《Sunbreak》 Chapter 1 The house was too loud. Someone in the triclinium, barely two rooms down from Darius¡¯ room where he was hiding, was bellowing music on a loud horn. People shouted their applause, euphoric and drunk. The vibrations from dancing were so immense that they managed to pulse through the concrete floors and rattle the bookshelf by Darius¡¯ bed. It felt like a nail was being driven into his temple. Darius¡¯ concentration broke. Then, the Spell-Thread twisting itself between his thumb and index finger snapped, causing the spindle to clatter to the floor and the bone whorl at the top to roll away toward the door. The glowing light from the woolen thread faded, leaving only the terracotta oil lamp by Darius¡¯ bed and the pot of Moon-Grass hanging above him to light his room. Glowering darkly, Darius muttered to himself as he collected his spindle, wanting very much to throw it at either his little brother, the cause of the party, or his father for throwing it in the first place. Stuffing shame down his throat, Darius settle on his father. Fabien was barely seven- non of this was his fault. I didn¡¯t get a party when I became an omega. Why does Fabien get a stupid party? Just because the Gods made him an alpha? He was especially angry that the party was forbidden to him, for some inexplicable reason that his father, Marcus, had come up with barely a few hours ago, and had not been given to Darius. It wasn¡¯t like other Omegas wouldn¡¯t be there. No, Dad¡¯s just being stupid and weird. ¡°Not that he cares that everyone is going to be asking where I am tomorrow, and that Fabien is going to be hurt,¡± said Darius, to the empty room, in a furious mutter. Any other party he would have been grateful to skip. The quiet, secluded areas of the home were much preferred over the chaotic cacophony of mixed conversations that the party was certain to be. But Fabien would be upset and confused by Darius¡¯ absence, and that wasn¡¯t something he ever wanted. With that in mind, and a bitter rebellion growing in the pit of his stomach, Darius decided the best course of action would be to find somewhere away from the absolute chaos taking place outside his door. So he shoved the spindle into his satchel, settling it carefully around the weaving cards and his half-finished tunic that the Spell-Thread was for, then exited his room. He wandered through the smaller, private area of his home until arriving at the atrium, where the majority of the guests were gathered. Nervously, Darius wove through the throng of people, nodding and smiling at several cousins, several whom he barely knew, waving and shouting greetings at him while hurriedly looking for Fabien. Where is he? Did he fall asleep already? Damn it¡­ Pinching his nose, he stepped over a man who had passed out near the triclinium. In there, he could see Marcus chatting amiably with a tall, pale man a few years older than Darius. But to his sudden regret, Marcus saw him too. He crossed his arms carefully, doing his best to avoid smudging the moongrass paint on his arms. It was colored light green in the lit triclinium, covering his arms and face in swirling vines and birds. In the more shadowy areas of their home the paint would glow an eerie blue. ¡°Darius, come here,¡± said Marcus, waving Darius over. He smiled, but it was pinched. ¡°This is Lothar Berger, Senator Lyceas Berger¡¯s second oldest child.¡± Lothar''s eyes caught Darius and he stopped. They were blue, like the glaciers that stretched over Bantine''s wings, feeding her ice cold rivers. He felt his lungs seize, like he had just plunged into one, but instead of freezing, Darius¡¯ face burned as his cheeks flushed red from blood quickening under his skin. Lothar was handsome. Stunningly so. ¡°Third,¡± said Lothar, easily. He panted slightly as he spoke, as if he¡¯d just been dancing. Small beads of sweat dripped down his temple, and his richly dyed silk tunic looked disheveled. ¡°Technically my sister is seven minutes older than me. But don¡¯t let her know I admitted that- she¡¯d never let me live it down. Ava never ceases to make it sound like she was walking and talking by the time I was born, instead of screaming and shitting herself.¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± said Marcus, the pinched and cordial expression tightening the more Lothar talked. ¡°I¡¯ve never had the honor of hosting a patrician before. And now I get to host three in one night!¡± ¡°Yes, well, I need a painter for the walls inside my ship,¡± said Lothar, not taking his eyes off of Darius as he spoke, save for a microscopic flicker of confusion in his eyes. He grinned, then pulled his fingers through his long, thick, black hair, which made Darius think of a horse¡¯s mane with the way it frizzed at the ends. Then he finally looked at Marcus, placing a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I saw the new murals at the bar several streets down this afternoon, and the owner told me you did them. I guess they had to rebuild a few walls after an earthquake last year? I gotta say- they¡¯re fantastic. I want you painting our ships.¡± ¡°And there will be more work to come,¡± said a tall man standing near Darius; his uncle, named Menon. Darius gaped, surprised to see his uncle. Menon was like a ghost story to him most days. Albino, with one eye and half a nose, he was a paranoid and neurotic recluse who, as far as Darius knew, rarely ventured outside the walls of his home. What the man did for work, Darius wasn¡¯t certain, though he believed taxes were involved. It would probably explain how he got disfigured. People don¡¯t like taxes. Someone probably just got pissed off and took it out on him. ¡°We''ve had at least three earthquakes this week. Everyone is leaving the city, saying that Bantine''s about to blow her top. I¡¯m planning to leave in just a few days here, once I¡¯ve taken care of a few¡­ Ah¡­ important documents. I would have left by now, but I didn¡¯t want to leave without my sister and her children.¡± Marcus scoffed, ¡°Everyone is getting worked up over nothing. If the dragon was going to wake up, she''d have done it by now. Chutwater has always had earthquakes. They¡¯re nothing new,¡± Lothar didn¡¯t look convinced. Alarm flashed over his face and he stood back on his heels uneasily. ¡°Three? In the last week? Like, earthquakes you can feel? Or the little ones you can only pick up with a seismograph? ¡®Cause the little ones happen all the fucking time. But the bigger ones aren¡¯t as common,¡± ¡°The ones you feel,¡± said Darius, frowning. But he pushed away the anxiety brewing inside him It¡¯ll be fine. Dad¡¯s not worried. ¡°...Right,¡± said Lothar, slowly. He shrugged, the smiled and gave Marcus a short nod. ¡°Well, good to know. I¡¯m leaving by tomorrow evening, so I guess I¡¯ll just¡­ enjoy the calm while it lasts,¡± Menon smiled, though because he only had half a nose, it gave off the feeling of a skeleton that had just heard a funny joke. ¡°You might even get a bit of a ride while you¡¯re in town, with how often the quakes have been coming.¡± Marcus laughed, waving his hand at Menon, hushing him. ¡°I¡¯m flattered, but I¡¯m a painter! I know nothing about ship building.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to build them. This is for decoration, of course. The ships are built. We¡¯re refurnishing them now. Though father¡¯s tastes are¡­ questionable at best. Depraved and disgusting at worst. The solarium in particular,¡± said Lothar, spitting a cherry pit into a bowl on the floor, shuddering in revulsion. ¡°Emmory! Bring me another glass of wine!¡± A boy about Darius¡¯ age, with wild hair that was a shocking shade of red groaned. He was huddled in the corner with several pots of moongrass, rubbing his temple, and looked to be in pain. He was wearing green silk, which looked as expensive, if not more so than the clothes Lothar was wearing, which made Darius think ¡®Emmory¡¯ was one of Lothar¡¯s relatives. From the cut of his tunic, Darius was surprised to see that he was an omega. ¡°I¡¯m not your servant. Get it yourself, asshole,¡± ¡°Ugh, just do it, stupid,¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m older. Now just do, would you?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say the magic word,¡± ¡°Fine- Emmory, would you please be so kind as to get me some more fucking wine,¡± said Lothar, dispassionately. Emmory rolled his eyes, not moving from his position. He inspected the back of his hand. ¡°Hmph. That nice and all, but it¡¯s not the magic word,¡± ¡°Are you five years old-?¡± ¡°Are you a lazy dick-?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Emmy, please,¡± ¡°Darius, I told you to stay in your room,¡± hissed Marcus, in a low tone as Emmory smirked and filled Lothar¡¯s wine, finally swayed. ¡°A party is no place for an omega. Especially this one. Go back to your room and do something to entertain yourself,¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯ve let me be at parties before. Forced me to be at parties before. And besides- it¡¯s too loud. I can¡¯t can¡¯t focus on anything. Even in my room. All I was doing was going up to the garden roof. No one else will be up there.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± hissed Marcus, letting go of his painful grip on Darius¡¯ arm. ¡°I had Irini take Fabien up there. But stay away from Senator Alard. I mean it. I don¡¯t like the rumors I¡¯ve heard about him.¡± ¡°When can we leave? My head hurts,¡± said Emmory, in a complaining tone as he passed Lothar a glass of wine. ¡°When the party is over. Just loosen up and have some fun- it might help.¡± Lothar took the glass, rolling his eyes, then continued talking to Marcus. ¡°You¡¯d have to move to Berger¡¯s Landing for a time, of course. But you¡¯d be well compensated. I¡¯ll secure you housing, and ensure everything is taken care of here, as well.¡± Emmory glowered, then stomped his foot as he turned to let out a huff. Darius approached slowly, trying not to trip over the numerous guests sprawled over couches or dancing to the loud music. An unhappy guest. Perfect. Feeling his father¡¯s tight grip on his arm, Darius saw the opportunity and wasn¡¯t going to pass it up. ¡°Dad, I could take him up to the roof with me. By Etris¡¯ altar. It¡¯ll be quiet up there.¡± Instantly, Darius felt Marcus¡¯ grip loosen, and saw a muscle in his jaw relax. Is Lothar and Emmory being here making that anxious? Wait¡­ Didn¡¯t he say they were patricians? Twenty-six families, in total equaling a few thousand civilians, the patricians were the ruling class of Fairghe Ora. Having their favor might lead to greatness for a person, but that could just as easily lead to their ruin should the relationship turn south. Wise people learned to stay far away from dealings with Fairghe Ora¡¯s elite. ¡°Gods, yes,¡± muttered Emmory, in an exhausted way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my brother¡¯s constitution. He¡¯s normally in a more talkative mood,¡± said Lothar, apologetically, ¡°I figured he¡¯d be able to entertain people with endless information about the various mating ritual flights of rocs,¡± ¡°No one wanted to listen,¡± said Emmory, his face sour. ¡°Not even about dire rocs,¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they went extinct twenty thousand years ago,¡± said Lothar, taking a long swig of his wine. His eyes stayed fixed on Marcus, suddenly darkening. ¡°Say¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but overhear- Did you say that Senator Alard is here? At this random party for a newly awakened alpha?¡± ¡°Darius, get him some tea for his head, too,¡± said Marcus, patting Darius on the back apologetically. He nodded to Lothar, his chest puffing out with pride. ¡°Yes. Heard about my slave, Sentia, and the skill she has with her flute- she¡¯s warming up in the kitchen right now. He wanted to hear her play himself. Do you know him?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I know him. My sister, Ava- Father let him marry her. Is he here now?¡± asked Lothar, sipping his wine, a steely glint in his eyes that promised only violence. ¡°I should bring him a drink, what with him being family. Emmory, stay with Darius on the roof.¡± ¡°But I want to say hello- Ava might be here, too,¡± said Emmory, who was now looking much happier. ¡°She won¡¯t be. From the letters she¡¯s snuck out of their lovely villa, our dearest fath- excuse me, brother-in-law likes to keep her locked in the bed chambers.¡± said Lothar, with a cheery smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Forgive me. It¡¯s so easy to get confused, what with the age difference,¡± Lothar wrapped his arm around Marcus¡¯ shoulder, who looked as if he¡¯d rather be anywhere else on the planet. ¡°He¡¯s a very charming man, and a close friend of my father¡¯s. Now, he might try to buy your slave from you; let me tell you all the reasons why you shouldn¡¯t do that, starting with the fact that, like all of my father''s friends, Senator Alard is a man who is deprived of any and all morals.¡± Neither of them needing any further convincing, Emmory and Darius walked quickly out of the triclinium and into the packed hallway. Buy Sentia? But Darius didn¡¯t spend time reflecting on the possibility. Sentia was both Fabien¡¯s nurse and Marcus¡¯ muse, and he knew that Marcus liked her too much to ever consider the possibility of selling her. "I really wish he wouldn''t bad-mouth Father in public like he does," said Emmory, crossing his arms moodily as they walked. "Will he get in trouble?" "Yes, and then I''ll have to feel sorry for him when Father beats him," said Emmory, his odd green eyes shimmering wetly. He frowned, took a deep breath, then cleared his throat before saying. ¡°Actually, forget I said anything. Why wouldn¡¯t anybody be up on the roof?¡± ¡°Etris¡¯ altar is up there,¡± said Darius, leading Emmory into the kitchen. When they found it swarming with guests, Emmory shook his head hard, shuddering. ¡°Etris?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Darius pointed at the violet moon as they stepped into the garden, floating in the sky next to Selene. ¡°Etris,¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Artemis on Berger¡¯s Landing.¡± ¡°Oh, here Etris is a the roc king,¡± ¡°Artemis has a roc she flies around on, and wraps herself and Selene in shadows to hide from the massive sea serpent who wants to eat them and the rest of the world,¡± said Emmory, in an excited, breathy way. ¡°My nana says it has red eyes that glow like the fires of hell, and jumps out of the water to swallow entire ships whole,¡± Darius took Emmory¡¯s hand when he tripped on the steep, uneven steps of the narrow, sectioned off staircase that led to a small altar and another garden on the roof. Darius¡¯ younger brother, Fabien, was already up there, curled up in a thick woolen quilt and snoring lightly. When Darius and Emmory approached, he sat up, his brown eyes wide and surprised. He grinned, displaying the open space where one of his top front milk teeth had been until just a few days ago. ¡°Dari?¡± ¡°Go back to sleep, Fab,¡± said Darius, sitting near Fabien on a pile of cushions and blankets that hid a crack in the floor from the massive earthquake last year. Several pots of moongrass gave the space a blue glow. ¡°Mmm,¡± Fabien settled back down, then went back to sleep. Within barely a minute he had begun snoring once again. ¡°Are you cold at all?¡± asked Darius, lighting and oil lamp near the altar, and pulling his spindle out of his satchel. He could feel the crack under the blankets, and remembered vividly how Fabien had screamed in laughter after the earthquake, requesting for it to happen again, and Marcus scolding him furiously. ¡°There are some more blankets up here,¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Emmory, pulling his dark green wool cloak close to him, then lying back to gaze into the black night sky. Etris shone heavy, blue, and full in the night, the moon¡¯s light blocking out all but the brightest of the stars. Selene hung in the sky nearby, a pale silver sliver. If Darius squinted, he could see winding golden rivers on her dotted surface. ¡°Can I ask you something personal?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± ¡°Why is your hair red?¡± said Darius, hoping he wasn¡¯t being rude. ¡°My hair?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone with red hair before,¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± said Emmory, shrugging, ¡°Mom has red hair. She comes from Rostithar, and Grandmother was from Achete Island. Mom says lots of people on Achete Island have red hair,¡± Emmory sent a huff of hair at his bangs, which were falling in front of his eyes, ¡°Though¡­ I suppose none of my siblings have red hair¡­ And Lothar¡¯s the only one with blue eyes- he got them from his mom- we have different mom¡¯s. My mom is Dad¡¯s third wife. Gaius and Ava both look like Dad,¡± ¡°Achete Island?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s north of Ursus Island. They just joined Fairghe Ora,¡± Emmory squinted at Darius, ¡°Can I ask you something personal?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± ¡°Why do you have purple eyes?¡± ¡°I got them from my mom, too,¡± said Darius, laughing a little. ¡°She¡¯s from Coppergift. She says a lot of people in Coppergift have purple eyes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the homework you have to do?¡± ¡°Master Caeso, my teacher, wants me to read a papyrus scroll on the history on Mt. Bantine,¡± said Darius, pointing to the massive shadow of the nearby volcano. ¡°She¡¯s Vatya¡¯s daughter,¡± ¡°The sea goddess? Do you mean Aena?¡± ¡°No, Vatya,¡± ¡°Yeah, Asos¡¯ daughter? That¡¯s Aena,¡± ¡°Weird,¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess whoever founded Chutwater forgot her name,¡± said Emmory, snickering. ¡°Chutwater is older than Berger¡¯s Landing,¡± Dariu moved nearer to the moongrass pots, then began working on his Spell-Thread. ¡°Uncle Menon told me that. Which means Vatya must be her original name,¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Emmory huffed, blowing his curly red bangs out of his face. He watched Darius closely, with slightly unnerving intensity. ¡°You¡¯re still saying her name wrong,¡± Darius was about to respond and ask how Chutwater could possibly be saying Vatya¡¯s name the wrong way if they were older, when from the corner of his eye he saw a figure move by the staircase behind them. Irini, his mother, held a tray containing bread, cheese, and a pot of tea. A pale pink veil was draped around head, giving her the picturesque air of a proper omega wife for a middle class plebeian family. Or it would have, had Irini¡¯s cheeks not been flushed from too much wine, and the bright green pigment painted on the lids of her eyes been badly smudged. The kohl that lined her eyes was all but faded. ¡°Marcus told me you boys were up here,¡± said Irini, her words slurred, but light and playful. She was in a good mood, Darius noted, which was a rarity. It was infectious, and tension that he didn¡¯t realize he was holding in his shoulders began to fade. ¡°Are you three doing okay?¡± She turned to Emmory, pushing the teapot toward him, ¡°I heard you had a headache. Do you like chamomile?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Thank you,¡± Irini giggled and her veil slipped off of her head. She let it stay where it landed, then giggled good naturedly again, ¡°How are you three doing up here. Are you warm enough?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Darius, nibbling at the bread, ¡°When is the party going to be over?¡± ¡°Who knows. But it¡¯s probably better that you¡¯re up here. If I had known just how wild it was going to get, I¡¯d have sent you and Fabien to your Uncle¡¯s house for the night. But it''s good that Menon came instead! I get so worried about him,¡± said Irini, sighing hugely. But a bright beam still lit up her face, ¡°But guess what? Lothar just commissioned your father for a huge job in Berger¡¯s Landing! Isn¡¯t that exciting? I only hope I can somehow bring my grape vines- I remember Daddy planting them when I was Fabien¡¯s age¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Darius wasn¡¯t sure how to respond when Irini pouted in the direction of the grape vines she was so proud of and tended obsessively, or if it needed one. ¡°I wish you could have met him, Dari. He would have absolutely adored you,¡± said Irini, wistfully, her eyes watery. Now Darius was certain she wanted comfort, like from a friend. He scooted closer, then squeezed her hand. ¡°If he gets distracted because of Senator Alard, I''ll remind him,¡± said Emmory, with a huge sigh. He glared away from Darius and Irini. ¡°He¡­ doesn¡¯t like him. Neither do I. You should probably avoid him, if you know what I mean.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so kind. I¡¯ll be sure to steer clear- I¡¯m done for the night, anyways,¡± said Irini, reaching over to pinch Emmory¡¯s cheeks with another giggle. Then she left, humming quietly as she walked floatily away towards her garden. ¡°Did your mom really get that drunk off of one glass?¡± said Emmory, bewildered. ¡°Yeah¡­ She usually drinks it watered down till it¡¯s basically wine-flavored water, but when Dad throws a party¡­¡± ¡°Gaius is like that, too,¡± said Emmory, snorting loudly, ¡°I¡¯m less of a lightweight than he is.¡± He pulled a leather bag out of his tunic pocket, ¡°Want to play some marbles?¡± Darius set his spindle down, a flurry of excitement bubbling up inside. In the distance, he could hear Sentia playing her flute, as she so loved to do. Lothar spoke loudly, practically shouting his admiration. He could see Marcus fretting over Irini in her unveiled state, who was beaming as she pulled her husband into a dance. He relented, laughing and spinning her around by the flowering grapevines. Everyone else is having fun. Why shouldn¡¯t I? Not that spinning isn¡¯t fun¡­ But fun with other people? It was a rare occasion. Darius couldn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t, let it slip past him. ¡°Sure,¡± Chapter 2 Several hours passed before the music died down enough that Darius was willing to leave the cold rooftop for his much warmer room. Shivering slightly when he unwrapped himself from the blanket to stand up, Darius picked Fabien up, blanket and all, while Emmory gathered up his scroll and lamp. As Fabien was six and had entered a growth spurt, it was difficult maneuvering down the stairs, but going at a slow pace Darius managed to not trip. ¡°Where¡¯s Lothar-,¡± muttered Emmory, just before spotting him when they passed through the atrium. He was asleep on the floor, leaning against a man with a gray, scraggly beard. A lyre was on his lap. Showing underneath his tunic was a silver-colored tag with letters indented into the metal, hanging from a chain. A few, Darius recognized. A capitalized gamma that the smith had stamped upside down, capitalized alpha, lower-case upsilon, something that looked like a capitalized rho, and capital epsilon, then a capitalized nu. Most of it was entirely foreign. Trying to read it made Darius¡¯ head hurt. Emmory nudged him with his foot. ¡°Lothar, wake up,¡± ¡°¡®M sleeping. G¡¯ ¡®way,¡± mumbled Lothar, curling into the man next to him and wrapping his bright red cloak around the two of them like a blanket, sighing peacefully. There was a burn mark on the fabric that hadn¡¯t been present only a few hours ago. ¡°Seriously? Wake up,¡± ¡°Y¡¯r n¡¯t m¡¯ m¡¯m,¡± Such a ridiculously expensive garment, and he doesn¡¯t even take care of it? Darius frowned, feeling a powerful sense of reproach. The red was warm and almost orange. The color made Darius think of the saffron Irini kept safe in a bronze tin on the highest shelf of their home. She only brought it out during holidays. Fabric dyed with saffron was costly. The orange hue of Lothar¡¯s cloak would have likely required the stigmas plucked from an entire field of flowers. And he¡¯s lying on the floor with it, with the dust and Gods only know what else. It should be kept safe, away from the elements. Not paraded around, thought Darius, attempting to not let the disapproval show in his face. ¡°I want to go back to the ship,¡± Emmory scowled, nudging Lothar harder. But when Lothar made no effort to move or wake up, he turned to Darius. ¡°Could I possibly stay as well? At least until my brother wakes up?¡± ¡°Of course. We can all sleep in my room,¡± said Darius, adjusting Fabien. He didn¡¯t want to let his brother out of his sight with as many strangers as there were in the house. Walking quickly, he skirted around two slaves that were picking up empty trays of food. One of them, Sentia, he recognized. When she saw him, she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Darius, can I take Fabien for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got him. I¡¯m just going to take him to my room.¡± Sentia nodded, standing up with several heavy trays. She winced, her jaw tightening as she straightened. Darius spotted several bruises on her arm that were barely covered by the sleeves of her tunic, and smudged green paint staining the fabric. Her eyes were red, and so swollen she could hardly open them. When she saw Darius staring, she pulled a patched and faded green jacket on. ¡°Are you okay?¡± said Darius, alarmed. ¡°Who hurt you?¡± ¡°No one. Tripped like an idiot while I was dancing. I¡¯m fine,¡± said Sentia, waving him off, sounding like she had recently had a cold when she spoke. Her gaze turned to Emmory, ¡°You¡¯re Lothar¡¯s little brother, right? He fell asleep about an hour ago. I doubt he¡¯ll be awake until tomorrow,¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought as much,¡± grumbled Emmory, his face pulling into a deep pout, and his green eyes glaring hatefully at the ceiling. The earth beneath them shuddered slightly, like a large man was jumping nearby and making soft vibrations in the ground. Behind them, a hutch containing several shelves of old, finely decorated porcelain jangled, shaken by movement Darius could barely feel. Emmory jumped, looking at it with great alarm. Sentia watched it for a moment, lips tightly pursed. ¡°Another earthquake, probably.¡± Was Uncle Menon right? Should we have left the city by now? Darius chewed on the inside of his cheek, the question burning his tongue. After a quick glance at Emmory¡¯s unnerved expression, he bit it back before he could ask Sentia- doubt and anxiety like that shouldn¡¯t be shown in front of guests. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sentia assured them. Darius frowned, not entirely able to believe her, but moved into his room. He set Fabien on his bed, then laid out several blankets for himself and Emmory on the floor. As he did that, Emmory began moving Darius¡¯ heavy cedar chest in front of the door. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Dad has crazy parties all the time,¡± said Emmory, with a scowl. ¡±Drunk people like to wander. They¡¯re usually harmless, but annoying. They pass out and piss on the floor all the time.¡± ¡°Gross,¡± Then, unexpectedly, Emmory grinned so wide Darius thought his face might split in two. ¡°Hey! Maybe when your dad goes to Berger¡¯s Landing, you can come, too!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We could be friends!¡± said Emmory, his bright smile deflating slightly. He sat gingerly on top of the blankets, suddenly looking uncomfortable, ¡°Well, we should write to one another, at least,¡± ¡°I only meant that I don¡¯t know if Dad would be allowed to take me. He¡¯s been teaching me to paint, but I can¡¯t do any of the stuff he can just yet,¡± said Darius, hoping he didn¡¯t offend Emmory. Talking to people was difficult, especially talking to people his own age. Emmory was rare; most children his age looked at him like he was an alien. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him. He¡¯ll be hungover tomorrow, so if I bug him enough he¡¯ll probably just give me what I want. Besides- I think he likes you,¡± said Emmory, speaking so fast that Darius could barely keep up. He shivered with excitement, his eyes practically glowing in the dimly lit room. ¡°We¡¯ll have so much fun together! I don¡¯t have any friends back home- well, I do have friends, but Lothar says the librarian doesn¡¯t count. He says my teacher doesn¡¯t count, either. Or the kennelmaster. I like dogs, did you know? Well, and rocs, of course. But Father says that a roc is far too dangerous for an omega, and he didn¡¯t like it all that much when I told him that most roc riders are omegas. We¡¯re smaller, and rocs can¡¯t carry much weight-¡± Emmory said this all so fast that Darius could barely keep up. ¡°You have dogs? What kind? Dad doesn¡¯t like them because he¡¯s allergic...¡± Emmory collapsed onto the pile of blankets and pillows, laughing softly to himself. ¡°Hunting dogs, mostly. Though Gaius has a big hairy one named Lance that could probably kill a bear; she mostly sleeps by his feet and drools while Gaius does tax stuff. Oh, and Lothar has horses. And sheep, but those belong to the family, though Ava has a few she¡¯s really, really attached to. Our sheep make the softest wool on Urus Island, actually! Your mother will love it there, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Oh, I guarantee it,¡± Emmory turned on his side, then smiled at Darius. ¡°You look like her, you know? Your mom.¡± Darius yawned, then lay down next to Emmory. Soon, listening to Emmory ramble about Berger¡¯s Landing, he fell asleep. ¡­ A dog was barking. Incessantly. Grumpily, Darius covered his ears, hoping it would stop. To make it worse, he could hear the birds screaming nearby, fighting over what he could only imagine was a territory dispute. Next to him, Fabien, who had crawled into bed next to him, whimpered. Darius yawned, then tried his best to fall back asleep. Suddenly, the world around him jolted, shaking like he was in a box being roughly moved across the ground. Fabien screamed when the shaking grew to such a frenzy that he fell off of the bed. Then, a loud crack followed by a shocking boom rang out. The house shook, like something heavy had fallen on top of it, or collapsed within. Darius grabbed Fabien and a groggy Emmory, shoving them both under his bed. He moved under a chair, curling into a tight ball until the shaking stopped. ¡°IRINI!¡± Darius heard Marcus shout. ¡°DARIUS! FABIEN!¡± Marcus banged on Darius¡¯ door in a panicked frenzy, trying anxiously to open it. But the cedar chest was still in front. The frame around the door cracked with the force being exerted on the blocked door, and Marcus shouted again. ¡°Darius! Fabien! Are you in there?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± said Darius, crawling out from under the chair. He stepped around a heavy shelf that had fallen, and bits of the ceiling plaster that had shaken loose. ¡°What¡¯s in front of the door?¡± ¡°Just the cedar chest. We moved it to keep wanderers out,¡± Darius moved the chest as Emmory and Fabien crawled out from under the bed. ¡°Go outside- there might be more. Stay away from the garden. The¡­ The roof collapsed,¡± Marcus¡¯ voice broke at the end. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°The roof¡­¡± Emmory trailed off, his eyes widening as understanding dawned. ¡°Where¡¯s Lothar?¡± ¡°What about Mommy? I want Mommy,¡± said Fabien, still hiding under the bed. ¡°She fell asleep in the garden. I¡¯m going to go find her- get outside, now. Darius, stay with Fabien. Whatever you do, don¡¯t let him out of your sight,¡± said Marcus, breathlessly. Darius scooted the chest enough so that he could open the door. He wished he hadn¡¯t. Screaming, like an animal in a hunters trap, echoed down the hallway. Pulling Fabien out from under the bed, Darius grabbed their cloaks and his satchel, shoving whatever clothes he could find inside of it. ¡°Outside, now,¡± said Marcus, with more authority in his voice than Darius had ever heard. ¡°Emmory, last I saw, Lothar was in the atrium-,¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± growled Lothar, inching down the hall, his tunic half pinned. His eyes were so bloodshot Darius could barely tell they were blue anymore. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± ¡°Earthquake,¡± ¡°The last one was fun. This one was scary,¡± said Fabien, sucking on his thumb worriedly as Darius pulled his cloak on and pinned it around his neck. He rubbed his head. ¡°I want Mommy. My ears hurt,¡± ¡°Mom is busy,¡± said Darius, trying to listen to Lothar and Marcus speaking in hushed tones just outside. Then, he heard someone shout in alarm. ¡°The mountain! Smoke is coming from the mountain!¡± BOOM! The ground shook once again, but so did the air itself. Like a crack from a whip, but a thousand, thousand times louder. It felt like the wind had formed a solid force that tore through his ears. Fabien screamed, clutching his head and curling against Darius. ¡°Gods, no,¡± said Marcus, ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Quickly, Darius pulled his own cloak on, then left the room with Emmory, picking Fabien up when the boy started crying too hard to move. ¡°I want Mommy!¡± said Fabien, clawing at his ears. Darius didn¡¯t answer. He stared at the horizon, too shocked to say anything. Mt. Bantine was erupting. ¡­ ¡°Darius?¡± Emmory looked at him, as if he suddenly expected Darius to come up with a plan on what to do right then and there. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Darius set Fabien down, shoving him toward Emmory. ¡°I need to help Dad find Mom. Can you watch him?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Emmory, taking Fabien¡¯s hand. ¡°Fab, stay with Emmory!¡± said Darius, running back inside. ¡°But Daddy said-,¡± ¡°Just stay here!¡± Compared to right now, the previous night was as orderly as a regular day at the basilica. Half-clothed men and women were running for forgotten belongings in a panic, and shouting for friends they lost from their sight the night before. Darius ran through the rapidly darkening hallways in a half daze until he got to the garden. Or, as he quickly found out, what used to be the garden. Where there were once roses, honeysuckle vines, with a pergola filled with hanging pots of moongrass there was now a pile of rubble. Marcus and Lothar, along with several other men, were hurriedly digging at it. Roots and vines were tangled amongst the stone, sticking out at odd angles. Blood seeped out along the bottom, staining the tile floor red. ¡°Irini! Irini, can you hear me? If you-,¡± From the corner of his eye, Marcus spotted Darius. Fury swept over his dust covered face. He grabbed Darius¡¯ arm, shaking him. ¡°I told you to stay outside! Where¡¯s Fabien?¡± ¡°He¡¯s with Emmory. Where¡¯s Mom? Where¡¯s Uncle Menon? I want to help,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where Menon is, and I don¡¯t care. You can help by staying with your brother and keeping him safe!¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost sixteen! Let me help!¡± ¡°Irini is-, ¡°Marcus choked, not looking at Darius as he rapidly moved plaster, cement, and tile, ¡°I can¡¯t lose you two-,¡± ¡°If I might interject,¡± said Lothar, smoothly. He had a generally bedraggled appearance, but was now wide-awake. ¡°I have a ship in the harbor. Allow me to take your sons and any one else in the house to it- I can ensure they¡¯re evacuated to Berger¡¯s Landing, alongside my brother. Once I¡¯ve escorted them there, I¡¯ll come back and continue helping here,¡± Marcus paused, his eyes pained. Then he nodded, furtively. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to leave through the sea,¡± It was Sentia. Lothar sneered at her. ¡°Who do you think you are-,¡± ¡°My mother told me stories of past eruptions. If we¡¯re lucky, the sea won¡¯t swallow us whole. But even if we escape that fate, the waves that Vatya¡¯s rage brought will tear the ships from the docks. By the time they settle, the sea will be coated in pumice. It will float in the water, so thick and deep that ships won¡¯t be able to get past it without their hulls being shredded. The only way out is on foot, through the mountains, on the old moongrass path,¡± ¡°Old wives tales. My ship is made with the best technology money can buy,¡± said Lothar, so confidently that Darius almost believed him. But then he heard it falling around them. Tink. Tink. Tink. A pitter patter like rain, only instead of water it was ash that felt like sand. Sentia stared at Lothar, her face entirely expressionless, save for the barest fleck of revulsion in her eyes. Marcus breathed heavily, then went back to digging at the rubble. ¡°Sentia¡­¡± ¡°Master, I only want to keep your children safe,¡± ¡°Take the money in my studio safe and go to the stables. If there are any horses left by the time you get there, buy one. Just in case.¡± Sentia nodded. Wasting no time, she ran out the door. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of coin,¡± said Lothar, grabbing Darius¡¯ shoulder and storming away. The pumice rained down harder, smashing against the house so hard that Darius thought it would chip the concrete. Gray, gritty ash floated down like burning snow. Confidently, he laughed, ¡°My boat can handle anything.¡± We¡¯re going to die, thought Darius, trying to stuff down the panic rising inside him. He pulled away from Lothar long enough to dart into his room, grabbing the unfinished tunic he¡¯d left the previous night, stuffing it into his satchel. He had a terrible feeling that he wouldn¡¯t be able to come back for it. Then, as a final thought, he ran back into the garden. Avoiding looking at the bloodied tile, he grabbed a snarled mess of a grape vine that someone had freed from the rubble in their bid to dig Irini out. Mom is probably hurt. She¡¯d want to know her grapes will survive, at least in some form, thought Darius, not entirely sure how he was going to keep it alive. But it felt like his thoughts were a muddled mess. All he could do was try not to think of her buried and suffocating under the weight of their house. She wanted to take her vines. I have to make sure-, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. It took me twenty minutes to get here last night, from my ship,¡± said Lothar, angrily pulling him out of the house just as Darius shoved the vine, roots and all, in his satchel. Darius ignored him, looking at Mt Bantine when they reached the outside street once again; glowing red fire poured from the top. It¡¯s true¡­ There¡¯s a dragon inside the mountain, thought Darius, able to see glaciers that closely resembled wings in the flickering shadows of the false night slipping over the horizon. ¡°Dari!¡± Fabien pulled away from Emmory, grabbing his arm and huddling close to him. ¡°I can¡¯t hear Mommy,¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, Fab,¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t hear her. I can always hear her, like the angels in the water. I can¡¯t hear her!¡± said Fabien, patting his ears. Then, he gasped crying out in a painful, high pitched, gasping wail. ¡°There¡¯s another one coming,¡± ¡°Another what-?¡± The ground shook, though this quake wasn¡¯t as powerful as the one that woke them up. Darius dove, pulling Fabien¡¯s head underneath him as he curled into a tight ball on the ground in an effort to keep his balance. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Lothar, roughly grabbing Emmory¡¯s bicep once the shaking stopped and leading him away. Darius threw his hood over his head, trying to get any protection he could from the falling ash quickly gathering around them. By the time they reached the docks, the falling debris was so deep it covered their feet, and the ash was mixed with pumice the size of peas. Relieved at the shelter, Darius, Fabien, and Emmory ran to join the other citizens that had gathered there. ¡°Fuck!¡± Lothar yelled, then kicked a support beam inside the covered docks. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± said Darius, stepping away as eyes from other citizens trained on them. The he started as he surveyed the docks, realizing something was deeply wrong. The ships¡­ They¡¯re all gone¡­ ¡°The ship¡­¡± said Emmory, quietly. He pointed to a boat about three times the size of a trireme, and had what looked to be a small house built on its deck, with a copper tiled roof that he could barely see. A massive cloud of heavy ash covered the sky, turning the bright, late spring day to night as smoothly as if the gods had snuffed out a lamp in a windowless room. ¡°There. It¡¯s floating in the harbor.¡± ¡°Why the fuck-?¡± Lothar growled, pacing back and forth. One of the dockworkers approached. ¡°Did you have a boat here?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± snapped Lothar, swallowing the anger he¡¯d been displaying so fast it was unsettling. Darius felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he held tighter to Fabien. ¡°Please, forgive me. I lost control of myself for a moment,¡± said Lothar, his voice like oil on a squeaky gear. ¡°Where are all the boats?¡± ¡°Waves kicked up by the earthquake broke most of them free. We¡¯re trying to evacuate people with the ones that are left, but with the waves and debris we¡¯re having trouble getting them to the docks.¡± The dockworker¡¯s face was tight and pinched. ¡°We got lucky, though. There¡¯s no sign of the sea receding, so I doubt we¡¯ll get a tidal wave. That¡¯s the last thing we need right now.¡± Darius looked at the water, noting the frothy waves filled with silt, and large chunks of floating pumice. ¡°Damn it,¡± Lothar paced, looking out at the boat that appeared to be trying to pull back into the dock. Then he gazed at the sky, eyes wide, and almost fearful. ¡°Fuck it¡­ Hopefully they¡¯re close enough.¡± From his pocket, Lothar pulled a small, glowing stone. Sparks appeared around his hands, and he spoke softly. ¡°Kimon, can you hear me? It¡¯s Lothar,¡± It¡¯s a Sounding Stone, thought Darius, surprised. They had been recently developed by mages working in the Grand Basilica in Rostithar, though they were extremely limited on how far communication could travel. Usually only a few hundred feet before it became draining for the mage using the stone. From the looks of it, Lothar¡¯s boat was hovering about five hundred to a thousand feet away. And the ash is covering the sun, thought Darius, chewing on his nails. Mages couldn''t do magic without the sun. Not for very long, at least. <-get the boat back-> A voice came through the stone, but it was as choppy as the sea. Lothar growled, hissing violently at the stone. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with the docking the ship. Get out of the port and away from the eruption.¡± ¡°If you can evacuate civilians, do it. Then meet me in Rensworth. I¡¯m not waiting on a boat. Emmory and I are leaving on foot,¡± Rensworth. The village was a two day trip from Chutwater on foot. Most people took the local ferry, but if Darius squinted he could see the large ferry floating near Lothar¡¯s ship, torn from its holdings by the earthquake. There were other villages scattered between them, but it was the only one that Darius knew had a port. The others were small, and located further inland, separated from the sea by the Devil¡¯s Spine. Does he mean to go south? Darius chewed on his cheek, thinking that north would be a far safer trip. Emmory thought the same thing, but was bold enough to voice it. ¡°Are we going to be hiking through a rainforest?¡± said Emmory, skeptically. ¡°The boat can¡¯t dock. Besides, I need to go to Rensworth- there''s a solidarity there who can help us. Come on- let¡¯s go back and get supplies,¡± said Lothar, pulling Emmory back away from the docks. Before they left the limited cover, which was quickly being filled with an ever growing amount of desperate pedestrians, he grabbed a lid from a box, handing it to Emmory. ¡°Cover your head,¡± ¡°Fabien needs it more than me,¡± said Emmory, handing Fabien the lid, and balling up his cloak to cover his head from the falling stone. Darius did the same. ¡°Gaius would be so proud,¡± said Lothar, in a slightly mocking tone, glancing at Fabien with a mild amount of derision. Sparks flew from his left hand over the bronze arm plate. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Fabien and Darius. You, worry about yourself and take the lid.¡± Understanding dawned in Emmory¡¯s eyes, and he grabbed the wooden lid back from Fabien, fingers grasping the handles tightly when he ran back out into the hail, holding it like a hat. ¡°Hey!¡± Angry, but unsure of what he could do as Lothar was older, bigger, and also a mage, Darius pulled Fabien closer and tried to cover the boy''s head, gritting his teeth as he ran out into the falling ash and pumice. They were larger now, some the size of fava beans and small plums. Then Lothar grabbed Darius from behind. The bronze plate around his skin was moving; for a brief moment, it looked like it was made of folded paper. Then, right before Darius¡¯ eyes, he was holding a large shield that glowed as a pulsing force moved just above the surface of the bronze metal that was melding together. Lothar¡¯s long black hair floated upwards, standing on end as static moved over his skin. The frizz died quickly once the shield finished building itself. Stooping to pick up Fabien, Lothar said grimly, ¡°Stay near me, and walk quickly,¡± Not just a mage¡­ He¡¯s a Soulbreaker, thought Darius, a bit stupefied as he studied the large shield. It was made of battered bronze and rectangular, with rounded edges. Intricate knots decorated the rim, and twin horses danced in tandem over the surface. There was not much space. While Fabien took up very little space, and Darius was short and small, even for an omega, Lothar¡¯s broad shoulders risked being assaulted by the raining pumice, and Darius had to press tight against Lothar in order to fit his entire body under the shield. Soulbreaker, thought Darius, mystified. They weren¡¯t common. Candidates were almost always chosen from the patrician families, as they were the only ones who could afford the necessary gear. They were required to be alpha¡¯s, and also required to have the magical aptitude necessary for battle magic. Out of the several hundred alpha¡¯s who competed with each other every year to be chosen by the Order of the Crescent Moon, the largest Soulbreaker solidarity, only a handful were actually chosen. The walk home only took fifteen minutes, but it was the longest fifteen minutes of Darius¡¯ life. By the time he saw the familiar white concrete walls of his home, painted with bright green moongrass paint, he felt as if he had spent the last several minutes being beaten up by a gang of children he¡¯d unknowingly upset. Everything smelled like sulfur, and his nostrils burned every time he breathed. Someone roughly grabbed him, pulling him inside. They began tying the pillows that used to be on the rooftop altar around his head and arms with strong linen cording. When Darius opened his eyes after wiping away the gritty ash from his face. Fabien was no longer crying, but was now as silent as a mouse, which was almost more upsetting. ¡°That upstart little slave of yours was right,¡± snapped Lothar, irritably. ¡°Did she manage to get a horse?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s a pathetic one. It was the only one they had left, and bound for the glue factory,¡± said Marcus, wrapping a scarf loosely around Darius¡¯ mouth, then doing the same to Fabien. Then, he handed Darius a heavy backpack that felt like it had been stuffed with rocks. ¡°I suppose beggars can¡¯t be choosers,¡± said Lothar, practically spitting out the words. But the edge fell away when he laid eyes on the horse. It was tall, and despite the padding from blankets that covered its head and the possessions tied to its body, Darius could still see that it seemed frail, like a strong wind would push it over. Lothar stared at the tall, skinny horse in shock, his lips forming a thin line as his nostrils gave a deadly, righteous flare. Then he bit out. ¡°My boat was torn away from the docks, and the captain can¡¯t get it back to shore in this nightmarish storm. Get my brother and I to Rensworth, and I¡¯ll make you so rich that your children¡¯s children will live the rest of their lives in luxury.¡± Chapter 3 Fifteen miles past Chutwater grows a tree so massive that a tunnel could have been drilled through it for two carts to comfortably pass each other, side by side. It died long ago, thousands of years ago, yet still towered over the forest, petrified and turned to stone. Today there were no branches left. There is little evidence that it had ever been a tree. However, on rare occasions, the blackened, moss covered bark sometimes still oozes golden resin, and moongrass grows in small clumps where scavengers had hacked off chips of bark near the base- there, petrified wood is visible. [13] Legend had it, thousands of years ago Bantine raged for a week straight, leveling the land around her. When she was done, every tree in the beautiful forests that surrounded her was gone. When Bantine saw what she had done, she wept in grief. Then she saw that one tree had survived. Bantine, filled with hope, decided to immortalize the tree. She flew down from her mountain, curling her wings around what was left, and breathed fire that turned the tree to stone. [14] Beacon Rock, it would forever be called. Locals tell me caution should be advised to anyone traveling along its route. Wolf shifters have, in recent years, built a cult near the landmark and prey upon those foolish enough to travel nearby. [15] I have collected alternate routes in my book ''Maps and Ferry Routes of Caedia.'' Bavo der Hoek, A Guide to the Caedian Continent, 5th Edition, Chapter 13, Page 106 ¡­ Ghosts lumbered around Darius. Hundreds, thousands of people covered from head to toe in pale, gray ash, marching down a path that ran along the sea into the eastern mountains. They all wore hats made of pillows, lumbering through rain composed of course, frothy pumice, and ash that left his skin raw. It felt like he had bathed using sandpaper as a rag. Worse, though it was now nearing the middle of the day, the only light came from the glowing moongrass that grew along the path in old trenches made from mud and straw cobbled together. But as ash covered the grass, the light grew dimmer, until it threatened to go out altogether. Pillows had also been tied to the horse that Sentia found, but as Darius, Fabien, and Emmory made their way out of Chutwater and into the mountainous countryside, the animal grew slower and more tired. Darius wasn¡¯t surprised. The horse was shockingly skinny, with sores on its haunches that Lothar had hovered over as they walked, stopping as often as they dared to spread a balm that smelled strongly of bitter medicine. Why he happened to have on his person, Darius couldn¡¯t imagine. Lothar was quick to explain. ¡°I have lots of horses at home. My favorite, Aster- she won Best Horse in Show three years in a row,¡± said Lothar, flashing Darius a bright smile as walked backwards up the path, shoving ash off the moongrass bushes as they walked. Darius and Emmory joined him in his effort, as did an enthusiastic Fabien. At least he¡¯s having some fun, thought Darius, listening to Fabien shouting out orders to a couple other young children following behind them. They had traveled for nearly two hours when Lothar and Marcus had their first fight. Marcus was panting and lagging at the punishing pace Lothar was setting. He tried to set a bag filled with barley on Caturix, the new horse that Fabien excitedly named from a favorite character in Sentia¡¯s bedtime stories. ¡°No, that¡¯s too heavy,¡± Lothar said with more authority than Darius thought was wise, shoving the bag back at Marcus. ¡°That horse should be in a stable on a refeeding schedule, not packing gear on a mountain trail!¡± Marcus wiped sweat from his brow, settling the bag on the horses already packed back. Darius¡¯ heart sank, heat flaring in his face from embarrassment- he knew how Marcus would answer before the man could even begin talking. Dad, why do you have to do this now? He clearly knows more about horses than you. ¡°Dad-,¡± ¡°Silence,¡± snapped Marcus, before Darius could say anything else. To Lothar, he said, puffing his chest out, ¡°It¡¯s my horse-,¡± ¡°Which you just bought. Are you trying to kill it already? It¡¯s a walking skeleton- look at its ribs! You can practically count them! Not to mention its haunches!¡± ¡°Please- you¡¯re being over drama-,¡± Lothar grabbed Marcus by his shirt. The right bronze plate around his arm unfolded, forming into a long blade that began traveling toward Marcus. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you kill that horse. Morals aside, right now it¡¯s a lot more valuable to me than you. Take the bag back, or I¡¯ll stab your eye out and leave you bleeding on this trail.¡± Ripples of shock lanced out from Marcus. Several other people hurryied away from them, noticing the fight. Lothar stared down Marcus with icy blue daggers in his eyes; Darius had no doubt in his mind that the man meant every word he said. Dad, please, this is such a stupid thing to fight about. ¡°You don¡¯t know where you''re going- you¡¯ll get lost within an hour.¡± ¡°Oh? So that slave of yours won¡¯t know where to go? Or anyone else around us?¡± Marcus pulled away from Lothar and tossed the bag of barley to Darius. ¡°I need you to carry that for now.¡± Then, he hissed into Darius¡¯ ear, sounding like a deadly cobra coiled into a corner. ¡°Keep him happy,¡± Lothar¡¯s blade sank back into a folded plate. Revulsion unhidden, he turned his attention back to the horse, urging Caturix forward, who was slowly lumbering on top of the deepening, sand-like ash and pumice. Then, while trying to balance the heavy bag of barley on top of his backpack, he also noticed that Caturix was wearing shiny bronze sandals on his hooves, and that Lothar was missing the four bronze rings that he wore on his left hand. ¡°Pretty, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯re enchanted, too. The hipposandals will let him walk on top of the rock and ash, instead of sinking into it. Technically, they¡¯re meant for traveling on a beach instead of volcanic rock, but they work just as well here,¡± said Lothar, when he saw Darius staring. He held the bag in place as Sentia came over and began helping Darius tie it down. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re very grateful for your help,¡± said Darius, trying not to show how much he was struggling with the weight of the barley. Lothar¡¯s carrying way more than this. Sentia, too. I¡¯m not going to let them think I¡¯m some useless weakling. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do. You¡¯re helping me, too. Quite a bit. I don¡¯t know how to get to Rensworth from here. And all my maps are on my ship.¡± Lothar looked away, towards Marcus who was walking with Fabien and Emmory a good distance away from them. ¡°I apologize for my outburst. It was¡­ unbecoming of me.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my father- he doesn¡¯t know anything about horses¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for another person,¡± said Lothar, grimacing. Then he glanced at Sentia, who left them alone to walk behind Marcus. ¡°Your slave- he name is Sentia? Do you know where she got her flute? Did your father buy it for her?¡± Sentia? Her flute? Darius didn¡¯t know anything about Sentia¡¯s flute. Only that it was cheap and made of nickel, according to Sentia. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said Darius, telling this to Lothar. ¡°The slavers at the market almost took it, but Dad didn¡¯t want to go out and find one for her, and he liked that she knew how to play music. So he traded them a painting for the flute. But that was years ago. Before I was even born. Why?¡± Lothar grunted irritably, fiddling with a knot in Caturix¡¯s mane. ¡°It¡¯s better you don¡¯t know- trust me.¡± Better I don¡¯t know? Attempting to not show his irritation at being prodded for information and swiftly left out in the dark, Darius adjusting the strap of his satchel so that it dug less into his shoulder. Wonderful. Dad wants me to ¡°Keep the ¡®Asshole of the Year¡¯ happy, whatever that means. Meanwhile, I don¡¯t think Lothar actually wants to be happy. ¡­ They finally stopped to set up a pitiful excuse for a camp to rest several hours later; about thirty minutes after passing Beacon Rock, once the pumice had finished raining from the sky. Marcus attempted to set up a tent with one of the tarps, which slouched precariously to the side as ash began piling on it. Lothar promptly fixed it, citing qualifications of having earned all the badges as a Mage Fire Senior, the last one just before his acceptance into the Order of the Crescent Moon. ¡°Never underestimate how important proper knot tying technique is when building a well-structured tent,¡± said Lothar, using several strands of the string Darius had spun yesterday to tie a lean-to with their tarps, half buried under an oak tree, in a dug out pit in the ash. Once inside, Darius practically collapsed. If the quarters weren¡¯t so cramped, he would have. But with him, Marcus, Sentia, Fabien, Emmory, and Lothar, Darius barely had room to sit, let alone lie down, ¡°Get some rest,¡± said Lothar, squishing himself between Darius and Emmory. He pulled his satchel into his lap, letting Emmory lean his head onto Lothar¡¯s shoulder. Then, he began wrapping oak leaves that he had gathered in a cloth, along with a small jar of saffron oil, and stowing them away in a bag on his belt. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Darius didn¡¯t think he could sleep. The idea of closing his eyes and pretending the world wasn¡¯t ending felt like an impossible task. So he took out his spindle, doing his best to distract himself by spinning the glowing spell-thread. Sentia, who looked on edge, nodded in agreement, ¡°It would not be wise to stay here long. It will be safer further down the path. Selene¡¯s temple isn¡¯t far from here.¡± ¡°Wolf shifters, yeah? I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± said Lothar, pulling a jar filling with ash, salt, and what appeared to be crushed eggshells out of the bag, and coating his hands in the substance. ¡°They train coastal wolves, right? I saw one earlier- Holy shit; Darius, is that spell thread? Can I have some?¡± Darius felt himself become wide awake as a cold jolt of fear stabbed its way through him. He nodded, taking a few strands that he had spun earlier and handing them to Lothar. Lothar saw a coastal wolf? That¡¯s- well, no. We¡¯re near the ocean. Of course there are coastal wolves around here. ¡°Coastal wolves?¡± said Fabien, hugging his knees up to his chin. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± said Darius, realization dawning. So, good news is we¡¯re just outside of Death By Boiling Hot Lahar range. Bad news is we¡¯re smack in the middle of coastal wolf territory, and right in the middle of their hunting grounds. ¡°Don¡¯t be worried. They eat fish and crabs, not people,¡± said Emmory, lifting his head, though his pale and his eyes blown wide and worried. ¡°Yeah, and they¡¯re also the main thing around here that hunts Roc Eaters,¡± said Darius, thinking of the giant bear-sized jumping spiders that lurked in the ancient lava caves of Chutwaters coast. ¡°They eat Roc Eaters?¡± sqeaked Emmory, prompting Lothar to push him away. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby, Emmory. You¡¯ll be fine,¡± ¡°Yes. They hunt as a pack, dragging them out of the caves just below us, where the spiders live,¡± said Sentia, her voice low and devoid of any emotion. Fabien whimpered, then uncurled himself from his ball in order to throw himself into her lap. Her pursed lips pulling upwards into a small smile, Sentia hugged him comfortingly. The piercing scream of a woman split the cold night air. ¡°Wolf! Help! It¡¯s attacking- AAAAI!¡± Lothar lept from the ground, running out of the tent. ¡°Stay here!¡± ¡°Lothar!¡± said Emmory, starting to follow, only to get pulled back into the tent by Darius. ¡°Wait!¡± Fabien ran into his lap crying as the screams continued. they rippled throughout the crowd of other people sheltering nearby. A minute pased. Then two. Lothar ran back into the tent, the oak leaves in his hands covered in blood and an oily substance that smelled like saffron. In his hands he held what looked horribly like an eye, nearly crushed beyond all recognition. ¡°What-?¡± Emmory tried to ask, but Lothar violently shushed him, and began smudging the blood onto Fabien¡¯s face, a violet haze glowing around him as he muttered in a strange, lilting language. ¡°What are you doing to my son?¡± said Marcus, dangerously. ¡°Invisibility spell,¡± said Lothar, grabbing Darius¡¯ face, rubbing the oil-covered oak leaves and eye roughly across his cheeks. He nearly pulled away, but then remembered Marcus¡¯ earlier orders. ¡®Keep him happy.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s a massive pack of shifters out hunting, and a roc flying overhead.¡± ¡°A roc-? Wait, why do you have an eye?¡± asked Emmory, shuddering when Lothar began smearing his face with the contents of the spell. ¡°It¡¯s an invisibility spell, stupid. Why wouldn¡¯t it require an eye?¡± repeated Lothar, approaching Sentia, who grimaced before letting Lothar smear the oily, bloody leaves on her face. ¡°That¡­ That is a wolf eye, correct?¡± said Marcus, aghast. ¡°No- If it helps, she was already dead when I got to her,¡± said Lothar, offering him the leaves. ¡°Violent deaths- gruesome and horrifying, but incredibly useful.¡± ¡°You took that woman¡¯s eyes,¡± said Darius, feeling sick. ¡°I paid her handsomely; she¡¯ll live well in the afterlife. It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll miss them- the dead don¡¯t need eyes. Now shut up. They can¡¯t see you, but they can still hear you.¡± In the distance, another scream tore through the night. Then another, wailing for help as Darius heard wolves ripping apart flesh. Marcus relented. ¡°How long will it last?¡± said Darius, hearing wolves growling and snarling as they fought over the screaming man. ¡°Long enough,¡± said Lothar, cleaning his hands off with the cloth he had wrapped them in earlier. More screams. Fabien whimpered into Sentia¡¯s chest, making muffled crying sounds. ¡°How many people do they need to eat?¡± said Emmory, to Lothar with a whisper Darius nearly couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Surely-¡± Lothar looked at Emmory with dark, thundering eyes, and realization dawned upon Darius. The wolves weren¡¯t eating the bodies. Wolves wouldn¡¯t waste a kill. Which means they¡¯re not really wolves, thought Darius, feeling Lothar¡¯s mouth press up against his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound. Leave anything you can¡¯t easily carry. They¡¯re looking for people to add to their cult of horrors, and killing anyone who doesn¡¯t fit the bill. We need to get out of here. Fast.¡± Darius nodded. He abandoned the heavy pack that still lay upon the ground, taking only his satchel, which was still slung across his torso. Emmory, Sentia and Fabien followed as well, as Lothar motioned to them. Finally, Marcus took up the rear, with a resigned and exhausted air. Lothar freed Catuix of the pillows and luggage piled upon him, save for a thick blanket thrown over his middle. After coating the horse¡¯s head with the last of his bloody salve, he sat Fabien and Sentia upon the blanket, they beckoned at them to move. ¡°Take this- it will help us find each other again,¡± said Lothar, tying a strand of spell-thread to her wrist. A golden coin hung from it, the metal glinting in the dim light of the moongrass that surrounded them. ¡°Now get him out of here,¡± ¡°Keep following the moongrass path. Take the rightmost road everytime it forks. You¡¯ll eventually come to a temple dedicated to Selene- it¡¯s about two miles from here. About an hour¡¯s walk from the temple, you¡¯ll find a village- Roulon Bay. I¡¯ll meet you there,¡± said Sentia, sitting upon the blanket with little difficulty, like she had ridden horses her entire life. Then she raced away, holding tightly to Caturix¡¯s neck with one arm and to Fabien with the other. ¡°When did she learn how to ride a horse?¡± said Marcus, looking confused. ¡°In her other life as the lost princess of Coppergift, obviously,¡± said Lothar, shushing Marcus. Darius did his best to follow. But then he stopped, frozen at the sight of several bodies that had been piled in the middle of the moongrass-lit path. A walking stick, adorned with leather and blue linen, lay abandoned near them. The top was badly burnt. Lothar urged him forward, pressing a hand to the small of his back in a silent gesture. A shuffling noise behind him made Darius freeze once again. A wolf, taller than any he had ever seen stalking the coasts of Chutwater, was pulling another body toward the pile. Based on their tunic, Darius thought they were a beta, but over the stench of blood he couldn¡¯t be certain. One of their arms was missing. He heard a moan. Whoever it was, wasn¡¯t dead. Chapter 4 The wolf stopped. Its form blurred, until it morphed into a man. He was tall, even for an alpha; at least six inches taller than Lothar, with arms as thick and hard as tree trunks. The shifter''s hair was tawny and thick like his wolf¡¯s form had been, and the wiry stubble that grew from his cheeks was threatening to turn into a beard that was just as wild and unkept as his hair. He sniffed the air, much like an animal would. Then, the man looked at the ground, studying the ashfall. Do I flee? What about footprints? Will the enchantment cover them, too? But he can still hear me, even if he can¡¯t see me. And he can still smell me. But if I stay here, I¡¯m just as dead, thought Darius, trying not to breathe. He eyed the walking stick, wondering if it would slow him down if he had to run. But it would probably hurt someone if I were to hit them with it. Lothar motioned to him and Emmory, pointing down the trail. ¡°Go,¡± The command was silent, but Darius could read the word on his lips. His metal arm plates shimmered, preparing to unfold at a moment''s notice. ¡°Where oh where are you?¡± said the shifter, sniffing the air again. ¡°Six? Or is it four? No¡­ Four¡­ Two alphas, and two lovely little omegas.¡± Emmory shook his head, and looked to be preparing for a fight, but Darius grabbed his arm and began to pull him away as silently as he could. He grabbed the walking stick, holding it like a weapon as he padded away on tiptoes. ¡°My name is Amadean! I¡¯m a follower of Our Lady of the Fire. Tell me, would you like to be more powerful than you could imagine?¡± It sounded like the introduction to a deranged sort of joke. Had he not been so terrified, Darius would have laughed. Lothar moved away from Darius. With catlike grace, he ducked in the opposite direction of Darius, throwing a rock past Amadean¡¯s head and practically vanished into the moongrass bushes. Amadean whipped around, looking for the source of the noise. Wind whipped around Darius- they were running against the wind. Not ideal; all the stories Darius had heard about shifters said they were known for having the nose of a bloodhound. But if that¡¯s true, he¡¯d be able to find us by following our trail anyways, thought Darius, feeling Emmory fighting against his grip. ¡°I can fight him, too!¡± whispered Emmory, protesting weakly as they both continued to run away as fast as they could. ¡°Maybe, but we¡¯re not going to,¡± said Darius, taking a quick glance to look behind them as soon as it felt safe enough. All he saw was ash, and the occasional moongrass bush that hadn¡¯t been entirely covered in it. ¡°What if he hurts Lothar?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think your brother is stupid enough to get in a one-on-one fight with that guy,¡± said Darius, panting as he ran as fast as he could. ¡°He is absolutely stupid enough to get in a one-on-one fight with him!¡± A reverberating snarl tore through the air. Then a blurry shape, barely visible through the ash and dim light, jumped over them from a tree. It was another shifter, this one a silvery gray, though it could have been the ash that coated its fur. Emmory shrieked. It felt like a knife driving itself straight into Darius¡¯ ear, tripping him and sending him flying into the ash, pulling Emmory with him. I¡¯m not freezing again, thought Darius, pulling himself back up and helping Emmory back to his feet just in time to dodge as the wolf attacked the cloud of ash he had kicked up. Darius swung the walking stick. THUNK. The wolf yelped when the stick collided with its head, then moved like smoke as it morphed back into a man. Blood dripped from his mouth. Snarling like a wild animal, the shifter spat a bloody tooth onto the ground, then stared straight at Darius. ¡°Where¡¯s the other one?¡± He can see me? Darius gripped the walking stick harder, realizing his mistake too late- attacking the shifter had caused the invisibility spell to lift. He swung again, harder. But the shifter snatched it midswing, using it to pull Darius toward him before tossing it aside. Before Darius could back away, the shifter tripped him. Once again, Darius fell into the ash. ¡°We¡¯re having a feast, and you¡¯re invited- Lord Amadean has ordered us to invite people to our compound, to celebrate Our Lady of Fire¡¯s reawakening,¡± said the shifter, grabbing his ankles and dragging him across the ash and pumice. Where¡¯s Emmory? Darius kicked, but the shifter was too strong to free himself. ¡°Help!¡± Suddenly, Darius spotted his walking stick. He reached for it, swinging it toward the shifter¡¯s head as his fingers wrapped around the wood. ZAP! ¡°Argh!¡± Darius heard a strange noise. At first, he thought it was a massive bee or that a hummingbird had just flown past him. But just as he heard it, lightning burst from the air in an arc, wrapping itself around the shifter like a deadly cocoon. This time, it was Darius¡¯ turn to shriek. Emmory appeared behind the shifter; his hands, the source of the lightning, were gripping onto the shifter''s head in an attempt to wrench him away from Darius. ¡°What-?¡± Before Darius could react beyond confusion and a sense of relief, Emmory¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he groaned in pain. He collapsed, falling on top of Darius. ¡°Owie¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± said Darius, pulling Emmory to his feet, and slinging the boy¡¯s arm over his shoulders, leaning heavily on his walking stick. ¡°A trick Lothar showed me that Soul- um, Soul- that he uses as a last resort. Basically, you- you pull all the magic you can into your hands and con-condense it until it bursts out in a big- really big bolt of lightning,¡± mumbled Emmory, limping as they followed the path. His movement was stuttered, like his arms and legs didn¡¯t want to do what they were told, and Darius could see faint burns rippling up from his hands to his arms that looked almost like lightning. ¡°I¡¯ve never- Lothar was always- Ow¡­¡± Emmory whined, sounding a bit like a wounded animal. ¡°Don¡¯t try it. It really, really hurts, and uses far too much magic. Shit.¡± ¡°And if you fuck it up, you¡¯re dead,¡± said a pained, disjointed voice behind them. Growling behind them, the shifter stood up. He roared, then began running at them again, only angrier and in more pain than the first time. With a howl, the shifter morphed back into a wolf to bite Emmory¡¯s arm, then began dragging him away. ¡°Emmory!¡± Darius jumped onto the shifter, grappling the wolf¡¯s massive neck and using his walking stick to choke it. He held on, squeezing the shifter¡¯s airpipe with all his might. He felt them transform, turning back into a man. ¡°Let him go!¡± The shifter choked, unable to reply. By the time Darius realized that they had already let Emmory go, they were completely still. Nearby, Emmory was standing and holding his arm, as pale as the ash surrounding them as he stared at Darius and the dead wolf shifter. ¡°Emmory!¡± shouted Lothar, running down the path towards them. Clumsily, Emmory whipped around, nearly plummeting to the ground. Lothar caught him, picking him up and hoisting him over his shoulder like a sack of flour. ¡°Lothar-,¡± ¡°What happened?¡± said Lothar. When Emmory mumbled off a series of unintelligible explanations, Darius told him about the shifter attacking them and how they fought it off. Lothar reeled, fear showing on his face. ¡°Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?¡± ¡°What was I supposed-!¡± ¡°Damnit, Emmy, you could have killed yourself!¡± ¡°Yeah? Well, that creep was trying to-!¡± Lothar shushed Emmory loudly, unfolding his sword and holding it at ready as several howls rang through the woods. Freezing in place, and trying to stay as quiet as possible so that he might be able to stay out of the fight, Darius forgot about the dead wolf shifter on the ground and inched closer to Emmory and Lothar. Dad, where are you? ¡°I think they¡¯re leaving¡­¡± said Lothar, folding his sword back up. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± said Darius, not sure what he did wrong, but feeling guilty all the same. ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± said Emmory, lifting his head graclessly in an attempt to look at Darius through the mountain of red curls falling over his eyes. ¡°You got hurt saving me,¡± ¡°Just repaying my debt. You saved me during the earthquake. And you saved me again just now,¡± ¡°During the earthquake? What do you mean?¡± ¡°There was a shelf in your room. I was sleeping under it. Almost as soon as you moved me, it fell. While I don¡¯t think it would have killed me, I would have gotten stuck. Or badly hurt. And with us running from a volcanic eruption¡­¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Darius chewed on his cheek, not sure of what to say next. ¡°Lothar, you should have seen Darius- he looked so cool. It was just like when Gaius ran up and grabbed the viper that was attacking Captain Chewy and Roland-,¡± ¡°Who¡¯s-?¡± ¡°Captain Chewy is our neighbor¡¯s goat. And Roland is our little brother. Lothar¡¯s horse, Skitters, is terrified of him. The goat, I mean,¡± said Emmory, letting his head flop down with a groan. ¡°Well, Roland, too, I guess.¡± ¡°In Skitters¡¯ defense, all that goat does is escape his enclosure, find Skitters, and stare menacingly at him,¡± said Lothar, rolling his eyes. ¡°And Skitters is terrified of everything, including rabbits.¡± ¡°Well, if the rabbits weren¡¯t so vicious, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± said Emmory, with an attempt at a light-hearted joking tone that came out pinched, as his voice wavered in spasms. ¡°Yes, the vicious man-eating rabbits. How could I forget?¡± Lothar rolled his eyes again, ¡°What next? Giant snails that terrorize the countryside?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re armored, so they¡¯d be a bit harder to fight than slugs,¡± ¡°They¡¯re slow as all hell, too. Just throw a bunch of salt in their way-,¡± ¡°Salt is expensive-,¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my dad?¡± asked Darius, looking around wildly, hoping to see Marcus popping up. Emmory and Lothar both fell silent, then Lothar said, reluctantly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He vanished while I was dealing with Amadean.¡± ¡°Vanished? What do you mean?¡± ¡°He probably fell off of the trail and got lost,¡± said Lothar, without looking at Darius. Darius felt his heart plummet into his stomach. ¡°We have to go back-!¡± He moved to run in the opposite direction, but before he could, Lothar used his free hand to grab him. ¡°Absolutely not,¡± ¡°He¡¯s my dad! I can¡¯t just leave him here!¡± ¡°He can take care of himself-!¡± ¡°No, he can¡¯t!¡± Darius yelled, trying to break free of Lothar¡¯s grip. Marcus could do a lot of things; paint magical birds that danced on the wall, and build colorful tile mosaics that rearranged themselves at will. But he was a man of the city- survival in the wild was not one of them. Or mine, for that matter. Lothar swung Darius around so they were standing face to face, ¡°Darius, Emmory is hurt- I can¡¯t take care of him and go hiking through the woods to look for your father-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself-,¡± ¡°Going out there by yourself right now is a death sentence. You can¡¯t help your father if you¡¯re dead. And what about Fabien? Do you want him to lose his older brother on the same day? In addition to his mother and father? True, he has Sentia with him, but he¡¯s going to want you, too.¡± Darius growled, finally wrenching his arm free of Lothar. But he didn¡¯t run; though the idea of admitting it to himself, there was truth in Lothar¡¯s words. Encountering a shifter by himself would mean death, or worse. Darius didn¡¯t know what plans the shifters had for the unlucky souls they were ¡®inviting¡¯ to their feast in honor of Bantine, but he knew that he didn¡¯t want to find out. Fabien needs me. Especially right now. ¡°Fine,¡± said Darius, with a vicious snarl to try and cover the sob that was tearing through his throat. He wanted to yell again, but he could still hear people screaming in the distance as shifters continued to prey upon people fleeing Chutwater¡¯s destruction. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Fabien¡¯s alive, right? Darius stopped walking, biting his lip hard as he felt every muscle in his body freeze at once. No. I won¡¯t think like that. Fabien is alive. Sentia is meeting us at the village near Selene¡¯s temple. She loves Fabien- she won¡¯t let anything happen to him. But what if he wasn¡¯t? Darius hadn¡¯t expected Marcus to vanish, either. He hadn¡¯t gone to bed last night expecting the mountain to erupt, forcing him to flee for his life. Caturix was emaciated and ill, and in no condition to be running up a mountain trail carrying anyone, let alone both Sentia and Fabien. If one of the shifters attacked them, it would have been no contest. Not sure what else to do, Darius forced his feet to keep moving. He blinked, feeling burning hot tears growing in his eyes. Fuck. Quickly, Darius wiped at his eyes, disguising the movement by fixing the scarves that had fallen off from where they were covering his mouth. There was nothing he could do about the sniffles and chokes he was making whenever he breathed, but both Emmory and Lothar were acting like they couldn¡¯t hear him. At least I have that, thought Darius, who would have been otherwise mortified. The only people he was comfortable crying in front of were Fabien and Sentia. ¡­ ¡°Shit,¡± Lothar stopped at the fork they came upon. Leaning in close to Darius, he said quietly. ¡°Do you remember which direction Sentia said to take?¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Darius, moving away from Lothar to continue walking miserably through the ash and pumice on the ground. He had journeyed to Selene¡¯s temple several times with Irini and Sentia. He could hear how thick his voice sounded, and took a deep breath to try and calm himself. Sentia and Fabien are going to be fine. But¡­ What if Dad doesn¡¯t make it back? Everything is gone. Everything. All our supplies are gone. I have no money. Maybe I could work as a servant¡­ I¡¯m good at spinning. A grand building, built on the cliffside, and just off of the path came into view after about two miles. On a normal night, it would have glowed white underneath the moon from quartz mosaics that had been crafted on the outside walls and roofs. Now, the temple was barely visible through the haze of ash and grime in the air. Darius had nearly finished creating a battle strategy of how to survive his new life in Berger¡¯s Landing. After leaving the boat, he would find work as a tailor or spinner, then an apartment who¡¯s landlord didn¡¯t care that he was an omega and unmated. Sentia could watch Fabien- What if she leaves? In Berger¡¯s Landing, Sentia wouldn¡¯t be a slave. It¡¯s illegal there. She could leave if she wanted. She probably will leave. I would leave, too¡­ If that happens¡­ Fabien will just have to stay with me when I go to work, thought Darius, following Lothar deep into the clearing where Selene¡¯s temple was built. They passed a fountain where several people had stopped to wash themselves of the ash that had built up over the journey. After wordlessly doing the same, Darius continued down a heavily worn path that led straight to the temple. Lothar followed closely behind him, still carrying Emmory. A swarm of makeshift tents, reaching as far as Darius could see, lined the fields surrounding the Temple of Selene. The ashfall piling on top of them made them look like little stones, lined haphazardly alongside one another in mismatched patterns. The area was reasonably well-lit compared to the moongrass path. Torches and lamps were in most of the tents, filling the area with enough light that Darius didn¡¯t have to strain to see anything. Next to him, Lothar set Emmory down, who leaned heavily on Darius. Sweat-soaked red curls, covered in gray ash, stuck to Emmory¡¯s brow; the boy looked feverish and liable to collapse at any moment. ¡°Sentia should be near,¡± said Lothar, pulling a gold coin from his pocket. Darius didn¡¯t know if it was the lamplight or magic, but the coin glinted in an unsettling manner. ¡°What sort of magic does that use? The coin, I mean,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a coin,¡± said Lothar, handing it to Darius, ¡°Well, not a complete one,¡± Upon holding it, Darius realized what he meant. The coin had been cut in half; Lothar had the head, Sentia had the tail face. ¡°The enchantment lets me psychically locate the other half,¡± explained Lothar, as Darius flipped the coin over to see the grooves where the gold coin had been carefully cut in half. It was straining against another loop of Spell-Thread, and hovering in mid-air like a compass. ¡°Sentia¡¯s around here- maybe a few hundred feet away.¡± ¡°Where did you learn it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of the training regiment at the Blessed Lady of the Fountain¡¯s School for Mage¡¯s,¡± said Lothar, looking very proud of himself. ¡°I was in the top five students of my graduating class. Would have been in the top three, but I caught bronchitis just before the final exams- fell into the lake during our water-walking test. Still completed them, though,¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t they have let you take them after recovering?¡± ¡°No- the final exam had to be completed during the summer solstice,¡± said Lothar, with a heavy sigh. ¡°Where did you learn to spin Spell-Thread? It¡¯s not a common skill outside of the patrician class,¡± ¡°Saw a lady doing it once in the agora. Wanted to try it for myself.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t,¡± Emmory laughed, then coughed harshly. ¡°C¡¯mon. Who taught you? Where¡¯d you go to school?¡± ¡°Well, Dad¡­. Sort of¡­¡± said Darius, shrugging. ¡°Dad knows how to channel magic into his art supplies. I just apply the same principles into the thread I spin. It took a while, though. Moving magic through fiber is different from paint¡­¡± Darius deflated, his voice fading away as he thought of his father, lost in the woods. I can¡¯t think of that right now. I need to find Fabien. ¡°Um¡­¡± Darius wiped his face, feeling his eyes burn. He sniffed, taking a long, deep breath looking amongst the crowd for any sign of Sentia, Fabien, or Caturix. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ Where could-,¡± ¡°DARI!¡± Something approximately the size and weight of a medium-sized dog ran straight into Darius, crying loudly. Falling to the ground, Darius hugged Fabien back tightly, relief crashing through him like a cold, terrible wave. He shivered, unable to stop the icy feeling traveling through his hands to his heart as he pulled Fabien so tightly against him that he thought he might accidently crush the boy. Reluctantly, Darius let Fabien go. ¡°Where¡¯s Sentia?¡± said Lothar, his face stunned as he examined the other half of his coin tied around Fabien¡¯s wrist. ¡°I tied this around Sentia¡¯s wrist¡­ How did she get it off?¡± ¡°She untied it,¡± said Fabien, attempting to undo the knot. Lothar stopped him, then hovered his palm above the knot. The knot sprang open, allowing the coin to fly into the air as it soared to meet its other half. They fused together and Lothar placed the coin back in his pocket. ¡°Who trained her?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± said Fabien, shuffling his feet. ¡°She just did what you did, only she tied the thread around my hand. She said she wanted me to keep it safe for her,¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± said Lothar, looking around the crowd for Sentia. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She was right-,¡± Fabien paused, looking behind him. He pointed to a cart drawn by an old goat, sheltered from the ash by a tarp, and overloaded with bolts of fabric. ¡°She was over there. She was talking to a medicus lady with a wolf head who helped Caturix with a sore ankle he had, then she went to talk to the nice ladies with the goat. And then I saw you, so I ran over here.¡± Darius ran to the cart that Fabein pointed to. There were two women there, spinning. They stopped as he approached. ¡°I''m assuming you¡¯re the older brother?¡± said one of them, a beta with dark hair bound in a long tight braid. ¡°Yes- my name is Darius. I¡¯m looking for a woman, Sentia. She¡¯s Fabien¡¯s nurse,¡± said Darius, trying not to show how panicked he was feeling. ¡°Fabien said she spoke to you,¡± ¡°Bought a dress and a scarf from us,¡± said the other woman, resuming her spinning. ¡°With what money?¡± said Lothar, ¡°She¡¯s a slave,¡± ¡°Someone gave her a whole bag of gold,¡± said the first woman, giving a nonchalant shrug. ¡°She told me her master wanted the dress for his wife.¡± Caturix¡­ Dad told her to take the money from his safe¡­ It was probably heavy. He must have told her to keep carrying it for him, thought Darius, getting a sinking feeling in his gut. But Dad isn¡¯t here, and Mom¡­ ¡°Which direction did she leave in?¡± asked Lothar, frowning. ¡°She went off toward the forest with another woman. A beta,¡± said the second woman. ¡°I think she was a pirate- had a skull tattooed on the back of her hand.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± said Lothar, growling. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Pirates,¡± said Lothar, swearing to himself. ¡°As if wolf shifters weren¡¯t bad enough, your slave has gotten mixed up with pirates,¡± ¡°Pirates? You can¡¯t possibly know that from one tattoo-,¡± Darius said, starting to get frustrated. ¡°Do you know how to get to Rensworth from here?¡± said Lothar, changing the subject. ¡°I- Maybe¡­,¡± said Darius, though he knew it to possibly be a lie. He knew the moongrass path led to Rensworth. Marcus had business there every few months, and Darius liked to accompany him. However, he had never been the one leading the way through the winding, twisting path. The several places where the path split; Darius wasn¡¯t entirely certain he could remember which path to take when that happened. ¡°Then we set up camp, and move on tomorrow,¡± said Lothar, setting Emmory on the ground, near a fallen tree. ¡°Watch Emmory for me- I need to find some moongrass root.¡± ¡°M¡¯ chest hursts,¡± said Emmory, wincing when Lothar placed him on the ground. He¡¯ll need a lot of it¡­ Moongrass root was often chewed or used in tea to restore mana during the winter months, when direct sunlight was scarce. But dried moongrass root was more potent than fresh. ¡°I saw someone who had dried root on the way here. Kay, Emmy? I¡¯ll be right back,¡± said Lothar, kissing the top of Emmory¡¯s head. Emmory grunted, but his eyes remained closed, and he barely stirred. His already pale skin was clammy, and looked like every drop of color had been drained from it. Lothar pulled off his orange cloak, draping it over Emmory. ¡°What about the temple? We should take him there. They have healers,¡± ¡°They¡¯ll just give him moongrass tea- that''s what Father always has me drink when I''m like this after training. And besides- they¡¯ll separate us; alpha¡¯s can¡¯t enter the temple,¡± said Lothar, though he looked conflicted. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Just watch him for me, please,¡± Within moments, Lothar, too, was gone. Chapter 5 Seven years ago: It was warm inside the garden. Much too warm for any amount of comfort. But it was the coolest place in the family dwelling, so Darius forced himself to spin. It was warm now, but winter was only a few months away. Nothing was more important than spinning. Whatever couldn¡¯t be used for weaving could be sold. Sentia had even been teaching him how to make Spell-Thread, though he wasn''t skilled at it just yet. Above him he could hear crows cawing in the towering fir tress that dotted their neighborhood, and squirrels chasing them. Next to Darius, Sentia was pulling a thick bat of fluffy carded wool off of two large paddles, sweat dripping off her brow. She sat stiffly on a stool, like it was hurting her. Then, he heard Irini yelling at Marcus inside, though he couldn¡¯t make out what the argument was about. Sentia made a deep, mournful sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The mistress probably found out about the paint your father bought yesterday,¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her?¡± ¡°He ordered me to keep my lips sealed, so I did,¡± said Sentia, her tone sour. Darius dropped the spindle, twisting his toes on the soft earthen floor of the garden, wondering why Irini would sound so furious over paint. Dad¡¯s a painter. He needs for work, right? It can''t cost so much that it''s worth screaming about, can it? ¡°Aquamarine? AQUAMARINE!?¡± yelled Irini, her voice carrying through into the garden as Darius heard her moving through the house. ¡°How foolish could you possibly be? That money was set aside to pay taxes! They¡¯re due in three weeks!¡± ¡°I can double it after this commission is finished!¡± ¡°He¡¯s stiffed you before! And how long will the painting take to finish? Exactly what will happen to my house-,¡± ¡°Your house-?¡± ¡°Mine! It belonged to MY family-!¡± ¡°It became mine the moment you married-!¡± ¡°It¡¯s MY house!¡± ¡°I am you husband-!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you care about how this will affect-?¡± ¡°¡®Don¡¯t care? How could you say something-?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t care, do you-?¡± ¡°Listen here, woman; you married me so that you could keep your father¡¯s house-!¡± ¡°And then you spent all of our savings on fucking paint! Neglecting to even tell me!¡± said Irini, standing at the garden entrance, her back to Darius, Sentia, and Fabien. Sentia watched, looking a bit like a spooked deer. Irini smacked and pushed on Marcus¡¯ chest, pushing him away. ¡°You-! You-! You feckless coward! Out! Get out of my house!¡± ¡°It''s pigment, not paint! And I¡¯ll be back! You can¡¯t kick me out of my own home!¡± "Go! Just go!" Irini was perfectly still for several moments, then the sound of a door opening and slamming closed echoed through the dwelling. After making a furious click with her tongue, Irini swung around and waddled forward, heavily pregnant and bursting with waves of anxious, irate energy. She looked sickly, with a gaunt and pale face. Waving a piece of paper at Sentia. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You know how to write? And read? Who exactly-? Never mind that, just answer the question.¡± ¡°My governess, when I was a young girl. She also taught me mathematics, history, and politics. Um¡­¡± Sentia paused, gripping her right forearm. ¡°Is it possible for you to forget that..?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? Forget what? That I found aquamarine pigment in Marcus¡¯ studio while looking for a paintbrush? Not likely,¡± snapped Irini, her eyes flickering to the garden wall where the neighbors house shared a fence. She leaned heavily against the grape trellis, holding her pregnant stomach. Then, whispering under her breath she said, ¡°If he finds out it was you who tipped me off, he¡¯ll sell you to the millers. I can¡¯t teach him how to spin Spell-Thread. You can.¡± Relaxing, Sentia nodded, then approached Irini, ¡°Please- you¡¯ve been ill. You should be resting-,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rest later. Come with me. I need your help. I can apply for an extension, but I can¡¯t read the fucking-,¡± said Irini, cutting off her sentence when she then turned to Darius, her voice shaky. ¡°Stay here. Don¡¯t leave the house.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t leave the house.¡¯ The words felt like the only words he had heard since turning only a year ago. Darius tried not to scowl, though he wasn¡¯t sure how successful he was at it. Everyone is upset. I want to help¡­ ¡°Oh, gods,¡± Irini sank against the trestle he grape vines were growing on, thick and full with fruit. She clutched her stomach, holding it like she was in pain. ¡°Did I really scream at the top of my lungs? By Asos- what about the neighbors? I¡¯m never-,¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go sit down-,¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just gas. We have to leave now. The last time I had to fill out those forms, they took ages to process. Though some of that was waiting for the fucking scribes to fill them out for me, so maybe¡­,¡± Irini grimaced as she straightened, then said softly to Darius. ¡°Keep practicing your Spell-Thread. We might need to sell some.¡± Sentia¡¯s fingers twitched, like she was practicing notes on her flute. Then, she rubbed an ugly tattoo on her forearm, bearing the same seal Marcus often used on his paintings. Around it were sigils. Suddenly, they rotated, then glowed like red hot coals. Sentia squeezed her fist, her arms trembling like it was in pain. If Irini noticed, she did not say. Though Darius suspected that she did not, as she was already moving back through the door, shouting orders to Sentia. ¡­ ¡°Gaius?¡± Gaius? That¡¯s his other older brother, right? Darius handed Fabien several branches he was stripping for kindling, then scooted to kneel next to Emmory. The boy¡¯s face was clammy, and he gasped in pain when he tried to sit up. ¡°You should lie back down,¡± said Darius, helping Emmory drink from their waterskin. Though he spilled nearly all the water down his tunic while clamoring for the waterskin, he drank deeply once he managed to hold onto it. Emmory gagged, but swallowed the water, shuddering. ¡°Did you put vinegar in that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°I hate posca. I want wine instead,¡± said Emmory, turning away moodily. Shivering, he pulled his cloak tight around himself and rolled over so that his back was to the unlit fire pit and Darius. ¡°I don¡¯t have wine. But the ladies Fabien was with earlier said that vinegar water would help you recover and gave me some,¡± said Darius, feeling slightly offended as he screwed the cap back onto his now nearly empty waterskin. Out of water, thought Darius, feeling in his satchel for their second waterskin, also empty. ¡°Whatever,¡± Emmory sniffed, then said, ¡°Where¡¯s Lothar?¡± ¡°Trying to find dried moonroot,¡± said Darius, not sure if he was supposed to say anything else. But when Emmory prompted no further conversation, Darius went back to preparing kindling. ¡°Fabien, can you see if Isabella and Auria have any firewood? We just need some until Lothar comes back, then I can go find some-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a baby. Lothar just thinks I am. But you can leave if you need to find some firewood,¡± Emmory snapped, trying to twist around. But he hissed in pain, then went back to lying with his back to Darius. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Did I do something to offend him? Feeling slightly hurt, Darius was about to ask just this when Lothar appeared near Isabella and Auria¡¯s cart of fabric. ¡°Emmy, don¡¯t be a fucking bitch,¡± said Lothar, tossing down a large bundle of wood near the fire pit. Then he scooped up some of the kindling, lighting it by striking a piece of flint with a knife. ¡°I¡¯m not being a bitch,¡± ¡°Yes, you are. But I talked to the priestesses, and they gave me some willowbark and dried moonroot for you to drink in tea,¡± ¡°Sounds delicious,¡± muttered Emmory, in an extremely dry tone. ¡°They can¡¯t heal me in person?¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to send someone over here once they have a healer available. Unfortunately there is some demand,¡± ¡°We¡¯re Bergers,¡± said Emmory, sitting up to glare at Lothar. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean anything?¡± ¡°Yes, which is why someone will be coming to us- I made an extremely charitable donation to their temple,¡± said Lothar, sitting next to the fallen tree and pulled Emmory into his cloak. ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re in pain right now. But there¡¯s more people who are hurt than they can treat. One of their priestesses is coming, but they¡¯re running about as low on mana as you are right now.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Silently, Lothar tossed Darius a tin cup with two small canvas cloths stuffed inside of it. One smelled like wintergreen, but the other had a pungent scent that made Darius think of old cheese. So he went to the temple like I suggested. Good¡­ Selene¡¯s temple has the best healers. They¡¯ll know how to take care of Emmory. ¡°Do you know how to make tea with that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need more water. Can you watch Fabien while I get it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± A shadow swooped overhead, just barely visible in the thick haze of ash. It was a roc, the shadow of its wingspan gargantuan. Darius saw it land in the clearing, choking and gasping for air. It crawled on all fours, guardedly watching the humans scurrying around as they tried to avoid the creature; Darius couldn¡¯t help but think it looked somewhat like a bat that had ventured out of its cave. ¡°Baby!¡± said the roc, making a sad clicking sound. Its head swooped up, doubling in size like a crane preparing to fish. But then she collapsed in a heap on the ground, repeating, ¡°Baby! Where is Baby?¡± ¡°So it starts¡­¡± said Lothar, groaning. ¡°What starts?¡± said Darius, watching the roc nervously. While it was rare to hear of a roc hunting humans, it wasn¡¯t unheard of. Just stay out of its way. They prefer fish and giant spiders, not humans. ¡°What, you think people are the only thing fleeing that eruption? Every animal in Chutwater and the surrounding area is, too. This place will be crawling with every animal you can imagine before long.¡± ¡°The poor thing lost their baby before the eruption,¡± said Auria, walking over with a thick folded blanket. ¡°I saw her walking up and down the beach about an hour before Mt. Bantine¡­ Well, you know. She kept bothering the traders and knocking over crates and boxes. The city guard was organizing a search party to try and calm her down when¡­ well¡­¡± Auria dropped the blanket in front of them. ¡°Um, here. Selene¡¯s temple and what¡¯s left of Chutwater¡¯s city guard requisitioned a huge cart of supplies that they¡¯re passing out. I thought your brother could use another blanket,¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Lothar, surprised. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful,¡± ¡°Of course,¡± said Auria, sitting down next to Lothar. Not sure if the conversation was meant to include him, Darius grabbed their second waterskin and backed away to carry out his original task of gathering water. ¡°What on earth would take a roc baby?¡± said Lothar, to Auria, ¡°They nest on cliffs. Not even Roc-Eaters can get to them,¡± A human, maybe? Darius thought, watching the roc lying on the ground, taking shallow, wheezing gasps of air. Several city guardsmen had surrounded it, along with a few of Selene¡¯s initiates. By now, it was barely moving. He tore his eyes away, hurrying toward the well at the edge of the clearing. It was difficult; unlike the path in the forest, there were no trees here to catch the ash. While heavy foot-traffic had worn trails in between the debris that was in some places a foot deep, Darius still found himself tripping through the ash when he had to divert around crowds and tents. Why else would it be looking for its baby in a human settlement? ¡°She¡¯s dying¡­¡± said Darius, returning to Lothar. By now, Auria had left and a healthy amount of hot coals were glowing in the fire pit. He filled the tin cup with water, then set it on the coals to heat. ¡°The roc¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, well, think about how bad this ash is down here. I imagine it¡¯s worse in the air,¡± muttered Lothar, glancing at the giant roc. Once the tea had finished, Lothar took it from Darius with a mildly strained smile. ¡°Thanks,¡± ¡°No problem,¡± mumbled Darius, fidgeting with his spindle. He was too tired to want to do anything with it, but the alternative was allowing himself enough time to start thinking about the fact that his home and entire, save for Fabien, was gone. Mom¡¯s gone, Dad¡¯s gone, and now Sentia. How am I going to take care of Fabien by myself? I can get a job spinning or sewing, but what about an apartment or house? No one will sell or rent property to an omega on their own. ¡°Okay, Emmy, this is going to taste like dirt, but it¡¯ll make you feel better,¡± said Lothar, pouring the water into a metal cup. ¡°I¡¯m going to drink some, too, when you¡¯re done with it.¡± Emmory choked down the tea, protesting weakly when he tasted it. ¡°You should put some valerian root in that- it¡¯ll taste better.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll knock you out, even without the valerian root. So just drink it, yeah?¡± ¡°Yuck,¡± said Fabien, wrinkling his nose. He yawned, resting his head on Darius¡¯ shoulder. Soon, his breathing evened out, turning into soft, barely audible snores. Didn¡¯t Lothar say he would pay Dad to take him to Rensworth? Except, I don¡¯t even know if I can get to Rensworth, so that¡¯s out of the question. I can¡¯t rely on a bargain when I can¡¯t honor my end, thought Darius, throwing his spindle down and noticing that he was dangerously low on fiber. But he wasn''t ready to sleep, and he wanted something to do with his hands, so he spun it anyways. I can untwist it, if I really need to. It would be a tedious task, but the slow monotony of untwisting and pulling apart fiber that had been badly spun seemed like a welcome task right then. By the time it was gone, Darius was tired and ready to pass out. There was a jagged edge on his thumbnail so he placed the spindle back in his satchel and anxiously chewed on it as he tried to get comfortable on the ground. ¡°You were right,¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Darius stopped chewing his fingernail, certain he had misheard Lothar. ¡°About the temple priestesses. You were right,¡± Not sure how to respond as he rarely heard anyone tell him that he was right about something, Darius nodded politely, ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s good you went to them,¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m glad I did, too. I wouldn''t have known about the willowbark.¡± said Lothar, drinking deeply from his tea, and burying himself under his orange cloak. ¡°So, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± What¡¯s on my mind? Is he seriously asking me that? Darius stopped chewing, raising his eyebrow. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a lot of things I imagine you¡¯re thinking about. The end of the world, for one. I just don¡¯t want to assume which one is causing you to gnaw on your own fingernails.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Annoyed, Darius tore off the rest of the jagged edge of his nail, then spat it into the fire. ¡°I also don¡¯t sit well with silence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly quiet,¡± said Darius, gesturing to the sea of tents around them. He could hear music and chatter, though the air around it felt tense and unpleasant. As if the sound was artificial, and made up for the sake of being anything other than misery. ¡°You¡¯re quiet.¡± ¡°I like quiet, and I don¡¯t see any reason to talk.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asked Lothar, eying him curiously. ¡°I mean, once we get to Rensworth, I imagine you¡¯ll be coming to Berger¡¯s Landing with Emmory and I. Shouldn¡¯t we get to know each other?¡± ¡®¡°Make him happy,¡±¡¯ Marcus¡¯ hissed word¡¯s echoed in Darius¡¯ memory, causing his guts to roll around inside him. Make him happy. That¡¯s what Dad wanted. That¡¯s what Fabien needs. And it¡¯s better than stewing in my own head. Stomach twisting in his gut, Darius asked, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your favorite color?¡± said Lothar, yawning. ¡°Mine¡¯s orange.¡± ¡°Green. Or maybe blue. I have crows and bluebirds on my wall at home. ¡­Had. Dad liked painting birds,¡± Darius replied, his mind thinking of the brilliant blue birds on his bedroom wall at home. Part of him thought it might also be a stupid question, but feeling oddly grateful for it just the same. Half of him had expected Lothar to ask about Irini or Marcus or Sentia. "Crows?" "I like crows. They''re entertaining," said Darius, feeling himself smile slightly when he thought of the thousands of crows that lived in Chutwater''s city limits, despite the grim surroundings. ¡°What sort of activities do you like?¡± ¡°Feeding and brushing my horses. Sometimes. When they behave, I like it. I like riding them, too. I never feel more free than when I¡¯m galloping across a field on Aster. The villa is big. Too big, and too far from the city. Sometimes it feels like you get trapped there, but less so on Aster. She makes me feel like I can go anywhere and do anything I want,¡± Lothar smiled sadly up at the black, smoky sky above them leaned over, listening to Emmory¡¯s breathing, who seemed to have fallen back asleep. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I like spinning,¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite soothing,¡± said Darius, noticing that Lothar seemed unimpressed with the answer. ¡°What¡¯s Berger¡¯s Landing like?¡± ¡°Cold. Wet. But our houses are warm. My father¡¯s villa even has heated flooring- you¡¯ll like it there,¡± ¡°Will your father be okay with me staying there?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ If not, I¡¯ll make other arrangements for you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how to get to Rensworth from here, and you do. Plus, you saved my little brother from whatever horrible fate that werewolf would have enacted upon him.¡± Lothar smiled grimly, then curled deeper into his cloak. A guilty monster in Darius¡¯ gut churned, clawing at his insides. ¡°He would have done the same to me. It was self-,¡± ¡°You¡¯re far too modest for your own good. It doesn¡¯t suit you,¡± said Lothar, with a loud yawn, ¡°Grow some balls, and take some ownership for the shit you do,¡± ¡°Okay, fine. You want to repay your debt- what does that mean for me? Your¡­ arrangements, I mean,¡± ¡°You need an alpha, right? I mean, your dad was your alpha and now he¡¯s-,¡± ¡°Missing,¡± said Darius, before Lothar could say the word he feared. ¡®Dead.¡¯ ¡°Missing,¡± said Lothar, yawning again, then mumbling an apology. He stared at the fire for several moments, his eyes now red and bloodshot. Slowly, he moved from his spot by the fallen tree until he was sitting next to Darius. He wrapped their hands together and said, ¡°I can be your alpha. You¡¯re smart and talented. I¡¯m smart and talented. We¡¯d make a great team.¡± Darius pulled his hand up to grasp Lothar¡¯s hand, feeling a strange and sudden urge to move it to the back of his neck. There, at the nape, was a smooth, slightly oily patch of skin. It was a mating mark. According to tradition, whichever mate he chose to take would bite the mark, binding him to them for the rest of his life. With an alpha like Lothar, Darius imagined he would be one of at least several. Though it wasn¡¯t the custom in Chutwater, Darius knew from Sentia that alpha¡¯s in the Carnivorous Isles tended to have multiple mates. If Fabien weren¡¯t in his lap. If Emmory wasn¡¯t barely five feet away. If there wasn¡¯t half of an entire city camping in the field around them¡­ While Darius didn¡¯t want to say yes to being mated, Lothar¡¯s hand touching his skin burned in a way that wasn¡¯t entirely unpleasant, or unwelcome. He wanted to touch the pink skin of Lothar¡¯s lips, and keep looking into the blue of his eyes. Shuddering, Darius tore their hands off of the back of his shoulder- touching anywhere near that spot was indecent. And an alpha who wasn¡¯t his mate was practically scandalous. And outside? In front of everyone? What the hell am I thinking? We barely know each other. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to be my alpha,¡± said Darius, firmly. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve only known you for a day. What on earth would lead you to propose something like that?¡± Lothar nodded, then pulled his hand away. Yawning heavily, he moved back to Emmory¡¯s side, curling up with him underneath the cloak. ¡°Well, if you change your mind¡­ I¡¯d prefer if you had a beard, but that¡¯s not really a cake I get to eat. So you¡¯ll do,¡± ¡°You flatter me, Sir,¡± Lothar¡¯s eyes sparkled when he giggled. Then he lifted the cloak on Emmory¡¯s side and gestured to Darius. ¡°Get yourself and Fabien under here. We can at least keep each other warm. I learned that at camp.¡± Hesitating, Darius thought it over. Truthfully, he would prefer staying on the other side of the fire, but the night¡¯s chill was beginning to enter every part of his body, from his toes and into his chest. In his lap, he felt Fabien shiver and curl further into him. Fabien will be warmer if we group up together, and Emmory probably needs as much heat as he can get, too, thought Darius, giving in and slipping under the cloak and Auria¡¯s blanket to sandwich Emmory and Fabien between him and Lothar. ¡°What if I can¡¯t get you to Rensworth?¡± said Darius, unable to stop himself from confessing it. I can¡¯t keep it secret. It would be dishonorable, not to mention dangerous for all of us¡­ Emmory¡¯s already hurt- if we get lost, he could die. ¡°I must confess- I¡¯ve never taken the Moon Grass Path alone. Dad knew, but I¡­ I don¡¯t know how much I remember¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do just fine,¡± said Lothar, with a slurred mumble. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid to bash someone¡¯s head in, which is always useful. And I have complete faith in your navigational abilities,¡± ¡°Why?¡± But Lothar didn¡¯t answer. When Darius lifted his head he saw that Lothar had turned away from him. Frustrated, Darius hugged Fabien tighter. He probably fell asleep, too. Whatever. Lothar¡¯s right. I can do this. And maybe Auria and Isabella will know, too. I can verify what I remember with them. I can do this. Darius hugged Fabien tighter. Slowly, he felt himself falling deep into sleep. Chapter 6 The boar bristle brush scraped against the heavy wool of Darius¡¯ tunic, pulling up dust and hair. He let it fall to the ground. Nearby, he could hear Sentia beating a shawl like it had personally offended her. If it¡¯s Dad¡¯s coat, then maybe it did. Once the fabric looked clean, Darius took a rag that had been soaking in a bowl of clear liquid and began wetting the fiber. The vaporous, pungent scent of frankincense and alcohol wafted upwards, forcing him to cover his nose. It was like a silver mist that floated from the tunic, twisting in the air into circles. It made Darius think of the naked tails of scurrying mice. ¡°Flee,¡± said a clear, powerful voice. ¡°Do not stay here longer than the turning of night to dawn, and from dawn to night,¡± Darius spun around, not recognizing the voice. A boy who looked to be the same age as Lothar stood at the entrance to the garden. His hair was the color and texture of a lion¡¯s mane, and his tunic looked to be made of spun gold. Slung across his back and reflecting the sun in such a way that Darius couldn¡¯t quite make out any other of the boy¡¯s features was a bow made of pure silver. Sentia was nowhere to be found. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am the light, he of the silver bow,¡± ¡°I see that, but what is your name?¡± ¡°I am song, that which the seer-doctor sings,¡± said the boy, continuing to answer the question in a riddle, ¡°I am plague, brought by my golden arrows. I am the sun, whose light and warmth grow grain, and the rats that bring sickness, death, and bane. Now heed my words; flee, else your death you bring,¡± ¡°If you will not tell me your name, then you must be an evil spirit! Identify yourself, or leave!¡± said Darius, feeling his fear grow stronger. He picked up the brush, inspecting it to determine if it could make a good weapon, should the need arise. Maybe if I tuck in my fingers, thought Darius, moving the five digits so that they would not be injured, before adjusting the grip of his thumb. Five¡­ I don¡¯t have five fingers. I have four. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Through the painfully bright sunlight bouncing off his bow, Darius could see the boy tap his foot like he was annoyed. From the ground where he stepped, grew the sapling of a laurel tree. ¡°There are many answers to your question. Before your people first walked through mirrors, I was Phoebus, he of the prophets. I am of the white mice, Smintheus,¡± ¡°Smintheus?¡± repeated Darius. The name felt familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. He moved on, remembering that Sentia had disappeared. ¡°Where¡¯s Sentia? What did you do with her?¡± ¡°Abrexta prayed to me; I set her free. Luter¡¯s Island awaits; her destiny,¡± said Smintheus, holding out his hand. ¡°Flee, so that you will live. Or stay and die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Suddenly, Darius was no longer in the home¡¯s garden. He was sinking in ash high on a mountain. In the distance, Bantine sank into the earth. An avalanche of debris plummeted from her side, destroying everything in its path, including the Temple of Selene. Selene¡¯s temple, right¡­ Mt. Bantine erupted. Why was I washing my clothes? Was it the ash? ¡°I thought- But Bantine just erupted,¡± ¡°Bantine¡¯s eruption is not over yet,¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave! Emmory is too sick to move, and I need to find my father,¡± said Darius, frustrated. ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± Smintheus flared his nostrils, growing impatient, ¡°Very well; he is beneath Beacon Rock. There, my sister¡¯s child has been kept in chains. Amadean plans an unholy spell; a bloody sacrifice to bind a god. Bantine a slave; like a shark leashed with silk. Stop this madness, and your friend I will heal. But a warning before I leave this dream; you cannot save someone from their own pride,¡± ¡°Your sister¡¯s child?¡± ¡°Wake up,¡± said Smintheus, urgently. ¡°Wake up now. Enough time has already been wasted.¡± Smintheus moved and Darius opened his eyes. He saw a gray sky above him that pale light struggled to break. Tiny particles of ash hung in the air, barely moved. Dozens of black crows screamed, swooping and mobbing an offending presence that Darius couldn¡¯t see. Fabien was next to him, deep in sleep and snoring softly. A rat squeaked loudly. It jumped on Fabien¡¯s arm, looking at Darius as if daring him to do something. Darius tried, but he was frozen. It was as if chains had been bound to his arms, keeping him from moving. Go away! He wanted to shout, but his throat was paralyzed. Go away! Leave Fabien alone! The rat jumped onto Darius, standing on his chest like a lead weight. It morphed, turning into a crow, only it was pure white, like its black feathers had been coated with thick lead paint. It pecked him. The beak pierced through the wool of his tunic, straight into the flesh of his chest. Blood oozed from the crows beak as it lifted its head, painting its pure white head scarlet. A piece of flesh hung from its beak. Darius screamed, sitting up with a jolt and scrambling to attack the crow. But it was gone. The crow vanished, like a blinding mirage sent from a dream. Chapter 7 Lupa was a small dog. Her ears were large; combined, they were about the same size as her head. Dust covered her white fur, turning it a pale gray that stood out from the mottled brown coats of the other feral dogs. Her eyesight was terrible. It was blurry, and sometimes shaky. She was young, too. Last winter was her first winter, and nearly became the only one she ever knew when her mother left the warm den she and her siblings slept in and never returned. But Lupa was a clever dog. But she learned how to crawl into spaces that the other strays in Chutwater couldn¡¯t fit into, to steal food from the busy kittens of the thousands of thermopolis inside the city. When that wasn¡¯t an option, she learned how to beg food from humans who were sympathetic to her big eyes and bat-like ears. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Not for the cold of winter, which chilled her bones and made her feel like she might fall asleep and never wake up. The only shelter Lupa found was at the ruins of the Witch Queen¡¯s temple. There, hundreds of dogs gathered inside around marble statues of dogs, with faded, peeling paint. The stone walls and slate ceiling kept the occupants from freezing, and humans sometimes still left offerings of food for the dogs that called it their home. But while Lupa was never expelled, the other dogs distrusted her. They stole her food before she could eat, and refused to let her join their huddles, leaving her alone to shiver in a corner. Then Menon came. Lupa first saw the man walking off of a ferry. He approached her, looking at her like she was an oddity. But Lupa knew she was different from the other feral dogs, so this wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary. But this one gave her bread, while most humans only gave her glares and harsh words. Lupa followed him to a thermopolium that he lived above, finding herself a home inside the abandoned rat warrens under the building. Menon soon found her. Though Lupa thought he might kill her, Menon instead gave Lupa a bed by a warm stove in his office. Soon, Lupa¡¯s fur was clean, fluffy, and white. She grew fat on stewed meat, and hard brown bread that was softened in goat milk. Menon trained her and taught her tricks like how to jump through tunneling shadows, and digging through the papery folds between walls, which Lupa excelled at. She was a natural, Menon told her. Lupa was proud; she always knew that she was talented at digging and tunneling. Soon, Lupa received a collar with a large bronze tag that was polished to a mirror-like shine. Magical charakteres decorated the canvas it was attached to, giving the band strength and stability. ¡°Fifty silver pieces, I think would be a fair price,¡± said Menon, shuffling papers at his desk. Lupa¡¯s ears perked up when the alpha he was speaking to gave an angry reply. ¡°Fifty?¡± The alpha scoffed, clearly insulted. He adjusted a brightly colored tunic that smelled like lead and paint. ¡°You must mean to rob me. A commission of that nature would require at least a hundred.¡± ¡°A hundred? Marcus, surely for family, you could make an exception,¡± ¡°Family? What on Gaia¡¯s green earth do you mean? I¡¯ve never seen you in my life,¡± ¡°Well of course we¡¯re family,¡± said Menon, softly. Lupa whined, feeling unsettled as static electricity filled the air. Though Lupa loved Menon with all her heart, sometimes the magic he used was frightening. She hid in her bed, diving under her blanket. Menon touched a hideous amulet he wore, made of bone beads and a chameleon tail. The one red eye that remained to him glowed as mana pulsed within it, and Marcus¡¯ heartbeat soon felt overly relaxed, like he was sleeping. ¡°I¡­¡± Marcus trailed off, then leaned into his chair, saying, ¡°No, I must be mistaken. Forgive me- it¡¯s been too long. Menon, where have you been?¡± ¡°Please, do not blame yourself. A consequence of my condition, I¡¯m afraid,¡± said Menon, gesturing to the burns on his face, illuminated in the lamplight of his office. ¡°The skin that isn¡¯t burnt is sensitive enough. Add in my disfigurement¡­ I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t leave the house as often as I should.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°I hear your son has presented as an alpha. You have my congratulations,¡± said Menon, turning toward Lupa¡¯s bed and gesturing. Happily, Lupa barked and ran over, eagerly letting Menon pet her. ¡°Yes- Irini and I are quite proud. We are having a party in a few days. You will be there, of course? Why, you¡¯re his uncle! I would be insulted if you weren¡¯t,¡± ¡°As you should be,¡± Menon smiled, smelling excited, like Lupa felt when she caught a gecko to eat. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of missing it. You have a slave- she plays the flute, yes? I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s excellent, but I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever been privileged enough to hear her play,¡± The rhythm of Menon¡¯s heartbeat felt off when he said this. Lupa leapt into his lap, licking his hand nervously. Liar. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s become rather well known for it,¡± said Marcus, the corners of his mouth becoming tight as he spoke. The scent of envy radiated from him, and his pulse quickened once again. He picked up a glass pitcher from the desk to help himself to the wine, ¡°What¡­ What exactly do you do here, again?¡± ¡°Hm? Taxes and such. It is a busy establishment. I talk to people, such as you, and do paperwork,¡± said Menon, cheerfully. He began writing a receipt on a wax tablet. ¡°Now, as for payment. Perhaps we could compromise- seventy-five silver pieces? I can bring half to your house tonight as a security deposit, and the other half upon completion of the statuette.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Marcus took a large gulp of the wine, ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal. I should have your repairs completed by Fabien¡¯s party,¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Dishes clicked and clattered on the desk when a serving girl brought in a platter of food, and Lupa lost track of their conversation after being deposited back onto the floor. She smelled sharp cheese and olive relish, along with steaming warm bread, the crust of which Menon occasionally handed her. ¡­ Several days passed. Menon left the thermopolium, carrying a heavy dish that smelled of savory meat. Lupa followed him, ¡°No more,¡± said Menon, sternly and slowly. ¡°The rest is for the party. But do follow- the children there will have scraps for you, I¡¯m sure.¡± Soon, Menon arrived at the party. The street was filled with screaming children who ran in all directions, chasing each other in the torchlight. Lupa barked, joining them in the game of tag with boundless enthusiasm. She jumped and twirled, finally collapsing in the laps of two children after they were called by their mothers to eat. ¡°Fabien, what are you doing, bringing a stray mutt into the house?¡± said a woman, scolding one of the children. ¡°But Mommy, she¡¯s not a stray! Uncle Menon brought her! She¡¯s friendly- look!¡± Fabien held a vegetable out to Lupa, who ate it without any prompting. ¡°Who?¡± said Irini, confused. After a moment of thought she frowned, giving Fabien a harsh look. Then she pointed to the vegetables on his plate, ¡°Eat that asparagus, young man,¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t like-,¡± ¡°It is healthy and nourishing food; I won¡¯t have you feeding it to that mutt. Especially not that one. It¡¯s albino. Unlucky,¡± said Irini, shooing Lupa out of the room. ¡°Aww¡­ Please can we keep her if I eat all my asparagus? I¡¯ve always wanted a dog!¡± ¡°No, now eat your dinner,¡± Fabien pouted, then pushed his plate away, which only served to further irritate Irini. She shooed Lupa out of the room, pushing her into the hallway. Lupa sat for a moment, hoping Fabien would follow. But when he did not, Lupa began to explore. ¡°Lupa, come,¡± said Menon, whispering through the shadow, as Lupa almost introduced herself to an omega wandering through the quieter areas of the house. Though disappointed, Lupa didn¡¯t want to let Menon down, and ¡®Lupa, come,¡¯ was one of her favorite tricks. She hunted for a corner, then jumped, aiming for the spot where the light from a lamp met shadow. The world around her faded, then she arrived next to Menon. Proudly, Lupa wagged her tail and sat so that she would be rewarded with praise and a piece of meat. ¡°A dog? Menon¡­ Oh, she looks like Abbo¡­¡± A woman with a slave¡¯s tattoo on her arm stood in the hallway, holding a platter of dirtied wooden dishes, cornered by Menon¡¯s arm. ¡°Give me the flute. Senator Alard doesn¡¯t want you. He wants the flute. If you don¡¯t have it, he¡¯ll leave.¡± The woman hung her head, balancing the platter with one hand while she pulled a silver flute from her pocket with the other. ¡°That¡¯s not something I can do, brother. I am a slave, and I am bound by my master¡¯s orders. If you try to take this, I will be forced to fight you,¡± ¡°Abrexta, please¡­¡± ¡°Sentia. It¡¯s Sentia. The other- It¡¯s too painful. Please, just stop calling me that other name!¡± Sentia violently pushed Menon away, grief and anger consuming her features as the dishes fell to the floor. Lupa barked at her, before sniffing Menon to ensure he wasn¡¯t injured. Sobbing, Sentia bent down to pick up the dishes. ¡°You changed your name, too, brother. You were Segomaros when we last saw each other.¡± ¡°That was my choice. Was yours?¡± Menon bent down, moving the fallen plates and bowls onto the platter Sentia was carrying. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Menon, we don¡¯t have a lot of time. Someone could see-,¡± Sentia set the flute carefully on the floor, crying. Lupa whined, sitting next to her when Menon reached over to hug Sentia. ¡°Lothar is causing a scene to keep people busy while we talk. We have time,¡± said Menon, pulling away. He looked at Sentia with concern, his one remaining eye glowing like a ruby in the lamplight. ¡°I won¡¯t have you living as a slave-,¡± ¡°Marcus isn¡¯t interested in selling. Trust me- he¡¯s been given offers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find something,¡± said Menon, ominously. ¡°Perhaps flowers might change his mind. I¡¯m rather fond of foxglove. It¡¯s a rather persuasive plant,¡± ¡°If he dies¡­¡± Sentia shook her head, ¡°Irini and Darius are omegas. I¡¯ll likely belong to Fabien,¡± ¡°Fabien is a child. He can easily be convinced to free you,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want Fabien to lose his father-,¡± ¡°That man is keeping you as a slave, Abrexta,¡± ¡°Fabien is seven,¡± said Sentia, pleadingly, ¡°It would destroy him,¡± ¡°Do you hear yourself?¡± said Menon, with disbelief. He shook his head, then gave a short whistle to Lupa, pointing at the flute. Instantly, Lupa understood the command. She leapt into the air, landing right in front of the flute. After picking it up with her teeth, Lupa heard a whisper through the shadows. ¡°Menon, Fabien is mine,¡± ¡°The alleyway, Lupa. Outside the home. Don¡¯t be seen,¡± A string of lightning twisted through the air behind Lupa. Menon blocked it, throwing Sentia against the wall, causing her to cry out. Lupa dropped the flute, barking. She felt her hackles rise as a jolt of fear ripped through her. It was supposed to be a game. It was always a game. Menon gave her an order, and Lupa got a reward when she did as she was told. But now Menon was grimacing in pain as he pulled an electrified rope off his arm. He was hurt. Lupa could smell the burnt hair and flesh of his arm. She barked again, trying to alert anyone who could help. ¡°Lupa, be quiet,¡± said Menon, pointing to the flute with a shaking hand. His breath was short, and pulse erratic. But he made the same whistle as earlier, so Lupa obediently, and with great uncertainty, picked up the flute up into her mouth. ¡°Good girl. Now go home.¡± Home¡­ Home, with her bed by the warm stove, and endless bowls of meat and bread and goat milk. Lupa wagged her tail, worried that Menon wouldn¡¯t come back, just as her mother never came back to the den where Lupa was born. Sentia stood up weakly, grabbing the rope that she threw at Menon. Her long brown hair rose into the air, standing on end. Lightning flashed once again. Lupa jumped, then fell into the shadows dancing on the wall. ¡­ It was late enough that the coals in Menon¡¯s stove were all but gone, but the serving girl had not yet woken to replace them. The sun was still hidden, but both of the moons set hours ago. Lupa could hear birds only just starting to wake outside, twittering their morning greetings, and smell the fresh dew of morning. She stayed put in her bed, guarding the flute closely, and keeping her ears and nose trained for any sign of Menon. Whining, Lupa curled up, then sighed. It would be okay. She knew this to be true. Menon always came home. Sure enough, soon she heard familiar footsteps shuffling slowly up the stairs, along with the voice of a boy who wasn¡¯t so familiar. ¡°Tell me again why I woke up hugging someone who smelled like fish sauce? Does he work at an algae sauce factory? Because I¡¯m telling you, he smelled like he took a bath in fucking fish sauce,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe you could tell me the story later,¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love to. But I don¡¯t remember,¡± A figure collapsed through the door, falling onto the floor in front of the stove. It was Menon. Lupa cried out a happy bark, excitedly jumping up on his chest. There was a pungent ointment on his arm, and she could smell inflamed muscles throughout his body. But he was home, and he was alive. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back,¡± said Menon, with heavy sadness in his voice. He pulled the flute from Lupa¡¯s bed, then grasped her collar firmly, removing it so that he could hold it in his hand. The mirror-like bronze plate hummed, taking on a golden shimmer that rippled like water. Menon let the flute fall through it. ¡°There. The cursed thing is in Rensworth now,¡± Menon murmured, then looked to another figure that stood in the doorframe. He was a boy who wore a saffron-colored cloak, and had a mane of dark, frizzy hair. ¡°I¡¯ll leave tonight. You would be wise to do the same.¡± ¡°And your sister? You¡¯re just going to leave her here?¡± ¡°Lothar, I always forget how young you are.¡± Menon laughed, bitter and fowl. ¡°She won¡¯t let me kill her master, and her master refuses to sell her. I¡¯m not certain what more you wish me to do,¡± ¡°Steal her?¡± ¡°If I could have done that tonight without killing her, I would have already done so,¡± said Menon, spitting blood and a tooth into a pot on the floor. ¡°Abrexta doesn¡¯t need a tattoo binding her to Marcus; if it was removed tonight, she wouldn¡¯t leave. Not while Fabien is still there. Love is a prison.¡± Menon spat out the words like bile, ¡°Don¡¯t forget it. As soon as Alard breeds your sister-,¡± Lothar snarled, grabbing Menon by the shirt and lifting him from the floor. Lupa attacked, grabbing his pant leg and doing her best to bite his ankles. Though he was too big to do much damage, she could at least knock him off balance. Lothar let Menon go, pushing Lupa away. ¡°Call off your rat, Menon!¡± ¡°Lupa, down,¡± said Menon, groaning in pain. He grimaced, then mumbled what sounded like an apology. Why is he apologizing? Lothar should say he¡¯s sorry, thought Lupa, stopping her attack, but continuing to bark at Lothar. It wasn¡¯t until he gave her several small pieces of jerky that she stopped the assault, satisfied that she had sufficiently scared the boy into compliance. Once the jerky was gone, Lupa began licking Menon¡¯s face furiously, keeping a watchful eye on Lothar. But Menon did not want her assistance and pushed her away, ¡°Down, Lupa. Get down.¡± Lothar scowled, ¡°Look, if you talk about my sister like that again-,¡± ¡°Is it untrue? He bought her like an animal. He claimed her like an animal.¡± Menon stood up with shaky legs, moving slowly towards a safe hidden in the corner of the room. He covered his hand in blood from one of the wounds on his body, then placed it on the lock. It opened with a sharp click, swinging open to reveal bags of gold, and stacks of wax tablets. Behind everything was a small, intricately carved oak jewelry box. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. I¡¯ll be back and find a way to bring her home,¡± said Menon, breathing harshly. ¡°But first I need to throw that thing into the deepest well in Cape Fever that I can find.¡± ¡°Once it¡¯s destroyed, you¡¯ll kill Lukas Alard, yes? You¡¯ll help me get my sister back,¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, as I¡¯ve reminded you,¡± ¡°How is it not that simple?¡± said Lothar, growling. ¡°I help you destroy a stupid flute and get back your sister, and you help me kill my brother-in-law and get back my sister. That was the plan. That was our deal.¡± ¡°Killing Lukas Alard won¡¯t get you back your sister. Lukas Alard has brothers. Once he is dead-,¡± ¡°Ava goes back home to me, and the rest of our family. That¡¯s how it works,¡± ¡°In the Carnivorous Isles, yes,¡± ¡°What, so she just stays in Coppergift if Alard dies?¡± ¡°Most likely, yes,¡± said Menon, packing the contents of the safe into a small suitcase. ¡°According to their customs, she¡¯ll go into the custody of the oldest of Alard¡¯s brothers,¡± ¡°Then just kill every last one of them!¡± Lothar let out an angry growl, then gave the desk a rude kick. When Lupa let off a resounding spree of barking, raising her hackles once again, Lothar walked out of the room and slammed the door. ¡°Where are you going? And if you want an entire family dead, you¡¯ll have to pay me a great deal more,¡± said Menon, following Lothar out the door and downstairs into the empty thermopolium. Lupa raced between his legs, anxious to not allow Menon to be alone with the boy. ¡°Back to the party! Emmory is still there. I don¡¯t want him to be alone with Alard,¡± said Lothar, stomping down the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll take my ship to Rensworth in the morning.¡± Lothar paused, then made a shockingly giddy cackle, considering the anger that he had displayed just moments earlier. ¡°Oh! The omega! I bet I could get his father to trade Sentia to me in exchange for taking the omega as a mate. I mean, I need a mate anyways. Then, once I have Sentia- Abrexta, I mean- I just give her to you, and you kill Lukas Alard''s entire family. Then Ava gets to come back home to Berger¡¯s Landing. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something my mom used to say. She was¡­ odd. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± ¡°Not-,¡± Menon smacked Lothar¡¯s arm, eliciting a yelp from the boy, ¡°You are too thirsty for blood, boy. Killing one man is an easy feat. Poison can conceal a murder, and the courts can settle who your sister is given to from there. An entire family? People will want answers. Wars have been fought for less. Are you willing to sacrifice armies of men just to bring your sister home?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Lothar, without hesitation. ¡°And the families torn apart? You¡¯d curse them with the same pain you feel this very moment?¡± ¡°Hypocrite,¡± sneered Lothar, bitterly. But Lupa could smell a swirling mess of emotions splitting the boy¡¯s insides. ¡°You? You were once a prince of Coppergift. Now, you¡¯re an assassin. You literally kill people for a living.¡± Lothar seethed, pacing back and forth, ¡°Ava deserves to come home. I don¡¯t care what I have to do. I¡¯ll stop at nothing until she¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°And the omega you¡¯re suggesting to trade as a mate? Do they not get a say? Just like Ava?¡± Lothar had no response to this. Menon picked Lupa up, then began walking back upstairs, leaning heavily on the wall as he limped up the steps. ¡°Right now the flute is our priority. Alard knows I have a base in Rensworth; right now he¡¯ll have discovered that Abrexta no longer has it. If he gets his hands on it¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand- it¡¯s just a flute,¡± ¡°It¡¯s Spiritbound,¡± said Menon, the word sending a shiver down Lupa¡¯s spine. She whined, licking Menon¡¯s hand incessantly. ¡°Spiritbound? But that- there¡¯s a reason why Cape Fever is haunted as fucking shit,¡± said Lothar, fearfully. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s effective and powerful. But it¡¯s dangerous and nonsensical! Spiritbinding ties a spirit to an object in a way that they can¡¯t just leave. Not even if the caster dies. They¡¯re bound to the object until it¡¯s so decayed that the charakteres that bind them have decayed-,¡± ¡°The flute was made before we understood the effects,¡± said Menon, with a heavy sigh. ¡°Should they decide to transpose their magic into the flute, awakening the spirit that powers its magic, the player can manipulate those who hear the flute¡¯s song. ¡°Mind control¡­¡± Lothar paced back and forth, weaving between the tables of the thermopolium¡¯s front room. ¡°So that¡¯s why Alard wants the flute.¡± ¡°He could bewitch the entire senate floor,¡± said Menon, his aura darkening. Lothar became quite still, freezing in place as his face paled. ¡°That was Abrexta¡¯s original mission. When Fairghe Aura expanded and took Coppergift and its surrounding territories, she was sent to throw the instrument into the waters of Cape Fever,¡± ¡°Why not just melt it down?¡± ¡°The iron used to make the steel the flute was made from was taken from a dragon¡¯s gullet. She could have thrown it into the heart of Mt Bantine, and the only thing it would have done is haunt the volcano.¡± Lothar rolled his eyes, obviously skeptical of this claim. ¡°Okay¡­ So adding to the already polluted mess in Cape Fever is better? Something as powerful as a flute made from dragonsteel won¡¯t just make some weird, consistently unlucky water. It¡¯ll make a fucking sea monster. Any magical object can be destroyed. You know that. There are dragons. They¡¯re rare, but they still exist. Go find one and have them eat it, then melt it down, thus destroying the charakteres, freeing the spirit, and not further polluting the already radioactive land and sea that is Cape Fever. They, by which I mean the dragons, eat fucking rocks. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take much convincing,¡± Menon smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. ¡°Abrexta¡¯s mission was to throw it into the water of Cape Fever. Anything more than that¡­ I simply wasn¡¯t privileged to hear. Besides- Abrexta has spent nearly two decades as a slave. I¡¯m certain if it was functional at all, she would have used it.¡± A long period of silence passed between Lothar and Menon. Lupa whined again, sensing anxiety and indignant anger inside Lothar. Is he going to try to hurt Menon again? But before she could bark once again, alerting Menon to the danger, it vanished. Lothar sighed heavily, becoming placid and relaxed. ¡°Well, fuck,¡± said Lothar, kicking the floor, then dragged his fingers through his hair. He began putting on his shoes, his hand shaking slightly. Once finished, Lothar stood by the door, fidgeting with a metal tag he wore around his neck. ¡°You¡¯re right. They probably already did the literal dirty work twenty years ago. You were a prince, right? I¡¯m sure the mages wouldn¡¯t have been that irresponsible. I¡¯ve heard stories about the mages of the royal court of Old Coppergift; they were the best of the best.¡± ¡°I worked with them personally,¡± said Menon, relaxing as well. ¡°Their work was always exceptional,¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then,¡± said Lothar, turning to walk out the door, into the dark street. ¡°Before you go- humor me one thing, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said you need a mate,¡± said Menon, curiously, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± A flurry of emotions ran through Lothar. Lupa smelled fear, doubt, and a great deal of distrust. Lothar¡¯s hand twisted the knob of the already opened door, tilting his hand as if listening to the small mix of pedestrians walking down the early morning street. He smiled, though it had far too many teeth for Lupa¡¯s comfort. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the entire reason I came to Chutwater, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Lothar, in a calm but eerie manner. ¡°I met a beautiful omega in Berger¡¯s Landing and fell in love, but before I could ask them to be my mate, they had already left for their home in Chutwater. I couldn¡¯t possibly go home without them. Then I would be a failure in Father¡¯s eyes. And Emmory''s as i didn''t count on him sneaking on board the ship... Besides, what sort of omega would turn down a proposal from me, Lothar Berger, of Berger¡¯s Landing?¡± ¡°As I heard it, it used to be Fort Leonys. Named for the lion-headed sharks that stalk it¡¯s waters,¡± ¡°And now it¡¯s Berger¡¯s Landing,¡± said Lothar, with a cruel sneer. ¡°Great Grandfather renamed it in our family''s honor, after his army conquered the Carnivorous Isles. And once they were done there, Father took Fairghe Aura¡¯s army to Coppergift and freed it in the name of democracy,¡± Without waiting for Menon to reply, Lothar twirled around, slamming the door closed as he retreated down the street. Lupa¡¯s ears twitched when Menon clicked his tongue. Gently, Menon petted him, then said, ¡°Follow. But don¡¯t let him see you. He¡¯s hiding something.¡± With an excited bark, Lupa jumped down. Fun! ¡®Follow¡¯ was Lupa¡¯s favorite game. She sniffed where Lothar had stood, and where he twisted the door frame. A single strand of hair, from where he raked the frizzy black locks, and dirt where he kicked the frame. Lupa wrinkled her nose; horse dung and pine sap. The hair smelled like fancy soap. With a bounding leap, Lupa dove into the corner of the room. She let her sink into the shadow, lurking into the thin layers of the world. They bent, twisting and folding like paper. Lupa navigated, expertly; she was an expert at fitting into the tiny corners of the world.