31. Serena

"Hesta! Hesta!"

Frantically, I look out across the cold shores, searching for our daughter. She's brought so much light into our life that the mere thought of losing her terrifies me beyond reason.

Her radiance is normally noticeable from even far away. The fog-ridden, chilly skies offer no clue as to her location, even in the faintest of light. I try to block out the sounds of pebbles dislodged by my feet, listening intently for any sign of Hesta.

Could she have fallen into a cave? We were so careful about sealing all the entrances she might have stumbled into, but even Cinis isn't infallible.

I hear the rushing waves in the distance, noting the faint outline of a ship approaching, and it emboldens me.

The dark elves are coming and I have no idea where my daughter is.

"Hesta! Wherever you are, get back here immediately!"

I shout as loud as my voice will carry until it hurts.

I spin around me in all directions, trying to see some faint hint of her light.

Her light brings an embarrassing sense of relief to me, as I spin around and notice her behind me.

"Oh, thank the gods."

I sprint toward her, noting Cinis's glowing outline right beside her. Behind me, the ship crashes into the coast.

As I grow closer, I hear her laughter, as Cinis levitates a rock from off the beach, then proceeds to set it on fire.

I want to be so angry at them. Angry at him for not communicating what he was doing with her, angry at her for running away from me without telling me.

Parts of being a parent are enormously difficult. I watch as, suddenly bored, she vanishes in a puff of smoke, and then runs a ring of fire around us. My eyes can barely track her movement.

That's the funny thing about having a child with a being like Cinis. You don't exactly know what trials you might face, but it's not like watching after a human.

"Hesta," I say calmly. "It's okay. Mommy's here."

She doesn't stop running smoke around me. Does she ever tire out?

"I guess try the rock thing again," I tell Cinis.

He chuckles, then begins levitating four rocks. He clinks them together, creating sparks.

She slows down enough that I can see her. Her eyes are like bright yellow gems, and her skin is so crimson, it stands out among the dull gray rocks of the beach.

In a flashy display, Cinis lights the first rock on fire, followed by the second. Hesta's entranced by the light.

He hovers over, patting her on the head, and I think I see a flame kindle in her ashen gray hair.

"Next time, you've got to stay with mommy, okay Hesta?"

I grip the cold metal amulet in my hand, thankful for everything it's given me. This life might be difficult, but it's never been dull. Every day, I realize how lucky I am.

She hasn't spoken her first word yet, but I know she's sorry.

I lean down, and I kiss her on the cheek, before massaging her shoulder.

"You should take Hesta back home," I urge Cinis, gesturing toward the beach. "Elves have made landing."

I start approaching the beach, gripping the handle of my dagger tightly. Their magic is unpredictable, but there are certain tells elves have. And when all else fails, you can usually bargain with them.

But in my peripheral vision, I note that Cinis still hasn't left for home.

I turn.

"If you don't hurry, they could catch up to her!"

Cinis shakes his head, deep in contemplation. Every day, I swear he gets a little more human.

"Actually, I thought maybe this time she could tag along," Cinis suggests.

My eyes widen automatically, my jaw hanging slack.

Surely, he's not suggesting bringing our one-year-old daughter along on a mission.

"What are you talking about, dear?"

Cinis looks out toward the ship. I look out toward the ship.

Thankfully, the crew hasn't begun disembarking, but it's only a matter of time.

"I'm just noticing how impressive she is," Cinis says. "Even growing up here, this child still doesn't know anything about fear. And I don't really want to hide her away from the world anymore."

"Cinis," I urge him. "She's only a child. A baby, even. Surely, she can't fight with us."

The ship drops anchor, and the first dark elf climbs off the side, looking straight at us as he lands on the wet beach in the distance.

We're not exactly inconspicuous.

"Now's your last chance! You need to run!"

But Cinis just looks out indifferently at the dark elf staring him down. Even from this distance, I can see the intimidation the elf projects tries to conceal his fear.

"Watch daddy, Hesta," Cinis says. "Just do what I do and stay close."

He looks at me. I ready my daggers.

I suppose it's too late to turn back now. We'll see what happens.

Cinis grabs mounds of quick clay, then begins to reshape it into a large ball with his mind.

"What the fuck is that!"

I hear the crew of the ship panicking as we approach.

Igniting it, he hurtles it through the air, a veritable brick ball firing toward the dark elf at impossible speeds.

The dark elf dodges out of the way, but Cinis reorients, bending the trajectory.

I hear a crash as the projectile collides with the target, and the elf is bludgeoned unconscious.

Readying myself to hide in the shadows, I sprint out of view, ready to infiltrate the ship. Cinis is both the perfect forward force and the perfect distraction for me to hide.

Their voices are still audible to me.

"Now you try, sweetheart," Cinis urges Hesta. "Just try to grip the soft stuff with your mind. Feel the world around you, like I taught you."

I watch as Hesta lifts an imperfect blob of clay and then hurtles it through the air. She doesn't ignite it, and it splats on the side of the ship. It sounds like it might have hurt the ship, but not significantly.

"Prepare to make a landing somewhere else! We can't dock here!"

I hear the voices of somebody aboard the ship, and note the anchor hastily lifting back up onto the ship.

There's no way we're letting you get away that easily.

I'm only sad I might not have a chance to attack.

I watch as simultaneously, two balls of clay are lifted into the air, then set on fire. Not only do they destroy the ship on impact, the ship is set aflame.

If I'd gotten the chance, I might have climbed up the ramp or used the rope to scale the ship, then hidden, isolating each member of the crew as I stabbed them individually.

But my way was slow and risky, and there was a very real chance one of the dark elves could have gotten away.

And it only takes one dark elf to ruin Prazh again.

"You should have at least let me attack," I complain upon meeting back up with Cinis and Hesta. "I was in a position to strike. I could have taken out a couple of them."

Hesta laughs with delight, clearly proud of her work.

"Sorry, dear," Cinis says. "I felt like maybe today, Hesta should have gotten a chance to learn."

He looks out toward the shoreline, then speaks with caution.

"But it looks like you might get your chance after all, Serena," he says.

My eyes follow his trajectory, and I see one dark elf, stumbling out of the ship's wreckage toward us.

I know that they're not in any real danger, but as I run, I think of what the dark elves jeopardize by coming here.

Grabbing my dagger and brandishing it, I rush up to the stumbling figure. He lifts his hand, and a blue light illuminates it.

He utters an incantation.

But before he gets the chance, I jab my dagger into him, driving it as hard as I can into his spleen.

He taunts me with his dying breaths.

"You'll never get away from us."

He chuckles a pained, raspy laugh as his hand falls to his side, the spell gone.

"I heard how you stole our ship… crashed into the shore and killed your slaver," he says. "Pretty gutsy move."

"I'm pretty sure you have me confused with somebody else," I inform him. "But you have a chance to die with dignity. I suggest you take it."

I walk away from him slowly, letting him die of his wounds.

Perhaps I'm getting soft. Perhaps I just like letting him suffer.

I meet back up with Cinis and Hesta, embracing them both tightly.

"They're growing bolder," I tell Cinis. "We need to stick together."

He nods.

"That's part of why it's important she learns to fight," he suggests. "If she can fight, we don't have to leave her behind. We can fight as one united front."

I shake my head in disbelief.

Cinis's kind is strange but beautiful. I know that he'll probably outlive me by several centuries, but already, our daughter is a force of nature.

I wonder what kind of creature she'll grow into, with our guidance. Will she carry on the resistance, leading humans to a more permanent freedom?

Will she return home, seeking a return to her people?

I have so many questions. But for now, I look at them both with all the adoration I can muster.

"I love you both so much," I say as the fiery ship falls into pieces behind me, crashing into the ocean.