He arrived again the following day.
Elora had wished their meeting would only happen once , that Raydar would forget how Tarinne laughed, forget what she looked like, and just move on like he always did, But by twelve in the afternoon, he was already standing outside where they washed clothes, talking to one of the people guarding the place.
She noticed him from the window and quietly cursed,
By the time she walked outside, he was waiting for her, with his arms crossed, and his face impossible to read.
"She's my child, isn't she?" he questioned,
There was no doubt in how he spoke, and he didn't blame her, He just sounded quietly sure.
Elora didn't give an answer,s
He didn't pressure her, Not yet, "She looks like I do, The timing, your smell, I didn't realize it before, but now I do."
"She's my daughter," Elora stated simply, "That's all that you have to know."
Raydar paused, like he was holding back many questions, "You left me."
"You were going to use us," she blurted out before she could stop herself,
His eyes became narrow, "What are you talking about?"
She moved her head from side to side, "It's not important, I don't need anything from you, Not your help, Not your protection, Just leave us alone."
Raydar didn't budge, "You aren't safe here."
"We're safer when you're not around."
"Elora, "
"No," she replied, stopping him, with her voice strained, "We're doing great, We've been great."
He looked at her for a while, Not like their leader, Not like a partner, Just like a man trying to find something he'd already lost.
"You don't have to be scared anymore," he said softly, "I won't let anything bad happen to her Or to you."
She turned so she could walk away,
But what he said next stopped her.
"I want to give you a job, Something steady, Not cleaning hallways or scrubbing floors, You'll be in charge of the north wing, Good pay, and total protection, You'll be reporting directly to me."
She stopped moving, and her hands tightened.
"I don't want to be reporting to anyone," she stated,
"It's not holding you back," he answered, "It's protecting you, Something I should've done many years ago."
Elora didn't speak again, She went back to where she was staying without answering him, But the damage was already done, He had remembered, Maybe not every detail, But just enough details.
Later that evening, an official note was brought to her , a job offer in the north wing, A real title, and Better pay, she even had Her own keys.
She should've said no,
Instead, she looked at the envelope for a long time before putting it inside her coat.
Raydar didn't come back the following day, Or the day after that.
But his quietness didn't make her feel peaceful.
She realized she was looking around more often, and her nerves were always on edge. The other cleaners had seen the attention she was getting, They stared for too long and Their whispers got louder.
Tarinne, on the other hand, did not seem worried, She kept following Raydar whenever she spotted him in the yard, asking questions, bothering the guards, sharing stories of the frogs she discovered in the garden. Elora looked on from afar, her heart was filled with confusion and worry and desire.
She wanted to keep her daughter safe from everything , safe the world, from greedy people wanting power, from curses and magical acts, and from broken promises.
But Raydar wasn't like the person she remembered, He wasn't mad, He wasn't mean, and He didn't order her around.
He waited,
And slowly, Elora started to feel less sure of herself.
The peace didn't last long.
Elora started the new job in the north area the next week, The title sounded strange to her , "Floor Supervisor" , but the money was real, and her duties were clear. She kept quiet, did what she was told, and stayed close to Tarinne each evening after work.
Raydar hadn't come near her again, at least not in person.
But she could sense he was always there, The guards at the hallway corners nodded as she walked by, The staff gave her more space, And Tarinne had more freedom than other kids, able to go almost anywhere without anyone stopping her.
It made her more uneasy than happy.
One afternoon, she was done checking supplies in the storage area near the main hall and was putting away her book when she overheard voices, quiet and urgent, coming through the slightly open door to the council room.
She stopped,
It was Raydar's beta, a Male with a sharp voice, And a woman's answer , smooth, and controlled, it was clearly Janna, Raydar's Fiancee.
"Keep her nearby," the Beta said, "Until the magic is ready."
"She's already getting softer," Janna replied, "And the child is right where we need her, When the time is right, we go ahead."
"And he doesn't realize it?"
A pause,
"No, He thinks she left because she was scared, not because of the curse, They aren't fully connected as mates again, That gives us time."
Elora's blood went cold,
She stepped back from the door, each breath harder than the last.
It was starting again,
The same secrets, The same lies and The same plan , but worse now, because she had returned. Because she had let her guard down again, And now they were surrounding her child.
Her hands shook as she went back to her rooms, Tarinne was playing with some cloth pieces on the floor, humming to herself, without any worries.
Elora wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly but she didnt say a word.
But her mind was shouting,
Leave Again, Escape,
She didn't sleep that night, Every sound in the house, every change in the wind, made her reach for Tarinne's small body next to her.
By morning, she hadn't decided what to do, Not yet.
And then Tarinne collapsed.
It took place in the open area, during the day. The girl had been running after a toy thrown by a young worker, her happy sounds filling the space , and then she collapsed.
There was no noise, There was no sign, Just a quiet sound as she fell to the ground.
Elora took off running,
She got to her child before anyone else could move, falling to her knees. Tarinne's skin was white and damp, her tiny lips turning gray, Her eyes moved a little, but she did not open them.
"She's struggling to breathe," Elora said quickly, her voice was filled with fear, "Go get the doctor!"
One person rushed away,
Raydar showed up moments later, getting down next to them, He touched Tarinne's head gently, His face looked worried and tense.
"What just happened?"
"She was okay," Elora managed to say, "She was perfectly fine just five minutes ago!"
He didn't reply, He lifted Tarinne up and carried her inside, calling out for the medical staff.
Elora went after him, feeling empty and angry and scared all at the same time.
She stayed next to her child as the doctors did their work, checking her breathing, her pulse, and her blood. They shared ideas, one after another, but none of them seemed right.
Raydar walked back and forth,
Elora stayed still.
She looked at Tarinne not moving and thought about Janna's words in the hallway, The child is right where we need her.
It was poison, That had to be it.
Someone had tried to harm her child,
And Elora would not wait around for them to try again.