He winked at them and then stood. In a louder voice, he pointed to the boxes. "These are my new weapons. Our warriors need to be trained in the use of them, and I was hoping you all would be able to help." It was now the parents' turn to look concerned.
Magnus opened a box, reached in, and pulled out a Nerf Gatling gun. "Where are my cadets?" he asked. The children swarmed forward, grabbing the toys. Magnus laughed as the children excitedly began to play with their new weapons. He turned, and Kari watched in slow motion as a tiny little girl came running up to the boxes only to trip over her own feet. Magnus moved without being seen and easily caught the child before she hit the floor. She giggled when Magnus set her on her feet. "My niece Bethy taught me how to do that. She is constantly falling." Magnus turned and reached into the box behind him. When he turned back around, he handed the tiny child one of the largest guns Kari had seen being passed around. The toy was bigger than the little girl, but the child refused another. She stuck her tongue in the corner of her mouth as she struggled under its weight.
Once all of the toys had been distributed, Kari realized that Magnus had made sure that the warriors had received tiny little handguns, while most of the children had gotten bombs, grenades, and Gatling guns. The warriors were looking at the children with envy.
Boys and their toys, she thought to herself.
Magnus clapped his hands together. "Okay kids, let them have it!"
Kari had to step back as chaos ensued. She was sure that Magnus had envisioned a war between the children and the warriors, but that quickly changed as one of the largest vampires she'd ever seen reached for the tiny girl with the biggest gun and placed her easily on his shoulders. Squealing at her new vantage point, the girl turned the gun on the other warriors. The warrior holding her pointed to the Eta Unit. "Get them!" he encouraged.
The war quickly became a battle between the Eta and Mu Units. The children shrieked as they were carried by the large warriors and laughter filled the air. Adriel stood in the center, directing the three other warriors from Eta. From behind the boxes, another warrior popped up, a small boy at his side. Kari watched as the warrior helped the child to aim. Seconds later, small foam missiles rained down on the Unit Leader. Adriel tried to block the projectiles with his clipboard but could not keep them all at bay. Dramatically, he fell to the floor in defeat. The small boy jumped up and down, and the warrior ruffled his hair.
Kari laughed at the men's antics until she heard something that didn't fit in with the joyous afternoon. A faint sniffle had her looking over to her right. She saw a woman standing there, tears in her eyes. The woman saw her staring and wiped her cheeks quickly. "I'm sorry, it's just the children have been so down lately. I had so many apprehensions coming here, but look at them." She pointed to the room and the game Magnus had orchestrated. "We had no idea he was so kind."
Kari nodded. "I have not been here very long, but even I can see that he loves children." Kari looked around the room; the earlier apprehensive looks the parents had worn were gone, replaced with admiration and respect. Magnus had clearly earned their trust and their gratitude.
A loud burst of laughter had her turning her attention back to the room. Magnus was on the floor covered in children. He reached a hand up begging for help from either the Eta or Mu Units; the men just laughed.
"How is your mate?" a quiet voice from her left asked. She turned to see a small, pale vampire standing partially behind a wolf shifter.
"Rachelle?" Kari asked, guessing the woman's identity. The woman nodded. Kari patted her shoulder gently. "He is perfectly fine. He was able to shift and is currently napping like the big old cat he is."
All around her, the people began to look relieved.
"Thank the gods!" someone behind her whispered.
Kari looked to see that most of the Level Six vampires along with the shifters looked thankful.
"You seem surprised," Rachelle stated.
"I suppose I am," Kari admitted. "I never thought a shifter would be so highly regarded here in Noctem Falls."
Rachelle's eyes softened. "Declan is different."
"He does not play power games; he just likes to help people," a male vampire in the crowd said, speaking above the group.
A female vendor leaned against her stand. "I would have expected something like this from Declan." She pointed to the children. "I did not
know Prince Magnus had it in him."
The man sitting at the stall next to her waved his glass. "He is always happier when Bethy visits, and now that she is expecting and out of season, it is no wonder he can not stop smiling. His house has been touched by the gods."
"We are lucky to have him as our Prince," another voice said warmly.
"I wish I could be so blessed," the female vendor said wistfully.
Rachelle ducked her face down, blushing. "I am with child," she announced quietly. Around them everyone became silent. The children, picking up the shift in mood, also stilled their motions. Everyone turned to where Rachelle stood. Her mate stepped closer.
Kari smiled at the timid woman. "I am so happy for you!"
Magnus walked up and took Rachelle's hands in his own. "Is this true?" he asked intently.
She nodded, her face now red from embarrassment from all the attention. Her mate wrapped an arm around her.
Kari was shocked at the tears streaming down Magnus' cheeks. He swallowed hard. "The first child to be conceived here in nearly two centuries," he whispered, practically choking on the words.
"Why is everyone crying?" the girl asked from her perch on top of the warrior's shoulders.