Relentless (15 page)

28. SURFING BABY

BABY RALIN GREW
even more rapidly than he had inside Leesa’s womb. By three months he was as large as a human child twice his age, and by six months he was pretty much the size of a one-year-old. His physical abilities were equally accelerated—he started walking at four months, and within days was toddling easily around the house, keeping mom and dad anxious and on the alert. Not long after, he could jump from a standing start up onto the bed. Once he learned that trick, he began leaping up and down off all the chairs in the house. His favorite landing spot, though, became the old round end table still stashed away in the corner of the living room.

The first time Leesa saw her tiny infant son leapt up onto the creaky table, she was beside herself with worry that he would miss or fall or suffer some equally disastrous fate. She soon learned that his balance and coordination were as advanced as his strength, and her concern turned more to the furnishings in the house, wondering which would be the first to give out under his gymnastics. Her money was on the old table.

After a few days of watching Ralin perform his new trick, Leesa thought it might be a good idea to teach him a little lesson. She waited until he was perched atop the table, then used her telekinesis to lift the table five or six inches up into the air. She expected to see at least a brief look of alarm flash across his almost always happy face, but all she got was an expression of excitement and the loudest, most sustained giggle she had heard from him yet. When she finally lowered the table back onto the floor, she was pretty sure by the way he was looking at her that if he could talk, he’d be saying “More, Momma, more!”

She obliged him a couple of times each of the following few days, loving his obvious joy when the table rose into the air. Soon, she added a new dimension—she floated the table across the room. The result was the same. Instead of alarm or concern, Ralin simply laughed louder and looked happier than ever. He easily balanced himself by holding his arms out to the sides as the table moved through the air, reminding Leesa of the young surfers she had watched riding the waves back in San Diego. Grommets, she remembered they were called. Of course, none of the grommets were nearly as young and small as Ralin.

He wasn’t speaking yet, seeming to follow a more human schedule of development in that area. Leesa wasn’t all that surprised—volkaanes were not the most loquacious of beings, so speech would not be a heightened ability like strength or speed. He never cried, either, not even once. Just like on the day he was born, the only sound anyone ever heard from him was his baby giggle, which they heard quite often. As he grew, the giggle turned more into a joyous—and somewhat mischievous—childlike laugh.

Only one thing seemed to be missing—Ralin’s magic. They had not seen a hint of it in these first six months, which was a total surprise considering how regularly his magic had erupted while he was still inside Leesa, including the outburst that nearly killed her the day he was born. Balin’s description of volkaane babies and children as little hellions, with streams of blue fire sprouting from their hands or mouths without warning or purpose, had not come to pass, either. Leesa had no idea why Ralin’s magic seemed to have gone dormant. If she put her mind to it when she held him, she could sense that his magic was still there—it just wasn’t appearing. She supposed that was for the best, since uncontrolled magic was unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Maybe Ralin’s powers would even wait until he neared eighteen to reappear, as her own magic had done. That didn’t fit with the volkaane part of his magic, though. Volkaane children possessed their fire right from the start, hence Balin’s warning about spontaneous blue fire eruptions. It was a question that had no answer—this was all uncharted territory—so she tried not to worry about it.

Despite the lack of magic, Rave had installed an extra tall wooden “baby gate” to keep Ralin from entering the kitchen, where coming in contact with the refrigerator or other appliances might short them out. Leesa and Rave had started with a standard size child’s gate, but once Ralin started hopping up onto chairs, they had switched to a much taller gate meant to keep large dogs out or in.

Leesa was still careful whenever they had visitors, wrapping a protective shield around Ralin just in case his magic should reappear. As the months passed, she became less stringent, however, removing the shield for a few minutes at a time so her mom could hold her grandson at least for a short while, or for Bradley to hold his nephew. Cali was another frequent visitor who received the same privilege. Jenna stopped by on a couple of occasions as well. Leesa remained especially cautious at such moments—she never let any of them hold Ralin without being totally focused on her connection to him, so that she was ready for the first hint that his magic might erupt. So far, she had sensed none.

Ralin was a joyful and loving child who relished hugs and kisses from his mom and dad. Indeed, he seemed to enjoy affection from anyone willing to give it, which made his grandmother especially happy. His ever smiling face and infectious giggle brought instant joy to anyone lucky enough to cuddle him.

Today was Ralin’s six month birthday, and they were having a small celebration to mark the occasion. Leesa’s mom and Bradley had come by, as had Cali and Balin. Judy had baked cupcakes covered in green icing for everyone, and had stuck a green candle in the center of Ralin’s cupcake. Rave lit the candle with his finger and then slid the cupcake in front of Ralin. Much to everyone’s surprise and delight, Ralin somehow knew he should blow out the flickering blue flame, so that’s exactly what he did. Maybe he didn’t like the blue fire, or maybe he just wanted to eat his treat—nobody knew and nobody cared why he had done it. They just loved that he had.

Leesa pulled the candle out of the cupcake and handed the treat to Ralin, who promptly mashed the thing all over his face, giggling with delight the whole time. How much he actually managed to ingest was anyone’s guess, but he proudly wore green icing and crumbs of cake all over the lower half of his face. When Leesa tried to wipe the mess away, Ralin turned his face to the side in protest, so she gave up and left it where it was. Her mom and Cali were certain to come away with some entertaining pictures.

Once the adults had all consumed their cupcakes, Leesa decided to provide Ralin some more fun and to show off his talents a bit at the same time. Using her telekinesis, she slid the old round table out of the corner to a spot just behind Ralin’s chair. He immediately hopped down from his seat and then jumped up onto the table. Leesa levitated the table and sent it floating slowly across the living room with Ralin balancing himself easily on top.

“Surfing baby!” Cali cried, laughing as Ralin air-surfed the table to the far wall and back, chortling delightedly the whole time.

When Leesa set the table back down on the floor, Ralin went silent and looked at her with what she could only describe as a beseeching expression. Unable to resist, she floated the table across to the wall and then completely around the edges of the room, allowing Ralin to make a full circuit. Everyone cheered and praised him as he rode his magical table around the room. This time, when Leesa finally landed it, he jumped up into her arms and buried his face lovingly against her breast. Smiling and filled with overwhelming maternal love, she softly kissed the top of his head.

29. AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER

RALIN’S MAGIC RETURNED
the very next day, triggered by a totally unexpected occurrence.

After his birth, Leesa took a week off from practicing her magic before resuming her daily sessions. Occasionally, she held Ralin cradled in one arm while she practiced; most times, though, Rave held their son while Leesa worked on her ever-increasing repertoire of spells. For the first few months Ralin seemed oblivious to what his mother was doing, but had then taken to watching her with more patience than either mom or dad would have expected from so young a child.

Now and then Leesa even had the feeling that Ralin was studying her, but she thought she might be reading more into his watchful eyes than was really there. He certainly noticed the results of her magic, though, often laughing delightedly when she made objects grow or blasted something with bolts of energy. He especially liked it when she floated him through the air from Rave’s arms to hers or vice versa.

The October afternoon was cool and blustery, with a solid layer of dark gray clouds blanketing the sky. Unsure whether Ralin’s volkaane magic protected him against the cold, Leesa had swaddled him in a thick, dark green jumpsuit, making him look more like bundle of cloth than a child. He didn’t need the protection when Rave held him, of course, but he liked to be put down now and then so he could run around the woods.

Leesa had donned a red Weston sweatshirt to go with her jeans. Just in case she suddenly needed to wrap a shield around Ralin, she didn’t want to be busy practicing some spell AND using her magic to keep herself warm. Before Ralin had been born, she had grown proficient at doing two spells at once, but realized now that doing so might slow her reaction time by a split second or so in an emergency. She knew being able to do more than one kind of magic at a time might be important someday, so she still worked on it, but never for the long stretches of time that keeping a heat spell going for an entire practice session would entail.

Right now, she was playing with her yellow energy, trying to create the intricate spiraling pattern Ralin had displayed before he was born. Despite months of on and off trying, she had been unable to replicate it. She wasn’t sure if the beautiful pattern would ever have a use, but she thought that if her unborn child could do it she should be able to manage it as well. She was getting closer, but the rings in her spiral came out lopsided and uneven, and they broke apart when they moved more than a foot away from her hand.

She frowned as her latest attempt started to disintegrate.

Suddenly, Rave flashed to her side. The expression on his face and his coiled posture told her he was on full alert.

“Take Ralin,” he said, holding their son out to her.

Leesa grabbed Ralin and clutched him tight against her chest. She quickly scanned the woods around them for any sign of a threat, but she saw nothing out of place.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Blue fire flared from Rave’s fingertips. “Vampire,” he replied. “Getting closer.”

Rave’s gaze was fixed to the west, so Leesa followed his eyes. She saw nothing, but knew better than to doubt her husband’s volkaane senses. The heavy cloud cover made it a very suitable afternoon for a vampire to be out and about.

“What would a vampire be doing here?” Leesa asked. “Stefan has forbidden any of them to bother us.”

“Not all vampires are members of Stefan’s coven,” Rave said without turning his head. "Perhaps this one is new to the area.”

Leesa’s face tightened in ruthless determination. If this vampire meant to hunt, it was in for a surprise. Few vampires were a match for an alert Rave, and she doubted any could stand before a powerful volkaane like Rave and a wizard besides.

Rave’s posture relaxed slightly. “This vampire is making no attempt to conceal his approach. In fact, he’s almost broadcasting it.”

Leesa stole a quick look at Rave’s face. She saw his eyes widen in surprise.

“It’s Stefan,” he said. “I can recognize his vibrations now.”

Leesa finally relaxed. Stefan would never be a threat to her—at least, she was pretty sure he would never be a threat.

“I wonder what he wants?”

Rave lowered the intensity of his fire until it was barely visible on his fingertips. “We’ll know in a moment.”

A few seconds later, Stefan emerged from the trees. He was as sensual looking as Leesa remembered, with his jet black hair falling to his shoulders, his impossibly dark eyes, and his lithe, athletic body. Stefan was less powerfully built than Rave, but according to Rave was physically stronger by far. Rave was faster, however, and possessed his volkaane fire besides. Both men were accounted among the most powerful of their respective kinds. If it ever came to a fight between them, Leesa knew it would be a battle unlike any other. Fortunately, she was pretty sure such a contest would never come to be.

Rave and Stefan were not friends—she doubted there was any way a volkaane and a vampire could ever truly be friends—but they respected each other. More importantly, each owed the other a profound debt. Rave had helped Stefan defeat Jarubu—a black magic infused super vampire that even Stefan had been unable to destroy on his own. Stefan, in turn, had played a critical part in the battle against some of the black waziri, saving Dominic as well as Leesa from the servants of the Necromancer.

Leesa also owed Stefan for releasing Bradley from an eternity of horror and for saving Cali when Edwina had tried to exact her revenge on Leesa.

Stefan halted ten feet away from Leesa and Rave, not taking his being welcomed for granted. He smiled.

“Hello, Leesa. Rave.”

Leesa and Rave returned his greeting.

“I heard you two had produced a child. I came to see for myself. I hope you don’t mind.”

Leesa didn’t know how Stefan had come to know about Ralin, and she wasn’t going to ask.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We don’t mind.”

“May I come closer?”

Leesa looked at Rave, who nodded.

“Sure,” Leesa said.

Stefan glided slowly closer, stopping only a few feet away. “He is a handsome child; I expected nothing less, given his parents. I wanted to see if your son was truly a mixture of your two races, and also to learn his scent.” He carefully extended a hand toward Ralin’s head. “A volkaane/wizard mix could be very dangerous to my kind, if he becomes a hunter. This familiarity will help us to avoid him.”

Stefan’s finger was only inches from Ralin’s face when a bolt of green magic suddenly erupted from the boy’s hand. Stefan leapt back with vampire quickness, yanking his arm out of the way at the same time, but the energy beam still scorched the skin on the back of his hand. The odor of undead flesh charring filled the air.

Leesa quickly spun an air shield between Ralin and Stefan, but Ralin fired no more bolts. His face continued to look just as angelic as before his magic erupted.

Stefan glanced down at his hand, which even now was slowly healing before their eyes. He grinned.

“I guess that answers the question about whether he is a hunter.” He ran a finger along the healing wound. “Not quite as hot as volkaane fire I have suffered in the past, but plenty warm enough to do the job.”

Leesa was glad to see Stefan was taking the incident with such good humor.

“I don’t think Ralin meant anything by it,” she said. “He doesn’t have control over his magic yet—at least, he hasn’t up to now. I think his reaction was purely instinctual. Reflexive.”

Stefan lowered his hand, which had already healed completely. “No doubt. Volkaanes are born to hunt us. Why should he be different?” He smiled again. “I will pass along what I have learned to my comrades. Should any of us detect this new mixture of vibrations and scents in the future, we will make sure to give him a wide berth.”

“When he’s older, we’ll try to teach him about the neutrality that exists between our family and your coven,” Leesa said. “But just in case, a wide berth is probably a good idea.”

“He is your son, and Rave’s as well,” Stefan said. “Both of those make him special to me, even if he doesn’t yet like me. If I can ever be of service to you or to him, do not hesitate to ask.”

Leesa was touched by Stefan’s offer. “Thank you, Stefan. I will remember that.”

“I think I shall take my leave now,” Stefan said, backing away. He grinned. “Before the little guy changes his mind. His aim might be truer next time.”

Leesa saw no need to reveal to Stefan that he was protected from Ralin by an invisible shield. It was something vampires didn’t need to know. She was glad of Stefan’s pledge to be of aid if necessary, but she hoped things never got so serious they would need to take him up on it. She couldn’t imagine how or why they ever would, but she well knew from experience that stranger things had happened.