Doolee . . . Helendula,” Mitchella said, shifting from foot to foot. “Now I know why; she was trying to scry.”
“I should have recalled, but I didn’t.” Straif was stiff.
“Not like you had anything else on your mind,” Del said.
Antenn came back with the bowl half full of water and set it in front of the child. She stared at it, looked at Mitchella and Straif.
“Go on,” Mitchella said.
Dropping the landscape globe to the rug, Helendula looked into the bowl and cooed, made faces. With another scrunched face, she ran her baby hand around the bowl’s rim, hummed.
“She’s initiating the spell to make the bowl scry again!” Mitchella said, staring. “We didn’t know she had such Flair. Who’s she calling?”
Helendula looked into the bowl, grumbled. She let out a baby sigh, then ran her hand around the rim again. An image formed in Del’s head. A baby’s view of her old nursery, her mother. Nothing happened, no answer.
“She’s thinking of her old home,” Antenn said. His mouth set and he looked aside, but his hand went to the girl’s head and sifted through her blond curls. Del shared a glance with the older Blackthorns. She realized they were all connected enough with Helendula to have seen the image.
The toddler smacked the water with her hand. She whined, then circled her hands around the rim once more, visualizing a different place—a bowl in Del’s den. This time Del’s scrybowl cache answered. “I’m not here, leave a message.” The child looked from the bowl to Del, face crumpling. She stood on wavering legs, marched over to Mitchella, and held out her arms. Mitchella lifted her, cuddled the girl. Straif came to hold them both. Del’s heart twinged. The child was loved here.
A noise caught Del’s attention and she turned to see Antenn carefully carrying the bowl to an area with a semitransparent privacy shield of a rosy color. “This is Doolee’s personal section of the playroom,” he said. He put the bowl on a miniature red table.
Helendula took her thumb from her mouth and smiled at him, babbling baby words.
Straif and Mitchella stood together. “There are other Families here in Druida who have scry Flair. We can apprentice Helendula to the best, give her the best. Let us keep her.” Straif’s voice was thick.
Del rose and strode forward, picked up the landscape globe and gave it to Helendula.
“Mm-ah-na-mmm-ma!” The girl clutched the dome and smiled at Del, though Del knew the child felt safe in the woman’s arms, embraced by the man.
Del met Straif’s eyes. “I know you can give Helendula every advantage, the same as the rest of your children.” She glanced at a glowering Antenn, who wore expensive clothes, had a costly hair-cut. Everyone knew he’d been a lost and wayward orphan.
She lifted her chin, set her stance, looked at Mitchella, then Straif again. “But I can remember the Family spells and traditions that she had already begun to learn.” Del was recalling more all the time and knew, at least, she’d have to record them for the child, no matter what.
Inclining her head, Del crossed to the door. In Mitchella’s arms, Helendula was playing with the landscape globe. “I am her closest relative, she is my Heir. Nobles won’t overturn that, I’d win a legal fight, but I don’t want that. We’ll all think hard about this.”
“We love her,” Straif, Mitchella, and Antenn said at the same time. Antenn continued, “Do you?”
“Antenn!” Mitchella scolded, blinking tears. She was holding tight to Straif and Helendula. “I apologize. He’s nervous; we all are.”
Del stared at Antenn, her jaw flexed. “I can love her.” She left, walking through the halls of the lovely, Family-filled T’Blackthorn Residence. She thought of Helendula with the scrybowl and the globe. Del wondered if her plan would work. What would Helendula’s landscape globe show? What if it showed a home that was lost to her forever?
R az was confronted
“I should have recalled, but I didn’t.” Straif was stiff.
“Not like you had anything else on your mind,” Del said.
Antenn came back with the bowl half full of water and set it in front of the child. She stared at it, looked at Mitchella and Straif.
“Go on,” Mitchella said.
Dropping the landscape globe to the rug, Helendula looked into the bowl and cooed, made faces. With another scrunched face, she ran her baby hand around the bowl’s rim, hummed.
“She’s initiating the spell to make the bowl scry again!” Mitchella said, staring. “We didn’t know she had such Flair. Who’s she calling?”
Helendula looked into the bowl, grumbled. She let out a baby sigh, then ran her hand around the rim again. An image formed in Del’s head. A baby’s view of her old nursery, her mother. Nothing happened, no answer.
“She’s thinking of her old home,” Antenn said. His mouth set and he looked aside, but his hand went to the girl’s head and sifted through her blond curls. Del shared a glance with the older Blackthorns. She realized they were all connected enough with Helendula to have seen the image.
The toddler smacked the water with her hand. She whined, then circled her hands around the rim once more, visualizing a different place—a bowl in Del’s den. This time Del’s scrybowl cache answered. “I’m not here, leave a message.” The child looked from the bowl to Del, face crumpling. She stood on wavering legs, marched over to Mitchella, and held out her arms. Mitchella lifted her, cuddled the girl. Straif came to hold them both. Del’s heart twinged. The child was loved here.
A noise caught Del’s attention and she turned to see Antenn carefully carrying the bowl to an area with a semitransparent privacy shield of a rosy color. “This is Doolee’s personal section of the playroom,” he said. He put the bowl on a miniature red table.
Helendula took her thumb from her mouth and smiled at him, babbling baby words.
Straif and Mitchella stood together. “There are other Families here in Druida who have scry Flair. We can apprentice Helendula to the best, give her the best. Let us keep her.” Straif’s voice was thick.
Del rose and strode forward, picked up the landscape globe and gave it to Helendula.
“Mm-ah-na-mmm-ma!” The girl clutched the dome and smiled at Del, though Del knew the child felt safe in the woman’s arms, embraced by the man.
Del met Straif’s eyes. “I know you can give Helendula every advantage, the same as the rest of your children.” She glanced at a glowering Antenn, who wore expensive clothes, had a costly hair-cut. Everyone knew he’d been a lost and wayward orphan.
She lifted her chin, set her stance, looked at Mitchella, then Straif again. “But I can remember the Family spells and traditions that she had already begun to learn.” Del was recalling more all the time and knew, at least, she’d have to record them for the child, no matter what.
Inclining her head, Del crossed to the door. In Mitchella’s arms, Helendula was playing with the landscape globe. “I am her closest relative, she is my Heir. Nobles won’t overturn that, I’d win a legal fight, but I don’t want that. We’ll all think hard about this.”
“We love her,” Straif, Mitchella, and Antenn said at the same time. Antenn continued, “Do you?”
“Antenn!” Mitchella scolded, blinking tears. She was holding tight to Straif and Helendula. “I apologize. He’s nervous; we all are.”
Del stared at Antenn, her jaw flexed. “I can love her.” She left, walking through the halls of the lovely, Family-filled T’Blackthorn Residence. She thought of Helendula with the scrybowl and the globe. Del wondered if her plan would work. What would Helendula’s landscape globe show? What if it showed a home that was lost to her forever?
R az was confronted
Similar Books
