“Hey buddy,” Archer said, kneeling down. “This isn’t your fault, okay. The same thing happened to me this morning. You gave everyone a little nap, that’s all.”
I could feel her before I saw her. Quill at my back, staring at the boy, pushing contentment into the space to try to make him feel better. That beautiful feeling melted down my back, cooling the angry burns around my wrists and ankles. I turned to her, sharing a tentative smile. “Quill, this is Reuben, Reuben, this is my friend Quill. Maybe the two of you could go together to try to wake everyone. But let’s not use our magic until we know for sure what’s happening.”
Quill held her hand out for Reuben. He looked to Archer first, who nodded and sent them on their way. When they were gone, Archer pinned me with a look.
“What?”
He’s mad at you.
You were too forgiving.
Always too forgiving.
You let them lie to you.
“I know you don’t want to be told what to do, but eventually you’re going to have to talk to Quill about letting people feel their feelings. Reuben needs to be scared of his power. It’ll make him think twice before he uses it again. Especially if he can knock out a whole house.”
“Just because you avoided using your power as much as possible doesn’t mean everyone else should, Archer. That’s not the lesson to learn here. And she’s trying to help. Which is more than we can say for her attitude yesterday.” I couldn’t help the bite in my tone. The poison in my mind. I couldn’t help the anger and the darkness that wanted to consume me.
He lifted his hands in surrender. “I said eventually.”
“We’ve had this conversation with her.”
“I could try,” Aeris said, surprising us both when she filled the frame of the pantry. “I have to agree with Archer here.”
“Of course you do,” I said, giving no care for the tone I used.
Aeris’s wrinkled face softened, her eyes shimmering with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. Which was just about perfect for manipulating gods. She stepped closer, her hands clasped before her.
“I know you’re hesitant to trust gods, Huntress. And I hope you always will be. Caution is wise when dealing with immortals. We can be capricious at times.” She paused, her gaze drifting to where Quill and Reuben had disappeared down the hall. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, transforming her face into something almost youthful. “I’ll be honest. I never expected to form a bond with Quill.”
Sure she didn’t.
Lies and poison.
“She was just another mortal child, one of countless thousands I’ve seen come and go. But there’s something special about her. A light, a spark that drew me in despite myself. Now that I’ve come to care for her, I’d be devastated to have to walk away.” Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw past the facade of the kindly old woman. There was an ancient wisdom there, tinged with a hint of sorrow. It wasn’t a game. It wasn’t deceitful. It was simply the unexpected truth. “But I will, if that’s what you want. I understand your mistrust, your need to protect her.”
I hesitated. As much as I wanted to dismiss her words, I couldn’t deny the truth in them. Quill had a way of settling into your heart, of making you care when you least expected it. I’d experienced it myself. I’d seen it time and time again with those around her. Even Archer was becoming protective of the kid. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have been offering his unsolicited advice.
My mind drifted back to those early days with Quill, when she was only a precocious child thrust into my care by the Maestro. I remembered her wide-eyed wonder at the simplest things, a butterfly landing on a flower, the way sunlight danced on water, the taste of fresh strawberries. The way she’d curl up next to me during thunderstorms, her small body trembling but her voice steady as she told me stories to distract herself from the booming thunder. But then that’d always been her power, even when she wasn’t trying, she exuded love. And kindness.
She’d changed me, softened the hard edges of my soul without me even realizing it. Her unwavering faith in me, even when I didn’t deserve it, meant something. The fierce protectiveness I felt for her, a love so deep and consuming it sometimes terrified me was born from her devotion to me.
And that was exactly what Aeris was describing. That unexpected connection that snuck up on you and changed everything.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “I won’t ask you to walk away. Not yet. But I need you to understand something. Quill ismine. My child. My responsibility. If I ever feel that your presence is putting her in danger, or influencing her in ways I don’t agree with, I won’t hesitate to cut ties. No matter how much it might hurt her in the short term.”
Aeris nodded solemnly. “I understand completely. And I respect your position as her guardian. I hope that in time, I can earn your trust as well.”
“You’re not getting my trust. Don’t count on that at all. But if you want me to see anything good in you, you’ll answer some questions for me.”
She slid her hands into the pockets of the apron she always wore, leaning against the doorframe. “I’d be happy to answer anything I can.”
“Truthfully. You’ll answer them truthfully with no games.”
“I’ve never been a fan of games,” she said. “Though we could take this conversation out of the pantry, if you’d like.”
“No. I’d rather keep this between the three of us for now,” I said as the voices from the house grew louder. Whatever Quill and Reuben were doing, it was working.
