Chp 8

Lilia woke up suddenly, clutching at blankets to either side of her. The afternoon light bled into the room said hours had passed. Did she miss her family coming home?

Serabelle laid her down to nap, so she had enough energy to greet everyone with big hugs. Lilia knew she was just trying to get rid of her for a couple hours while she cleaned. But she didn't mind. Napping was perfect. A toddler's life was a lot of work, and a girl needed her beauty sleep, especially in her formative years.

What woke her? Trying to clear her cobwebs out of her head wasn't doing any good, but she vaguely recalled hearing her mother's shouts from down the hall followed by the front door closing. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Lilia crawled out of her blankets.

A great decision rested on her shoulders. Lilia eyed the distance between the crib and the floor. To climb over the walls (which her mother definitely didn't like) or to wait for one of them to come to get here. Ten seconds later, she was staring at the ceiling from the ground. Lilia was so very grateful for her body's flexibility. Remembering the darkness, she was paralyzed took some of her excitement away. Though family was one of the things she was not going to let go to waste.

Opening her door was actually more complicated than conquering the crib with its handle being outside her reach. With a bit of work, she managed to get a chair by the door and soon sneaked down the hallway to surprise her family.

Lilia thought her house had an attractive layout. A single, large hallway spanned the house lengthwise from front to back, kitchen to the entryway. The whole house had double thick walls to keep sound from bleeding through from room to room. A bathroom with running water for a sink and toilet connected to the sewers. Magic was even used to get rid of unwanted smells. Though there was a tub in the basement, the family utilized the public bathes. A water magic contraption provided water to the whole house in the room next to the kitchen. Nobody, especially Lilia, was allowed in that water closet.

The living room and kitchen were both empty, though. Confused, Lilia wandered around to the backyard where she thought Autumn might be. Autumn was not by the table. The ground was uprooted around where he sat yesterday, and Lilia wondered if he took in nutrients from the ground. He did eat with them for dinner yesterday, so she thought it might have to do with his body moving more than a plant normally would.

And could somebody tell her why he didn't wear pants?

They were probably in the smithy, Antel coming up with some idea while they were gone. Lilia put some wet clay on the counter in the kitchen so she could keep an eye on the front door. In her past life, she enjoyed working with 3D models and was beginning to make a career out of it. Using clay as a medium was really not that different.

Envision it in her mind and let her fingers do the work as they plied the clay. Softening edges and using her nails to create ridges for texturing. A dull scalpel was on the table with the rest of her clay, but she didn't need it right now. In fact, she didn't even see anything in her mind. Just let her hands push at the clay of their own accord.

She smiled to herself and shifted her legs around to sit crisscross. Maybe she can play the buddha card for her "enlightenment" so she didn't have to explain why she knew things no toddler should know.

The clay also seemed to know what it was going to be. Whether it was her hands guiding it or the clay with a soul of its own, its shape quickly began to form. Her hands moving so smoothly it gave the impression of speed. Lilia knew that if she looked at it too closely or wondered what it would be, the magic would be gone.

She let her mind float. Using a relaxation technique, Lilia focused on the sturdiness of the waxed counter, the coolness of the damp clay, and the warmth of the afternoon light in the window behind her. She listened to the birds clacking on the roof and the wind softly playing with her hair. She even heard the faint groanings of the empty house. Perhaps it didn't like to be alone, either.

Joy spilled out of her in a giggle, very unbecoming of the buddha she was channeling, but that mental picture of a baby buddha just made her laugh harder. Lilia could still feel her hands moving and knew her control was slipping. Mental resilience was never one of her strong suits—a breath to pull control back in but felt her hands stop moving.

Worried would be an overstatement. Lilia was curious to know what her subconscious made and concerned that she messed it up by relaxing too far. With one eye close, she peeked. Success! Maybe. It didn't look like it was missing anything significant.

Before here, Lilia would design in a fugue state fueled by coffee and sleep deprivation. Her best pieces were done then, and all she had to do upon coming out of it was touch it up or change the background to better fit her centerpieces. Since her rebirth, she had to learn to do without the aid of coffee and sleep deprivation. One impossible to get and sleep too easily coming to her small body.

Her failures were easily distinguished from that; a forest with half the trees with a garish color scheme or animals with parts in the wrong places. Her dragonfly with six heads did sell well, but that was more posted as a joke. She hated that someone paid almost a hundred dollars to use it as a desktop background. It had fangs!

What she held in her hands, though, was a success. But she didn't know why it was right.

Carefully she set it on a plate. It was… interesting. Not something she would call her best, but she might be persuaded to keep this one. It was a humanoid on a walk. It held a broom in one hand and a smaller figure in the other. It wasn't a human character nor a Sproutling but something else. Maybe if Autumn was buff and made of clay. A clayling? Rockling?

Its chest was smooth, but the arms showed blocky ridges seemingly purposefully. There were "cracks" carved throughout the piece to give it a craggy appearance. It was a rock giant or person. The second character, the one sitting in its palm, she thought it was a little girl. Two feet dangled off into space as she looked up at her rock giant with a smile. The rock man itself had no face, and Lilia was uneasy with that.

She hesitated giving it some form of eyes or a mouth of its own. After all, the little girl only had a smile. Maybe leaving them this way was right. A girl trying to befriend the giant. She didn't know him yet and couldn't read the expressionless face but was doing her best anyway.

What is this a self-reflection? She wondered. Guessing by the sun, only an hour passed, but the figure gave her an inner peace as she looked at it. I'll need to make a base to give background context, but I will keep this one.

The door opened, and her thoughts blew out the window as her father and brothers shuffled in, wearing only their pants and cloth bundles in their arms. Serabelle followed them with an evil grin in place. Her siblings looked like they'd been caught doing something indecent while her father's proved whose idea it was. It widened at seeing her. He dropped his bundle and shouted, "Syndra! Come here, girl, and give your father a hug!"

Turns out, adopting a new father was the right choice. Even if his hairy chest tickled her as he hugged her tight, he was alright. He even smelled faintly of soap. Daryl gave her a brief hug when she made it back to earth, a bit out of breath with a greeting of his own. Jackson was standing off to the side looking like he wanted a hug but was in the "too cool" stage.

Lilia ignored his tsundere and pulled him into a hug, wondering about the bandages wrapped around his shoulder. After he got his dose of hugs, she asked him, "What happened?"

"A bit of a... "he trailed off at Serabelle's deliberate cough. Lilia saw her giving Jackson a meaningful look.

Daryl finished for him, "A bit of a fishing accident is all. Got to be careful of those pesky campfires, huh, Father?

Antel's expression darkened, "Mistakes happen. We all made them this trip." This time it was the boys' lips who drew into fine lines. "Everything turned out well enough, though!"

Enough time passed that Lilia's nose twitched, and a malodorous scent was permeating the room. The smell was growing stronger, and Lilia likened it to being next to a well-used port-a-potty in the summer. The bundles her mother was gathering at arm's length seemed to be the source of it.

"Now, you three go get dressed properly. We have a guest with us for dinner for your father. Best impressions. He is a Sproutling, so try to remember your manners," Mom said as she walked through toward the kitchen. "I will burn these and start putting the meal together."

"A Sproutling? Here?" her father and Daryl said at the same time. Antel made to follow Serabelle before she shooed him away. Lilia seemed to have been forgotten in his arms as he was near his room before setting her down. She gave his leg a squish and made her way back to the kitchen.

Her father's face was contemplative, and was that hope in his eyes? What did Autumn have that her father wanted?

Lilia was humming and walked out the back door. Serabelle was carrying logs to a corner of the yard where the stink rags lay innocently. What did the boys get themselves into? Some monster fish that used stink magic? She tried to lift a log to help but even straining, her body couldn't handle it. Instead, she carried some detritus to use as starters. Her mother smiled at the help.

"Mom?" Lilia asked. A hole in the ground indicated where the burn pit was, and Lilia set down her bundle. Her mother set the stench-bundle in the pit.

"Yes?"

"Is Jackson okay? It wasn't a campfire, was it?"

Her mother didn't respond right away. "They got in a bit of trouble, sweetie. Nothing they could not handle."

"Are you mad at them?"

Serabelle stood up and brushed off her pants. A flick of the wrist, and she was holding a silver-red wand out. This close to it, Lilia saw that it was barber striped the entire way through. At the pointed end, the rod seemed to pulse softly. Magic was so cool!

Her mother frowned at the wood logs and the bundle before pointing the wand at it and softly said, "Fira." Lilia imagined she felt a woosh in her chest just as the rod brightened and shot a laser beam into the firepit. It caught immediately, and the suddenness made her take a step back.

Guess I didn't need to bring over the bark, she thought.

"I am not mad. This family has a habit of getting into trouble. Usually, it is my fault, but this time your father made a mess. People do not like to look bad, Syndra. Your father is clueless about authority; his side of the family respects strength, and ours is higher than any other person in the city. He sometimes forgets that we moved here to get away from such power games." The last Serabelle was musing to herself.

"Isn't Father a smith?" Lilia asked, trying to figure out how the class system worked. For the most part, it seemed medieval with the nobility, and rich sat above everybody else. The more money you made, the better your position in life.

Serabelle eyes laughed at her, "I would never marry a man who was just a smith." She looked into the fire. "Your father was once one of the best smiths in Merch. He crafted weapons that would stand above any others in most kingdom's treasuries. While his magic is not the strongest in combat, he is a warrior who has defeated mighty creatures I hope you will never have to see."

"Oh. How did you meet?" Lilia really wanted to ask about magic or learning Antel's smithing but had a feeling she'd be too young.

"Your father and I? I stole him away from his family when I became a woman. My family was from along the northern coast in the Kingdom of Aledorn, now called Nortandom. I told you of their passing, yes?" Lilia nodded. "I was young then, but by ten summers, I awakened to my magic. I was given permission to join the Aladorn Academy to learn magic on a scholarship because of my magic's rarity. It was there I ran into your father.

"The dumb brute was a few years ahead of me, but that did not stop him from asking me to attend the Winter Ball. He was so nervous that night and gentle and funny. It was not until much later that I found out he asked me only to get away from being paired with another smithing family's daughter. I digress.

Eventually, we became more than friends, and I finished my studies a year after he left. I had told him that when I finished, I would steal him away from his family. Antel must have thought I was joking because the look on his face when I showed up a year later at his family's estate was priceless.

"We have been together ever since. His family agreed to our marriage when I proved myself as a Continental Adventurer," she said with pride.

"What's a continental adventurer?"

Serabelle thought for a moment, "If you put all of the adventurers from the guild in a line, your mother would stand in the front. Right up there next to the strongest in the continent. But for now, your father and I just want to be here with you and your brothers."

Lilia smiled at that with her whole heart. The words could be cheesy but the earnestness in her mother's filled her with butterflies. "What about Daddy?"

"What about him?"

"How strong is he?"

Serabelle glanced at something behind Lilia, "Your father? Oh, he's a lowly gold rank adventurer. Could not even make it past the first real test."

Antel must have been trying to sneak up on Lilia because his snort came from only a few feet right behind her. Caught in the act, he took the punishment of a Lilia flying tackle. "Do not listen to this charlatan. Your father is certainly above a gold adventurer. I just do not have time for foolish quests."

"You mean tests," Serabelle teased. "You could not pass even the basic adventuring monster tests."

"Why would I need to know that if you tell me what I need to know before we hunt?" her father asked, trying to seem innocent.

"Daddy, you need to work on your acting face. And listen to Mommy more."

"Bah. Who needs daughters. Take this creature from me!" Despite his words, Antel squeezed her tight before setting her down and taking his wife instead. "I did miss you."

"Could not even handle a band of goblins without me? Whatever do I keep you around for?" Serabelle said, but her heart wasn't in it. She melted against Antel, and Lilia pretended the fire's sounds were more interesting to hear than her parents.

Daryl's voice called out from the kitchen window, "Mom, Dad, I think the Sproutling is here. Ew, are you really making out in front of Lilia?"

They finished, and Serabelle fixed herself before going back inside with Lilia in tow. Her father waited outside to watch the fire. Or was it so Autumn would not be overwhelmed? Mom was sneaky like that. She wondered if the fishing trip was a success in the Daryl situation, but that was going to have to wait.

Autumn was standing in the entryway with Jackson and Daryl. Both boys were dressed in their nicer shirts. Both wore bright colors, Jackson wearing a yellow shirt while Daryl stuck to his normal red shades. The material they wore was similar to silk though not produced by spiders. And no, silk does not exist in this world. If you ask that of a tailor, they stare at you like you're crazy.

Autumn, of course, was not wearing pants. They were all talking amiably despite this glaring flaw of the Sproutling race. Maybe they had met Sproutlings before.

"Autumn, welcome back. How was your day?" Serabelle greeted him in his own language.

"Hi Autumn!" Lilia echoed.

"Serabelle, this one greets you in the Goddess' light. Syndra, hello. This one created a productive schedule and organized a couple of adventurers who need help clearing out several denizens around town. Informed of this one's situation with your family, they await further notice. Hopefully, this will not interfere with our proceedings."

"That does sound productive! Whether or not it will change is up to my husband, who awaits you outside. I hope you will not mind me accompanying you during your trade?" Serabelle asked. The formal way she spoke was definitely at odds with the weird hand motions she made. Lilia knew it was how Sproutlings expressed emotion and feelings. Seeing Serabelle waving her arms in the air like a horizontal snake made Jackson's eyes bug out, and Daryl couldn't keep his giggle in.

"Ah, this one's customs with your kind must seem amusing," Autumn said, looking at the two boys. "Perhaps as much as seeing your kind read each other's expressions reminds me of seeing dogs in heat? This one does not mind your presence, Victory Valkyrie Serabelle."

"You asked after me at the Guild? Fair. I do hope that will not affect our dealings. Shall we?" Serabelle led the Sproutling away with a small smile. "Jackson, the food is just about ready. A timing ward will expire soon. Stir the soup until then and pull the bread out of the oven. Daryl, watch your sister."

A subdued, "Yes, mother," followed after the pair walking away. Both boys' mouths were agape as they stared after the Sproutling.

Daryl turned to Jackson, "Did he just call us bit-" Lilia held in a laugh as Jackson threw his hand over Daryl's mouth. It was… nice if unnecessary.

The three of them made their way into the kitchen. Her siblings were arguing over how they might get the Sproutling back, but Lilia's attention was on the back door. Age was the only thing holding her back in this life. If she wanted to know what her parents were discussing, she would have to sneak out. If Autumn wanted a sword, he could have gone to any of the other blacksmiths in the city or even the swordsmith that father cursed at a lot. Autumn not only came to her father, but Lilia also got the impression that Autumn came a very long way, explicitly looking out Antel. Going so far as to wait for the man in a house of strangers.

Lilia had to know what they were talking about. It may not be life and death, but there were more questions than answers that plagued Lilia's mind, and this one was one of the few that she could deal with under her own power. With that in mind, she knew the decision wasn't even up to her. She was going to do it.

Warmth filled her as she committed to moving down this path. Toddlers are not good at tip-toeing as a general rule. Gravity seemed to work differently on this world, always trying to trip Lilia. Instead, had either of her brothers been watching, they would have seen Lilia crawl out the open doorway. Not graceful or efficient, but it worked, and Lilia made it without causing a fuss.

The fire hole was only embers at this point though all three adults stood around it with serious expressions. Seeing her father's arms waving around like at a rave but with a serious expression sorely hurt her. He was the only one who might have seen her come out the door, but his gaze was squarely focused on the Sproutling.

Their words were too soft to make out, and Lilia-still on all fours-scrambled as fast as she could to the bushes that gave the yard a manner of privacy. The backyard wasn't huge, but her parents stood on the far side and would have to shout to hear them from inside the house. The bushes were thick but no thorns impeded her movement into them.

Strangely enough, the bushes seemed to be rather bare in the middle, so she just had to navigate through the branches and stems as she made her way down the line. She held no doubt that she was making a bit of a racket at first but quickly wised up to which kinds of branches would support her weight and which would shift and sway. The sound she made went from going from a walk on crunchy fall leaves to walking on damp leaves-a considerable improvement.

It took her longer to reach the edge of the conversation than she thought. Still, she managed to arrive in time for the latter half of it.

Her father's voice was much easier to make out, and if it wasn't for Autumn's softer voice, Lilia might have stopped a few branches back. "Autumn, you know of my reputation as a mage smith, and my skills are unparalleled on this side of the continent. The weapons I could make you are unique to you. My Ask is fair. My unique talent for yours."

Lilia tried to peer through the bushes but could only make out everyone's waists from her cramped position on the ground.

Autumn's voice never changes inflection, "Both of these Asks are great. Though not equal. What materials this one needs to grant your Ask is much more valuable than yours. Ah, but if it was only half of your Ask, if you only wish for one to awaken to magic, then the request is flipped in this one's favor. Troublesome. So this one wonders again, would you change your Ask?"

Her father's feet shifted, "Awaken one of my children? Had you come and offered that a year ago, the choice would be simple. You would not offer this if you did not know something about Syndra. I am not good at bargaining. Would you excuse me for asking my wife's opinion?"

Autumn must-have nodded or given the Sproutling equivalent, for the next voice she heard was Serabelle's. "Love, one awakening is already a powerful balancer for us. Autumn's words are humble, but he may be truly unable to awaken more than one of our children. Syndra is young yet. We will have time to find another who might awaken her."

They were talking about giving one of her brothers magic. The revelation tore a piece out of her chest. Why not her? Tears threatened to spill, but Lilia held on to the faint hope that Autumn might change his mind.

"There needs not to be two Asks of you nor you of this one. If one awakening suffices, this one will begin finding the proper materials to suit the one you choose. This one can only offer a limb to help carry your burden here."

For a time, everything was quiet. The faint pop of the dying fire was a soft percussion to the shushes of wind playing in the bushes. She shivered but dared not move. She was dying inside to know what expressions were on their faces. What her mother and father might be sharing. What secrets were being kept from her? It was so unfair that she was missing out on magic because of her age!

"How long would it take for you to be able to awaken both of my children?" Father's voice.

Both? Lilia's blood turned to ice, and her heartbeat began to drum in her ears. Does he know I'm not from here? No, it can't be. He must mean that one of the others is awakened already? That said, the conversation was making her anxious about her place in the family.

"It is not possible without this one's return to the Forest and communion with the Heart. As is said, the blessing is free given but never taken. This one is blessed with one and it will be near thirty cycles before this one may receive a blessing," Autumn responded.

"Thirty cycles? A month back home for you? That is not so-" her father was interrupted by the telltale smack of her mother.

"Cycles for Sproutlings are the cycle of the year. Waiting thirty years for Autumn to return is not feasible for him nor us," Serabelle reprimanded him.

"That… would be a long wait and past the age of awakening besides," her father murmured. "Very well. Here is my decision. In return for you collecting the materials to craft your weapon and awakening Daryl, I will craft you a molded weapon personalized to your lifespark."

"Lifespark weapon sounds better, love," Serabelle said wearily. "I know, I know. It is not "accurate to say the weapon has a lifespark," but people do call them "lifespark weapons.""

Autumn butted in, "This Ask is acceptable. With the rising of the sun, this one shall begin collecting materials."

"So soon? Ah, the magic, right. I can get you a list of the materials you need tomorrow, but it will include a core of at least high gold. The stronger the core, the more of your will I can embed into how your magic functions," Antel said. He sounded distracted, as if already thinking about crafting this weapon.

The two men began walking to the house. A few steps away, Antel paused, "Sera? Are you coming inside?"

"A moment, Love. I will put out the embers. Have the boys bring out the chairs, and we will eat out here. It is a lovely day," Serabelle said. Autumn went inside with Antel nonetheless, and Lilia waited a few moments before crawling back toward the house. She only made it a few feet before her mother's voice froze her.

"Syndra, you can come out now."

She wasn't asking. Lilia hesitated a moment before climbing out of the bushes. Her mother was standing above her with a faint frown on her face. "No, do not be embarrassed. You should know I am a ward mage. I may not have eyes in the back of my head, but I use detection magic nearly all the time. A habit hard-" she cut off, seeing the tears in her daughter's eyes. She drew Lilia in.

"Oh honey, this is why you do not spy on others' conversations."

"Mom, I want magic," she sniffed, burying her face in her mother's sleeve. She felt her mother pull twigs out of her hair and pat her on the head. "Why do they get magic and not me?"

Her mother just pulled her into her arms. Lilia could hear the voices and movement of other people in the yard, but she was ashamed she was caught. Damn her curiosity. If she hadn't snuck out, she wouldn't be in this mess. She just couldn't win in either world.

"Syndra, let us go eat now. Everyone is waiting for us. We will speak of magic later but do not think I do not have plans for you."

"Really?" Lilia asked, hope rising in her despite her unwillingness.

"Shh. Keep it a secret from your father. I suspect you will change this world more than any of us could know." And with a boop on her nose, Serabelle stood and walked to the table, leaving Lilia the chance to collect herself before she joined her family.

A few calming breaths later, a smiling and happy Syndra was eating and laughing with her family. Lilia hid inside of her and kept her feelings to herself. Even Autumn cracked a couple of jokes in his deadpan voice to the amusement of her siblings. Her brothers' smiles hurt her when she knew they would be the first to get to play with magic, and she had a long wait ahead of her. Only her mother's soft smile and the confidence in her voice kept her from despair.

Magic wasn't out of reach, just further than she hoped.