Chapter 49: 49__Who's human?

Rogan looked closely at the woman and then looked at Maia. She had frozen in her steps, her grey eyes wide.

Laurel took a step forward and Maia immediately backed away. Rogan put down his bottle and stalked over, stepping before Laurel and keeping Maia behind him.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked. Why did the forest rabbit look so shocked at the sight of this woman? If there was even a slight chance of this woman hurting Maia and, thereby, decreasing Rogan’s chances of getting Trojan flowers, he would turn her into a bat exactly where she stood.

“Calm down, Sorcerer,” said Laurel with a smile, waving a black-nailed hand at Rogan. “I’m a friend.”

“No, she’s not.”

Rogan looked at Maia, but her eyes remained on Laurel’s face. “She’s not my friend. Destroy her.”

Rogan raised a brow before turning to Laurel with a shrug. Well, it wasn’t like he was looking for every little reason to cause death and destruction, but Maia *did* say he should destroy her. And who was an insignificant little royal sorcerer to deny the requests of a forest rabbit?

With a suspiciously cheerful smile, Rogan raised a power-wielding hand. “She said I can destroy you.”

Laurel didn’t flinch. “Go ahead then.”

The room was still, nobody saying a word. With another shrug, Rogan reached for the woman.

“S-stop!” Maia lunged onto his arm, holding it back.

The corners of Laurel’s mouth curved.

Rogan looked down at Maia with annoyance as she hung on his arm. “What the bloody hell do you mean, ‘S-stop.’?”

“Don’t do it…” Maia told him, her eyes filling with the emotion she tried to hide before.

“Still as tender-hearted as ever, Maia,” Laurel said gently, her smile affectionate.

Maia didn’t want that affection. This woman had abandoned her, there was nothing left between them anymore.

“Leave, Laurel,” said Cassie.

Maia looked at her. “Do… do you know her?”

Rogan pursed his lips peevishly. They’d really just told him he could kill the woman and then stopped him for no good reason. It was like showing a dog a bone and then taking the damn thing away!

“She’s my aunt,” Cassidy said carelessly, stepping towards Laurel and taking her by the elbow. “And she’s leaving.”

“Cassie…” said Cleo softly, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“Your aunt?” Maia looked at Laurel. “I see. So that’s why you came back. For Cassie.” She covered her mouth with a laugh. “Why did I think you grew a conscience and came back for me?”

“She’s not here for me,” Cassie said flatly. “She abandoned me and my mother long, long ago when the late king of Geminor wanted us both dead. If she’s back now, it’s for her own selfish reasons.”

Rogan pursed his lips at the drama, still holding magic in his hand. Was he going to get to kill this lady or not?

Laurel closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Maia and Cassie. “I’m back for both of you so stop whining.”

“No, thanks,” said Maia.

“I didn’t give you a choice,” Laurel said. “I left, because both of you girls are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself and I trusted you to do so. Neither of you disappointed me. But you both need me now, especially you, Maia. That’s why I’ve returned.”

“I was kidnapped by a tribe,” Maia informed her. “Does that sound like taking care of myself?”

“You were mostly okay,” said Laurel. “But now it’s getting harder for you to face your enemies. You need me now.”

“Who says we need you?” Cassie asked.

Laurel sighed. Both Cassie and Maia always had been stubborn. “Girls, you need me. And I’m no longer going to watch from far when I know the reasons why you struggle.” She looked at Maia. “For one… you were just imprisoned in a portal, weren’t you? I just spent the last fifteen years chasing after the people who killed your Nana, and now they’ve reached you well enough to put you in a portal. It was time for me to stop trying to get revenge and actually fight their attempts to get you too.”

Maia looked stubborn. “I’m not ready to have this conversation with you because as far as I know, you have no idea who killed Nana. Stop using her as an excuse.”

With a final look of mixed emotions at Laurel, Maia walked away and disappeared up the stairs. Cassie followed her, with Cleo, Clover and Cecile in tow.

Rogan blinked, watching them leave.

He and Laurel stood there silently. Rogan pursed his lips. They hadn’t told him if he could kill her or not before they left. He looked at the magic in his palm. What should he do with her?

With a sigh, Laurel got behind the bar and leaned on the counter. “So you’re the Sorcerer I hear has been looking out for my little girl.”

He looked at her. “Not exactly looking out for her, more like keeping her around for my own benefit. But yeah.”

Laurel stared at him for a moment, her eyes full of interest. “I knew your mother.”

Rogan blinked.

“She was a legendary Enchantress that we were rarely honoured to meet at festivals as kids.”

Rogan continued to stare at her, the magic in his palm dying off. “And?”

“And I see her power in you. Destroying those portals couldn’t have been easy. You’re powerful.”

He narrowed his eyes. Did she have soothsaying abilities? “I am. Powerful. What are *you*?”

Laurel sighed. “Fairy. Some accept that I'm a Fairy. Some call me a Siphoner because I sometimes imitate the powers of others, but that's not true because I do hold powers of my own.”

Rogan didn’t say anything. A Fairy? Interesting. He had to keep a careful eye on her. One wrong move and he’d smoke her where she stood.

“Maia,” said Laurel, pouring herself magically brewed alcohol. “She’s weaker than others. I was very worried. She would never have been able to survive that portal, much less break out, if it hadn’t been for you.”

Rogan eyed her carefully, reaching for his bottle again. “She’s tougher than you think. I’m sure she would have survived in there at least.”

“No.”

“Yes!” he bit out. Why was this rock star lady arguing with him? “Even the weakest species of the four kingdoms can, at least, survive in a portal.”

How dare she look down on Maia? Glaring at Laurel, he took a swig of his alcohol, gulping it down like water.

“Not Maia,” said Laurel. “Being human makes her much weaker than us.”

Rogan spat out his alcohol everywhere.

Laurel looked at him, letting him cough and clear his throat.

“What…. the fuck did you say?” he questioned, wiping his mouth. “Who’s human?”

Grabbing a cloth, Laurel calmly wiped the counter she knew Cassie liked spotless. “You can’t tell me you didn’t know, Sorcerer. Maia is human.”