Chapter 386: Four
A sparkling green portrait of Graeme and Greta painted itself on the wall of Maggie’s room before the bits of it fell back into the air, dissipating around her.
"That was wonderful, Sage," Maggie exclaimed, turning with tears in her eyes to praise the boy in the room next to hers. "Thank you so much. They have grown," she added, blinking quickly as the tears escaped, falling onto her cheeks. "They have grown so much," she giggled, wiping the tears away.
"They miss you," Sage told her, knowing it to be true. It was always palpable whenever the alyko came up—the sadness of the brother and sister for the dear friend they had lost. "Alpha feels guilty."
Maggie’s smiling face crumpled, and she looked down at her hands. "I wish he didn’t. He shouldn’t have that following him through life. There was nothing anyone could have done. The elders made sure of that. Those poor pups—both of them went through so much in such a short time. There is not a day that goes by here, so to speak," she laughed, looking up at the constant day of their surroundings, "that I don’t think of them and wonder how they are."
"Greta will be having pups," Sage said, wanting to comfort her with some news about how they were doing if she was left to wonder about it all the time.
"Greta is pregnant?" her face lit up, and she wiped the rest of the tears away. "Who is her mate?"
"Sam," he replied.
Maggie’s eyes crinkled with joy. "David and Sylvia’s boy, of course," she giggled. "They were inseparable growing up—all three of them. That is perfect. I assume Sam is the Beta now like his father was?" she looked to Sage expectantly.
"Yes, now he is," Sage nodded.
Her smile grew, and she looked back up toward the sky and the great tree that reached up, free to extend its limbs toward the sun. The Moon Goddess was so brilliant in her plan. She was overjoyed for Greta and Sam. Maggie just wished she understood what the plan was in having her and her fellow alyko trapped here indefinitely. She couldn’t understand it. Why did the alyko get punished so much for their difference?
"You miss the moon?" Sage asked, following Maggie’s gaze upward.
"Oh, yes. I sure do. It has been so long since I have seen her. Sometimes I almost wonder if I imagined what it was like to be surrounded by the beautiful night sky and stars. And the moon," she sighed longingly.
"You will see her again," Sage assured her.
Maggie looked back at the pup who sounded so positive about it. She admired his hope and faith that still burned so bright, but then he hadn’t been here long. She hoped that he wouldn’t have to be. Somehow he needed to be set free from here. It was not fair for such a young pup to be locked away in this facility, especially in inner containment. He should be free to run around and enjoy himself—enjoy just the simple pleasure of being a pup.
"By the way the beautiful portrait you made appeared green like the earth, I would think that earth is the element you gain most of your ability from. What do you think?" Maggie asked him, wishing to change the subject to something more enjoyable than the things she longed for.
"Yes," he said simply.
"Oh, did you already know about how we gain power from the elements?" Maggie asked, surprised by his knowledge of something that she had not even fully realized until she arrived here and was put through the vampire’s tests. But then again, this was Nedra’s son. He was likely to be extraordinary in many ways.
"Yes, like the fae," he replied.
"Wow, you sure know a lot for a little one," Maggie smiled. "Do you have more than one element?" she asked, suspecting it to be the case. Most alyko who ended up in inner containment had more than one element that they were attuned with, which is why their abilities were more significant than the others.
Sage nodded.
"What others?" she asked. The boy just looked at her, seemingly unsure of whether or not he should answer. "Do you not wish to tell me?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"I don’t know," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as he did. "I was told not to tell."
"Oh, why is that?" she asked.
"It might put me in danger," he said, repeating what Selah had told him.
In reality, he was not meant to discuss any of this—not his earth element, not his abilities, not anything. But Maggie already knew so much, and it felt like he was talking with a friend. After all, these were alyko who had been captured for their abilities. The worst had already happened. Plus, Maggie was trusted by Graeme and Greta.
"Well you don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable with it, but I promise you that I will not tell anyone. I am really good at keeping secrets," she assured him, her eyes crinkling again with the sincerity that seemed so natural to her character.
Sage bit his lip, looking at his hands. He folded all of his fingers except for four of them on his left hand, and then he glanced up at Maggie who was watching. Her eyes grew wide in surprise.
"You have all four elements?" she asked in a hushed voice. He watched her, analyzing her reaction to make sure he had not made a mistake in telling her this secret. "My goodness, Sage. You are special, indeed. I do not believe your mother even has all four elements."
Sage folded the rest of his fingers in his hand and clasped it with the other one, keeping an impassive expression on his face. It wasn’t something he was happy or sad about—the fact that he was so different from not only lycans but also from other alyko. It was just who he was, and it was something he was always meant to kept hidden.
"Your secret is safe with me," Maggie winked at him, and he smiled.
