mommy will be just fine. The warp just made her sleepy." I say thinking to myself. it's not uncommon for the warp to make people fall asleep, but usually upon arrival people are quick to wake. the woman is very much still asleep.

"It's lunch time Mr." the little princess says trailing off. "Mr. what's your name?"

"Allaster, King Allaster of the Mage." I say with a smile and a light bow. "And you little princess? what's your name?

"Ava!" she says excitedly drawing out the A sounds as she bows back at me with a giggle.

"Ava, Princess of the Shift." I say holding my hand out to the child. "what a pleasure to meet such a lovely soul." I say with a smile. I genuinely mean it, souls are actually very easy to read, and this little girl is golden. She's filled with goodness and love, completely untainted by the world.

"Now, let's make you some lunch!" I say, with a flick of my hand pots and pans jump to life in the kitchen. ingredients magically flowing in and out of the pans and pots as they bread and fry chicken nuggets. potatos lift from the bin and start popping apart and running though the water and salt before sliding into the oil.

"Oh wow!" the child says ecstatically "Show me show me!" she says flapping her hands back and forth.

"Oh sweetness." I say with a chuckle "You can't do this darling, your magic is different."

Ava's face falls into a stern pout. As she plops down on her butt, my house cats swarm her. they rush over and start grooming her and rubbing across her little face and arms.

"try asking them to do something love." I say watching closely. her pout having faded and her hands now petting the cats. with a giggle she lightly tells them to stop and they back up.

"kitties!" she says bouncing in place on her butt. "kitty's Kissy's!" and just like that the cats start licking her. all four of them, licking her hair and face and clothes. with a giggle she tells them to stop again. And just like that, they stop. all four sitting in a now neat line in front of her.

"Ally-star" she attempts my name "Why do you call Void a bad kitty?" she asks me quizzically, her curls bouncing as she turns her head to the side.

"Void?" I ask looking down at my house cats, Mittens (a gray cat with white socks.) Carlie (an orange tabby with a bob tail.) Night (a solid black cat who's incredibly fluffy) and Stone (a gray kitten with an almost striped pattern of lighter gray.) "Who's that Princess?" I ask walking over to stand by the little girl.

"Void!" she calls as Night comes to rub her fluffy face against the child.

"oh darling, her name is Night." I say dismissively, starting to turn I hear her.

"She doesn't like that name Ally-Star. Her momma said her name is Void." the child mutters looking down at the cat.

"Did Void tell you that?" I ask eyeing the cat and child. surely not... there's no way a gift this special had been hidden, walking amongst the day creatures. The princess stairs at the cat intently, Night stairs back at her unmoving, unblinkingly. The silence seems to stretch forever before the little girl shifts uncomfortably.

"No." she says awkwardly, finally looking away from the cat, looking down at her hands she mutters "I made it up...." the lie is beyond obvious as she starts to pout. Night hisses and shakes her coat before walking away, tail swishing, clearly upset.

"Oh darling, no need to lie or be sad!" I say rubbing the child's back. "Void is just grumpy." I say as the cat jumps up on the entertainment center cutting me a look that could kill. "It's ok if you can hear her."

"She's not very nice... She called you a mean name." Ava mutters as she stands up on her tiny little legs.

"Well forget her, let's go eat little one." I say collecting the child from the ground and moving twords the kitchen, where our food has served it's self. We chat over lunch as my mind races. Just who is this child's father? Who is her mother? The woman and the child are marked for Nightless royalty, but have been living amongst the day children. The child clearly has no idea she is a magical being... let alone a very gifted princess to the shifter thrown. As we talk about her very mundane life a soft rage builds in me. Why has this woman not explained this child's birth right to her, why is she hiding from the thrown. Why put herself and this child at such risk. Even more so, who is there mother line? All the shifter royalty lines are tracked and traced, lines of succession drawn. My mind tumbles over the many questions I have for the still sleeping mother. Actually, why is she still sleeping? it's been over an hour, there's no way the Warp would take this much energy from a member of a royal line. She should be quite familiar with warping, all the royal bloodlines Warp to and from the planes to the day world. unless she's never warped, a small voice whispers in the back of my mind. unless she truly has no idea who she is, or what she's capable of, unless she's a lost bloodline. A small panic takes my heart as I realize slowly just what I've done. I wasn't returning a runaway royal, I was collecting a lose end.

"Ava darling, what is your last name?" I ask the small child on a wild whim.

"Cressfall" she says as she plays with her chicken nuggets.

My heart stops. I've stolen the lost Cressfall Queen and her Kit, and transported them to a whole new world... my the moon goddess have mercy on my soul.