The Light of My Hearts

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Been busy and the ideas weren’t flowing like I wanted them to. But here you go!

Kendrick remained a vigilant guard over Twillow all night. Every sound and every smell was scrutinized with the utmost paranoia. But thankfully it was uneventful.

The next morning the sun rose and Twillow awoke with a strong, hard arm wrapped around her front. She rolled back and smiled when she saw Kendrick curled up against her, holding her to him as close as physically possible.

“Good morning, my light.” He greeted softly as he nuzzled her hair and ear.

“Didn’t you sleep at all?” she inquired.

“I don’t need sleep right now.”

She tried to get up and unclasp his strong arm from her but he chuckled, holding her closer, “Mm...no you don’t.”

“I want to get dressed.” She protested.

He smiled, “You don’t need clothes.”

“I want to go down and get some breakfast.”

“Marci will probably bring it up soon.”

Twillow gave a look of exasperation, “I don’t want to lay down anymore. I need to move. Get my wings going.”

As if to accentuate that point her wings vibrated against his chest.

Kendrick gave a deep sigh into the back of her neck and reluctantly released her, “Mm. Very well. But I’m going with you. I don’t want you out of my sight for a second.”

Once free, Twillow got up and began changing into a simple house robe. Kendrick too got into his clothes as well. Before Twillow could exit the room Kendrick checked down the halls, scenting for danger. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary so he led her out and down to the kitchen.

Suddenly a horrendous crash followed by intense roaring blasted from inside the kitchen.

Marci was screaming, “SILKY! OH GODS! NO! NO! STOP! SILKY STOP!”

Two cooks came barreling through the door looking horrified.

Kendrick instinctually put Twillow behind him, eyes going intense, “Stay right there.”

The kitchen was a cacophony of what sounded like destruction; glass shattering, metal banging, wood splintering, Marci screaming, and presumably the snarling growls of a Quetzal dragon. With caution, Kendrick opened the swinging wooden door and beheld a scene of chaos. Golden scales writhed and thrashed at the back of the kitchen right in front of a destroyed doorway. Kitchen accoutrements were thrown asunder, broken in the wake of the Quetzal dragon. Marci was trying to keep her distance yet was also trying to stop whatever her dragon was doing. Silky resembled a snake wrapping and constricting a mouse. But Kendrick couldn’t see what she was attacking.

Suddenly he saw red spattering the walls and counters and immediately smelled the stench of blood. Then he saw the flash of crimson covering Silky’s face. No question: Silky was killing or had already killed something.

“SILKY! STOP!” Marci screamed desperately.

Kendrick rushed through the kitchen to help her but before he got halfway, Silky retreated out of the broken doorway, dragging a large, bloody form in her coils. Marci ran out to follow but Kendrick caught her arm.

“Marci! Are you alright? What happened?”

Her green eyes full of tears and horror met him before she yanked her arm away and ran outside, “Silky’s killing Callun!”

Kendrick remembered the cyclops guard distinctly and given the amount of blood slathering the floor it looked like the dragon had succeeded. He rushed out after her and by the time he caught up, Silky had released the large, dark-skinned body and was standing beside it snarling. Blood dripped from her jaws; her eyes were feral looking.

“Silky! Oh gods...oh no...OH GODS! What have you done!?” Marci cried, covering her face when she saw the state of the cyclops guard.

Kendrick stopped to see the guard’s body but no head. He exhaled and looked at the Quetzal dragon. The large snaky creature breathed hard, staring at the body before her for several long seconds until she lowered her neck feathers, appearing to calm down. She warbled and went to Marci, nuzzling her as if nothing had happened. Marci dumbly stood there, too stunned to react to her dragon’s affection.

Kendrick slowly approached the headless body of Callun. He expected to find some part of the head remaining but there was nothing left but a bloody stump. Had Silky bitten it off completely and eaten it or pulverized it to nothing? He squinted, smelling the air. Blood, fear from Marci, torn earth, and death all mixed together. All of these things Kendrick was wholly familiar with but the death scent was...off. It didn’t smell like a fresh death. He couldn’t explain it.

All at once the guards from the grounds came running up and another group appeared from the busted opening to the kitchen, Aemond Birchwood amongst them. The guards spotted the scene, saw the blood covering Silky and immediately stood with weapons ready around the Quetzal dragon and Marci.

“NO! Please! Please don’t hurt her!” Marci begged, even though blood covered her arms from her dragon’s face.

Aemond flew above and went rigid upon seeing the gory scene.

His voice was loud and firm, “What has happened here?”

Marci held Silky’s head protectively but cautiously, “I-I don’t know Mr. Birchwood. I didn’t even see what happened but...” she seemed loath to say the truth as she looked at Silky, “S-Silky killed Callun. I-I don’t know why...”

Aemond breathed deeply, as if trying to reign in his emotions but then raised a hand. A green light glowed from his skin and suddenly flew out to Silky. The lights created bonds and wrapped themselves around Silky’s muzzle and bound all six of her legs to her snaky body. Silky snorted and bucked until she fell over, subdued.

“NO! Please! Please don’t hurt her!” Marci cried out.

“She must be restrained Marci. This...is very serious.” Aemond replied sternly.

The bonds tightened until Silky was fully still. She growled and made a moaning noise.

“She-She’s never done anything like this before!” Marci shook her head. “She’s never hurt anyone!”

Aemond landed, shaking his head, “Until today.” He looked at the tall chef, “Was there anything that provoked this attack?”

Marci shook her head, “I -I was...I was just starting the prep work for the day. I went into the pantry to get some ingredients and heard my helpers screaming and a huge crash. Before I could get there Silky was wrapped around Callun and...and...” She sobbed, “Oh Silky...why?!”

Seeing her master distraught, Silky moaned at her through her magical muzzle. Aemond sighed ruefully, no closer to discovering what made the normally friendly Quetzal dragon turn so violent. Such a brutal death against one of his staff could not be ignored and yet dragons like Silky were revered creatures with special laws pertaining to them. They were not wild animals to be killed on a whim. Still, a dragon going feral or attacking someone was not to be taken lightly.

“Until we find out what prompted this attack, Silky will be locked up and restrained. We cannot have this happen again.” Aemond concluded with a sigh. “I will contact the proper authorities on this matter.”

Marci cried as the guards hauled away her beloved dragon. In that moment, Twillow appeared, cautiously flying through the busted door to the kitchen.

“Marci!” she embraced her friend who hugged her, sobbing.

Twillow wasn’t sure what had happened but she consoled Marci as she had done for her so often before. Aemond flew over to where Kendrick was standing near Callun’s decapitated body.

The shorter fae closed his eyes and shook his head. Again, he acted strong, holding his emotions in check.

“Awful. Simply awful.” Was all he could say.

Kendrick nodded but then shook his head, “This smells...strange to me.”

Aemond blinked, “You’ve never seen death?”

The gray man balked, “I’m very familiar with it. That’s why this smells strange.”

“Strange how?”

“Like...this smells... old. Not fresh. And yet this just happened.” Kendrick frowned as he gestured to the body of the cyclops. “I can’t place it.”

Aemond frowned, “I am planning on doubling the guard tonight. I haven’t liked the feeling of the air since we received word of the Kraskol escaping Oberit.”

Kendrick squinted, “You think it was involved?”

The mustached fae frowned, “I can’t be sure. This incident could be connected...or it could be a horrible fluke. But I’m taking no chances.” He looked over to where Twillow was comforting Marci, “Go. Be with my daughter. Guard her.”

“With my life.” Kendrick swore with a nod, returning to join her.

Amid all the ruckus, no one noticed the small dark figure skitter out from one of the kitchen cabinets, slip along the wall and disappear out of the kitchen.

....

Later near nightfall...

As commanded by Aemond, the guard was doubled at the Birchwood Estate. Aemond, however, had to be called away to deal with the aftermath of Callun’s death. He didn’t want to go but given the legal ramifications of the death there was no way around it. Kendrick remained with Twillow all day, on edge and alert. It wasn’t until much later in the day that a gentle knock made him sit up straight. Slowly the door opened and Gelilah entered the room.

“Good evening.” She greeted quietly.

Kendrick nodded and Twillow greeted her back.

Since the incident at the baby shower, Gelilah had kept to herself and not been too visible nor vocal. It was almost surprising to the couple that she had appeared.

“Might I...speak with you, Twillow?” she asked gently.

Time had given way to cooler heads. Twillow nodded and walked over to her mother. Kendrick got up from his chair in the room and walked a bit closer as well. He subtly sniffed the air to ensure Gelilah smelled right. Nothing seemed amiss so he relaxed.

The tall, elegant fae looked at him and gave a slight bow of her head, “Thank you for watching over my daughter so faithfully, Kendrick.”

He lifted a brow, surprised by her kind tone. Most of the time the disdain from her was evident.

“I...well...you’re welcome.” He fumbled.

“I would like to speak with Twillow in private.” She stated.

Kendrick opened his mouth to protest but she anticipated, “She will be safe with me, I can assure you.”

Again, Kendrick made sure her scent wasn’t off in any way before he consented. Twillow touched his arm reassuringly and followed her mother down the corridor toward the other hall where Gelilah’s room resided. Kendrick stood in the doorway of Twillow’s room, feeling uneasy that he wasn’t with her. His restlessness made him follow after them when a few agonizing minutes had passed. He’d gotten past a couple doors when suddenly he caught a shadowy movement near the end of the hall. A scent faintly scratched at his nose. It smelled of old dirt, faintly of death. His body bristled recognizing it was the same scent he’d detected on the ice dryad. Much like a cat that caught a glimpse of a rat moving along the wall, Kendrick stalked forward, eyes intense. Faintly he could hear scratching noises. He picked up the pace, following his nose.

There was something there and he was determined to hunt it down.

...

...

Meanwhile...

Twillow entered her mother’s sitting room that was adjoined to her bedroom and took a seat in the cushioned chair across from her mother’s. Epi flew over, toting a cup of warm tea as large as himself.

“For you, Miss Twillow.” He floated the cup to her magically.

“Thank you, Epi.” She took the cup.

He bowed and fluttered away. Gelilah sat, almost acting cautious. They hadn’t spoken more than a few words to one another since the blow up at the baby shower. Together they drank a bit of tea before speaking.

“Twillow...I...I’m so sorry for what happened at your baby shower.” Gelilah finally admitted.

Twillow put down her cup, closing her eyes.

Gelilah continued, “I don’t know if you knew this, but when I was having trouble conceiving, my mother was not...she was not kind to me.” Her eyes seemed to wet, “I never felt worse in my life when my Life Water was rejected and she had nothing but blame and negativity. And I...I’ve been treating you just like that.” He sobbed, “I-I never wanted that for you. I’m sorry...”

Twillow leaned forward in her chair and touched her mother’s hand softly. It seemed to be a wordless acceptance of the words. Gelilah cried more but gripped her daughter’s hands.

“And...and I will...I will support your decision to be with Kendrick. I just want you to be happy, Twillow. I don’t want you to go through what I did.”

“It will be all right, Mother. I know it will.”

Parent and child talked for a bit longer until the hour grew late. Atypically, Gelilah walked with Twillow back to her room rather than send her with Epi as an escort.

“I...will speak with Kendrick in the morning. It’s late.” Gelilah mentioned when they arrived at Twillow’s bedroom door.

Twillow nodded, “I’ll let him know. Goodnight, Mother.”

“Goodnight.”

Twillow entered her room to see Kendrick standing near the balcony door. He turned to her with a smile.

“You’re back.”

Twillow nodded, “Had a good chat with mother. She’ll want to talk to you in the morning.”

He nodded, then turned back to the doors, flinging them open unexpectedly.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I thought we might go for a little walk outside. You’ve been trapped inside all day.” He stated.

“Now? But it’s late.” Twillow was surprised.

“Don’t you want to get a little fresh air? Come on. Just for a bit.” He coaxed.

Though it was late, Twillow couldn’t deny she’d felt confined. “Well...I guess a short walk in the gardens would be good.”

Kendrick grinned and suddenly jumped up, swung his legs over the railing, and disappeared.

“Kendrick!” Twillow cried, rushing to the balcony.

Much to her surprise he was standing on the grass below which was no small jump.

“Are you ok?!” she asked though he appeared perfectly fine.

He held up a hand to gesture to her, “Come on.”

Twillow blinked but lifted her wings and fluttered down next to him. She took his larger hand and they began walking toward the garden path away from the mansion.

...

…

Meanwhile…

Marci was down in the kitchen, cutting a few fruits for tomorrow’s breakfast. She glanced over for perhaps the fiftieth time at the temporary cover that had been erected in place of the outer door and part of the kitchen wall. Her heart hurt to look at it. Not only was it a blemish on the kitchen she felt some much pride for, but it was a bleak reminder of the horrid events earlier that morning.

Her sweet Silky. How could she go feral like that? It didn’t make any sense!

She’d never acted aggressively to Callun before. In fact, she was pretty sure the cyclops guard snuck her treats every now and again. Marci couldn’t fathom what had spurred such a vicious attack.

Once she’d finished chopping her fruits she went for a lower cupboard where she kept serving glasses for parfaits. Upon opening the door, she froze when a horrible feeling prickled through her neck. Something was wrong. It was as if a dark presence had been in this cabinet and had left its evil aura behind. Marci reached inside and took out a glass. Coating the outside of the glass was something that looked like black ash mixed with mud. She smelled it and recoiled when the smell of death and old earth hit her like a hammer to the head. The smell pricked an ancient instinct in the half succubus; one that knew when another demonic presence was nearby. She shuddered.

It was the Kraskol. It had been in her kitchen. It…was in the house.

How had she not detected this sooner? Were her emotions from the day’s tragedy dampening her baser instincts?

Horrified she dropped the glass and stared around, “Oh…oh no…oh…” she whispered.

Now she was shoving aside her emotions and thoughts, allowing her succubus instincts to pilot her. Her green eyes seemed to glow bright as she focused. A tickle in her left temple seemed to “point” toward the kitchen door, so she dashed out and into the foyer. Like a compass the tickle in her head directed her toward the stairs. With a few leaps she ascended the stairs and ran down the hall with the intent on heading to Twillow’s room. But then the sense became too strong to ignore from the opposite hallway.

Marci silently ran to the next hallway and suddenly bumped into Kendrick who whirled around with a startled snarl. He reigned it back when he recognized Marci.

“Marci? What are you doing here?”

“It’s here! It’s in the house! I feel it!” she whispered intensely.

Kendrick squared his shoulders and gestured down the hall, “I heard and smelled something off down this hall and went to find it. It’s…”

“It’s the Kraskol. I know it!” Marci insisted forcibly, “It was in my kitchen earlier…I don’t know how I didn’t sense it before.” She looked panicked, “Where’s Twillow?”

“She’s with her mother.”

“You’re sure?”

“I smelled her. She didn’t smell like what I’m smelling in this hall.” He kept walking along the wall, “I’ll handle this.”

The elven succubus made a face, showing her sharper teeth a moment, “I’m more equipped to hunt this thing than you are.”

Kendrick glanced back at her. Marci looked intense, like a tigress on the prowl. He’d never seen her like that before, but it assured him she was not just the chef of the house.

Suddenly, her head jerked up at the tall ceiling just ahead of them. Every muscle in her tall body seemed to tense. Kendrick looked up as well but he couldn’t see anything in the shadows of the ceiling. Marci’s back arched and purple light began emanating from her fingers.

“Call the guards.” Marci stated, eyes fixated on the shadows above.

“There’s no time…!” Kendrick tried to say but suddenly, Marci leaped from the floor.

With unnatural agility she vaulted against the hallway walls until she reached the ceiling. A purple flash of light followed by an inhuman mountain lion scream rang out. Before Kendrick could react Marci landed back on the floor tangled up with something black and thrashing. It wasn’t very big, only about the size of a dog but it was fighting as viciously as a wildcat against Marci. The elven succubus’s eyes flashed like green candles in the dark as she slammed the thing into the floor again and again. Her glowing hands seemed to become slashing weapons as she ripped at the thing.

Kendrick couldn’t believe the viciousness from the normally amorous, teasing chef. He was about to step in to help her when Gelilah’s voice filled the hall.

“MARCI! MOVE!”

The elven succubus’s head darted briefly upon hearing her mistress’s voice. When she could she leaped away, releasing the Kraskol. It hissed, trying to get up as black blood spilled onto the carpet. Kendrick finally got a good look at the thing. It was definitely similar to the illustration he’d seen but looked much more stunted and smaller than he envisioned. Its head was enormous and absolutely hideous to behold as it perched on a spidery hunched body that looked too small. Like a hag’s burnt corpse given devilish life.

That was all he saw before Gelilah flew in behind him, hands alight. She shouted some word in fae tongue and her magic reached out instantaneously and seized the Kraskol before it could flee. The Kraskol chittered and squealed until the magic seemed to eat away at it, dissolving its body into the light that trapped it. With horrible noise it shriveled up and became no more. Gelilah landed and lowered her hands.

Kendrick was stunned for a few seconds, scarcely believing what had transpired.

“Where’s Twillow?” he asked.

“I just took her to her room when I heard…” Gelilah looked at Kendrick, “Why aren’t you in the room? I thought you were there!”

“I smelled and heard something after you came to get her…”

He stopped his explanation and ran back to Twillow’s room. His hearts nearly stopped when he beheld and empty room and a partially opened door to the balcony.

“TWILLOW!”