Enchantress And The Guardian

Agreement

The ride to the Walker estate felt longer than it ever had before.

Dev had traveled that road a hundred times in his life. First as a child perched in front of his father on horseback, later as a boy racing the wind simply because he could. The path was familiar. The rolling hills, the old stone boundary markers, the shift in air as one crossed into Walker territory, all of it had once felt like home.

Today, it felt like a responsibility. The Blackwood estate had been unsettled. This, this was something else entirely.

The main house rose from the crest of a gentle hill, stone warmed by afternoon light, ivy curling like patient fingers along its western wall. Smoke lifted lazily from one of the chimneys, a quiet sign of life within.

Dev did not slow his pace. The front doors opened before he reached them. His father stood in the threshold.

Edmond Walker did not move forward immediately. He simply watched his son approach, arms folded loosely behind his back, posture straight and immovable as the oak trees lining the drive. His silver-threaded dark hair caught the light, but his eyes were sharp and assessing, not missing anything.

The doors closed behind them with a muted thud.

The interior of the Walker estate carried the scent of old wood and quiet power. Dev had grown up beneath these ceilings, had tested his shifting for the first time within these very walls. The memories lingered in every corridor.

His mother entered from the adjoining room before they reached the study.

Tresa Walker did not possess Edmond’s stillness. Where Edmond was stone, she was silk layered over steel. Her hair was drawn loosely back, her expression warm, until she saw Dev’s face.

“What has happened?” she asked softly.

Dev did not attempt to soften the truth. “They’ve sent a scout,” he said. Silence fell heavily between all of them.

Edmond’s expression did not change, but something behind his eyes sharpened dangerously. “Here?” he asked.

“At the Blackwood estate,” Dev clarified. “It revealed itself but did not attack. It just watched from afar.”

Tresa’s fingers tightened slightly at her sides. “And?”

“It saw Quinn,” Dev said quietly. “It felt her power.”

Edmond moved then, crossing into his study without another word. Dev followed, Tresa close behind. The study doors shut, sealing them in privacy.

“Describe it,” Edmond commanded.

Dev did. The thin frame, the unnatural stillness, the deliberate smile that had not quite been seen but unmistakably felt. He described the pressure in the air, the testing of the ward, the satisfaction that rippled through the forest before it withdrew.

When he finished, silence stretched long and thoughtful.

“They are accelerating,” Edmond said at last.

“Yes.”

“And Lochlan?”

“He doubled the wards,” Dev explained. Edmond nodded in response. He knew that Lochlan would do what was needed in order to protect what was his.

Tresa’s gaze settled on Dev more intently now. “And you?”

Dev held her eyes. “I wanted to pursue.”

“And?” Edmond prompted.

“I didn’t. A small nod. Approval, though faint.

“You came here instead,” Edmond observed.

“Yes.” Edmond moved toward the far wall where a large, aged map hung.

“They are no longer testing from afar,” Edmond said quietly. “If they send scouts here, they are preparing for movement. It appears that the fight will not stay contained to India.”

Tresa stepped closer to Dev, her voice softer now. “You will not be able to wait for a response from your grandmother?”

Dev’s jaw tightened slightly. “No.”

That silence said more than words.

Edmond turned from the map. “You understand what this means.”

“Yes,” Dev answered.

But the word did not carry certainty. Instead, it carried weight.

Tresa reached up, brushing her fingers lightly along Dev’s cheek, not as one would comfort a child, but as one acknowledges the man standing before her. All those years ago, she tried to protect him from this. But it was at their doorstep, nonetheless.

“You are not a weapon,” she said gently. “You are our son.”

Dev’s throat tightened slightly at that.

“And yet,” Edmond added calmly, “you are also Walker blood.”

The statement was not pressured, but truth. More than human blood ran through his veins. Even more than his father. Dev exhaled slowly. “They are not waiting for India. They are preparing for me.”

“Yes,” Edmond agreed.

“And for Quinn,” Dev added quietly. That caught both of his parents’ attention. Tresa’s eyes softened with understanding. Edmond’s narrowed.

“Then this is no longer only a matter of heritage and what happened all those nights ago,” Edmond said. “It is strategic.”

Dev’s gaze flickered briefly to the map of India again. The air in the room seemed to settle into a decision.

“We need to strengthen our own wards,” Edmond continued. “If they test Blackwood wards again, they will find ours far less forgiving.”

Dev felt something steady in his chest at that, not relief, but reinforcement. “ I did not realize we also had wards around our territory.” He knew that he had only begun to understand this part of the world. Magic, but to hear that his father was already a step ahead it gave him courage.

He was not alone in this. Not here. Dev turned to the study door. His body was exhausted from the training as well as being confronted by the scout at the Blackwood estate.

"If they force your hand, you will go to India.” His father’s voice rang out. Saying what they all knew to be true.

It was not phrased as a question. Dev paused at the doorway. “Yes.”

“And if they threaten, what stands here?” Edmond asked.

Dev’s eyes darkened slightly, something older than his years surfaced beneath the calm.

“Then they will learn why the Dains fear the Walker name.” Silence followed him out the door of the study.

Tresa turned towards her husband. Concern clearly written along the lines of her face. Edmond had promised her that he would go with Dev to India, but what Edmond had just said to Dev hinted that it may not be the case.

“If they threaten what is here, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you,” Edmond instantly softened when he noticed his wife’s demeanor. He recalled his promise as well.

“Someone will need to look after Dev,” Tresa argued.

“My mother and father will be there, as well as the others they protect,” Edmond walked toward her. His arms outstretched. Ready to console his wife. Tresa took a step back instead and raised her chin.

“No, his father will need to be by his side. I can go to the Blackwood estate. Lochlan will want to protect Quinn. I will not be left here defenseless.” Edmond watched his wife for a long moment. The silence stretched at her words. She cared more about their son’s safety than her own.

Edmond let out a soft sigh. He knew that arguing with her was going to get him nowhere. She wanted him to go with Dev to India. He slowly nodded his head in agreement. They would stick to their original agreement.

Edmond would be following Dev into the pit of Dains in India.