I'm the Mother of the Heroine? (Book 1)

Chapter 27

Damon:

Before leaving to go assess the situation with Nicola back at our base, I needed to speak with Nathaniel and Lily. Nathaniel, to let him know we would be continuing his training once I sorted things out and Lily to let her know I would be gone on business for a bit. Since I didn't actually know how long it would take, I wasn't going to tell her when I would be back. 

Up in the Garden's I made my way towards the clearing that Lily was often found. Today she was accompanied by both boys and with my keen observation skills I knew where Helena was. It was surprising that she was making a flower crown. My eyes narrowed at her before shifting to the slightly pale Lily sitting in front of me. 

"You shouldn't pander to her whims like so."

She gave me a weak smile as she continued to circulate the magic in her body in an attempt to heal the slight damage done. Maybe I should kill the child anyway and make it look like an accident. My thoughts begun to race with different scenarios in order to pull it off but Lily interrupted my imaginings. 

"She's just a child and doesn't understand. I've tried to explain it to her but since she doesn't have her own Magic yet, she doesn't quite grasp the importance. It's fine to do this occasionally. You shouldn't be so upset," she reasoned gently to assuage my blatant anger. 

I merely grunted in response to her attempt in defending her daughter's childish actions. 

I'd finally taken my eyes off of her and looked at both boys sitting next to her and couldn't help feeling surprised. What were they doing?

In answer to my unasked question, Lily said, "While training here I've come across another way to boost Magic. I refer to it as Mental Strength. If you like I could teach you as well?"

She turned her last sentence into more of a question, obviously wondering if I would care to be taught something by her. I gave her a smile and agreed. 

"It'll have to wait for another time though. I'm needed at my base of business. Something has sprung up with one of my people," my eyes shifted to Nathaniel who was slowly taking in small amounts of elemental energy in the clearing, "I'd hoped to speak with the boy but I'm unsure if it'll cause any lasting damage if I were to forcefully pull him out of the state he's in."

"I've never come across the problem," she spoke as she mulled it over, "I think it may cause a bit of backlash though. Better to just tell me and I'll pass it along."

"Let him know that I'm needed somewhere for the time being. In the meantime he should work on building a more solid connection with Nightmare. I'll try to quickly resolve the problem and come back to continue his training."

Lily chuckled, "If I wasn't your sister, I'd have said you're too dull and unfeeling. Fortunately for you, I see past that hardened exterior. In some sense, you actually care for him."

Surprise was a mild word for what I felt. What did she mean I cared about the boy? I'm merely honing a weapon and nothing more. 

My face returned to its usual slight smirk. "If you say so, dear sister."

She shrugged elegantly. "Be safe in your travels."

"As always," I responded before sweeping out of the magical garden. 

Lily:

A sigh slipped through my lips as I begun to worry. Damon had seemed unusually worried. It wasn't noticeable to others but I'd known him my whole life and could see subtle signs. I wonder what could cause him to worry though. 

"Mommy, look at the crown I made," came a soft voice from the path towards the Koi pond. 

It seemed like Helena had heed my advice on keeping quiet, even her footsteps were more muted than usual. 

Glancing over towards her I saw that she now sported a rather unruly flower crown on top of her head. I smiled at her because of how adorable she looked. 

"Well don't you look beautiful, Princess Helena," I chuckled. 

She smiled so broadly that it seemed to brighten our surroundings. When she reached me she crawled into my lap with her arms wrapped around my waist. 

"What are they doing," she cocked her head to the side. 

"They're strengthening their Mind. Do you want to try?"

Her nose scrunched up, "Nuh uh. That's boring."

A yawn wracked through her with such viciousness that I was almost sure she'd crack her jaw. Afterwards she cuddled into me groggily. 

It looked like I would really need to have Celia bring food to me in the Gardens. With a little bit of magic I sent a message to Celia through the tree built into the house. Although Celia wouldn't hear my voice, she'd be able to receive images. I'd done this to her enough times that she was used to it. At first she'd screamed her head off and sent me into belly wrenching laughter because of it. 

The tree gave me a response of Celia walking towards the kitchens. It allowed me to finally relax a bit more and settle in to the monotonous stroking of Helena's soft hair. I'd begun to slightly doze off while running my hands through it when Celia arrived with a sandwich and fruit. These were the type of things that could be easily eaten without much of a mess. 

"Thank you, Celia."

"It's my pleasure, Miss Lily. Is there anything else you'd like of me?"

I looked at both of the boys and Helena before requesting, "I'm sure the boys will be hungry in about a half an hour. Would you mind bringing up a few more sandwiches and bowls of fruit?"

Although it was a boost to their magic to strengthen their Mind, it also burnt up a lot of energy which needed to be replenished. They couldn't stay in this state for that long without depleting themselves entirely. 

"I'll have that ready and brought up as you request, Miss Lily," she paused before asking, "Would you like me to take little miss to her room?"

I stopped stroking Helena's hair and thought about it. 

"That would probably be for the best. Thank you Celia."

She smiled at me, "It's my pleasure to serve you, Miss Lily."

I returned her smile and watched as she carried Helena away. Maybe I should take a nap after eating my food. 

My sandwich was delicious. Or maybe that was just because my stomach had felt empty from lack of eating. I chewed my food as I continued watching both boys progress and made sure to keep a close eye on whether they were overdoing it.