Second Coming

Zerah Prophecy Book Two

A Novel by Ann Bakshis

Copyright © 2018 by Ann Bakshis

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living and dead, actual event, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Published by Ponahakeola Press, 2018

Typeset in Garamond and Andale Mono

For my mom.

Thank you for always encouraging me to follow my dreams.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

One

The Sacrer gardens is the only place I can find peace. The vibrant colors of the flowers, the tantalizing aromas, and even the buzzing of the few insects that call this place home are all I ever want to be near. I have to escape every now and then from my father and Zander, so I go to the one place accessible to me. The only way I can enter this sanctuary of mine is now through the Sacrer gate on the south end. The Zerah entrance on the north has been permanently closed, sealed off from existence. My father tells me it’s for safety reasons, but I think it’s so I don’t wander back into Comoros. There are two more gates: the Guardian entrance to the east and the Ligotas to the west. I don’t have access to either of these, since I’m neither of those things and they don’t connect to the Dryad Forest which I now call home. Also, you can only use the gate destined for you, hence no more Zerah gate.

That died with my brother.

It’s been months since we left the region. I use my journal to keep an eye on things, but I only use the blue disc, or lanx as they’re called, that shows the Sacrer sites. I can’t bear to touch the black one because then I’m reminded of the fact that I incinerated my brother, Michael. I tell myself that I didn’t have a choice; it was either him or me, and so I killed him. Murdered him, actually, but I seem to be the only one bothered by it. Delphi, my father, assures me it was for the best since Michael was the grandson of a wannabe Ligotas leader, which made him dangerous. The Ligotas are creatures that can take human form when they feel it’s necessary, but their true form mainly consists of horrifying wings, sharp teeth, talons, or claws, all the while maintaining a human face and torso. They live in the underworld, or at least they used to. Now they’re confined to the City of Delphi and its surrounding villages, including the one I grew up in.

I’m content with that, actually, and have no desire to rekindle the Ancients’ war with them. Of course, my father has other plans, which we fight about almost on a daily basis. He threatens to use his powers on me to get me to submit to his plans, but then I counter with the threat of killing myself, which shuts everything down real fast. I would never actually do it, of course, though my father doesn’t know that. I’ve fought too hard to stay alive, so I’m not about to ruin that now. If I could live in the gardens for the remainder of my life I would be extremely happy, which is surprising since this is the place Michael almost succeeded in killing me. I stay away from the opulent structure, the location of that tragic incident, which sits in the center of the vast wonderland. I can’t go near the star-shaped pool that rests in the middle of the colossal structure because when I do all I see is my blood filling it that day, and not the crystal-clear water that gently brushes up against its marble sides.

Whenever I hide here, I make sure I’m at least several yards from the crushed-stone path that leads from the gate to the center of the gardens. I lie among the tall grasses, hoping to never be found, but Zander always does find me. I’m not sure how he does it but it gets annoying, as I feel I can’t ever escape him.

The sky overhead is always sunny and clear in the gardens. The weather could be hellish everywhere else in Comoros, but not here… never here. The only thing that ever disturbs the tranquility, besides Zander, is the occasional breeze that brushes along the tops of the plants, causing a light dusting of pollen to float for a few seconds. I close my eyes and begin to drift off to sleep. I don’t have nightmares here. It’s almost like the invisible fencing surrounding the gardens won’t permit anything bad from entering; well, except that one time. I have plenty of horrific dreams back at the cottage Zander and I are now living in. Delphi had it built just for us, but he lives elsewhere. Where exactly I’m not sure, so I’m stuck with Zander in the tiny entrapment.

I groan as I sense I’m no longer alone. I don’t even need to open my eyes to know Zander is there.

“You’re neglecting your training,” he says, standing over me.

“You’re blocking the sun,” I snap back.

“Get up, Aven. I’m really getting sick of your attitude.”

“Fuck off.”

He kicks me in the side. “Now,” he demands.

I grumble, stand, and follow him down the path and through the gate. We pass through a veil into a bright light, but this only lasts a split-second before we’re standing in the Dryad Forest where our cottage is located. Sunlight streams down between the vast branches that make up the forest canopy of pine, elm, maple, and oak trees. The forest floor has well-worn paths weaving throughout. It’s a well-traveled section of the forest, but no one bothers us. The forest is outside the realm of Comoros, so those who do travel or live here have no clue what lies beyond the boundaries of their world. I’ve asked Delphi on numerous occasions to draw out where exactly the forest is in conjunction with Comoros, but he refuses to do so. He keeps telling me it’s not important but I strongly disagree, and I always make sure he knows it.

The place we’re living, which I named Haile Cottage in remembrance of the village I grew up in, is a single-story structure with a small loft space between the ceiling and heavily - thatched roof. The interior is a post and beam design. The exterior is dark brown stone, with sporadic groupings of moss in the mortar. There’s a slight bump-out just left of the front door, where Zander’s bedroom is. I took the bedroom at the back, leaving an empty one between the two of us. There’s a separate bathhouse behind the cottage where the shower and toilet are kept.

The entrance leads right into the living room, where couches covered in a heavy gingham fabric surround a stone fireplace that looks into both the living room and kitchen. The floors are made of plank boards with several braided wool rugs tossed about.

In between two of the bedroom doors is a ladder leading up to the loft space, where we keep our weapons. I’m not sure why we have to put them so far out of reach, but every time I’ve tried to move mine it somehow winds up back in the loft.

I climb the ladder, push back the trap door, and pull myself inside. I know this isn’t exactly what Zander had in mind in regard to training, but I want to work on my fighting techniques with the sword Ruelle made for me. I think about her every so often, wondering if she’s still in her weapon-smith shop in Acad Fields, or if she’s even still alive. Does she know that Knox, an old friend of hers and mine, is dead? Did she complete the final version of the rifle Gaden Lamen, the leader of the Mitris, had requested? The one that will kill anyone instantly, via a small pulse of energy directed towards the inside of their body.

Gaden is the one responsible for confining the Ligotas to the City of Delphi and its satellite villages, but of course he’s also at fault for allowing them to gain strength and numbers by making a deal with the devil — their leader Valora. I still have no idea what either one of them got out of collaborating to bring down the Ancients and the Sacrer religion, but neither of them benefited much from the outcome that presented itself.

I strap the scabbard with the sword across my back, slide down the ladder, and leave again, but this time through the back door in the kitchen. Zander, as always, follows me and tries to start an argument. I ignore him until I can’t see the cottage anymore.

“Give it up, Zander,” I say, spinning around quickly so we’re face to face.

He’s so close to my heels that we nearly collide.

“Your father will be here within the hour, and you haven’t gotten anything accomplished today,” he practically spits back.

“I did get something accomplished today. I pissed you off,” I say, then give him my widest smile.

“If I’d known —”

“Known what? That I was going to be this difficult? That I shouldn’t have been saved for the last cycle? That all your other women were a lot easier to manipulate?”

“That’s not fair,” he says, pointing a finger in my face.

“What’s not fair is me being tricked into this life… and your bed.”

I turn back around and continue for a few more feet until he disappears.

I remind him of his deceits every day. I blame him for my predicament more than I do my father… or myself. Zander had a choice, he chose poorly, and now I’m stuck here with him because of it. I also kick myself for not leaving with Leo when he came to the temple in the City of Parime. All of this might’ve been prevented if I’d just gone with him but, no, I listened to Zander. What a stupid move on my part. Leo was the only one who truly had my safety and survival in his mind. He did everything he could to save me from becoming a patsy, and I let him down. I loved him, though that was so long ago now that I don’t think I could ever feel that way again about him, or anyone for that matter. He’s the only one I care about who’s still in Comoros. He’s smart, so he’ll be hiding from the Ligotas, as well as Gaden Lamen and his followers the Mitris. Leo has the most valuable Sacrer object ever created, the Cosanta Amulet. It holds the powers of the Ancients. Anyone wearing it can cast spells without having to know any of the ancient chants required to do so.

The section of the woods that I finally stop in is the only open space I’ve been able to locate. Several trees line the area, but their trunks are splintered from my sword practice. I unsheathe the weapon, set it on the ground along with its scabbard, and plop down on the crushed leaves. I grab the hilt of the sword and twirl it above my head. It’s not a practical exercise, but it does allow me to find the flaws in the balance between the metal of the blade and the wood of the hilt. There’s a very small imperfection that I located a month ago when my father finally returned the weapon to me. Fortunately, I’ve been able to work around it, but I still like to make sure there isn’t anything else wrong with it before I start hacking away.

I finally stand a few minutes later, look for my target, and begin swinging the sword around, hitting the thick hide of an elm tree. I don’t stop until sweat is dripping off my face. I wipe it away with the back of my beige cotton shirt, raise the sword again, and stab the tree a few more times.

“You know, that tree has feelings,” a voice resonates from behind me.

I turn around, holding the sword in front of me for defense. The young man leaning against one of the trees is tall, probably in his early thirties, with thick arms and legs and sandy-blond hair that he has neatly pulled back into a short ponytail.

“Who the hell are you?” I ask, out of breath.

He rests his hands on the handles of two large knives which he has secured to a leather belt around his waist. A quiver full of arrows and a bow are strapped across his back.

“I’m Jonas,” he says with a slight smile. “I live a few miles that way.” He nods behind him. “I’m a huntsman in these woods.” He shifts his weight to his other leg. “And you are?”

“None of your business,” I answer, then turn back to my tree.

Dried leaves crunch as I hear him move closer. “Is that any way to greet a neighbor?” he asks with a slight laugh.

I put the sword down against my side and turn around. Jonas is now only a few feet away. He moves pretty fast — and quietly — for a bulky guy.

“I’m Aven,” I say, sounding exasperated.

He steps closer and extends his hand.

I shake it, but only half-heartedly.

“Nice to meet you, Aven. How long have you been in Dryad?”

“Only a few months.”

“That explains it,” he replies, nodding his head.

“Explains what?”

“Your misconception about the trees.”

“Excuse me?”

He brushes past me towards the tree I’d been whaling on. He cups his hands over the damaged bark and gently moves it back into place. Within a matter of moments, the tree is completely healed.

“How’d you do that?” I ask, my mouth dropping open.

“You have to know the spirits that live in the woods in order to heal them. Since you’re new you don’t know them yet so you don’t understand how to communicate with the Dryads.”

“Dryads? I thought that was just the name of the forest.”

He smiles. “Dryads are tree spirits. This is their home, not ours. What region do you come from?”

“Comoros.”

“I’m from Lioc.”

“Where’s that?”

“West of here.” He steps around me, never moving his eyes away from mine. “What brings you here?”

“You ask a lot of questions; did you know that?”

He laughs, causing the corners of his mouth to curl up. “I like meeting new people. I can’t help it if you’re not forthcoming with information.”

“She has trust issues,” a deep voice answers from behind me.

“Hello, Delphi,” Jonas says, stepping back.

“Jonas. I see you’ve met my daughter,” Delphi says, gesturing towards me.

“We were just getting acquainted,” Jonas replies, taking another step back. He turns his attention back to me. “I hope to see you again, Aven.” He smiles and leaves.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, Delphi starts in on me.

“This isn’t the training you need to be focusing on right now, Aven,” he says sternly.

“What more is there to learn? I’ve mastered every spell in existence.”

“But you’re not as powerful as me yet, and that can only happen with more training. I’ve instructed Zander to keep you secluded in the cottage for a while. No more running off to Comoros whenever you damn well feel like it.”

“Why do this? The Ligotas aren’t going anywhere, the prophecy was a failure, and yet you still act like I’m going off to war.”

He steps up to me and tucks an errant hair behind my ear. “The Ligotas won’t stay trapped for long. I know Valora; she’s working on mobilizing her forces as we speak.”

“You can’t be so sure.”

“Aven, this land needs you more than you can possibly know.”

I know if I don’t go with him, he’ll simply use his powers and force me back to the cottage, so I sheathe the sword, strap it on, and head back. Zander is sitting on the bottom step at the back door, waiting for us. His face is crimson with anger and I can almost see steam escaping his ears. He practically pushes me inside. I stand in the kitchen, extremely annoyed by the way I’m treated, while Zander unlatches my scabbard and places it up in the loft. Delphi simply stands, arms folded and eyes boring into me.

“Now,” Zander begins after coming back down, “we’ll do this all day and night if we need to, but you’re going to stay here and master the spells to Delphi’s satisfaction.” He then places a raider alarm on every door and window.

He gestures for me to follow him over to the west side of the kitchen, which I do while shaking my head and picturing the mortality flare eating him in half. Delphi removes one of the rugs covering the floor, unveiling a trapdoor I didn’t know existed. Zander pulls up on the handle and descends. Delphi almost pushes me down the ladder in order to get me to follow. The small room we enter is only a vestibule for another room. Zander opens a second door. The room doesn’t have any light fixtures, yet it’s infused throughout with a subtle glow. Flashes of being in the transition room with Gaden Lamen and Myro come racing back to me.

“Is this your new prison for me?” I ask once we’re all inside.

“This isn’t a prison, Aven, it’s your training room,” Delphi answers, his voice even-toned.

He gestures towards something in the corner. I step over to a black glass sphere, which is sitting on a narrow pedestal at least five feet high.

“This is a Gehenna Sphere,” Delphi says, joining me. “It will allow you to complete your training.”

“What does it do?” I ask as my hand gently moves over the smooth texture. I feel a slight tingle of electricity leave the sphere and enter me.

“You’ll see,” Delphi responds.

He gestures for Zander to leave, then activates the sphere. Red flames begin to lick around the dark glass, and I can already feel its effects. The light in the room fades as Delphi locks the door behind him. My heart begins to race when the flames begin leaping around the room before finally settling into a solid form. I fall back against the cement wall as Michael, in his Ligotas form, appears, practically filling the room.

“Hello, Aven,” he hisses at me. “I’m so happy to see you.”

Two

It’s been weeks since I last left the cottage. I’ve spent just about every day down in the transition room, as call it. I didn’t know my father could make my life any worse, but boy was I wrong.

“Concentrate, Aven,” my father tells me over and over.

“I’m trying,” I always respond.

“Try harder,” he demands.

My eyes are tightly closed, but I can still see light. He tells me that’s normal because my powers are growing stronger. He wants me to be better than he is, to be more powerful, to be more of a risk-taker. My father has great ambitions for me, though unfortunately, I don’t share his desires.

“You’re an offspring of an Ancient, Aven. The most powerful Ancient there is, so you must do better,” Delphi says, trying to speak in a soothing voice rather than his normal harsh tone.

“So was Trel,” I snap back.

“You’re not him,” Delphi responds, his voice booming in the tight space. “This needs to become second nature to you. I expect nothing less from my daughter.”

“Then you chose the wrong one,” I say, letting go of my mental grasp and opening my eyes.

“You’re my only one,” Delphi says, anger heavy in his words. “Those others were standins until it was your time to arrive. They didn’t belong to anyone.”

“How can you be so dismissive about human life? I’m sure my mother would’ve done things differently if she knew her other daughters were worthless. She would’ve concentrated her efforts on Michael, and then where would you be?”

He slaps me across the face and I feel my lip split. “Elena wasn’t your mother. How many times do I need to remind you? She was nothing but a Ligotas vessel for your vile brother. You need to let that go and focus on your true purpose for living.”

“And what is that exactly? You’ve really never been clear when I’ve asked,” I say, wiping the blood off with the back of my hand.

“To destroy the Ligotas, of course,” he answers, clenching his teeth.

“Somehow, I don’t really buy that theory.”

I stiffen my body and prepare for another blow, but one doesn’t come. I egg him on purposefully because I loathe him so much. I want to push him over the edge, to break him like he’s trying to break me. I know what he wants, but I resist giving it to him.

“Maybe she’d work harder if her precious Leo was in peril,” Zander comments from the far back corner.

“Fuck you, Zander,” I say, then spit on the floor to show my contempt for him as well.

He steps forward, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes narrow. “I think another night will do her good,” he says, smiling wide.

“I haven’t slept in days,” I protest. “You can’t keep doing this to me!”

“We will keep doing this until you’re able to defeat the sphere. Only then will you get out of this cellar,” Delphi says, pointing to the device in the far-right corner.

“You know that’s impossible. No one has ever done it, according to the story I found in my anthology book,” I say as I start to shake.

“I have,” Delphi says with confidence. “Of all my siblings, I’m the only one to have successfully beaten the Gehenna Sphere. Why do you think I’m more powerful than the rest of them? They allowed their nightmares to consume them, but I didn’t; I won’t permit you to, either.”

He steps over to the device and activates the sphere with a simple wave of his hand. He and Zander both exit the room and lock the door again. This has been my life for the past week, not being able to see anything but this room, and I don’t see it ending any time soon.

The only light in the room now is from the sphere. Its fire leaps and jumps as if trying to physically grab the air. I sit against the wall, pull my knees up to my chest, and hope the nightmares are different this time.

They’re not.

Michael comes for me, as he has been since I began this new training regimen. He grabs my legs, drags me across the floor, and digs his talons into my thighs, causing me to scream at the top of my lungs. I’m sure there’s some charm over the room, which prevents any noise I make from reaching the main level. Otherwise Zander would be hearing all sorts of things spewing from my mouth. A lot of them aimed at him.

I fight Michael off as best I can, but he continues to tear me apart. I need to use the magic that I know lurks inside me, but the pain is too debilitating to allow me to concentrate. Delphi wants this to become second-nature to me, but I can’t focus. Sometimes I wish these nightmares were real, then it would all be over with and I’d be at my final rest… somewhere. I don’t care where I go after I die, I’ll just be happy not to my father’s prisoner anymore.

Michael throws me against the wall, and even though I hear and feel my bones break, I know they haven’t. Injuries I sustain from the sphere aren’t real, but the pain sure as hell is. I roll into a ball as every inch of me begins to throb. I just can’t do what my father wants me to do, and I wish he would just accept that. I’m not like him, and never will be. I want to cry, but the tears just won’t come.

“Please stop,” I whimper as Michael lunges for me.

“You killed me, Aven!” he screams as his Ligotas body lands on top of me, pinning me in place. “I’m your brother and you incinerated me like I was a piece of paper!”

“I’m sorry!” I cry.

“Stop being so weak and fight back,” he says, grabbing my face with his large palm then slamming my head into the floor.

“I can’t, Michael.”

“Then you will suffer with me for all eternity.”

He picks me up and tries to rip me in half. The pain is so tremendous that I finally pass out.

Sometime later, light enters the room as Zander opens the door. He helps me to my feet and up the ladder, into the kitchen. He doesn’t let me go until he drops me into bed.

“Come on, Aven,” Zander says as he places a blanket over my sweat-soaked body. “You just need to defeat the sphere, that’s all. You know the spells — I’ve seen you do them. You just need to use them to a point where it’s almost like breathing.”

“If it’s so easy, then you try it,” I say, turning my face away from him.

He sighs. “Get some rest. Delphi will be back in a couple of days for you to try again.” Zander softly closes the door as he leaves.

If I’d known this was what my life was going to be like, I would’ve let Michael kill me back in the kerk. Zander knew the whole time what was going to happen to me, yet he said nothing. I hate him more each day because of his betrayal, and I’m never going to let him forget it.

I roll onto my back, pull the blanket up under my chin, and try to sleep, but I think I’ve actually forgotten how. My body hurts with each motion, and I could really use a bath. I know a nice hot bath will help relax my muscles so I decide to pull myself from the bed, grab a clean set of clothes along with a towel, and leave my room. Zander is in the kitchen fixing himself something to eat and sees me quickly move across the floor and out the back door. The sun is just setting so I must not have been in the transition room during the night but the day instead. Being underground so long, I’ve lost track of day and night.

I have to light a couple of the oil lamps that hang by the door in the bathhouse so I can see inside. A claw-footed tub is on the left, with the toilet and sink directly across from the door. To the right is a fireplace, but I don’t light it since the air still has lingering warmth. I hang my towel and clothing on the hook behind the tub, pump the water from the spigot at the far end, and use magic to heat it up. Once I get it to a comfortable temperature, I undress and slip into it. I submerge myself and only come up for air when I can’t hold my breath in any longer. A bar of soap sits on a small holder by the pump. Its cracked, caked surface makes it hard to form a suitable lather, but I do my best to get as much of a workable foam as possible, and scrub myself from head to toe, including my hair which is now shoulder length.

This bath should be relaxing, but I’m honestly waiting for Zander to barge his way in. I can’t believe I let my life get this screwed up. Everything went wrong so fast that I still feel like I’m trying to catch up. Maybe that’s why I’m having so much trouble with the sphere. It’s not that I can’t perform the spells — I can. I’ve become quite good at it, but going against the Gehenna Sphere is something entirely different. I know it has a purpose other than torturing me, I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.

The water has become cold, so I get out, dry myself off, and put on my fresh clothes. I take my dirty ones back with me into the cottage and add them to a growing pile in the corner of my room. My stomach growls from the smell of food, so I go back into the kitchen to cook something, but Zander already has a bowl of soup waiting for me on the kitchen table. He sips his quietly at the other end as his eyes watch my every movement.

“Feel better?” he finally asks after a long moment of silence.

“Not in the slightest,” I respond, contempt thick in my words.

He stares at me for a moment before speaking again. “Delphi wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t have confidence in you.”

“Bullshit!” I yell, slamming my utensil down on the wood table. “He wants power, just like they all do, and he wants me to get it for him. He’s no better than Gaden Lamen… Myro… Trel… all of them. He found a way to exploit the weaknesses in his siblings and mankind to finally get what he’s been seeking his whole life: to rule the world.”

“You know that’s not true!” Zander shouts back, pushing up from his seat. “Delphi has nothing but respect for this place, and he’s doing everything he can to save it from being destroyed!”

I jump to my feet. “Then why did his siblings run away from him? Why are they still hiding, since they’re also supposed to give a damn about everything and everyone? Now would be the most opportune moment for them to come out and help defeat the Ligotas… again!”

“You’re assuming they’re still alive.”

I practically laugh. “Seriously? Myro and you practically claimed they are, or did you forget?”

Zander lets his head fall forward and shakes it. I can tell he’s trying to phrase his next words carefully, as his temper is rising dramatically. He lifts his head and narrows his eyes. “You’re a better fuck than a sorceress, did you know that?”

An energy I haven’t felt in a long time lights up inside me and I vent it out, aiming it at Zander. I don’t even move my hands or arms to send him flying backwards and landing hard against the pantry, splitting its door. He’s slightly dazed from the impact and tries to get up onto his wobbly feet. The minute he stands I lash out at him again, shoving his body into the floor. I step around the table and go towards him as his moans fill the room. It feels like the energy in me could eat everything around us and still want more. I move my arm out and up, lifting him from the floor and holding him in midair.

“Do… that,” he says through a bout of pain.

It catches me off guard and I nearly drop him. “What did you say?”

“The sphere… the next time Delphi has you fight it… use this power you’re channeling now.”

I hadn’t thought about using my anger as a weapon. I was too afraid of Michael and what he was doing to me that I didn’t catch on to the actual lesson Delphi was trying to teach me. The whole time Michael was attacking me, it was out of anger. If I can use the same on him, will that allow me to defeat the sphere?

I gently set Zander back down on the floor, repair the pantry door, and go back to my room. I get under the covers and try to hold on to what I’m currently feeling, but I’m so tired that sleep takes.

It’s been days since Delphi last came, and this time I’ve been anxiously awaiting his return to prove my theory. Zander can’t activate the sphere since it’s only for the Ancients. He’s been in his room, tending to both his wounds and pride since the night we fought. When he does emerge, he tries to apologize for what he said, but I won’t accept it since his words are still fueling my anger and I don’t want to let that go right now. Delphi finally arrives mid-afternoon. He doesn’t sets off the raider alarm, which I find baffling, but maybe someday I’ll figure out how he does it.

“Ready?” he asks when he enters the kitchen, where I’m sitting.

“Yes,” I respond a little too joyfully.

The two of us descend into the cellar. Delphi chooses to stay this time after activating the sphere. I wait impatiently for Michael to appear, which he does eventually. I focus my energy on him like I did on Zander, but it’s not working. Michael picks me up and hurls me to the floor, my shoulder searing with pain. I try to focus again, pull as much anger from inside me as possible and project it at him. Again, nothing happens. My head hits the ceiling when Michael grabs my throat and lifts me off my feet. He starts choking me, and darkness begins to seep its way in.

I change my aim and go for the sphere. I can’t get enough force behind my efforts because of the grip Michael has, so I wind up kicking him in the jaw and then the eye, which causes him to drop me. I shake off the pain from the fall as quickly as I can and engage the sphere. I cast as much as my body will allow. The red flames begin to crack, as does the image of Michael. I focus harder. The flames burst apart, disappearing into smoke that sweeps around me as Michael vanishes. I stumble back and lean against the wall, exhaustion filling my body.

“Very good,” Delphi says as light fills the room from who knows where. “I will let you rest for the next day or two, then we will continue with your training.”

“You mean there’s more?” I ask in disbelief.

He glances down at me. “There are five such tasks to be mastered with the sphere. The first one is always the easiest. Anger is easy to draw power from, but there are others as well.”

“Which one is next?”

He smiles. “I can’t tell you since the sphere will decide. What I can do is tell you the other traits you’ll have to overcome.”

He reaches down and helps me to my feet before continuing.

“Each color represents the trait that’s currently in use. Red, as you saw, represents anger; yellow identifies with family; black is fear; green represents betrayal. Finally, there’s blue for sadness or loss. You’ll know what your next opponent is when the sphere generates that color flame.”

“Will I always have a person to deal with during these cycles?”

“Yes, but I don’t know who, just like I don’t know which trait will be next.” He opens the door to the ladder. “Now, get some rest. The other four traits get progressively harder.”

We climb up. Delphi leaves as I’m pulling the rug over the trapdoor. Zander has been hiding in his room this whole time and doesn’t emerge until now.

“You two weren’t down there long,” he says, rubbing a towel over his damp hair.

“I defeated the sphere,” I say solemnly, then sit down on one of the kitchen chairs.

“So, it’s over then,” he says, sitting across from me.

“No, it’s not. I have four more lessons to go before I can rid myself of it for good.” I explain to Zander what Delphi had told me.

“Which one do you think is next?” he asks, concern in his voice.

“I’m not sure.” I stand, and begin heading to the ladder that will take me up to the loft. “I just need to get out of here for a while.”

Zander doesn’t stop me. Instead, he removes the raider alarm while I pull my weapon down, strap it across my back, and head outside. What surprises me more is when he grabs his crossbow and arrows and follows me to the small grove without getting into an argument.

Three

As I pull the sword from its scabbard, my jaw drops when I notice that every tree I’d damaged is now completely healed. I begin to wonder if I’m even in the right spot, when Jonas steps out from a clump of trees.

“I was hoping you’d find your way back,” he says, smiling. “I’ve been coming every day, hoping to see you.”

“She’s been busy,” Zander replies with contempt. His pleasant demeanor from the cottage sure wore off fast.

Jonas ignores Zander and continues to approach me. “I can show you how I did it, if you want. It’s not difficult at all.”

Out of the corner of my eye I catch Zander conjuring a spell, but Jonas sees him, too.

“Your magic won’t work on me, Guardian,” Jonas says rather abruptly, turning and narrowing his eyes at Zander.

“How did you know I’m a Guardian?” Zander asks, clearly startled by the observation.

“I’ve come across two of your kind in the many years I’ve traveled around this forest, so I know what to look for,” Jonas says, pointing towards Zander’s hands.

He stopped wearing his protective gloves long ago, so the tattoos on the back of his hands of the elaborate knot with the tip of a sword jutting out from the bottom are very apparent. Normally Guardians keep their markings hidden, but since we’ve been in Dryad he hasn’t felt the need to cover up the Guardian symbol.

Zander puts his hands behind his back, but it’s a pointless move.

“Were the two Guardians with anyone?” I ask, my interest piqued.

“Two Ancients, but I haven’t seen them in a long while,” Jonas replies. “Now, about that lesson.”

“She’s got other things to do,” Zander snaps, stepping between Jonas and me.

“Like what, hacking more trees? She needs a sparring partner, so she can fight properly. I doubt you have the proper weapon to help her, but I do.”

Jonas takes a step back and pulls a sword with a heavy-looking grip from its scabbard. The thick blade is about twenty inches long, and the hilt has got to weigh several pounds, yet Jonas handles it like it’s made of feathers.

I smile at the sight, but internally I’m in hysterics. Zander looks dumbfounded by the move, and can’t think of anything to say as a rebuttal.

“Excuse us, Guardian, but Aven and I have work to do,” Jonas says, placing his hand on my back and gently guiding me to the other end.

Zander is clearly refusing to leave, so he just stays in his spot while Jonas picks a clear area for us to practice. He takes off his quiver, bow, and the belt with the two knives, setting them carefully on the ground.

“Ready?” he asks, spreading his feet shoulder-width apart and twirling his sword.

I take the same stance, remove the sword from my back, breathe deeply a few times, and then lunge at him. He has the best of me with every move. Here I thought I’d taught myself decently, but Jonas makes me feel like a beginner. I stumble and fall… a lot. This makes Zander laugh occasionally, to which I give him dirty looks.

“Not as good as you thought you were, huh, Aven?” Zander says after I take a particularly hard fall, splitting my lip.

“Shut up, Zander. I’d like to see you defeat him,” I respond, wiping the blood onto the back of my hand as I stand.

Zander sets his weapon down, saunters over to us, taps me on the shoulder, and requests my sword.

I hand it to him and step back.

Zander is down on the ground in a matter of seconds, a laceration across his bare forearm.

“Not as easy as it looks, is it?” I say, taking my sword back.

He grunts as he stands, and looks at his wound, but refuses to do anything about it even though he’s dripping blood everywhere. Maybe he thinks he’s being stoic if he keeps his reactions in check, or he’s still trying to win me over, which is never going to happen… again. Jonas and I battle for another hour before taking a break. I’m starving from working hard, so I sheathe my sword, strap it to my back, and begin to head towards the cottage, when Jonas stops me.

“Hey, why don’t you come over to my camp and eat. I’m sure Col has dinner ready,” Jonas says, picking up his belongings.

I don’t wait for Zander to respond, and just instinctively begin to follow Jonas. Zander mumbles something as we pass him, stands, grabs his stuff, and joins us. We head west, but we’re not traveling along a main trail. It takes us about an hour to reach the camp, which is a lot bigger than I’d expected.

Stonevale, as the wooden sign hanging above one of the four entrances into the camp reads, has a wood post-and-rail fence surrounding the perimeter. In the corner along the fence is a building that looks identical to the bathhouse at the cottage. Next to the section of fence we enter through is a long, narrow, wood and stone structure. It doesn’t have any windows, only one door, and a chimney rising from the middle of the roof. We continue heading towards the center of the camp where a massive fire pit is in full use with a spit over it turning some kind of meat. There have to be at least twenty tents surrounding the area. They resemble those in Castra with the canvas and double-flap entries, but these have plank floors, which raise them a few feet off the ground.

“How many people live here?” I ask as Jonas stops in front of a tent just a few rows away from the pit.

“Between forty and sixty at any given time. Each platform tent can hold two to three people, and most of these tents are full at the moment,” he says, setting his items down.

“Are they all huntsmen?” Zander asks, glancing around nervously.

“Calm down, Zander; the huntsmen have nothing against the Guardians, but to answer your question, yes.”

“Oh,” escapes Zander’s lips in more of a sigh than an actual word.

I peek inside the tent and spot three worn cots, each with a small pillow and woolen blanket. At the back of the tent by the other flap are dressers, all in some degree of disarray. What I presume are dirty clothes lay scattered in piles, but with no clear owner. I’m assuming Jonas shares his tent but his comrades are nowhere to be seen.

We make our way back to the fire pit where an older man about medium height and build with salt and pepper hair is steadily working on turning the spit as he sweats profusely.

“That’s Col,” Jonas says, pointing to the guy. “He does all the cooking for us.”

The man doesn’t take his eyes off his task, but waves to us all the same.

“Food will be ready in a minute,” Col says through dried lips and a few missing teeth.

With those words, people begin coming from all directions towards the pit. Someone hands out metal plates and utensils to everyone who has taken a seat. Col takes the meat off the spit, places it on a long table behind him, and begins carving it up. We all get in line to grab some, along with freshly made rolls and beans. At the end of the table is a tall bucket full of water. We take a cup by the bucket and dip it inside to scoop out the water. We then head back to our seats and eat. I haven’t had such well-prepared food since the days my mother cooked for us. Zander does his best, but it’s never this good. I suck even more, so I do it infrequently.

“How is it?” Jonas asks after sipping his water.

“It’s really good,” I reply, trying to swallow the chunk of meat in my mouth.

He laughs, and goes back to eating.

When we’re finished, everything gets dumped into bins for washing. I retake my seat, with Zander on my right and Jonas on my left. The fire continues to roar in the pit even though the cooking is done, and the air is warm. I’m starting to sweat from the heat, so Jonas suggests we head back to his tent with our chairs. Thankfully they’re light, though still awkward to carry. We set them down just outside the front flap, then plop down on them.

“So how come magic doesn’t work on huntsmen?” I ask after a few minutes of silence.

Jonas leans over and pulls down the collar of his shirt, exposing the top part of the left side of his chest. Tattooed into his taut flesh is a shield, with three open triads that shine like freshly polished silver.

“All huntsmen are given this protective shield when they’re ten years old,” he says, letting his collar go. “They ward against all magic, regardless of what’s being cast.”

“Showing off your chest again, eh, Jonas?” a tall, athletic young woman says as she steps past us and goes into the tent.

“She asked a question,” he says, getting defensive yet laughing at the same time. “That’s Isolde,” he says, pointing into the tent. “She’s one of my tent-mates along with a short, stocky guy by the name of Bate.”

“Flirting with the newcomers is a new one for you,” Isolde says, setting herself down at the top step off the tent. “Aren’t we getting brave?”

“Shut up,” Jonas responds, bumping into her.

“Where’s Bate, anyway? He was supposed to meet me back here by now,” Isolde says, glancing around the camp.

“I haven’t seen him since this morning,” Jonas replies.

“Hopefully he wasn’t dumb enough to sneak into one of the regions without permission. He does that sometimes,” Isolde says, wrapping her bare arms around her long legs.

“You need permission to leave the forest?” I ask them.

“The huntsmen do, but I’m not sure about everyone else,” Isolde answers.

“From whom?” Zander asks before I can.

“Delphi,” Jonas answers with a tinge of resentment.

“Why would he do that?” I ask.

Isolde hits me on the shoulder, so I’ll turn and look at her. “So no one disturbs the underworld or Comoros… again.”

“What do you mean by again?” Zander asks.

Isolde steps down from her perch so she’s standing in front of us. “A long time ago, a huntsman traveling between the regions of Lioc and Qiost inadvertently opened the veil from the Dryad Forest into Irkalla, otherwise known as the underworld. This allowed all those monsters to escape and almost destroy the entire dominion. Each region was able to beat back the creatures with one exception — Comoros. Ever since then, that region has been at war with itself, causing the Ancients to be at war with each other.” She glances over at Zander and notices his markings. “You should know all of this already, Guardian,” she says to him in a flat tone. “It was your idea to deny us the ability to freely roam like we used to.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Zander says, getting defensive. “So, don’t go lumping all of us together.”

“Was there a specific Guardian who made this decision?” I ask, trying to ease the tension.

Isolde turns her focus back to me, though her eyes are still seething with anger. “His name was Prime Jarron. Last I heard, he was assisting in the recovery of Comoros.”

Zander lets a chuckle slip.

“He’s dead,” I say after shooting Zander a look. “He turned on the Ancients and the Guardians to become a Ligotas-follower.”

“Oh,” she says, her tone softening. “Well, I missed dinner, so I should see what Col has left over.” She turns and skips away; her long crimson hair, which is secured in a braid, swishes against her back as she goes.

“Don’t mind her,” Jonas says once she’s out of earshot. “She’s been trapped in the forest for far too long.”

“You can’t go anywhere?” I ask, surprised.

“We can only go to Lioc, since that’s the region we all come from, but there’s not much to do there. It’s mainly families now, so we singles get to live our life here,” Jonas answers, plastering a smile on his face and waving his arms around.

“Well, we should get going,” Zander says to me, standing.

I turn to him. “You can, but I want to stay here a little longer.”

“Why?” he asks, clearly upset with the idea.

“Because you had me barred in that damn cottage for weeks. I’m not wasting my first day of freedom before you and Delphi decide to sequester me again.”

“You kept her locked up?” Jonas asks.

“It’s not what you think,” Zander quickly responds.

“Then explain it,” Jonas demands.

Zander begins to open his mouth, but then closes it. “It’s really none of your business,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

The two are about to get into an argument when an older man with dark skin and short brown hair wanders up to us. He looks puzzled by the exchange going on before him, but waits until it’s over before interrupting.

“Jonas, have you seen Isolde?” the man asks, dropping his stuff onto the ground.

“She was looking for you. She’s up at the pit getting food. Bate, this is Aven and her Guardian Zander,” Jonas says, gesturing towards me, but not Zander.

Bate’s eyes narrow as he steps closer to Zander. “Guardian, huh?” he says. “I didn’t think your kind existed anymore.”

“Well, we do,” Zander says with attitude.

“Be careful, son; not all of us here are fans of your kind.”

Bate huffs, and wanders off towards the pit.

The sun has begun to set and I’m starting to wear out.

“We probably should get going,” I say as I try to stifle a yawn.

Jonas gives me a hug before we leave, and tells me he’ll come by tomorrow for more practice. We make sure to take our weapons then head back to the cottage.

“Why do you trust people so implicitly?” Zander asks once we’re out of the camp.

“I don’t,” I respond, hurrying ahead.

He has to almost run to catch up to me. “And yet you’re getting nice and cozy with someone you just met.”

“Jealous?”

“No!” he answers, a little too quickly for my taste. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“The only one who’s hurt me is you, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about it.”

This shuts him up, and allows me to complete our trek home in peace and quiet. Once back inside the cottage, Zander reactivates the raider alarm. I set my scabbard down against the wall by the ladder to the loft and go into my room. I change, get under the covers, and try to figure out what trait I’m going against next. I would’ve thought anger was high on my range, but according to what Delphi said it was my easiest to overcome. What’s harder? What other traits do I have to conquer that are worse than anger?

Four

The following morning Jonas, Isolde, and Bate all show up on our back step. Jonas is the only one with a sword, so we take turns battling each other in my little grove. Zander sits by and critiques us. At first I’m tempted to tell him to be quiet, but he tells me where I need to correct my posture and which side I’m weakest on, which is actually helpful. Bate has calmed down towards Zander by this point and the two seem to actually be bonding.

“I hear you like to sneak through veils,” I say to Bate as we take a break.

He laughs. “I’m always the adventurer.”

I stand and hold out my hand for him to grab. “I want to show you something.”

He takes it and we begin heading towards the cottage, with the others in tow. We go around to the front and to the two trees that hold my entrance into paradise. The veil becomes visible when you’re just a few feet from it, so when Bate sees the lushness of the gardens just beyond he practically runs through it.

“What is this place?” he asks once we’re all past the veil.

“These are the Sacrer gardens in Comoros,” I say, pushing open the gate that will allow us entry.

It isn’t until Zander and I pass through it that I remember you need to be an Ancient or someone vetted by an Ancient to stroll through the Sacrer gate. I hold my breath then relax and let it out as Bate walks through unharmed. Isolde and Jones don’t have any problems either. I hope this will shut Zander up about trusting them too soon. We wander down the path, all eyes trying to absorb the splendor of the area.

“I didn’t think anything could be so beautiful,” Isolde says as her hand brushes the tops of the plants.

“And we’re really in Comoros?” Bate asks, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Yes, but there isn’t any functioning gate that will allow you to leave the gardens and enter the region. You can only go through the veil,” I answer, hoping that’s enough of an explanation as to why I don’t want them wandering off.

We pass the triple spiral in the middle of the pathway — the Sacrer symbol — and continue towards the center of the gardens. The white marble of the main structure in the gardens glows in the sun when the top of it comes into view. I slow my pace down while everyone else speeds up. When I finally make it to the structure, everyone except Zander is already pacing its floor and eyeing the star-shaped pool.

“Does this do anything?” Isolde asks, pointing to the water.

“It tells the future,” I say with little enthusiasm.

Isolde leans over the rim, which causes me to rush up to her and pull her back, but nothing happens. The water stays clear.

“You okay, Aven?” Jonas asks as I let go of Isolde.

“I’m fine,” I say, but my heart is racing and sweat is starting to form. I step away from the pool and over to the Sacrer side of the building.

“Where do those paths lead to?” Bate asks, pointing to the one for the Guardian gate.

“Different entrances, but Delphi sealed them all after we crossed into the forest,” Zander says.

“What drew you there?” Isolde asks, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head just like Valora did when she was here.

A shiver runs down my spine. Jonas comes up to me and puts his hand on my back.

“You don’t look all right,” he says to me. “Maybe we should head back,” he calls to the others. “It’s been a long, hard day.”

No one really argues with him, so we retake the path down to the Sacrer gate. Once we’re through the veil, the three head back to Stonevale while Zander and I enter the cottage. I place my sword in my room as Zander goes into his. I’m not sure how to answer Isolde’s question if she asks it again. Do we tell her the truth? Lie? What exactly do we say? This won’t be the first time a topic like that will come up, so Zander and I need to be prepared for when it happens again.

We discuss our options while Zander makes dinner. He votes for lying, as do I, but we need to come up with enough information to get our story straight and make it convincing. Neither one of us can think thoroughly enough, so we decide to put the matter aside. After dinner, I go down into the transition room. I’m not sure why since I can’t activate the sphere, but I’m starting to feel drawn to it. There’s very little light in the room, so my eyes are straining to see. It seems the only time the room is bright is when Delphi is in it. I’m sure he uses some spell. I’ll need to figure out which one.

I wander over to the sphere and place my hands on its cool glass. I don’t feel the same electricity pass between us like I did before, so maybe it was a one-time thing.

“What cruel intentions do you have next for me?” I ask it, thinking it won’t respond.

But it does.

Blue flames erupt from the glass, though they don’t burn my hands. I step back from the pedestal as the fire leaps around the room, like it always does before solidifying.

“You left me to die,” Knox says as he comes out of the shadows. His dark skin has a hint of blue, like the fire, and his body is broken and beaten, which is how I left him in the Sacrer baths.

“No, Knox, I didn’t,” I say as my emotions swarm up through my throat, almost choking me.

“Aven, I sacrificed everything to make sure the prophecy happened, but you ruined everything,” he says sorrowfully. “I trusted you and you failed me.” I catch sight of a tear running down his cheek.

This is my second trait: sadness, or is it loss?

How do I possibly defeat this one? Better yet, why did the sphere activate when Delphi isn’t here?

“I tried, Knox, I really did,” I say, choking back my own tears. “I brought you to the Sacrer baths and placed you in the tub filled with the Ashes of the Forgotten, so I could bring you back.”

“Zander was saving those for you,” he replies as he slumps on the floor against the wall.

“He was… he used them on me when Michael almost killed me in the gardens. You remember, you were with us.”

“But they only work once, so why did you bother trying them on me?”

I sit down next to him. “I had to try, Knox. I wanted to bring you back but I failed and you died.”

“I’m still there, you know, in the water.”

My heart breaks. I need to go back and properly bury him. I can’t leave him floating in the darkness forever.

“I’ll fix that, I promise. I’ll take care of you like you took care of me,” I say, turning to face him with a smile. “You were the one I could always count on, Knox. You’re my friend.” I take his hand and squeeze it. “I’ll make this right, all of it. I’m sorry I let you down.”

He pats my hand and we sit there in silence. I wish I knew what to say, how to make this better, but I don’t. Guilt takes over the sadness welling in me. This is all my fault. If I’d just fled or stayed hidden, even as the City of Delphi was burning, Knox would still be alive.

“Aven,” Knox says quietly.

“I’m here.”

He smiles. “Will you always be?”

“Absolutely. You can’t get rid of me so easily. You’re stuck with me forever, whether you like it or not.”

I pull him into an embrace and let the tears flow. Within moments I’m holding onto air and the sphere is quiet.

“What happened?” I ask when I notice Zander in the doorway, the light from the kitchen shining down behind him.

“You showed him compassion,” he says. “You’ve passed the second test.”

Zander comes over to me and sits where Knox had been.

“Knox was very lucky to have you as a friend,” Zander says. “I wish I could’ve been that kind to him, but I wasn’t. I only saw him as a traitor, a Ligotas. But you didn’t give up on him. Not even when he turned into a full one.”

“Katrina trusted him,” escapes my lips before I can stop it. “So, I knew I could.”

Zander pulls me against his shoulder and I let him. I’m tired from the day. I’m tired from the emotions I just spent, so I don’t see the point in causing trouble with Zander.

“How did you know that anger would defeat Michael and compassion with Knox?” I ask, lifting my head.

He puts his hands in his lap and stares out the door. “From experience. Before the Zerah Prophecy was put into motion, Delphi had me try to control the sphere. I was able to defeat anger, but not sadness. I gave up after weeks of trying, so Delphi disconnected the sphere from me and put it in storage until you came along.”

“Was that the charge I felt when I first touched it?”

“Yes, I think so. The device was drawing an imprint from you to establish the connection. Once you master your final trait, the connection will break.”

“Delphi isn’t going to let me quit like you did, is he?” The words come out meaner than I intended, but I’m not overly sorry that they did.

“No. You have to complete it before he’ll ever let you go.”

Zander stands and helps me to my feet. We go up to the kitchen and call it a night.

Delphi is sitting at the kitchen table when I wake the following morning. Zander is just finishing telling him about how the sphere activated on its own last night.

“It must feel you’re ready to control your own training now,” Delphi says as I take a seat at the table. “I’m pleased you’ve already mastered your second trait. That’s impressive, even for me.” He smiles as he rises from his chair. “But you must remember, Aven, that you can’t leave the forest until you’ve mastered all the tests of the sphere. It can’t leave its pedestal, so you can’t leave Dryad.” He then leaves, but unlike most times, he doesn’t say when he’ll return.

Zander and I eat breakfast in silence. I dress while he cleans. After he removes the raider alarm, I head out the front door and am immediately greeted by Bate.

“Oh, good, you’re still here,” he says. “I was hoping you would take me to the gardens again today.”

I glance back at the cottage to see if Zander has followed me, but he hasn’t. “Sure, let’s go,” I say, taking his arm and escorting him through the veil.

We’ve barely entered the gardens when Zander pops in behind us.

“You’re not coming in here by yourself,” he says.

Bate looks at him, puzzled, before his face hardens. “She’s not by herself, she’s with me.”

“Zander is just very protective of me, Bate. He didn’t mean anything by it,” I say, trying to settle him down.

Bate glares at Zander, but when I tap his arm he quickly focuses his attention back on the gardens.

We spend the next couple of hours roaming the area. Bate, with Zander following closely behind, wanders up the various paths while I wait for them at the building. When they return Bate asks me what each symbol on the gates represents, so I tell him.

“It’s a shame you can’t leave the gardens,” Bate says, taking a seat beside me. “Comoros looks so interesting, even though I only saw the dark skies. Is it always sunny in this spot?” he asks, pointing to the sky.

“Yes,” I answer. “The gardens aren’t affected by anything that happens in Comoros, so it’ll always be warm and sunny.”

He nods. “So, the snakes tied in a knot is a Ligotas symbol,” he says. “You know, I’ve seen that somewhere else before, but I can’t recall where at the moment.”

“In the forest?” I ask, a little taken aback.

“Oh my, yes,” he says. “Here, let me draw a map for you.”

We go and sit on the bottom step of the marble stairs. Bate takes one of his knives and clears the crushed stone from in front of him so he’s down into the dirt. He draws the entire dominion of Eskal, which he says is where we all reside, including every region and veil.

“Your cottage is here,” he says, making an ‘x’ in the forest just southwest of Comoros, which sits in the corner. “West of here is Lioc, then in the far west is the region of Hapura. They only have one veil into the Dryad Forest, much like Irkalla. Then going counterclockwise, you have Rynn, which is home to genies called Jinn —”

“You’re not serious, are you? Genies?” Zander says with almost a laugh.

Bate narrows his eyes. “Of course, I’m serious. There are all kinds of things that call Eskal home.”

Zander begins to smirk, so I nudge him to stop.

“Now, where was I? Oh yes, this is Qiost; Zeaq is where the Giants live; and Oclonys. The forest surrounds every region, separating them from each other. Irkalla is this small spot in the center of it all. There’s only one veil to get in and out of the underworld, and it sits here.” He points to a line drawn in the northwest corner of the area. “I may have seen the symbol near that veil.”

I study the map, memorizing the locations for all the veils, but the one in Comoros bothers me. Bate placed one of the two veils in the Sacrer gardens where it should be, but the second one is in the southern section of the Sabra Mountains, not in the north where Valora had entered the region. I wish I had my journal so I could compare the drawings, even though neither the blue or black lanx show the veils.

“Those are the only two ways into Comoros?” I ask after a period of silence.

“Yes, why?”

“I was just wondering.”

Zander gives me a quizzical look, but I just shake my head.

“Well, my stomach tells me Col has food ready,” Bate says as he stands.

We exit through the veil. Bate heads off to Stonevale while Zander and I return to the cottage. I hit the pantry the moment I enter the kitchen and make sandwiches for us. We sit and eat, but I can tell Zander has something on his mind.

“What is it?” I ask after swallowing a bite of food.

“Your question to Bate about the veils into Comoros. It’s been bugging me,” he says before taking a drink of water.

I go into my room, grab my rucksack, and bring it back into the kitchen. I take out the journal, set it squarely on the table, and then remove the blue lanx which I secure to the first page. This particular lanx only shows Sacrer sites or buildings, and something tells me that’s what I need to focus on. My eyes quickly scan the image of Comoros as I try to remember the details of the drawing Bate did.

“What are you looking for?” Zander asks, moving a seat closer.

“A secret veil. I wonder if someone created another opening directly between Irkalla and Comoros.”

“Because of how Valora came back,” Zander comments.

I look at him and smile, pleased that he caught on to what I was thinking.

I consider the information I already have. The veil Bate drew is in the southern area of the mountains, probably west of the Sacrer baths, but I remember someone saying that when the Ligotas reentered Comoros it was through the northern portion. I tap on the image and try to zoom in. I slowly move the map around as the landscape becomes clearer. Then something catches my eye. An extremely small dot along the northern ridge of the mountains flickers faintly. I tap on it and the image enlarges so quickly that I have to blink a few times to focus my eyes properly. A triple spiral floats above a cave entrance. When I zoom out it disappears, too small to detect at that distance. I zoom in again, bringing the cave entrance into full focus.

“Only an Ancient can mark the Sacrer sites, correct?” I ask Zander.

“Yes, and I don’t remember any Sacrer structures or artifacts being there,” he answers, pointing to the cave.

“Which means someone made it without Delphi or the Guardians knowing about it.”

“So, which Ancient is it?”

“It has to be Myro. He’s the only one besides Delphi who’s been down into Irkalla. He could’ve made the veil centuries ago with only Valora knowing about it, as she’s the only one who has used it.”

“Until now,” Zander adds.

I remove the disc and close the book, shoving everything back into the rucksack. Myro is the father of Trel, the one who started the last war between the Ancients and their followers. The last time I saw Myro, he was with Gaden Lamen in the trade town of Acad Fields. He’s one Ancient I wouldn’t mind removing from the world as soon as possible.

“What do you want to do?” he asks.

“I’m not sure yet,” I answer as I clean up our plates.

I go down into the cellar and wait to see what my next trait will be. I’m actually looking forward to finishing them now, so I can be rid of the sphere once and for all. I go up to the device and put my hands on it, but nothing happens. I begin to pace the room, waiting for it to come alive. Zander checks on me an hour later to make sure I’m all right. I tell him I’m fine, and that if the sphere doesn’t activate soon I’ll come back up. The moment he closes the door, yellow flames fly all around me as they swirl in the sphere. The person who materializes is not one I was ever expecting to see.

“Hello, Aven,” my mother says. She’s wearing the blue dress Michael and I had her cremated in.

“Hello, Elena,” I respond with disdain.

“Now, is that any way to greet your mother?” she says, stepping forward and stretching her arms towards me.

I sidestep her embrace. “You’re not my mother,” I coldly reply.

“I raised you, didn’t I? I may not be blood to you, but I’m your mother all the same,” she says, her words trying to sound soothing.

“You preferred Michael over me,” I say as a tear cascades down my cheek. “You wanted him to live and not me.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” she asks, but she doesn’t sound angry.

“You did. Or have you forgotten our little conversation back in the henge?”

“It was wrong of me to have said such things to you. A mother should always nurture her children, not drive them away, which is what I’ve done to you, Aven, and I’m sorry.”

“Why are you here?”

“I represent your family trait,” she says with a kind smile.

“You’re not my family,” I practically spit back at her.

She saddens at my words. “I wish you would forgive me, Aven. You know I love you with all my heart.”

“No, I don’t know that!” I shout back, tears raining down my face now. “I thought I did, but you lied to me. My whole life was a lie that you helped perpetuate. Why couldn’t you and Father ever be honest with us? Michael would still be alive if it wasn’t for you.” I collapse onto my knees. “I killed him because of what you did to us. He’s dead because of me. He was your favorite, not me. I can’t, Elena.” I rise to my feet and head for the door. “I can’t do this right now.”

The moment I open the door, the flames go out. I slam the door shut behind me then ascend the ladder. I don’t stop until I’m in my room, where I collapse on my bed and finally mourn for Michael.

Five

Zander leaves me alone the entire night, and I get up just as the sun is rising and take a quick bath before breakfast. I dress, and eat quietly at the table. I can tell Zander wants to talk, but I’m not in the mood; I’m still reeling from Elena’s visit. There’s a knock on the backdoor, so Zander answers it. Jonas steps inside, his sword tucked neatly in its scabbard.

“Are you ready for some more practice?” he asks.

“Of course,” I reply.

I take my sword, which is still in my room, and go out back with him. Zander joins us a few minutes later with his crossbow. I ask Jonas where Bate and Isolde are this morning.

“Bate has gone wandering, probably because he was all worked up about going into the gardens again yesterday. Isolde is out hunting food with some of the others,” Jonas responds as he gets into a fighting stance.

We battle for several hours. Zander has even gotten better with using the sword, and he almost gets the best of me a couple of times. We don’t take a break until early afternoon. Jonas has us follow him to Stonevale, where Col is almost done cooking lunch. He leaves meat roasting on the spit while he busies himself in the tent behind him, preparing the rest of the food. We put our weapons in Jonas’ tent just as Col calls out that food is ready. We’re all handed plates and go through the same process that we did a few days earlier. When we’re done and the dishes have been placed in the wash bins, we go back to Jonas’ tent and sit in the chairs that are still there from when we dragged them over.

“You sure did make an impression on Bate, and that’s not easy to do,” Jonas says to me once we’re seated.

“He’s fun and so inquisitive about everything,” I reply.

“That he is,” Jonas says, nodding in agreement.

“What does he have against Guardians though?” Zander asks.

“The restrictions on our traveling, of course,” Jonas responds. “He was affected the most by the order from Prime Jarron. He’s always had this wanderlust, and to keep him trapped in the forest makes him go crazy. I did tell him what you said about Jarron. It lightened his view on you a little bit, but not much.”

I can sense Jonas wanting to smile at this last remark, but he’s doing everything he can to hide it.

A loud horn blares through the air at an almost deafening pitch.

“What is that?” I ask, covering my ears so they don’t burst.

“The watchmen,” Jonas says, clearly not bothered by the noise. “They need us.”

He jumps up, grabs his weapons along with ours, tosses them to us, and begins putting his on while running towards the gate we entered through earlier. I chase after him, which causes Zander to grumble and follow.

A group of us race east then turn north as the horn continues to blow. I have no idea where we’re going, but the huntsmen seem to. I catch sight of Isolde’s red hair up ahead, and she slows down just long enough for us to catch up to her. Jonas is asking her what she might think the emergency is, but she just shakes her head in reply. The group slams to a stop when the horn is replaced by screeching. A few of our group breaks off to the left, readying their bows, while another goes right, removing their knives from their belts. With their movement, it opens the path for me to see what exactly is going on.

A large winged animal is pulling on a small wooden platform, which seems to be holding a tiny man. He’s gripping the railing surrounding the platform as tightly as possible, his horn banging against his side. The screeching is coming from the animal as he tries to snatch the poor man from his perch. Arrows begin to fly, hitting the thing in the neck and torso, but that doesn’t stop its attempts. The next group attacks the bottom section, slicing and stabbing with such force that they almost bury their knives in the leathery flesh.

Still, the creature attacks.

“Try the mortality flare,” Zander says to me, panic rising in his voice.

Red energy begins to swirl around me, causing the leaves and pine needles under my feet to kick up into the air. I aim the flare at the monster, encasing it in the same red energy that surrounds me. I feel myself getting weaker the longer I cast it, and it doesn’t seem to be having any effect on the creature, but it’s draining me. I fall to my knees and lose all focus. I feel like I can hardly breathe, and my head is throbbing.

Jonas spots me on the ground, runs over, removes my sword from its scabbard since his is currently jutting out of the creature’s torso, and charges the animal. He leaps up on its back and continues to climb until he’s near the throat. With one violent motion Jonas severs the head, killing the creature. Zander is helping me to my feet when Jonas returns, cleaning the blood off the blade with his shirt.

“What was that thing?” Zander asks as Jonas slips the weapon back into my scabbard.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he replies, giving me a quizzical look.

“It looked like a Ligotas,” I mumble. “Only without its human parts.”

They both look over towards the remains while the rest of the huntsmen help the watchman back onto his platform.

“It does,” Zander says. “That’s weird. Where would it have come from?”

“Over here!” Isolde calls, motioning for us to join her. “It seems he was snacking on something before the watchman called us.”

We look near the feet of the creature, only to see scattered remains of an older man with dark skin.

“Damn it, Bate,” Jonas says, kicking the ground. “Why did you have to be so careless?”

“Are you sure it’s him?” I ask, my body still weak from the flare.

“I’m afraid so,” Isolde answers.

I feel tears welling in my eyes, and my heart breaks at the loss of a new friend.

Isolde looks up from the carcass, towards me. “Girl, you look like hell.”

I feel like it, too.

Zander practically has to carry me because I’m still very weak from the spellcasting.

“Take her back to the cottage,” Jonas orders. “We need to sweep the area to make sure there aren’t more of these.”

I give him my sword in case they come across more, then Zander helps me back to the main path and we head toward home.

I don’t remember falling asleep on the couch, but I must’ve since that’s where I find myself. I must have slept for hours, as the oil lamps now burn brightly throughout the cottage. Something smells tantalizing from the kitchen, so I slowly get up and make my way there. Zander is sitting at the kitchen table with what looks like a bowl of stew in front of him. A potful of the same is resting on the wood-burning stove.

“Where’d that come from?” I ask, pointing to his bowl.

“Col brought it over a few minutes ago,” he responds, taking a hefty bite.

I pour some into a bowl and sit across from Zander. “How long was I out?”

“Several hours. I was starting to get concerned.”

I ignore that last remark and begin eating. The stew is thick with potatoes, carrots, and meat, which tastes like what we had for lunch, so I guess Col must have thrown it together with the leftovers.

“Has Jonas been by?” I ask, looking up only slightly.

Zander grimaces. “No,” is all the response I get.

I finish my food, clean the bowl, and place it back on the rack before heading down below. I need to face Elena again, but I have no idea what I need to say or do to make her go away.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” she says once she appears.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mutter.

She sits next to me on the floor. “Then what would you like to talk about?”

“Why are you being nice to me?”

“I’m your mother, Aven; why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

I look away from her as I try to hold back tears.

“I blame myself,” I finally utter after minutes of silence.

“For what?” she asks, petting my hair.

“For Bate. He wouldn’t have gone off exploring to God knows where if I hadn’t shown him the gardens.”

“Now, you know that’s not true,” she says as she stops with the affection. “Remember what his friends said — he’s always been that way. There’s no way you could’ve prevented him from exploring at his own free will.”

“Why do I allow bad things to happen?” I ask, pulling my knees up to my chest.

“None of this is your fault,” my mother says, moving so she’s sitting in front of me. “You didn’t ask for this life, Aven, and I’m sorry you’re going through it. But you can’t keep beating yourself up for things you have no control over. Look, take a day or so to clear your mind then come back. Okay?”

I nod, and she disappears. I sit a while longer before getting up and going back to the kitchen. Isolde and Jonas are sitting around the table when I emerge, a large bottle of liquor sitting between them.

“There she is,” Jonas says loudly. “Come, Aven, we’re paying tribute to our fallen friend.”

He picks up the tumbler in front of him, nearly spilling its contents, and then swallows the entire thing in one gulp. Isolde refills his glass while I take a seat at the other end of the table, across from Zander.

“You know,” Isolde begins as she lifts her glass, “I knew that bastard was going to get himself into trouble. It was just a matter of time.”

“And he chose the worst way to go: being eaten,” Jonas says, slurring his words slightly.

“Is there a better way?” Isolde says, before bursting into hysterics.

“How much have you two had to drink?” I ask as Jonas pours me a glass.

“Not enough,” Isolde answers, then empties hers.

“They were like this when they got here,” Zander says, reaching for the bottle. “I’m surprised they made it here at all, and in one piece.”

“Well, we didn’t find any more of those monsters,” Jonas says, nudging Zander to top off his glass. “So, it was easy to get here.”

“I think I’m going to turn in,” I say, and I start to stand.

Jonas grabs my arm and forces me back into my seat. “Not until you have your drink.”

The last time I had any alcohol I made a very poor decision, which I don’t want to repeat.

“I don’t really drink,” I protest as Isolde pushes my tumbler closer to me, almost spilling it in my lap.

“Don’t be rude, Aven, drink your drink,” she says as I pick up the glass. “Bate would want you to drink in his honor.”

“But he went wandering because of me,” I say as I stare at the yellow liquid.

“Are you nuts?” Isolde says, then lets out a chuckle. “He’s always been a free spirit. You didn’t do anything to him. He was a determined little shit, and there wasn’t anything that was going to stop him from doing what he wanted.”

“She’s right,” Jonas says. “Bate was a fucking idiot.”

“That’s not what I said,” Isolde says solemnly.

“Well, that’s what I heard,” he replies.

“Then you need new ears,” Isolde says, slamming her tumbler onto the table then passing out.

Jonas practically falls off his chair in laughter. Zander helps me put Isolde into the spare bedroom, and then he makes up the couch for Jonas while I get ready for bed. I can hear Jonas mumbling to Zander about having sword practice in the morning, and how cute he thinks I am. That last part goes over really well with Zander, and I have to stop him from placing a pillow over Jonas’ face after he passes out.

We retreat to our rooms, but I’m not as tired as I should be. I sit in my bed and think about Elena. It dawns on me what I need to do to pass this test, but I have no idea how I’m going to do it. How do you forgive someone when you can’t even forgive yourself?

I lie awake all night, trying to think of the answer. I finally give up when the sun begins to shine. I make breakfast for everyone, but Zander is the only one with an appetite. The other two are severely hungover and refusing food. I eat what I can, but feel so sick from lack of sleep that I don’t get much down. Zander takes care of the cleanup so I can head back into the cellar and hopefully complete this test.

The moment I walk through the door, the yellow flames come alive and my mother steps into the center of the room.

“You know what you have to do, don’t you?” she asks as the door closes behind me.

“Yes, but I don’t know how.”

“It’s because you hold too much blame to yourself, Aven. You need to let it all go, accept what’s already happened, and forgive yourself,” she says calmly as she places her arm around my shoulders.

“Easy for you to say,” I retort.

“You can do this, Aven. I know you can.”

“But this isn’t just about forgiving myself, is it?”

“No, honey, it’s not. You’ll need to forgive everyone who’s ever hurt you, including me.”

I turn so we’re face to face. “I don’t know if I can do that,” I say with sadness.

She places her hand on my cheek. “It may take time, but you’ll get there eventually.”

“How will I know if I’ve forgiven someone?”

“Your heart will tell you.” She kisses me on the cheek and steps back.

I close my eyes and focus on trying to forgive my mother for all that she’s done. I concentrate on the values she instilled in me, the love I felt from her, and everything she sacrificed. I struggle because all my mind can hold onto is the negative, so I have to select each moment separately, dissecting life piece by piece. I’m tossed through an emotional rollercoaster, but when I’m finally able to move on I feel a tremendous weight lift from my shoulders and disappear. When I open my eyes my mother is gone, and the sphere is quiet. Zander is alone when I finally resurface. Isolde and Jonas have gone back to the camp to bathe and change their clothes. I feel grungy myself, so I go to my room and grab a towel. I exit out the back door and enter the bathhouse. I decide to hold off on the cleansing, so I lean my head back against the tub and close my eyes.

“I found you!” The words slam so hard in my head that I bolt up, splashing water onto the tiled floor.

“Trel,” I say in a whisper.

“Hello, my love — it’s been a while,” he coos to me.

“How…how did you find me?”

“A veil has been opened. One that will cause havoc to the entire dominion,” he says with a small snicker.

“Where?”

“Not so fast, Aven. I will only tell you if you make me a promise.”

“I know what you want, and the answer is still no.”

“Very well,” he says, his voice getting deeper. “I hope you enjoy your new companions.”

I feel him leave.

I quickly get out, wrap the towel around my naked body, grab my clothes, extinguish the lamps, and go back to the house. Zander is still in the kitchen when I enter, but I ignore the look on his face and head straight for my room. I toss the clothes into the corner and put on a black pair of cotton pants with a matching shirt. I remove the journal from my rucksack, take out the blue lanx, and sit on the bed. I lay the book down onto the covers as I cross my legs and lean forward. I turn to the first page and place the blue lanx on the embellishment.

Every Sacrer building lights up across the massive map of Comoros. The kerk, which is in the city once known as Delphi, blinks red and orange before my eyes, reminding me of its destruction. This map isn’t supposed to be interactive but that changed some time ago, and Zander and I have never figured out by who. I remove the lanx and begin to slowly flip through the twelve paintings that are behind the initial page. I carefully study each one, as they documented everything Michael and I went through to fulfill the Ancients’ — or rather Delphi’s — prophecy. I speed past image number six, as it displays Zander and me, very exposed to the world at the height of the act of sex, a moment in my life I would rather forget. Of the twelve paintings, the last one is still concealed in a mess of color. I doubt I’ll ever know what it was supposed to be but Zander knows and he won’t tell me, not that I’ve ever asked him. I turn back to the first painting to reexamine it when there’s a knock at my door.

“What, Zander?” I ask, assuming it’s him since he’s the only other person in the house.

He opens the door, takes a few steps inside, but keeps his hand on the doorknob. “I was wondering if you’re feeling okay. You bolted in here awfully quickly from the bathhouse.”

“I’m fine,” I respond, then turn my attention back to the journal.

“You still look at that those paintings?” he asks, stepping further into the room.

“Sometimes.”

I flip to the second painting and a tear trails down my cheek when my eyes fall upon Knox. It’s the image of Zander, Knox, and me arriving at the Sacrer temple in the City of Parime, which was towards the beginning of all this madness. Knox’s death was unnecessary, but aren’t all deaths? Zander sidles up next to the bed, glances down at the page, and smiles for a moment.

“That day seems like a lifetime ago,” he remarks.

He takes the book from me and goes through the pages carefully, only stopping when he reaches the sixth painting. I avert my eyes since I’m so disgusted with myself for letting that occur.

“I’m surprised you haven’t torn out this page,” he says.

“I tried, but the pages won’t come out and I can’t get any spell to destroy it.”

“You know which one of these is my favorite?” he asks, but I refuse to answer. He turns to the ninth painting, the one of me returning to life in the Sacrer baths right after Michael sliced my throat. “This one,” he says, tapping it. “You came back to Comoros… to Delphi… to me. You were alive again, and that was the only thing that mattered at the time.” He gets slightly choked up at his words.

I turn to face him, since I’d been staring at the blanket. “Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep bringing up your feelings for me, when they were all lies?”

He looks shattered by my remark. “I never lied to you about my feelings. I did, and still do, love you more than anything.”

“But it wasn’t even me through all those cycles,” I say, protesting.

“In a sense, it was. There was a small piece of you in every woman that was a sister to Michael. In the thirteenth cycle, all those pieces finally merged into one… you.”

“You’re nuts, do you know that?”

He gives me a half-smile, hands the journal back to me, and heads towards the door. “How many traits do you have left to master?”

“Two: betrayal and fear.”

He grimaces at that. “I wonder who you’ll see for those,” he comments, then closes my door.

I put everything on the nightstand then lean against the headboard. A warm sensation flows over me as my mind wanders back to that night with Zander. No matter what I try to do, I can’t divert myself from the memory. It felt so right to be with him, so comforting, so enticing, but I can’t allow myself to be pulled back into that thinking… or that feeling. I shake myself loose, get out of bed, and head for the cellar. I might as well get the other two tests over and done with.

The moment I close the door to the room, a harsh green flame erupts from the sphere and almost envelops the entire room. The fire actually hurts my eyes. I reach behind me for the door handle, but I can’t find it. A pair of hands reaches around my shoulders as warm breath tickles my ear.

“Oh, Aven, such fun we have together,” the voice says.

I’m spun around and now face to face with Zander, or at least the sphere’s equivalent of him.

“Get off me,” I say, shoving him back.

“Is that any way to treat your Guardian? You need me, Aven, and I need you.”

“I don’t need you.”

“Of course, you do — you’d be dead otherwise,” he admonishes with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’d only be dead because you left me in Welding. You didn’t go looking for me when Myro kidnapped me from the tavern. You were only concerned about your precious watchtower. You knew what kind of hell was coming for me, yet you kept it all to yourself. You claim you love me, yet you betray me at every turn.”

“I haven’t betrayed you,” he responds with anger.

“Not warning or telling me what was going to happen to me is the same thing!” I yell. “You knew Michael was going to kill me from the beginning, but you didn’t try hard enough to stop it.”

“I did what I thought was right!” he shouts back. “I had promises to keep. People were counting on me!”

“I was counting on you! You could’ve broken your promises since you were going to be condemned to the underworld anyway. Why keep everything from me if you knew what was going to happen?”

“I didn’t have a choice!”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.” I turn my back to him and begin to pace. “I can’t trust you, Zander. Not now and probably not ever. The prophecy was more important to you even when it meant your death.”

“You’re what’s important to me.”

“If that were true, you would’ve protected me better.” I unleash those words with as much anger and hatred as possible.

“I can’t do this right now,” he says as he walks away toward the door.

My mouth falls open when he opens it and climbs the ladder. Once he’s gone, the green flames stop.

What just happened? Was that really Zander? How is that possible?

I follow him up the ladder, only to find the back door swinging hard as if violently closed. I go up to it, and catch a glimpse of him storming away into the forest. I can’t decide if I should go after him or let him be, so I decide to stay in the kitchen and read my books until he returns. In the anthology, I turn to the page covering the Gehenna Sphere. Down at the bottom it states that, for each trait, the person associated with it can be alive or dead. If dead, an apparition will appear. If alive, the sphere will transport the person required to be with the trainee in question. So, in other words, it was Zander I was screaming at.

Six

It’s practically midnight when Zander finally returns to the cottage. He ignores me as he crosses over to his bedroom and slams the door. I’m not sure why he’s taking what I said so harshly, since the words aren’t new to him. He knows how I feel about what he did back in Comoros, so why is he shocked at my lashing out? I leave my things on the kitchen table and call it a night.

My body aches and I feel weak. All I can do is lie in the bath and stare up at the marble ceiling, the Sacrer Atonement Chant’s haunting words singing in my head in Katrina’s voice.

“Twisted fate has brought you here, but close to death you have no fear. Magic and mystics call your name, but neither will be glad you came. Horrors await even the most loyal of allies as they burn, turn, and relish your demise. Fear not, as all is not lost, for they will all pay a heavy cost. Shadows and monsters now fill the void to ensure those who tremble are forever destroyed. A new world you have created, one of knowing, one of fear. For those who don’t forsake, the end will be near.”

I feel her breath against my cheeks, even though the black water has them covered.

“What chaos you’ve caused,” she says, a slight rhythm to her words. “My darling, Aven, what monsters you’ve unleashed. Delphi will come to ruin as will his precious region, if you don’t surrender to us.”

“To who?” I ask as my eyes grow heavy.

“The Ligotas, Aven. They’re the true inheritors of Comoros. Even now, their numbers double and another city will soon fall. You cannot stop them, so don’t bother trying.”

“No,” I whisper.

“Yes!” Michael says, jumping into the bath with me in his human form, and shoving me under the water.

I flail and scratch at his arms, but he’s much stronger and I can’t hold my breath forever. Blackness begins to set in and I begin to choke as the liquid races down my throat. I cough, trying to expel the caustic substance, but I only wind up swallowing more.

I start convulsing, which wakes me up. I can’t get air in, but I’m spitting up water. I panic and try to scream, but only gurgling escapes my lips. I fall onto the floor, landing on my back. A huge wave of black water flies out of my mouth, allowing me to get in a small amount of air. I cough violently, banging on the floor as I do to alert Zander that I’m in distress. He rushes into my room seconds later, helps me sit up, and starts pounding on my back. I expel more fluid, then move onto my knees and bend over. Zander applies pressure to my back. I cough over and over, ridding my body of the substance. I collapse into Zander when my lungs have emptied. He wraps his arms around me, pulls me into his lap, and rocks me.

“What… was… that?” I squeak out since my throat is raw.

“A spell, but one I’ve never seen before,” he says, rubbing my back.

“How? Who?”

“We’ll need to ask your father.”

I’m too terrified to go back to sleep, so after changing into dry clothes I go sit on the couch while Zander cleans up the mess in my room. I can’t shed the horrid taste in my mouth, so I decide to retreat to the bathhouse and brush my teeth. I make it a quick visit since I don’t want to be isolated. Believe it or not, I want to be near Zander in case something happens again. He’s coming out of my room when I reenter the cottage.

“Tell me how it started,” he asks, guiding me back to the couch.

I tell him about my nightmare, how Katrina sang the second part of the Sacrer Atonement Chant to me, lying in the Sacrer bath, and Michael holding me under. Just the thought of that water makes me gag, and I have to run outside to vomit when my anxiety becomes too much to control. When I’m back inside I curl up on the couch, in a ball, while Zander places a blanket on me, tucking it around me. I stare at the floor, trying to make sense of it all, when birds begin to chirp outside. The first rays of dawn have started to break through the partially drawn curtains that hang on the front windows. Zander gets up to make breakfast, but I tell him not to make anything for me since I have no appetite.

An hour later, Delphi arrives to check on my progress with the sphere. He doesn’t bother knocking, he just walks right in. He takes one look at me and immediately becomes concerned. He sits on the couch next to me and tries to be all fatherly, but he’s fails miserably.

“What happened?” he asks, trying to sound caring.

“She was almost killed last night by a spell,” Zander answers from the kitchen.

“No one knows she’s here, so how could anyone cast a long-distance spell at her?” Delphi asks in utter disbelief.

“Obviously, someone does know I’m here,” I croak in a tired voice.

Zander enters the living room with a cup of coffee in his hand and sits on the couch across from me.

“Trel found me,” I say once everyone is situated.

“He’s not supposed to be able to reach into the Dryad Forest,” Zander says, deeply concerned.

Delphi turns from Zander to me. “Are you sure it was Trel?”

“I don’t make mistakes,” I reply, getting upset. “He spoke to me yesterday.”

“That’s why you came bolting into the house,” Zander says. “What did he say?”

“That a veil has been opened, which is how he was able to locate me.”

“It has to be the veil for Irkalla,” Zander says, setting his cup on the coffee table.

“Which would explain the creature the other day,” Delphi adds.

“What was that thing?” I ask, pulling the blanket tighter under my chin.

“It’s called a Sagot,” Delphi answers, his attention going back and forth between the two of us. “It’s the offspring of two full Ligotas. I had them all trapped in their caves in Irkalla, but someone must’ve let them out.”

“Who would do that?” I ask, knowing the question is dumb.

“It would have to have been Myro, but he can’t get out of Comoros since I’ve restricted his access to the gardens, which has the only working veil into Dryad. I sealed the other one months ago,” Delphi says, leaning forward onto his knees.

“Bate,” Zander says angrily.

Delphi and I both stare at him.

“Don’t you see? Jonas said Bate had a knack for going where he wasn’t supposed to, so it had to have been him.”

“I sincerely doubt that, Zander. Bate learned his lesson the last time he broke one of my rules. He wouldn’t have dared to repeat it.”

“What if he didn’t have a choice? I mean, if Myro cast a spell on Aven, what’s stopping him from doing that to Bate?”

“Are you serious?” I ask, shaking my head. “The huntsmen have a shield tattooed on their chest, which prevents any form of magic from working on them. Jonas showed us his, don’t you remember?”

“It was just a thought,” Zander says, sounding wounded.

“Well, get some rest, Aven. I’ll be by tomorrow to check on you.”

Delphi pats my hand and leaves.

The minute the door is closed, I toss off the blanket and head into my room. I put on a pair of brown pants, leather belt, and black tank top. I slip on my boots, take my sword, and exit the cottage with Zander chasing after me.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he says as he tries to grab my arm to stop me.

I shake him off. “I need to see Jonas.”

“No way. You heard Delphi. You need your rest.”

“Humor me, Zander,” I say with a snarl.

He doesn’t say another word as we head west towards Stonevale. The camp is busy, with everyone lining up for breakfast. Just the smell of food causes my stomach to retch, so I have to do everything I can to prevent myself from getting sick. Jonas is in the middle of the line, but steps out when he sees us approaching.

“Did you come to eat?” he asks, a huge smile spreading across his chiseled face. “Col makes a mean omelet.”

“No, we’re good,” I say, swallowing the bile that’s crept up. “I need to ask you something. Is there a way a huntsman can be harmed or controlled by magic?”

He scrunches up his face. “I’ve heard of it happening one time before, but that was because the huntsman’s shield was compromised.”

“What do you mean by compromised?” Zander asks.

“Well, if the tattoo is damaged somehow it loses its ability to protect the wearer,” Jonas responds. “Why do you ask?”

“Where are Bate’s remains?” I ask, trying to hide my trepidation.

“Isolde is burying him now behind the camp.” Jonas sets his plate down and waves for us to follow.

We have to maneuver carefully through the tents so as not to trip on the many ropes and stakes around them. Jonas is going at a hurried pace, so I’m practically jogging to keep up. About half a mile behind the camp are mounds of disturbed soil, many years if not decades old. Isolde is covered in dirt when we reach her. She has almost completed digging the pit for the burial. Bate’s remains are covered with a tarp off to the side.

“I need to check something,” I say to Isolde as she pitches her spade into the ground.

“What for?” she asks, getting slightly defensive.

“Please, I need to look at his body. Particularly the protection shield.”

Isolde gives me an awkward look, but steps aside.

I kneel next to the body and pull off the tarp. The smell causes my head to swim and my eyes to partially roll back into my head, but I take a couple of deep breaths through my mouth and continue with my search.

Luckily, the portion from his neck down to his bellybutton is in one piece. I pull down his damaged shirt and find puncture wounds and scratches all over his chest.

“I’m not sure what you were hoping to find, Aven,” Isolde says, crossing her arms. “Can I continue with the burial now?”

I look carefully at all the markings, trying to distinguish which ones might be old, but there’s too much blood to tell.

“Can we get this section cleaned up?” I ask, turning to the group.

“Please tell me what the hell is going on,” Isolde says, getting frustrated.

“We think Bate was tricked into opening the veil into Irkalla,” Zander says. “That would explain the creature the other day.”

“Bate was just careless,” Isolde says, a hint of fear in her voice. “There shouldn’t be any way for someone to make him do it.”

“That’s why I need to clean off the blood, so I can be sure,” I say, standing.

Jonas runs off and returns a few moments later with a canteen of water and a rag. He hands them to me. I bend back down, and begin cleansing the wounds. I go gently since I feel like Bate might still react to the touch. The blood is so thick that it takes me over five minutes to get to the ink for the tattoo. There are three distinctive claw marks across the shield, but one looks older, and is half healed.

“Look,” I say, pointing to the wound.

The three kneel next to me, their heads fighting for room over the small space.

“When did that happen, I wonder?” Isolde asks, sitting back.

“Would this have allowed someone to cast a spell on him?” I ask her and Jonas.

“Yes,” they answer in unison.

I look over at Zander.

“It had to have been the submission hex,” he says, practically reading my mind. “But the only way that can be performed is with the Cosanta Amulet. Not even an Ancient can cast this spell without the device. I know you found it in the fountain at the kerk, so where is it?”

My head hangs down, but I refuse to believe what I’m about to say. “I gave it to Leo for safe-keeping. But he would have no reason to do this. None.”

“There is one way,” Zander says, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“No… no way… never.”

“He was with her for a while.”

“Valora is trapped in the city, and Leo took off to places unknown,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment.

“There’s only one way to be sure,” Zander says.

But I’m not ready to go back, not yet.

We help Isolde lay Bate to rest, fill in the hole, then head back to their tent. Isolde and Jonas go back for breakfast, leaving Zander and me alone, each taking our usual seats. I can tell his mind is racing with thoughts of Leo, Valora, and Myro, just like mine is. Even though Gaden Lamen has a pair of Kerai Couplings, he doesn’t have the knowledge or ability to cast such a unique spell. It doesn’t take much effort to use the amulet, but you still need some knowledge of magic for it to work, and Leo knows nothing. I finally stand and head towards one of the four bathhouses that occupy the corners of the camp.

“Where are you headed off to?” Zander asks.

“I hate the feeling of dirt under my fingernails, so I’m going to wash up.”

“I’ll come with you,” he says, standing.

“I think I can handle this without you,” I say, rolling my eyes.

He sits back down, but I can sense him watching me as I walk out of sight.

The closest bathhouse is in the northwest corner, which also happens to be where the least number of tents are. I knock on the door first, hoping no one is inside. Silence is my answer, but I still slowly open the door so as not to surprise anyone. This bathhouse is identical in every detail to the one at the cottage. I pump the water into the sink, use a cracked bar of soap to clean away the grime, and then rinse off. I dry my hands on a small towel hanging by the tub, but when I try the door it won’t open. I check the lock, which is on the inside of the bathhouse, but it’s not bolted. I push on the door again, but it won’t budge.

“Aven,” a voice calls behind me.

I turn around, scared at who I might see.

Michael stares back at me, his face darkened by ash as a fire flickers behind him.

“You’re not real,” I mumble. “I killed you.”

“Yet here I am,” he says, then grins, showing his sharp Ligotas teeth.

“It’s another spell. This is just an illusion.”

“Then why can’t you get out of the bathhouse?” he says with a slight laugh. “Oh, my dear sister, I’m very real — and a lot more powerful thanks to you.” He lifts a silver chain from around his neck. Dangling from it is a pendant of similar color, covered in runes.

My stomach falls, as does my heart. “Where’d you get that?” I ask as pain begins to spread across my chest.

He steps to the side, revealing the fire behind him. Leo is tied to a post, screaming as he writhes in pain while flames lick at his flesh. I shriek and tears pour from my eyes.

“How?” I ask through deep sobs.

“Your lover shouldn’t have come back to familiar surroundings.” Michael steps further to the side, revealing more of the scene behind him.

The post Leo is tied to is the same one Gaden Lamen was using on Ligotas followers in the military City of Terac where Zander and I rescued Knox. Leo isn’t the only thing burning; all the buildings are in some stage of collapse, fire ripping through every inch of them. Teracs who look to have been left behind by the Mitris lay scattered over the ground, many still moaning from their wounds, but obviously dying.

“I told you I was going to kill him, and I always keep my promises.”

“What do you want?!” I yell into the mirror, wishing I could jump through the object.

“You… dead.”

His image vanishes as bright orange begins to eat away at the walls of the bathhouse. The room quickly fills with smoke, forcing me to the floor. I try the door again, but it still won’t open. I try not to breathe in the smoke, but I start coughing as it finds its way into my lungs. I crawl into the bathtub, since the room is almost completely in flames now. The only way I can think of to protect myself is to conjure a marus shield, which will protect me against any man-made harm. I’m hoping fire is one of them. I twirl my left wrist clockwise, and think of the runes needed. A green energy envelops me just as the roof collapses; the debris falls around me not on me.

“Aven!” My name carries through the rancid air.

“Get some more water!” another voice shouts.

“Aven, hang on!”

My head pounds, my lungs burn, and I don’t know how much longer I can maintain the shield. The smoke is thinning, and I can now see some of the blue sky above. I let the shield fall just as a pair of arms scoops me out of the tub. Zander doesn’t put me down until we’re several yards away. A group of huntsmen work on containing the fire, while others look to see what’s happening. Isolde holds a bucket of water next to me and uses it to try to cool my skin. Zander cups some of it into his hands and has me drink, but all I want to do right now is close my eyes. I feel myself starting to fade away, but Zander violently shakes me.

“You can’t go to sleep now,” he says. The panic in his voice is so heavy that it causes it to crack.

“No more,” I whisper. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Yes, yes you can,” he says, holding me tightly.

“Let them win.” I mumble as my eyes close. “I’m tired,” I say, then everything vanishes.

Seven

The sound of someone humming wakes me, but when I try to move I’m stiff. I feel like I’ve been sleeping on the sun and every part of my body is blistered to some degree. I’m lying on a cot, not my cottage bed, so I guess I must still be in Stonevale. I move my head as gently as I can to see where the humming is coming from. Isolde is busy puttering around a dresser at the back of the tent, and smiles when she sees me.

“Good, you’re up. I’ll get the guys,” she says, then steps outside, returning a few moments later with Zander and Jonas.

“How do you feel?” Zander asks, sitting beside me.

“Sore, fried, and gross,” I answer.

“We had a physician come to see you,” Jonas says, taking a seat on the cot across from me. “He gave Zander some ointment that’ll help heal your burns. It’ll be a few days before you’re back to normal.”

“He also said it’s best if we don’t move you,” Zander says. “So, you’ll be staying here with Isolde. Jonas is going to move to another tent, and I’m going to be sleeping outside this one.”

“Which isn’t necessary,” Isolde adds with a hint of resentment.

“Delphi thinks it is, and so do I,” Zander responds, getting defensive.

“He knows? Delphi knows?” I ask.

“He’s the one who brought the physician,” Jonas says. “The watchmen alerted him to the fire. He arrived just as we were setting you down in here.”

Zander takes my hand, but my fingers will only bend so far before I grimace. “What happened?” he asks.

“Another spell,” is all I’m willing to say.

I turn my head away from the others and close my eyes, but the moment I do the image of Leo burning flies to the surface. Tears once again fall down my cheeks, while questions fill my mind. How did Michael come back from the dead, and how did he find Leo? Where is he headed next? How do I stop him completely? I feel myself drifting off, so I let it happen. I’m startled awake in what seems like moments later but the sun has set, and an extra blanket has been placed over me to ward off the chill in the night air. I toss the blankets off and am surprised at how little I currently hurt. I glance at my burns to find that they’re almost completely healed. Lying in the cot next to mine is Zander, snoring softly.

“He’s been awake for days,” Isolde says as she sits up in her cot off to my left. “It took a lot of convincing to get him to sleep.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Almost four days,” she answers, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, her bare skin looking cold.

“I’m surprised nothing more happened while I was out.”

“Zander made sure nothing did. He kept a shield around you until he fell asleep just a few minutes ago. That’s probably what woke you, the shield evaporating.”

“He must have used the veneficia shield, which protects against magic,” I say, looking over at him.

“Well, he can’t use that shield forever, since he can’t always be awake when you’re sleeping. You’ll have to come up with something else.” She stands, and that’s when I catch a glimpse of her scarred hip. She catches me staring at her. “I don’t like to sleep with clothes on,” she says with a small smile.

“Okay, but that’s not what caught my attention,” I say, a little taken aback by her openness.

“Oh, yeah, the scars. I got them when a giant tried to use me as a chew toy.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Giants are normally passive, but I really pissed off this particular one.” She steps over towards me, her blanket slipping slightly in the process exposing part of her breasts. “You’ve led a very sheltered life, Aven. It’s time to open your eyes to all the amazing wonders this land holds.” She brushes my hair behind my ear, which sends an odd tingling sensation down my spine.

“Are you always this forward with your tent-mates?” I ask, getting slightly uncomfortable.

“No, sorry,” she says, backing off. “I get too at ease around certain women, and you happen to be one of them. It’s the only weakness I truly have.”

“Ah,” is the only thing I can think to respond.

“I’m thirsty. Do you want me to bring you back some water?”

“Sure.”

She tightens her blanket around her willowy body, and leaves. She returns a few minutes later with two jugs of water and hands me one, and I sip from it before lying back down. I’m still exhausted from the fire and healing, but I fear going to sleep. The fire at the bathhouse plays over and over in my mind as does Leo’s death. I can’t seem to shake any of it from my mind no matter how hard I try. I feel disgusting since I’m still in the same clothes I wore from the fire, so I sit up, slip my ash-covered boots on, and step outside.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jonas says as I take my first steps away from the tent.

I hadn’t noticed him sitting there in the dark.

“I need to take a bath and change my clothes,” I say as I try to focus on his looming frame.

“Not alone, you’re not,” he says stepping closer.

“You can’t protect me,” I say with annoyance. “Nobody can,” I add, after seeing the hurt look on his face, and wanting to reassure him.

“Tell us what happened, then,” Zander says, appearing at the tent’s entrance.

I look between him, Jonas, and a fully clothed Isolde who is lingering behind Zander. I sigh, take a seat in one of the chairs, and carefully pick out what details to tell them about what transpired in the bathhouse.

“He can’t be alive,” Zander says in disbelief. “You killed him. There’s no way.”

“I’m telling you what happened,” I say, my voice rising. “You doubt me?”

“No,” he replies. “I just don’t get how he was able to come back let alone enter Comoros, when Delphi has all the veils sealed — except the one in the gardens.”

“Maybe that’s how he got in,” Isolde says.

“He couldn’t have; we would’ve seen him,” Zander answers.

“But how is he alive at all?” I ask anyone, but nobody responds.

“We’ll need to alert Delphi that Michael is back,” Zander says, touching my knee.

Normally I would shove it off, but it feels comforting to have his touch.

“How quickly we run through lovers,” Trel whispers in my head. “One dead, one you refuse to have, and possibly a new one in the making? How many more to go?”

I rub my temples as a way of discouraging myself from responding.

“Oh, to be a fly in your spider web, Aven,” he says with a slight laugh. “If Zander only knew you prefer another to him, he wouldn’t be protecting you so desperately.”

I close my eyes and will him to leave.

“You still don’t understand, do you? We’re connected… for life. The Ashes of the Forgotten only took you away from me temporarily, but you’ll still turn into one of us. It’ll just take longer now.”

“Go away,” I say under my breath.

“Our time is growing near. We’ll be together soon and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it.”

I begin pushing the sides of my head with my hands.

Zander grabs one of my arms to stop me.

“He’s back again, isn’t he?” Zander asks, pulling my arm down to my lap.

“Yes.”

“Who?” Jonas asks, his concern clearly coming through.

“An old enemy of the Ancients,” I respond.

Silence falls around us, but my mind remains overly active.

“Hey,” Isolde says, disturbing the quiet, and eliciting a grumble from someone in the tent in front of us. She makes a face towards the person before continuing. “What if we tattooed the huntsmen’s shield on her? That would protect her from anything her brother is trying to cast.”

“But would I still be able to do magic myself?” I ask, liking the idea.

“I don’t know,” she says, sounding disappointed.

“We’ll test it on me,” Zander says. “If it doesn’t work then we’ll think of something else, but at least Aven won’t lose her abilities.”

I want to argue about his volunteering, but it’s the only way to test Isolde’s idea. I still need to get cleaned up, and the person who handles the tattoos is asleep, so Jonas stays behind until the man wakes up, while Isolde accompanies Zander and me to the cottage. Once we’re back I go into my room, pick out a fresh set of clothes, and then go outside. Isolde came with both her sets of knives and bow and arrow, so she’ll patrol a perimeter while I’m in the bathhouse. Zander steps into the small room first, removing the mirror and tossing it into the bushes outside. I start to run the water, when he comes back in and bolts the door.

“Why are you in here?” I ask, startled slightly.

“It’s easier to cast the veneficia shield this way. It takes a lot of energy if I surround the entire structure, but less if I focus it on just you.”

I’m not happy about being naked with him in the same room, but there isn’t anything I can do about that now. He averts his eyes while I undress and step into the tub. I submerge myself, then surface moments later and begin to lather up with the soap. I can’t tell if Zander is doing anything, but I sense something around me and notice that his right wrist is moving in a counterclockwise fashion.

“You like him, don’t you?” Zander says out of the blue.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Jonas. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“Do we really have to do this now?”

“Just answer the question.”

“No,” I lie, sort of. “I can’t think about anything like that right now, and I can’t believe you would ask such a question.”

I will admit that I’m attracted to Jonas, more than I was to Leo, but I’m not ready to get into any kind of relationship, if ever. Besides, I still need to sort out my feelings for Zander, since they keep waffling.

“I needed to know,” Zander says, sounding offended by my remark.

“No, you didn’t,” I say, getting angry. “You just wanted to make sure I wasn’t having feelings for someone who isn’t you.”

“Well, he likes you.”

“Then that’s his problem,” I say, my temper on the rise. “If you’re going to stay in here, then we need to talk about something else.”

“Fine,” he says, but I can tell from his tone that he’s not done with the subject. “You said you couldn’t get the bathhouse door open?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t locked, at least not from the inside,” I say, glad he took my advice and changed the topic.

“Sounds like Michael used an occlusion spell.”

“Great, even in death he’s learned new tricks.”

The occlusion spell is one I was practicing before Delphi brought the sphere. It gives the user the ability to close any type of opening, whether it be doors, windows, or anything mystical. The counter to it is the fissure spell, which creates an opening. You can either reopen something closed, or create a brand-new entrance into somewhere.

“Wait, Michael can’t do magic. He doesn’t have his Kerai Couplings,” Zander says, shocked.

“He located and killed Leo for the Cosanta Amulet. I saw it in the mirror before the bathhouse burned, so he doesn’t need the couplings.”

“Michael must have been the one who almost drowned you, not Leo.”

“You think?” I respond, sarcasm heavy in my tone.

“I’m sorry, okay. I jumped to a conclusion,” Zander says, getting irritated.

He leans over the tub, grabs the back of my head, and kisses me hard. I try to pull away but that instinct only lasts mere seconds, and I find myself kissing him back then wanting more. I gather my senses and finally pull away.

“I can’t do this,” I quietly say. “Not now, anyway.”

“I shouldn’t have run out on you the other day during your training. I didn’t know you had no idea it was actually me until after I left.”

“Well, it’s not anything you haven’t heard before.”

“Yeah, but it felt different this time. It was more personal.”

“To be honest, it was.” I rub my face trying to get clarity. “I have trust issues with you, but can you blame me?”

He sighs, and lets a moment of silence pass before responding. “No, not really. It was shitty how I handled everything. You’d think after twelve cycles I’d have known better.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did you sleep with any of those other versions of me during the cycles?”

He blushes. “No, never. I was waiting for you.” He smiles, and kisses me again just as there’s a knock on the door.

“Everything all right in there?” Isolde says through the door.

“Yes, everything is fine,” I answer.

“Okay, then, because I was starting to get worried when I didn’t hear you two arguing anymore.”

I shake my head, then finish washing, dry, and dress. Isolde has a huge grin on her face when Zander and I exit the bathhouse.

“Did you two make up?” she asks, acting a little giddy.

“We’ve come to an understanding,” Zander says, then steps into the cottage.

Isolde frowns. “Well, isn’t he a whole lot of fun.”

This time I laugh, and the two of us follow Zander. It’s not too long after that the sun begins to rise, and Jonas arrives with an older man who will brand us for life. Zander should be used to it since he has tattoos on the backs of both his hands, but I’ve never been marked like that before, so I have no idea what to expect.

The man has Zander sit on one of the kitchen chairs as he lays his tools out on the table. Needles of varying length and thickness stretch across the cloth wrapper, along with several glass containers of ink. Zander removes his shirt, and Isolde nudges me when she notices his chiseled muscles. I roll my eyes as the man begins his work. Zander only flinches a few times when the needle hits a sensitive spot. It takes almost an hour until the tattoo is complete, due to its intricate design. After cleaning the area and placing an ointment-treated cloth over the area, Zander puts his shirt back on and tries conjuring the veneficia shield around me.

It works.

He then tries several other spells, and is able to cast them all.

With the confirmation our spellcasting still works, I’m next, so I take his seat and remove my shirt so I’m just wearing my bra. I cringe the moment the needle penetrates my flesh, and eventually close my eyes to block out the pain, which is just as bad as the severe burn from the fire. I feel my skin warming, which causes me to squirm. The man grunts for me to stay still as he continues to work, but I can’t. I’m beginning to burn up, but from the inside.

Fuck, Michael is using the mortality flare!

I try to call out, but I can’t. My body starts flailing from the pain.

“Hold her down!” Zander yells.

Jonas shoves the tools from the table, lifts me up, and sets me onto the wooden surface. He holds my legs down while Isolde and Zander each take an arm.

“Try to relax, Aven,” the man says as he bends down and goes back to work.

“Flare,” I try to squeak out, but I lack the strength to force the air out of my lungs to form the words.

“Hurry!” Zander shouts.

“Almost done,” the man says.

Has it been an hour? How long have I been fighting off death?

As the man finally lifts his needle, the flare stops. I’m breathing hard as adrenaline pumps through my veins. It was almost like Michael knew what we were up to, so he was taking one last shot at me. I cover my face with my hands and cry. Isolde and Jonas step outside with the man, leaving Zander and me alone. He tries to help me sit up, but I just want to lie where I am.

“It’s over now,” Zander says, patting my arm. “He can’t get to you anymore.”

“Not this way, anyway,” I say, finally getting down from the table. “But what if he tries something else? Or finds a way into Dryad, what then? We need to figure out how to defeat him for good.” I gingerly put my shirt back on over the cloth, since the tattooed area is tender.

“We’re going to need Delphi to solve that one,” Zander says.

“No, we won’t,” I say as an idea pops into my head. “There’s someone else we can ask.”

Eight

“Oh, hell no,” Zander says, protesting. “We’re not asking Trel.”

“Why not? He might even know how Michael was reincarnated.”

“You really want to open that can of worms? Who knows what he’d ask for in return.”

“I already know what he wants. He wants out of Irkalla.”

“That’s not all he wants,” Zander says, eyeing me up and down. “No, we’re going to ask your father. He’s the one who got you into this situation, so he’d know how to get you out of it.”

I grumble and try to protest, but Isolde and Jonas knock on the back door, wanting back in. They suggest we go back to Stonevale, as Col will have breakfast ready. Neither one of us protests; I’m actually hungry, mainly because I haven’t eaten in days. When we arrive, most of the camp is empty. Col is standing in his usual place by the fire-pit, stoking the embers and cooking some eggs.

“Where is everyone?” Jonas asks.

“More of those things we fought the other day popped up, so they went to kill them. They haven’t been gone long. Hopefully they’ll be back soon,” he replies. “Food is done, if you’re hungry.”

We each take a plate and help ourselves. We take our plates back to the tent and sit in our now-usual spots. I have to eat slowly, as my shrunken stomach begins to protest the moment food touches it. The meals and the companionship in Stonevale is comforting. This is starting to feel like a second home, considering the many times I’ve been here now.

An hour later we’ve finished eating, but no one has returned yet. I can tell Isolde and Jonas are getting restless from the waiting, so Jonas abruptly stands and announces he’s going to send a message.

“How do you do that?” I ask.

“The tree spirits, remember?” he answers, grinning.

“Can you show me?” I ask, joining him.

“Sure, come on.”

“I’m coming, too,” Zander says, barreling behind us.

Isolde decides to join us as well.

We exit the camp, but only by a few feet. Jonas takes my hand and guides me to one of the trees lining the fence. He places my palm on the smooth bark and leans into me.

“Image yourself as the tree,” he whispers in my ear. “That you can sense everything it can. You use this method to communicate and heal the spirits.”

I do as he suggests, and feel an instant connection to it. A small laugh fills my ears, which causes me to smile. It sounds like a child giggling.

“Do you hear it?” Jonas asks as he presses his body harder against mine.

“Yes.”

“That’s a Dryad. Talk to it.”

“How?”

“Close your eyes and project your thoughts through your body and into the bark.”

I have a hard time closing my eyes, as the weight of his body against mine is distracting me. I’m sure Zander is seething at the scene before him.

“Hello,” I say in my mind after finally closing my eyes.

“Hi,” a small, light voice answers.

“How are you?” I ask, since I have no idea what else to say.

“Well, that’s a silly question,” the spirit answers then giggles.

“Maybe it is,” I reply.

Silence settles before the Dryad speaks again. “I know who you are.”

“You do?”

“You’re Aven, the daughter of Delphi, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“Your father is very powerful, isn’t he?”

“I suppose so, but how do you know who I am?”

“Many fear him, especially those here in the forest.”

“Why?”

“He won’t let anyone go back to their homes. At least not until he has control over the entire dominion. You’re going to help him with that, aren’t you?”

My mind freezes. I know he wants Comoros, but all of Eskal? I can’t think of what to respond.

The voice giggles a little before responding. “Do you want to know how I know who you are?”

“Yes.”

“There’s someone here looking for you. He’s spoken to us, and wants us to alert him when we find you.” There’s a brief pause. “I found you!”

“Who’s looking for me?”

“And I’m going to tell the others because of what you did back to us near the cottage. That hurt, Aven. You nearly killed my siblings.”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea you existed. If I did I wouldn’t have taken my sword to you.”

Silence.

“Who’s looking for me?”

“Your brother,” the voice answers, but much deeper and more menacing.

I remove my hand from the tree and have to practically shove Jonas out of the way to get away from it.

“What’s the matter?” he asks as I stumble back towards the others.

“It…it just didn’t go well,” I reply.

He looks at me with a puzzled expression, then places his hand on the bark. He stays for only a few moments before coming over to us.

“The groups are heading back now,” he says. “There were three this time.”

“Any casualties?” Isolde asks.

“No, thank goodness.”

Isolde and Zander begin a conversation as we head back to the tent, but they keep it between themselves. I’m a little bothered by it, but since I know Zander isn’t Isolde’s type I really don’t have anything to worry about. Jonas taps me on the shoulder before speaking.

“Are you sure you’re all right? What exactly happened back there?” he asks.

“They’re still mad at me for chopping them up,” I respond, then quicken my pace before he can ask any other questions.

I arrive at the tent first and put my sword across my back. Zander also left his crossbow and arrows behind in the tent, so I make sure to hand them to him before he even enters the tent.

“We need to be getting back to the cottage,” I say to Jonas and Isolde. “We’ll be back later.”

“Um, okay,” Jonas says, sounding disappointed.

The moment Zander and I are out of the camp and halfway to the cottage, I tell him what happened.

“He knows where to find me,” I say, my voice shaking as I expel the words.

“Who? Michael?”

I nod. “I need to finish with the traits, so we can get out of here.”

He grabs my arm and halts my progress. “How do you know?”

“The Dryad told me,” I say. “If that Dryad shares the information around the forest like it threatened to, there isn’t any safe place for me here.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“It’s a chance I’m not willing to take.”

The moment we hit the cottage, Zander casts the raider alarm while I take our weapons into the spare bedroom. We both head down into the cellar, and the moment he steps into the room the sphere activates.

“I don’t know what to do,” I say, panicking.

“Well, this is the betrayal test. You feel I’ve betrayed you since it brought me down here, so what do you think would counteract that?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking!” I snap as I begin to pace the room.

“Getting short with me isn’t going to help,” he responds snidely.

“I can’t help it right now. This whole thing is stressing me out.” I put my hands on my hips and widen my pace. “God, you can be so irritating.”

“Because I push you? If I wasn’t here, would you even be bothering to do this? You take no initiative, Aven, so I have to push you,” he says, his voice heavy with annoyance.

“Us arguing isn’t going to get me closer to completing this test,” I retort. “Why do you like to start fights with me?”

“I didn’t start this one, you did.” He comes up to me and places his hands on my arms to stop my erratic moving. “Look, just try to think. You know the answer. You’ve mentioned it several times to me.”

I try to scan my brain for previous conversations or outbursts we’ve had. “It’s hard to concentrate with you in the room.”

“Why is that?”

I begin to panic when an answer won’t come to me.

Zander can tell I’m losing focus, so he takes my face in his hands and kisses me. I’m about to pull away when I find myself returning the gesture. The room heats up as our passion intensifies. He pushes me against the wall as I start to take off his shirt. Before I know it, we’re both naked on the ground and back to the image in painting number six.

“What’s the word?” he whispers in my ear.

“Trust,” I moan in reply.

The green flames explode around us. We both lay against each other on the floor. Pools of sweat have built between us, but neither one of us wants to move.

“Feel better?” Zander asks, breaking the quiet.

I slap him on the shoulder. “Shut up,” I answer with a slight laugh.

“Only one more test to go,” he says.

“Fear,” I reply, my head nestled on his chest.

We wait a few minutes longer before finally getting dressed. We’re both covered in dust, so a bath will be on the agenda later. Zander decides to wait in the room with me, since I have no idea who will be showing up for the final trait test. I’m glad he’s here, so I’m not facing my worst one alone.

It feels like hours before the sphere finally awakens. The room fills with black smoke. It thickens to the point of almost choking us. The flames have a slight white spark to them as they rip violently around the sphere, growing larger with each spin and reaching towards me like hands. Zander stays against the back wall while I stand in the center of the room, trying to prepare myself.

I hear him before I see him, and my skin grows cold.

“I told you we’d be seeing each other soon,” Trel says from somewhere in front of me.

“You can’t harm me here,” I say with as much confidence as I can, though my voice shakes a little.

Why am I still afraid of him? What about him makes me fearful?

“I would never harm such a beauty,” he says as if anticipating my thoughts, and I can hear him licking his lips.

I catch a glimpse of his raggedy green wings, but only for a moment.

“Stop playing games!” I yell.

“Fine,” he says, popping out from the corner in full Ligotas form.

His skin looks paler than the last time I saw him, and his hair has grown a little. The leather-like skin of his wings looks to be sagging more, and his eyes aren’t as pure black as they once were.

“You look old,” I say to him.

“Irkalla hasn’t been kind to me.”

“Did you think it was going to be?” Zander pipes in.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Trel snaps, spinning around to face him.

“I’m just observing,” Zander replies.

“So, you’re not in the underworld?” Trel asks, looking confused.

“No,” I answer with a little more conviction. “You’re on my turf now.”

He turns back towards me as he smiles wide, exposing his razor-sharp teeth. “Not for long,” he hisses. He spots the door, heads for it, but when his hand reaches for the knob it goes right through him. “I…I don’t understand,” he stutters. “How are you doing this?”

I nod over to the corner.

His eyes fall on the sphere, which causes him to hunch his back, jutting out his bony spine. “What magic is this?” he demands.

“Ancient magic, if you must know,” I answer, crossing my arms over my chest.

“That’s not possible. I would’ve known about it.”

“Maybe you should’ve focused more of your time on reading stories and histories rather than spell books,” I reply, moving around him. I place my hand on the dark glass and let the black flames swirl around me. “You, my dear Trel, represent my fears. You’re everything I’m terrified of becoming.”

“Good,” he sneers. “That means I’m something you can’t overcome.”

I let go of the sphere, which causes the flames to cease their dance about my body. “Actually, this exercise is to help me defeat those fears.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“By accepting what you’ve been pounding into my head since day one.”

He smiles, but it looks like a vile crack in his face. “You’ll never accept it. He won’t let you,” Trel says, pointing to Zander.

“If she’s meant to become a Ligotas, then so be it,” Zander says in an even tone.

I’m shocked by his words. He was so adamant that he could fix what Trel had Prime Jarron do to me, that now I wonder what caused his change of heart.

“She won’t like being one of us. The constant pain… torment… hunger for death… the lust. She’ll turn on you first,” he says, spinning around so he can face Zander. “Ligotas love to use sex as a weapon, but will only truly mate with their own kind. They’ll sleep with whomever they wish, but they’ll eventually crave another Ligotas who’s just as thirsty for flesh as they are.” Trel turns back towards me. “She’ll rip her lovers apart piece by piece and laugh during the entire ordeal. Her mind will warp into madness as her body transforms into that of a monster.”

A chill runs down my spine, but I try my hardest to hide it.

“That’ll never happen,” Zander says. “She’s too strong for that. She’ll never become one of you.”

“Your lover has such confidence in you, Aven, but I wonder if you feel the same.” Trel steps closer until there’s only mere inches separating us. “Tell me, once you turn, who will you side with? You’ll have only a few choices, so I’d start thinking about that now.” He steps away and places his hands behind his back. “Valora will kill you the moment she has the chance, as she’ll see you as competition. The Ancients will torture you until you die because of who you are. Delphi has his own agenda I’m sure, which only he can explain. But I, Aven, I’m the one who will protect you from all of them. Your life doesn’t have to be wasted like it is right now. You and I can do great things for Eskal.” He approaches me, only stopping when our bodies are practically touching. He bends down so we’re face to face. “You’re mine, Aven, body and soul.” He lifts his hand and caresses my cheek. “Soon, we’ll rule the dominion.”

I place my hand on the sphere so the fire will envelop me.

“No, Trel,” I say, putting pressure on the dark glass. I sense my eyes change, as if they’re becoming blacker. Power rises from the sphere and enters my body. “I will rule you.”

His screams fill the room as the black flames burn him into ash, and then he vanishes.

I try to remove my hand from the sphere, but it won’t move. The fire continues its dance around me, but sparks of color begin to develop. Red, blue, yellow, and green jump sporadically from the flames, each one touching me. I feel everyone’s pain, hatred, sorrow, and love penetrate my heart and soul, causing me to see flashes of everything I’ve done in my life… the good and the bad. It hurts both physically and mentally as if I’m being torn apart. My body feels hot, followed by pain so tremendous that I want to collapse, but the sphere won’t let me.

“Hold on!” Zander shouts to be heard over the roar of the fire that’s engulfing the room. “It’s almost over!”

I begin to scream as energy bombards my senses, both externally and internally. I feel as if my body is about to explode. Just when I can’t take any more, the sphere lets me go. I fall to the floor as the fire evaporates. Zander is beside me in seconds, helping me to my feet.

“What… just… happened?” I ask, trying to catch my breath since my lungs feel as if they’ve been burned raw.

“You’ve passed the final test of the Gehenna Sphere. All the power the Ancients have ever known now lies within you.”

“I’m so tired.”

I picture the bed upstairs in my room and wish to be by it. I close my eyes for an instant, and when I reopen them I see I’ve shifted our location to my bedroom. Zander sets me down onto the covers.

“See?” he says. “You now can do anything now.”

He kisses me, then leaves as I pass out.

Nine

I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep, but when I finally emerge from my room Zander is sitting at the kitchen table with Isolde and Jonas. The oil lamps are bright in the darkness, since the sun looks to have set hours ago.

“What time is it?” I ask, rubbing the last of the sleep from my eyes.

“Just after midnight,” Zander says, getting up and pulling out the empty chair.

“Hard day?” Isolde asks, winking at me as I take a seat.

I try to cover up the smile that develops, but she catches it and laughs.

“What’s so funny?” Jonas asks, obviously wanting in on the joke.

“Just women stuff,” Isolde responds.

As Zander gets back into his chair, I notice that he’s cleaned himself up from our romp in the cellar. My skin feels grimy, almost gritty, and I’m sure I look like shit. I excuse myself, go back to my room, and grab a towel along with my last set of clean clothes before heading out to the bathhouse. The moment my hand pushes on the back door, I feel a slight jolt of electricity. I pause in the door frame.

“The raider alarm is still on, isn’t it?” I ask Zander.

“Yes, why?”

“I should be setting it off since you put it on, but nothing’s happening.”

“Your protective shield, remember?” Jonas says. “I was serious when I meant all types of magic.”

I nod my head then step outside. This must be how Delphi is able to enter the cottage without setting it off. He must have the tattoo as well. But why did he get one, and how did he know it wouldn’t affect his spellcasting?

I clear my head of questions, lock the bathhouse door behind me, and go about my bath. I’m only in there for a few minutes when a sharp noise catches my attention, but it doesn’t sound close by. I ignore it and begin to scrub when I hear it again, followed by crunching, like someone is walking over dried leaves. I finish my bath, throw my clothes on, unlock the door, and peek outside. Only darkness greets me, but it feels different, almost unnatural. The noise sounds again, but this time somewhat closer. I dart across the small space, into the cottage, and slam the door behind me.

“What’s wrong?” Zander says, rising from his chair.

“I think we have visitors,” I say, my heart beginning to race.

Zander moves fast and gathers our weapons. Isolde and Jonas look a little startled, but they soon regain their senses. Isolde removes her knives while Jonas readies his bow. I unsheathe my sword and Zander arms his crossbow. The four of us stand in a defensive position between the living room and the kitchen. I almost expect to hear the sound again, but silence and our quickened breathing is the only thing around.

“Aven, are you sure someone’s coming?” Jonas asks after several minutes have passed.

“Yes, I’m positive.” At least I think I am. Could I have imagined the noise? Was it just the wind?

Someone knocks on the back door. We all stare at it, wondering who it could be.

“Jonas, it’s Col. I need to speak with you.”

Jonas takes a step towards the door, but I stop him.

“That’s not Col,” I say.

“Of course it is,” Jonas responds with annoyance. “It’s his voice, and he’s the only one who knows we’re here. He probably has food for us since we missed dinner.”

Jonas begins to walk toward the back door again, but I grab him by the shirt and pull him back. I’m surprised at how easily I drag him over to me. Jonas has to weigh at least two hundred pounds, if not more, and I pull him back like he weighs nothing. I push this new development out of my mind, so I can focus on the task at hand.

“He doesn’t sound right,” I say, then let go of Jonas.

Jonas looks at me with a question in his gaze, purses his lips, and narrows his eyes. “Come on in, Col,” Jonas says.

The moment the door opens the alarm sounds. It doesn’t affect us inside the cottage but Col is immediately on the ground, writhing in pain as he covers his ears and screams.

“That’s not possible!” Isolde shouts to be heard.

“He has the huntsmen shield, so this spell shouldn’t be affecting him!” Jonas yells.

I step over to Col as he lies there in the fetal position and yank on his shirt collar. Across a good portion of his chest, including over the shield, is a deep cut. The edges of the wound are jagged, not smooth like it would be if caused by a knife. I’ve seen this type of wound before on Knox — when Valora had grabbed him with her talons.

“Michael,” I say softly.

I glance outside and notice two more huntsmen on the ground, screaming from the pain caused by the alarm.

“Shut that damn thing off! It’s giving me a headache!” Isolde yells as the alarm grows louder.

“No!” I shout back, and drag Col fully into the kitchen then close the door. “Take him into the cellar. Zander and I will stay up here until it’s safe.”

Jonas and Isolde each take an arm and bring drag Col down below. I signal to Zander the position of the other two huntsmen. He aims his crossbow and removes the alarm as I push the door open. Knives sail through the air, striking the wall behind me. Zander decides he has no choice but to shoot both before they can get any closer.

“Col will be regaining his senses soon now that the alarm is off,” Zander says as he reloads. “Who knows what he may do to Jonas and Isolde.”

“He’s too old and weak to be of any real threat,” I say as my eyes scan the area. “Another one, over there,” I say, pointing to the path we take to Stonevale.

Zander aims and fires his weapon, killing the huntsman just before he unleashes his own arrow. “What do you think is happening to them?”

“It’s Michael.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we can’t sit here all night and just wait to be attacked by others.”

I close the door and concentrate on placing a concealment charm around the entire cottage. I’m expecting it to be difficult but the air outside the windows becomes wavy for a few seconds, which tells me the charm is activated. I sheathe my sword. Zander secures his crossbow around his shoulders and bolts the back door. We head to the cellar just in time to hear Col crying. When we enter Isolde has the old man pinned to the floor, one of her knives resting against his throat.

“He tried to attack me,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Please, Isolde, I’m sorry,” Col whimpers. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“It was the submission hex,” I say, then bend down and show the others Col’s wound.

“How did that happen?” Jonas asks, his tone harsh and demanding.

“I’m…I’m not quite sure,” Col mumbles. “I was bedding down for the night when something seized me and began clawing at my chest. I tried fighting it off, but it was too powerful.”

“Could it have been one of those things?” Isolde asks any of us.

“I don’t believe they can cast spells or charms. It has to be Michael,” I answer.

“As in your brother Michael?” Jonas asks, taking a step back from the tightly packed group.

“Yes. The Dryads told him I was here,” I respond.

“They wouldn’t do that. The Dryads are peaceful. They’d never intentionally hurt anyone, or expose someone in hiding,” Jonas says, seemingly offended by my remark.

“They would if they were forced to,” Isolde says, coming to my defense.

“How would you know?” Jonas almost screams at her. “You’ve never once tried to bond with them, no matter how many times I’ve shown you.”

“It’s just not my thing,” she says, getting mad. “I’m not all touchy-feely like you are. And that’s not the point!”

“All right, enough,” Zander says before things escalate further. “We’re now trapped in this cottage. Several other huntsmen have been overcome by the hex, and who knows how many more are out there or coming. You two bickering isn’t going to get us out of this predicament any faster.”

Silence falls around us. Even Col has topped whimpering.

“What do we do?” I ask them.

“We get Delphi,” Zander answers.

“And how do we do that if we’re stuck in here?” I ask.

“Jonas sends a message,” Zander responds.

“What? Why me?”

“Because the Dryads will listen to you.”

“I’m not going out there alone,” Jonas complains. “I’ll be damned if I’ll get hacked up like Col and lose my shield.”

“I’m going with you,” Zander says, annoyed.

Before they leave, we all get Col back upstairs and settled into the kitchen. Isolde makes him some coffee while I remove the concealment charm so Zander and Jonas can head out to send the message. Once they’re out the door, I cast the raider alarm again and hope we don’t get any more unwanted visitors. Thankfully, the guys aren’t gone long, but it’s still hours before Delphi finally makes an appearance. We all gather in the living room, except for Col who’s out cold from the effects of the spell and the alarm. Zander takes our weapons and sets them down within arm’s length. Isolde takes a seat next to me while Zander stands behind us, and Jonas sits beside Delphi on the opposite couch.

“So, Michael has returned,” Delphi says, drawing all our attention to him.

“I thought using the mortality flare would’ve killed him,” I say.

“It should’ve.”

“Then how is he alive?” Zander asks, his temper rising.

“That’s a good question,” Delphi says, unmoved by the change in Zander’s demeanor.

“How did he get into the forest?” Jonas asks.

“I wish I had the answers for both of you, but there is one person I know who does,” Delphi says, glancing around the room.

“Trel,” I answer.

Delphi nods.

“I should’ve asked him the questions when I had the chance,” I say, more to myself than anyone else in the room.

Delphi gives me a quizzical look.

“He was the person in my last test.”

“Ah. Well, you wouldn’t have been able to ask him any questions like that since the sphere will only allow you to focus on the task of mastering your traits.”

“Trel will destroy her and you if he gets the chance,” Zander says, stepping around the couch.

“I’m fully aware of what Trel’s desires are, Zander,” Delphi says, raising his hand to quiet the murmuring in the room. “Aven is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She knows all the spells and I’m sure can come up with a few new ones of her own, so I’m not worried.”

“You can’t do this to her,” Zander says, stepping in front of me so as to block my view of Delphi.

“This is what she was born for, or have you forgotten?” Delphi says, rage taking over his calm countenance. He stands, and it feels like he’s practically filling the room with his presence. “Do your job, Zander. You’re her Guardian, act like it.” Delphi turns to the door, but stops short of going through it. “Aven, I need a word with you.” Delphi then exits, though he doesn’t wait for me.

We walk almost to the veil when he finally stops. “You’ve conquered the sphere,” he says.

“Yes, and you have the huntsmen tattoo,” I blurt out.

He looks somewhat taken aback, but recovers before responding, “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Why?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he says, tapping me where my tattoo is.

“I did it to ward off Michael.”

“And I did it to protect myself from my siblings,” he says with a twinge of sadness. “Hekla was wise to create this invaluable emblem.”

“Who’s Hekla?”

“She’s the leader of the huntsmen; the ruler of the Lioc region,” he answers with a hint of passion in his voice. He clears his throat when he notices my face. “I need for all of you to leave early in the morning tomorrow and enter Irkalla. Make sure Jonas and Isolde accompany you.”

He quickly disappears down the path without another word, and I retreat into the cottage.

I know I said I wanted to go to the underworld, but now I’m starting to second-guess that decision. I can’t stay here, however, if Michael has made his way into the Dryad Forest.

“Delphi wants us to head for Irkalla tomorrow morning,” I announce when I enter the kitchen, since they’ve all moved back into that room. “And he wants you two to accompany us,” I add, pointing to Isolde and Jonas.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Zander says, his face etched in disbelief.

“Nope,” I reply, sitting down on a chair.

I glance over at Col, who is still out cold, his head on the table as he lightly snores.

“He really wants us to go into the underworld?” Jonas asks.

“It looks that way.”

“Couldn’t you just summon Trel without us having to actually go down there?” Zander asks.

“Delphi has him chained up. I can’t release him from here,” I say.

“Too bad you couldn’t have taken care of this when he was here,” Isolde says.

“Yeah, I know,” I respond, feeling disappointed.

I’m not exactly sure why we all need to go down there. I could just shift my location to his cell and get it over with sooner, but something tells me Delphi has more in mind than just a simple chat. What could he be up to?

“Well, we need to get some rest,” Zander says, heading towards his room.

I re-cast the concealment charm on the cottage. Isolde takes the spare bedroom, while Jonas sleeps on one of the couches. We tie Col up where he is and leave him some extra bedding so he’s at least comfortable. I settle into my room, but I’m wide awake. I spent most of the day sleeping, so now I’m not tired. I finally get up and head into the kitchen for something to drink. Jonas is there instead of Col. I glance into the living room and notice Col is still sound asleep, but now on one of the couches with his wrists tied to one of the legs.

“He started snoring louder,” Jonas says, gesturing towards the room behind him. “He finally stopped when I laid him down.”

I fill a glass with water and take a seat across the table from him.

“Do you know why Delphi selected Isolde and me to go with you into Irkalla?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, it was getting boring here anyway.” He smiles. “Hey, you never did say what brought the two of you into the forest.”

Shit, I was hoping he had forgotten about that question.

I decide lying isn’t the way I want to go, so I tell him the story. Part of it, anyway. “Basically, we had to escape Comoros and the Ligotas. The region is in complete disarray and isn’t safe for us anymore.”

Jonas doesn’t respond or comment, he just simply accepts my answer and lets the matter drop.

“Delphi told me about your leader,” I say when the silence becomes uncomfortable.

“Hekla? Yeah, she’s all right.”

“You’re not a fan of hers?”

“She treats us well, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that she’s lost focus of the true nature of what Lioc is supposed to be, and not what it’s becoming.”

“I heard she came up with the idea for the protective shield.”

“That’s how the story goes.”

“You don’t believe it?”

He hesitates in answering. “To a degree. She claims to have done it to protect her people from those who would wish us harm, but the only ones who know how to conduct magic are the Ancients, and they’ve never been a threat to us, so I’m not completely sure why she had us all branded.”

Delphi mentioned he got his to protect him against his siblings, yet Lioc doesn’t sound like it’s hostile towards any of the Ancients. So Jonas’ question is a good one. Why did Hekla create it? Was she afraid of the other Ancients? What did Delphi tell her about his brothers and sister? How do the rulers of the other regions feel about them?

I’m so deep in thought that I don’t realize Jonas has gone back into the living room and fallen asleep. I decide to retreat to my room, and spend the night reading through the anthology book. I stop on the page that describes the characteristics of a Ligotas.

Anyone who has chosen this path of evolution will have a life consumed by pain, anger, lust, and torment that can only be satiated with killing. The Ligotas will not only change physically, but they will have enhanced abilities like none have ever seen before. They’ll have heightened hearing, eyesight, strength, and will be quick to heal.

I lay the book against my chest and hope that none of this is true for me.

Ten

By the morning, Col appears to be free from the hex. I’m not sure why since it can only be removed by the person who cast it and Michael isn’t here, that I know of. We’re all still hesitant to release him from his restraints, so we leave him bound to the couch for the moment. He feels horrible for what he tried to do, but I keep assuring him it wasn’t his fault. I don’t think Jonas and Isolde feel the same way as I do, since neither of them are speaking to him at the moment. After breakfast I remove the concealment charm so Col, Jonas, and Isolde can head back to Stonevale. With Col’s shield damaged, he can’t get through the charm. An argument erupts before they’re even out the door.

“I’m not going back there,” Isolde protests. “Who knows what’s happened to the others? What if they’re all like Col was?”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Jonas says, getting frustrated.

“That may be, but I’ll only go if one of them comes with us,” she replies, gesturing towards Zander and me.

“Aven isn’t leaving the cottage,” Zander says, immediately protesting the request. “And she can’t stay here alone.”

“Why not?” I ask. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

“Because I know you,” he says, getting in my face. “You won’t wait for us, and will go off looking for the veil into Irkalla by yourself. There’s no way you’re doing that alone.”

“Fine!” I snap.

He’s right. I’d be out the door the minute they were out of sight.

“I’ll stay,” Jonas says. “Isolde knows what I need, so she can pack for me.”

Zander is about to protest when Isolde agrees with the idea and leaves, forcing him to go running after her and Col. I close the door and apply the raider alarm. I’m not sure why I do it, since we all can just simply pass right through it, but it does give me a little peace of mind, which is better than nothing. Jonas helps me clean up the dishes and put them away. He heads into the living room, and emerges with his belt tightly strapped around his waist and his bow and arrows across his back. His sword is tucked inside its scabbard.

“Come with me,” he says, bumping my arm.

We exit out the back and head towards the little grove that I haven’t visited in days. I apply the concealment charm around our area, just as a precaution.

“Magic is good for protection, but weapons are much better. You need to learn how to handle something other than your sword.” Jonas removes one of his knives and places it gently in my hand. “Grip the handle tight, steady your arm behind your head, and thrust the knife forward,” he says, demonstrating with his own hand.

The knife flies through the air, barely visible to the naked eye, and lands in the tree trunk with such force that it almost splits in half.

“I thought you didn’t like me using the trees as targets,” I quip as he retrieves his weapon.

“I’ve changed my mind,” he says, grinning down at me when he returns.

I give it a try, but wind up throwing the knife into the ground a few feet in front of me.

“We’ll keep practicing until you get it,” he says, handing me the other knife.

He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me in tight against his chest. With his other hand he guides my arm up, gingerly wraps his hand around mine, and helps me throw. I hit my target. Jonas is slow to release me when I mention I need to go and retrieve the weapons, since there’s only two. He does, but the moment I’m back he pulls me against him.

“What do you see in Zander?” he asks as his hand strokes my arm while he pulls it over my head.

“He’s my Guardian,” I reply, but I know that’s not the answer Jonas is looking for.

“He doesn’t treat you very well,” Jonas says, spreading my legs apart with his knee, which he claims is for balance.

My body molds to his. I begin to want more from Jonas… a lot more. I shake my head and pull myself away from him to get my senses back together. I have no idea what’s coming over me, but I want Jonas more than anything.

“He’s been there when I needed him,” I finally say, knowing it’s a lie.

I’m in the process of readying the knife again, when Jonas steps in front of me, blocking my target.

“Well, he’s not here right now,” Jonas says, brushing the tips of his fingers over my cheek.

It takes all my strength not to give into the temptation Jonas is offering. Maybe if Zander wasn’t returning so soon…. Wait! What the hell am I thinking? I’d never do that to him. Why does my brain feel like it’s thirsting for things I can’t, or really shouldn’t, be desiring?

The concealment charm is on, so no one would see us…. Stop it! I can’t believe this is going around in my head. But if Jonas touches me one more time, I don’t know what will happen.

I step back, putting a few feet between us.

“You want this, don’t you?” Jonas says, coming closer.

“I can’t,” I stammer, taking another step back. “I’m with Zander.”

“The one who went off with Isolde.”

He takes another step closer.

“He’s not Isolde’s type.”

I take another step back.

“I know what her type is, Aven. I’ve lived with her for many years. You’re her type and you’re my type, too.”

He steps closer.

“If you know I’m with Zander then why do you keep advancing?”

I step back.

“Because I think what the two of you have isn’t real. He’s using you to get what he wants out of life. It’s obvious he’s jealous of your abilities. He wants so desperately to be like you, but since he can’t, the next best thing is to have you. I’d never do that to you. My desire for you is genuine, and has been since the moment I first saw you.”

He steps closer.

“Show me your shield,” I blurt out.

He doesn’t hesitate in taking off his shirt. The tattoo is perfectly intact. Not a single scratch or imperfection in the smoothness of his skin.

“See, no spells, just me.”

He presses himself against me.

My breathing quickens, and I begin to sweat.

He kisses me hard and I can’t pull away. I don’t want to pull away. His hands begin to explore my body and I let them. His touch feels nothing like Zander’s. It’s more powerful, tender, and wanted. I feel myself letting go, but only for a moment. I pull myself away from Jonas, shaking my head.

“I can’t do this,” I say as I continue to step back until I’m at the concealment charm.

“Yes, you can, and I know you want to.”

“It would be for all the wrong reasons.”

Jonas is in front of me, pushing an errant hair behind my ear. “What would be the right reasons, then?”

“If Zander wasn’t alive.”

The words pour out of my mouth before I’m even aware of their existence. Part of me is shocked, but there’s some truth to what I just said. It’s not me, though. I would never think or feel or say anything like that in my whole life, and yet here I am saying it… wanting it.

Jonas pulls me into his body and begins to nuzzle my neck, his hands sliding up the back of my shirt. His mouth covers mine and I melt into him. The heat between us intensifies, but we both somehow manage to get ourselves under control before we go too far. He releases me, takes the knife that’s still in my hand, picks up his shirt, and walks through the charm as he heads back to the cottage. I remove the charm and follow. The moment my foot hits the floorboards I regret everything. I feel disgusted and horrible. How do I allow such things to happen? Why did I crave it so much? What the hell is wrong with me? I hide in my room until Zander and Isolde return. Jonas, thankfully, doesn’t mention what happened, or anything that was said. Still, I can’t look Zander squarely in the face since I’m too ashamed of what I said and felt.

Isolde places their belongings by the front door while the rest of us stand in the kitchen.

“We should get packing,” I tell Zander before making a quick exit.

I don’t have the duffle with most of my clothes like before — it got left behind in the Guardian watchtower, and I don’t have that many clothes to begin with — so I guess I really don’t have anything to pack. I take my dirty clothes and go into the bathhouse to wash them in the tub. I tell Zander to bring his pile out, so I can clean them as well. While I’m doing that, Zander says he’ll search the house for something to carry our belongings in while I’m washing. Up in the loft space he finds two brown leather satchels, which he places in the kitchen. I bring the clothes back into the cottage after they’re mostly dry. We pack as much as we can, then store the bags with the others. Zander heats up food that Col sent back with them while Isolde sets the table.

“What was Stonevale like when you got there?” Jonas asks, taking a big bite from his plate once everything has been dished out.

“A good portion of the tents have been destroyed. We only found a few huntsmen. It looks like the others fled when the attack started,” Isolde replies. “Our tent was in splinters. That’s why it took us so long to come back. We had to dig through the rubble to locate everything we might need.”

“Any dead?”

“Less than a dozen,” she says in a too-casual voice.

“What’s Col going to do?” I ask, mainly to distract from the recurring thoughts I’m having of Jonas and me.

“He’s heading back to Lioc with the wounded. There isn’t a reason to stay in Stonevale anymore,” Isolde answers, sounding sad.

The topic changes to which path we’ll take tomorrow. Zander and I leave it up to Jonas and Isolde to decide, since they know the forest best. We clean up, then hit the sack early. Isolde takes the spare bedroom and Jonas is on the couch. I feel very isolated in my room, and my mind is too wired with questions, curiosities, and degrading thoughts to allow me to sleep. I get out of bed, place my hand on the doorknob, but then stop. If I leave through the front door Jonas will know I’m still awake, and I don’t want anyone to know that. Instead, I decide to magically shift my position to just outside the veil into the gardens. Once there, I enter it, pass through the gate, and don’t stop until I find myself next to the star-shaped pool. I want to look into the water to see what futures may be ahead of me, but I just can’t get myself to do it. Instead, I picture Delphi standing down by the path into the Sacrer section of the gardens. As if he heard me, he’s there.

“Can’t sleep?” he says, stepping up onto the marble floor.

“What did you do to me?” I ask, concern heavy in my words.

“I’ve made you the most powerful Ancient there ever was.”

“I’m an Ancient now?” I ask, stunned.

“Yes, Aven, you are. The sphere has granted you its powers, just like it bestowed them on me.”

“Then how are your siblings Ancients too, if they never conquered their traits?”

“The powers the sphere placed into them are limited because of their failures, just like Zander’s powers are limited because he could only pass his first trait before giving up. The sphere is what gives us all our abilities. Naturally, we can pass these powers down to our children, but in a weakened form. Our offspring can only become actual Ancients if they attempt to defeat the sphere themselves like you did, or master at least a few of their traits.”

“So, Zander would be considered an Ancient,” I say.

“In a way, yes.”

“What if Zander makes another attempt? Would he then be as powerful as I am?”

“No. The Gehenna Sphere only grants you permission to defeat it once. You can’t ever try again.”

“The sphere did more than just give me powers, though, didn’t it?” I ask, stepping away from the pool.

Delphi cocks his head. “What have you noticed?” he asks rather calmly.

I turn and begin pacing. “I can hear things that are far away, my strength is incredible, and I have intense desires. Wants.”

“Want what exactly?”

“Lust, passion, death. And I don’t know how to stop it.”

Delphi steps closer. “Follow me,” he says, then steps down and begins heading towards the path towards the Ligotas gate.

I trail behind him, fearful of why he might be leading me down this particular path. We pass a pool shaped like snakes tied into knots — the Ligotas symbol. He doesn’t stop until he’s only a few feet from the wrought-iron gate, which also displays the emblem.

“Look,” he says, pointing towards the flowers that line the invisible barrier between the gardens and the rest of Comoros.

The once-vibrant colors are now slowly turning to ash. Small embers slowly travel from one plant to another.

“What’s happening?” I ask, my eyes wide at the sight.

“The Ligotas are dying. Their world is turning into dust because of what Trel did to you.”

“I thought the Ashes of the Forgotten fixed all of it,” I say as the pit of my stomach falls away.

“It was only meant to rid you of the physical transformation, not the mental or sensory qualities.” Delphi turns to face me, as he’d been looking out over the fields. “You were afraid of becoming a Ligotas, but you’ve already become one, Aven, as you were always meant to be.”

I step back. “What?” I ask, shocked.

I feel as if I’m about to be sick.

“How else was I going to destroy them?” Delphi says, his expression turning into something I’ve never seen before: a combination of rage and triumph. “The only way to beat the Ligotas is to become one. Their precious little world is ending, as it was meant to in the prophecy.”

“The prophecy’s dead!” I shout.

Bile flows up my throat and I’m forced to choke it down.

“No, Aven, it’s still in process. Why do you think the last painting hasn’t revealed itself yet? It won’t until the very end, and we’re nowhere near it.”

I collapse to my knees; my body shakes, and tears run down my face. “This can’t be true.”

Delphi kneels before me and lifts my head with his hand. “But it is, my dear daughter, and you accepted it when you conquered your final trait: fear.”

I bolt up and head for the structure. I run up to the pool and lean over its edge, almost falling into the water.

Nothing happens.

“Show me!” I scream as I swipe my hand over the surface, dousing myself.

“It won’t, until it’s time,” Delphi says, now standing next to me.

I jump away. “I’ll kill myself.”

“You’re immortal, Aven, just like I am. Nothing can ever physically harm you again.”

“No,” I whimper, and sob inconsolably. “I don’t want this… I don’t want any of this.”

“It’s too late, Aven. Life as you wanted it to be no longer exists.”

I shove past him and run for the veil. I don’t stop until my hands reach for the trap door for the cellar. I wake everyone in the cottage, bursting through the door, but I don’t care. I jump off a few rungs from the floor, pull open the door, and fly into the room. I want to smash the sphere, shatter it into thousands of pieces, but when I get to the corner it’s gone.

“NO!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

I put my back against the wall, slide down, and then pull my knees up to my chest.

“Aven, are you all right?” Zander shouts from the ladder.

I swipe my hand in the air, closing the door and locking it.

He pounds on the wood. “Aven, please, let me in!” He tries to use magic to undo the lock, I can tell, but since I’m not allowing him to enter the room he’ll never be able to, no matter what spells he tries.

“Aven, come on, open the door!” Jonas calls out as the pounding intensifies.

I bury my head in my lap and cry until I can’t feel anymore.

Eleven

When I finally decide to come out of my seclusion, Zander falls into the room as I open the door. It seems he’d been sitting against it this whole time, waiting. All three of them are down in the small space, crammed together around the ladder. I ignore them and climb into the kitchen, storm into my room, grab my rucksack, secure my scabbard to my back, and then head for the front door. I make sure to pick up the satchel with my clothes before going out into the early morning air. The three of them yell at me as they try to catch up. I finally stop in front of the veil to the gardens, longing for the days when it was my refuge.

“What the hell happened?” Zander asks, reaching for my arm.

“Don’t touch me,” I snap, pulling it out of his grasp.

He looks startled by my reaction.

I wave my hands to close the veil, permanently. I want to make sure that not even Delphi can return to Comoros from this direction. The ground shakes as the veil cracks, and the trees buckle. It shatters like a mirror, though without leaving any shards. The two trees crumble to the ground in pieces. I ignore everyone’s stares and head away from the cottage, in the direction of Stonevale. Jonas runs up to take the lead, since I’m only guessing which way we need to go. Isolde and Zander bring up the rear. They talk quietly between the two of them, but I can hear every word. I’m half tempted to spin around and give them the answers to the questions they’re asking each other, but then they would know about the change to my hearing and I’m not ready to reveal that.

We head west, but have to go a few miles north first in order to avoid Stonevale. None of us wants to be reminded of what happened. The murmuring dies down and no one says a word as the hours pass and the sun moves over us. We take our first break when we’re a little over ten miles from the cottage. Jonas breaks out provisions while Zander puts up a concealment charm.

“When will we know we’ve reached the Irkalla veil?” Zander asks, passing a canteen to me.

“You’ll smell it before you see it,” Isolde answers. “The entire northern section of the region stinks of sulfur.”

“Sounds pleasant,” I say, scrunching up my nose.

“But let’s not forget the heat and the acidic springs,” Jonas adds with a smirk.

Isolde kicks his foot at the remark.

He shrugs his shoulders and continues eating.

The tension between me and the others is fierce, but there isn’t much I can do about that now.

“Are you ready to talk about it?” Zander asks in a calm manner.

“No.”

I pack up my things and start walking again without waiting, leaving everyone else to scramble to catch up. Jonas takes the lead again, with me only a step behind. Isolde seems to be in her own little world behind me, while Zander takes his time bringing up the rear.

The rustling of leaves has increased quite a bit, but there isn’t any wind. My feet ache the longer we go without a stop. I’m about to ask for a break, when something drops onto my bare shoulder. I touch the liquid with my fingers and bring them into view. The substance is red and sticky. Another drop falls, this time landing on my palm. I look up and spot large birds, only they look like ones I’ve never seen before. I run up to Jonas, tap him on the back, and point up.

“Probably bats,” he says, glancing up only briefly.

Something large crashes in front of us. The mangled body of a watchman lies in a heap where it landed, his eyes gouged out and his ears ripped off. We all look up this time to see something coming at us that isn’t human.

“Harpies!” Isolde shrieks, hitting the ground as one swoops just inches above her head.

The creatures are no bigger than geese, but with the torso, head, and arms of woman and the talons, tail, and wings of a bird. They squawk as they dive towards us, their arms reaching out as their wings guide them down. I roll onto the ground as I draw my sword and slice one in half. Jonas follows my lead, removing his sword and attacking them. Isolde is quick with her arrows, clearing almost half the group within minutes. Zander shoots his crossbow, hitting several in one shot. They begin to back off as their numbers diminish, but stay nearby, lurking in the tops of the trees.

“Where’d they come from?” I ask as I slowly get to my feet.

“Irkalla,” Jonas says, helping Isolde up. “They live in the second level of the underworld.”

“How’d they get topside?” Isolde asks, brushing the leaves from her clothes.

“The Ligotas control up the top tier, right?” Zander asks, slinging his crossbow back around his shoulders. “If they’re not there, then what’s stopping the other monsters who make up that realm from escaping?”

“If that’s true, they won’t stay in the forest for long. They’ll find the veils and infiltrate the other regions,” Jonas says, sounding pained.

I release a mortality flare at those remaining, leaving only small pieces of ash behind.

“But when we do get to Irkalla, we can’t stop them from leaving,” Isolde says, her voice rising with anxiety.

“There is one way,” Zander says. “We could use the occlusion spell and seal that veil.”

“Trapping us inside,” Isolde says. “I didn’t sign up for that.”

“There’s a way out,” I say, trying to calm everyone down. “Another veil that goes directly from Irkalla into Comoros.”

“Okay, let’s just stop and think for a moment,” Jonas says, holding up his hands. “We’re getting way ahead of ourselves.”

“I agree,” Zander says. “But standing here debating the issue isn’t wise. That’s probably not the only group of Harpies to have emerged, so we need to keep moving.”

No one argues with him. We continue, but with our weapons at the ready in case of another ambush.

An hour later, I catch the sound of stringed instruments being played. A soft melody wafting through the air and tickling my senses. I hear it about five minutes before everyone else does. We continue down the path as the music grows louder. As we get closer to the source, we hear laughter, voices in jovial conversation, and singing. We take the bend in the path and come upon dozens of carts lining the road, each one covered in colorful tapestries, silks, and trinkets. Men and women in loose-fitting clothing wander about, while small children scamper between them.

“Oh, wow, a Zingara Market,” Isolde says as we stop at the beginning of the convoy. “I haven’t been to one of these in ages.”

“What is it exactly?” I ask.

“It’s a traveling market run by the Wayfarers,” she responds. “They never stay in one place for more than a day or two. I wonder what they have to sell.”

She practically skips over to the carts, and disappears into the small crowd of travelers.

“We should see if they have anything we can use,” Zander says before leaving.

I head over to the first cart, which is selling a variety of candles, lotions, and soaps. I pick up a few and smell them. Many have a floral scent, but there are a few with more of a woodsy aroma, which I find more appealing.

“You okay?” Jonas asks, coming up behind me.

“I’m fine,” I answer, moving on to the next cart.

“You’re a horrible liar,” he whispers in my ear as my fingers run over a bolt of silk. “Are you regretting our conversation yesterday?”

“No, it’s not that,” I respond in an even tone.

He puts his hand on my back and leans in closer. “Then what it is?”

The intense heat I felt yesterday rises again. I close my eyes and breathe in slowly so as to control myself.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” I say after opening my eyes. I move to another cart, this one selling tiny gold and silver trinkets.

“I’m here when you’re ready to talk,” he says, then crosses the road to look at the other carts.

It’s nice to finally be left alone. I wander about the market, intrigued by the items for sale which range from food and clothing to potions and weapons, and everything in between. Towards the middle of it all a group of children has gathered around one particular cart, where a marionette show is going on. I stand at the back to watch. The children laugh at the absurd characters and strange storyline. I catch myself smiling occasionally, mainly from the children’s reactions.

I’m about to step away when something catches my eye. A young woman off to my left is wearing a long silver chain with an intricately designed locket dangling from the bottom. The woman in question is short, with long red hair and pale, freckled skin.

Impossibly, she looks exactly like Ceri, Michael’s dead Guardian.

She seems to be enjoying the show and claps when it’s over. I follow her from cart to cart, keeping a close eye on her. She talks casually with a few of the Wayfarers, buys a few things, and then proceeds down the road out of the market. I quicken my pace to cut her off. She doesn’t notice me until it’s too late. My hand is around her neck in a split-second, and I drag her deep into the forest. She tries to scream, but my grip is too tight. When I feel we’re far enough away from the others, I let go.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she scolds me in between fits of coughing.

I draw my sword and point it at the locket. “That doesn’t belong to you.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, it does.”

I twirl the tip of the sword around the chain and yank it from her neck. The woman dissolves into a young man, his Ligotas wings strapped securely to his back by a leather harness. His eyes grow dark as he bares his teeth.

“Where’s Michael?” I ask.

“Around.”

“Where’d you get this?”

“Like I’m actually going to tell you.”

“Yes, you are.” I apply the verity spell on him, and as it turns out, I don’t even need to touch him to do so. Another unexpected new ability to add to the list.

“Now, where’d you get this locket?” I ask.

“From the Guardian watchtower in the City of Delphi. It was left behind when the owners fled.”

“Where’s Valora?”

“She’s still trapped in the city.”

“And Michael?”

“He’s a few hours away. I was scouting ahead for him.”

“Too bad you won’t be able to report anything.” I cast the mortality flare and incinerate the creature in seconds.

I remove the locket from the sword, sheathe my weapon, and go back to the market to find Zander. I find him a few minutes later, negotiating with an older woman on several garments.

“Here,” I say, tossing it to him after his transaction is complete.

“Where’d this come from?” he asks, his eyes widening.

“I just took it off a Ligotas scout. Michael is close by, and he’s not alone. He’s gathered followers.”

“Which locket is this?”

“The one you took off Valora. It got left in the watchtower when Knox and I escaped the city.”

“We need to destroy it,” he says, handing it back to me.

I slip it over my neck and tuck it under my shirt. I don’t feel right wearing it, but I need to keep it as close to me as possible.

“What’s with the clothes?” I ask, pointing to the things in his hands.

“They’re cloaks for us. With Michael running around the forest, and neither one of us able to apply the illusion spell directly onto our bodies because of the shield, I thought this would be the next best thing to a disguise.”

I take the dark blue one and put it on.

The cloak conceals my scabbard and has a deep hood that covers a good portion of my face. The hem is tailored at different lengths, so my legs are mostly still exposed, and the sleeves only reach my elbows.

“At least our faces will be obscured,” I say, taking off the garment.

“Hey,” Jonas calls from a few carts away then jogs over to us. “I’ve got us a place for the night. A couple of the Wayfarers are renting out their tents, and since we don’t have any shelters with us, I got them for the night. They’re over there,” he says, gesturing to the north where a ring of canvas sheets hangs from lines tied to the trees.

“I don’t know if I’d call them tents,” Isolde says, having joined us.

“It’s better than sleeping in the open,” Zander comments.

We go over to the two tents in question. Isolde and I take the first, Jonas and Zander take the one directly across from us. The floor of the tent consists of rough sackcloth. The tent walls themselves are, in fact, canvas draped over thin wire and staked into the ground. I stay in the tent while the others head back to the market. I sit in the opening after having removed my scabbard, pull the locket out of my shirt, and study it.

The markings on it remind me of the scrolls that covered the Kerai Couplings, which Zander and I used to wear to perform magic. The silver isn’t as shiny as it must have been at one time, so I rub it against my shirt, trying to get as much of the grime off as possible. The more dirt that’s removed the more clearly I can see gold interwoven into a couple of the designs. I remove my sword and compare the metals. Ruelle made me this sword at Knox’s request. He wanted me to have protection other than magic. Did she also make the lockets? There are two, and I know Valora has the other one. Why would Ruelle create something for our common enemy? Yet, should I really be surprised? She was going to create an extremely lethal weapon for Gaden Lamen, so why not delve into the realm of the Ligotas? What other relics did she make for Trel, or anyone else for that matter?

I put the sword back and tuck the locket under my shirt again. I sit and watch the various people stop by and purchase items before they continue their journey. I’m keeping an eye out for any Ligotas masked in their human forms. I’m also looking for Michael. I doubt he’d come along while the sun is still up, but it’s started to set and will be dark soon. Zander is the first one to return, carrying two bowls of food with him. He hands me one before sitting next to me. I’m hoping he’ll let me eat in peace, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

“I need you to talk to me,” he says after only a moment of silence.

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“God damn it, Aven, stop being so difficult.”

I glare at him. “Why do you insist on knowing everything? You just can’t leave well enough alone, can you? Am I not allowed to keep some things to myself?”

“You’re hurting, I can tell.” He sets the bowl in his lap and places his hand on my thigh. “What did Delphi say to you?”

“Excuse me?” I ask, astonished that he would ask such a question.

“I know you went into the gardens last night. When I couldn’t find you in your room I knew that’s where you’d gone, so I followed. I saw the two of you arguing at the building and then disappear further into the gardens. I had only been back in the cottage for a few minutes when you came flying through the door.”

“Unbelievable,” I mumble; I roll my eyes and put my bowl on the ground behind me. I pick up my scabbard, stand, and begin heading away from the tents.

“Where are you going?” Zander asks, dumbfounded by my sudden departure.

“Away from you!” I yell, drawing everyone’s attention.

He’s about to chase after me when Jonas prevents him. I don’t stop until I can barely see the market, the lights of which come alive with the setting of the sun. I’m cast into darkness as I sit among a clump of trees, my eyes settling upon the growing excitement of the Wayfarers’ party as night falls. The music grows louder the longer I stay in my spot, and I’m enjoying my solitude. I know this peaceful moment won’t last long. I’m just curious as to which of the three will be the one to break it.

“Comfortable?” Jonas asks, standing beside me.

“Very.”

He sits next to me, leaving a small space between us. “You know he’s never going to leave it alone if you don’t at least give him an answer to some of his questions.”

“Fuck him. I’m tired of explaining every little thing I do or say to that man. He won’t let me have any space to myself and I don’t need to divulge everything that happens to me.”

“I know.”

Singing and laughter join the music. A small fire is lit near the camp and people begin to dance.

“I wish he had let me die that day,” I say after a few moments.

“I’m glad he didn’t,” Jonas responds, moving closer and settling his head on top of mine.

“Delphi is using me,” I blurt out, finally feeling safe enough to spill the truth. “He’s turned me into a monster so as to defeat them.”

“You mean the Ligotas?”

I nod. “He made it so I would have their abilities without the physical transformation. That’s how I knew it wasn’t truly Col at the door the other night. I could hear the change in his voice, as if he was being controlled. And how I was able to pull you back when that should’ve been impossible.”

“What other attributes does a Ligotas have?”

I pull away from him. “I know what you’re really asking. You’re trying to determine if what happened yesterday between us was real or just Ligotas-triggered.”

“Well, was it Ligotas-triggered?” he asks, his voice steady.

“No,” I answer, which surprises even me. “I meant every word of it.”

But did I really? Is it me, the Ligotas, or the Ancient talking right now? Two of the three are deadly liars, but which two? It should be an easy answer, but it’s not. I do want Zander dead. I want it more than anything at the moment, but what will Delphi do if Zander is killed? Is that a part of his little prophecy? What else is Delphi keeping from me?

Jonas leans down and kisses me. I respond, and am about to climb into his lap when the singing from the tents is replaced with screams. Several of the tents have caught fire; people are scattering, fleeing attackers that are as dark as the night. I pick up the scabbard, strap it to my back, and head towards the chaos with Jonas close on my heels. We reach the scene to find the Wayfarers grabbing their children and running into the woods, Ligotas chasing after them. Jonas arms his bow and fires several shots, killing a couple of them. I unsheathe the sword and begin an attack of my own. Bodies fall around us, both human and Ligotas.

“Get them out of here!” I shout to Jonas.

He begins to wave groups of Wayfarers over, and leads them deeper into the woods. I stand my ground to hold off the Ligotas’ advance. Isolde lashes out with her knives, slicing at anything with wings. Zander fires his crossbow as rapidly as possible. I hustle over to him.

“Take Isolde and go with Jonas. Put a shield or charm up to protect all of them,” I say to him.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He hesitates, but only for a second before grabbing Isolde by the arm and practically dragging her behind him. The Ligotas break off their raid on the camp and circle me instead.

“Well, well, look who we have here,” one says, his cockiness overwhelming. “Aven, isn’t it? We’ve heard so much about you.”

“Where’s my brother?” I ask as I spin slowly in the center, trying not to make myself dizzy.

“Michael has more important things to do than play with these scavengers,” the same Ligotas replies with a slight laugh, gesturing towards what’s left of the tents and the bodies that lay behind him, several of them children.

“You think this is funny,” I respond, my eyes growing darker.

A couple of the Ligotas look startled by the change and step back.

“It’s hilarious,” the creature answers.

“Then laugh this off.”

I swoop over to him, hold his throat tightly in my hand, and dispatch the rest of his friends in one simple motion.

“That’s…that’s not possible,” he stutters. “You’d have to be an Ancient to do that.”

“Anything is possible with me. Now, where’s Michael?”

“He’s in Comoros. He sent us to the forest to look for you.”

“Well, you found me.” I draw the flare around us.

“No, please,” he says, begging for his life.

“Sorry, you’re bargaining with the wrong sibling.”

His screams fill the night air as he burns.

I whistle to the others that it’s safe to return, but they return only to find damage and destruction. Those who didn’t lose someone quickly hitch their horses to their carts and leave. The others only stay behind to mourn and bury their dead. Jonas and Isolde help but I step away. I can’t stomach being around the carnage any longer, especially the children. I know this would’ve happened to them even if we hadn’t come along, but it feels like it’s my fault all the same. I continue to wander away until I can no longer hear the crying, but I soon sense I’m not alone.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than harass me?” I ask Zander, who’s lurking in the distance.

“Michael wasn’t with them, was he?”

“Nope. He’s never even been in the forest; he’s still in Comoros.”

“Are you sure?” Zander asks, sounding skeptical.

I turn to him abruptly. “Yes, Zander, I’m sure.”

“Why are you being so short with me?” he snaps. “What the hell did I do to you?”

“You won’t leave me alone, that’s what. You constantly ask me questions even when it’s obvious I don’t want to talk. I tell you to go away, but you bug me anyway. Honestly, you’re getting on my nerves.”

He looks hurt. “I’m sorry you feel that way. You’re not acting like yourself lately. You’ve been scaring me ever since you beat the sphere, and I’m concerned.”

“How should I be acting then?”

“I don’t know,” he says, throwing up his hands. “Maybe be less of a bitch — that might help.”

“Fine, you want to know what’s bothering me, I’ll tell you. Delphi purposefully turned me into a Ligotas. There, happy now?” I turn away from him, tired of looking at his dour expression.

“He’d never do that,” Zander replies sheepishly.

“You have no idea what he’d do to get what he wants. You idolize the man, yet you don’t even really know him.”

“If it were true, you’d have the Ligotas characteristics.”

“The Ashes of the Forgotten prevented that. I have their abilities, but none of the disfigurement.” When Zander doesn’t respond right away, I turn back around. “What exactly did he tell you the Ashes were for?”

“To bring you back to life. He knew how I felt about you and that if you died I’d stop helping him. I guess he couldn’t risk that happening.”

“There’s something else he never told you.” I pause for effect. “The moment you defeated your first trait, you became an Ancient. You’re not as powerful, but you’re now considered one. I’m sure if you try hard enough you could build up your power and be stronger than the others.”

“But not to the caliber of Delphi or you.”

“Does that matter to you?”

He doesn’t answer right away. “No, not really.”

Liar.

Jonas was right; Zander wants to be exactly like me, and since he can’t he’s trying to keep me as his own. I need to plan Zander’s death very carefully.

Neither one of us says another word well into the morning. Isolde retrieves us after everyone else has gone. Since we didn’t get much sleep, we decide to stay at the campsite. Our tents weren’t affected by the fire or the fight, but we move everything several miles away anyway, not wanting to be surrounded by the fresh memories, let alone the remaining blood and gore. Once everyone is settled down, I set both a concealment charm and raider alarm around us. Zander is surprised that I’m able to activate the alarm, since we’re not in a building. I brush it off and go to sleep.

Twelve

“So, let’s discuss us being trapped in the underworld,” Jonas says sarcastically after we’ve had a late dinner.

We slept the entire day.

“We won’t be trapped,” I say, getting defensive. “There’s a way out.”

“And what’s to say your brother won’t be waiting for us at the exit?” Isolde asks.

“Look, Delphi gave us a job to do. Aven and I are going to go through with it, with or without you,” Zander says as he puts another log on our dwindling fire.

“Do you always do what your boss tells you to do?” Isolde asks, glaring at him.

I can see a lump forming in his throat.

He has to swallow a couple of times before he can answer. “No,” he says, but I sense he’s lying.

What is it with him and avoiding the truth?

I stare at him, the wheels turning in my head about what he’s hiding and if he’s hiding it from me or from them. Zander hates it when I keep things from him, yet he’s more than willing to lie to me constantly? So much for trust between us. Not that I’m helping to remedy that in anyway either.

“You’re so full of shit,” Jonas says abruptly, pulling me out of my fog.

“Fine, believe what you will, but you don’t want to know what will happen if you don’t follow Delphi’s orders,” Zander says.

“I’m not afraid of the old man,” Jonas says, in a cocky tone.

Zander stands, goes over to Jonas, and sticks a finger in his face.

“His brother wasn’t afraid of him either,” Zander says. “Eri left the collective since he didn’t agree with what his siblings wanted to do with Comoros. Delphi tracked him down and slaughtered him in front of his children; gutted him like a fish just to prove a point. Their brother Lertis is the only one who knows what happened, which is why he swore his allegiance to Delphi. None of the other Ancients know what Delphi has done but they do know he’s dangerous, which is why they’re hiding.”

“You yell at me for hiding things from you and now you pull this shit out of your ass?” I practically scream at him. “You’ve known all along where the missing brother was? Why didn’t you say anything before?”

He turns to me. “It wasn’t relevant,” he says calmly. “It still doesn’t change anything about what Delphi wants us to do, so —”

“Shut up,” Isolde says, holding up her hand. “Can you hear that?”

A scraping noise reverberates around us. I can’t believe I missed it but, then again, Zander was ranting. A brief roar breaks the quiet night air as the scraping continues to get closer.

“What is that?” I ask as I spin around, trying to find the thing’s location.

A blast of flame erupts a few yards to our south, encasing a group of saplings, but also giving us the light we need.

The creature scrabbling nearby has three heads, a combination of lion, goat, and snake making up the facial structures. Its body is that of a muscular lion: bulky, and yellow, and its tail is another snake head. It rears its middle head back before jutting it forward and spewing fire. The roar is coming from the other two heads.

“Holy shit,” Jonas says in a gasp.

The monster turns in our direction and lumbers towards us.

“Can it see us?” Isolde asks, her voice shaking, her eyes glued to the sight before us.

“No,” Zander answers, his voice low and soft.

“What’ll happen if it hits the charm?” I ask, my body too stunned to move. I removed the alarm the moment we woke up.

“Nothing; we’ll be fine,” Zander says, glancing at me briefly, nervous for a confirmation I’m not sure I can give.

None of us moves, even though the thing is nearly on top of us. It hits the concealment charm and turns translucent as it passes through our camp, not disturbing a thing. We all had been holding our breath, so we release them in one collective sigh when the creature is out of sight.

“What the hell was that thing?” I ask.

“A Chimera,” Jonas replies, stepping around Zander who is still standing in front of him. “They live on the third level of Irkalla.”

“How many levels are there exactly?” Zander asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Five,” Isolde responds. “The sets of creatures in the fourth and fifth levels of the underworld are far worse than either the Harpies or the Chimeras.”

“All the more reason to seal that veil,” Zander says, brushing past Jonas, knocking into him on purpose, then sitting down.

“Can I borrow that?” I ask Isolde, pointing to one of her knives.

She removes it from the belt and hands it to me.

I brush away as much of the dried leaves and pine needles that I can before I begin carving up the ground. I try to recall exactly how Bate drew the map of Eskal. Isolde leans over to see what I’m doing, and makes corrections when necessary.

“I can’t remember if Bate drew the veils or not,” I mumble out loud.

“Here, I know where they are,” Isolde says, taking her other knife and marking each veil with a small line.

“What are you doing?” Zander asks, coming over to us.

“The veils need to be sealed off so the creatures can’t enter the other regions. I’m going to see if I can do that from here,” I answer.

“I think you need to be at the actual site to work the occlusion spell,” Zander says, sitting next to me.

“No, I don’t,” I say as I look over which veils need to be closed. “But I need something to tie these all together.”

“Jonas, hand me that bag,” Isolde says, pointing to a small sack behind him.

He reaches for it and tosses it to her. She opens it and removes an even smaller bag, which she hands to me. I dump the contents into my hand: smooth black stones. We all look at her quizzically.

“What?” she asks, startled by the attention. “They’re healing stones. I bought them off one of the carts.”

We continue to look at her.

“You put them on a part of your body that hurts, and they remove the pain,” she says.

“And let me guess: you have to be naked to do this,” Jonas says, raising an eyebrow.

She smiles. “Of course.”

Jonas laughs, Zander shakes his head, and I turn my attention back to the map. I place a stone on every veil except the one leading into Irkalla. I don’t touch the veils in Comoros since Delphi already sealed one, I destroyed the second, and none of us has any clue as to where the secret one is.

“You’re going to piss off a lot of people,” Jonas says once all the stones are set.

“For now, anyway. This isn’t permanent like the veil into the gardens,” I reply.

I hold my hands over the map, spread my fingers out as far as they’ll go, and conjure the occlusion spell. The stones begin to change color, changing from a light orange to a dark red. In my mind I can hear the veils slamming shut one by one, and we can visually see it as well; as each veil is closed, the relevant stone stops glowing. It takes me several minutes to shut them all. Isolde reaches for a blackened stone, but immediately drops it again.

“Hot,” she says, blowing on her slightly burned fingers.

“How long will it take us to reach Irkalla from here?” I ask Jonas and Isolde.

“If we don’t lose any more time, a little over ten hours.”

“Would you recommend traveling now?” Zander asks.

“No, not with Ligotas, Harpies, Chimera, and God knows what else wandering around out there. We’re safer here, especially behind the concealment charm,” Jonas answers.

A thought dawns on me. I reach into the tent behind me and pull out my rucksack, then dig through it until I come up with the journal and black lanx. Zander deactivated the black lanx when I insisted on looking for Michael. Since it only shows the map of Comoros, if I turn the lanx back on then I’ll know exactly where in the region Michael is, and he won’t be able to see me since I’m in the forest.

“What spell did you use to turn this off?” I ask Zander, shoving the lanx in his face.

“You know the spell,” he says, pushing my hand away.

“You closed this, didn’t you? You used the occlusion spell,” I state.

He claps.

“Don’t be an asshole,” Jonas says from across the way.

Zander narrows his eyes at him.

I place the lanx on the journal page and cast the fissure spell which should reopen the disc. The map of Comoros erupts; a red dot representing Michael hovers over the location for the Sacrer baths. The only thing he’ll find there is Knox’s body, or what’s left of it. Just the thought of Knox upsets me. Why did he have to die? Why not Zander? Knox did everything he could to redeem himself, and Zander is the one who benefited from it. I feel myself tearing up so I slam the journal shut, leaving the lanx active inside.

I’ll need to remember to deactivate it, which takes a lot of energy, before we enter Comoros, otherwise Michael will be able to find me. I’m not ready for that… not yet anyway. Our conversation dies off and we wind up drifting in and out of sleep for the next several hours.

Just before sunrise, we eat a small breakfast, pack, and hit the road. It’s hours before we take our first break. I remove the journal and check on Michael. He’s moved away from the baths and is moving along the Vicion River, which will take him right into the Valley of Caille Anam. I wonder if he’s trying to find another way into Irkalla since I’m sure he’s learned, as I did, that this is where Delphi and Myro sent Trel and Valora back into the underworld. So, what’s wrong with the veil in the Sabra Mountains? Doesn’t he know it exists? He must, otherwise how else did his followers get into the forest? Why would he be going to the valley?

I realize the entrance Delphi depicted in the memory he saved to Zander and Ceri’s discs was a lie, a way to throw everyone off as to the true ways into Irkalla. What else could be there that would draw Michael to it?

Jonas has to nudge me, as I’m too caught up in my own thoughts to notice that we’re leaving. Much to my disappointment, we wind up having to take more breaks than we had planned. The heat of the day seems to be increasing exponentially. Isolde says it’s because we’re getting close but I’m not too sure that’s true, because whenever I stood by the veil into the gardens I never felt the sun’s rays, even though it was always shining. The veils must prevent whatever is happening in that region to affect the forest. So, why is it getting so hot? The answer to my question greets us moments later.

Several Chimeras are busy setting the woods ablaze as they dig into the ground with their paws. They don’t appear to have spotted us, so we move to a secluded spot not affected by the fire and wait them out. Zander casts a concealment charm around the area just in case the creatures or the fire decides to come our way. Hours pass slowly, but the fire dies down as the Chimeras move off to another section of the forest. Zander removes the charm and we continue heading west.

A horrid smell hits my nose after another few hours’ walk, so I use part of my shirt to cover my face. Isolde was correct: we can smell Irkalla before we even get close to the veil. I guess the veil can only keep out so much, and smells isn’t one of them.

The entrance into the underworld sits between two massive rock formations. I notice the landscape beyond the opening is covered in bright red rock with pools of boiling water, which spew steam into the air, adding to the naturally occurring heat.

“You could just close the veil now,” Isolde says, obviously trying to avoid stepping into Irkalla.

“Michael is our main concern, and this is the only way we can get to him,” Zander says, scrunching up his face at the odor.

“But if he’s not in the forest, then what’s the point? Sealing this veil permanently would prevent everything from coming through,” Isolde says.

“He’s not the only one we’re after,” I say, stepping closer to the opening.

“If all you want to do is get into Comoros, we can find the other veil and use that,” Isolde adds, her anxiety rising.

“Delphi closed it, and his magic is almost impossible to reverse,” Zander responds.

“Then use whatever spell you need to make a new one,” she continues to protest.

“It’s not that simple,” Zander says, getting frustrated. “You would need to be able to properly sync up both realms to make a clean entry. If you don’t, who the hell knows where you’ll wind up?”

“You mean if you just wanted to make a new veil and did it wrong, you could wind up in some sort of void?” Jonas asks, finally speaking up.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Zander says, eyeing the landscape before us.

“Again, I vote to permanently close this one and go through the other one,” Isolde comments.

“We can’t,” I reply. “We need to keep this open so the creatures can return to their rightful place in Irkalla. We can’t allow them to go anywhere else, but they need to be able to return home.”

“You’re nuts,” Isolde says, pointing her finger in my face.

“How far are into Irkalla are you expecting us to go?” Jonas asks calmly.

“Hopefully not below the surface,” Zander answers.

“And Trel? I’m sure he’s not on the surface. Are we to look for the veil before or after we get to him?” I ask.

“After, of course,” Zander answers, but he doesn’t sound too convincing.

I’m sure the moment we find that secret veil, Zander will bury the entire underworld and try to kill Michael on his own, just like I plan on doing. Sometimes I think the two of us are too much alike.

“Let’s at least try to find the veil first, so we know where we need to go after Trel,” Jonas suggests.

We all agree then each glance at one another, hoping someone will take the first step through. I shake my head, and pass through the veil.

Irkalla is small, surrounded by walls of brimstone — the same walls that look to have made up the Valley of Caille Anam in Comoros. Sweat runs down my limbs when I take another step. Sulfur sprinkles the top of the rock formations that divide the acidic springs. I try to get close to one of the pools before removing the locket from around my neck. I dangle it over the bubbling water, and as I drop it in, I hope it either sinks or melts. I let out a sigh of relief as the metal sizzles when it touches the acid before finally dissolving. But that’s only one relic. Who knows how many more Trel created.

I turn my attention back to the rest of the surface. There’s one distinct path cutting across everything, and it leads clear to the other side of the rock formation. I take my time crossing the terrain while the others follow carefully behind me. Once in the center of Irkalla I glance around, trying to find the veil into Comoros, but all I see is brimstone as high as the sky.

“I don’t see it!” I shout, as everyone is still congregating around the opening several meters away.

“Keep looking!” Zander calls back.

I move in as many directions as possible, but still no veil.

It has to be here.

Could it be underground?

“I’m going below!” I yell.

“Not without us,” Zander says, practically pushing the other two forward.

I wait for them to catch up to me before moving further down the path, which dead-ends at the mouth of a cave. The cavern is gloomy and after going a few feet inside it becomes completely dark.

“Anyone have a light?” Isolde asks.

“Hang on,” Jonas says, grumbling as he rifles through one of his bags.

A moment later a small light begins to glow from an oil-soaked torch gripped tightly in his hand. He hands one to each of us then lights them. Bats fly towards us after we disturb their solitude.

“Where’d you get these?” I ask as Zander steps in front of the group to take the lead.

“I keep them in my bag, along with a small bottle of oil. I’m always prepared,” he says with a smile and a wink.

“Come on,” Zander says, nodding for us to follow.

It feels like an eternity before we reach the back of the cave, which falls away into a treacherous spiral staircase carved out of the stone walls. There’s a large gap in the center of the flight of stairs and no railing to prevent us from falling into the hole. Isolde drops her torch into the black to see how far down it goes, but the torch light simply becomes smaller as it drops, until it’s swallowed up in the pitch-blackness below. We never heart it land, either. Zander starts down, making sure to hug the wall as he goes. Isolde and I follow, with Jonas bringing up the rear. It feels like we’re traveling down a corkscrew as the stairs continue to turn and bend, tighter and tighter.

I’m not sure how long it takes for us to finally reach the bottom, but when we do we wind up in a tiny alcove with only two hallways branching off from it. Torches line the walls, giving us illumination, so we extinguish the ones we have and hand them back to Jonas, who lets them drop to the floor. They’re too hot to carry in his bags, so he says discarding them is a better option. He adds that he does have more we can use on our return trip.

“Which way do we go?” Isolde asks.

“No clue,” I respond, which doesn’t help.

“Aven and Jonas, take the tunnel to the right. Isolde and I will take the one on the left,” Zander says. “You two look for the veil. Isolde and I will get Trel.”

I’m surprised Zander has me teaming up with Jonas, but I try not to think about it and head down the hall. Once we clear a tight section, the tunnel widens almost into the size of a cavern. Lining the walls every twenty feet are stone slabs that resemble doors, but without any handles. A few have been broken open; their remnants lay scattered across the floor. Others are intact, and I can hear scraping on the other side of them. The tunnel veers sharply to the right before turning left. The stone slabs are everywhere, each sounding like something is lurking behind them. The tunnel goes left again, this time going into a long straight line before turning ninety degrees to the right.

“Hey,” I say, pointing to another opening with a staircase. “How much do you want to bet this leads down to the other levels?”

“If it does, how do we block it off without causing a cave-in?”

“Easily.”

I stand with my back against the tunnel wall and gesture for Jonas to stay off to my right. I conjure the occlusion spell, and just as I imagine it the stone of the doorframe begins to move, closing up until it’s a solid wall.

“Huh, not bad,” Jonas says. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

We take another immediate right and proceed down an even longer hallway. Again, there are more stone slabs, several of them broken open. This time we take a moment to peek inside. The cell is small, only one stone bench jutting out from the rear wall. The room contains nothing else.

“No wonder the Ligotas want out of here. I wouldn’t want to spend my eternity in this cramped space,” I remark.

Something bumps against my leg. I think it’s Jonas, but when I turn to look at him he’s on the opposite side of where I felt the impact. Childish laughter echoes down the walls as I get bumped once again.

“What was that?” I ask.

Jonas removes his knives. “Get your sword ready,” he says to me, his face tightening.

The next time something hits me it draws blood, slicing the leg of my pants and leaving scratch marks in my flesh. The wound is slow to heal, which startles me. I try to cast a concealment charm around us, but the tunnel has narrowed so much that I can’t create one. Jonas and I carefully go forward in the direction we had been when he yells, as blood trickles down his forearm. We plaster our backs against the wall and wait. The laughter becomes sporadic, as if the person is running, then stops. Jonas nudges my shoulder and I gaze off to my left. Near the next bend in the tunnel stands a little girl in a white dress, with long auburn hair. She cocks her head to the side and smiles.

“Hello,” she says in a sweet voice.

“Hello,” Jonas answers, his voice quivering slightly.

“What are you doing down here?” she asks, her head still cocked.

“We got trapped down here by accident, so we’re trying to find a way out,” Jonas replies.

The girl’s face darkens as she licks her plump red lips. The light from the torches along the walls hits her in such a way that I can see small drops of blood dripping from her fingernails.

“People who get lost down here never get out,” she says in a deep, maniacal voice.

She changes into a dark gray leathery creature with short legs and arms, and razor-sharp nails and teeth. I swing my sword as wide as I can and connect with its neck, severing the head. The body flops around for a few seconds before finally dying.

“What was that thing?” I ask.

“It’s a Tiyanak,” Jonas answers, stepping over the corpse. “They’re a vampire-like creature that can mimic a child in form and sound. They live on the fourth level.”

“Let’s hope not too many of them got out,” I say, nodding for us to continue moving.

We wind through another set of tunnels for the next hour, but still come up with nothing. We’re both surprised we haven’t run into Isolde and Zander, since we feel we should at least be in the middle of this maze if not close to the entrance.

Laughter fills the space again, causing us to stop. A sharp pain travels up my side, followed by a scream. Jonas has one of his knives jammed into the eye socket of a Tiyanak, but its claws are still stuck in my flesh. It keeps digging into me, drawing more blood. Jonas cuts off the head and its hand goes limp, releasing me from its grasp. I slide down the wall as I press my hand against the wound. Jonas kneels, and starts rummaging through his bags for something to treat it with. He locates some gauze, unrolls it, and pushes it against me. I yelp from the rush of pain, and bite my lip to keep any more noises from escaping as the laughter starts again from another direction.

“Here,” I say, handing him the sword, “take this. It’ll be easier to use than the knives.”

I take over holding the bandage in place as he stands guard. Two more Tiyanaks show up, taking swipes at us. Jonas gets hit in the leg, but he barely gets a scratch and takes care of them quickly.

“Aven, I can hear you,” Trel whispers, his voice sounding surprisingly comforting. “It’s been ages since I’ve been able to talk to you. I’m around the next bend. Come into my cave — they won’t follow you.”

Two more come around the corner. One of them slices my ankle before Jonas can kill it.

“Hurry! They’re all over the place.”

“We need to keep going,” I stammer, pushing myself to my feet.

“We can’t risk moving you right now,” Jonas says as he swings the sword, killing another.

“We need to get to Trel.”

I begin hobbling down the tunnel, wincing every inch of the way.

Jonas grabs his bags, slings them over his shoulders, and heads towards me. He puts his arm around my waist and tries to carry me. The laughter continues, but the closer we get to Trel the quieter it becomes. We turn a corner, but this time we’re met by a block of stone. It’s sitting in the center of the tunnel, with only one slab as an entry point.

“Get me out of here!” Trel yells from the other side.

Jonas props me up against the wall and keeps a lookout while I perform the fissure spell. I manage to get the opening just wide enough for me to collapse through. Trel grabs my arms and throws me against the wall. My head cracks and the world spins, but thankfully only for a few seconds. Trel is about to reach for me again when Jonas swings the sword, just stopping short of cutting Trel’s throat.

“Go ahead, touch her. I dare you,” Jonas says through clenched teeth.

Trel puts up his hands and backs off.

“My apologies — I was just overly excited to see my beloved,” he says, smiling.

The laughter reverberates in the chamber, and I catch glimpses of the Tiyanaks darting about outside the entrance.

“What are you waiting for, Aven? Cast the mortality flare,” Trel says, still smiling.

I crawl over to the opening just as the red energy begins to envelop me. I picture every Tiyanak that might still be lurking in the caves, and send the energy out the door after them. Screams take place of the laughter, followed by silence.

“Ah, much better,” Trel says, taking a seat on the stone bench. “Now, unchain me.”

Thirteen

“Not so fast,” I grunt, moving myself away from the door. “We have some conditions.”

“Of course you do,” he says, frowning. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the daughter of Delphi.”

Jonas sets my sword next to me, but away from Trel, then goes back into one of his bags and removes a small medical kit. The gouge in my side isn’t too deep, even though it feels like it’s all the way to my ribcage. I cry out when he applies a clean bandage. A few moments later, Isolde and Zander appear in the doorway.

“What the hell happened?” Zander asks, stepping inside and almost knocking Jonas out of the way.

“Tiyanaks,” Jonas says, but he directs his answer to Isolde. “Did you two come across any?”

“Yeah, but then they were suddenly incinerated,” she responds.

“I closed the opening to the other levels,” I say, wincing as Zander takes over my care. “No more monsters should be escaping.”

“Well, except for me,” Trel says, pointing to himself.

We all turn and stare at him.

“That’s why you came, right? To get me the fuck out of here?”

“Settle down,” Isolde says, smacking him on the head.

“Do that again, woman, and there won’t be a piece of you left,” Trel says, flaring his nostrils as he slowly begins to change from his human form into his Ligotas one.

“Stop, will you?” Zander says, swiping at them both.

Trel stops his transformation and returns to his human self. “How much longer is this going to take?”

“We need to get the bleeding stopped before she can move,” Zander snaps.

“I should be healing on my own,” I say through spasms of pain.

“The bite or slash of a Tiyanak takes a while to recover from, even for an Ancient,” Trel says, glaring at me. “Yes, I know you’re one of them now. Word travels fast when you rise to the top of the ranks. Now, let me out of here!”

“No,” Zander says. “We only came here to ask you a couple of questions.”

Trel’s face falls. “You can’t be serious.” He stands and tries to reach for Isolde, but Jonas moves her out of his reach. “I didn’t help you, Aven, just so you could leave me down here to rot. Get me the fuck out of here!” he shouts, spit flying from his mouth.

“What’s he talking about?” Isolde asks.

“He took care of a problem for me, but nearly killed me doing it,” I say, seething.

Zander touches my arm. “What problem?”

“Grey Coulson. When Knox and I were in the watchtower, he used an apparition spell to get inside. Trel used the fallacy revolt to get rid of him.”

“How did Grey know where to find you?”

“The Kerai Couplings connect to each other.”

Zander looks taken aback by the answer.

“Delphi never told you, did he?” I ask.

“No, I had no idea.”

“Are we all caught up now?” Trel asks sarcastically.

“Who freed Michael?” Zander asks as he steps around me.

“How the hell would I know that? It’s not like I have windows to see everything that happens in these caves.” Trel turns his attention back to me, his lips pursing as he scans me up and down. “Aven, you’re even more beautiful in person than I could have possibly imagined.”

Zander darts towards him, but Jonas grabs his arms to hold him back.

Trel laughs at the spectacle. “My, Aven, you sure do have a very sensitive lover. Zander just can’t handle competition, can he?” Trel tilts his head, and glances at Jonas.

Thankfully, Zander doesn’t notice.

“All right, ladies and gents, let’s head above ground,” Trel says, tapping the chains around his ankles.

“No, Zander was right; we’re not letting you out,” I say.

“And why not?” Trel asks, clenching his teeth.

“I need to know how a Ligotas can come back to life.”

“They can’t,” Trel says, sitting down. “Once they’re dead, they’re dead. You can’t bring them back.”

“Then how is Michael alive if I used the flare on him?”

Trel leans back, brings a hand up to his face, and strokes his chin. “What an interesting question. I’ll tell you, but only on one condition.”

“We get you out of here,” the four of us answer in unison.

He grumbles. “Take all the fun out of my dramatic reveal.” Trel holds out his hand and gestures to the band around his right index finger. “It’s called a Delse Ring. I only had two of them made, and I gave one to Valora centuries ago. She must’ve given it to Michael before you killed him.”

“What does it do, exactly?” Isolde asks, her eyes carefully scanning the ring.

“It keeps you from dying, obviously,” Trel comments.

“Then why didn’t it work on you?” she adds.

He glares at her. “I’ve never actually died, you idiot. Delphi sent me down here… alive, which is why I’m trapped.”

“Who made the rings for you?” I ask, my eyes catching the flecks of gold in the silver.

He smiles. “That little secret is staying with me.”

“Ruelle made it, didn’t she?” I ask, stepping closer to him.

“How the hell did you know that?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“It was just a guess; but she made your replica lockets, too, didn’t she?”

“She makes all my handy little trinkets,” Trel says, licking his lips.

A loud thud shakes the chamber. Jonas tells the rest of us to stay while he checks it out. He rushes back seconds later, almost tripping over Zander when he reenters.

“Close the door,” he says, gasping for air.

“What? Why?” I ask.

An ear-splitting screech echoes through the hallway. I know that sound… it’s the noise of nightmares.

I conjure the occlusion spell as quickly as possible.

“Oh, we’re fucked,” Isolde says, turning away from the door and running her hands through her hair. She begins to pace the room and mumble to herself.

“What’s the matter with her?” Trel asks, pointing to Isolde. She looks to be on the verge of a panic attack.

“I have a lot of trouble with small spaces,” she says.

“Great, now you tell us,” Zander says, throwing up his hands.

“Why do you think I didn’t want to come down here?” she snaps.

“Look, even if we do manage to avoid them, there are so many twists and turns to this place that we might never find our way out,” Jonas says.

“I can help with that,” Trel says, standing, and raising his hand.

“You can get us to the secret veil into Comoros?” Zander asks in a harsh tone.

Another thud shakes the cell, this time causing dust to rain down.

“The one my father created? Sure.”

I glance over at Zander with a not-so-surprised look on my face.

“Where is it?” Jonas asks.

Trel looks over at him then tilts his head. “Down below.”

“Which level?” I ask, trying to hurry him along.

“The sixth one.”

“Huh, liar. There are only five levels,” Isolde says from her corner of the room.

“The sixth isn’t a complete level; it’s more like a small chamber, really. You have to go down through the other levels to get to it.”

“How do we even know you’re telling the truth?” Zander asks. “You’ve never been out of this cell, so how would you know where anything is in here?”

“Valora, in her infinite wisdom mapped it out for me ages ago. She let slip that Myro had created a special entry into Comoros for her.”

“I bet she mentioned this to you when you had her under the submission hex,” I comment.

“Information is information, regardless of how you obtain it,” Trel smirks. “Now, list your conditions for my release and get on with it.”

“Fine. First, you make any threatening motion towards any of us and I’ll send you back down here,” Zander says, starting us off.

“Naturally,” Trel replies. “What else?”

“You need to help me stop Michael,” I add.

“He’s not my problem, he’s yours. Why should I help you murder a fellow Ligotas?”

“Because, if you do, then you get to kill Myro,” I propose.

The corners of his mouth curl up. “Ah, now that would be fun.”

“Fine, let’s go,” Zander says, stepping aside so I can reopen the door.

“How are you going to get him out of the chains?” Isolde asks.

“Use the sword Ruelle gave you,” Trel replies.

“How do you know about that?” I ask, my heart beginning to race.

“Her work is very distinguishable, as you know,” Trel says, tapping his ring. “Besides, you don’t think she really made that weapon for you out of the goodness of her heart, now, do you? She knew you’d find your way down here, so she imbedded a specific alloy in the metal that will free me — or anyone chained by an Ancient really.”

“The same alloy that’s in your ring and lockets?” I ask.

He smiles. “Yes, but there isn’t enough of it in the ring to break me free. There is, however, enough in the sword.”

I pick up the sword and tap the tip against the cuff around one of Trel’s ankles, and it falls away. I do the same to the other leg, freeing him completely. I swing the sword up to his face just after he takes a step forward.

“Remember, try anything and you won’t be getting out a second time,” I hiss at him.

“You’re going to want to clean your blade before the blood dulls it,” he says, smiling then stepping past me.

I open the cell.

Jonas pokes his head out and does a quick survey.

The hallway is empty.

Zander shoves Trel through first before following. I bring up the rear of the group, my weapon at the ready. We make it around the first couple of corners before running into a Sagot. We dive into the first empty cell we come across, plastering ourselves against the inner wall.

“Just use the mortality flare,” Trel whispers as the thing drags past us.

“They’re immune to magic,” I whisper back. “Only a sword can kill them.”

“Well, then, get to it,” Trel says, sounding impatient.

“Sure, why don’t you distract them for me,” I mutter back.

Jonas waves us both down since another one has appeared.

“What about the concealment charm?” Isolde asks quietly.

“The space is too tight,” I reply.

“How much further do we need to go?” Zander asks Trel.

“Only a few more turns. There’ll be a doorway with a staircase leading down,” he answers.

“Damn it,” I grumble. “Did you not hear me when I said I closed that off?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Trel says, raising his voice a little.

“I can reopen it. Just show us where it should be,” I respond.

Trel gripes as he bangs his head against the wall. He glances out into the hall and takes off, while the four of us hurry to catch up to him. We round several more corners and I recognize the hallway we’re in since it’s the one with the long expanse. I charge ahead, but have to slam to a hard stop when I notice a Sagot standing right where we need to be. I hand the sword over to Jonas as two more Sagots sprint towards us. I open the doorway as quickly as possible. Trel and Isolde are the first ones through, followed by Zander. Jonas shoves me under the monster as he slices its underbelly. The two crash into the third, smashing into the walls and causing a collapse. I tumble down the stairs, but can’t see the others. I land hard at the bottom and have to cover myself from falling debris.

“Jonas,” I softly call out, but I don’t get an answer.

There’s very little light down here, unlike in the caves, so I create a spark and shoot it towards the ceiling. When it hits light rain downs, illuminating a vast pit only inches from my feet. I aim a spark down, but what the light exposes makes me want to throw up.

Human corpses, and remains of creatures of varying sizes and in different stages of decay litter a large nest that encompasses the bottom of the pit. Jonas, Zander, Isolde, and Trel are each sprawled about the area and are slow to rise. The spark continues to rise, exposing holes in the circular wall that surrounds the nest. Each hole is a little over five feet in height, and are placed about every four feet.

“Harpies,” I murmur, then shift down into the nest.

Jonas is helping Isolde to her feet while Zander and Trel look around.

Thankfully, most of the holes are empty, but there are still a few Harpies lurking about. They stare at us as we move about the nest, crunching bones underfoot as we go. I have to dig for the sword since Jonas dropped it when he landed. I find it buried in several feet of regurgitated muscle tissue and secure it in the scabbard.

“Great job, everyone, now we’re definitely trapped down here,” Trel says, clapping.

I punch him in the face.

He glares at me as a trickle of blood drips down from his nose.

“Now where?” Jonas asks, coming up next to me.

“That way,” Trel snarls as he rubs his nose.

We follow him to the edge of the nest and lean over. Thirty feet below I can see the opening to the Chimera level.

“Now what?” Isolde asks, rubbing her shoulder since she dinged it when she landed.

“Aven shifts us,” Zander says.

“Huh?” Jonas asks, looking confused.

“She can change our location and safely put us down there,” Zander answers.

“Or, if you’re like me, you fly,” Trel says, expanding his wings and diving down.

“I’ve only moved two people at once, Zander. I don’t know if I can shift all four of us at the same time.”

“Well, you’d better think of something fast,” Jonas says as he taps my shoulder. “That collapse isn’t holding the Sagots back for long.”

I turn around and catch three sets of wings jutting out of the rubble and moving forward.

“Shit,” I say as I grab a hold of Jonas and Zander.

Isolde takes Jonas’ hand and I shift us, but only three of us reach the bottom. Isolde is still in the nest, and from her facial expression I can tell the monsters are closing in on her. I go back up, grab her arm, and shift us down. We hustle through the large doorway just as the Sagots reach the edge of the nest. I know they’ll just keep coming, so I close off the doorway and trap them with the Harpies.

We take a series of turns this time, instead of stairs, to enter the Chimera compound. Spots of lush grass, blue pools, and burnt trees lay before us as far as the eye can see. Several Chimera are sleeping only feet away. Trel leads us quickly and quietly through the area. It takes us close to an hour before we come upon another doorway, which should bring us into the Tiyanaks’ home. The smell of death is thick here. Zander is busy sealing the Chimera door, so I decide to go in first and cast a spark ahead of me to provide us some light. The entire floor is covered in blood, body parts, and waste. I feel myself turning green from the sight, and almost retch. I don’t waste any time to see if the Tiyanaks are at home, and just cast a mortality flare. Screams fill the large entryway as the red energy floats down branches of hallways, striking its targets.

We move carefully across the floor, trying our hardest not to step on anything, but that proves to be difficult. Isolde starts to gag, and practically bolts away from us to the door that leads us to the fifth level. I seal the doorway behind us once everyone has started to make their way down the tight staircase.

“I really hate small spaces,” Isolde moans from in front of me.

I think after this experience so will I.

The walls feel as if they’re closing in, and almost rub against our shoulders the further down we go. At the bottom is a narrow doorway covered in a sheen of blue liquid, only we don’t get wet when we pass through it. The room is long and narrow, allowing for only one person to cross at a time, and an unnatural blue light shimmers up from under the walkway, flinging odd shadows along the walls.

“What lives down here?” Zander asks, nudging his way to the front.

“The Eidolon,” Trel answers. “They’re a phantom-like spirit that can take the form of either a living or dead person.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I say.

“They latch onto you as soon as your foot hits the walkway, and won’t let go until you get to that door,” Trel says, pointing to the far end of the hallway. “They’ll try to drain your life force, so the goal is to survive the travel.”

“How do you stop them from doing that?” Zander asks.

“Don’t let them get to you,” Jonas answers. “The moment they feel you giving in, they’ll start to suck the life right out of you. They can kill anyone.” He turns so he’s looking right at me. “Even an Ancient.”

Fourteen

“I’ll go first,” Zander says.

He steps forward, and the moment his foot touches the first tile of the walkway Prime Jarron appears next to him.

“I trusted you, Zander,” he begins. “You hacked me into pieces and disposed of me like human garbage.”

“Don’t respond, Zander!” Isolde calls out to him.

Zander’s pace is steady, and it looks as if Jarron isn’t having any effect on him.

“You’re a traitor, did you know that!” Jarron shouts. “Aven thought I was evil, wow, she hasn’t even scratched the surface with you yet. I wonder how she’ll react when she finds out the things you’ve done and plan on doing.”

This causes him to stumble, so he stops to regain his footing.

I lean my head towards Jonas. “Do these things tell the truth?”

“Of course not. They’ll spill any lies they can come up with to make you falter.”

I turn my attention back to Zander. It feels like minutes have passed and he hasn’t even reached the halfway mark.

“You don’t deserve her. You don’t deserve anyone,” Jarron continues his barrage of anger. “She’s cheating on you, did you know that? She’s fucking someone else, someone you loathe.”

Again, Zander stops to regain his composure.

“Not as easy as it looked, huh, Zander?” Trel calls out.

The three of us slap and kick him almost at the same time, which shuts him up — for the moment. Unfortunately, Prime Jarron keeps talking.

“What’s going to happen to you when this is all over? Delphi doesn’t want you, Aven doesn’t want you, and so what will you do? Cower in a mug of ale and drink yourself to death? The Guardians won’t have you back, that’s for sure.”

“You’re almost there,” Isolde says, trying to sound happy.

“Death is your only option, Zander. We can rot in hell together.”

Zander steps off the walkway and Prime Jarron evaporates. Zander looks ill, and slumps to the floor of the small alcove. He stares at me, and I begin to wonder if he believes anything that Jarron told him.

“I’ll go next,” Isolde says, breaking my hold on Zander.

Bate is her companion.

“Why didn’t you go with me like you were supposed to?” he asks, his voice sounding raspy, choked with emotion. “You let me go by myself and look what happened! I begged you to come with me, but you had better things to do,” he snarls. “You’re a fool, Isolde, if you think any of them are your friends. Would true friends bring you down here? Risk your life for a fight that’s not even yours?”

“No,” I hear her murmur.

“Isolde, don’t! Don’t say anything!” I scream at her.

She doesn’t stop, but her pace has slowed.

“Keep going,” Jonas says from behind me. “Don’t listen to him. It’s not really Bate. He’d never say those things to you.”

“I can do this…I can do this,” Isolde starts repeating to herself.

“No, you can’t,” Bate counters. “You’re weak. You only became a huntsman because you needed to prove your value. No one in Lioc ever took you seriously, and neither do your so-called friends.”

“Please, Bate — stop,” Isolde whimpers.

My eyes grow large when I notice her skin gradually turning blue.

“She can’t do this by herself,” I say, and begin to push my way through, but both Jonas and Trel stop me.

“She needs to,” Jonas says. “If you go out there it’ll be twice the hatred and anger. You both could go down.”

“Isolde,” Zander says as he stands. “Look at me.”

She raises her head, as she had let it slip down to her chest.

“Keep your eyes on me. Focus only on me and nothing else.”

She nods, and tries to pick up her pace.

Bate continues to berate her, but she stays strong with Zander’s guidance, and finally makes it to the end. The blue vanishes from her skin just as Bate disappears. Zander grabs Isolde, who’s on the verge of collapse, and sets her deeper in the alcove.

Trel steps onto the walkway next, just after proclaiming he’d have the easiest walk of any of us. Immediately, a pretty little long-haired girl in a short dress is walking beside him.

“Why, Trel? Daddy trusted you and you killed me. Why?” she asks, her voice soft and innocent. “I looked up to you. You were my world… my big brother. Daddy hates you so much for what you did to me. I can’t ever forgive you either. I loved you.”

Trel falters, and goes down on one knee.

“Madeline, I’m so sorry,” he sobs, his body shaking. “I miss you so much.”

None of us knows what to say. A part of me wants to tell him to ignore her, but the rest is saying he’s getting what he deserves.

The Eidolon steps in front of Trel, blocking his path. “I miss you, too.”

Trel begins to fade.

“Come home, big brother, please?”

“She’s got him,” Jonas whispers.

Trel’s skin turns blue to the point of almost being translucent. Then he recovers, spins the ring on his finger, shakes his head, and solidifies again.

“You’re not real,” he says to her, and sprints to the end, nearly plowing into Isolde in order to exit.

Jonas turns to me. “I’ll go next.” He’s about to kiss me when he remembers that Zander is watching, so instead he brushes my cheek.

When he steps onto the walkway, I’m frozen by what appears.

“You’ll never have me,” the Eidolon masquerading as me says to him. “Zander is who I prefer, and always will. You’re pathetic to think an Ancient could ever fall for a simple huntsman like you. I’d prefer to mate with a Ligotas than to ever fuck you.”

Oh, God.

“Once we’re in Comoros, Zander and I are leaving all of you behind. We have better things to do than babysit a bunch of pathetic losers.”

Jonas keeps his head held high, his back straight, and takes quick steps.

“I wish I’d never met you,” are the final words out of the Eidolon’s mouth.

Jonas steps into the alcove. He and Zander scowl at each other with such intensity that I can feel the tension over here where I’m standing. Jonas places his hands on the tops of his knives, which are still secured in his belt. Zander can’t really reach for his crossbow without looking suspicious.

“You’re all that’s left,” Isolde calls over to me, interrupting the standoff.

I take a deep breath and proceed.

“My father was right about you,” Leo says, his words thick with hostility. “I should’ve turned you in to Gaden Lamen when I had the chance. I’d probably still be alive!”

I know it’s not really him, but it hurts all the same.

“How many people are dead because of you, Aven? How many did you kill to save your own skin?”

I pause, and close my eyes.

“If you really cared about anyone, you would’ve sacrificed yourself and saved us all the headache of dying for you.”

I want to answer him, to respond, so I bite my lip to keep my mouth shut. I open my eyes and continue forward.

“What lies you tell everyone, and they believe you. Let me ask you something: How soon after my death did you sleep with Zander? Or was I even dead when he bedded you?”

I fall to my knees as I feel my mind warping as if it’s being controlled by the Eidolon. I wasn’t expecting such frail looking things to be so powerful. I look down at my hands and panic when I notice the blue.

“You can’t even look at me. The guilt must be eating you alive,” Leo continues. It’s almost like I can feel his breath hitting my ears when he speaks.

“You’re almost there, Aven, don’t give up!” Jonas calls to me, though he sounds so far away.

“Is that your lover now? How many do you have? Do you even care?”

I double over as my stomach tightens.

“I’m going out there,” I hear Zander say through a fog.

“You can’t,” Jonas replies, and the two start arguing.

“Aven…Aven,” Isolde whispers.

I glance up at her.

“Michael, remember you need to kill Michael,” she says.

It breaks the hold Leo has over me. I stand, rush to the end and push past everyone, stepping into a small chasm; the veil to Comoros shimmers only inches away. I pass through it and find Trel hunched over. He’s breathing heavily, and his cheeks are covered in tears. I sit a little bit away as the others file through. We each take a spot on the mountain floor. None of us is in the talking mood. The Eidolons rattled us more than I could’ve ever expected. Zander and Jonas held up the best. I want to be surprised at how Trel handled it, but I’m sure sitting in a cell for eons has made him rethink the choices he made in life.

“Was any of that true?” Zander asks after an extended period of silence.

“No, thank God,” Isolde says, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Those bastards worked us over well, though, didn’t they?”

I stand, and brush the dirt from my ass. “I’ll destroy the veil.”

They all step away, giving me room. It doesn’t take me long to shatter the surface and we all watch as it to crumbles to the ground. We turn to leave, and for the first time I notice that the heat of Irkalla has been replaced by the cold of the Sabra Mountains. I’m not sure how deep inside the mountains we are, but the path we have to climb slants upward, exposing a snow-capped peak.

“First we roast, now we freeze,” Jonas comments.

“Let’s just get to the top, then we can get our bearings,” I say.

The incline is barely manageable, but with proper footing we’re able to slowly ascend. None of us is prepared for the temperatures when we reach the outside. I feel instantly frozen as the wind whips around us, kicking up the freshly fallen snow.

“I forgot it was winter here,” Zander says, stepping away from the entrance.

“So, where do we go?” Isolde asks, shivering.

I pull out the journal and blue lanx. The closest civilization is the City of Lertis, which looks to be only a few hours away. I switch out the blue disc for the black one, but Zander stops me from activating it.

“Wait until we can get under some shelter,” he says.

I nod, and put everything back in the rucksack.

Zander directs us on where we need to go since he’s the only one who’s actually been to the city. Trel says he never made it that far west before he was ousted. Of the five of us, Isolde and I only have on sleeveless shirts, so we’re the worst dressed for the environment. Zander hands her and me the cloaks be bought at the market. We slip them on, though they don’t offer much protection. But at least we can cover our heads to fend off the wind.

The path we’re taking winds up, around, and down the slopes. Over an hour later we turn west and head deeper into the mountainside. I want to take a break, but Zander refuses to stop. The next slope we hit is steep, making traveling treacherous, so I take Jonas and Zander and shift our way to the bottom, while Trel carries Isolde and flies down.

Another hour passes before the first signs of civilization come into view. The mountain takes a dramatic upward swing and curves around at an unusual angle. A post and lintel gateway greets us at the base of the ascent. We pass under and step onto a cobblestoned road, which branches off in different directions. Buildings that look hand-carved from the rock face sit along the roads, some structures standing as high as three stories. A light dusting of snow covers everything, stark contrast to the many inches of it in areas outside the city. Carts and buggies meander up and down the lanes; people hustle by as the sun slips below the horizon.

“This way,” Zander says, pointing to the section of road directly in front of us.

We travel a gradual incline along the arch of the mountain for a time before it levels off. A structure that resembles various-sized boxes piled on top of each other lies off to our left. The lane branches off, sloping down, while another narrower section goes up. We take the latter, winding around a couple of more homes before finally stopping in front of the oddly-constructed building. Zander pushes on the heavy wooden door, which creaks open. We move inside quickly, mainly to get out of the cold. The current floor is bare of all furniture. There’s no altar, pews, or even candles. The only thing that marks it as a Sacrer building is the gold leaf imprint in one of the pale gray tiles on the floor.

“Hello!” Isolde calls out before we can stop her.

“Stay here,” Zander says, stepping further into the structure. “I’m going to see if I can find Dean Rae.”

He crosses to the back of the room and climbs a set of stairs. I meander around, noticing that the gray tile was in fact white at one time; the outline of the furniture that looks to have been recently removed is clearly visible on the grungy floor. On the wall heading towards the stairs I notice twelve empty picture hooks. I’m sure the paintings were here at one time, so where are they now, along with everything else?

“Down here,” Zander says, reemerging a few minutes later.

We follow him down a hall behind the staircase, which leads to another set of stairs and down into the catacombs. I’m still thrown off by the bones strewn around the vast expanse, even though I saw it in painting number four when Michael and Dean Rae located the red lanx — the one that shows the location of every Ligotas in Comoros. Nestled in the far corner is Dean Rae, or at least what’s left of him. I bend down and examine his wounds. They appear to be fresh and Ligotas-made.

“Michael did this,” I say, stepping back from the corpse.

“Dean Rae would’ve let him in willingly, since they knew each other,” Zander says.

“If he’s dead, then where is everything?” I ask.

“Let’s concentrate on that later. Right now, we all need to get some rest,” Zander says, taking off his crossbow, arrows, and satchel, and tossing them aside.

“I’m not staying down here,” Isolde says.

“Come on,” I say to her. “Let’s see if there’re other places to sleep.”

We head up to the top floor and find four empty rooms, each with a large bed. I claim the bedroom as far from the stairs as possible, and Isolde takes the one across from me. I set my belongings down on a loveseat that’s sitting at the foot of the bed, and have a brief look around. There’s a dresser with an attached mirror against the far wall, and one window with warped glass in between squares of melted copper. The only source of light is a sconce sticking out of one of the bricks that line the walls. The placement of the sconce is odd — too near the window for an open flame to stay lit. Suspicious, I touch the bottom of it and something clicks. A section of the wall moves, revealing a mirror just like the one in the cottage. I rub off the filth that has collected over the years and locate the Sacrer symbol deeply etched in the glass.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” I mumble.

“Find something of interest?” Trel asks, waltzing into the room, hands neatly tucked behind his back.

“Just an old mirror,” I say.

“From your tone of voice a moment ago, it doesn’t sound like this is an ordinary mirror,” he says, slinking over to it and rubbing one hand along its frame.

“Why haven’t you fled yet?” I say, stepping away and sitting on the bed.

“Do you want me to go?” he asks, joining me.

I don’t answer.

“I’ll take that as a no.” He leans back on his elbows. “So, tell me, Aven, which one are you lusting after the most?”

I stare at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Come now, my dear, I know all about what Delphi has done to you.”

I stand up abruptly. “Don’t you mean what you’ve done?”

Trel leans forward. “True, very true, but he took the best part of being a Ligotas away from you. And for that, I’m very disappointed.”

“How do you know so much?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and placing my back against the wall with the mirror.

“I hear things.”

“From whom?”

“Well, I don’t get visitors if that’s what you mean.”

“Bullshit. The only way you could’ve known any of this is if Delphi visited you. He told you we were coming.”

“Now, why would he do that?”

“To get you to cooperate. What promises did he make you?”

“Why would that asshole tell me anything? He’s the reason I was placed down there, and chained, I might add.”

“You’re also the one he needs to flush out his siblings,” Zander says from the doorway.

Trel grins. “Such skillful detective work you’ve done, Zander. Tell me, what gave it away?”

Zander steps further into the room and drops his things against the wall. “The way he’s all too willing to let Aven go into the underworld to get you out. If he released you, it would’ve been too obvious. But if she did it….”

“He was hoping that banishing me would’ve done the trick, but they didn’t buy it. His little prophecy was already a sure thing when I got my hands on the spell book and amulet. He already had his brother Lertis in his pocket, and convinced his brother Parime to release at least one of his precious buildings. Reinga is the one he really wants; she’s eluded him for ages and he can’t stand it.”

“But there wasn’t any guarantee that I’d go into the underworld,” I protest, but my gut tells me I already know the answer to that.

“Bate was the guarantee,” Zander says. “Delphi knew how close the two of you had become, so he cornered Bate, probably the night before he died, and slashed him across the shield. He then placed him under a submission hex and opened the veil into Irkalla through him.”

“You’re guessing,” I say to Zander.

“I know, but it’s how everything fits together,” he responds.

“Bate would only let someone he trusted get close enough to harm him,” Jonas says, joining our conversation.

My large room feels very cramped. I push past Zander and Jonas, leave the room, and head downstairs to the main floor. I’m getting tired of having all of them so close to me; it’s suffocating. I wander off into a darkened corner, sit down, and cry. I’m so overwhelmed by everyone and everything that I can’t think straight. I want to find Michael and be done with it all, regardless of what Delphi wants. He’s used me enough in his schemes that if he pulls anything else, I may just kill him myself.

But how do you kill someone who’s immortal?

I’m over-tired, which is making me overly sensitive. I wipe my face and place a raider alarm on every entrance possible before heading back upstairs. Zander is making himself at home in my room when I enter.

“What are you doing?” I ask when I notice he’s undressing.

“Getting ready for bed,” he says, surprised by my question.

“You’re not sleeping in here.”

“Where else am I supposed to sleep? There are only four bedrooms, and there’s no way in hell I’m staying with Trel or Jonas.”

“Fine,” I say, grabbing my things. “I’ll stay with Isolde.”

I slam the door on my way out, then knock on hers.

“Can I stay with you?” I ask once she answers.

“Of course, but remember I like to sleep naked,” she says, closing the door behind me.

“I’ll sleep above the covers.”

Isolde isn’t shy about disrobing right in front of me. Once she’s slipped under the blankets I change out of my filthy clothes and into something more comfortable, then get into bed. Her room, thankfully, has a fireplace that’s lit so at least I won’t freeze from the drafts that are filtering in around her window.

I have trouble falling asleep, so I get up to use the facilities which are down the hall. The building has gas lights, much like the kerk did. While I’m in the bathroom, I lift my shirt and remove the gauze. The wound has finally healed, but still stings when I touch it. I toss the gauze into the trashcan next to the sink, but I notice something off about it. I bend down to examine its round edges and stained alabaster when it begins to warp. I immediately stand up and cast an enchainment hex, binding whatever it is to the floor. The trashcan changes to a Tiyanak. Apparently at least one made it through the Eidolon level. I doubt a lot of them did, or at least I’m hoping. I’m about to unleash the mortality flare when I decide instead to get Zander. He’s fast asleep when I enter the room, and looks upset when I wake him.

“Just come with me, will you?” I say, annoyed.

I lead him down to the bathroom and show him the Tiyanak.

“This little bastard was disguised as a trashcan when I entered,” I say, gesturing to it.

“Do you think Michael did this?”

“No, honestly, I don’t.”

“But you’d need to be an Ancient to put an illusion spell on something and not be touching it.”

“Do you still have your green lanx?”

“Yes, why?”

“Kill that thing and meet me in your room.”

I only wait a few seconds. Zander quietly closes the door behind him, digs around in his satchel for the lanx, and hands it to me. I place it into the embellishment in the mirror and tap it. A green shimmer washes over the surface before changing into a light fog.

“Does this keep recording everything that’s happened?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Find the file on the catacombs for me,” I say, stepping away.

He taps the mirror and scrolls through thousands of files before finding a folder for the catacombs. He selects it, and goes through another dozen or so recordings before stopping on one of two that are blinking.

“These are new,” he says.

He chooses the first file, takes my hand, and we enter the mirror.

Dean Rae is busy stashing as many things from the main floor as he can. He’s sweating profusely as he runs from one end of the room to the other. He’s in the process of taking down the paintings when there’s a knock on the door.

“Be right there,” he says, then shoves the few pictures he has in his hands under a lounge chair.

Michael’s at the door, which doesn’t surprise either one of us.

“I hadn’t expected to be seeing you, son,” Dean Rae stutters. It’s obvious that he’s nervous, terrified, or both.

“Can’t I visit an old friend?” Michael says, stepping into the building.

I get closer to my brother, since he can neither hear nor see me. I look over his hands, which are folded in front of him, and spot the Delse Ring on his right index finger. Why didn’t I ever notice it before? Even if I had, I wouldn’t have known what it was.

“Sure, absolutely,” the dean says, stepping aside so he can close the door. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.”

Michael pushes off the hood that’s covering his face. He looks just the same, but I do notice tiny cracks in his skin that have healed.

Could those be from the flare? Were you left scarred by whatever killed you?

“Going someplace, dean?” Michael asks, spotting the missing trinkets and paintings that he probably spent days studying when he was here.

“Just cleaning. This building can get so dusty,” the dean replies, pretending to cough as he waves his hand in front of his face.

“I see,” Michael says as he continues to wander around the room. “You’ve heard about what happened to the kerk, correct?”

“Oh, yes — oh my yes. Dean Chares was a dear, dear friend. His loss has been greatly felt here in Lertis.”

A soft blue glow emanates from under Michael’s jacket. He twists his arm and draws the dean close.

“Tell me, where’s the blue lanx that’s supposedly missing? I understand it shows all the Sacrer sites,” Michael asks as the dean squirms in his invisible hold.

“It’s lost, like it has been since the beginning of the cycles; you know that.”

Michael tightens on the dean’s throat. “Tell me the truth, dean. I need that lanx.”

Dean Rae begins to convulse as he works on fighting the verity spell Michael is applying. “I told you, my son, it’s lost.”

Michael’s eyes darken. “Very well; how about we go looking for it?”

He grabs the dean and drags him down into the catacombs. Zander and I run after them in order to continue watching the recording. Michael shoves the dean around, slamming him into the walls and across many of the graves that are above ground, destroying their tombstones.

“You know who has it, don’t you?” Michael asks, getting frustrated.

“No, son, I don’t.”

“Stop calling me ‘son’!” Michael snaps, hurling the poor man across the room to the spot where we’ll find him later. “She has it, doesn’t she? That favorite sister of mine.”

“No… she doesn’t… it’s lost,” the dean gurgles as blood begins to flow from a fresh wound in his chest.

I didn’t even see Michael touch him, yet the claw marks from his talons are clearly visible.

“Fine, have it your way.”

Michael storms out of the catacombs just as Dean Rae expires.

Zander and I step out of the mirror.

“Well, we now know why he sent the Ligotas after you,” Zander says.

“Besides wanting to kill me,” I comment.

Zander selects the next file and we step back inside. This time when we enter the main floor, all the furnishings are gone and Gaden Lamen is standing in the center of the room, dumbfounded.

“God damn it, Michael,” he mutters.

They must both be looking for the same thing, only Michael got to the catacombs first. Gaden Lamen wanders around every floor. When he comes to the top floor, he’s greeted by two Tiyanaks. He kills one with the gun Ruelle swore she wasn’t ever going to make him. The pulse pellet enters its body and electrocutes the creature from the inside out. Gaden pushes the sleeves of his coat up his arm, revealing the Kerai Couplings that he’d taken off a Guardian who was masquerading as a Terac officer. He manages to freeze the Tiyanak, transform it, and place it in the bathroom without ever touching it.

Zander and I leave the recording; we’ve seen what we needed to.

“Do you think he left it for Michael or for you?” Zander asks, removing the lanx and placing it back in his bag.

“What I’d really like to know is how he was able to cast the illusion spell without laying a finger on the creature,” I answer.

Fifteen

I turn and head for the door.

“Stay with me tonight,” Zander says just as my hand touches the doorknob.

I don’t move or answer.

He comes up behind me and places his hands on my arms. “We’ve been fighting so much lately, and I don’t know why,” he says, leaning his head against mine.

“Because you keep hiding things from me,” I finally say after a few minutes of silence. “How can I trust you if you don’t tell me the truth?”

“I do it since I need to protect you.”

I turn to face him. “But you’re not,” I respond. “You’re doing more harm by not telling me. Why didn’t you ever tell me about the lost brother?”

“It didn’t seem important at the time.”

“But it shows Delphi’s character and what he’s capable of. It could’ve at least let me know exactly who he was before I got into this mess.”

“If I had, you wouldn’t have stayed with me.”

“Oh, my God, are you that needy?” I yell, pushing him away. “You don’t care about protecting me! You just care about yourself.”

“That’s not true!” he shouts. “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you. I’ve had to watch you die over and over and over! Do you know what that does to someone?”

“But it wasn’t actually me all those times.”

“To me it was,” he says, his voice cracking. “I saw you in every one of Michael’s sisters, and it killed me whenever you died, but I knew when the thirteenth cycle came it would be different. You’d be here… with me. I love you, Aven. Please don’t push me away.”

He comes up and strokes my cheek. I know I should pull away, but I don’t… the Ligotas in me won’t allow that. He kisses me, and I begin to take his clothes off as we make our way over to the bed. We slip under the covers and sink into each other. Everything this time with Zander is more intense, and I love it. His touch sends fire through my veins and I feel like my body is going to rupture.

The sound of breaking glass brings me out of my sleep. I glance over at Zander, who’s sound asleep next to me. I hear the noise again so I get out of bed, put my clothes back on, and head into the hallway. I follow the sound downstairs, and off a small corridor into a kitchen at the rear of the building. Trel has found a stash of liquor under one of the cabinets and is smashing each bottle against the wall by the door after he consumes their contents.

“How long have you been down here?” I ask, having to carefully place my feet to avoid the shards of glass.

“When you and Zander started fucking,” he slurs.

I turn red.

“Oh, the joys of Ligotas hearing,” he says, then guzzles another bottle. “Don’t worry, no one else heard you,” he says, pursing his lips then throwing the bottle. “So, tell me, Aven, what’s it like to be wanted by everyone?”

“You’re drunk,” I say, stepping around a long wooden table that stands between us.

“Zander wants you, Jonas wants you, I want you… but all for different reasons,” he says, picking up another bottle.

I sit next to him, our backs against the cold stone wall. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I see it in their faces,” he says, setting the bottle down, though he doesn’t let it go. “Zander wants to be like you, but can’t. Jonas wants to be with you, and it’s killing him that he’s not. I want you because you remind me of Katrina.”

“You really did love her, didn’t you?”

He leans his head back as tears fall from his eyes. “She was everything to me, and I fucked it up. I was so selfish and horrible back then that I can’t blame her for what she did. She was right in turning me in. Who knows what this place would’ve wound up like if I’d gotten my way.”

“Are you really remorseful about everything?”

“Yes.”

“This just doesn’t seem like you, Trel. You’re cocky and arrogant. Now, all of a sudden, you have a conscience… a soul. What happened to make you change so drastically?”

He turns his head towards me. “You did.” He fiddles with his fingers and hands me his Delse Ring. “Here, put this on. I don’t want anything bad happening to you.”

I slip the ring onto my right index finger. It’s big at first but then shrinks to fit, just like the Kerai Couplings did.

He leans over and gently kisses me on the cheek. “Be careful, Aven — not everyone here is your friend.”

He stands and leaves, still holding onto the bottle. I stay in my spot and mull his words over very carefully, wondering which person here he’s referring to. My mind keeps telling me it’s Zander, but my gut and heart are saying that’s wrong. He could be referring to himself, but then why give me the ring?

I hate that things are so complicated and confusing. I close my eyes and long for the days of quiet repose in the gardens. I imagine the colorful flowers, the buzzing insects, and the warm fresh air. I feel myself relaxing into the image, slipping into a kind of euphoria I haven’t experienced in quite a while. When I open my eyes, I’m no longer in the kitchen but sitting against the star-shaped pool in the gardens. I’m greatly startled by the sight.

“Aven.” My name floats up behind me.

I know that voice.

I slowly get to my feet, turn, and gaze into the water.

A murky image gradually rises from the bottom, Michael’s face staring up at me.

“Got you,” he says, then vanishes.

I smell something burning. I glance over at the Ligotas section of the gardens, but the embers from there are traveling slowly and not producing a lot of smoke. I turn to my right. The Zerah side is ablaze. A violent wind kicks up the flames but, somehow, they’re not spreading to any other part of the gardens. I try backing up from it, but my legs won’t move. My skin begins to bubble from the heat, and I scream in agony.

I wake myself up with a shriek that reverberates through the structure. I bolt up and run as fast as I can back to the top floor. Doors fly open as I pass, and I nearly collide with Isolde when she opens her door.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.

“He knows we’re here,” I say.

“Who?” Zander asks, stepping into the doorway.

“Michael. I need to get out of here.” I quickly find something to change into, stuff my pajamas into the satchel, and swing my scabbard over my shoulder along with my rucksack.

“Whoa, hold on a minute,” Zander says, blocking my exit. “How do you know?”

“I saw him in the pool at the gardens,” I say as my heart begins to race.

“When were you at the gardens?” Zander asks.

“Just now… a few minutes ago.”

“You shifted yourself that far away?”

“Yes… no… I don’t know.”

“You need sleep, Aven,” Isolde says behind me. “You don’t look like you’ve gotten any.”

“I’m fine,” I say, shaking off the comment. “Come with me or not, but I’m leaving.”

I shove Zander aside and head towards the stairs, but this time Jonas is the one who gets in my way.

“It’s still the middle of the night, so going out now would be pointless since you have no idea where you’re going,” he says. “We each can take a turn standing watch in case Michael does show up; but remember, he can’t get into the building without setting off the raider alarm.”

“He’s right,” Zander adds from only a few feet away.

I want to run, but I realize he’s right. I’m not familiar with the mountains or the City of Lertis, so I could wind up trapping myself instead of staying in the safety of the catacombs.

“I’ll take first watch,” Jonas says, then he disappears into his room. A few moments later he emerges with his weapons.

He heads downstairs while Zander takes my things back to his room and Isolde closes her door. Trel looks to be in a trance as he slowly shuts his door. He must have finally been sleeping. I follow Zander into his room, close the door behind us, change back into my pajamas, and get under the covers. Zander puts my things on the loveseat, then comes to bed. He pulls me into his arms and falls asleep almost immediately. I stay awake, listening nervously for any signs of Michael’s approach.

My head is pounding when I finally get up. I did get some sleep — at least I think I did. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I also don’t remember seeing the sun rise.

We’re all sitting in the kitchen, eating. Isolde cleaned up as much of the mess Trel made as she could, but there are still tiny pieces of glass everywhere. The night was quiet, or so everyone keeps telling me. The raider alarm didn’t go off, and Jonas says when he went outside to patrol the grounds they were empty. I get as much food down as I can, but I mainly sit there and twirl the ring around my finger.

“Where’d you get that?” Isolde asks.

Zander takes my hand and holds it up. “Trel, you gave this to her?” he asks, skeptical.

“Yes; she needs protecting,” Trel answers, but all power has gone out of his voice.

“Is this linked to the one Michael has?” Zander asks, fiddling with the ring while it’s still on my finger.

“Not that I know of,” he responds.

“So, it could be,” Zander says, pushing the subject.

“No, Zander, it’s not,” Trel says, his eyes narrowing as his anger flares. “Stop accusing me of things. I want Michael dead just as much as Aven does. What good would it do either of us if I summoned him here, or gave Aven something that could help him locate us?” Trel slams his fork down and storms out of the room.

Zander turns his attention to me. “Are you going to keep that on?”

“Yes.”

He smiles hesitantly, kisses me, and goes back to eating.

I feel gross, so I excuse myself and head up to the bedroom, where I grab the clothes I had on last night, then go to the bathroom for a quick shower. Even though there isn’t any electricity in Lertis their plumbing is just like back in Haile, so I’m not forced to pump any water. I let the water rain down on me for a bit before I begin to wash myself. I’m actually concerned about Trel. He’s acting strangely, almost like he’s given up on living. He wanted out of Irkalla so badly and now… I can’t figure out what’s going on in his head.

I step out, dress without drying since I don’t have a towel, pick up my dirty clothes, and put them back in my satchel. I then go knock on Trel’s door. He doesn’t answer but I know he’s in there, so I simply open the door.

“My time is coming,” he says the moment I step inside. “I can feel it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say as I come up behind him.

He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window. “I’m tired, Aven. I just want this to be over with.” He turns his head towards me. “You know how this feels.”

I sit next to him. “Yes, unfortunately I do, but you’ve been trying to get out of those caves for so long —”

“I know,” he says, cutting me off abruptly.

I let a little quiet settle between us before speaking again. “You can do magic, you know. You don’t need the amulet.”

“I’m not very good at it. Myro was weak with his powers, so he barely passed any of them onto me. I guess I thought that if I could control Comoros then I’d prove to the other Ancients that I was worthwhile. Until you came along, my sister and I were the only children to be born to an Ancient. None of the others had children as they didn’t feel it was beneficial.” The contempt in his words is thick. “I wanted to prove them wrong.”

“What did Delphi promise if you helped me?”

“Forgiveness.”

I take Trel’s hand in mine, and the two of us just sit there gazing out the window. He abruptly turns and grips my arms hard.

“There’s only one more of my relics left. It’s a detection orb. It’s made of glass, is heavy, and is the size of your palm. I stole it from Ruelle a long time ago. It will help you defeat Michael,” he says, his voice panicky. “It’s buried with Madeline in the City of Myro.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“They’re coming, Aven. Grab your things and go.” He points out the window, towards a flock of birds heading in our direction.

After a few seconds, I realize they’re not birds at all but something far bigger and deadlier.

“Shit,” I say, darting out of the room and yelling for everyone to pack up.

I grab my belongings as Zander enters the room. Isolde and Jonas hurry in as well just as the raider alarm sounds and glass breaks. When we pass by Trel’s room I spot him collapsed on the floor, gasping in pain from the alarm. I go into his room, grab his hand, and start to drag him with us. The alarm stops seconds later, freezing us all in place. Trel gets to his feet, squeezes my hand and heads down the stairs, but signals for us to stay. The rest of us creep down to the second-floor landing. Out of the windows along the wall of the stairwell, I notice dozens of Ligotas hovering just outside the building.

“Aven!” Michael shouts from below. “I know you’re in here. Show yourself!”

“She’s not here,” Trel says, stepping off the bottom stair and around the corner.

“Who let you out?” Michael hisses.

“My father,” Trel answers, and I can sense a smirk crossing his face.

“Liar,” Michael says, his talons clicking on the tiles as he steps further inside.

“How do we get out?” Isolde whispers.

“The catacombs,” I say.

She begins to question my decision but I ignore her, grab her and Jonas by the hand, and shift us down below. I have to come back for Zander, who has his crossbow at the ready when I return to the second-floor landing. Once we’re all together again I quietly sneak up the stairs and angle myself so I can see Trel and Michael, who’s looming only a few feet from the front door.

“Aven freed you, didn’t she?” Michael asks, taking another step closer.

Zander crawls up next to me, his crossbow aimed, but not at Michael since he can’t get a clear shot.

“I told you she’s not here and, no, she didn’t release me,” Trel says, his anger rising.

“Tell me the truth,” Michael says to Trel, whose body stiffens.

His muscles tense up as he tries to fight the verity spell that I’m sure Michael is using on him.

“Aven is…”

“Yes?”

“Aven is… not… here.”

Trel screams as Michael somehow slashes Trel’s body, even though he’s not actually touching him.

“Why are you protecting her?” Michael hisses.

“I’m not.”

Michael gets very close to Trel and places a hand on his chest.

Zander’s finger is on the trigger, the arrow pointed at Trel.

“Don’t,” I whisper to him.

He glares at me and keeps his finger on the trigger.

“How much is your life worth to you?” Michael asks.

Trel’s breathing quickens as his body continues to tense up. “Nothing,” he says with force.

“Exactly.”

Michael presses into Trel’s chest and drains the life from him, just like he tried to do to me when I first fought him. Trel cries out as his body weakens, then collapses onto the floor. Zander lets the arrow fly just as the waiting Ligotas burst through the windows. The arrow hits Michael in the shoulder, as he didn’t have time to cast a marus shield to protect himself against the weapon. Zander and I dart below as the Ligotas advance. Once we’re through the door to the catacombs, I seal it, though I know it won’t last long.

“Now what do we do?” Isolde practically cries.

“The back wall of the catacombs sits right against the stone wall surrounding the city,” I say as I rush to that side of the room. “I can open a doorway through both to get us out.”

“How do you know that?” Zander asks, taking my arm and spinning me around.

“I saw it in the journal yesterday. The map showed me an escape route,” I answer.

He lets go of me just as something crashes upstairs. The ceiling cracks and begins to sink. I cast the fissure spell and create the opening. Jonas and Isolde dart through first, followed by Zander, but I hesitate. Michael has cast his own spell, which is reopening the catacomb door. I wait to see who enters first. Ligotas pour into the chamber and I let loose the mortality flare, killing them all. Michael steps into the doorframe, his body barely able to fit through. We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity.

I feel a pair of hands grab and pull me through the opening. Zander closes it then causes the building to collapse on itself. I look at him, stunned by what he just did. He shouldn’t have that type of power. He can do magic, but his spells are limited. How was he able to demolish the entire structure in one gesture?

“Come on,” Isolde says before running away.

We collect ourselves and take off after her. It’s hours before we finally stop and catch our breath.

Sixteen

“Where do we go now?” Jonas asks, but no one answers.

“Take that ring off,” Zander demands, stepping up to me as I rest against a small ledge inside an alcove we discovered.

“No,” I protest.

“Michael tracked you with of it,” he practically yells.

“You don’t know that.”

“Then how else did he find you?”

I remove the journal, along with the black lanx. I put the two together, and immediately Michael’s red dot appears with my blue one. I quickly turn off the lanx.

“I thought that was deactivated after you used it last,” Zander demands.

“I did,” I respond, puzzled.

I know I shut down the lanx before placing it into the rucksack. The only other one capable of activating the lanx would be Zander, but he wouldn’t do that… would he?

“Then who activated it?” Isolde asks.

“Trel probably did,” I say, even though I don’t feel it’s true.

Trel was right about one thing: not everyone here is my friend. I try not to think about it while I dig for the blue lanx and place that on the journal page. I show Zander the part of the catacombs that came to life when we exited the secret veil. I scan the map for any new developments, and my heart falls when I see flames erupting from the gardens. I zoom in for a closer look and see that the Zerah section is almost completely burned.

I didn’t imagine it… I was there.

“Is Delphi doing this?” I ask Zander, pointing to the various active spots on the map.

“No,” he replies.

“Are you sure?” I ask, not believing him.

“Yes, Aven, I’m sure.”

“Can we please figure out where we’re going?” Jonas asks, getting impatient.

“We need to get to the City of Myro,” I say, closing the journal and putting everything away.

“Why?” Zander asks, clearly not happy with my suggestion.

“I need to see the oratory,” is the only thing I say before pushing away from the rock wall and heading back out into the cold.

Zander comes running up behind me, the others following closely. “Myro has been abandoned. No one’s lived there since Trel converted his followers.”

“I still want to go,” I say, not stopping as I veer south.

“What about Michael?” Isolde asks.

“He’s the reason I need to go to that city,” I answer.

Zander runs in front of me, then stops. “Trel put you up to this,” he says.

“No, he didn’t,” I say, stepping around him.

“Then tell us why we have to go,” he says, stepping in front of me again.

I stomp my feet, and let out a deep sigh. “Trel has one of his relics there; he said it could help me defeat Michael.”

“And you believed him?”

“Did you not see him sacrifice himself for us, Zander? We wouldn’t have been able to escape if it wasn’t for him.”

“Why do you always need to pick a fight?” Jonas says to Zander as he gets between the two of us.

“This is none of your concern,” Zander says, then grabs my arm and pulls me around Jonas.

Jonas shoves Zander off me, nearly knocking the both of us to the ground. “Don’t touch her.”

Zander takes a swing at Jonas, but misses and falls face first into the snow. He gets back on his feet and tries again, knocking the wind out of Jonas with a gut-punch. I grumble as the two continue to go at it, and walk away. I don’t have time for their bullshit, and don’t care enough to stop them. Isolde catches up to me, leaving the other two behind. It’s at least ten minutes before they catch up, both pretty beaten about the face.

Why exactly am I not doing this by myself? I should’ve taken off last night when I had the chance.

“Fine, we’ll go,” Zander says from the back of the group. “But there’s a stop I want to make first.”

“Where?” Isolde asks, since I’m too pissed off to answer.

“Delphi’s vault.”

I stop so abruptly that all of them almost collide with me. “What?” I ask, spinning around so I can face Zander.

“Delphi has some things stashed in a hidden vault, in a chamber by the lake in the Valley of Caille Anam.”

“Seriously?” I ask, stepping closer to him. “Were you ever going to mention that this place existed?”

“Yes, when it became necessary,” he responds, his words filled with irritation.

“Why should we go there?” Isolde asks before I can.

“Thoracion spears,” Zander says. “They’ll keep anyone pinned down, and are resistant to magic. You need to get that ring off Michael if you’re going to kill him. These things will allow you to get close enough to do that.”

I’d shift myself all the way to Myro but I’m curious as to what else is in Delphi’s vault, and how Zander knows about it. If there’s something we could use in there, and since we have to pass close to it on the way to Myro, it couldn’t hurt to make a little detour. I turn around and start heading south.

The sun has almost set when we finally reach the bottom of the range. There isn’t any real cover, so I wind up casting a concealment charm; we each take turns on lookout with Isolde going first. In the center of our camp, I create a small ball of fire that hovers in the air to keep us warm. My eyes are glued to it all night as my mind plays the image of the gardens burning in a continuous loop. I can sense Zander watching me when it’s his turn to guard us, so I turn over and put my back to him.

In the morning, we eat what little food we have left from the provisions we packed before leaving. I let Zander take the lead, and I hang towards the back. Jonas tries to say something to me, but I don’t acknowledge him since I’m too deep in thought. Once I dispatch Michael, I still have Valora and Gaden Lamen to deal with. There’s no way Valora can still be trapped in the City of Delphi and its villages — at least I hope she’s not. Michael would’ve helped her escape when he did, so where is she? Where did Gaden go after he left the catacombs? Was he still in Lertis when the Ligotas attacked us?

I finally come out of my fog when we reach the Vicion River, which will take us right into the valley. We turn east and travel along its banks for several hours until the walls for the valley itself begin to rise on either side of us. The snow tapers off as we walk, because the temperature is rising. The walls thicken and change color from black to bright red, just like in Irkalla. The river widens as the walls grow in height. After another hour, the lake that fills the valley looms before us. I stop when my mind plays back the scene of Delphi and Myro sending Valora and Trel down into the underworld through an opening in the lake floor. I now know that wasn’t possible since there isn’t a veil there, so was that memory Zander played for me even real?

“Come on,” Zander says, nudging me.

The spot he stops in front of is one I’ve seen before, a small recess along the valley wall. Zander conjures a fissure spell and casts it on the wall, opening the vault. There isn’t any light inside, so I cast a spark. The vault is smaller than I’d expected. Sculptures, jewels, and gold lie scattered about the floor. Against one wall is a bookshelf and odd-looking body armor. On an opposite wall is a table holding a Puridian Manacle, which is used to bind people or objects together, and a sica, which is a short sword with a curved blade. It used to be used in a ritual sacrificing your loved one to join the Ligotas, so I wonder what it’s doing down here. I pick up the weapon and examine it. The blade is covered in dried blood, but that’s not surprising. What is though are the symbols etched into the metal: an elaborate knot with the tip of a sword sticking out from the bottom, a triple spiral, and snakes tied into knots. The Guardian, Sacrer, and Ligotas symbols, set in one symbol. I slip the sica into my rucksack and casually move away from the table.

“How’d you know about this place?” I ask Zander as I continue to look around the room.

“Delphi told me about it some time ago.”

“And you just now thought to raid it?”

Zander glares at me. “I didn’t have permission to enter until now.”

“Uh-huh,” I respond, not quite believing him.

“I hate small spaces,” Isolde murmurs from the center of the room.

“It shouldn’t be much longer. I know they’re here somewhere,” Zander says.

“Why don’t you wait outside?” Jonas suggests to Isolde. “There isn’t a real need for all of us to be in here.”

She smiles, turns around, and skips out into the daylight.

“Hey, Aven, come look at this,” Jonas says, standing over by the bookcase.

In his hands is a small, thin, hard-covered book. The spine hasn’t even been broken on it, yet it looks very old.

“Where’d you find this?” I ask, turning the book over to glance at the cover.

“Sitting right here,” he says, tapping a shelf with only one other book on it.

I take a closer look at the other one, and realize it’s the lost Sacrer tome. Delphi must have hidden it here after he carved the chant into the ceiling at the baths. I return to the book in Jonas’ hand as he flips through the pages. Each one has a colorful painting of one of the Ancients along with a description of their lives on the following page. They look to have been put together in chronological order, with Delphi listed as first, so he must be the oldest. I want to read through the narrative on each, but Jonas is moving through the pages too quickly.

“Here,” he says, stopping between pages three and five. “These are the Ancients I saw with those two Guardians that one time.”

The pictures are of Parime and Reinga.

“I wonder what the Guardians were doing with them,” I ask, taking the book from him so I can see it better.

“Found them!” Zander calls from the back, having located the spears behind some of the body armor.

I put the book into my rucksack just as my eye catches something deep in the vault. I step further inside in order to get a better look. The Gehenna Sphere, on its pedestal, is resting in the dark. I go over to it and place my hand on the glass.

“How’d this wind up down here?” I ask Zander when he notices me.

“Delphi always keeps it in here. He can transport it at will to wherever he wants and return it the same way.”

I’m about to ask another question, when Isolde screams, but before we can get to her several Ligotas, including Valora, swoop down and block the doorway. She grabs Isolde by the arm and drags her alongside.

“Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here,” Valora says. “Where’s your friend Knox? Did he die from his injuries?” she asks with a laugh.

I start to conjure the mortality flare, but Jonas stops me.

“You might hit Isolde,” he warns. “What do you want?” he asks Valora.

“What I’ve always wanted: for the Ancients to die.”

She tries to inflict the mortality flare on us using her set of Kerai Couplings, but it doesn’t work. She’s quick to fix her error and casts a spell on the walls surrounding the vault instead, causing a cave-in. I’m not sure who dives on top of me first, but when the dust finally settles both Jonas and Zander are sprawled over me. I cough as I try to sit up and check their injuries, which are minor, but neither one of them is conscious. I’m not as fortunate. I have lacerations up and down my arms, as well as a huge bump forming on the side of my head. I know my wounds will heal shortly, but it’s depleted me of the strength I need to get us out of the vault.

Isolde begins to shriek as if she’s being torn apart. I glance around the room, looking for something that may be useful against Valora, but everything is smashed or buried, including the Gehenna Sphere. Its shattered remains lie in the rubble by our feet.

I try to work myself free. Just as I’m able to get to my feet the screaming stops and an unsettling silence fills the void. I feel myself restoring, so I quickly make a hole in the collapsed entryway and dart out into the sunlight.

Blood covers much of the pebbles that make up the lake’s shoreline as bits of fabric float on the water’s surface. Isolde’s bags and their contents are strewn everywhere. I stumble around, looking for any remains, hoping against hope that I don’t find any.

“Isolde!” Jonas calls as he steps out of the vault, Zander right behind him. “Isolde!” He stops when he notices the blood. “Who was that attacking us?” Jonas asks, rushing up to me and grabbing my arms.

“Valora — she’s the leader of the Ligotas,” I say, still stunned by what just happened.

“How did she do that?” he asks, pointing to the wall. “Ligotas can’t conduct magic, so how did she do it?”

“She was given a set of Kerai Couplings by Gaden Lamen several months back. They allow her to perform the spells,” I answer, my heart growing heavy.

Jonas lets go of me, runs his hands through his hair, and wanders back to the lake.

For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do. I know I need to track down Valora, but how’d she find us to begin with? There’s no way she could’ve tracked us, none. Michael doesn’t even know where we are, and he’d have come looking for us himself if he did. Just as a precaution, I remove the journal and black lanx. Nothing appears when I activate the disc, but to make sure another accident doesn’t happen again I throw the lanx into the lake. I wander over to the wall and sit against it.

My mind is numb. I’ve seen death before, even caused it, but somehow this is different. I dragged Isolde into this fight, it’s my fault she’s dead, but what am I more afraid of: that I’ll never be able to win this war without losing someone else I care about, or that Jonas will hold Isolde’s death against me?

I glance at Jonas, who’s sitting several feet away, and Zander, who’s staring at me with a concerned look on his face.

“I can’t keep doing this,” I blurt out, which causes Jonas to turn and face me. “I can’t keep having others die for something that isn’t theirs.” I abruptly stand. “I need to do this on my own.”

“Like hell you are,” Zander says.

“Yeah, what he said,” Jonas chimes in, sounding dazed.

“Look, I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. I’m going alone.”

I make sure I haven’t lost anything before going over to the end of the valley floor and shifting my location before they can stop me. I place myself about a mile east, which puts me a little closer to the City of Myro, though not by much. I wander across the rocky terrain well into the night. I finally stop under a small outcropping of boulders, curl up under them, cast a concealment charm, and try to get some sleep. The night air is cold, but at least there’s very little snow on the ground in this part of the region.

I get up just as the sun is beginning to rise. I do a brief survey of the area before heading off again, mainly to make sure that neither Jonas nor Zander is following me. They know I’m heading to the City of Myro, but since I have the map it’ll make it harder for them to find me. My stomach growls over the passing hours, but I have no real appetite, or any food for that matter. Without having anything to eat a headache begins to form, but I figure this is reasonable punishment for what’s happened.

In the distance I notice a short figure just standing in the middle of nowhere. I slow my pace, since I have no idea who it could be. The person waves me over when I get closer, but I draw my sword all the same and take my time. My Ligotas eyesight kicks in, and I can now make out the person’s features. The man is short and stout with cropped brown hair, a slightly bent nose, and clothes that look like they’ve seen better days. I’ve never actually seen this person before, but I have a sense of recognition hitting the back of my head nonetheless. When I’m right next to him, it dawns on me who he is.

“You’re Lertis, Delphi’s brother,” I comment, still not ready to put the weapon away.

“Yes, Aven, but let’s get someplace safer before we discuss anything,” he says, taking off.

He starts to jog in a southeasterly direction, which will take me away from where I want to go, but I follow him anyway. An hour passes before he finally stops, dissolves a charm, reaches down in front of him, and pulls up on a thin, round handle. A soft light glows below the opening, illuminating a long ladder down. He gestures for me to go inside, then reapplies his charm and closes the hatch. The room we’re in is surprisingly large, with a couch and matching chairs, a coffee table, and several bookshelves. The room branches off into a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. The walls are pure dirt, and the floor is covered in wooden planks.

“What is this place?” I ask, mesmerized by the scale of the structure.

“My home,” Lertis says, plopping down into one of the chairs. “Please, have a seat.”

I sit on the couch.

“How’d you know where to find me?” I ask before removing my bags along with my scabbard to get into a more comfortable position.

“Delphi told me where you were,” Lertis answers, his breathing still ragged from our run.

“How’d he know where to find me?”

“Delphi knows everything,” Lertis replies, which really isn’t an answer, but I let it slide.

“What do you want with me?”

“To help, of course. Here, hand me your journal and the blue lanx,” he says, holding out his hand.

I dig around for them in my rucksack when I notice Isolde’s sack of healing rocks sitting at the bottom. I know I gave these back to her, so how’d they wind up in my bag? I ignore them for the moment and give the journal and blue lanx to Lertis. He places the lanx onto the journal page and brings the map of the Sacrer buildings to life. He carefully examines the sites that have been activated then waves his hand over the rest of the map, turning everything on.

“You’ve been doing that?” I ask as he hands the journal back to me.

He smiles. “Was it helpful?”

“Yes, but why have you been doing it?”

“To help, of course. Are you hungry?” he asks before bolting up from his seat. “I’ve got food already prepared. I just need to heat it up.” He darts into the kitchen and begins to busy himself with various pots.

While he’s doing that I reach into my rucksack and remove the small book, then turn it to the page dedicated to him at the back of the book.

Lertis is the youngest of his six siblings, breaking into this life an hour after the others. Eldest brother Delphi was put in charge of Lertis’ upbringing, as the other brothers and sister didn’t approve of his being born. Like all his other siblings, he’s very gifted in the art of magic, and is responsible for maintaining the catacombs, where all former Sacrer followers are kept after their deaths. He has attempted to defeat the Gehenna Sphere, however the challenge had a catastrophic effect on his mind, and he has been in seclusion ever since.

I hadn’t realized that the sphere could damage your brain. I wonder which of his test of traits did that to him, or if he even remembers. I return both books to the bag just as Lertis announces that the food is ready. The meal is served in a bowl and reminds me of what I ate in Castra, the traveler’s camp. I didn’t find it palatable then and I still don’t, but since I’m so hungry I eat it anyway.

“I meant to ask you, where’s Zander? He’s supposed to be with you,” Lertis asks, sucking down some soup.

“We got split up,” I say with a pang of guilt — not about Zander but because I left Jonas, and now I’m lying to Lertis about it.

“Huh, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I pause with my spoon halfway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”

“The prophecy,” he whispers, as if someone else might hear him. “Zander is supposed to be with you until the very end; the region will begin anew with the two of you. Delphi’s perfect society starts with you consummating your relationship and creating a family. Zander isn’t ever to leave your side except the one time you left him at the Sacrer baths, but that was supposed to happen.”

“Do you know what else is to occur?” I ask gently.

Lertis smiles. “Like I’m going to tell you that.”

It was worth a shot.

When we’re done, I help him clean up by taking care of the dishes. He hums while he puts away the leftovers.

“What’s that you’re singing?” I ask as I dry off a couple of plates.

“It’s a tune Delphi taught me ages ago,” Lertis responds.

“Does it have words?”

“Oh my, yes. Now, let me see if can remember.” Lertis stops what he’s doing and places a finger on the bottom of his chin, tilting it upward. “‘Come find me in the valley where the ethereal waters flow, and blessings will be given in time as you grow.’”

I freeze when I hear those words. It’s the Sacrer Atonement Chant, something my mother made me remember throughout my life as well as something I’ve been trying to forget. The lines from that chant bring me nothing but heartache and pain. I close my eyes and try to drown him out, but it doesn’t work.

“‘Twisted fate has brought you here, but close to death you have no fear,’” he continues, moving right into the second half.

I can’t stomach any more, and leave the room. When I reach the bathroom I shut the door, lock it, and splash some cold water onto my face. The melody Lertis is using is very different than the one my mother taught me. His is more haunting and malevolent, whereas hers was relaxing and kind. She only taught me the first part of that chant; the rest I saw when I was placed into the Sacrer bath by Zander after Michael almost killed me.

“Aven, are you all right?” Lertis asks, knocking on the door.

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”

I wish I had someone I could really talk to about everything that’s going on. I miss my mother at this moment; she’d be able to direct me on what I need to do. I know what needs to be done, I’m just not sure about the order in which they should go. What I really need right now is sleep; I haven’t had any for some time and it’s beginning to wear me down.

I splash more water onto my face before opening the door. Lertis is making up the couch when I reenter the living room.

“You looked tired, so I thought I’d get this ready for you in case you wanted to sleep,” he says, adding another blanket.

“Thanks, that’s kind of you.”

He smiles, darts into his room, and softly closes the door.

I take my boots off, get under the covers, and fall asleep almost immediately.

Seventeen

I have no idea what time of day it is when I finally wake. Lertis is sitting in his chair, reading a book and looking very content. I get up and use the facilities. He’s in the kitchen when I exit, whipping up something to eat.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asks when I start to set the table.

“Better than I have in a long time.”

“Good.”

He serves up oatmeal and toast.

“Was that your cabin Zander and I found a while back?” I ask as I chew on a tough piece of toast.

“Yes. I had it built a very long time ago, before all the fighting started. It was a perfect little house, but I knew I couldn’t stay there once I sided with Delphi.”

“Why was that?”

“Reinga would’ve killed me, so I had to go into hiding,” he answers, gesturing around his current home.

“She isn’t fond of Delphi, is she?”

“Not in the least.”

“Do you know why?”

“She didn’t like the idea of having only specific people move ahead in evolutionary ways while others perished. She wanted the region to evolve like the other ones, naturally, but Delphi feels differently. His theory is that those who are pure will be able to take the entire dominion forward, not just this region.” Lertis takes a sip of his orange juice. “Myro agreed with Delphi and so did Parime, to a point; he wouldn’t have given Delphi the temple in his city if he completely disagreed. Honestly, I think everything is fine just the way it is.”

“What about the Ligotas? They’re growing here in Comoros.”

“Yeah, I know,” he answers, sounding disappointed. “But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To stop them, especially your brother?”

I smile, and turn my attention back to the food.

I try to think back on whether Lertis knows I’m actually Delphi’s daughter. I know Prime Jarron knew, and that none of the other Ancients or Guardians knew, but would Lertis have been an exception since he’s close to Delphi? What would be the point in asking since it’s not relevant to the task of stopping Michael?

We clean up after eating and retire to the living room. I put on my boots since I feel I need to get going, but stop when I remember the sica. I pull it out of my rucksack and lean on my elbows so I’m closer to Lertis, who is sitting in his chair.

“Lertis, do you know what this is?” I ask, holding out the sword.

He frowns. “Where’d you find that?”

“It was hidden in the Valley of Caille Anam. I noticed it has three distinctive symbols on it and I’m hoping you can tell me why they’re on there.”

He hesitantly reaches for the weapon, holding it in his hand like it’s going to bite him. “Delphi seized this from the Ligotas when he banished their leader, right before the cycles for the prophecy started. They used it to kill families,” he says, his eyes growing sad.

“But why are the Guardian, Sacrer, and Ligotas symbols all etched into the metal if it’s only a Ligotas weapon?”

“It didn’t used to be,” he blurts out, but then I can tell he quickly regrets it. He bites his lip, probably contemplating whether to continue. He closes his eyes, sighs deeply, and divulges more to me than Delphi ever had. “The leaders of the Guardians, Sacrer, and Ligotas each carried one of these swords. The emblem of whomever the leader it belonged to would light up when held by them; this way everyone could properly distinguish who was who. This, of course, was during a time when all three groups got along and ran the dominion together.” Lertis looks very nervous, and begins to sweat.

“I thought the Ancients oversaw the dominion?”

“They do now, but it was agreed that the Ancients would only intervene when it was deemed necessary. They wanted to give the three groups a chance to cooperate and expand the dominion beyond its borders. The leaders were very successful until the Sacrer leader was murdered. The Guardians blamed the Ligotas and vice versa, fracturing the dominion. The Ancients managed to get things calmed down, except in Comoros. A new leader of the Ligotas came forward and demanded that they be given sole control of the region as compensation for the false accusations being laid against them by the Guardians.”

“That was Valora, wasn’t it?”

He nods. “She started a war with the Guardians, almost destroying the region. The Ancients cast her out and created the underworld just for her kind and others like her. Irkalla had only been a myth up until that point.”

“So, the other creatures down in the underworld roamed around Eskal at one time?”

“Oh my, yes. They each had their own region. The Harpies were in Lioc, the Chimeras in Oclonys, the Tiyanaks were in Qiost, and the Eidolons had Hapura.”

“This left Comoros without an actual species to rule it,” I state as the pieces start to fall into place.

“Exactly. The Ligotas never really had a place of their own, since they shared everything with the Guardians and Sacrer.”

“Why didn’t the Ancients just simply banish all mythical creatures to the underworld? Why keep the Giants and Jinn topside?”

“Both keep to themselves, so they’ve never been a threat to anyone. Why cage something that isn’t dangerous?”

“Did they ever find out who killed the Sacrer leader?” I ask as Lertis hands the sica back to me.

“It was Valora. She also murdered her leader in order to take over. These are just some of the reasons why she was placed in the underworld.”

“What happened after Valora was banished?”

“The Guardians and Sacrer were given Comoros to rule. It worked for a while, but the region wasn’t making any progress like the other regions.”

“You mean expanding their territory?”

He nods. “My siblings decided to try something else, but it backfired and allowed Valora to return to the region. While they were away, trying to figure out what to do next, Trel came to power — and you know how that ended.”

“I thought Delphi had the prophecy ready to go before Trel was an issue.”

“He did, he just didn’t tell any of our siblings until after it was already set into motion.”

“So, Reinga and Parime felt betrayed by Delphi since he technically went around their backs to mold Comoros into his own vision.”

“You could say that,” Lertis says, bobbing his head.

“Was Prime Jarron the leader of the Guardians during all of this?”

“No, he didn’t come along until later.”

“Why didn’t the Ancients just simply kill Valora instead of banishing her?”

“That I’m not sure of. You know, I never really thought about it, but now that you mention it we should’ve done just that. Especially after Trel joined up with her. Myro didn’t like the thought of killing his own child since Trel was all he had left, so Delphi agreed to spare Trel’s life if Myro went along with his idea for the region.”

“But then why didn’t Delphi kill Valora?”

Lertis shakes his head. “You’d have to ask him. I have no idea.”

I let a little silence settle before asking the question that has been bugging me for the longest time. “Did Delphi kill your brother Eri?”

Lertis turns green. “Where’d you hear that?”

“From Zander.”

Lertis looks shocked by the admission. “Delphi must’ve told him. Nobody else knows but me, and I’ve never spoken to Zander in my life.” Lertis gets up and begins to pace. “Delphi was so angry when Eri left. He took Valora’s sica and used it to kill him. This was, of course, after the whole Trel incident.”

“How’d Delphi find Eri? I thought he was missing.”

“He was, or at least we thought he was. A woman by the name of Hekla discovered he’d been hiding in the region of Hapura. Since she and Delphi were lovers during that time, she told him where he could find Eri.”

“How did she find Eri?”

“One of her huntsmen found him. Hekla had put a call out to all her people to be on the lookout for Eri. The huntsmen are free to wander throughout each region, so one of them was bound to find him eventually.”

“Do you know which one?”

“Oh, goodness no. That was so long ago.”

I wait a few minutes before signaling my departure. “Well, I need to be going,” I say, finally standing and picking up my things.

“Wait just a minute,” Lertis says, then disappears into the kitchen. He returns with several packets. “Take these. You’ll need them to eat.”

I stick them in my rucksack, give Lertis a hug, and proceed up the ladder. The sun is partially risen, so I must have slept for quite a while since it was still daylight when I ran into him. He quickly removes the charm so I can leave, since he has no idea I can simply walk through it. He waves until I can’t see him anymore. I remove the journal and lanx from my rucksack, since I never really got a chance to look at it last night.

The map is more vivid than I could ever have imagined. The fire on the Zerah portion of the gardens is visible, along with the slow burn of the Ligotas side. The water for the lake in the valley appears almost real, like I could dip my fingers into it and they’d come out dripping wet. The City of Reinga has disappeared, since it was never really on the map to begin with, but simply a marker as to its existence. I concentrate on the City of Myro. The thatch-roofed homes are in various stages of decay, as is the oratory. Zander was right; it looks abandoned. I put everything away and continue heading east, since I need to get to that orb.

I reach the outskirts just past noon. The city is more a town in size; I have to wander through it in order to reach the oratory at the northern end. Many of the homes have crumbled completely to the ground, while others are in various stages of deterioration.

When I finally reach the oratory, I find that part of the structure has sunk a few inches into the ground, causing the whole thing to lean. The roof is riddled with holes, and the front door is missing. I decide not to go inside the building, but instead head straight to the cemetery. Headstones are strewn across a wide stretch of earth, expanding at least half a mile on all sides. The writing on the first row I come upon have been eroded by time and the elements, making them impossible to read. I check several more rows just to be sure, but they’re all in this condition. Madeline died centuries ago, so locating her grave is going to be next to impossible.

“Aven?” a voice asks behind me.

I spin around, my hand on the hilt of my sword. “Jonas, how’d you find me?”

“I knew you were heading east, so I took a chance and went in the same direction. I got here earlier this morning.”

“Where’s Zander?”

“He took off this way before I did. He’s not with you?”

“No.”

Jonas holds out his arms and I run into them. He grips me tight, probably afraid I’ll slip away again.

“I missed you,” he says, rocking me slightly.

“I’m sorry, but I had to get away.”

“It was because of Zander, wasn’t it?”

I lean back so I can look in his face. “Yes. There’s something not right going on with him; I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Let’s go inside — it’ll be safer.”

We head into the oratory. The once-neat and tidy room is now in shambles, with broken pews, an overturned altar, and scorch marks lining many of the walls. Jonas has made himself a little nest in the back by the dilapidated staircase. I toss my stuff next to his and sit.

“I thought for sure you would’ve been here first,” he says, taking a seat next to me.

I tell him about Lertis, and what I learned about the Ancients and the true history of Comoros. I even divulge how Delphi found Eri, which causes Jonas to wince.

“Hekla would do anything for that man,” he says as he bends one knee so he can rest his arm over it. “I’m not surprised she did it. She probably even put a hefty bounty on Eri’s head just so a huntsman would turn him in to her specifically and not someone else.”

“Have you eaten?” I ask, changing the topic.

He shakes his head, so I remove the packets of food Lertis gave me. Jonas eats only enough to satiate his hunger since he says he’s not sure when we’ll get another real meal in the foreseeable future. I put the packets away when he’s done and break out the journal, setting the blue lanx onto the page. After the map materializes I narrow it down to the City of Myro, particularly the oratory and its cemetery.

“What are you searching for?” Jonas queries, leaning in for a closer look.

“I need to find the grave of Trel’s sister, Madeline. I noticed the writing on all the headstones outside has worn away, so I’m hoping the map can tell me the names that are supposed to be on them.”

Thankfully, the map does just that, except the writing is so small I have to maximize the view, which makes the search more difficult. It takes me hours to go through every one of those grave markers, but the sun has begun to set so I decide to take a break. Jonas has sat with me the entire time, helping me when the names start blurring together. I get up and stretch my legs while Jonas takes over the hunt. I sit back down when he finally finds it.

“There, behind that home. It looks like she’s buried alone,” he says, showing me the location. “I wonder why she’s not with the others.”

“It’s too dark to go looking at it tonight. We’ll have to do it in the morning,” I say, trying to stifle a yawn.

I put both a concealment charm and raider alarm on the missing front door. Luckily, it’s the only true entrance into the oratory, so I don’t have to set up more alarms. I use my satchel as a pillow. Jonas curls up behind me, wraps an arm over me, and is asleep only seconds before I am.

A child’s laughter breaks through the quiet. My eyes are heavy, so I struggle to open them. When I finally manage to, I sit up and notice I’m alone in the oratory. Jonas and his things are nowhere in sight. The laughter sounds again, but this time much closer. I get to my feet, reach for my scabbard, and remove the sword just as I spot a little girl with long hair wearing a dress dart around a few of the pews.

“Madeline?” I ask, slowly stepping closer to the altar.

The laughter stops.

“Madeline, I won’t hurt you.”

“I know. You’re not like the others,” she says, finally stopping in the doorway.

“What others?” I ask, putting my sword against my side.

“My brother and those like him.”

I take a step closer to her. “Is that what happened to everyone in Myro?”

“Yes. My brother and his friends slaughtered them like animals.”

“That’s why there’re so many graves behind here,” I state.

She nods. “Except for me.”

“Do you know why you were buried apart from the others?”

She steps over to me and takes my free hand. “I’ll show you.”

We exit through the door and I’m immediately transported back in time to the day the City of Myro fell. Madeline continues to grasp my hand as we wander among the dead and dying. A lump forms in my throat at the violence being committed against so many people, and all by their loved ones. We move through the narrow streets, blood running down the pavement like water. We finally stop when we come upon a lone house at the end of a lane. It’s separated from the rest by at least an acre. Madeline guides me behind the domicile. When we round the corner, Trel is very methodically digging a hole in the ground. Madeline shakes my hand and points to our left.

There she is, lying amongst the tall grasses, still alive. Her arms and legs are bound and a cloth covers her mouth. I glance back at Trel, who is covered head to toe in dirt.

“I can do this…I can do this,” he keeps repeating to himself with every shovelful of dirt.

“He’s scared,” Madeline whispers to me, though I doubt Trel can hear or even see us.

“Why?” I ask, looking down at her.

“Because he can’t join the rest of them if I don’t die.”

“But you did.”

“Not for a long while.”

She gestures back to Trel. He marches over to where Madeline is lying and picks her up as tears stream down his face.

“It’ll be over soon,” Trel says, but it’s hard to tell if he’s telling Madeline that or himself.

She starts to squirm, but it’s only because Trel starts to hold her tighter.

He jumps down into the hole and we move closer. He sets Madeline on the ground, removes a clear glass ball from his pocket, places it on her chest, kisses her on the forehead, and hops back out. He turns, picks up the shovel, and buries Madeline… alive.

I feel as if I’m going to be sick. I want to run, but Madeline won’t let me go. I’m sure if she does the dream will stop. At least I think this is a dream, but maybe it’s a vision. I don’t know. My body shakes from the sobs that take over. I collapse to my knees as Trel continues to fill in the hole.

“Why are you showing me this?” I ask her, almost begging.

“Trel asked me to,” she says with a slight smile. “He was too ashamed to ever tell anyone how I died. He had to do it this way, because he couldn’t bring himself to harm me like the others were doing to their families.”

I cry as I continue to watch Trel drop pile upon pile of dirt onto Madeline. I can’t tear my eyes away from the sight. When he’s finally finished, he falls to his knees and begs for Madeline to die quickly.

“It took me over an hour to finally expire,” she says. “I told him that every time I got the chance.”

“You visited him often, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Even when he was in the Ligotas caves, I sought him out.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” I say, pulling her into a hug.

She wraps her arms around me and I can sense her sadness. She eventually pulls away, raises her arm, and jabs her fingers into the air. A white ball of light rises from the grave and floats over towards us, coming to rest at my feet. I let go of my sword to pick up the item and realize it’s the detection orb.

“This will help you save us,” Madeline says, letting my hand go. “Take your sword and find Michael, Aven. You were always meant to save us.”

Madeline vanishes.

The moment I pick up my sword the dream ends.

I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart racing. I feel something heavy on my chest and when I look down I notice the detection orb, covered in dirt as if it’d just been dug up.

“Jonas,” I say, frantically shaking him.

He’s slow to open his eyes, but when he notices the orb they fly open.

“Where’d you get that?” he asks, taking the device from me.

“Madeline gave it to me. I thought it was only a dream,” I stammer.

“What do you mean she gave it to you?”

I tell him about the dream I had, right down to how she died.

“Looks like you have allies in other places, not just in Comoros,” Jonas says, handing the orb back to me. “Try to get some more sleep. We’ll head out in the morning.”

I put the device into my rucksack, lie back down, and close my eyes.

Eighteen

“How do you suppose that thing works?” Jonas asks as I clean the orb with a dirty shirt.

“I’m not sure,” I respond.

I shove the shirt back into the satchel, stand, and head out of the oratory. The sun rose hours ago, but Jonas and I were both unwilling to get up early this morning. Mainly because it’s the first time we’ve been able to be alone together and I’m loving every second of it.

We step a little bit away from the building before I try activating the device. I concentrate on the glass itself, as if I’m pushing the world through it. I let go and the orb floats in front of me, then shoots at least a hundred feet into the air before plummeting back down, but it stops right where I had it levitating. The glass glows a bright white, like it did in the dream, and projects a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree picture of the world around us. I gently touch the orb and twirl it, which causes the picture to also rotate.

“How far a reach do you think it gets?” Jonas asks, reviewing the image.

“At least a mile, it seems.”

“Trel was right, this will help you. You’ll be able to detect Michael without having to expose yourself to him.”

I place my hand under the orb and it shuts off, settling into my palm. We go back into the oratory and pack up whatever has been left out. I sheathe my sword; I found it lying next to me this morning, not in its scabbard.

“Now where are we off to?” Jonas asks rather happily as we head towards the door.

I smile, but that doesn’t last long.

Ruelle is stumbling around just outside the door. She’s beaten, bloodied, and disoriented. I drop my things, remove the alarm and charm from the door, and reach her just as she falls to the ground.

“Help me get her inside,” I say to Jonas.

He takes her legs while I carry her under the arms. We lean her against one of the pews. Jonas goes to get some water from one of his bags while I reapply the alarm. He hands the canteen to me and I hold it up to her cracked lips, tilting her head back so the fluid will roll down her throat. She coughs when too much enters, so I sit her forward and pat her on the back to get the fit under control.

Her head lolls as she glances around. “Aven?” she asks when her gaze finally settles on me.

“What happened to you?” I ask, giving her some more water.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she says, her voice weakening a little.

“I’m happy to see you, too,” I say as I prop her up against me, since she’d been slipping. “Where have you been hiding?”

“I was forced to flee my shop. Gaden Lamen came back, wanting more weapons, but I said no. He sent his forces after me so I ran, and I’ve been dodging them ever since.” She gestures for more water, so I give it to her. “I was in Castra for the longest time, but they tracked me down. I think I’ve been traveling for three days straight now. I was hoping I could hide here in Myro, but look… you’re here,” she says with a contorted smile. “Where’s Knox? Isn’t he with you?” she asks as she takes another look around.

I hang my head before I respond. “He’s dead. Valora killed him.”

“Oh,” she mumbles. “That’s horrible. He was such a dear friend.”

She closes her eyes and passes out.

“What do you want to do?” Jonas asks, taking the canteen from me.

“We can’t just leave her here.”

“We barely have enough food for the two of us, let alone a third person.”

“I know, but Knox trusted her, and I trusted him. Also, she made my sword and Trel’s relics. I need to find out why, and I can’t do that if she’s unconscious.”

“Okay.” Jonas heads back to his belongings and switches the canteen for his bow and arrow. “I saw some pheasants yesterday behind a couple of the homes. I’ll go hunt them, so we have more food.” He leans down, kisses me, and then leaves.

I gently set Ruelle onto the floor then rifle through Jonas’ bags, looking for something to care for her wounds. I come up with a small bandage roll, so I do my best to clean and tend to her injuries. She has a bad laceration over her right eye, blood is seeping from one of her ears, scratches cover her arms, and she has a gouge under her left knee. I’m working on it when she comes around.

“Do you have anything to drink other than water?” she says.

“Sorry, no,” I respond, applying the last of the bandages.

“Too bad there isn’t a pub nearby,” she says with a slight grin.

I get to my feet and sit across from her. “How long have you been hiding?”

“Two or three months now, I think? I fled Acad Fields a couple days after you and Knox left. He’s really dead?”

“Yes, he was killed when the City of Delphi fell to the Ligotas.”

I need to get to the Sacrer baths and properly bury him, but when will I get that chance?

She sheds a few tears, but not as many as I expected. I want to dive into my interrogation about Gaden’s gun, Trel’s relics, and my sword, but now is probably not a good time. I need to build her trust in me before I can ask anything, but how do I do that?

“Where have you managed to be during all this time?” Ruelle asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Delphi had me hidden in the Dryad Forest,” I say. I know I probably shouldn’t specify where he kept me, but maybe this is a way I can gain her trust.

“Really?” she asks, perking up a little. “I haven’t been through there in years. Tell me, did you happen to come across a Zingara market?”

“Yes, I got these there,” I say, removing the sack of stones, and tossing them to her.

She opens the drawstring and dumps a couple of the smooth rocks into her hand. “Nice set,” she says, then puts them back into the bag and tosses it to me. “I always find really interesting items there.” Her eyes narrow when she sees my hand. “Like the ring on your finger.”

“Really?” I ask, trying to sound surprised. “What about my sword? Did you get that there, too?”

“Yes, in fact I find all kinds of trinkets at that market. You’d be amazed at the things they have if you look closely enough.”

I can’t tell if she’s being flippant, serious, or just making conversation. I’m about to ask another question when Jonas enters, carrying two dead birds.

“Oh, sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt,” he says, stepping through the alarm. “I’ll take these to the back and get them cleaned off.”

He steps around us and disappears around the corner from the staircase. Ruelle glances between me and where Jonas went.

“Who was that?” she asks, her voice becoming more confident.

“Someone I met in the forest.”

“I’m sure he has a name, so what is it?” she asks, crossing her arms.

I stare at her. “Jonas.”

She smiles. “That’s a nice name. Are you and he an item?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

“No,” I lie.

Something in the back of my head is telling me to be very cautious. I concentrate my hearing to see if I can pick up anything strange outside, but I only hear the wind blowing.

“What is he?” she asks, leaning forward.

“A huntsman.”

A sly smile creeps across her lips. “Interesting. Does Delphi know he’s with you?”

“Yes, he does,” Jonas says from the back, his bow and arrow at the ready, but currently aimed at the floor.

Ruelle glances between the two of us, probably trying to figure out what to say next.

“Careful with that, boy; you might take someone’s eye out,” she hisses.

I cast an enchainment hex, cementing her to the spot on the floor. She doesn’t realize I did it until she tries to move.

“What the hell, Aven? I thought we were just having a simple conversation,” she says, getting angry.

“So did I,” I reply.

I knew something was off with her unexpected appearance, and the sound of heavy footsteps outside confirm my suspicion. Ruelle isn’t on my side, and she didn’t come alone. I send a mortality flare out the front door, killing two Mitris as they approach “How many are there?” I say as heat builds inside me.

“Like I’m going to tell you,” she teases.

“Oh, I think you will.”

I cast the verity spell on her. She tries to fight it, but she’s not as strong as she thinks she is.

“Four total,” she squeaks.

“Where are the other two?” Jonas asks, stepping up to her and putting the tip of his arrow against her head.

“Behind the oratory.”

“Stay here, I’ll get them,” Jonas says, then rushes out the door. He’s not gone long. “Are there any more coming?” he asks, nocking another arrow.

“No.”

Jonas relaxes his grip, then hands me the weapon along with his quiver. “I’m going to continue getting our food ready. Shoot her if you have to,” he says to me, then leaves.

Ruelle glares at me. “You don’t know how to work that thing,” she snickers.

I let an arrow fly only inches from her shoulder. It slams into the pew with such force that it almost completely splits the thick wood.

“Okay, maybe you do.”

I ready another arrow. “Now, you’re going to answer some questions for me, and an arrow will pierce a different section of your body for every false response.”

“Just use your damn spell on me, then!” she snaps.

“Nah, I think you’ll cooperate this time.” I hold up my right index finger to show off the ring. “Where did you get this, really?”

“Go fuck yourself,” she spits out.

I let the arrow fly, hitting her in the shoulder. She screams as I prepare another arrow.

“I hope I don’t have to do that again,” I say with ice in my words.

“Bitch!”

“Answer my question.”

“I found the rings at the Zingara market, like I told you.”

“But you did something to them and I want to know what that was.”

Her breathing quickens as she looks to be fighting off spasms of pain. “An alloy. The same one that’s in your sword.”

“What’s the alloy called and where did you get it?”

She grits her teeth. In her eyes I can see an internal struggle going on. She wants to lie, but knows I’ll shoot another arrow into her if she does.

“It’s called Aurum, and it’s mined in the region called Rynn.”

“What’s so special about the alloy that you felt it needed to be imbedded in my sword and Trel’s relics?”

“Because it’s the most powerful thing around, even more powerful than the Ancients. Nobody but me knows it exists.”

“How’d you learn about it?”

Again, she tries to fight, but loses. “A woman by the name of Carina. She was the leader of the Guardians before all this began. I have no idea how she found out about it or why she didn’t tell the Ancients. I’m just grateful that she told me,” Ruelle says with a smile.

“Who do you buy the alloy from? I doubt you collected it yourself.”

“The genies who run the region.”

“The Jinn,” I state.

She looks shocked. “How’d you know that?”

“Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot in the last several weeks.” I cross my legs so I can rest the weapon between my feet since holding it is tiring out my arms. “This is one of Trel’s relics. It has a twin which my brother Michael is currently wearing. What else did you make for Trel?”

“A set of lockets, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, nocking another arrow and pulling back the bowstring.

“Yes, I’m sure!” she screams.

I relax my hand, which causes Ruelle to let out a sigh of relief.

“Why’d you create them for him?”

“Because he paid me to.”

“Just like Gaden Lamen paid you to create his lethal weapon.”

“That’s different,” she says, gritting her teeth again.

“Explain.”

She’s overcome by another spasm of pain, so it takes her a few moments to answer. “Trel told me what his plan was in regard to the Ancients. I had no trouble making them for him.”

“And my sword? Why’d you put the alloy in there as well?”

“Because I knew you’d have to eventually go into the underworld and get Trel. It was the only thing I could do to help get him out.” She works on getting her breathing under control. “Where is Trel anyway?”

“Michael killed him in the City of Lertis.”

Her face falls at the news. “How?” she asks, sadness in her voice.

“He drained the life force from him.”

“That shouldn’t have been possible!” she yells. “Trel had the ring on — he should’ve lived!”

“You mean this ring?” I ask, holding my hand back up. “Trel gave this to me the night before he died.”

“No!” she shrieks.

I’m tempted to shoot another arrow into her just to stop her hysterics.

“He was supposed to help us,” she rambles. “What do we do now? Michael is too out of control to listen.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, alarmed. “Who’s ‘us’?”

She looks up at me, her cheeks wet from her tears. “I’ll die before I tell you anything else.”

I re-conjure the verity spell, putting more energy into it. “Who is ‘us’?”

Her throat tightens, but she manages to get the words out. “Gaden Lamen and me.”

“Why would a Ligotas like Trel help someone who’s hunting him?” I say, getting angrier by the second.

“Because they all have a common goal: to kill the Ancients.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but Trel had a change of heart on that topic.”

“The rest of us haven’t. They all need to die.” Her nostrils flare and her eyes widen.

“What did the Ancients ever do to you? I thought you were a friend of theirs.”

“They’re no friends of mine. They stole my sister from me and turned her against us. When my husband found out what they’d done he left to get her back, but it was too late. She was a Guardian, a protector of their special prophecy. They’d warped her mind, confused her in regard to where her true loyalties lay. It still makes me sick that she went so willingly, even after Delphi murdered my husband’s father in front of all of us.”

Eri.

“Who’s your husband?” I ask; my stomach falls because I have a feeling I already know the answer.

She smiles wide. “Gaden Lamen.”

“Eri was his father, wasn’t he?”

“Yes,” she hisses. “And your father killed him, cut him in half as his family watched helplessly, and all because Eri didn’t want to have anything to do with Comoros or his siblings any longer. Who murders someone just to prove a point?”

“Your husband,” I snarl.

“He did what he had to so he’d be taken seriously,” she almost cries. “He wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what he did without sacrificing a few lives.”

“You sound just like a Ligotas — justifying the death of many for the benefit of only a few. You’re no better than any of them.”

I pick up the bow and aim the arrow at her heart. She closes her eyes and grimaces, but I don’t fire. I still need to find Gaden, and she could lead me to him. I set the weapon down. Her eyes open fully when she notices that I’m no longer pointing the weapon at her.

“Can’t kill me, can you?” she taunts.

“Not yet,” I respond, then try to cast the submission hex onto her.

Her body goes rigid and her eyes glaze over. I know this spell can only be cast when wearing the Cosanta Amulet, but since everyone keeps telling me I’m more powerful than the Ancients I’d thought I’d give it a shot.

Jonas pokes his head out when he notices things are eerily quiet.

“Everything okay?” he asks, wiping his hands on a rag.

I smile. “Everything is fine. She won’t give us any more trouble.”

“Well, I’ve got food ready if you’re hungry,” he says.

“We’ll be there in a minute.”

He disappears around the staircase as I remove the hex from Ruelle. She appears dazed, and it takes her several minutes to remember where she is.

“What did you do to me?” she asks, slowly coming out of her stupor.

“Nothing,” I say with a straight face. “You just zoned out when I started asking if you were hungry.”

“Oh,” she says, looking confused.

I remove the enchainment hex, grab her by the arm, and help her onto her unsteady feet. She tries to fight me, but in her weakened state it’s impossible. We make our way towards a small room off the stairs, which I never did see in the recordings; I found it when I first entered the oratory. Jonas tends to Ruelle’s wounds while I sit back and relax.

Nineteen

I pack whatever doesn’t get eaten into one of Jonas’ bags. We now have enough food to last us for a couple of days at least. I wonder out loud if we should travel at night and sleep during the day, but Jonas nixes that idea because he’s convinced there are more Mitris roaming out there, and we have a greater chance of running into them blindly if we go at night. I don’t necessarily agree, but I can understand his point.

I’m curious as to why Zander hasn’t made an appearance. Surely, he would’ve found us by now — so, where is he? He can defend himself against any attack, so I’m not worried about him being captured. In fact, his magic has surprisingly gotten a lot better since we left the forest. He’s doing spells that he shouldn’t be able to do. How? Maybe that’s one of the reasons I’ve been arguing with him lately: I’m afraid he’ll surpass me in ability. But that’s not possible for him, so what am I so afraid of? That’s it, isn’t it? I’m afraid of him, but why?

“Hey,” Jonas says, touching my shoulder and taking a seat next to me on the floor. “You okay?”

“I was just thinking about Zander.”

“Oh,” Jonas says, sheepishly.

“Not in that way,” I say, poking him in the ribs. “He should’ve caught up to us by now. Something feels off.”

“Do you think she might know where he is?” he asks, pointing to Ruelle, who is asleep under one of the pews. I don’t bother tying her up since the raider alarm will render her helpless if she tries to run.

“No,” I say with confidence. Ruelle is obviously not a fan of the Guardians, so I highly doubt she’d be hiding or helping one.

I slide down to the floor and try to get some sleep. Ruelle passed out right after dinner, so I couldn’t ask her more about Gaden. If he is Eri’s son that would explain why his powers have increased, since all children born to an Ancient receive some of their parent’s abilities. I wonder if he’s known his whole life who his father was, or did he realize when Delphi came to kill him.

I give up on sleep, crawl into a corner, and take my rucksack with me. I remove the journal and blue lanx, then put them together. The fires in both the City of Terac and in the Sacrer gardens have died down, but I notice that the Sacrer symbol is missing from the City of Delphi and the City of Lertis. I could’ve sworn I saw the symbol above the catacombs as of yesterday, so why did it disappear? It can’t be due to the destruction of the building because the temple in the City of Parime has been in ruins for ages and the triple spiral still twirls above its remains on the map.

I tap on the City of Lertis, expanding it as far as possible, but nothing of significance shows. Snow falls over the darkened homes; only a few people scurry about, their heads covered. I toss the book aside and pull out the one which has the Ancients’ information inside. I decide to read what I can on all of them, even though I have minimal light to do so.

Delphi: the oldest and most powerful of all his siblings. One of the founders of the Sacrer religion. He’s the only Ancient to have conquered the Gehenna Sphere. The care of his younger brother Lertis fell upon Delphi’s shoulders when Lertis was rejected by their other siblings. Delphi has been known to be manipulative, ambitious, cunning, and deceitful.

Parime: second oldest of the five, who was able to conquer three of the necessary five traits for the Gehenna Sphere. He is close to his sister, Reinga, and feels the Sacrer religion isn’t warranted. Parime is smart, temperamental, and egocentric. He is a firm believer that the Ancients should never have children of their own, as it diminishes the Ancients’ ability to properly maintain order and discipline in the dominion.

Reinga: third oldest, the only female among the Ancients, and very close to her older brother, Parime. Just like her brother, Reinga was only able to overcome three of the five traits required to defeat the Gehenna Sphere. She is very dedicated to her people, and is willing to do anything to protect them. Much like Parime, she feels the Ancients shouldn’t bother having children, but her opinion is because they may try to supersede the Ancients instead of rule alongside them.

Myro: third youngest, has never gotten along with any of his siblings. He could only defeat one of his five traits in regard to the Gehenna Sphere. He is vengeful, desperate, and deceptive. Myro is the only Ancient to have been given permission to procreate.

Eri: second youngest, conquered only one of his five traits for the Gehenna Sphere. He co-founded the Sacrer religion with his oldest brother, Delphi. The two brothers have great plans for Eskal and all its regions.

I reread Lertis’ description and then try to locate the author of the book. I find the name in tiny print on the inside of the back cover: Morcant, leader of the Sacrer. He must have been the one killed by Valora, which started this whole thing. I’m sure Zander could confirm that. Where the hell is he?

I toss the book aside and curl up next to Jonas. I can’t get Zander out of my head, mainly because of my concern for his wellbeing and safety. He and I may not always get along, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about him. He did save my life when Michael tried to kill me, though that could’ve easily been prevented if Zander had simply said something earlier. But would I have done the same thing if I had been in his position? If he had warned me, would things still be the same? What could’ve been prevented or, better yet, what could’ve been changed? Would Knox still be alive? Would Dean Rae? This continued thinking isn’t going to allow me to fall asleep.

The sun rises shortly after I’m finally able to rid myself of the pretend argument I’m having with Zander in my head. Ruelle moans from pain as she rolls onto her side and tries to sit up.

“Sleep well?” I ask, getting up and going over towards her.

“Yeah, right,” she snorts. “What tortures will you have for me today?”

“None, if you tell me where Gaden is going to be.”

“What do you want with him?” she asks nervously.

“I want to talk to him. Did you tell him about me?”

“You mean did I divulge that you’re the daughter of Delphi?”

I nod.

“Yes, he knows. Why wouldn’t I tell him? Killing you will be just as enjoyable as killing your father.”

I slap her across the face. “You’re walking a thin line, Ruelle, so I’d be careful in regard to what you say.” I go over to my rucksack and remove the detection orb. “By the way, I found something of yours,” I say, turning around and holding it out for her to see.

“Where’d you get that?” she asks, her mouth falling open and eyes widening.

“Why? Is it important to you?”

“Extremely. All mystics have them. Mine has been missing longer than I can remember.”

“What does it do?” I ask, rubbing my fingers over its smooth surface.

She crosses her arms and stays silent.

“You know, I can just use the verity spell on you, so there really isn’t any point in you not telling me.”

“Fine,” she says, exasperated. “It can take an aerial view of a one-mile radius. It can also detect someone specific if you ask it to.”

“You mean I could have this tell me where Gaden is?”

“Sure, but I’m not going to tell you how to do that, even if you do use your stupid spells and charms on me.”

I hold the orb in the palm of my hand, concentrate on its center, and think of Gaden Lamen in my mind. The device lifts from my hand by only a few inches then projects a map of Comoros, with a small dot blinking close to the City of Parime.

“How’d you do that?” Ruelle asks, clearly frightened by my feat.

“My father taught me,” I respond. “Now that your usefulness has run out, time to say goodbye.” I cast the mortality flare, killing her.

I return to where Jonas has been sitting and watching the entire exchange. I put the orb back into my rucksack and pack up the rest of my things. Jonas does the same without asking any questions. I take off the raider alarm, we leave the oratory, and then head north on our way to the City of Parime.

We don’t stop until the sun has set. I put a concealment charm around us as we make camp in the middle of nowhere. We haven’t come across any Mitris in our travels, which I find disturbing. Every few miles I use the orb to check for any possible ambushes ahead, but the land is empty… of everything. No animals, no people, nothing. It’s like all living things have just vanished.

I start a small fire for Jonas to heat up our food while I use the orb to try to find Zander. It takes a few minutes, as he must be using a spell, but the orb finally locates him in Castra, which is a traveler’s camp between the cities of Delphi and Parime. It’s also the first place we met. What made him go there? Why didn’t he follow me like I thought he would? He’s telling me how concerned is he for my safety, yet he’s way up in Castra and not by the City of Myro?

I recall the orb, and have it locate Michael. I feel safe in doing this now; Michael won’t be able to track me with his journal and lanx now that I’m using the orb. He’s in Acad Fields, so I break out the journal and blue lanx. Everything appears to be quiet in the trade town, but I do catch a few Ligotas swirling over the empty plaza.

“Any new developments?” Jonas asks, handing me something to eat.

I close the journal. “Just that Zander isn’t where I expected him to be.”

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

“It’s not just that; I think there’s something going on with him. I just can’t figure it out.”

Jonas scoots over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders. “He’s probably just mad that you’ve moved on from him. He’ll get over it.”

Jonas leans down and kisses me. I slowly lean backwards as he lies on top of me. We both want more, but know that can’t happen right now because of our vulnerability. He caresses my back as I hold him tightly. The moment doesn’t last long, as the heat between us is broken by the sound of approaching feet. I extinguish the fire, even though it can’t be seen through the charm. Jonas readies his bow and I draw my sword. Three Mitris come out of the shadows, each carrying one of the weapons Ruelle created for Gaden.

“They should’ve returned to the city by now,” one of them says, stopping inches away from the charm.

“Why’d they go down there anyway?” another one asks. “That city has been empty for a long time.”

“She sensed that Aven was heading there. Don’t ask me how, but that’s what she told Gaden before she left.”

“Ruelle should’ve waited until Aven entered the City of Parime like she’s destined to, instead of chasing after her,” the third one chimes in.

“Let’s keep going. I don’t like wandering out here with so many Ligotas on the loose.”

The three move on; Jonas and I remain quiet until they’re out of sight.

“What did he mean that you’re destined to go into Parime?” Jonas asks, securing his weapon.

I pull out the journal and flip to the twelfth painting. If it’s about to come true, and the prophecy is finally coming to its end, then the picture should reveal itself. The image is still a splotch of colors when I get to that page; a dark and light side intertwining, with deep crimson at the base. This has got to represent a battle of some kind, but where and with whom? I had always assumed it was between Michael and me, but am I wrong?

“Do you still want to go?” Jonas asks as I close the book.

“Yes, because I’m supposed to.”

My mind is focused only on one thing as Jonas and I make our way north the following morning: how did the Mitris know I was predestined to enter the City of Parime? They knew about the prophecy because of the documents the Ancient Myro created and handed over to Gaden when my nightmare life started, but this isn’t the same. None of this has happened before, as far as I can tell. I’m sure Jonas would’ve remembered if we had met previously, since the only area affected by the constant restart of time was Comoros. Maybe it was just a guess on their part; perhaps Ruelle came to find me so she could take me back to that city. But why? I was there months ago, and the city is stuck in a time loop. It can’t be affected by anything, unless it’s pulled back into the current time. Is that why they think I’m supposed to be there? To bring the city into sync with the rest of Comoros?

My thoughts slam together nonstop throughout the day. We make camp in the open once again as dusk falls, which I’m not happy about. We should at least reach the city’s outskirts by sometime tomorrow.

After we eat, I take the orb and locate the various players in this great game. Gaden Lamen is in the west side of the City of Parime, Zander is halfway between Castra and Parime, and Michael is now in the City of Delphi, traveling east. It looks like we’re all converging on the city. I’ve known this moment was coming, but it still makes me sick to my stomach. We pack up just as dawn breaks. The sky is overcast, which isn’t helping with my mood.

We reach the eastern outskirts just after noon. Before we hit the main road, I extract the detection orb and activate it. It hovers a few feet in front of us, except when it shoots up into the sky to provide me aerial views of the area. Everyone is hustling about their day, completely ignoring Jonas and me as we make our way down the main street towards the demolished temple. I chose to go there since I know if anything happens at that specific spot, it won’t have any kind of impact on the city and its citizens. Jonas stares as the people blindly pass us, their clothes strangely different than ours. When we reach the front of the temple I deactivate the orb, stick it back into my rucksack, and then cast a restoration charm onto the building. As if being played in reverse, the building reattaches itself piece by piece. Still, no one pays any attention to what’s going on.

Once the temple is restored, we climb the steps and enter the main chamber. Dean Eligius, the caretaker for the building, is kneeling before the altar which sits in the center of the room. He looks up when he hears the door close. He smiles when he first sees me, but it’s quickly followed by panic.

“Aven, where are Zander and Knox?” the dean says, rushing up to me. “They should be with you. What’s happened? The paintings stopped developing.”

I take the old man’s hand. “We need to talk.”

He gestures for us to take a seat in one of the pews. Jonas and I both remove our bags and weapons in order to get comfortable on the stiff wooden bench.

“I’ve been frantic about the whole situation,” the dean says, taking a seat on the pew across from us. “I even tried leaving the temple to go searching for you, but every time I opened the front door I wound up back in the rectory. Why would that be happening?”

“I don’t know,” I say, lying to the man. I don’t have the heart to tell him he’s been dead since the first cycle and everything he’s experiencing is an illusion. He’s only here right now because the temple has been restored.

“Where are Knox and Zander? You shouldn’t be traveling without them; it’s not safe.”

“Knox is dead,” I say as gently as I can. “He was killed a few months ago.”

Dean Eligius gets very quiet. “What about Zander?” he asks once he’s regained his composure.

“He left me.”

This shocks the dean. “That’s not right; he’s never supposed to be away from you no matter what. There must have been a mistake; Zander would never abandon you.”

“Well, he did,” Jonas says, chiming in.

Dean Eligius glares at Jonas, but only momentarily before returning his focus to me. “You two just got separated, that’s all. He’ll come and find you. Don’t you worry, Aven, Zander is always looking out for you. The two of you are meant to be together… forever.” The dean smiles, pats my hand, and retreats towards the back of the sanctuary.

“They all really believe Zander is protecting you, don’t they?” Jonas says once the dean is out of earshot.

“Yeah,” is all I think to say.

He is supposed to be protecting me; he’s my fucking Guardian. So, why isn’t he? Why has he gone off on his own? I’m sure our fighting has a lot to do with it, but that’s not anything new between us. We’ve always fought. He’s been uncomfortably close lately, so perhaps he’s just giving me the space I’ve been asking for. Somehow, though, I really don’t believe that’s the case.

“Someone help me!” a scream echoes outside. “Please! I need help!”

“I know that voice,” Jonas says, bolting up from his seat with me following closely behind.

We crack the door open, but can’t see who’s calling for help.

“They’re coming! Please, you have to help me!”

Isolde finally comes into view, her body covered in blood and looking mangled and broken.

Jonas is about to dart out the door when I grab his shirt, halting him.

“Why are you stopping me? It’s Isolde — she’s alive,” he says, trying to free himself from my grasp.

“Don’t go out there — not yet anyway.”

I dash over to the pew, remove the orb from my rucksack, and send it outside. The image it returns doesn’t show anyone in the vicinity except her. I’m a little surprised it hasn’t picked up the citizens still milling about, but maybe it’s because they’re in another moment in time the device can’t see.

“What’s going on here?” Dean Eligius says, coming up to us.

“Aven, let me go,” Jonas says in a serious tone since I’ve grabbed him once again.

I hesitate, but I do release him after I set down the orb. He runs out to Isolde, grabs her, and is in the process of dragging her back inside when she stabs him through the heart.

“No!” I scream, running out to him just as rain starts to fall.

He collapses in my arms, blood pouring from the wound. I slip Trel’s ring off my finger and put it on Jonas’. He loses consciousness then stops breathing.

“Why?” I yell at her, tears flooding my eyes.

“Because of you,” she hisses at me, pulling her other knife from under her shirt. “Everything was going as it was supposed to until you got involved. I would’ve had him. I would’ve had them all.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, letting Jonas gently slip onto the cobblestones of the road as I stand.

She flashes pure black eyes at me just as sharp orange wings cut through the back of her shirt, emerging from between her shoulder blades. Her fingernails sharpen as she begins to grow in height, though only by a few inches.

“How long?” I utter as shock sets in.

“My whole life,” she says, baring her jagged teeth at me. “I was in Lioc when Trel nearly caused our extinction. Luckily, I got really good at hiding my true form, and was able to join the huntsmen. Blending in with them became so easy.” She starts advancing on me, and without my sword and with her defense against magic, I’m outgunned.

I have to step over Jonas’ body to put some distance between the two of us, but she keeps moving forward.

“Valora was rescuing you, not killing you,” I comment, my feet almost slipping from the pools of water that are quickly forming as the rain intensifies.

“Yes. And now, Aven, my dear, I have a surprise for you.”

She nods as if to someone behind me, which forces me to turn around.

Zander is standing there, his face hard as stone. I don’t see the spear, I only feel it when it penetrates my abdomen. He’s gripping the weapon that is now protruding from my back. He pulls it out and rams it into me again. I gurgle blood after he extracts it, then fall to my knees. I feel dizzy and the world seems to shatter. My face is lying on the cobblestone road when an emblem in gold leaf catches the corner of my eye.

A triple knot surround by wings is engraved in the stone under my body, my blood soaking into every crack.

I roll onto my back and stare up at Zander as flashes of light shine in my eyes. “Why?” I ask him.

He bends down and brushes a piece of hair out of my face. “Because I love you,” he says calmly, then stands and rams the Thoracion Spear into me for a third and final time.

Twenty

Immortality is a fickle thing.

Don’t get me wrong, it exists, but it likes to take its time coming to your aid. Maybe it would’ve been faster had I still been wearing the ring when Zander killed me, or perhaps this is how it always works.

I’m floating above my body, the street filling with blood. Isolde removes her knife from Jonas, wipes it on her shirt, and tucks it back into her waistband before stepping away, but she doesn’t leave. Zander hunches over my body as if he’s examining it then bolts back, clearly startled.

“No…no…no,” he whimpers. “Where is it?”

“What’s the matter, Zander? Did you actually kill your lover?” Isolde asks mockingly.

“She was wearing the ring,” he says, stepping away from my body. “She’s supposed to have it on. Oh my God, what did I do?”

Valora steps out from the shadows, Michael by her side.

“You broke the time loop is what you did,” she says, gesturing around her.

The air begins to sparkle, then crack. It finally shatters, exposing the city for all to see.

The restoration charm on the temple breaks, returning it to its demolished state. The cobblestones of the road turn grimy, almost like a dark film is covering them. The buildings are blackened by ash and in various stages of collapse. The damage looks to be extremely old, perhaps even before the Ancients’ time. The people vanish, as if never existing in the first place.

“I don’t understand,” Valora says as the devastation to the city widens. “Where’s the city?”

“You’re standing in it,” Gaden Lamen says, coming into view from behind the temple. “This was never real. Parime obliterated his city when Delphi began the prophecy. He wasn’t about to let his brother take over anything of his.”

“How’d you know that?” Michael asks.

“My father told me,” Gaden says, stepping closer to my body, then kicking it with his boot.

Zander aims the spear at him, forcing Gaden away from me.

“Don’t you touch her,” he seethes.

“Why? She’s dead, isn’t she?” Gaden asks with a slight giggle. “All this time you spent protecting her and yet you turn out to be the one who kills her.”

Isolde takes Jonas by the hand and piles his body on top of mine.

“Time to take out the trash,” she says in a chipper voice.

“Who’s your father?” Zander asks, his eyes never wavering from Gaden.

“Eri, the second youngest of the Ancients,” he replies. “How fitting that Delphi’s Guardian wound up killing his daughter. Oh, what is Delphi going to do with you now?”

“Aven is Delphi’s daughter?” Valora asks, cocking her head.

“Yes, my dear, she was,” Gaden says. “You sound disappointed. I thought that would’ve made you happy.”

“It does make me happy,” she says getting defensive. “I just wish I had been the one to do it.”

“How many people did Parime murder?” Michael asks.

“Two million,” Gaden replies stoically. “Of all the Ancients, he actually turned out to be the worst.”

I feel myself slipping from my position above them all and back into my body. My wounds have healed, but I don’t dare move. Jonas’ breathing is starting to return; I can feel it on my cheek.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll look behind you, you’ll see my men armed with a new sophisticated weapon that will tear you open from the inside out,” Gaden says, gesturing around the group.

I decide I’ve heard enough, take Jonas’ hand, and shift us both into the remains of the temple, reappearing next to our bags. Jonas pushes himself up as I dart over to the doorframe, which is the only thing tall enough to get behind.

“What the hell?” Zander says a moment later when he realizes Jonas and I have disappeared. “God damn it!” he shouts.

“You’re upset she shifted away? I thought you wanted her alive,” Valora remarks.

“Only to a point,” Zander answers, hatred in his words.

Jonas settles next to me, handing me my sword as he readies his bow; his quiver and scabbard are securely strapped to his back. I’m surprised he doesn’t use his sword more often, but knowing he’s much faster with the bow and arrows, I guess they probably feel more natural to him.

“What do you want to do?” Jonas whispers.

“Stay put. I have a feeling this is about to go south really fast.”

Michael extends his wings as he steps closer to Zander. “Were you planning on killing my sister this whole time?”

“What does it matter to you? You want her dead, too.”

“Because it should be me who slaughters that bitch!” Michael yells.

He whistles loudly, and the sound of thousands of flapping wings fills the air. I scurry over to the rucksack and remove the sica. I’m not sure what I want to do with it, but I sense I need to have it with me.

Ligotas drop from the sky, surprising the unsuspecting Mitris and ripping them apart. The high-tech weapons discharge, but due to the thickness of the Ligotas’ skin the pellets don’t penetrate. I guess Gaden thought Ligotas anatomy was the same as that of a human. Boy, is he wrong.

Michael advances on Zander, casting spell after spell that just simply fall away.

“How are you doing that?” Michael asks, frustrated.

Zander holds out the spear. “Go fuck yourself,” he says, then launches it at Michael.

The spear cuts through Michael’s arm, slicing it open.

I glance over at Valora and Isolde, both of whom have a Mitris in their grip, draining the life force from them.

“Don’t let her touch you,” I say, handing the sword to Jonas and then bolting out the door.

I aim for Gaden Lamen. He’s my primary focus as the others battle each other. His only defense are his spells, since he neglected to properly arm himself with one of his weapons. He turns at my approach, and begins weaving a spell in his hands.

“Why won’t you die?” he cries as he sends the mortality flare at me again and again.

“You should’ve come better prepared,” I say to him, swiping at his arm with the sica and cutting his bicep.

“I am prepared,” he says, clenching his teeth.

My chin hits the road as someone takes out my legs. I squirm to get out from under the body, slamming my foot into the person’s face. Myro cries out in pain from the blow. I swing my leg wide and connect with his head, knocking him down. Gaden grabs me around the arms, wrestling the weapon from my hand. I let him have the sica then focus all my energy onto him, throwing him back several yards. He lands hard on the road, and takes his time getting back onto his feet.

Myro is back on me, so I do the same thing to him. He winds up knocking into a group of Ligotas. He casts a mortality flare around him, killing them all, then advances again, this time towards Jonas. I’m not too worried since Jonas has the protective shield, but when a mortality flare hits him in the back and he starts to burn, my thinking changes. I grab my sword as it falls from Jonas’ hands, and cut Myro in half. Jonas starts to recover from his wounds because of the ring, but I shift him to a safer location anyway.

“Don’t come back out until you’re ready.” I kiss him hard on the lips, place a veneficia shield around him, and head back into the melee.

The Mitris have begun to thin out, many running for their lives, the Ligotas giving chase. Gaden Lamen is using the sica on Valora, or at least trying to. They’re both equal when it comes to magical ability because of they’re both wearing a set of Kerai Couplings. One of Zander’s arms is covered in blood, but he’s managed to thrust one of the two spears into Michael’s back, and it’s at an angle where Michael can’t reach it to pull it out.

Screams roar out behind me. I turn to notice Isolde draining Gaden’s life force as the sica in his hand is plunged into Valora’s side. His body begins to shrivel then he crumples to the ground, dead. Isolde wraps Valora’s arm around her shoulders and starts to take off. Jonas’ arrow hits Isolde in the neck a moment later, causing her to drop Valora, who quickly recovers and vanishes. I’m sure she’s cast a concealment charm around herself. Jonas sends arrows flying into the area where Valora was, but nothing hits.

Isolde falls to the ground, breaking the arrow and leaving a piece of it jutting out of her neck. Jonas lets a shower of arrows fly, all striking Isolde in the chest. She staggers for a few feet before collapsing. Jonas fires one last arrow into the back of her head, killing her.

The only ones left are Zander and Michael.

“I’ll take Zander,” Jonas says. “You get your brother.”

We split off.

Jonas fires an arrow into Zander’s calf, causing him to buckle. I swing the sword at Michael, cutting him across the face. In response he swings one of his wings, knocking me to the ground. He jumps on top of me, kicks the sword out of my hand, wraps his hands around my throat, and begins to drain my life force. I feel myself dying, but this time it scares me. I don’t know if this is something immortality can pull me back from. I can’t scream as the bones in my neck begin to crack, one by one.

A silver blur flashes in front of my eyes, and Michael’s grip loosens. Jonas is now standing over us, the sword in his hand. He severed Michael’s right hand, breaking his hold on me. I cough violently as I push myself out from underneath him. Jonas raises the sword, bringing it down on Michael’s neck, decapitating him.

Jonas pulls me into his arms, both of us drenched in blood, as we sit on the ground, dazed.

I lift my head once I begin to feel better and have a look around. Several dozen bodies litter the ground around us — a combination of Ligotas and Mitris. Isolde, Gaden Lamen, and Myro are dead. Michael’s immortality was erased with the swing of the Aurum laced blade, therefore ending his life permanently.

“Where’s Zander?” I ask as Jonas helps me to my feet.

He quickly searches the area with his eyes. “Damn it.”

“We can still find him,” I say, limping slightly as I go searching for the sica, which I last saw in Gaden’s hand.

It’s gone.

Valora must have taken it when she escaped.

I bend over Michael’s body, the spear holding him erect, and remove the Cosanta Amulet. I spot the other spear only feet away, surprised that Zander didn’t take it with him.

“What should we do with that?” Jonas asks as I hand the amulet to him.

“Destroy it.”

I wander over to the temple steps and sit down, exhausted. The turmoil of the day finally catches up to me. Jonas sits beside me, puts an arm around my shoulder, and pulls me against his side. I want to throw up from what I see. How could it all have gotten to this point? I choke back sobs that try to take me over. I’m afraid if they start I’ll never be able to get them to stop.

I feel numb.

“With Zander still wandering around out there, we need to get someplace safe,” Jonas says, pulling me out of my fog.

I nod, then stand. Jonas hands me the amulet, which I shove into my rucksack. He sheathes my sword, straps the scabbard across my back, and hands me my bags. I search the debris for the orb, finally locating it under one of the bodies. Once Jonas gets everything he needs we head out into the war zone, holding hands. We wander down side streets going south, trying to avoid the main road. I could simply shift us out of the city, but I’m too tired to perform such a spell. It takes us until nightfall to find our way out. We settle into a spot an hour or so later. I cast a concealment charm wide around us. I can’t tolerate being in these clothes any longer, so I strip down and put on something clean. Jonas is in the process of doing the same thing while I start a fire, using my clothing as kindling. He tosses his clothes into the flames as well. Before he puts his shirt on, though, I examine his protective shield. Isolde penetrated the center of it with her knife. The wound is now scarred over, but the damage has been done.

“I think you should wear the amulet,” I say to him as he slips his shirt on. “You’re vulnerable to magic now, and the amulet can protect you.”

“I don’t know if I want to have that thing around my neck,” he responds, sounding a little hostile.

Great, how did I manage to turn everyone against me? Oh, that’s right, I get their friends killed.

“This isn’t over, you know,” I say, hiding the fear in my voice.

“I know.”

“If you don’t want to continue, I completely understand.”

He turns my head so I’m looking at him, since I’d been staring into the fire. “I’m not going anywhere, Aven. Your fight is my fight, always and forever.”

He kisses me, and all my pain vanishes. His hands wander down my body, finding tender spots. I moan, but not from pain. It feels so good having Jonas… finally. He makes everything feel better.

I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but when I open my eyes every inch of my body hurts and I’m stiff. Jonas is in the same predicament when he wakes. We’re both slow in getting dressed. Jonas works on extinguishing the fire while I look for the detection orb. It’s covered in blood and takes a while to clean. I get as much blood off as possible, concentrate on its center, and request Zander’s location.

The orb hovers inches from my face and shoots out a map of Comoros. Zander is currently heading towards the Valley of Caille Anam. He must be returning to Delphi’s vault, but why? What could still be there that he needs?

“Are you sure you still want to go after him?” Jonas asks, looking over my shoulder.

“He wanted me dead. He needs to be punished,” I say coldly.

We pack up, I remove the charm, and we continue traveling south. I don’t know how much more I can take. I can shift us in spurts down to the valley, but somehow that doesn’t feel right. At least not yet.

It’s mid-afternoon the following day when I spot Lertis waving at us. His home wasn’t this far north last time, so is he capable of moving it? He gives me a huge hug when I get close enough. I introduce him to Jonas and the two shake hands. Lertis then directs us to the hidden hatch that will take us down into his home.

“I was hoping I’d run into you again,” Lertis says after applying a spell and closing the hatch. “You two look like you’ve seen better days. Come on in and I’ll get us something to eat.”

He skips into the kitchen as Jonas and I set our bags down. The same book Lertis was reading when I was last here rests open on his usual chair. Various knickknacks lay scattered about, some I don’t remember seeing before. One in particular catches my attention, though I can only see a portion of it. Nestled behind several small statues lies the Puridian Manacle. I only know of one in existence and I saw it in Delphi’s vault.

“Lertis, can I ask you something?” I say, reaching for the device.

“Sure, Aven,” he practically sings from the kitchen.

“Was Zander here?”

“Why do you ask?” This time his voice doesn’t sound so cheerful.

My fingers touch the outer edge of one of the manacle’s claws just as Lertis exits the kitchen. He tries to cast a spell on me to stop what I’m doing, but it doesn’t work. Jonas darts behind the Ancient, pressing one of his knives against Lertis’ throat.

“He gave this to you, didn’t he?” I ask once I have possession of it.

“When?” Jonas asks, gripping the knife harder, which causes Lertis to wince.

“Last night,” he answers.

“What exactly did Zander say to you?” I ask, stepping closer and sensing my eyes going dark.

I haven’t felt the Ligotas in me for quite a while. I wonder where it’s been hiding.

“That you needed protecting, Aven, that’s all. He gave that to me, so I could trap your friend here,” he says, pointing behind him.

“Let him go,” I say to Jonas.

He complies, but he doesn’t relax his grip on the weapon.

“Did Zander say why?” I ask.

“That Jonas tried to kill you back in the City of Parime,” he answers, confused.

“Zander is a liar,” Jonas says, in such a heavy tone that it startles Lertis.

“Why would he lie? He’s only doing what he’s been told to do,” Lertis says, getting defensive.

“Delphi never told him to turn on Aven,” Jonas says, stepping off to the side.

“What?”

“Zander is the one who killed Aven.”

“Wait a minute, you died? When?” Lertis asks, his manner stiffening.

Shit.

“Back in the gardens, remember? Just like the prophecy stated,” I say nervously.

Lertis steps back so he’s partially in the kitchen. “That’s not what he said,” Lertis said, pointing to Jonas.

The manacle flies out of my hand and snatches me around the throat, flinging me to the wall by the bathroom. The other end of the manacle buries itself in the earth. Jonas charges at Lertis, but with a snap of his fingers Jonas is on the floor unconscious.

“Don’t do this, Lertis,” I croak as the claws of the device dig into my flesh.

“Who are you really?” he asks, his voice deepening as he slowly approaches.

“It’s me. Aven,” I say as panic rises.

“No, your friend said you died.”

“He’s mistaken. He used the wrong words, that’s all.” The claws gouge my throat, drawing blood with each push.

“You’d have to be an immortal to come back from the dead.”

“Lertis, don’t,” I warn as he gets closer.

“I didn’t want to believe him when he told me. I was praying he was lying.”

“Don’t.”

“The daughter of Delphi.”

“But you like your brother. He raised you.”

“That doesn’t mean I like him.” Lertis thrusts his arm up, which causes the manacle to bury itself further, the dirt almost smothering me.

I focus my energy on Lertis, but he somehow deflects it.

“Hold your breath, Aven — it’s about to get hard to breathe,” he says, obviously enjoying what he’s doing to me.

I use all my energy and pull myself away from the wall. I grab the manacle in my hand and fight with it to free my neck. I whip the device around and send it over to Lertis. He dodges it and goes for one of Jonas’ knives. I pull the sword from the scabbard and stab Lertis in the abdomen. He howls as I dig the blade in deeper.

“I warned you not to,” I say as I pull the weapon out and slice his throat.

I go over to Jonas, who is starting to come to.

“You have such a lovely family,” he grunts as he gets to his feet. I help him to the couch. “Zander is fucking dead.”

I plop down next to him. “Rest first. We can hide in here for a while and get ourselves fed and bathed.”

Jonas doesn’t argue.

Twenty-One

I finish cooking the soup that Lertis started while Jonas gets cleaned up in the bathroom. I applied the flare to Lertis’ body so we wouldn’t have to look at him anymore. I was surprised how quickly he turned on me, but I can only guess Zander must have said or done something to set that off, besides telling him I’m Delphi’s daughter. Lertis must have moved his home closer in order to intercept us. I wonder what else Zander took from the vault. We’ll need to stop there first before I shift us to where Zander is hiding. The food is ready just as Jonas emerges. We eat and then I jump into the bathroom to clean up.

I have blood caked behind my ears, in my hair, and under my fingernails. It takes a lot of soap and scrubbing to get myself decently clean. When I exit, Jonas is digging through my rucksack.

“What are you looking for?” I ask, sitting beside him on the couch.

“The blue lanx,” he says, handing me the journal he’s already removed. “I can’t seem to find it.”

“What?” I snatch the bag from him and dump out its contents, but he’s right, the blue lanx isn’t here.

“Could it have fallen out?”

“No, I had it stashed in the secret pocket.” I turn the bag inside out and show him the small incision along the seam. I open the flap and remove the knife Dean Chares gave to me when my journey began. “The disc should be in there.”

“You don’t think Zander took it, do you?”

“I never saw him go near the temple.”

Yet I never saw him flee either. Could he have it? Why would he take it? I flip through the journal pages just in case it might have gotten stuck in there. I stop when I get to painting number twelve. I thought for sure it would’ve changed by now, especially with the battle in the City of Parime, but it’s still in the same incomplete state. Delphi said it would reveal itself when the final stage of the prophecy was occurring, so it hasn’t yet. What more is there to go? Michael’s dead; there can’t be anything else.

“Here, find Zander,” Jonas says, taking the journal from me and replacing it with the orb.

“I don’t know if it’ll work down here,” I say, getting up. “I’m going topside.”

Jonas is right behind me, my sword held tightly in his hands.

The air is cold, the stars are out, and complete darkness surrounds us. I hold the orb and ask for Zander. The device lifts and spreads out the Comoros map, showing Zander heading towards the gardens. He’s maybe a day and a half away from us. I can make that up in no time by shifting, but first I want to see that vault again.

We go to bed, but not before I cast a raider alarm. I highly doubt anyone will find us down here, but I’m not taking any chances. When we feel we’ve gotten enough sleep, we eat a quick breakfast, use the bathroom, and pack up everything. As soon as we’re above the ground, I dissolve the concealment charm Lertis used and we proceed south, only this time we do it by shifting. It still takes a couple of hours to reach the valley. Once we’re next to the lake, I make a beeline for the vault. As we draw closer, I see a visible disturbance among the fallen rock.

“Stay here,” I tell Jonas before I slink my way into the tiny opening Zander created.

I have to cast a spark so I can see. The chamber is filled with broken statutes, weapons, body armor, and books, as it was before. My real concern is the Gehenna Sphere. I know Zander can’t attempt it again, but I’d feel much better knowing it was still shattered. I make my way to the corner where I saw it. The dark pieces shine like pearls in the light.

Then what did he come back for? It had to have been for more than just the Puridian Manacle. What did I miss?

I step out of the vault. I don’t want anyone else stumbling upon it, so I set the whole thing ablaze. Whatever doesn’t burn will melt, making nothing inside salvageable. We step away from the vault so the smoke isn’t blowing in our faces, and I take the orb, first having a look at an aerial view of what’s around us before asking it to locate Zander. The area is clear, and Zander is in the marble building for the gardens.

“How long do you think it’ll take us to reach him?” Jonas asks as I return the orb to the rucksack.

“At least a couple of hours. When we finally get out of here, I’m working on extending my shifting abilities.”

“Sounds like a smart idea.”

He takes my hand and we move. It’s close to nightfall when we reach the Sacrer entrance for the gardens. I want to check the orb, but decide not to, because I know if Zander is close by he’ll see its light, alerting him that he’s no longer alone. I don’t believe he knows such an object exists, and I’d like to keep it that way.

I pull my sword out as I push open the gate. Jonas has his knives held high, ready to let them fly. The sweet fragrance that once permeated the air has been replaced by the smell of burnt leaves. We cautiously move along the path, stopping for only a moment when we reach the pool shaped in the Sacrer symbol. My heart races faster the closer we get to the structure. Sweat covers the grip of the sword, making it difficult to hold on to. I halt our forward moment just before we breach the protection of the flowers and grasses.

I decide to chance it and let the orb loose, but only to find Zander. He’s no longer in the gardens; he’s now crossing the Vicion River southwest of us. I let out a sigh of relief, put the orb away, and rest the sword against my leg.

“He wasn’t here long,” Jonas says, putting away his knives. “Where do you think he’s heading?”

“The Sacrer baths possibly. That’s the only thing over there, but I can’t figure out why he’d want to go there. It’s a dead end. He’d be trapping himself.”

I set off several sparks, placing them strategically at the corners of the structure and the entrances to the Ligotas and Sacrer sides of the gardens. I spot the drawing Bate made of Eskal, so I sit by it, setting the sword down behind me.

“Did Bate do that?” Jonas asks, pointing to it.

“Yes.”

“Could you reopen the veil just outside the gardens with the stones in your bag?”

“No, because I destroyed it. But I can open the veil that Delphi closed,” I say, tapping on the spot Zander looks to be heading towards.

“Maybe that’s where Zander’s going.”

“He doesn’t know the exact location, so if he attempts to open one he could wind up anywhere or nowhere.” I take the bag of stones and remove one, setting it on the veil in question.

“What are you doing?”

“Opening the veil, but only for us.”

“You can do that?”

“We’ll see.”

I wave my hands over the stone, which turns red for a brief moment then black again. Jonas tries to pick it up but it’s too hot, so he winds up tossing it into the star-shaped pool. An ear-splitting vibration resonates from the water, sending shockwaves that knock Jonas and me several feet into the Ligotas section of the gardens. I’m stunned, dizzy, and my head is pounding. I manage to lift my head in time to witness the building collapse, its columns spilling outward in the direction of the blast.

“You okay?” Jonas asks, crawling over to me.

“What was that?” I practically shout, since all I can really hear is ringing.

I glance around and notice the sparks I sent out are gone, casting us into darkness. I try to conjure more, but nothing happens. The pain in my head begins to subside, so I try again… still nothing.

“Here,” I say, handing the amulet to Jonas after finding the rucksack a few feet away. “You try to cast something.”

He puts the chain around his neck.

“Nothing’s happening,” he says after several minutes.

“What are you trying to conjure?”

“A light.”

I remove the orb, but it won’t activate.

What did Zander do? Why can’t I produce magic?

I panic, terrified of being without my powers. I’ve only had them for a few months, but I already feel lost without them. I’ve become so dependent on casting spells that I haven’t tried not using them. Jonas takes the orb and amulet, and places them both back into the rucksack.

“Give yourself a few minutes,” he says, putting his hand on my back under the scabbard.

There’s no way that they could’ve evaporated that easily. I conquered the Gehenna Sphere… I should be invincible. Oh, my God, I’m starting to think and sound like Delphi. I had fought for so long not to become him that it crept up on me. Heat builds in my stomach, causing my eyes to darken. The Ligotas in me also wants out; it’s tired of being caged. If I let that part of me come fully alive, will I turn on Jonas? Ligotas are notorious for killing those they love; would I wind up doing that to him? What guarantee can I make that such a thing won’t happen? My brain can’t handle any more and shuts down, knocking me onto my back and showing me nothing but the stars in the sky.

The sunlight cascading into my eyes brings me to. I sit up and look around, spotting Jonas assessing the damage to the structure. My legs are weak when I stand, and I’m only able to take a few steps in his direction before falling.

“I thought you’d never wake up,” he says, helping me to my feet.

“How long have you been up?”

“I haven’t gone to sleep. Here, check this out,” he says, pulling the amulet out from under his shirt. In seconds he’s righted the flowers that were mowed down in the blast. “Give it a shot.”

I attempt to cast the restoration charm onto the structure. The columns right themselves as every inch of marble mends its cracks.

“Whatever happened must’ve only been a temporary thing,” he says, taking the amulet off and handing it to me.

I turn around to reach for the rucksack, when I notice the Ligotas side of the gardens. “Did you do that?” I ask, pointing to the blossoming flowers.

“No. I noticed it when the sun came out. I thought this part of the gardens was decaying.”

“It was.”

“The Ligotas are growing in strength, aren’t they?”

I nod my head. “We need to get out of here. Where’s my sword?” I ask, searching in the grass for it.

Jonas clears his throat, drawing my attention towards him. In his hands is a cherry wood handle attached to the remnants of a steel and Aurum blade. “I found it under the rubble. The marble landed right on top of it, cracking it in several places. The sword just fell apart after that,” he says, handing me what’s left.

“Give me yours,” I say, tossing the handle aside.

Jonas pulls out his sword and tucks it into the scabbard that’s still strapped to my back.

I grab my bags after checking to make sure I haven’t lost anything else, take Jonas’ hand, and shift us a mile west of the gardens. I extract the orb and do a quick aerial view. We’re, thankfully, still alone, but I do find Zander. He’s moved south of the river, to the spot where Reinga supposedly kept her city. Of course, there isn’t anything there as she’s somehow removed it from Comoros. Zander knows this. He told me the Guardians were the ones who put a bogus spot on the map just to keep it consistent with the other cities. I shift us until we’re less than a mile from his location. I send the orb up one more time for an aerial view. Zander is now at the bottom of the slope we’re currently behind.

I tuck the orb back into the rucksack, remove the simple steel sword, and place a veneficia shield around Jonas. I should be able to still shift him with the shield on. I take his hand, suck in a deep breath, and shift us behind Zander.

“It took you long enough,” he says before turning around.

I point the sword at his chest.

“You’re not leaving me much of a choice,” I say to him.

“As in killing me? Aven, you can never harm me.”

“Wanna bet?”

I thrust the blade forward, but it goes right through him. I take another stab, with the same result. Jonas removes his knives and is about to take a turn, when it dawns on me what Zander has done. He’s using an apparition spell, just like Grey did to get into the tower. I apply the fallacy revolt, but instead of pushing him away I call him to me. When I think it has worked and it’s the real Zander in front of me, I swing the sword against his shoulder. He screams as blood flows down his arm.

“Bitch!” he yells at me.

Jonas readies his knife to throw, but I stop him.

“He’s mine,” I say, gently pushing Jonas back.

Zander begins to laugh, so I slice his thigh, which causes him to go down onto one knee.

“What are you going to do, Aven? Carve me up bit by bit?” He finally takes notice of the weapon. “Where’s your sword? Did you lose it?” he says mockingly.

In response I slash his other thigh, bringing him down onto both knees.

“Delphi will be furious if you murder your Guardian,” he says as I start to pace around him.

“I’m not worried about my father,” I hiss, striking the blade across his back.

He’s holding in his screams this time, and simply grunts when the weapon pierces his skin, though I can tell he’s in immense pain.

“Get it over with already!” he shrieks.

“Not until you tell me why.” I rest the tip of the sword under his chin. “Why’d you turn on me… on everything you’ve been fighting for since the first cycle? You wanted me dead, when you’ve drilled in my head how much you loved me? What happened to you?”

“Jealousy is a dangerous disease,” he replies, staring at me.

“So are you.”

I plunge the blade into his heart, then pull it out once he stops breathing. I conjure a veil, one that won’t lead anywhere, and shove him through it, then drop the sword after closing the veil and walk away. I finally sit down in the snow, which is starting to melt around us. Jonas stays in his spot, carefully observing. I pull my knees up to my chest, bury my head between them, and mourn the loss of someone I once considered a friend, and more.

I want to rid myself of this region. Let the Ligotas have it if they want; they’ll never get out. I get to my feet, head back over to Jonas, and grab the sword.

“Let’s go home,” I say, sheathing the weapon.

Jonas takes my hand and we head west. The veil should only be a few miles away. We cross into an apple orchard, and as if on cue I catch a shimmer off to our left between two apple trees. We step through the veil, returning to the forest. I drop Jonas’ hand and demolish the veil, permanently erasing it from existence. We move in a southwest direction, Jonas leading the way. Next, we come upon two pine trees, just like in front of the cottage.

“The veil into Lioc is here,” he says, tapping one of the trees.

“Draw the map for me,” I say, squatting down.

He does, including every veil, even the one into Irkalla. I take the bag of stones, remove one, and set it over that veil. I don’t just close it, but destroy it, making sure nothing can ever come out of there again. I flick the stone away with a stick and place the rest of the stones onto the other veils, reopening them. The one behind us awakens, displaying bright-green, rolling meadows. Jonas kicks the stones and mars the map so no one else can find it, before taking my hand and guiding me into Lioc.

The air is warm as we step through, but not hot, and the sky has only small wisps of clouds brushed across it. The grass is as high as my calf and soft to the touch. A few birds fly overhead, gliding on an invisible stream of air. I feel more at home here than I ever did in Comoros or the forest.

We make it only half a mile before being surrounded by men and women on horseback, their weapons pointing down at us. A tall woman with a thick mane of brown hair jumps down from her horse. She looks angry, but her face softens when she’s in front of Jonas.

“Welcome home, Jonas,” the woman says, then gives him a hug. She releases him and approaches me. “Aven, we’re so glad the two of you are safe.” She also pulls me into a hug, which bothers me but feels comforting at the same time. “Come, Delphi is waiting for you.”

She gestures for the group, except one rider, to disband. Jonas helps me get onto the woman’s horse so I’m sitting behind her, and he climbs behind the man on the other one. The horses bolt quickly and I have to hold on tightly for fear of falling off. The ride is jarring my spine and tensing my muscles. When I feel as if I can’t handle any more and am about to tell the woman to give us a quick break, we slow down. A massive lake lies before us, and the riders turn to one side, making their way along the shoreline. The water is crystal clear, allowing me to see petrified tree trunks sitting on the bottom.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Jonas asks as his rider comes up alongside us.

“It’s beautiful,” I reply, smiling and feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks.

We reach the far side of the lake sometime later and stop in front of a covered porch fronting a massive log cabin. I dismount just before my rider, followed by Jonas. The man takes the reins for both horses and guides them to the back of the property. The woman gestures for Jonas and me to follow her inside.

Tall windows line the walls, reaching up to a second story that appears to only consist of the vaulted ceiling. The walls are covered in pine, and smell as if they’ve just been erected. Our footsteps reverberate in the foyer as we cross it and enter into a living room at the back of the home. Delphi is sitting in a plush chair by one of the windows, his gaze focused on the rolling hills that lie just beyond the back deck. When he notices us, he smiles and rises from his chair, though he doesn’t give us a warm embrace like the woman did.

“Hekla, would you mind taking Jonas to your spare room, so he can freshen up? I’d like to have a word with Aven alone,” Delphi says, gesturing to the door we just came through.

“I’ll have the cook start dinner,” she says, then places her hand on Jonas’ arm and gently ushers him from the room, closing the glass-encased double doors behind them.

Delphi puts his hands behind his back and starts to pace in front of me. I can’t decipher his demeanor, since he’s keeping a very benign expression. There are words I want to say and not all of them kind, but my gut is telling me to let Delphi make the first move.

“Zander betrayed you,” he says, still pacing.

“He betrayed both of us,” I correct him.

Delphi stops and faces me. “Why do you think he did that?”

“You’re the one who started all of this, so you tell me,” I snap.

He looks genuinely pained by my remark. “I never intended for this to get so out of control,” he says, sitting back down in his chair.

“Yes, you did! Stop lying to me. What did you think was going to happen? That everyone was going to just comply with your wishes and you’d have Comoros to yourself? You asked for this when he initiated your damn prophecy.”

“Fine!” Delphi yells, pushing himself up from his chair with such force he nearly knocks it over. “You’re right, Aven; now Comoros is lost to me forever, no thanks to you!”

“Fuck you, Delphi! I didn’t ask to be a part of this… any of it!” I shout back.

He looms over me, practically shoving a finger in my face. “If you weren’t my daughter, I’d….”

“What, kill me? Get in line.” I stomp away, but I don’t leave. “This isn’t over,” I state, my back turned to him.

“Why would you say that?” he asks, sounding a little bit calmer.

“The last painting is still blurry. What new hell do you want to put me through?” I ask, spinning around.

His face darkens. “Whatever it takes to get what I want,” he says before storming out of the room through a rear door leading to a deck, then vanishing over the hill.

“Everything all right?” Hekla asks as she cracks open the door to the foyer.

“Fine,” I grumble, not convincing myself or anyone else. “Where’s Jonas?”

“He’s taking a shower.”

She signals for me to follow her. We make a left off the foyer and go down a small hallway. She opens the door on our left, which exposes a lush bedroom with large paintings of villages on the walls and a king-size bed covered in at least three inches’ worth of blankets. I enter the room as she closes the door behind me, and set my things down on a lounge chair across the room from the bed as Hekla closes the door behind her, leaving us alone. Water is running in a room around the corner from the door, so I wait until the sound stops before entering.

Jonas is standing in front of a vanity with two sinks and long mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist. The lighting is soft, but it’s not from any type of lantern that I’ve seen before. The sinks have normal taps on them, rather than a pump. I wonder if all the homes in Lioc are like this, or just Hekla’s.

I strip, get into the shower stall, and slide the glass door closed as I turn on the water. It feels so good to have actual running water fall onto my sore body. I increase the heat, so I can work on easing my tight muscles.

“What did Delphi want?’ Jonas finally asks.

“To tell me I failed him,” I say, my voice cracking.

“Are you serious? He almost got you killed for his stupid prophecy.”

“He probably would’ve preferred that. Anyway, what transpired doesn’t matter,” I respond, sounding defeated. “This thing isn’t over.”

Jonas slides the shower door open. “For you, it is. He’s not going to drag you into this any further. He needs to start fighting his own wars.”

Jonas reaches in, places his hand on the back of my head, and kisses me so passionately that he winds up dropping his towel and joining me.

Twenty-Two

Hekla barely says two words to us as we eat. I don’t know what she’s more upset about: Delphi storming off because of me, or Jonas and me refusing to come out of the bedroom for the last two hours. The dining room sits off the kitchen, a grand chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Statues hug every corner, as do the same types of paintings that are in the bedroom. Two helpers stand watch as we eat — one being the cook and the other a servant whose sole job is to clean up after everyone. I overheard him mumbling under his breath about the flood Jonas and I had created in the bathroom.

“How is everything?” Hekla finally asks when the meal has almost been consumed.

“Fine, thank you,” Jonas answers.

“You’ll be staying here for the next several days until your cabin gets cleaned up, Jonas. It’s gathered a lot of grime and dust since you’ve been away,” she says, lifting a heavy glass tumbler to her thick red lips. “I’ve also taken the liberty to make sure you have food in the kitchen and new clothes in your closet.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Jonas says, not bothering to look up from his plate.

“It’s no trouble,” she says, trying to smile as she sets down her glass. “I’ve called a council meeting for tomorrow morning and I’d like you to be there.”

He lifts his head at this. “Why?”

“You need to provide them with a report on what’s transpired. Did you honestly think that just because you’ve been away from the region for so long, you get to neglect your duties?”

“What’s she talking about?” I ask, setting down my fork.

“Jonas didn’t tell you?” Hekla asks, trying to sound surprised. “He’s Lioc’s nexus.”

“What’s that?” I ask Jonas.

Hekla answers for him. “He’s destined to rule Lioc either upon my death or resignation. The nexus is charged with acting as intermediary with the other regions and to handle all disputes that may arise between each entity. All regions in Eskal have one… well, except Comoros, of course,” she says with a slight chuckle.

“I told you I never wanted the position,” Jonas says through gritted teeth.

“Come now, Jonas, you practically begged me for it.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

“It really doesn’t matter. The council selected you, even though I strongly objected,” she says, sighing, and then glances over at me. “Aven will need to come as well.”

“What for?” Jonas asks, his voice rising with his temper.

“In case the council has any questions that you can’t answer.”

“I’m not putting her through that.”

Hekla stands. “You don’t have a choice, Jonas.” She tosses her cloth napkin onto her plate and leaves.

Jonas is seething, so he gets up and heads out the door in the kitchen, exiting onto the back deck, and leaving me alone.

The servant, who’s wearing fingerless gloves like the ones Zander used to wear, begins fussing over the dishes, so I take this as my cue to leave as well. I go out into a small hallway and notice a laundry room in the center of an enormous pantry right across the way. Inside the laundry room is a giant basin, so I retrieve my scabbard from the bedroom to clean the dried blood from it and the sword. I don’t want the reminder that I killed Zander so readily visible to me. I dry them off with some towels I find in a small closet. I return to the bedroom, change clothes, and get under the covers. I know it’s not really late enough to go to sleep, but I’m so stressed out from the day that I just want to hide. I bury my head under the blankets. I don’t hear Jonas when he enters the room, but I’m comforted when I feel him get in bed and curl up beside me. Thankfully, we both sleep peacefully.

Breakfast is waiting for us in the dining room early in the morning. Hekla has already left for the village of Eirik, the civic and business center for Lioc. The servant informs us that she’s expecting our arrival in the meeting hall called The Manx in two hours. Jonas says that it’s at least an hour and a half ride to the village, so it gives us very little time to actually eat and get ready. We scarf down our food, then retreat to the bedroom to get dressed. I’m in the process of rummaging through my satchel for something to throw on when Jonas stops me.

“The council has a strict dress code,” he says, putting his hands on mine. “There’s something in the closet for us both.” He pulls out the ensembles, which appear to be freshly laundered and pressed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say when he hands me my outfit.

A long blue dress with short sleeves and a flowing skirt is draped over a wire hanger, along with a heavy leather bodice. There is a pair of knee-high boots on the floor of the closet for both of us. Jonas’ attire consists of brown leather pants, a long, woven shirt with a leather belt worn on the outside of the shirt, leather cuffs for both of his wrists, and a white fur pelt that he drapes over his shoulders and secures with a large metal clasp.

“It’s tradition,” he says, adjusting the pelt so it hangs slightly off one shoulder.

I stare at him, the hanger still in my hand.

He sidles up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’ve never seen you in a dress before, so I bet you’ll be stunning,” he says, then nuzzles my ear.

I roll my eyes and change. The bodice makes me top-heavy and I look as if my breasts are double their size. It’s a snug fit, but not too uncomfortable. Jonas retreats to the bathroom, brushes his long hair, and sets it into a braid. I try not to laugh at the sight, since I’ve only seen him with his hair tied into a knot at the back of his head. I run my fingers through my hair, which now has a little wave to it. I can’t tolerate the effect, so I put it up into a ponytail. I want to put on my sword-belt, but Jonas says that will only antagonize the councilmen. So, instead, I take one of his knives and strap it to my inner thigh where it’ll be hidden under my dress. There’s no way I’m going to this thing unarmed.

The servant has a horse ready for us when we exit to the covered porch. He helps me up after Jonas has mounted, and we take off. The bodice feels like it’s digging into me with every bump and ridge we travel over. We pass several groups of huntsmen as we make our way west — many are hunting wild game that run to evade capture, while others seem to be headed in the same direction we are.

When we enter Eirik, the buildings remind me a lot of those in Acad Fields: pitched roofs, elongated windows, and stucco walls braced by exterior wooden beams. Carriages and single-rider horses enter the square then turn off onto various roads. A three-tiered fountain marks the village’s main entrance point. We meander around the various sized buildings, each one with its own unique style. I catch glimpses of The Manx as we continue moving west.

The circular building with its pointed roof looks to have been created out of a single piece of white granite. Columns line the outer wall before giving way to the main supports. There looks to be only two entrances into the structure, and they’re both big enough to drive a carriage through. The only windows I see sit along the roofline, which does surprise me.

Jonas turns the horse to the right and stops in front of a crowded stable. The stable boy takes our horse after we dismount and corrals it in one of the stalls that sit in the corner of the plank-like structure, while we cross the street and join the crowd heading inside The Manx.

The entrance widens considerably when we hit the interior. The building is divided into two halves with a small arena-like area in the center. Benches line the seating galleries, but not too many are filled. Four additional columns support the two aisles extending from the heavy wooden doors of the entrances.

Jonas takes my hand as we continue towards the center, where four long tables, an elevated throne, and a circular fence made of brass sit. Hekla sits on the throne, her face emotionless. She’s adorned in a regal dark green dress covered in pelts, a tall, curved staff clutched in her hand. At each table sit three people — they must be the councilmen from the villages. Jonas directs me to one of two chairs at the far end by the second aisle, before retreating to the fenced-in area, stepping through a small slit so he’s standing inside it. Hekla pounds her staff on the granite floor, calling everyone to silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the council, these proceedings shall begin. Ask your first question,” Hekla’s voice booms out into the crowd.

Three people, each from a different table, rise at the same time. Hekla then has to call them out individually.

“Zif,” she says, gesturing to an older man at the table on her right. “You may start.”

“What gives you the right to determine the fate of another region?” the man demands of Jonas, pounding his fist on the table in front of him.

“The Ligotas made that choice, not me,” Jonas says, straightening his posture.

“Yes, but they wouldn’t have been a problem if you hadn’t blindly followed that woman,” another person says, pointing at me.

“I wasn’t following her blindly,” Jonas replies, managing to keep his temper in check. I don’t think I can do that if I get called up there.

“Then what were you doing, son?” a woman from the table in front of me calmly asks.

“Averting the destruction of our own region,” Jonas answers. “The turmoil that has been festering in Comoros for centuries was spilling into the Dryad Forest. It wouldn’t take this poison long to find its way into our homes. I did what I felt was necessary for our safety.”

“Did that include the death and maiming of some of our most highly valued hunters?” another woman asks from across the floor.

“As I just stated, the poison from Comoros was moving into the forest. The attack on Stonevale was a direct result of this. Comoros has been permanently cut off from the rest of Eskal, so the dominion is harmless once again.”

“I wouldn’t call her harmless,” the same person who pointed to me before says, her finger wagging at me.

“The daughter of Delphi is the real reason we’re all here today,” Hekla chimes in, a tight smile creasing her lips.

“She’s the child of an Ancient?” someone gasps.

“Do the other nexus know of her existence?” another person asks.

“Aven is of no threat to you,” Jonas says, trying to quell the growing murmurs. “She’s invaluable to have on our side. She’ll make a great protector for Lioc.”

“I wish for her to take the stand,” an elderly man says as he struggles to stand upright.

“Very well,” Hekla says, banging her staff again. “Aven, please take your spot in the circle. Jonas, you’ll take a seat.”

My stomach feels as if it’s full of butterflies as I slowly move across the floor. Jonas touches my hand briefly in passing. The bodice is making my body heat up, constricting my breathing. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, though it probably has something to do with not knowing what may come out of my mouth. I step inside the fence, place my hands on the railing, and take a deep breath. From this angle, though, I can make out part of a protective shield molded into the floor below me. I wonder if having it here works the same as the tattoo. I can sense all eyes on me, even those from the gallery. Some feel hostile, others benign.

“Aven,” Hekla says, calling my attention towards her. “Relax, dear. If you grip that brass any tighter you might leave impressions.”

I glance down at my hands and notice that my knuckles have turned white due to the amount of force I’m exerting on the railing. Some people in the gallery snicker at the comment, but not many. The elderly man who called for my attendance approaches the stand as quickly as his body will allow. When he’s only inches away, he stops and visually examines me.

“There’s more to you than being the child of an Ancient, isn’t there my dear?” he asks, his voice cracking slightly.

I don’t know how to answer. If I tell the truth, I’ll probably be driven from the region, or worse… killed. Jonas already admitted that the Ligotas are responsible for the loss of Comoros. Will they attribute that to me if I admit to them I’m a Ligotas? It’ll be like I’m telling them everything that has happened is my fault, when it’s Delphi who’s to blame.

“Answer the question,” Hekla demands from her seat.

“Yes,” I utter.

The elderly man squints his eyes, but I can’t tell if it’s to see me better or if the natural light that’s filtering in from the windows on top of the ceiling is hurting his eyes.

“What is it, my dear?” he asks in a very sweet and gentle voice.

I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat. “Ligotas,” I blurt out.

Angry voices ring out through the entire building. Hekla has to pound her staff repeatedly to get everyone to quiet down. The elderly man pats my hand, smiles, and goes back to his table.

“Enough!” Hekla shouts. “I will have order.”

The noise level drops considerably.

“Aven, daughter of Delphi,” Hekla begins, staring down at me, “you are hereby banished to the Dryad Forest. Your rights to enter our region will be revoked.”

“No!” Jonas shouts as he jumps up from his seat and races over to me. “It’s not her fault. Delphi did this to her. Don’t punish her for his choices.”

Hekla looks disturbed by the information, but quickly recovers. “That may be, but she’s a Ligotas nonetheless, and therefore shall be treated as the vermin they are,” she snaps.

“What if a compromise could be negotiated?” Jonas says, stepping up to the throne.

“I’m listening,” Hekla says, pursing her lips.

“I’ll resign as nexus immediately. If at any time we both feel the region’s safety is at risk, we’ll leave together,” Jonas pleads.

I can see the wheels turning in Hekla’s mind. She said it last night that she didn’t approve of Jonas being the nexus for Lioc. With him resigning, she can probably replace him with someone she does approve of.

“Very well,” Hekla replies after a few moments of tense silence. “Jonas, I strip you of all entitlements afforded with being a nexus. You and Aven shall reside in an abandoned cabin several miles outside of the village of Raumsdahl, effective immediately. We’re adjourned.”

The staff hits the floor in one motion, and everyone begins to disperse. The councilmen exit out the back entrance, with the exception of the elderly man. Hekla is slow to dismount her throne, but as soon as she does and is out of the building, the elderly man approaches us.

“Are you sure that’s a wise decision, Jonas?” the man asks as I make my way down from the stand.

“She didn’t leave me any options, Kester,” Jonas responds.

“I know,” Kester says. “I wouldn’t put it past her if Aven’s expulsion was a tactic to get you out of succeeding her. Since you’re not a nexus any longer, that responsibility will fall on someone else’s shoulders.”

“She can have her precious monarchy,” Jonas says, then grabs my hand.

We’re in the process of leaving when Kester clears his throat, causing us to turn back towards him.

“What will the two of you do? Delphi isn’t going to simply let Aven off the hook. He created her like this for a reason, probably one that you have yet to figure out. Don’t underestimate him, or Hekla’s devotion to him. She may loathe Aven, but she’d do anything to please Delphi.”

“That sounds like a warning,” I say.

“It is, my dear.” Kester begins to make his way to the back entrance, when he stops. “I’ll send the engraver over later today to fix your shield, Jonas.” He waves as he departs.

“How’d he know about that?” I ask Jonas.

“I don’t know.”

We get back to the stables and see that the stable boy has our horse ready for us. The ride back to Hekla’s home, which is on the outskirts of Raumsdahl, takes us longer since neither one of us is in a hurry to get there. I know Hekla said what she did so Jonas would quit, but I wonder why Kester asked the questions he did. Maybe he wanted to see what Hekla would do.

When we finally reach Hekla’s house, we find our things are already waiting for us on the porch steps. I double-check my bags to make sure everything is there, then strap my scabbard to my back while Jonas checks his belongings. We mount the horse and Jonas directs it towards the northwest. The ride is about an hour. When we arrive, the only thing surrounding the small cabin are lush grasses. Jonas ties the horse to a hitching post a few yards from the front door while I head inside.

The furnishings are old, tattered, and covered in cobwebs and dust. In the front section of the cabin is a living room with a stone fireplace in the wall on the left, and the kitchen and dining area off to the right. Straight back from the living room is a door that leads into a bedroom with a bathroom and closet. I set my things down on the bedroom floor, strip the sheets and blankets off the bed, and take them outside to air out. Jonas puts his things in the living room and checks to see if we have any food in the cupboards. He tells me they’re loaded with what looks to be newly-bought groceries, and the refrigerator is stocked with fresh meat, juices, and produce.

I strip out of the awful dress and put on something more comfortable. Jonas does the same, and we spend the rest of the day cleaning the cabin with supplies we find in a small closet off the kitchen. Hekla’s servant comes by in the late afternoon with the clothes that were supposed to go into Jonas’ former home, along with some clean sheets, blankets, and towels. Neither one of us is sure if this was her idea or the council’s, but we’re both convinced Kester has something to do with it. I’m in the process of getting dinner ready when the engraver knocks on our door. Jonas has him set up on the small table in the dining area. The engraver first removes a thin tube of what looks to be lotion, which he applies to the wound that damaged the shield after Jonas removes his shirt.

“What’s that?” I ask, curious.

“It’s a healing and restoration salve,” the man says, showing me the tube. “It effectively removes all injuries and most of the scarring as well.”

“Will that fix the tattoo?” I ask, handing the tube back to him.

“No, I’ll still need to touch up the ink to make sure there aren’t any gaps in the design.”

We have him stay for dinner when he’s done, and in return he gives me a full tube of the healing salve. Once he’s gone, we clean up and head off to bed. It’s so nice having a home that’s just ours.

Over the next couple of months, Jonas and the engraver, a quick witted and funny young man named Sean, build a small stable by the path next to the cabin. Jonas also builds a full-sized battling dummy out back so we can work on our weapons skills and keep them sharp. I continue to work on my magic and begin to shift myself miles at a time. Jonas is the only one who goes to the village of Eirik when we need food or other supplies. I refuse to go, since I don’t want to be the subject of stares and murmurs, which seem to happen wherever I go. Kester visits at least every couple of weeks to see how we’re doing, and provides updates on the council meetings since Jonas is no longer obligated to attend.

“A new nexus has finally been appointed,” Kester says during dinner.

“Took them long enough,” Jonas says.

“You know how some of the councilmen can be,” Kester says with a little laugh. “Anyway, it’s someone you’ve had issues with in the past,” he adds, pointing to Jonas.

“Who?” Jonas asks, his eyebrows rising.

“Fletcher,” Kester responds.

“Oh, great,” Jonas says, dropping his fork. “Exactly who Hekla has always wanted.”

“He was only selected by a narrow margin, if that makes you feel any better.”

“It doesn’t.”

Jonas stands and begins putting away the leftovers and cleaning up. Kester and I stay in our seats, since we both know Jonas will start grumbling if we try to help him. When he’s mad, he wants to be left alone. So do I.

“Kester, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how’d you know that Jonas’ shield had been damaged?” I ask, swinging around in my chair to face him.

“Hekla noticed it the day you two entered the region,” he answers. “Jonas had his shirt off while the two were talking, and she saw the damage. She told me, so I sent the engraver.”

“Why would she suddenly care about if I’m properly protected or not?” Jonas snaps.

“Because you’re still a huntsman,” Kester says. “We can’t afford to have anyone vulnerable.”

“So, when Col came back, he was able to get his repaired also?” I ask.

“Yes.”

The thought of what Michael did to Col brings a tear to my eye. He and the other huntsmen who were affected still weigh heavy on my mind, but thankfully I don’t ever see them. I’m sure they hold me responsible for the loss of Stonevale, and their life-threatening injuries. I probably would also, if I were them.

Kester hugs us as he leaves. I know it’s dark outside but with the mention of Col my anger has escalated, and I need to vent. I go into the bedroom, take the sword from its scabbard, and go through the bathroom to the rear entrance. I send sparks out, lighting the whole area. Sean just repaired the dummy this morning, but I don’t care right now. I swing my sword and make fresh slashes across the cloth exterior. I aim at the dummy’s face and picture Zander. I don’t stop slicing it up until the head has been cut from its neck. Then I cast a restoration charm and go at it again. Jonas comes out with his knives and hands them to me. I like throwing them and seeing them sink down to the hilt into the dummy’s stomach and chest.

I finally wear myself out, so I return the knives to Jonas, cancel the sparks, and head inside. I put the sword away before I jump into the shower to wash off the sweat. When I feel refreshed, I dry off and wrap the towel around my waist. Jonas is waiting for me in the bedroom. He pulls me to him, removes the towel, and kisses me deeply. I strip his clothes off as we make our way to the bed. I love the way his skin feels against mine. We climb onto the bed and our passion really ignites. My legs grip around his waist as he kisses my neck. Our heartbeats increase with each passing second, the world feeling whole again.

Twenty-Three

Rough prickly skin touches my shoulders and I’m yanked away from Jonas. Two men draped in dark robes are tightly gripping my arms. Jonas charges, but one lets go of me briefly and hits Jonas in the head, which causes him to fly across the room, hit the wall, and drop to the floor. He doesn’t get back up.

“Jonas!” I scream as the men start dragging me from the room.

I fight back, but only manage to dislodge myself from one of them. I start to attack the second one when something hard hits me, causing everything to go dark.

When I come around again, my head hurts, my body aches, and the floor underneath me is freezing. I can hear voices, but they’re mumbling. I open my eyes and am immediately blinded by a light that seems to only be shining down onto me.

“Was it smart to bring her here?” one of the voices asks as my hearing finally comes into focus. I can ascertain that it’s a female, but it’s a voice I’m not familiar with.

“We didn’t have any other options,” a male voice says, sounding as if he’s trying to reassure her.

“She’s an illegal offspring. We should kill her,” the woman says.

“No,” the man replies. “Not yet.”

I moan as all of my senses return and the pain in various parts of my body intensifies. I have to hold my hand over my eyes to shield them from the harsh light. I’m lying naked on my side, with one leg bent. The floor is solid cement, as are the walls that surround the enclosure I appear to be in.

“Where the hell am I?” I groan.

“That’s not of importance, Aven,” the man says.

“What do you want?” I ask, sitting up and covering my chest with one of my arms.

The man steps over, kneels down, and places a blanket around my shoulders. His face falls into the light and I see an older man of medium height and build with thick hands, chiseled features, and short blond hair. A hint of recognition sparks my brain.

“Parime?” I ask.

He smiles. “Yes, Aven.” He gestures over to the woman standing in the far corner. “That’s my sister, Reinga.”

Reinga doesn’t respond, but I can sense her contempt for me.

“Why am I here?” I ask, pulling the blanket tighter.

“We need your help,” Reinga practically snaps.

“You want me to kill Delphi,” I say, anticipating their request.

“Yes,” Parime states.

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but immortals can’t die,” I say, bringing my legs up so they’re now under the blanket.

Reinga finally steps out of the shadows. Her thick, curly brown hair hangs below her shoulders. She’s of medium height, but slightly heavier than Parime. Her features are soft, which makes her look younger than she probably is. She drops a sword in front of me, its metal clanging loudly when it hits the cement.

“They can with this,” she says.

“Where’d you get that?” I ask, not able to hide the surprise in my voice.

“Twins forged from a single fire: one destined to be destroyed while the other is meant to rule the world,” she responds.

“Michael’s dead; the twins don’t exist anymore,” I say, choking back tears I didn’t know I still had to shed.

“So narrow-minded you are,” Reinga practically spits out. “You think Michael and you were the only twins in existence? I thought Delphi would’ve taught his bastard child better.”

I stare up at her and send her flying backwards into the wall with a repelling charm. “Don’t test me,” I sneer.

She tries to cast a spell on me, but because of my protective shield it doesn’t take. She rushes over and pulls down part of the blanket, revealing the tattoo.

“I should’ve known,” she says, obviously pissed off. She reaches for the sword, but Parime stops her.

“Enough, Reinga!” he shouts. “You knew she’d be difficult.”

“I think using her is a bad idea,” Reinga retorts.

Parime turns his attention back to me. “As Reinga started to explain, the sword before you isn’t the same one given to you by Ruelle. It’s a twin of that sword.”

“And you want me to kill Delphi with it,” I say, annoyed. “What makes you think I won’t use it on the two of you? Lertis and Myro learned the hard way about dealing with me. You’re both being foolish.” I finally get to my feet, because no matter how I tuck the blanket around me the cold from the cement still finds a way into my skin.

“That may be, but we have a new common enemy,” Parime says. “One that only you can properly deal with.”

“The Ligotas are extinct, so who else is there?”

“Zander,” Reinga responds.

My mouth falls open. “That’s not possible,” I gasp.

“Twins forged by a single fire, remember?” Reinga says as she starts to pace around us. “It wasn’t just the swords that were created. Can you not think of anything else? Perhaps something small and concealable?”

It takes me several moments to think back on all the items I’ve seen or dealt with. Then it dawns on me. I never did look for Michael’s right hand after Jonas cut it off.

“Zander has a Delse ring, the one that belonged to Michael,” I finally blurt out. “That’s how he was able to survive the wounds I inflicted on him.”

“There’s one more item,” Parime says. “It wasn’t forged like the sword and rings were, but it did come from the same fire — only centuries earlier, and is made of glass.”

“The Gehenna Sphere? It was destroyed in Delphi’s vault. I saw it happen,” I say, shocked that there could be another one out there.

“This one wasn’t in Delphi’s possession,” Parime says, and then glances over towards Reinga.

“Stop looking at me like that!” she snaps.

“Then explain it to her,” Parime demands.

Reinga glares at him. “Fine.” She steps away from the light, probably too ashamed to actually look at me. “When you opened that veil and cast Zander out of Comoros, he wound up in a void; the same void I’ve been hiding my city and its people in.” She pauses to clear her throat. “My Guardian found him and brought him to me. He was badly hurt, but alive, so I had his wounds tended to. I mean, he’s a Guardian, why shouldn’t I have helped him?” She sighs. “I kept the other Gehenna Sphere in my library. I wanted it as a reminder of my failings. I attempted to overcome my traits on both of them, but I could never get past my fear.”

“You can attempt the test again with a different sphere?” I ask, trying to make sure I’m understanding correctly.

“Yes,” Parime replies.

“And Zander defeated it this time, didn’t he?”

“Yes, and rather quickly, too,” Reinga says.

“So why do you need me exactly?”

Parime and Reinga exchange looks, probably trying to decide who will spill the information.

“He’s building an army,” Parime finally says. “One that he plans on using to take over Eskal.”

“How?”

“We’re not sure,” Parime says. “All we know is that he’s gathered a lot of followers.”

“He used my city as a test run,” Reinga says, becoming emotional. “He made my people turn on me… on each other. They became horrid monsters. I had to flee, as did my Guardian whom you met earlier, along with Parime’s. Zander moved my city out of the void and returned it to Comoros.”

“But Comoros is cut off from the rest of the Dryad Forest. I demolished its veils,” I say, trying to keep this new information at arm’s length.

“He can easily create a new veil and cross into the forest,” Reinga says, sounding exasperated.

“Then we’ll cut off the other veils, the ones leading into the other regions. If he doesn’t know where the correct location is in the forest, he can’t create a new veil,” I say.

“Veil or no veil, there’s still a way for him to enter each region,” Parime says. “The Grynden Sea encircles the entire dominion. If he manages to launch any of his followers off the shores along Comoros, they’ll be able to get in via the sea.”

“That could take years, though.” I scrunch up my face as thoughts bombard my mind. “Why would either of you care anyway?” I focus my attention on Parime. “You murdered your entire city so Delphi couldn’t get close to it. If you two hadn’t run in the first place, and simply dealt with your brother, none of this would be happening.”

Reinga is about to go off when Parime grabs her arm.

“You’re right,” he says. “We screwed that up but if you don’t do anything about Zander and his Ligotas it’ll be on your head.”

“Ligotas?” I ask. “Zander has turned into a Ligotas?”

“No, just some of his followers,” Parime says.

Oh, God, he’s with Valora. That’s the only way he could’ve accomplished that; using the same method that Gaden Lamen unknowingly did when he supposedly vaccinated his men. Valora tricked him into creating and using a serum that turned anyone injected with it into a Ligotas, but it wasn’t an instant change. It did, however, take less than a week.

“How long ago did Zander complete the sphere?” I ask.

If he’s been doing this for a while, then his army could be enormous by now.

“Three months ago,” Reinga answers. “He bested the sphere in a matter of days. He stayed up every night to do it.”

The timeline makes sense. He must have fallen into Reinga’s city seconds after I pushed him into the void, which was a little over three months ago, give or take a week.

I make my way over to one of the walls and lean against it. I’m not sure if I should believe these two. After all, they’re related to Delphi and Myro, both of whom had their own agenda and manipulated everyone to get it accomplished.

“How can I be sure you’re telling me the truth?” I ask.

Parime comes up next to me and removes a thin metal frame from his pocket. He moves his finger over a small divot in the upper right-hand corner, turning on the device. Waves of energy flow out from all sides, meeting in the middle to form a screen. He touches a second divot, bringing up an image of Valora. Her bare legs are wrapped around Zander’s naked waist. He has her pinned against the wall of a room. The sounds of their love-making fill the air around me, which causes me to double over in pain and disgust. I shove Parime’s arm away from me, so I don’t have to look at the display any longer.

“How did you get that?” I ask, bile working its way up my throat.

“This is a live feed from the room Zander and you were to stay in when you were in the hamlet of Welding, before you got separated,” Parime answers, hitting a silencing button along the right side of the frame, though that doesn’t turn the whole thing off.

Even though we can no longer hear them, my imagination takes over and continues the show in my head.

“There are tiny cameras called seekers strategically placed all over the room. They were placed there as a way to spy on the two of you,” Parime says.

“Who put them there?” I ask, vomit almost hitting my teeth.

“Zander did,” Reinga answers quickly. “Delphi gave him the devices, along with the depict frame as a way to keep an eye on you at all times.”

“You mean, Zander has one of these?” I ask, pointing to the item in Parime’s hand and wishing desperately that he would turn it off.

“He’s had it since the beginning,” Reinga says, relishing the anguish she sees on my face. “He’s watched everything you’ve ever done since the two of you met up in Castra.” She approaches me, a wide smile on her face. “Everything.”

The gardens, the cottage, the field where Jonas and I practiced my sword handling, the transition room in the cellar, my bedroom, and probably the bathhouse.

Oh, shit!

If he had them in the forest then he would’ve seen and heard Jonas and me talking about killing him and our lust for each other.

I slide down the wall to the floor as panic and fear set in. But I should be safe now in Lioc. I hope.

Parime sits next to me, thrusts the frame into my face, and hits a small star-shaped button on the bottom right corner. The image shifts from Valora and Zander to Jonas, who has started to come to on the bedroom floor.

“Oh, my God,” I gasp, putting my hand to my lips. “How…how did they get inside our cabin?”

“They’re not just inside, but outside as well,” Parime says, toggling a switch in the upper left corner and changing the view.

He keeps toggling, moving from one camera to another. They practically cover every inch of the cabin.

“But Zander has never been in Lioc, so who put them there and why?” I ask, snatching the device away from Parime and finally shutting it off.

“Did you not hear me say who gave them to Zander?” Reinga asks, huffing. “Delphi did, or at least he had someone he trusted do it.”

“But why? What would he gain by spying on me?”

“Not him, Aven. Zander. Delphi is so angry with the prophecy’s failure and your non-compliance that he’s trying to pit the two of you against each other. He’ll get what he wants one way or another,” Parime says.

“How’d you wind up with a depict frame?” I ask.

“My Guardian stole it for me from Hekla’s home about a month ago,” Reinga says.

That clears up one question I had. Hekla must have been the one to place the seekers in and around the cabin.

“Here, let me show you how it works,” Parime says, taking the device from me.

I’ve already seen him turn it on, silence the voices, change locations, and switch cameras. I figured out how to turn it off, but there’s one button left and it’s next to the off one. After turning it back on, Parime touches the button and begins to scroll through files, similar to the ones on the green lanx. He stops, and taps on a recording.

The display projects a recording of Jonas and I nearly lost in each other the day Zander went back to Stonevale with Isolde. His hands wander up my shirt and we discuss that I’d only be with Jonas if Zander was dead. That, at the time, was the Ligotas in me talking, but Zander wouldn’t have known that. I watch for a moment, then shake off the nostalgia.

“You’ve made your point,” I say, taking the frame back and turning it off, which causes the energy fields to retract into the frame.

“So, will you help us?” Parime asks, helping me to my feet.

“I still don’t see what I get out of it,” I say.

“You sound just like your father,” Reinga comments. “We let Jonas live, that’s what you get out of all of this.”

I glare back and forth between the two of them before responding. “Fine, I’ll do it, but I’m destroying those seekers the moment I get back to the cabin.”

“No, don’t!” they shout at the same time.

“We don’t want to tip off Zander that you know about them,” Parime says.

“Or Delphi,” Reinga adds.

“Then what am I supposed to do? Let him watch me all day every day?”

“That’s exactly what you’re to do,” Parime says. “Take this and the sword back with you. Hide them both and when you need to use the frame, try not to use it where you’re visible to the seekers.”

“But how will I know if I’m in a spot they can’t see into?”

“All magical devices have a specific frequency. Remember, Knox told you that,” Reinga says, softening a little.

Parime whispers in my ear the specific spell I need to use to expose the devices. Apparently, there is one to help you detect frequencies and then it exposes whatever you’re looking for. I pick up the sword and hold it as best I can, even though one hand is carrying the blanket and the other is holding the depict frame under the blanket’s folds. Even though I have no idea where I am, I know where I want to go, so I picture my destination and shift my location to the front of the cabin.

The lights are ablaze inside, and I can see Jonas’ shadow hastily moving in each room, probably looking for any sign of where I might be. I climb the steps and enter.

“Thank God you’re all right,” he says, hugging me tightly as soon as I enter. He leans back and is surprised to see the sword. “Where’d you get that?”

“I can’t explain right now,” I reply, pulling away from him. “Give me a few minutes and then we’ll talk.”

I head to the bedroom, swap the sword in the scabbard for the new one, and go to the closet for some clothes. I leave the frame under the blanket and cast the frequency generator spell Parime taught me. The point where the ceiling and walls meet begins to glow as if a string of lights has been draped around the room. Tiny blue lights shine from lenses no bigger than a pinhead. The entire room is covered. I step into the bathroom and get the same result. When I reenter the living room Jonas is about to say something, but I lean in and whisper in his ear.

“I need to show you something, but don’t react or say anything.”

He nods.

The living room, kitchen, and dining areas, aren’t as heavily covered as the bedroom, but there’s still no way to hide when I want to view the frame. I walk around the outside of the cabin only to find it’s just as bad. I try the stable, and thankfully it’s empty of seekers. Probably because it was built after we moved in and Hekla hasn’t been here. Jonas’ mouth opens, but I hold up my finger for quiet before I dash into the bedroom and grab the detection orb as well as the blanket, making sure the depict frame doesn’t fall out when I lift it. I take Jonas’ hand, make an offhanded comment about wanting to view the stars, and escort him outside then quickly into the stable.

“Okay, now will you tell me what’s going on?” he asks.

I tell him about my encounter with Parime and Reinga, then show him the device and explain how it works. He turns it on and we immediately see the practice dummy he built for me, since that’s where I left the live feed off. I change the location, and am surprised that only a view of the room at the inn appears. Zander must have taken the others down before we left the forest. Currently, he and Valora are sound asleep on the bed.

“And he’s been able to see and hear everything,” Jonas says, sounding slightly mortified.

“Yes.”

“What are you going to do when he and Valora leave the inn? They’re not going to stay there forever, and unless Delphi has these seekers stashed in other places throughout Comoros, you’ll never be able to keep tabs on Zander.”

Shit, he’s right.

“And I obviously can’t get any seekers from Delphi, because then he’d know that Hekla’s house was burglarized and that I know about them,” I add.

“I wonder if there’s a way you can have the frame tap into the detection orb,” Jonas says.

“I’d need to be in the same region or area as Zander just to get his location.”

“Couldn’t you use magic to manipulate it?”

“Probably, but that may take some time.”

“Sean is coming by tomorrow to help me add a work room onto the stable, and he’s great with mechanical things. I’m sure he can at least figure out how to get the two to work together.”

“Even though they’re both magical devices?” I ask, sounding skeptical.

“He has to have a little magical knowledge, right? He embedded our tattoos with it.”

Jonas takes the orb and frame from me, placing them on a shelf by the door. We return to the house and go to bed, both of us exhausted, but a disturbing thought keeps me up.

“Jonas, whatever happened to the engraver who was in Stonevale with you?” I ask, hoping he’s still awake.

“The same thought just crossed my mind,” he says, his voice very alert. “Col said he came back into Lioc with the rest of them, but I haven’t seen him when I’ve been in Eirik. I’ll make sure to ask Sean in the morning.”

He rolls over, pulls me into him, and promptly falls asleep.

I, on the other hand, spend a few minutes hoping Sean can tell us good news about that engraver before going to sleep.

Twenty-Four

“You mean Old Man Quincy?” Sean asks as the three of us stand outside behind the stable the following morning. “He hasn’t been to the shop in weeks.”

“Is he missing?” I ask, the pit of my stomach falling.

“I don’t know. He could be out roaming the forest for all I know. He comes and goes.”

“How do we check?” I ask.

“I can take you to his house in Haugar,” Sean says. “He usually leaves a note behind if he’s gone off somewhere.”

“Let’s go,” Jonas says.

He brings a horse out of the stable while Sean unties his from the hitching post, then Jonas grabs my arm and swings me behind him before taking off.

We follow Sean the entire way to Haugar, which takes us at least an hour. The village sits just a few miles from the coastline. Parime’s words haunt me when I see the distant waves crashing onto the sandy beach: ‘Zander could come up the coastline to enter Lioc.’ I try to swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat as we make our way down the winding narrow roads. Sean stops along a row of stacked houses. They remind me of the apartment building I grew up in back in Haile, but these are very different. Each house has another one placed right above it, misaligned walls and an exterior stairway leading to the second home’s entrance.

“This way,” Sean says, pointing to one particular home on the ground floor.

Its stucco exterior is peeling slightly, one of the windows along the alleyway between the homes has been broken, and weeds cover most of the ground, a sharp contrast to the flowers and neatly-trimmed grasses that occupy everyone else’s. Clearly, his area hasn’t been taken care of for some time. Sean notices the window and freezes.

“That wasn’t like that when I was last here,” he says, his voice shaking a little.

“Stay here,” Jonas tells him as he and I move to the front door, which swings open without us touching it.

The interior is one large room, sectioned off by partitions. The furniture is overturned, broken, and spattered with blood. Dents fill the wall on our right, just on the other side of the front door. Two of the partitions have been completely demolished, and their splinters dusted in blood.

“Looks like he put up one hell of a fight,” Jonas says as he continues deeper into the home.

My eyes wander the area, trying to take it all in, when something green catches my attention. I step over to an end table, which looks to have been put back in place after the melee, and resting on top is the green lanx.

“Zander was here,” I say, picking up the disc. “And he knew we’d come here too.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jonas asks, walking over to me.

I hold up the lanx. “This is his. He left it here for us to find,” I say, handing the device to Jonas.

“How did he get into Lioc? The veils are closed.”

“He probably used the sea just like Parime said he would.”

“But then why not start his attack? Why take Quincy and leave?”

I set my hands on my head when a horrendous idea pops into my mind. “He’s getting his army and his Ligotas tattooed,” I say. “He’s having the protective shield etched onto them so magic won’t affect them, making the Ligotas much more dangerous.”

“We need to tell the council,” Jonas says, handing me the lanx.

“You go. I need to go back to the cabin.”

“What for?”

“To work on the orb.”

“Fine, but Sean is going with you.”

I don’t argue as we exit. I get on Sean’s horse and we head back to the cabin, while Jonas goes to Eirik to tell the council what has happened. When we get to the cabin, we find Hekla’s servant waiting at the front door. Sean ties his horse to the post as the young man steps down from the tiny porch to meet me.

“What are you doing here, Lek?” I ask, surprised by his visit.

“You might need my assistance,” he says, gesturing for me to enter the stable.

I hesitate, but he places a hand on my back and almost pushes me inside. Sean rushes in a few seconds later to make sure I’m all right. I tell him I’m fine so he steps back out, leaving the two of us alone.

“What the hell!” I yell.

“Where did you put the depict frame?” Lek asks.

“You’re not just Hekla’s servant, now are you?” I ask, removing the frame from its hiding spot.

“I’m Reinga’s Guardian,” he says, slipping one of his gloves off so I can see his marking. “I know why the two Ancients had us kidnap you, but the frame won’t work if Zander doesn’t stay in one spot.”

“Jonas had the same thought,” I admit.

“It dawned on me this morning,” he says.

He reaches into his pocket, removes a sack, and opens it. Inside are seekers, hundreds if not thousands of them, currently inactive.

“Where’d you get these?”

“Delphi gave Hekla a ton of them. He didn’t give as many to Zander, but he still has plenty to use.”

“That’s all well and good, but Zander is in Comoros and I’m here.”

“Use the detection orb.”

“How do you know about that?”

He points to the depict frame in my hand. “Who do you think was using this before you got it? I took it from Hekla, remember?”

“When would she have seen me with it?”

“In the Sacrer gardens right before the massive structure was destroyed by a sage bomb.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a dark green ball about the size of your palm. When it detonates, it disrupts all magical ability in both people and objects for several hours. Delphi had a whole sack of them in his vault.”

So, that’s what Zander took.

“How are they activated?”

“With magic.”

“So how did the one in the gardens go off? I never saw anything like that near us.”

“Zander had placed it in the pool inside the marble building. When Jonas threw the hot stone into the water, it detonated the bomb. The stone still had the spell you’d cast onto it to close the veil into Irkalla.”

I give him the detection orb as he hands me the seekers. He asks the orb to locate Zander. It takes a few seconds, but it does locate him in the tavern in Welding. At least he hasn’t wandered far from last night.

“Take a seeker and send it through the glass of the orb,” Lek says.

I’m skeptical about this actually working, since I don’t see how you can send something through solid glass. I hold the tiny instrument in my hand, its black claws poking into my skin, levitate it with my mind, and then send it after Zander. The seeker penetrates the glass as if it was water, and attaches itself to the ceiling of the tavern above Zander’s head. Lek turns the frame on, changes the location so we’re now looking into Comoros, and then switches cameras until we find the one in the tavern.

Zander is sitting at the back of the building with his feet up on one of the tables, knocking back a pint of ale. His eyes seem to be scanning the entire area, but I can’t tell for what. I turn the frame off, tuck it into the pocket of my pants, and place everything else back in the corner of the stable.

“And there’s no way to hide myself in the cabin, so Zander can’t see me watching him? He’s going to get suspicious if I’m keep darting out to the stable all the time,” I ask.

“Well, the cameras can’t see or hear through things like sheets, blankets, or even doors and walls. You could probably find a way to use that to your advantage. Also, if you know he’s not currently looking at his frame you can always move a couple of the seekers in the kitchen, so they can give you a blind spot, but he might notice the change in perspective if you’re to do that.”

“Let’s do it anyway as I need to be able to hide from him somehow,” I say.

I take the frame out of my pocket and turn it back on, checking both the tavern and inn. Neither Valora nor Zander is currently using the depict frame. Lek and I bolt into the house and quickly move a few of them slightly, just enough to create a corner I can stand in by the mop closet in the kitchen. I switch to my cameras and double-check to make sure the blind spot is where I want it. With confirmation it is, we make similar spots in the bedroom, bathroom, and along the south wall of the cabin outside. I’m hoping that Zander hasn’t been paying that close attention to the layout of the rooms, and only focusing his sights on me so he doesn’t notice the camera changes… at least not right away.

Sean is waiting on the bottom step when we round the corner, returning to the front of the cabin. I slip the frame into my pocket to conceal it from him.

“Give Hekla my best,” I say to Lek.

“I surely will,” he says, shaking my hand and departing.

“What did her servant want?” Sean asks, getting to his feet as I approach.

“She heard Jonas had been making some changes to the cabin, so he was checking for Hekla to see exactly what they were,” I tell him, lying in case Zander is listening.

“Ah,” he says, opening the door and escorting me inside.

I make lunch, but Jonas hasn’t returned by the time it’s ready, so Sean and I eat without him.

“Jonas tells me that the engravers need to know a little magic,” I say to Sean as we eat. I want to fill the lingering silence, so I choose to ask him questions that I don’t mind Zander listening to.

“Sort of. There’s an ore in the mountains in Rynn that’s impenetrable to magic, so we infuse it in the ink we use. We have to know how to properly create the ink, so it’s only enough to protect the huntsmen. We can’t perform any actual spells, like the Ancients or Guardians can.”

“How many engravers are there?”

“Just Old Man Quincy and myself. What do you think happened to him?”

“I wish I knew.”

Sean leaves a few minutes after helping me clean up the dishes. I go into the bedroom, sit on the floor by the closet, since that’s where we put the blind spot, remove the frame from my pocket, and turn it on. Zander is no longer in the tavern, so I switch the cameras to the ones in the inn. He and Valora appear to be in the middle of an argument.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she snaps at him. “She’ll know immediately it’s you.”

“So? It’s been weeks since I was in Lioc. Even if she does find the lanx in the old man’s house, it’s already too late.” He sidles up next to her and rubs his hands along her arms. “Come on, I’d thought you’d be happy that I did this.”

She shoves him away. “I was, up until what you just said. How could you not tell me from the beginning that you had planned on leaving that damn disc for her to find?”

“Do I have to run all my ideas by you?” he snaps. “You work for me now, remember?”

“I don’t work for anyone,” she says. She starts to stomp away, but he grabs her arm.

“You do if you want to keep living. I saved your ass after the catastrophe in the City of Parime. You owe me.”

“I could’ve survived my injuries. I would’ve just taken the veil back into Irkalla.”

“Aven destroyed that, or don’t you remember me telling you? You’re trapped here, but not for much longer.”

She pushes him away. “Why are you so obsessed with her?” Valora picks up the frame from on top of the dresser, turns it on, and changes the cameras so they’re showing my bedroom. Particularly the bed itself. “You’re on this thing every day, watching her and Jonas. She should be out of your system by now.”

Zander snatches the frame away from her. “It’s none of your concern,” he says, playing around with the cameras and changing the views, obviously frustrated when he doesn’t find me. “She should be back by now,” he grumbles. “Damn it, Aven, where the hell are you? What are you doing? Is he with you?”

“You really need to get over her.”

“That’s never going to happen,” he says, his teeth clenched. “She’s mine regardless of how this all ends.”

“But you killed her, Zander. She’s going to do the same thing to you the first chance she gets.”

“Immortals can’t die.”

“So you keep telling me.” She sidles up to him. “Too bad you can only spy on her when she’s at that cabin,” Valora says.

“Not for long,” he replies, still frantically searching for me.

“And why is that?” she asks, snatching the device away from him and hiding it behind her back.

“I know someone who owes me a favor,” he says, playfully trying to get at the frame.

“And who would that be? You don’t know anyone outside of Comoros.”

He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. “Oh, but I do. I made quite a few friends during my time in the Dryad Forest. Aven isn’t the only one who can convince people to do things for them.”

“Is that what you’ve done with me? Used one of your spells to control me?”

He rips the top portion of her shirt, revealing the protective shield etched into her flesh. “This prevents me from doing that. I guess you’re with me because I’m better than anyone you’ve ever been with.” He kisses her hard.

She pulls away after several minutes. “When do we make our next move?” Valora asks.

He turns around and gently touches her cheek. “In a week, my love.”

He tosses her onto the bed and starts ripping the rest of her clothes off. Valora’s sharp nails scrape his back, and he seems to relish it. She moans with pleasure as he begins fucking her, but he lifts his head and stares into the cameras.

“I know you’re there, Aven,” he whispers, though with my Ligotas hearing it sounds like he’s speaking at a normal volume. “I hope you enjoy watching me like I’ve been watching you.”

How does he know I’m watching him? Can he sense me? Is there another way he’s spying on me? I can’t stomach any more so I shut off the frame and sit on the floor, Zander’s words repeating incessantly in my mind. The sun sets before the front door finally opens.

“Aven?” Jonas calls out from the living room.

I get up, tuck the frame into my pocket, and exit the bedroom. “He knows,” I say before Jonas can speak.

“About us finding the lanx?”

“And having the depict frame. He taunted me about it right as he started screwing Valora. He seems to love tormenting me. I just wish he didn’t know everything that I do. I can’t get one step ahead of that asshole.”

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to put up with him a little bit longer. I wasn’t able to get everyone to meet today, so a special session is going to be held tomorrow morning at The Manx.”

“Will the entire council be there?”

“You mean Hekla? Yes. A meeting can’t be held without her being present,” he says as he heads into the bedroom. “Was Sean able to help you with the detection orb?”

“Not exactly,” I respond, in case anyone is listening, then proceed to whisper to him about Lek’s visit and what Sean told me about the ore in the ink.

“Huh, I never realized that,” Jonas responds. “We should get to bed since we have to be up early.”

I get under the covers, but Jonas doesn’t.

“You’re not sleeping in here tonight?” I ask as he’s halfway out the door.

“I’ve got too much on mind at the moment, so I’m going to crash on the couch,” he says, then quietly closes the door.

I’m not sure what to make of his decision. Part of me thinks it’s because of Zander and the seekers. I also think Quincy going missing is weighing on him. I wonder if he blames me in some way. My heart breaks a little with the thought of Jonas not being close to me, so I pull the blankets over my head and try to not think about it too much.

The sun hasn’t quite risen yet, so there should be very few people in Eirik when we arrive. Jonas doesn’t give me a hard time when I refuse to don that horrid costume I wore the last time we went to The Manx, but he does tell me to leave the sword at home. I don’t like going anywhere unarmed, but with the form-fitting clothes I wear it’s hard to conceal anything. I grumble about it, but the moment he’s out of the bedroom I slip the scabbard onto my back and cast a concealment charm around it. He does put on his formal outfit, since he doesn’t want to upset the council any more than they’re going to be when they hear our news. I climb onto the back of the horse once Jonas is on, and we take off.

I’m not sure what to expect when the council learns of Quincy’s kidnapping, but I assume I’ll be blamed for it. This is probably the perfect excuse Hekla needs to run Jonas and me out of the village. I’d be fine with that if I knew we could go somewhere safe, but now that’s not even a guarantee anymore. If Zander has someone in Lioc, then what’s stopping him from having contacts in the other regions? Better yet, what’s stopping him from coming to our cabin and killing us in our sleep? I’m sure he knows the exact location of it since he’s already been in Lioc once… that we know about. What else has he been able to accomplish in the last couple of months without us knowing?

I try not to think about it much as we enter Eirik. The streets are empty, and there are only a handful of horses in the stables next to The Manx. The doors are closed when we reach the front entrance for the meeting hall, and we have to push on them with tremendous force so they’ll open. Only a dusting of light fills the vast space as we make our way down the aisle towards the center. Our footsteps echo eerily around the stone interior.

“Where is everyone?” I ask when we reach the side of Hekla’s throne, noticing we’re the only two in the building.

“They should’ve been here by now,” Jonas says, concern etched onto his face.

“They’re not coming,” Valora says, stepping around one of the far columns. She’s not alone.

Two Ligotas come out of the shadows, both in their full Ligotas form. Their dark skin and wings help them to blend into the shadows that drape the walls in darkness.

“How’d you get here?” I hiss.

“The same way you did,” she says, slinking her way forward.

“I shattered those veils.”

“Like that was going to stop us,” the Ligotas on my right says.

I take a step forward, passing the throne, but still shy of the shield layered into the floor. I have the sense that if I cross that threshold, my charm on the scabbard will vanish and I don’t want them to know I’m armed… not yet.

“You had to have known Zander would’ve found a way to get us out of Comoros. He’s an Ancient now, so he can create veils the same as you,” Valora says, stepping a little closer.

“Where is he?” Jonas asks, standing beside me.

“He sends his regrets, as he’s off visiting other friends of his at the moment,” Valora says mockingly.

“Where?” I ask, my voice getting tense.

“Like I’m really going to tell you,” Valora spits back.

“What did you do with the council and Hekla?” Jonas asks, his eyes continuing to move from one Ligotas to another as they slowly close the gap between us.

“They’re all at home, comfy in their beds, just like you should be,” Valora responds.

She removes a sica from behind her back and I immediately recognize it as the one I took from Delphi’s vault; the one she took with her when she fled the City of Parime. Fresh blood drips from its blade.

Jonas is about to storm his way around me, but I hold him back since he’s not armed.

I stare at Valora. Something about the way she’s holding that sica is bothering me. It’s almost as if the wood of the handle is hurting her skin. She doesn’t have a tight grip on the weapon, and is making sure the blade is pointed down and away from her. Every time I’ve come up against her, she always has a devilish smile and a thirst in her eyes. She loves weapons that maim or kill, so why is this one any different? I concentrate on her eyes, as they look half dead, and her smile is now a scowl.

“She’s lying,” I say to Jonas.

He focuses his attention on me. “What makes you say that?” he asks, not quite believing me.

“I’m not lying!” Valora snaps.

“Yes, you are, I can see it in your face. Why do you look so miserable?” I ask her as I cautiously take a step forward, but still making sure I’m not crossing the shield. “Is life with Zander not what you imagined?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me!” she yells.

“You’re dying, Valora,” a deep voice says behind us. Delphi enters as the front door slowly swings closed. “Zander has poisoned you.”

“He would never do that to me,” she moans.

“Why do you think you can’t hold onto that sica properly?” he asks, coming around to my other side. “He’s enchanted the handle in order to kill you.”

“I’m impervious to magic,” she seethes, then pulls her shirt down to reveal the protection shield tattooed onto her chest.

I use my Ligotas abilities to take a better look at the marking. There’s a small tear in the ink work around one of the triads. Any imperfection in the tattoo will make the wearer susceptible to magic.

“My dear daughter, you’re mistaken,” Delphi says.

What? Valora is my sister?

My sister?

Valora?

This can’t be right; I must be misunderstanding the whole thing.

“Your shield has been damaged; therefore, it can’t possibly protect you,” I hear Delphi say through a fog.

My head is still trying to process the idea of Valora being my sister. I feel like I’m going to get sick.

“Zander has betrayed you like he’s done to all of us,” Delphi says in a very calm voice.

Not once has he ever spoken to me with such affection. I wonder why he’s treating her differently.

“You’re the one lying now,” she says in a weakened voice.

I cast an enchainment hex onto her and force the sica out of her hand, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud clank. Her eyes grow wide when the realization of what he’s done to her begins to sink in.

“I’m going to kill him!” she screams.

“Get in line,” I comment.

“This is all your fault,” she says, breaking the hex and shoving a finger in my direction. “If you’d just died like you were supposed to in the City of Parime, none of this would be happening to me.”

“You sound just like our father,” I say.

“I’m not your sister.”

“Yes, Valora, you are,” Delphi says. “Of all the mistakes I made in my life you, by far, are the worst.”

He lifts his hand and with a quick flick of his fingers Valora explodes in a blue flash of light. Ashes float to the ground where she once stood. The two Ligotas retreat, but Delphi doesn’t allow them to get far. He casts the same spell on them, and just like Valora they quickly disintegrate. Their shields must have been damaged also.

I move over to the center of the floor, making sure to cross the shield which causes the charm to evaporate. I unsheathe the sword, turn around, and swing it towards Delphi’s face.

“You’re next,” I say through clenched teeth.

He doesn’t look surprised at my action. “Reinga and Parime put you up to this, didn’t they? That’s not the same sword Ruelle gave you, is it?”

“You have Zander spying on me,” I say, jabbing the blade in his direction as he steps backward.

“Of course; how else was I supposed to get him to cooperate with me when the rest of the Guardians wouldn’t?” he says in a silky tone.

“What do you mean by that?” Jonas asks, grabbing Delphi by the wrist and shoving him into Hekla’s throne.

“She’s his reward for a job well done,” Delphi says with a wide smile.

“Excuse me?” I say, relaxing my grip on the sword a bit as the power of his words filters through my brain. “I’m a prize?”

“Did you actually believe that Zander was helping you out of the goodness of his heart?” Delphi says, then chuckles. “The boy’s obsessed with you. He’d do anything I asked of him as long as you’re his in the end.”

“So, the real reason I was created wasn’t to fulfill your prophecy, but as a reward for its completion? This whole thing has been about Zander, not Michael and me?”

“I thought my brother and sister would’ve filled you in better as to the extents I’ll go to to get what I want,” Delphi says, his face hardening. He gut-punches Jonas and then shoves him over one of the council tables. Delphi rushes up to me in a split second, grabbing my throat and thrusting me against one of the columns. “And his you shall be. This prophecy gets completed regardless of what my brother and sister try to do to stop it. I won’t allow you to undermine my work.”

He drags me along the back hall until we’re where Valora dropped the sica. He picks it up, vanishes, and then reappears in the seating gallery behind Jonas. Delphi plunges the weapon into Jonas’ abdomen and slices it outward. Jonas collapses as blood flows from his wound, covering the entire floor in seconds.

I’m too stunned to scream… to move… to do anything but stare. My brain frantically works as it tries to remember if Jonas was still wearing the Delse ring. It’s been months since I saw him wear it. The last time I knew he had it on was shortly after we moved into the cabin. Was it still on his finger?

“Aven!” Delphi has to yell in order to get my attention.

I glance up at him and away from Jonas’ body, which isn’t recovering like it should be if he’s wearing the ring.

“Do as you’re told and get this finished,” Delphi sternly says. “I don’t want to have to prove my sincerity to you again.”

He points down to Jonas’ body and vanishes, leaving the sica behind.

I sink to the floor as shock sets in, and I start shaking. I can’t believe Jonas is dead. Once again my whole world shatters in front of me, and I feel absolutely helpless about it. Delphi will do anything to get what he wants, that I knew, but I guess I never truly understood to what degree his madness went. What am I going to do? I’ve lost anyone I ever cared about and for what? I can’t keep going through this, my mind won’t take any more. Something is going to give, and it’ll probably be my sanity. Zander may wind up with me, but I’ll be a mindless drone by the time he does. I’ll have no feelings, no emotions, so I may as well be dead.

After what feels like an eternity, I stand and make my way over to Jonas’ body, but I go by way of the seating gallery. He’s face down in the blood; the white fur pelt draped around his shoulders is turning bright red from soaking up the sticky fluid. I check his right hand to find the ring isn’t there. My heart has completely broken. I pick up the sica and seriously consider torturing myself with it. I can’t die, so implementing as much pain as possible is the next best thing. Before I take the blade to my flesh, I cast a spell around the hall to see if any seekers are hiding.

Nothing, complete emptiness.

I’m sure Zander would’ve sent Valora with some to have her place inside The Manx, so I wonder why he didn’t. Or did she simply not get a chance to place them? I decide I don’t care anymore, and raise the sica so I can plunge it into my chest. I want to literally rip out my heart.

“No!” Jonas’ voice echoes in the hall.

I drop the weapon, turn around, and run towards Jonas as he lumbers down the hall from the back door. I throw my arms around his neck as he picks me up and hugs me tightly. My eyes fill with tears and I let them fall. I’ve never been so happy to see someone.

“I saw you die,” I say, my face buried against his shoulder.

“It wasn’t me. I’m so sorry we put you through that,” he says, squeezing me tighter.

“We?” I ask as I pull away, but only slightly.

“When I came back to the cabin last night, I wasn’t alone. Kester was with me. As you were getting into bed, I slipped the Cosanta Amulet out of your rucksack. I told you I was going to sleep on the couch because I had to go back outside and give the necklace to Kester, who was waiting behind the stable and out of sight of the seekers. He put it around his neck and cast a spell to change into me. I then spent the night in the stable while he slept on the couch. He made sure to remove the horse before you exited the cabin, so you wouldn’t see me. Sean and I were following you two, but we were several minutes behind. I had to quickly pack our belongings.”

“How’d Kester know to do that?”

“Lek actually told me how to do it. I ran into him in Eirik just as I was leaving The Manx. He said some huntsmen had seen Valora and several Ligotas pass through the veil, so they went and informed Hekla. Lek was just returning from the cabin when they showed up, so he stayed and then left before the huntsmen did to come and find me.”

“How’d Kester get involved? Why did he get involved?”

“He was already here and overheard Lek telling me about Valora, and I was in the process of coming back to the cabin to retrieve you when Kester stopped me. He knew she’d take a chance on killing one or both of us, but he also knew you’d come prepared,” Jonas says, pointing to my sword, which I’d dropped to the ground when Delphi made his move on me. “I mentioned the Cosanta Amulet, and Lek gave me instructions on how to take advantage of its full power. He and I were going back and forth on what to do, when Kester decided he’d allow himself to be used as bait.”

“But the tattoo?”

“He cut into it,” Jonas says, hanging his head. “He did it before I could stop him, then Lek mentioned the illusion spell and how it can transform you into someone else. Apparently, with the amulet, you don’t need to be holding on to the person in order for it work. I kept trying to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he wanted to protect us no matter the cost. I don’t think he ever assumed Delphi would be the one to murder him. I didn’t, or things wouldn’t have happened the way they did.”

My head is swirling. I can’t focus on one emotion to feel as they’re all jockeying for position.

Jonas bends down, picks up the sword, and places it back into the scabbard. “We need to hurry; the rest of the council will be arriving in the next hour along with Hekla.” He pulls me to the door, but I stop just before the threshold.

“What about Kester and the amulet?”

“I think it’s a good idea if Hekla thinks I’m dead, just in case Delphi says anything to her. Lek said that the amulet is what holds the spell and not the body, so as long as Kester is wearing the necklace, he’ll continue to look like me.”

We exit; Sean is waiting for us with two horses that have bags strapped onto the back of each, along with my rucksack on one. I do a quick inventory, and find that everything is accounted for — even the depict frame and bag of seekers.

“You remember what to do?” Jonas asks Sean as he gets onto the horse.

“Yup, just make sure you both return in time,” Sean replies as they shake hands.

As soon as I’m seated in the saddle, the two of us take off, heading west. We ride as fast as we can to the other veil, once again escaping to the Dryad Forest.

End of Book Two

Table of Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four