Alliance of Shadows, Book 5: LEIF

From the Mouths of Babes

"Rayna," Dreson sounded surprised to see her, but I knew why she'd come to me first. "What's happening? Where is my father?"

She didn’t bother to hide her tears from him, her expression heavy with sorrow. "‘E’s busy gettin’ te th’ bottom o’ an abuse ring no one knew existed in our world. I never imagined our people—the ones meant te value life more than anything else an’ guard th’ children o’ th’ future—could do somethin’ so absolutely horrific."

His eyes narrowed, the flash of anger sparking in the depths of his dark blues. He took a breath, steadying himself before looking over at me. "I heard the tail end of what was said."

"Love, many people didn’t know ‘bout it. I’ve spent a lot o’ me time with Rayna o’er th’ years. I trust ‘er, an’ I don’t trust many people," I advised, my voice quiet but firm.

The Sage nodded eagerly, urgency threading through her movements. "‘Ad I known, I would ‘ave instigated an investigation years before it came te this. However, me task ‘ere is te question th’ children. Ye may be present, but ye can’t speak for ‘em."

"Why are you questioning the kids?" Cece asked, stepping forward to join us in the hallway.

Rayna bowed her head in quiet acknowledgment. "High Queen, High King Rowan agreed that they ought te be questioned ‘bout what ‘appened in a place they feel safe, while it’s still fresh in their minds."

"I will be in the room, no arguments," Cece snarled, her stance unyielding.

I watched as Rayna's gaze flicked to me, her expression unreadable, though I could sense the unspoken question behind her eyes. Kaden moved past us to reclaim his post at the playroom door, his shoulders squared in quiet tension.

"Did ye…"

"Yes, I know everythin’," I told ‘er, my words unwavering. "But I was destined for ‘im, an’ ‘im for me. There’s nothin’ more te it."

Dreson pulled me to him with a possessive certainty, his arms enclosing me in silent defiance. "I want to know what's going to happen to Leif."

"Nothing," Cece snapped, her tone final.

Rayna nodded in agreement, and in that moment, I knew she was on my side.

Standing by the door an hour later, I listened as Rayna talked to the kids, her tone steady, each question framed in a way that left little room for dishonesty. She tilted her head to Dreson for permission before settling down with both children.

"Hiya, Heather an’ Conner. Me name’s Rayna. I’m gonna ask ye a few questions, alright?"

Conner studied her face, searching for something—reassurance, maybe—before giving a small nod. "Okay."

Heather squared her shoulders. "Did Daddy and Papa say it was okay? They're really upset about what happened to us," she quipped, the quiet determination in her voice making my pride swell.

Rayna pulled out a pen and a booklet of hand-bound parchment paper. "Aye, they’re right o’er there listenin’."

Heather hesitated before shrugging. "Well, I guess it's okay."

Smiling, Rayna jotted something down in her book. "What ‘appened before that man showed up today, Heather?"

Heather shook her head. "Oh, I didn’t see him, Con did. He didn’t see me ‘cause I was in the bathroom. He was talking to my brother, and he sounded just like our real daddy," she whispered, her voice dipping conspiratorially toward the end.

Conner clenched the hem of his shirt. "Daddy and Mommy are gone to s-s-see the Gods," he stuttered.

Rayna’s sharp eyes flicked to me, seeking confirmation. I met her gaze with a nod. Grieving children were especially vulnerable to coercion. Had Heather hesitated even a moment, Conner might have been taken.

"Our real daddy used to teach us about Spotting," Heather reported. "He said that we had to learn when someone was using a Glamour spell, so he taught us what the signs were."

Spotting was a rare talent among the Druids, and the thought sent my mind racing. I glanced at Dreson and whispered, "Could th’ kids be hybrids? I mean, could they be like me, but born on th’ Druid spectrum?"

"I've never questioned it before, but I will look into it, babe," he promised.

Rayna scowled. "Do ye know ‘ow te see past a Glamour, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh, it's easy ‘cause all you gotta do is turn your head, and you can see the real person. Sometimes, if they don’t know better, they might mess up and do or say somethin’ the wrong way, too," Heather replied.

"Did this man do or say somethin’ wrong, ‘Eather?" Rayna sounded as curious as I was.

Without being prompted, Conner raised his right hand, his bravery shining through as his stutter quieted. "The man used this one, but our real daddy used the other one."

Their father was left-handed, just like they were. A fact that struck me harder than I expected. Seamus was right-handed—I knew it for certain—but I'd never told anyone.

The details the kids were giving were incredibly on-point. None of us had known that their parents had been teaching them long before we got them, so there was no way we could be accused of coaching them.

"And when I turned my head the way Daddy told us to, he had blond hair. I knew he was bad then because our birth mommy and daddy had brown hair, like me and Conner," Heather commented, absently pretending to refill her doll’s teacup.

Rayna glanced at us. "Just a few more questions, aye?"

"Yeah, sure," Dreson said stiffly. He didn’t like the tone of her voice.

I didn’t either—there was an urgency to it I had never heard before.

She turned back to the kids and licked her lips. "What ‘appened in th’ yard, ‘Eather?"

"The bad man was telling Conner that he had to go with him to see Mommy. He wasn’t close to Con, so I..." She hesitated, looking over at me for confirmation. "Papa, am I in trouble for pushing Con? I didn’t mean to hurt him."

"No, Princess, ye’re not in trouble," I assured her.

"Okay." She turned back to Rayna and reiterated the same story she’d told me. To protect her brother, she had shoved him into the playhouse, where he hit his head on the table and was knocked out.

"That was very smart o’ ye, ‘Eather," Rayna said calmly. Her aura swirled, mimicking the storm of emotions inside her. "Ye said that Conner is afraid o’ that corner o’ th’ yard. Can ye tell me why?"

A look of pure terror crossed Conner’s face, and he ran over to me. "P-p-p-papa, s-s-save me! The S-s-shadow M-man is t-there!"

Kaden and Cece sniffed the air at the same time, their expressions shifting as something unseen reached them. Beside me, Dreson stiffened. Conner buried his face in my neck, his tiny body convulsing with sobs, gripping me as if I were the only thing keeping him safe, coiling around me like a desperate lifeline.

"Mom, did you ever let us in that part of the yard as kids?" Kaden’s question struck something in Dreson, pulling an old memory to the surface.

"That’s where the very first treehouse we built with Dad is. I tried to take him there when we first adopted them, but Con wouldn’t budge. He said something about a Shadow Man then, too, but I didn’t think anything of it. I assumed it was just his imagination due to the trauma," Dreson admitted, regret thick in his voice.

Growling, Kaden stalked off toward the yard, heading straight for the old treehouse. A few minutes later, he stormed back, cursing under his breath, his face twisted in frustration.

"He's been living in the goddamn treehouse, Dre. I thought I scented something different, but the flowers in that area threw me off. We should have listened to the kids earlier—we could have stopped him," my brother-in-law snarled.

I shook my head. "He's cunning like that, Kaden. He would have spun some sob story to get inside the house. Once Seamus has something on his mind, it’s damn near impossible to shake him. Remember, he used to be a friend—until he sold me out."

Literally.

"It wouldn’t have made a difference, K," Dreson agreed, his voice edged with certainty. "He would have twisted everything, turned the tables on Leif, made us hate him. It’s how the Tainted work, little brother."

Rayna was writing everything down in her book. She looked up at me and sighed. "It can be notably easy te lure little ones if they're th' overly trustin' sort or if they were not taught th' stranger equals danger rule. At th' same time, children goin' through a traumatic experience or survivors o’ one may be susceptible te trickery. May I see th’ yard?"

Cece nodded. "I'll take you. Are you done with the children?"

"Yes, o’ course," Rayna replied with a smile. "It must be well past their bedtime by now."

Heather giggled. "No, it's Friday, silly. We go to Nana and Poppy's place on the weekends."

"I think keepin’ everyone under one roof is best fer now. Least until this is over, I mean," Rayna suggested.

All this time, we thought Conner had been imagining things when, in reality, he had been trying to warn us about Seamus. A warning that near came too late to do anything about.

I glanced at Dre as the two women headed for the yard. "What do ye think?"

"I think she has a point. Seamus has been watching us for a long time, Leif. I don't understand how we didn't notice it before. Then again, he's Tainted, so anything is possible at this point," he answered.

I nodded, smiling as Conner's soft snores started up in my ears.

"Poor baby, ‘e’s been through so much today. I’m glad it was Rayna that questioned ‘em, though. She was th’ one that handled me when Uncle Harper brought me te th’ Towers," I said.