Breaking the News

GRACEONA

Leonard and I walked towards Halcyon hand in hand, the walk silent. Leonard seemed to be miles away with a sigh, one of angst, pain even as he looked at me. "Grace, you need to know what you're walking into before we get there. I didn't want to say anything about the enemy at the palace, but Ammon believes that the real enemy in this war is hiding at our base. He says that the enemy is using someone who has moved on, living in the body of a child that met none of us. A phantom living in an empty shell if you want to call it that."

"A phantom, you mean a creature that feeds off human emotions, forming an identity from those they feed from. I've not seen that race for ages. Are you certain that he could mean that? What if it is a ploy to get your focus from him, and focused on this mysterious opponent, so that he can strike for the kill when we least expect it? I'm sorry for not being all welcoming towards Ammon's theory, but how can I just be willing to welcome someone with open arms who has brought the world torment, because of a tantrum."

"You have every right to be weary, love. As well as being entitled to your opinion, but Ammon seems legit. I didn't sense any wolves in sheep's clothing during our conversation on the phone. I'm kind of skeptical about this event myself. However, I'm willing to give him an ear and let it come to whatever it comes to. We are leaders, we're supposed to make peace with other realms. Let whatever happens happen, and be prepared to battle should it come to that." He sighed. "I'm glad that one of us is skeptical, you're the one who is better reading emotions on the enemy than I am. I have much to learn once it comes to that, you however, are a lie detector test. I value that about you, love. Call it women's intuition or Lupir visions, whatever you want to call it, me I'm willing to place my bets once it comes to your visions, my bets are on you."

"You need to be more weary about this, dear. I'm not saying not to trust him. Perhaps he has changed, perhaps not. This is a war we're in. We barely have room for trust. It pays to read not only a creature's emotion but their movements as well. It has nothing to do with Lupir blood, or women's intuition, it's something that you must train yourself to do. If you can read me like you say you can, reading your enemy isn't much different. Try to apply the things you use to me and cooperate with them to someone else. It's worked for me, also knowing that person well does some favors to the readings."

"You're right, again. But to be honest with you, why would Ammon use a child to hide behind. I don't think that even he is that cowardly, a six-year child at that, phantom or no, there should be a fine line drawn on things such as using children as shields."

"A six-year-old, that's Aria's age. I hope no one is that sick in the head. I pray your right Ammon is legit, and not using a front and hiding behind an innocent child. You want to see Nicolae lose it. If he was to find out Aria is a target in such a scheme, he would go berserk. Who could blame the guy? Though Aria is adopted into the family, I've never seen someone love a child in how Nicolae has grown close to young Aria. I'd probably be ready to join him on the defenses if someone was to do that to Aria, the child is a ray of sunshine to all those who know her. Though I hate to say it, but she would be an easy target."

"How do you get that?"

"Aria never sees a stranger. She wants to be friends with everyone she comes across. Though that is a child's nature, that could also be the downfall of a child. This is a world of wickedness. Love hardly shines its light, and those who are fueled by love as a child. There are those who would seek nothing more than to destroy, or corrupt that innocence. That worried me about Kyra while she was young, but our world has gotten worse in eighteen-years. Now I worry about Kourtney and Aria. Should this madness continue another eighteen years? If it is wicked, I don't want to imagine this world's state in eighteen more years."

He sighed once more. "Ammon believes a phantom has taken Aria's form. He had stated that Aria should be eleven. I gather she was six when she moved on. Why a phantom would want to use a child as host in this time, I don't want to think of it as using a disguise of a child to manipulate an enemy, but sadly it would appear as though that was the case."

I was silent, as the feeling of my heart bursting at the facts that Aria was not the child that she was, but living in a shell. I felt a tear come down my face. "You don't think the real Aria is living, but dead, and at a young age." I looked at the ground. "War knows no age limits I suppose. This whole thing makes zero sense. If Aria is supposed to be eleven, and the phantom has remained hidden for years, and dwelt among us. How does it pose as a threat, last time I checked phantom's don't attack unless provoked. If we do 'house an enemy' which I'm finding it harder to believe, why has this creature not attacked Nicolae, or any of us for that matter. I think there are some missing pieces to this puzzle, Leonard. Even if a phantom is living the life of a six-year-old child, that very creature has brought out the better in all of us. So what if she's not the real deal, most phantoms aren't real deals, they are creatures created out of someone's desire for something they never had. Phantoms are created from human emotions, the phantom attacked one time last year, at the time of your death. Ara and Ammon along with Brock paid a visit to Nicolae, I wasn't there but I had spoken to Arianna, she was truly heart broken to hear of your death. Nicolae told me several times that he couldn't get her to sleep after the events. What heartless monster sheds tears for a man that she had met a handful of times, what monster brings sincere joy to those around them. Leonard, if Aria's phantom is the enemy, leave the child alone. She's harmless, the child gives so much and asks for so little. If love is an enemy in this madness, I pledge my loyalty to the one that will show me love. Leave her alone, Leonard. If you go after that child, you will be alone in the limbo, for I refuse to take part in you destroying my happiness, you said you didn't want to burn bridges with me, if you cause that child harm. That bridge will never be rebuilt, and I will never forgive you. I mean it." I stopped and glared at him. Causing him to stop as well. I clenched my fists biting my inner lip until the strong taste of iron lingered, "Final question, what monster sits with a man that has no relation to her, soothes his pain, wipes his tears away for a fallen loved one, and is someone more worried about her adopted father's happiness than her own, my answer to those questions, Leonard is, she's not the monster. Check your resources, I'm going to Halcyon but I'm not returning with you. If your out for innocent blood, I clean my hands of this."

I walked away from him my fists still clenched.