Page 24 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
"How much damage can one alpaca cause?" Amanda muttered.
"Paca!" Evie exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Paca!"
"No alpacas," Syssi said firmly. "Amanda, I mean it."
"Do you really think I would bring alpacas to a one-year-old's birthday party?" Amanda asked innocently.
"Yes," Annani and Syssi said in unison.
"Your faith in me is touching," Amanda said, lifting Evie and turning her around to face her. "Don't listen to them, baby girl. Mommy's going to throw you the best first birthday party ever."
Allegra tugged on Annani's sleeve. "Nana, can I play in your room?"
"Of course, darling." Annani helped her slide off her lap.
"You really shouldn't let her play with your jewelry or your slippers," Syssi said.
Annani's feet were so tiny that Allegra could play dress up with her shoes. The girl had a thing for shoes almost as bad as her aunt.
"She's getting so big," Syssi said, watching them go. "Sometimes I can't believe she's just a little over one year old. She talks like she's much older."
"She's a smart little girl, and she's surrounded by adults." Amanda leaned back against the couch cushions.
"Do you think Allegra might have transitioned already?" Syssi asked. "She's been spending a lot of time with your mother lately."
"It's possible." Amanda lifted the teacup Ogidu had served. "I wish my Evie had transitioned already, so I could stop worrying so much about her."
The doorbell ringing was followed a moment later by the sound of familiar footsteps, and as Kian strode into the room, his face brightened when he saw Syssi.
He walked over to the couch, taking the spot their mother had vacated only moments ago. "How are my girls doing?" He kissed Syssi's cheek and then leaned to kiss Amanda's.
"I'm so touched." Amanda put a hand over her chest. "You haven't called me your girl since I turned seventeen."
He chuckled. "That was about the time that sweet Amanda was replaced by hellion Amanda."
"Daddy!" Allegra's voice carried from their mother's bedroom. "I'm wearing Nana's shoes!" She waddled into the living room in a pair of Annani's silk slippers.
Kian stood and met her halfway. "Come to Daddy, Princess." He swooped her into his arms and spun her around.
"Kian, no," Syssi said. "Put her down."
"You're no fun," Kian said, but he was smiling.
Amanda watched the scene with contentment. These moments—family gathered together, children playing, laughter filling her mother's often too-quiet house—these were what mattered most.
Evie had reached the coffee table and was pulling herself up to standing, eyeing the portraits with interest.
Kian studied the images. "It's fascinating what a difference perspective makes."
His mother nodded. "Khiann looks so happy in the one drawn from Esag's memory. He lost some of that joy when he moved into the palace. He felt stifled there."
"But he had you," Amanda said. "He loved you with every fiber of his being."
"He did." Annani walked over to the portraits and smiled. "But as important as love is, it is not everything. That is why I let him go on that caravan expedition. I should not have done that. I should have been firm and demanded that he stay by my side, even if it caused a rift between us. If I had done that, the entire history of gods and humans would have been different."
Annani lived with so much guilt that it must be crushing.
"You don't know that," Syssi said. "In fact, you know that it is not true because it probably wasn't Mortdh who dropped the bomb on the assembly. It was most likely the Eternal King's doing."
