Chapter Text
Scout moved to the terrace where Lord Cunningham sat gazing out into the distance, as he had every night since Mariana had lost her child. One hand limply clutched a crystal-cut glass tumbler with a burnished dark liquid inside. “What is it?” he asked coldly.
Scout knew if she wanted to explain in detail the best way would be through the bond they shared. “I need to go to the Earth realm and I need to go tonight.” Scout's voice in his head rang with finality and determination.
“Why?” Jascha asked immediately.
Scout flinched and meekly continued, ”I don't know, but I have to go and it has to be tonight. I just know I have to” she trailed off.
The leader of the Shadow element studied his tracker. She looked sad and worn, just as most of their circle did. The loss of the child had hit them all hard and every one was grieving. His first impulse was to deny the request and keep her close, but he also knew that Scout’s hunches were rarely wrong.
If she felt pulled toward Earth, then there was a reason. “You may go, explore this calling and return. If you need help, call for us.”
Scout gave a wane smile. “Thank you, my Lord”. He nodded, trying not to think about how only a month ago, if a member of his circle were going off realm they would have hugged. She would have called him Jascha, not my Lord. The grief was trying to pull his circle apart.
As Scout turned to leave, Jascha whispered into the dark, “Shadow’s blessings on your journey, Loveling.”
Scout allowed her shadows to pull her towards Earth. She was going completely by instinct, knowing she would end up where she needed to be. She was a bit surprised when she scented a Torvak hunting beacon on one of the very normal houses, on a very normal street. The beacon was not active and upon further inspection, she determined that it had only been placed a few hours ago.
Scout was about to gather her shadows and return to Nevarah when she heard it. A soft cry rose on the air, so she moved from the roof to the sidewalk. Near the path leading to the house, she heard the cry coming from the front stoop. An infant in a basket lay abandoned by the front door.
“I should return and report what I have found,” Scout decided. But her legs ignored her decision and carried her closer to the baby. Then her arms mutinied and she was holding the little one. Sad blue eyes stared down into tearful green orbs. “Life is not fair, Sweetling. My circle wanted a child so much, and someone has just thrown you away,” she sighed. “You would be such a gift for my circle, but of course, I can't take a human baby from Earth realm.”
Scout’s vision blurred as she saw a young man with fair skin and dark hair. As wings sprung from his back and claws grew from his fingers, she saw what the child would become. She allowed the vision to fade as she stared at the little dragel. Smiling for the first time in weeks, she gathered her shadows and prepared to return home. Scout had a special gift for her circle.