Flames

Chapter Forty-One

As Cedric held Riley to his chest, he glanced over his shoulder to just barely be able to see the house he had made for his family in better times. His fingers buried themselves into his son's hair, feeling as though Riley was the only thing left of Amber.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss, Cedric." Roman's features were unmoving as he stared down at the father and son, his eyes comparable to a neverending void.

"We were so close." He muttered as he returned his attention back to Riley who had stopped crying by now. Cedric wiped away the remnants of the boy's tears with his thumb. They were only four months away from being able to live in Adessa. He didn't feel strong enough to wait another four months without her, but knew it had to be done. He wanted to give Riley a better life than he had.

"It's a shame." Roman placed his hands into his sleeves, glancing around the scenery as several birds began to fly overhead. "Adessa will want to know about where Amber has gone off to." The corners of his lips began to turn up into a smirk. Of course, he knew nothing about the procedures of Adessa. It was all lies worked and tied together to get Cedric back. Without Cedric, the army wasn't successful.

Cedric swallowed, having long stopped trying to fight his own crying. The love of his life, the only woman he would ever love, had been killed by their son. Not just her, but their second child. Both had been taken from this world without much time to say goodbye. The guilt swelled in his chest as he realized he could have stopped the events from happening. If he had just stayed home, things could have been different. He could have saved them. "She passed." He said quietly, feeling another sharp pain in his chest as he admitted it aloud.

The king shrugged. "Yes, but Adessa is very strict. They will want to know exactly how she passed." His eyes briefly flickered to the little boy in Cedric's arms. "They will mark your son as a murderer. I doubt they'll let him live long."

"What?" This was news to him. Cedric instinctively held Riley tighter. "My son is not a murderer! This... This was just a terrible accident! He's just a toddler, he didn't know any better." While he was in disbelief, Cedric knew that the boy hadn't meant to do any harm. It wasn't his fault.

"Will the guards of Adessa believe that?" Roman tilted his head, locking his eyes upon Cedric's. "Perhaps. There's always a chance, but do you risk it? They won't see him as an innocent child. They will see him as a threat to their people. Adessa will do whatever it takes to keep their people safe and fearless." He warned, watching the clouds swirl together in the sky.

He didn't want to believe it. They had worked hard for this future, a future that would prevent Riley from ever knowing what it was like to lose your friends on a battlefield, or have to know the pain of a sword against your flesh. "We were almost there." He muttered, not liking the chance of Riley being taken from him.

It was working. Roman did his best to not smirk. "Phaepyr, as you know, is home to many murderers. Phaepyr will keep him safe. Come home, Cedric. Come back to what you know."

Cedric couldn't bring himself to answer the king right away. He could see Amber's face in his head the night he had brought her back to Adessa, how she had smiled at him as she asked if he wanted to come with her. That was when their journey had started, when the seed had been planted. That was when he saw that there was more in the world besides war. Going back to Phaepyr would mean that his admission to Adessa would never be completed and if he tried, he would have to wait another year. Yet, going back to Phaepyr could mean safety for Riley. No one would think him different, strange, or scary. He would be accepted. He placed a ginger kiss onto Riley's head as he made his final decision. "I... We'll go home. We'll go to Phaepyr."

Roman began to grin as the success washed over him. "Good." He paused as he looked over Riley one last time. "I'll prepare for your return. I do think, too, it would be in your best interest to get Riley's tattoo removed. It would be best if he didn't have any ties to Adessa. Once you get settled in, I'll bring the best in Phaepyr to tend to his tattoo. They'll have the color removed so that Riley will be protected as only a citizen of Phaepyr."

~~~

The house was just as they had left it. Cedric had packed most of their things into bags he and the guards carried back to Phaepyr. While it was a house that Amber had lived in, it had lost the light she brought. When the front door opened for the first time in eight months, there wasn't a rush of excitement that came upon him like there had once been. The house felt colder and darker, reminders of Amber everywhere he looked.

"Mama?" Riley had asked as they entered the house. His eyes looked around for the woman before looking up at Cedric.

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as the guards set the bags down beside the front door. "No. No mama." How was Cedric supposed to explain to a two year old that Amber wasn't coming back? That Amber had been killed by the little boy's hand?

"I'm glad you made the right choice, Cedric." Roman called from the front door, curious eyes glancing around. He had been one of the first people to see it empty so it wasn't too different for him, but he didn't want Cedric to know that. "We're happy to have you back. You may return to your normal work position when you are ready." He grabbed the door handle as all the bags were brought in and closed the door, finally allowing his full smirk to appear. He had sealed the future of Phaepyr for good.

Cedric winced as the door closed, unsure if he wanted to be alone. He dropped himself down into one of the kitchen chairs, letting Riley sit upon his lap. He wanted to be strong for Riley, to show him that he wasn't afraid, but that was far from the truth. He was terrified. He had only just learned how to be a father but didn't feel like he had perfected it. There was still so much to do and now he was alone. The sobs came on without him meaning to. Cedric dropped his head into his free hand, supporting his head up as he wept for the loss of his wife.

Riley watched with wide eyes, unable to process what was happening. He suddenly wiggled his nose, sneezing without warning. As he did so, a burst of fire came straight out of his throat and shot several feet forward.

Cedric's cries stopped. He winced as the fire came out, quick to set Riley down upon the ground as he gawked at the child. A new sense of fear came over him as he realized that what had happened to Amber could easily happen to him next. Amber had said she would be the one to train Riley and teach him how to use his powers, but who would be able to teach him now? There wasn't a single person inside of Phaepyr who was skilled with magic. Many had tried, but none carried the gift. Riley was all alone.

Assuming from what he had seen and heard, he could figure that Riley's emotions controlled the fire. He swallowed another lump down his throat as he stared down at his little boy; his darling little boy.

Until they could find a teacher, Riley would have to be emotionless.

It was the only thing he could think of.