From Embers

17 - Mother Dearest Part 2

"Looks like he doesn't only take after his da," Rhistel murmured to Twig.

Letting go of the boy, Twig smiled as the boy's mother scooped him up and hugged him. She knelt on the ground, giving him a once over before breaking into hysterics. Clara kissed her son all over his face to which he wasn't pleased.

"Where have you been?" she cried, "Did these people take you?"

Cash shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. "Dadaí said you were sick and needed rest. He said if a stayed with ye, ye'd never recover."

"Oh no, my sweet boy, a only had a wee cold and was in bed for a day. Who put it in yer head that a was so ill?"

The boy hung his head. "Dadaí."

"I'm going to give your da a good beatin'. Taking me child like that, a ought to wring his terrible neck to spare the world of his putrid breath. Where is he?"

"These people killed him." Cash pointed back to Twig and the others.

Clara looked up, her eyes filling with tears. "Ye've done this world a service by takin' tha' man out of it. Thank ye for bringing my boy back tae me."

Worry filled the boy's face as he wiped his mother's tears away. He chitted at her to not cry and that he'd never leave her again. She stood up and took his hand.

"Please," she motioned towards the group, "spend the night at my house. Ye must be tired and in need of a warm supper."

None argued with the woman. Twig didn't want to admit that her muscles ached something fierce, and she wished to sleep for a thousand years. But, thought of seeing the insides of an Old World home excited her greatly.

"A have a question," Rhistel asked as they walked, "who named the boy?"

Clara tilted her head. "A did? Who else did ye think named him?"

"No one, joost checkin'," Rhistel mumbled.

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Cash explained his adventures with his father the whole way home. One of his favorite stories was how they'd robbed elven officials last week. They'd cried pathetically when left in their birthday suits on the roadside. The other was how they'd attacked some humans leaving Balfield after its burning. "Dadaí was so pleased with himself when he brought back the human's heads."

The travelers all shot each other a look before Sen said, "What were these humans doing?"

The boy talked fast, happy to have someone to tell his stories to. "Weren't ye listening Fangs? A said they'd come from the burning city of Balfield. It was a big group too, but some wee idiots separated themselves tae search the woods when they heard us. But Dadaí was too fast for them. He strung them by their toes, took their skulls and left them there."

"There were humans in the forest recently?" Sen rubbed his temples.

"No silly, it was right after a left with Dadaí. It was on the outskirts of town. I was trying to run away back to Mamaí when Dadaí caught me again. We ran into humans then."

The vampire handed the horse's reigns to Jai-Jai, who tried to hand them back. When he refused to take them both the horse and human glared at him. Sen whispered in her ear before slinking away into the night.

Jai-Jai kept as much distance as possible from the horse. Neither the animal or human looked happy with their close proximity. To both their joy, the building wasn't a far walk.