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‘Just the thought of it sickened me. I only threw the fireball because I was about to be attacked by him and it was pure instinct to defend myself. But when I saw him fall to the ground dead… I can’t get the image of his body out of my mind, Emrick. I know he was a bad person, but does that make me any better? I’m a murderer when all’s said and done.’
‘You did what you had to do,’ he said gently. ‘You gave him a far quicker and less painful death than you could have done. He never gave his victims the same consideration. You’re our protector, Wulfram, and it’s your duty to face down all threats to the witch and fae community. That’s what you did, and you did it with compassion. I’m proud of you, I really am.’
‘I suppose this is my life now,’ I said. ‘You’re right. I know I must do what’s necessary, but I can’t imagine a time when killing someone comes easily to me.’
‘I’m very glad to hear it,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t be much of a Great Guardian if it did.’
‘Do you think—I mean, what if my magic isn’t strong enough? When I was facing the Pendragons… Truth is, I don’t think I’d have stood a chance if you hadn’t all arrived.’
‘But you’d already killed Malliss by then,’ he pointed out. ‘That’s no easy task. As for needing back-up—it’s early days. You’re still learning and getting used to having magic. You’re right at the start of this journey and there’s still much to do. Some of the Pendragons are still out there, and there are other threats to peace. You’ll learn and grow and deal with each problem as it arises. Never fear. You’ll figure out your path soon enough, and you have some wonderful people backing you all the way. Like Keely for example.’
I smiled at the thought of her. ‘She was right by my side, facing the Pendragons. She’s fearless.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re wrong there. She was terrified, and she’s suffered the whole time you were away, fearing the worst. But that’s what makes her so brave. It takes so much more courage to fight through your terror. She’s devoted to you, Wulfram. You’re going to make an excellent team.’
‘I have to tell her the truth, don’t I?’ I said wistfully. ‘Tomorrow. I can’t put it off any longer.’
‘I think that’s probably wise,’ he agreed. ‘And maybe she might surprise you with her own news. I have a feeling there’s something everyone in your family is longing to show you.’
‘Really? What?’
‘Now, Wulfram,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You couldn’t possibly ask me to reveal that, could you? And you know how good I am at keeping secrets, after all.’
I couldn’t argue with that. He was probably the best person at keeping secrets I’d ever met or would ever likely meet.
And I would never stop being grateful to him for that.
***
I slept well that night. In fact, I slept so heavily that I didn’t wake up once and was oblivious to Keely getting up and going downstairs.
By the time I stumbled out of bed, showered, and headed down to the kitchen, everyone had already eaten breakfast. Ewella kindly insisted on making me something to eat, though I declined her offer of a cooked breakfast and settled for cornflakes.
It was a bit overwhelming to see so many faces turn expectantly towards me when I entered the living room, carrying my bowl of cereal. They did their best to hide the fact that they were longing for me to tell them what had happened, but they weren’t particularly successful. I knew it was time to be honest with them. I’d had long enough to unpack everything in my mind, and they deserved to know.
Before I could work out how to explain, though, Keely jumped up and said, ‘We’ve got something to show you!’
So this was what Emrick had been talking about last night? I wondered what they had that was so important.
I nodded keenly. ‘Great.’
I noticed Seren and Aither playing with some toys in the corner of the room and was relieved to find that, even though the light was still dancing around Aither, it wasn’t dragging my attention to him any longer. Maybe I was settling into this Guardian role at last?
I ate my cornflakes while Keely ran out of the room and the others watched me, huge smiles on their faces. Whatever this was, it clearly meant a lot to them all, so even if it failed to ignite any enthusiasm in me I was determined to act as if it did.
In the event I needn’t have worried.
Keely returned, took the bowl from my hand, and said, ‘Close your eyes.’
I gazed round at them all. They looked as if they were about to burst with excitement.
Star, who was feeding Seren, gave me an impatient look. ‘Well? You heard her!’
‘Really?’
‘Really,’ Keely said firmly. ‘And hold your hand out.’
Smiling, I did as I was told and felt something land in my palm.
