#Chapter 497 – Family Lines
Ella
Henry takes a deep breath then, looking between the children. “I have been very intrigued,” he begins, “by the idea that the children have bonds with each other – bonds like that between siblings and cousins, it’s unusual. Indeed, I thought it was unique, but it is not.”
My brows go up as I listen with interest.
“The children have created between them…something of a triangle,” Henry murmurs, looking between the three of them. “There have been rare examples of individuals having multiple fated mating bonds – my son, interestingly amongst them – ”
I lean back against my mate, who wraps his arm more tightly around me.
“But this,” Henry says, gesturing between Ariel, Rafe, and Jesse, “three people bonded together naturally, each to the other two.” He shakes his head. ” I have not yet found any examples of it happening naturally. Though there are those who have…forged such connections.”
“Really?” Roger asks, his eyebrows going up.
“Usually in religious ceremonies,” Henry says, folding his hands in his lap and looking around at us, “in the wilds of the north. Two people already bonded – either by fate or by choice, usually through a mating – would each either willingly or by obligation magically forge a bond with a third.”
“For what reason,” Cora asks, shaking her head. “Like…plural marriage? Or something?”
“No,” Henry replies, shaking his head at her. “This is usually done in communities where those who undergo the ceremony have long taken vows of chastity. No, they do it for the power that results from the bond, which is said to be…unique.”
“This is so weird,” I murmur, looking down at my kids. I mean, I’m very aware that my children and my nephew are special, but…
“The magics of the north are strange,” Henry says on a sigh, shaking his head and giving a shrug. “They are also closed-mouthed regarding what the results of such bonding actually are. But I do imagine it’s closer to the kinds of powers wielded by the dark priests we spent so much of our time defying last year. Spells cast at a price, rather than goddess-given gifts freely used with little effort.”
“But since the bond between the kids was…natural,” Sinclair murmurs, speaking his thoughts aloud, “can we assume that whatever power results from them would…be easier to wield?”
“I have no idea,” Henry says on a sigh, smiling down at his grandsons and granddaughter again. “Though I hope for their sake that it is. Those forged bonds and the resulting magic – they didn’t come without a price.”
“Oh geeze,” I murmur, sighing and looking down at my precious new baby. She can barely stay awake, let alone wield great and powerful magics. ” What are you going to get up to, little girl?”
“All sorts of good things,” Sinclair murmurs to me, though I can hear the worry on in his voice.
“I’m sorry I don’t have more definitive answers,” Henry says on a sigh, his face truly apologetic.
“That’s all right, dad,” Roger says, smiling at him. “It’s more than we knew before. Besides – these kids, they’re going to have to lean how to figure it out.”
“And the Goddess said to trust them,” Cora says, shrugging and standing, hoisting Jesse up in her arms and smiling at him. “So, I’m just going to let them worry about it.”
I grin at my sister, realizing that this honestly is probably the best method. I mean we’re moms, there’s definitely no way we’re not going to worry. But what can we do? Cora and Roger are right – we just have to raise them well, and trust them to figure it out.
“You’re not leaving, are you?” I ask, sitting up straight as I see Roger get to his feet as well. “Don’t, stay! We can get food!” But I yawn even as I finish my sentence.
“We’re leaving,” Cora says, with a gentle smile, “because Jesse needs a nap, and so do you. And lil miss Princess over there is already asleep.”
I look down in my arms and realize that Cora’s right – Ariel’s drifted off without me noticing.
“Oh shoot,” I mutter. “I wanted to feed her…”
“We’ll leave you to it,” Cora says, leaning down and kissing me on the cheek. “I’m just a phone call away anything you need, sis.”
“Thanks, Cor,” I murmur, smiling at her and giving Roger a hug as well when he dips down to say goodbye to the baby. I wave to them as they pass out the door, Henry looking after them as they go.
“Will you stay at least, Henry?” I ask, leaning back against Sinclair.
“I’m afraid I should take my leave too,” he says as Rafe pushes to his feet and totters over him, reaching out his chubby arms and begging to be picked up. Henry laughs and obliges, lifting my little meatball into his lap. “That is, if this one will let me.”
“If he just sits on you,” I say dryly, ” you’ll be too heavy to roll out of here.”
“A fate I will happily accept,” Henry murmurs, turning Rafe on his lap and hugging him close, pressing his cheek to Rafe’s dark hair. “He is so like his father at this age. It’s like having my little boy back.”
My heart fills to hear Henry talk about Rafe that way, and I feel Sinclair’s own swell of emotion down our bond.
“That one, though,” Henry says, looking over at Ariel asleep in my arms. “She is very precious to me as well, because she is so unfamiliar.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head in curiosity.
“I never had a daughter,” he sighs, staring at my little girl with her little fuzz of golden-white hair. Then he flicks his eyes to Sinclair. “Your mother and I tried for another – she wanted a little girl very badly, you know. But the Goddess decided that two was enough.”
“I didn’t know that,” Sinclair says, his voice a little thick with his emotion.
“Yes,” Henry says, raising his eyebrows as his gaze again falls to Ariel. “So, this one is the fulfilment of a wish made long a go for a little girl Sinclair. I always wondered what she looked like.”
I clench my teeth against the pricking of tears against my eyes, not wanting Henry to think that I’m sad or that I pity him. It’s just – I never knew he wanted that, never knew my sweet daughter would mean so much to him.
“Do you know,” Henry says, cocking his head, and I lean forward, listening intently. “I never thought she’d be a blonde.”
I burst into laughter at this, and so does my mate, and I wipe away the little tears that spill out from my eyes. ” Well, we don’t know if she’s going to stay blonde,” I say, grinning and shaking my head. “Her hair could get darker -”
“No, Ella,” Henry says, raising his eyes to me. “It is clear that this one is your daughter. She’ll have her mother’s beauty, which includes your unique hair. She’s a Sinclair in name… but she’s her mother born again.”
“She’s got to have some part of me,” Sinclair murmurs, a little jealous, leaning forward to peer at her.
“Time will tell,” Henry says, leaning back in his chair. Rafe burbles something, looking up at his grandfather, who grins down at him and runs a hand over his head. “Either way, I am very glad to be their grandfather. I’m so pleased I’ll get to see them grow, Goddess willing.”
I nod, agreeing to the sentiment, thinking that the children are lucky to have such an eager and dedicated grandfather.
“I do wish,” Henry says, I think a little lost in his thoughts now, “that I were more able to play with them – could participate more in helping you raise them by getting down on the floor, running, walking. But,” he shrugs, ” when the children are big enough to stand on the back of the chair, at least they’ll always have someone to cart them around -”
“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered.
Or of me as someone who is able to do anything about it.
Henry looks at me, his eyebrows going up in surprise as I hastily – but carefully pass Ariel into Sinclair’s arms, my mate looking at me curiously too.
“Henry,” I breathe, reaching for him, taking his hand. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Why didn’t – I’m so sorry – why didn’t I think of it – ”
“What are you talking about, Ella?” he asks, frowning at me a little. Even Rafe gives a curious little squeak.
“I’m so stupid,” I say, closing my eyes, frantically seeking my gift. “If I can heal you, why didn’t anyone -”
“Oh, Ella,” Henry says, drawing his hand out of mine. Shocked, I open my eyes, looking into his own. “Ella, my dear, I don’t think it works like that.”
“What?” I ask, surprised.
“I don’t think your gift can heal what has already healed,” he says, shaking his head at me. “A disability like this – it is not an injury. Your gift, from what I’ve learned from your using it, heals what is wrong with my body. But what happened to me so long ago – I’ve healed from it. My body is just different now – I’m not sick.”
“Oh,” I say, the logic of that hitting me like a slap in the face. I bite my lip though, dropping my eyes. “Well, would you let me try?”
“Of course, my dear,” he murmurs, giving me back his hand.
And so I close my eyes, and access my gift, and breathe softly as it sweeps through Henry. It knits up a few little things that I think are natural with age, but as it moves through him…
He’s right.
There’s nothing sick or injured about Henry’s legs or his spine. The wounds they healed long ago – perhaps not in the way we would have liked but…his body already did the work my gift would have done, as best it could.
Disappointment must be all over my face, because when I open my eyes Henry clucks his tongue and moves his chair closer, cupping my cheek in his palm. “Thank you for wanting to try, Ella. But really – I am not unhappy with my life in this chair. I am a blessed man and as much as I would have liked to run with my grandchildren… well, I’m a bit old for that anymore anyway, aren’t I?”
“You are not,” I say, scrunching my nose at him.
“Well,” Henry laughs, grinning at me as Sinclair sits forward, pressing himself close to my side. “At least I can roll with them, which is probably just as good.”
I smile at him, nodding and leaning back to rest my head on Sinclair’s shoulder as I do.
“You’re going to be the best grandfather, Henry,” I say, sighing a little as I smile at him. “They’re lucky to have you.”
“And I them,” he says, grinning down at Rafe and giving my son a wink. ”
What do you think, little boy? Should we roll to the kitchens? Get a snack?”
In response to his fifth favorite word – only behind Mama, Papa, Jesse, and breakfast – Rafe’s little face lights up and he throws his hands in the air, giving an excited squeak. We all laugh and Henry raises an eyebrow at us. When Sinclair nods his assent, Rafe and his grandfather roll away, off on a little adventure.
And I lean back against my mate, holding my lucky little girl tight in my arms.
