An Army of Good by K.D. Faerydae Page B

you,” she said, smiling at Jazmine.
    â€œYes, that’s Serenity for you. It has the same effect on us too. In fact, all of Liberty is beautiful. If it weren’t for the Nomeds, I would have taken you to see my home, Maytime Meadow. I know you’d love it there as well. The smell of the meadow flowers, the soft breeze that courses through the grass, and the way that the Great Prophet dips its leaves into the pond’s still waters. But for now, I’m afraid you’re stuck here, because it’s safer.”
    â€œOh well, I can think of much worse places to be,” Mary replied, tipping her head back and closing her eyes against the sun.
    â€œ Jazmine spotted Grace and Christian sitting on the pier together. They were giggling hysterically as Mateo leapt in and out of the ocean, showing off his acrobatic skills in all manner of comical styles.
    â€œYou have a wonderful daughter, you know that, don’t you, Mary?”
    â€œI know I have. I’m very lucky. There is something extra special about Grace. Something that’s hard to describe. She seems to connect so well with everyone and everything. And not on the same level as you or I would. It’s as if she has a joining of souls with them. Does that sound silly?”
    â€œNo, not at all. I’ve seen it and felt it for myself. I experienced it the very first time I met Grace and looked into her trusting eyes. And well, you saw how she was with Romulus. He is a ferocious-looking wolf who’s often misunderstood because of his aggression and protectiveness. However, Grace looked straight past that, and I think you could say she saw straight into his soul. She is very special indeed. More special than we realise, and that’s probably why Liberty has chosen her to help restore the peace.”
    â€œI keep ignoring the fact that we are here for a purpose. At the moment, it’s so easy to forget about the Nomeds. It feels as if we are here for a holiday, not to help you fight a war.”
    Mary looked down toward Grace. Her daughter had a smile that stretched from ear to ear, a smile so big that it pushed up her freckled cheeks, reducing her eyes to tiny slithers. “Look at her, she’s so beautiful, so happy, I don’t think I can allow myself to let her fight. Tell me, what kind of mother lets her eight-year-old daughter battle against evil? I should take her home.”
    Jazmine placed an arm around Mary’s shoulders. “I understand how hard this must be for you, Mary, but you must understand that we have no choice. This is war, a war of good versus evil. We must all do whatever’s required of us to win; or else the world, not just ours, but yours as well, will be in mortal danger. It was foretold, you can’t prevent it. If you were to take Grace home now, you wouldn’t stop it from happening, you would just delay it. Delay it until Liberty has been overrun and the Nomeds pass through into your world. We know that a Human child is needed to defeat this evil and we believe that child is Grace.”
    Mary hung her head and began to sob as she realised the magnitude of the situation. Jazmine embraced her.
    â€œI’m not going to lie to you, Mary, it’s going to be tough. You will need to be strong. But I promise you this, we will prepare you well, and when you are ready to confront the Nomeds, we will guard each and every one of you with our lives.”
    Mary was distraught at the thought of the war reaching the Human world and even more distressed at the thought of her daughter facing such horror. She crumpled into Jazmine’s embrace and began to wail loudly, emptying her chest and heart of all the fear and pain that she was now feeling. Then, after a few seconds, she lifted her head, wiped the tears from her eyes and showed just how strong a woman she was, by asking, “So when do we start our training then?”

CHAPTER 10

    TIME TO GO

    Zavier stood before the ancient