Heirot

Vlad nodded. "In a way, it makes summoning him dangerous, especially casually."

Tenele nodded. "I try and only summon him when I am completely alone, or when the situation is so dire that it demands it," Tenele replied. "You know, if you want to give him a message you can simply think it. Knight has access to every memory, thought, and idea that the two of you have. Sometimes its like he opens a cabinet door and plucks information out. I can ask him how you would react to me doing something, and he can tell me whether or not you'll be angry."

"That's cheating," Vlad scolded. But then he remembered the dance Knight had taught her, and how it had felt like a quiet gift from him to them. "He is good at cheating."

Tenele smiled. "If you prefer that I deliver your message verbally, I will do that too. It might be even more special to him than just realizing it once he is summoned."

Vlad glanced at the water. "Maybe...I will write it down," he said suspiciously.

Tenele chuckled. "Don't trust me?" she asked him, shoving his shoulder. "I'm responsible. Or... have you changed you mind and don't want me to know. Are you conspiring against me, Lord Dracul?"

Vlad grinned. "I can't write a love note to your husband in secrecy?"

"A love note?" Tenele gasped, covering her heart. "Now I'm concerned about being jealous." She smiled, splashing the water out of the fountain and onto his back. "He's very thoughtful, and romantic. Also very handsome. The combination of two attractive men, and you can just imagine..." She stopped herself as their daughter skipped past them, kicking up water and laughing. "Well, you get my drift."

Vlad smirked, cold water running down his back. "But no one can compete with my charm," he purred, leaning into her and dragging her backward over the wall with him. They both landed knee-deep on their backs in the clear pool.

Tenele laughed, drawing her legs over the edge into the water. She curled her fingers in his collar and tugged him close. "Charm?" she inquired. "Yes, getting thrown into a fountain is charming on some level. But, the hands. Invisible hands, and invisible... Everywhere. Do you have invisible hands?" She kissed him gently, knowing he did.

Tenara had made it a goal to climb to the top of the fountain, so while her parents were busy laughing and rolling around in the water, she was beginning her treacherous journey to the top.

Vlad's eyelids dropped slightly, a predatory look crossing his features as he stared at her. "I shall have to remind you of my hands, later," his voice rumbled in his chest.

"Tenaaara," he crooned in his warning father voice. "Watch your grip."

"Grip," Tenara muttered with a focused look. She reached higher, but everything was very slick, and then suddenly this object appeared near her hand. It was long and narrow with feathers at the end.

"Daddy look," Tenara called, reaching for the arrow shaft. She wrapped her small hand around it and quickly jerked back, her palm singed. "Ow!" Her balance wavered, her hand slipped, and Tenara tumbled off the fountain.

Vlad's keen watch on the child paid off as she slipped from the statue. He disappeared in a burst of air and took his place below the acrobatic child, catching her in his arms. It wasn't like her to lose her balance. "Did you hurt yourself?" he asked doubtfully, holding her out to face him.

Tenara held up her hand, with red mark across her tiny palm. "It was hot," she told him of the arrow in the stone near the top of the fountain.

"Are you okay?" Tenele asked, more unfaithful in her daughters agility than her husband. Tenele would always be the worried mother, even if her daughter was very powerful.

"Stick burned my hand," Tenara replied, showing her mother her hand.

"Stick?" Vlad muttered, glancing up at the fountain. He leaned against the stone and got a foothold, climbing up to where he could spot the arrow sticking into the sculpture. Odd, for an arrow to find itself up here. It must have been left over from a battle of some sort, too high to be worth reaching to clean up. He reached up and took hold of the shaft.