ã€ŠTree of Magicã€‹


 01-001

    "Just remember to breathe."

    "Never forget your pencils."

    "You should have eaten breakfast."

    On and on the voices in his head went, and Cameron grimaced in response to them. They weren''t his voices. Or rather, they weren''t his own thoughts. They were definitely his own voices, though, since no one else seemed to hear them and he knew he wasn''t sensing the thoughts of those around him. Telepathy was a magic he had failed to acquire during his attempts at learning it.

    He wasn''t entirely sure what the voices were, but he was confident in one thing: the voices were talking to him. As usual. He shuffled his feet, looking around the street he was scuffling down. If the police saw him, he''d probably be grabbed for truancy again. Slipping away the last time that happened hadn''t been easy for him.

    "That lady was very pretty. Think she''d be willing to give you some money for a meal?"

    "Quiet, you," Cameron hissed under his breath.

    That particular voice annoyed the twelve-year-old boy. It was always checking out the women around him and making comments. To him, it seemed like something the boys at the foster homes he''d run from would do. They were older, teens.

    They were also nasty. At least the voices were better about certain things.

    For two years, Cameron had hidden on the streets, guided by the voices in his head. For the most part, they''d kept him safe. It had been touch-and-go with the voices at first, though. He didn''t always hear them initially, which sometimes caused him to miss part of what they were saying.

    Over time, however, his connection to them grew stronger and he came to rely on them, to depend on them. Some of them knew what he needed to do before he did, something which saved his life on more than one occasion.

    "Just saying," the voice responded. "She was very pretty. I bet if you-"

    "You know he doesn''t like hearing that."

    "Yeah, he doesn''t. It makes his face flush, sort of like when he sensed the minds of those people the other day who were-"

    "I said hush!" Cameron hissed again, drawing looks from adults. He gave them a nervous smile. "Sorry, I''m late for school and have a test, and the, um, the voices of self-doubt are hitting me."

    The man who''d been looking at him most critically nodded and kept moving and Cameron let out a sigh of relief. He was still nervous around people. During his time on the streets, he''d also grown to be able to sense the minds of others, though that had only begun around six months prior.

    He couldn''t read them, but he could sense them, receive impressions from them. Much like the voices, that ability had served him well ever since he developed it. He could tell if someone was hiding down an alley, for instance. He could tell how hostile someone was or if they were lying or honest.

    Admittedly, he''d only figured out how to do that last one just a few weeks before, but he still thought it useful.

    "No, go right," one of the voices said as Cameron went to cross the street straight ahead.

    Shuffling his feet for a moment, Cameron darted his eyes around, then turned right and went down the street. He hated going down streets like the one the voices guided him to. He could tell before he''d even set foot on it that it was the local whacko street.

    The street with people who claimed to be psychics and the shops selling ''magical'' goods. He knew most of the people doing that were just regular people, people who did that just to make money or fool others. Or themselves.

    Since he could hear voices in his head and sense minds, Cameron knew others probably had powers, too. The voices even admitted it to him when he asked. They''d also told him about how most magicians were either registered with the government or part of a criminal operation, and he wanted to beneither of those.

    He didn''t want to work with criminals and he definitely didn''t want the government to know about him. He''d had bad enough luck in the several foster homes he''d been in before the voices started talking to him and he''d run away. If he went to the government, they''d likely put him back in one, where he would just be abused again.

    Cameron did his best to move quickly, pulling his mind as close to him as he could. Ever since that particular power awakened, he couldn''t figure out how to shut it out, much like the voices in his head. He could, however, change its range. Anywhere from three feet to three hundred.

    If there were other magicians around, he didn''t want to risk one of them being able to sense his mind brushing against theirs.

    Frowning, Cameron realized that one of the voices had mentioned pencils again.

    "Why do you keep bringing up pencils?" He muttered under his breath.

    "They have proven themselves very useful," the voice that had just told him to never forget them responded. "Did you know that you can stab someone with one? And most people don''t realize just how deadly they can be, thinking it''s only a thing of media. But nope, you could ram it through an eye, sharpen it and ram it into-"If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Stop!" Cameron hissed.

    "Excuse me?" A voice not in his head but through his ears startled him, and he jumped, looking at the speaker.

    A heavyset woman in her forties or fifties, her graying brown hair was tied into a neat braid down her back, her dark brown eyes staring down at him disapprovingly. She was dressed in a flowery blouse and black pants, a dark green apron over it all. The white name tag with green lettering fixed to the apron declared her Elaine.

    He had nearly walked into her, he realized, and the voices in his head were giggling at him. She held a watering can in her hand, and he quickly turned his gaze to the half-barrels in front of the shop they were in front of. They were filled with colorful flowers he couldn''t identify.

    "Sorry," Cameron muttered. "I-I''m late for school, and-and I should be on my way. Sorry. Just, um, just talking to my self-doubt. I''ve a math test, and I''m awful at math, and-"

    "You can stop," she says. "I know you aren''t heading to school, little one. You''re not clean enough, and judging by your body, it''s been a decent time since you''ve had a good meal. Where are you really going?"

    "I-I have to go," Cameron starts to walk, only to trip over nothing.

    He threw his hands out, catching himself and springing forward, finding himself tripping again. That went on several times, with Cameron catching himself quickly. He might have been skinny, but he still had some decent reflexes, honed over the two years he''d been on the streets.

    Something else the voices had been good for.

    "You can give it up, kid," Elaine said. "Until you-"

    "NOW!" All of the voices in Cameron''s head hollered in unison.

    While Cameron had been used to the voices in his head for awhile, having all forty-some of them yell at once was too much for him, and he passed out, collapsing onto the ground, his body going limp.

    <hr>

    "Oh, dear," Elaine muttered as the small boy collapsed to the ground. "He never hit his head. What happened?"

    She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then set her watering can down and walked over to the boy. Grabbing him, she found herself nearly grunting as she lifted him up.

    He''s heavier than he looks, she thought to herself.

    After picking her watering can back up, Elaine returned inside, grateful that the street had been empty at that moment. It wouldn''t do for people to see her bringing in an unconscious kid. They might think something she didn''t want to deal with the fallout of others thinking.

    "Elaine!" Suzanne, Elaine''s friend and only employee, called out from the back room. "Did you finish watering the plants? If-"

    "Kid passed out in front while I was watering," Elaine interrupted, walking through the open door to the back.

    She walked down the hall and up the stairs as Suzanne, the twenty-six-year-old prodigy joining her after locking up the front.

    "He''s so small," Suzanne commented as Elaine set him on the couch in their living room.

    "And that''s not fat we do see," Elaine said. "He''s got a layer of light muscle on him."

    "Look at the dirt," Suzanne said. "Street kid?"

    "Probably passed out from hunger," Elaine said. "Though he looked to be in pain just before he passed out."

    "What did you do to him?" Suzanne asked suspiciously. "Did you trip him up again?"

    "He caught himself every time," Elaine stated. "He never struck his head. Kid has some decent reflexes. Judging by his size, he may have passed out from hunger. Get the reading crystals. If he possesses no talent, we''ll let the police know so they can pick him up. If he does have talent, we''ll see where he aligns before proceeding."

    Suzanne nodded and left, returning a few minutes later with a small, wooden box, a flower painted onto the cover of it.

    "Thank you," Elaine said, then turned to the boy and lifted his shirt, pushing it up to his shoulders a few times before grunting and pulling it off of him. "Damn thing wouldn''t stay up."

    She opened up the box, running her fingers over the various colorful crystals contained within. Fire, water, earth, wind, energy, light, dark, enchant, force, blood, necromancy, scourge, nature. The thirteen primary schools of magic. The crystals, when placed on someone and hit with the proper spell, could read someone''s affinity for them. The only five crystals she hadn''t managed to acquire yet were of the lone schools of magic, the schools of void, time, space, shift, and mind.

    Taking the fourteen crystals from Suzanne ¨C the thirteen to represent the thirteen primary schools of magic, and the dark purple one which represented magic itself ¨C Elaine began arranging them on the boy''s chest and stomach.

    Hovering her hands over the boy, Elaine wove together the spell that would activate the reading ability of the crystals. A few seconds passed before she felt the spell complete. The rich, violet crystal for magic began to glow with a furious intensity, nearly blinding Elaine before she canceled the spell.

    She then spent the next several minutes blinking the violet spots from her eyes, knowing Suzanne was likely doing the same. The boy had a powerful gift of magic.

    As soon as her eyes had recovered enough she could see properly, Elaine looked down at the crystals, and for the first time in nearly two decades, she felt herself heavily surprised. The boy wasn''t just powerful, his magic had destroyed the dark purple crystal of magic when it read it. In fact, he had destroyed all of the crystals.

    "It''s about time I started keeps some specifically as backups," Elaine declared.

    "What does that mean?" Suzanne asked.

    "He''s powerful," Elaine told her. "Beyond what a child should ordinarily be."

    "What''s his school?" Suzanne asked. "I didn''t catch which of the crystals tested positive."

    "None of them," Elaine answered. "The boy has a hard road ahead of him, as it seems that not only is he powerful enough to destroy the testing crystals when they read his magic, but he possesses one of the five lone schools."

    "If he''s lived on the streets," Suzanne said. "Do you think he''s run from something?"

    "I doubt he''s an experiment," Elaine snorted. "If someone were able to consistently produce powerful mages like him, we''d already know about it. My guess? He might not know he''s a magician at all. He is only twelve. However, if he''s been on the streets awhile, it''s possible he may have awakened his gift through the stress and danger."

    It wasn''t an uncommon way for a magician to awaken into their power, though it wasn''t the preferred method. Elaine had awoken Suzanne through the ''preferred'' method ¨C meditation and looking in upon oneself to find their tree.

    "So he''s probably not registered," Suzanne let out a long breath. "What are you going to do?"

    "He''s even more powerful than my uncle," Elaine snorted. "Of course I''d see if he''s up for training. That will have to wait until after he''s woken, of course. The trick will be training him, since he doesn''t have a magic in any school you or I know."

    Elaine herself used a mix of nature, water, enchant, earth, and wind magics, while Suzanne used wind, earth, and enchant magic. Elaine did know a little of force and blood magic, but not enough to consider herself a good teacher with either of them.

    Neither of them possessed the lone schools of magic.

    "I''ll need you to run the store," Elaine told Suzanne. "Fetch him a clean outfit, would you? Once he wakes, I''m having him take a shower. Gods know he could use one."

 01-002

    Cameron woke in an unfamiliar place, and kept himself silent and still as soon as he did. He kept his breathing in the pattern he knew he had when he slept. No one would notice he''d woken, not unless they could sense minds.

    Praying for a miracle, he hoped the voices would tell him what happened to him. Strangely, they were silent, though he could still sense them there. Ever since he could sense them, he could never not sense them, something which had become a comforting for him. No matter how much he felt alone, he knew he wasn''t so long as he could sense the voices.

    As soon as he thought about sensing, Cameron slowly expanded his mental range, detecting three minds nearby. He was on the second level of a building, he determined, and there were three other people within it. One upstairs, in the same room he was in, the other two conversing downstairs. One seemed frustrated while the other remained calm.

    Something that bothered Cameron about the situation wasn''t that it felt like he was lying on a couch, but that someone had removed his shirt. Without his permission. Panic began to set in, though he could still feel his pants and shoes. That didn''t mean anything, though, right? It could have just been too difficult for them to put his shirt back on after, right?

    "Do you think she has any pencils?"

    Cameron let out an involuntary groan, freezing up as soon as he realized he''d alerted the guest ¨C who was female, judging by her mind and the voice ¨C that he''d awoken.

    "No need to groan," the woman said, and he recognized the voice of the woman he''d spoken with before fainting, and he sensed a little amusement in her. "My name is Elaine. Do you remember meeting me?"

    "Yes," Cameron slowly sat up, taking in the living room he was in.

    Rugs in earthen tones covered the floor, the walls painted a mild brown. Other than the couch he was on, there was also a love seat and two recliners, one of which was occupied by Elaine. A coffee table sat in the center of the room. Resting on the table was a polished wooden box with a flower painted onto the top.

    Two openings led out of the room, one into a hall and one into the kitchen. It was a cozy little home, but it could be a trap. Cameron had awoken in comfortable traps before.

    "Where''s my shirt?" Cameron asked.

    "She burned it."

    "That thing stank, anyway."

    "I threw it out," she informed him. "Bathroom''s down the hall, second door on the left. There''s already a set of clothes for you in there, take a shower. We''re having a talk once you''re done, and don''t think about running."

    Cameron nodded, then hesitantly went to the indicated room. The woman made him nervous, and her verbal warning had a little of that same tone in her mind. She didn''t want him to leave and that bothered him. If she hadn''t already done bad things, then was she about to?

    Looking around the bathroom, Cameron hurriedly locked the door, then walked over to the shower, examining it. At least that looked normal. He turned on the water, which was hot immediately. It had been more than a year since he''d last had a proper shower, but one thing he remembered was that they were never hot immediately.

    How did she do that? He wondered.

    Stripping, Cameron stepped into the shower, nearly yelping at the sudden heat on his body. He adjusted the temperature to a more comfortable level, then spent the next twenty minutes scrubbing himself. He sensed Elaine head downstairs and talk to the other woman, the man that had been down there leaving a few minutes after he woke.

    Elaine then went towards the front, then returned to the other woman, and the two came upstairs. He supposed they were above the shop and that they had just locked it. That didn''t comfort him in the slightest. The voices never led him to a trap before, but there was a first time for everything.

    When he finished the shower, he stepped out and took the towel from the bar, patting himself down before rubbing it against his cheek. It was fluffier than anything he''d touched in two years and he didn''t want to stop using it.

    But he had to, he knew, so he quickly changed into the jeans and tee they had provided. There was even fresh underwear and socks, though he knew the size of the underwear had been guessed at based on how badly they fit him.

    That gave him some degree of relief. It meant they didn''t know for sure. He wasn''t sure how they knew his sock size, though, and thought about that as he pulled his sneakers back on. They were held together with duct tape, but they worked. He didn''t see a fresh pair of them, anyway.

    That didn''t bother him, especially considering the new clothes felt uncomfortable on him.

    "How long was I out?" Cameron muttered under his breath as he laced up his shoes.

    "You''ve been out of the shower for three minutes and twenty-eight seconds."

    Cameron snorted a little. The voice that always kept track of time, no matter what, was usually silent, but if he asked a question about time, it would answer. Sometimes, misunderstanding what he was referring to, like then. He often wondered if that particular voice didn''t speak English as its native language.

    "He meant unconscious," another voice informed the timekeeper.

    "Oh. Two hours, eighteen minutes, forty-two seconds."

    "Why did you guys do that to me?"

    "Do what?"

    "Yeah, we didn''t do anything to you."

    "We especially didn''t ensure you passed out in front of the mage."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Sh! He wasn''t supposed to know!"

    "Elaine''s a mage?" Cameron suddenly felt scared. "You guys know I don''t want to-"

    "She teaches unregistered mages."

    "But you said if anyone found out about my power-"

    "Then don''t tell her that you can sense minds and hear voices."

    "Especially that last part. Most people would think you''re crazy."

    "I think I''m crazy," Cameron hissed, then gathered up his old clothes, pulling out his wallet and shoving it into his new pants.

    Instead of attempting to get more answers out of the voices, since he knew they wouldn''t tell him, Cameron made his way back to the living room, standing hesitantly in the doorway. The other woman was in her twenties, and had long, brown hair, also tied into a tight braid, and dressed in a similar outfit as Elaine, except her blouse was a plain blue one instead. Her name tag declared her as Suzanne.

    The two women were looking at him with curiosity, and that worried him. He never liked it when adults were curious about him. Especially not after what caused him to run away from the last foster home.

    "We don''t bite," Elaine smiled warmly at Cameron. "I promise. Come on in and sit down."

    "Why did you take off my shirt?"

    "Come in and we''ll explain."

    "They were testing to see if you had a magical gift. They know you do."

    "Wh-" Cameron almost asked the voice what that had to do with removing his shirt, before remembering he wasn''t alone and had two eyes on him. "Who are you?"

    "I am Elaine," Elaine introduced herself. "And this is my student, Suzanne. What''s your name?"

    "Why did you take off my shirt?"

    Cameron immediately sensed frustration in Suzanne, though Elaine remained calm, a touch of amusement in her mind.

    "How old are you?" She asked. "I say you''re twelve, while Suzanne guesses that based on your malnourished state, you''re probably closer to fourteen.

    "I''m twelve."

    A little on the short side, too. Not too short, he knew, and he''d never admit that it bothered him despite that.

    "Are you still at the age where you believe in magic?"

    "Why?" Cameron asked. "Because you two are mages?"

    Elaine paused at his blunt response. She knew Suzanne would likely think it was just him testing them, being a moody preteen, but his wording gave her pause. He didn''t call them witches, like most children she''d met did.

    He used the proper term, mage. He had at least some knowledge of the true world.

    "How could you tell we were mages?" She asked before Suzanne could open her mouth.

    "Why did you take off my shirt?"

    "To see if you had a magical gift, and if so, what it was."

    "Elaine," Suzanne protested. "You said-"

    "That''s enough, Suzanne," Elaine told her student. "The boy has already proven himself to know about our world."

    She looked back to the boy, who had tensed up the moment she mentioned his magical gift. He knew what he had, and he knew that whatever it was, it was something to keep secret. The lone schools of magic were rare enough for someone to even be able to learn, and he had a natural gift for them.

    "Look inside that box," Elaine indicated to the box on the table.

    Cameron hesitated, until the voices told him it was safe. Then, he walked over to the box, keeping an eye on the two women as he did. They were both sitting in the recliners, which made it easy for him to keep an eye on them.

    Opening the box, he looked at the colorful shards of crystal within.

    "What about these?" He asked.

    "Those were the crystals I used to test you," Elaine told him. "Normally, they read one''s magic and glow in response to whatever their natural gift is once placed on someone''s torso and activated with the proper spell. They read the roots of your tree, so to speak. There were fourteen of them. Thirteen of them represented the thirteen connected schools of magic, while the fourteenth simply read how strong one''s overall magic was.

    "When a crystal picked up what the root is," she continued. "They would then glow, its intensity letting us know how strong the gift of that was. The darkest purple of the stones would tell us how strong someone''s overall gift of magic was.

    "Your gift of magic," she informed him. "Was strong enough that simply reading the roots of your tree shattered them. Suzanne and I were both temporarily blinded by how brightly the general reader glowed. You''re quite powerful, child. However, the crystals weren''t able to tell us which school of magic your roots are grounded in."

    They didn''t know what he had? Was that good or bad? Cameron tensed, ready to bolt at a moment''s notice.

    "What does that mean?" He asked.

    "Reading your magic broke them too fast," she told him, and he knew she was lying by the shift in her mind. A touch of hope, which only made sense to him if she was lying and hoping he''d believe her. "The only one that glowed was the one which read your overall magic. Unfortunately, it will be time before I can acquire ones that might be able to withstand your gift of magic, if I can locate any such ones at all."

    Cameron thought over that for a few seconds.

    "What do you mean by ''schools of magic''?"

    "There are eighteen of them," she answered. "The thirteen linked schools of magic, and the five lone schools. Within all people is a tree which represents your magic. The stronger your roots, the more magic you can learn and know. Each root represents a magic you know through your founding school of magic. Mine is nature, and I have many roots. This allows my tree to grow tall and strong and support many branches.

    "Every time you learn an additional school of magic," she continued. "A new branch will grow out of the trunk, and every variation and spell within that school you learn will supply off-shooting branches from that. These are your boughs and your sticks and twigs. The closer in nature a school of magic is to your roots, the easier it will be to acquire the branch for it. The more spells and magic and talent you have within a branch, the more lively it will be. Some of the most powerful magicians in the world have not only plenty of leaves upon their tree, but even fruit, it''s said."

    Elaine paused there. She could tell she was confusing the Cameronby the look on his face, he could sense that much in her mind.

    "Thirteen of the magics," she told him. "Are linked together. If your roots are in fire, you might have an easy time learning air magics. Earth roots can help with water or enchant schools. Necromancy goes with scourge, which is friendly with water. If you run through the links, those thirteen are all connected, much like a chain.

    "The other five schools of magic," she continued. "Aren''t connected, and it''s very, very difficult to learn one of them if you don''t have an affinity for it. If your roots are in one of them, it can be difficult to learn any other school of magic, though once you learn a linked school, it becomes easier to learn its own links. That''s not easy, simply easier. Does that make more sense to you?"

    "Yes," Cameron answered, closing the box of crystals and returning to his spot by the door, then muttered under his breath. "Hush."

    Suzanne started to react, but a slight breeze from Elaine told her to keep quiet. Unlike her student, Elaine understood immediately what was going on. The boy heard voices in his head and they were talking. It was unlikely to be related to his gift, whatever it was, and more than likely to deal with whatever he had gone through that made him so cautious.

    "You know of magic," Elaine said. "Do you know what the schools are?"

    "No."

    "The thirteen linked schools," she said. "In no particular order, are fire, water, earth, wind, energy, light, dark, necromancy, scourge, blood, force, enchant, and nature. The five lone schools of magic are void, space, time, shift, and mind."

    Because he was sensing her mind, Cameron realized that he somehow told Elaine what his school was. She realized it was mind magic, though didn''t seem to have a defense against him sensing her mind. He cursed himself for making whatever sign it was that told her, but was grateful that it seemed like she didn''t intend on telling Suzanne.

    Cameron also worried about that. Secrets, especially when it comes to mind magics, are rarely good for those who have mind magics.

 01-003

    Cameron scarfed down the meal as if he might never get to eat again. A full meal was always a rare and wonderful blessing to him. He''d already suffered several of those since waking above Elaine''s shop, and it put him on guard.

    New clothes, which he hadn''t had since several foster homes ago. A hot shower, which was a stark and welcome contrast to his quick rub-downs with wet cloths in public restrooms. An actual meal, which he hadn''t had in months because even though he had money, it was hard being a small twelve-year-old boy on the streets.

    Even with the voices guiding him.

    He knew Elaine figured out what his magic was. He hadn''t meant to start when she gave the list of the five lone schools. The moment he did, he saw the realization in her eyes and sensed it in her mind.

    Right before she attempted to guard against him.

    It didn''t do much. He knew from her attempt that she couldn''t use mind magics and had no idea how to properly guard against him. He almost laughed at her attempt but thought that would be rude. The next hour consisted of her attempting to get information about him, and all he gave was his name and that he''d lived on the streets for awhile.

    She couldn''t even get his last name or where he''d been a week before out of him. Cameron had become adept at not answering questions. After all, no one could get answers if he simply didn''t answer. No one could force answers out of him.

    Well, another mind mage probably could, but he could tell both she and Suzanne weren''t. At least, he didn''t think Suzanne was one.

    He also didn''t like Suzanne. She seemed moody and mean to him.

    "Suzanne," Elaine said, looking to the younger woman. "Would you mind opening the shop again? We''ve had it closed a little too much today."

    Suzanne left, and Cameron watched her until she was out of his sight, though he made sure Elaine remained in his range of awareness. He opened his mind up a bit more so that he could sense the first floor again.

    "You know my roots," he said once Suzanne was downstairs, his gaze meeting Elaine''s.

    Something felt off to him about the situation, and it made him even more suspicious. Elaine seemed way too calm to him. There was confidence in her mind as well.

    "Yes," she admitted. "I take it you''re a telepath?"

    "No," he answered. "I''m not telling you what I am. Now. What do you want with me?"

    "There are your mithril balls again, Cameron."

    "Nice, shiny mithril balls."

    "You could probably sell them for a fortune."

    Cameron did his best to tune out the voices as he stared at Elaine with as much intensity as he could. He''d finished his meal and was prepared to bolt at any moment. He knew she might have a way to stop him ¨C he already suspected she was the reason he kept tripping back when they met on the sidewalk outside ¨C but that didn''t mean he wouldn''t give it a try.

    "I give lessons," she said. "To magicians who don''t want to register with the government. I don''t align with any side and keep to my own. If you wish, I will take you on as a student."

    "I can''t afford lessons."

    "Then you can do work for me," she told him. "I have a spare room here that you can use. I won''t be able to teach you how to harness your gift, though I can teach you what little I know of force magic. It''s only basic spells, but it will be the easiest for you to learn with what your root is. The only mentors I know of who can teach you in your natural school are government teachers."

    "No government," Cameron said. "What if I refuse?"

    "Then we let you leave," she answered. "And that''s that."

    "What kind of work?" He asked suspiciously.

    "Helping around the shop," she explained. "We also have a small garden out back that you''d assist me in caring for. If you prove responsible enough, I''ll also teach you how to make some of the salves, lotions, potions, and other things we sell in the shop."

    "You should totally accept."

    "Totally."

    "Though she''s a bit suspicious, you could probably stab her in her sleep."

    "There are plenty of knives in the kitchen, and they''re all sharp, too!"

    "Just take one and-"

    "WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Cameron snapped, then stared at Elaine in horror, clamping his hand over his mouth.

    He had never snapped like that before, especially not at the voices. He''d learned to tune them out when they got like that.

    <hr>

    Elaine felt both shocked and impressed. Cameron had lasted more than an hour before the serum she''d dripped into his drink finally caused him to simply say what he wanted to, how he wanted to. It was rare for someone to resist her compulsion serum for that long, and it only lasted for around two hours. The boy had an iron will to resist it.

    It took her a moment to register that his outburst didn''t seem to be directed at her. In fact, his right ear had twitched a little, almost as if listening to a voice, just before the outburst.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Don''t worry," she smiled at him. "Everyone has that little voice in their head."

    "This isn''t one voice," he grunted, removing his hand. "It''s many. And they won''t. Shut. Up. They also say you slipped a little truth serum into my drink to make me say the truth, and fuck, it''s hard to resist. What the hell? You''re a bitch. What the hell did you do to me?"

    She could tell Cameron was pissed. Only one she had ever used it on before found out without her telling them. It was subtle, but the boy was, after all, a preteen boy. He likely felt betrayed and annoyed the moment he found out, then found himself pissed as it compelled him to actually say what he was thinking.

    It was obvious he was resisting it, too, judging by the strain in his neck.

    "What else do the voices say?" She asked, intrigued about his mental state.

    "That your full name is Elaine Meredith Sambar," he answered. "You''re fifty-three years old, are proficient in five schools of magic and have dabbled in two others. You keep around a hundred thousand dollars hidden in various safes throughout your home and garden. One hundred six thousand, five hundred twenty-six dollars, to be more exact. You have eighty-seven dollars and twenty-nine cents in change in your purse. Through the use of magic, you no longer suffer through periods. You have eight students currently if excluding Suzanne, who you took on as a daughter when she was eighteen, but who has some light issues. You''re registered with the government, and they know you teach students without permission but don''t do anything to stop you because you don''t cause any harm and have built a decent reputation for your abilities. You had a husband and a son, but they both passed away in an accident around twelve years ago, when the son was only around two weeks old. Huh. He''d have been around my age. And if you talk about my mithril balls one more time, I''m going to start screeching."

    Elaine tried not to laugh at that last comment as Cameron started arguing with the voices in his head, though she sobered up a few moments later. His roots became obvious to her as she thought about how he knew all of that information. It wasn''t through a divination method, though it was pretty close to being such a thing. No, he knew that information was through the voices.

    The boy wasn''t crazy, he heard voices in his head that gave him information. That could be classed as necromancy if they were spirits talking to him, though he seemed sure that he was a mind mage. It was possible they''d fooled him. Then again, he didn''t register as having an affinity for necromancy, but for a lone school.

    Suddenly, Cameron slammed a fist into the table.

    "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" He yelled, breathing heavily, fury in his dark blue gaze, which he turned to Elaine. "I fucking hate you, bitch."

    <hr>

    Summoning everything he had, Cameron did something he''d never attempted before and mentally pushed at Elaine. The moment she doubled over, clutching her head, he knew he''d succeeded. Cameron took off, making his way downstairs and out the front door as Suzanne tried to ask what was wrong.

    He ran as hard as he could, stopping only once he was exhausted, hoping that her serum was out of his system. Why did she have to use it on him? He did not like not being in control of himself.

    <hr>

    As Cameron ducked into an alley, fuming about Elaine''s actions and realizing that he''d done something on a whim and it worked, Elaine herself was reeling in shock.

    The boy had mentally assaulted her. She spent ten minutes attempting to recover from the sudden and forceful attack on her mind. It felt like he had taken a battering ram and simply shoved it straight into her brain.

    She was aware that Suzanne was there, attempting to talk to her, but she couldn''t focus. Once she finally regained herself, she looked at Suzanne.

    "What happened?" Her apprentice asked.

    "He realized I''d used the serum," Elaine answered. "And reacted rather violently. Return to the shop, I''ll be fine. Greyson should be here soon ¨C send him up once he''s here."

    Suzanne hesitated, but listened to her mentor. Elaine rubbed her temples. The boy was definitely a mind mage, which meant that either he already had a school of magic other than his roots, a branch having already grown on his tree, or the voices in his head weren''t spirits, but a form of mental manifestation.

    Either one was a frightening idea, considering the level of his magic and the fact that he was only twelve.

    A few minutes after she''d sent Suzanne away, Elaine watched as a thirteen-year-old boy entered her living room for his lesson. Light brown hair styled neatly, big brown eyes watching her with concern, Greyson had been the reason she''d begun learning blood magics. His roots were grounded firmly in them, and he had become dedicated to learning how to heal others with his magic.

    His root itself was based in healing, after all.

    "Did you hit your head?" He asked. "I can ease your-"

    "It''s fine," she smiled at him. "It''s not a physical pain, but rather, a mental."

    Greyson nodded, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie before walking over to the couch and plopping himself onto it, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Normally, Elaine would reprimand a student doing that, but Greyson was different.

    Not because he would have been around the same age as her son, had her son still been alive, but because of who he was. A mystery. He showed up every Monday and Thursday like clockwork. He dressed nicely, always paid for the lesson at the end despite his age and without question or attempted negotiation, and had a clean body. He never spoke about his family, and was the only other person who had detected her truth serum.

    Unlike Cameron, Greyson wasn''t even affected by it. He knew about it and let her think it had worked on him, only informing her about it when he told her that he had a natural resiliency to illness and that his body quickly purged toxins from him.

    It was part of his gift. Greyson''s innate gift healed him from nearly anything, though at that time, it was mostly just what he had listed. Injuries were difficult for him, and took a bit longer to heal, though not quite as long as most people would.

    With her tutelage, his passive healing had increased to the point that she knew most poisons likely wouldn''t work on him, even if he wasn''t aware of it. His passive healing wasn''t a conscious thing, after all.

    Not unless he actively used his healing magic on himself, at any rate. He''d also begun learning how to heal other people, though he had originally wanted to focus on how to soothe pain, something they''d only begun working on the week before.

    To add to his mystery, Greyson had managed to shake everyone she had ever set to tail him, though he never mentioned it to her. She''d yet to uncover any information about him that he didn''t yield willingly and had proved to be as evasive as Cameron had been, before her serum had taken hold on the younger boy.

    Greyson was also a skilled fighter. Underneath his baggy clothes was a body of muscle and speed. She had a feeling he also used some enchanting magic to enhance his strength, but had yet to verify that.

    Much like Cameron, Greyson also seemed a little bit more intelligent beyond his years, and she didn''t want to fathom what caused that in him.

    And so, because of his oddity and mystery, she let him be when he did things generally considered rude, such as crossing his ankles on her coffee table.

    "So," Greyson said. "What little animal do you have for me this time?"

    "You can soothe its pain later," she told him. "I have a favor to ask of you, and it might take a few days, especially with school."

    "I''m not an errand boy," he bluntly stated.

    "I accidentally upset a potential student," she explained. "A boy around twelve. He''s rather small, and has lived on the streets. He was able to tell I''d given him a compulsion serum, and he exploded in response. He has light blond hair and dark blue eyes. I was wondering if you''d keep an eye out for him and extend an apology to him for me."

    "I don''t run errands," Greyson stated, as if she''d missed it the first time. "I''m your student. Now. Are we going to work on my lesson, or not?"

 01-004

    Cameron ran down the alley as fast he could. He had reigned in his mind and hadn''t sensed them stalking him as a result of it. They saw a small, thin boy walking around on his own and decided to make him their target.

    He wasn''t sure what they wanted to do with him, just that he had to get away before they caught up to him.

    Which, judging by how close their minds were, would be before he turned down the next alley. He even sensed another mind around the corner, likely there to ambush him. That one was smaller and female. Closer to his age as well, he was sure.

    As he neared the corner, she continued walking, stepping out in front, and he nearly stumbled. Her amber eyes looked at him with shock, and her mind spoke of surprise. She hadn''t been expecting any of that.

    She look around fourteen and was dressed in a light pink tee and a pair of white skinny jeans, white and pink sneakers on her feet, her dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail.

    The moment she saw past Cameron, he sensed fury in her gaze ¨C and wariness in his pursuers.

    "I really wish my brother was here," she sighed.

    Cameron continued running until he heard the sounds of fighting, and when he turned around, the girl had sent the four men to the ground, and from their pains, he was sure they''d broken bones.

    She turned and faced Cameron and raised an eyebrow.

    "So," she said. "Why were they chasing you?"

    "I-I don''t know," he says. "They just¡­ were. Wh-how did you do that?"

    "Kayla," she answered, and he frowned a little. "What''s wrong?"

    "What do you want?" He asked. "Violent chick."

    "Hey," she said. "This violent chick just saved you, kid."

    "I''m not a kid," he growled. "I''m twelve."

    "You sure don''t look it, shorty," she said, and Cam''s aggravation intensified.

    <hr>

    A sudden, brutal pain went through Kayla''s skull, as if someone had taken a pair of battering rams and slammed them into her mind twice. Cursing, she collapsed to the ground, rubbing her head and attempting to soothe her mind.

    When she finally recovered, Kayla limped out of the alley and down the street, reaching a nearby cafe. While she herself didn''t have magic, her brother did, though their parents hadn''t known back then. She really wished her parents hadn''t chased him off.

    They hadn''t meant to, but he ran away anyway. They were harsh on the two of them and had some pretty strong views about certain things. And when they caught her brother looking up certain things online¡­ her world went south.

    They woke up the next morning to find him gone and a note stating he hated them. It was something he''d vented about many times to Kayla, but she''d never thought he''d ever take off like that. After he''d run, their parents realized that they might have been a bit too harsh about him.

    He was thirteen, it was natural to be curious about things like that. It wasn''t like he was watching porn. Just looking up stuff about being gay. Kayla didn''t think he was, just that he''d been a curious thirteen-year-old boy. Especially with the way he looked at one of her friends. One of her girl friends.

    Cursing, Kayla wished her brother still had his phone. He''d broken it after taking off. She spent the last seven months wandering the streets in her free time trying to find him. Her parents had even pulled in some of their contacts through their job to look for him.

    He''d simply vanished, though she knew he was still around. They all did. If he''d been abducted into a magic smuggling ring or a children''s trafficking ring, they''d have been alerted to it. Both of them had been trained heavily in self-defense since they were little, and it would take either drugs or sheer force to take them down.

    Not only that, but they both had trackers, of a kind. It wasn''t useful for exact locations, but they''d know if he went out of its range.

    Touching the chain around her neck, she pulled it out and examined the griffin charm hanging from it, their family''s emblem. More than fifty generations of magicians. While she''d yet to become a mage, they had no doubt she would, one day, awaken her magic.

    If only she could find her tree while meditating.

    She tucked the necklace back under her shirt and entered the cafe, walking up to the counter and placing an order, then taking a seat and waiting for it to be finished. Rubbing her head, she wished the boy hadn''t been so jumpy.

    A mind mage. Her parents said that there were only a dozen of them registered with the government, and of them, none had roots in it. They knew of seventeen others in the States, but no youth among them. An unregistered one had their roots in it.

    Sighing, Kayla admitted to herself that his violent reaction had probably been her fault. She''d called him short, and that was when he reacted. It was probably a sore subject for him, especially if he was twelve, like he claimed.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Did you really get into another fight?"

    The familiar voice froze Kayla, who looked over to see her younger brother standing there, looking annoyed as he held her food in his hands, along with his own meal.

    "Greyson," she said. "What are you doing here?"

    "Eating," he answered, sitting down across from her. "Who did you pick a fight with this time while trying to find me?"

    "You knew?"

    "That you''ve challenged a few people who refused to give you information about me?" He asked. "Yes, Kayla, I knew. And when I saw you coming here, I decided to tell you to knock it off. I''m not returning to your parents."

    He slid her food and drink across to her as she processed the fact that he didn''t even acknowledge them as his own family.

    Greyson was furious with her. Again, she''d gotten into a fight while looking for him. He knew she was protective of him, but that was taking it overboard. He went through the same hellish training she had and could defend himself.

    Their parents worked for the Department of Supernatural Services and wanted to make sure they were able to defend themselves.

    "For the record," she said. "I didn''t get into a fight trying to find you this time. I mean, I was trying to find you, but that''s not why I got into a fight."

    "What?" He scoffed. "Someone got the jump on you?"

    "No," she answered. "They were chasing a boy-"

    She noticed the look on his face. Surprise. He knew about a boy on the streets, she could tell it. Then she mentally berated herself ¨C of course he did. He''d been on them for seven months. The fact that he seemed surprised confused her. Why would he be surprised that she''d met a boy on the streets?

    "A boy?" He asked.

    "Yes, Greyson," she said. "A boy. Claimed to be twelve. Little short guy, temperamental about it. Light brown hair, dark blue eyes. And-"

    She leaned in close.

    "He''s a mind mage, Greyson," she whispered. "The moment I called him ''shorty'', he reacted by taking a battering ram to my mind. Two battering rams to my mind. By the time I could see clearly again, he''d gone. And I know you know about him, you''re not as good at hiding your thoughts as you like to think."

    "Shut up and eat your food," he snapped. "And tell me where he was."

    <hr>

    Greyson listened as his sister told him where she''d seen the boy, then finished his food and slid out of the booth.

    "Take care of my trash," he ordered her. "And stop looking for me, Kayla. I''m not going back to those people."

    With that, he turned and left, making his way down to the alley where she''d met him. The men she''d fought were gone, but that was fine by him.

    Inhaling deeply, Greyson smelled the blood in the air of everyone who had passed through recently. It wasn''t something he''d told his mentors he could do. A little bit of enhancement magic mingling with his blood magic.

    Picking up the scents, he noted his sister''s and the three men''s, but not the supposed target of the men''s. Inhaling deeper, he choked and started coughing. Too deep, too much scent of blood filling his nose.

    Once he recovered, Greyson shrugged. He didn''t have a reason to go after the boy, and was actually amused that he''d taken a mental battering ram to his sister. She''d been good for venting to, but he hadn''t liked her that much.

    Kayla liked their parents and their parents'' ways far too much for him. She always told him it was for the best that they did what their parents wanted.

    "Hey, G," a familiar voice spoke, and Greyson turned to face the speaker.

    Nineteen, with dark brown hair and matching eyes, the teen was lean and defined, and at the moment, shirtless, wearing just a pair of shorts and sneakers.

    "Thought I smelled you around here," Greyson grunted. "Can you pick up a scent for me?"

    "Oh, come on," Blake complained. "You know I hate doing that."

    "I''m not a werewolf," Greyson said. "My sister was here, as were four men. I''m sure you could smell the fight, and that''s why you came. There was a sixth person. Can you smell him?"

    Blake groaned, then walked over and began sniffing around. As he did, Greyson looked at the werewolf''s back, which was covered in scars. The werewolf had been heavily abused before he''d broken his way out of his cell and fought his way to freedom. He''d been lashed and beaten, sometimes burned, and often pitted in an arena.

    Greyson had managed to heal the scars on the front, but the ones on the back were much deeper, and much, much worse. He hoped he''d one day be strong enough to help his friend there as well.

    "Nada," Blake said, and Greyson grunted. "Are you sure there was a sixth person?"

    "A kid," Greyson nodded. "I couldn''t smell his blood. Are you sure your nose isn''t clogged again?"

    "My nose is just fine," Blake started messing up Greyson''s hair, chuckling as the younger boy pulled away and started fussing to fix it. "It''s just hair, Greyson, stop being so pristine. Why do you want to find him?"

    "He''s a mind mage," Greyson answered. "Elaine accidentally scared him off. He was able to tell she''d used a truth serum on her, and blew up."

    "It''s not like you to be interested in others," Blake commented.

    Which was why Greyson found himself confused at having befriended Blake and caring for him. It was just ''one of those things'', he knew. Though if he were to be honest with himself, his interest in Cameron was likely because he was on the streets around the same age Greyson had ended upon them.

    That, and he wanted to thank him for the mental battering ram to his sister''s mind.

    "Sniff harder," Greyson told Blake. "Everyone has a scent. If not them, their clothes. And you''re a werewolf, you should be able to pick it up."

    "I''m telling you, there''s nothing there," Blake said, sniffing around again. "You know, I''m picking up something."

    "You are?" Greyson asked, intrigued.

    "Yeah," Blake said. "There''s something a bit angelic about the smell-"

    Greyson groaned, then started walking off.

    "Hey!" Blake ran up to him, grabbing him and spinning him around. Greyson pointedly looked at the wall to his left. "Greyson, seriously. I can''t smell another person there."

    "Did you really have to bring up my smell?"

    "It''s probably the most interesting one I''ve ever smelled," Blake told him. "It''s not every day I meet a half-angel, you know."

    "I''m not healing you the next time you fight," Greyson told him. "You can suffer through the night with your injuries."

    "Oh, come on!" Blake complained. "We both make money off those fights! Wait! I''m supposed to fight Richard tonight! I always get bloodied up real good!"

    "And?" Greyson asked as he continued walking. "I''ve told you before not to bring up the people who created me."

    Blake sighed. Greyson was especially touchy about his parents after what they''d put him through growing up. Unlike his wholly-human sister, Greyson was half-angel, a result of his mother being unfaithful one night.

    They weren''t sure if his parents knew about his heritage or not, and he knew about it only because of meeting Blake, who''d smelled angels before. Full angels, not nephilim like him.

    "Where are we going?" Blake asked.

    "I am going to my magic lessons," Greyson stated. "You are going to see if you can pick up his scent. And to put on a shirt."

 01-005

    Looking around, Elaine hurried over to the table, which had only a single occupant at it. Without waiting for him to react, she slid into the booth. Before she had even sat, he was already moving.

    "Cameron, wait," she said, and he turned his furious gaze to her. "I wanted to explain myself."

    "You drugged me," he said.

    "Yes," she said. "I use that serum on everyone, Cameron. The purpose is to see if the person I''m talking to is a spy for the government or black organization. Kids have been sent to me with that purpose before. I don''t mention about the compulsion serum because of the effect that tends to happen once you''re aware of it. Without being aware of it, the effect isn''t very noticeable, you''re simply more prone to answering questions, and you''ll answer honestly. As soon as you''re aware of it, however, it starts to affect you differently, makes you start saying whatever goes through your head honestly. The primary difference between that is the awareness. Once you''re aware of it, you can''t help it at all. I promise, I only did it to see if you were sent as a spy or something."

    "She''s being honest."

    "You know she''s being honest."

    "Don''t listen to him, he''s rarely honest."

    "Yeah, but he was being honest about her being honest."

    "That serum affected all of us, though."

    "Yeah, that was nasty."

    "Jeez, it even made the ones who never talk talk."

    "Quiet," Cameron hissed under his breath again, then glared at Elaine. "You''re a bitch."

    "And you''re only the second person who has ever realized I had done that," she said. "My offer to you still stands. It seems you already know a spell, a sort of mental battering ram. I can''t help you hone it, but it does support the idea that you might be able to learn force magics a little bit easier than you would other magics outside of your root school. I do promise I won''t drug you again."

    "Drug me once, drug me twice," Cameron growled. "I don''t trust you."

    "You don''t trust anyone but the voices in your head," she said, and he grunted. "Work for me three hours five times a week, and I''ll train you in magic for two each time. You don''t have to answer now, just come by the shop if you change your mind."

    Elaine slid out of the booth and left, and Cameron grumbled to himself, debating for a few minutes on spreading his mind back out before leaving, unaware of a gaze fixed on him.

    <hr>

    So that''s the boy Greyson was interested in, Blake thought to himself.

    It wasn''t the presence of Greyson''s teacher that tipped him off, but the boy''s complete lack of a scent. Despite being obviously dirty ¨C the werewolf was sure the dirt in his hair was intentionally done to hide its blond color ¨C the boy lacked a smell. No sweat, no dirt, no grime could be smelled even though it was obviously on him.

    Then when he saw Elaine hurry over, he tuned into their conversation and listened, and the boy being a mind mage who''d been scared off by the truth serum confirmed it to him.

    He tossed a few bills onto the table, then followed the boy out out of the cafe, following from a distance. Far enough he wouldn''t be obviously stalking, but close enough he could still hear the boy, even when the line of sight was broken.

    As Blake followed the kid, he wondered what Elaine''s comment about the voices in his head meant.

    After nearly an hour of the boy walking around rather aimlessly, Blake''s focus was broken by his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and grinned, answering.

    "Hey, Greyson," he said. "What''s up?"

    "What are you doing?"

    "Following the kid you were looking for," Blake answered. "He''s just walked around town for the last hour, without any real purpose."

    "You found him?" Greyson asked. "It''s about time, Blake. Where are you?"

    "I''m down by the park at the moment," Blake answered, looking around. "Dammit. I can''t hear him anymore. You calling distracted me long enough he slipped by."

    "Just pick up his scent."

    "He doesn''t have one," Blake told the younger boy. "Even though he should. I''m going to let you go and see if I can find someone who saw him."

    "You do that," Greyson said with agitation heavy in his voice. "I''m not healing you tonight."

    Blake hung up and pocketed his phone, turned to scan around, and nearly jumped out of his skin. Standing directly to his left, barely a foot away with his arms crossed over his chest, was the boy.

    "So you were stalking me," the kid said. "Who were you talking to, why were you stalking me, and why were you smelling me? That''s disturbing."

    "I wasn''t exactly smelling you," Blake said. "Since you don''t-aaragh!"

    Blake clutched his temples as pain shot through them. When he recovered, he found the boy sitting on one of the benches at the park, arms still crossed over his chest, staring straight at him. Walking over to the kid, he looked down, meeting the furious, dark blue gaze.

    "You really are a mind mage."

    "Keep that in mind," the kid snapped. "Now answer my questions before I do a lot worse."

    "You don''t have a smell for me to track," Blake said. "And a friend of mine had asked me to keep a nose out for you. That was him on the phone. His name''s Greyson, and he''s a student of Elaine''s. He seems intrigued by you and the fact that you were able to tell that she''d used the serum on you, something only he''d ever done before. He''s a mage, too, though he specializes in blood magics."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    <hr>

    Cameron felt a touch of fear at the older teen''s words. He didn''t know what blood mages were, but he knew that all the stories and shows and games had blood mages as something bad. Something very, very bad.

    "He specializes in healing magics," the teen told him. "His body has a natural resistance to stuff like that."

    "Greyson''s also the younger brother of the chick who saved you."

    "Now that was a pretty girl, and she was close to your age, too."

    "Well, tell him to fuck off and leave me alone," Cameron said.

    "You weren''t eating at the restaurant," the teen said. "Do you not have money?"

    "Do I look like someone they''d serve?" Cameron asked. "I was lucky they hadn''t already kicked me out. Now fuck off."

    "You and Greyson would probably get along all too well in the wrong ways," the teen snorted. "Come on, we''re renting a room at a hotel, and we''ve got plenty of snacks. I swear on the power of my blood that I don''t mean you ill."

    Cameron eyed him suspiciously, though he could tell the strange teen was being honest with him. His stomach made the decision for him, and he gave a small nod. If all else failed, he could just use his ram again. The teen didn''t seem to have a way to defend against it, and though the teen was wary, he wasn''t hostile.

    "Sweet," the teen said. "Come on, the hotel''s not far from here."

    Cameron followed the teen, keeping on eye on his mind. Around twenty minutes later, they arrived at a hotel and went to the fourth floor. It wasn''t a fancy hotel, but it was still a nice one. Then again, most hotels were nice in Cameron''s opinion, as most would be better than sleeping on the streets.

    The room itself was spacious and had two large beds in it. There was also a small kitchen with counters, sink, microwave, fridge, and cabinets. No stove or oven.

    "The closer bed''s mine," the teen informed Cameron. "The further one''s Greyson''s. If you want a shower, you can borrow some of Greyson''s clothes. They''ll be a bit big on you, but with a belt, the pants will stay up."

    "Food," Cameron grunted.

    "Right," the teen snorted. "There are snacks in the fridge and cabinets, take what you want. I can also order a pizza in a bit."

    "What you want in exchange?"

    "Nothing," the teen answered. "You eat and leave, that''s fine by me. You eat and stay to meet Greyson, that''s cool, too."

    Cameron grunted, then raided the fridge, pulling out some yogurt and grapes, then he grabbed a package of chips from the cabinets as well as a snack cake. He devoured them, then decided to take a shower.

    The teen gave him some clothes for it, and Cameron went into the shower, sensing another mind arriving while he was soaking under the hot water. When it entered the room, it was at first confused, but a few moments later, excited. Cameron suspected that it was fromthe teen telling Greyson who was in the shower. At least, if he assumed correctly about the younger mind being Greyson.

    Cameron delayed leaving the shower until the water went cold (something he wasn''t aware a hotel shower could do), then stepped out and dried himself off before dressing in Greyson''s clothes. A pair of jeans that were way too big on him and needed the belt, and a black tee that was also too large.

    Dressed, Cameron left the bathroom and looked at Greyson, who was looking at him with a nearly-neutral, but mostly annoyed, expression. Cameron could tell there wasn''t a trace of annoyance in him, however, since his mind was filled with excitement and curiosity.

    "Hello," Greyson said. "I''m Greyson."

    "Cameron."

    "Is it true you can take a battering ram to someone''s mind?"

    "Want to find out for sure?"

    "Of course not," Greyson responded. "But both Elaine and Blake have said you did that to them. My sister, too."

    So Blake is the teen''s name? Cameron wondered to himself.

    "Your sister?" Cameron asked.

    "The chick who rescued you from those kidnappers."

    "You were being chased and-"

    "Violent chick."

    "That''s one way to describe her," Greyson said. "Can you use your mental battering ram on Blake?"

    "Why?"

    "No!"

    "I want to see what it looks like when you do," Greyson answered. "And he annoyed me."

    Cameron sensed Greyson''s irritation and honesty, and sighed, then hit Blake lightly in the head.

    "Ow!" Blake said. "Ow! Fucking hell! I''m not a fucking test subject anymore, Greyson!"

    "Test subject?" Cameron asked.

    "Yeah," Greyson said. "Blake escaped a few months back from being experimented on. He''s a werewolf, by the way."

    "A werewolf?" Cameron asked, then snorted.

    "No, seriously," Greyson said, then looked at Cameron. "Turn into your wolf form."

    "Thought they could only do that under a full moon?"

    "What?" Greyson looked at Cameron in confusion. "You''ve been watching too much T.V."

    "I haven''t watched T.V. in over two years."

    The seriousness of Cameron''s tone warned Greyson not to push about it, but also that something bad had happened.

    "Oh," Greyson says. "Well, we''ve got a T.V., so if you want to stay with us, you can watch it. We can make Blake sleep on the floor, or you and I can share a bed. It''s big enough that we can have opposite sides."

    "Do you live here?" Cameron asked.

    "Yes," Blake answered. "I can''t exactly rent an apartment. At least, haven''t found one yet, but I managed to get them to let us rent the room here long-term without an I.D., convinced them that we were siblings running from abusive parents. All I had to do was show them my scars, and they took sympathy on us."

    "Are you registered with the government?"

    "Fuck no."

    "No," Greyson stated. "And I''ve no plan on it."

    Cameron sensed Geryson growing immensely agitated at the question and decided not to push the subject. Something about registering with the government really bothered Greyson, which suggested a bad experience.

    "How do you afford this?" Cameron asked. "Doesn''t it cost, like, five hundred a night?"

    "A hundred and forty, thereabouts," Blake answered. "And I can make more than that in a fight or two."

    "A fight?" Cameron asked.

    "Yep," Blake grinned. "There''s an underground fighting ring for the supernatural community. Supernats of all ages, races, and types can compete against each other. I fight in the brawling section, but there''s also the magic section. The only major rules are no killing and no feds. Over the last seven months since I got into it with Greyson here, I''ve had ninety-seven wins and thirty-six losses, and I can easily win a grand or more some nights. Tonight, there''s a good chance I can earn two grand."

    "The magic section," Greyson said. "Pays better, especially if you''re in the right ring. The stakes are higher when magic gets involved in ways other than enhancing one''s strength or speed."

    "Maybe," Blake said. "But the recent constant-champ is dampening that locally."

    "Recent constant-champ?" Cameron felt lost.

    "Yeah," Blake looked at him. "About a month ago, a new magician showed up. He or she should probably stick to the brawling section, since they use martial arts mixed with speed-type enchantment magic. No one''s managed to best them yet. They''re a pretty good fighter, and take almost everyone out in a single hit."

    "He or she?"

    "They wear a hoodie," Greyson shrugged, slipping his hands into the pocket of his own. "They''re either a short adult or not much older than us. It''s being considered to make it required that the face is visible to ensure all''s fair. Of course, even with that, it''s not necessarily possible to ensure the brawling''s fair. But whatever, a lot of matches are brutal and bloody already."

    "And you patch me up anyway," Blake grinned.

    "I''m not patching you up tonight," Greyson grunted, and Cameron sensed his annoyance.

    "Do you fight?" Cameron asked.

    "No," Greyson answered. "My magics are exclusively on the healing front. I do watch sometimes, though. I''d planned on it tonight."

    "Can I come?"

 01-006

    Grateful for the borrowed hoodie, Cameron looked around, his face hidden in the shadows of its hood. There were a lot of people there, and that meant a lot of minds his would brush against even at the minimum range he could manage. He kept his hands in his pocket and stuck close to Greyson, who had a hand resting on his shoulder to help guide the younger boy.

    They were in an old warehouse which had supposedly been enchanted to dampen sound some years back to help solidify it as a fighting ring. People lined the second-floor balcony and the first floor, only the center of the space really open.

    When they reached the front, Cameron saw the fight going on at the moment, a woman in her thirties and a man in his twenties. The woman was winning, moving much faster than the man. Rather than watching, Cameron turned his gaze to the windows on the second level, noting that they''d been painted black.

    Probably to avoid people seeing magic in-use from outside by chance. He turned his gaze back to the fight as the man''s mind weakened, a sign that he''d gone unconscious.

    "WHO''S NEXT?" The buff man acting as the referee hollered after checking on the unconscious man.

    A pair of men rushed into the arena and carried the loser away as another woman entered the arena. Bets were placed, and then the fight began. Cameron watched as the second woman was taken out almost immediately.

    A few more rounds went before Blake jumped into the fight, squaring off against the woman who had fought each of those matches and won. Cameron watched as they fought at a high speed, barely able to pick up their movements past the blurs as they moved.

    Greyson explained that the woman was the only person that Blake had ever lost against, and that she was another werewolf. Usually, their fights ended up in them both turning into wolves and going at it, though the blood mage commented that it was unusual for them to do that if they didn''t turn in the first minute.

    Their match lasted for almost six minutes before the woman yielded to Blake, then left the arena. Blake continuing to fight for eight more rounds before the brawling section finished, and the magic section began shortly after.

    "Hey, beast," Cameron heard as he felt the female werewolf approach.

    He felt a sense of warmth in her and Blake at the same time, something he sensed while they were brawling. He knew that feeling, and inwardly groaned. It was obvious to him that they liked each other.

    "Hey, beastette," Blake looked at her. "Good match."

    "I almost wolfed out on you," she told him.

    "I almost wolfed out on you," he snorted, and Cameron turned his gaze back to the match that had begun.

    It was between two males, one of whom was throwing fireballs while the other snapped out with a whip of water. Any time an attack got too close to the crowd, runes on the ground flared up and the attack was neutralized by the force field enchantment.

    That intrigued Cameron, with his limited knowledge of how magic worked. They''d even factored in protecting the spectators. The crowd cheered on as the duo fought, until the fireball mage won, knocking the water whip guy out.

    Three more rounds went with the fireball mage fighting before he lost to a witch who generated orbs of stone that she threw around. She then lost in the next round to a mage who used a toxic gas, who lost two rounds later against someone who used force fields to trap him in his own cloud.

    The force field user fought for nine rounds before being beaten by a force user who pushed out waves of force. Three more matches went by before Cameron got his sight of the unbeatable victor. Dressed in baggy black cargo pants, black combat boots, and an oversized black hoodie, they walked into the arena, their face hidden as much as his own was, hands in the pockets of their hoodie.

    He knew that they were a he, though. He''d figured out quickly how to tell the difference between a male mind and a female as he figured out the empathy magic he had months before

    "We used to still have two hours until the end," Greyson whispered into Cameron''s ear. "But now, there''s a good chance there won''t be many fighters; everyone''s pretty much given up fighting them."

    "They probably just want some extra money."

    "I bet you could take them."

    "Yeah, you should take them."

    "Do it!"

    "Do it!"

    "Yeah! Totally! Kick his ass!"

    "Quiet, you guys," Cameron hissed under his breath.

    "What?" Greyson leaned back over.

    "Nothing," Cameron muttered. "Ignore me. I talk to the voices a lot."

    "What voices?"

    "The voices."

    Greyson shrugged, then watched as the champ took out the force field pusher before he could hit him.

    "That''s not enchanting, bro."

    "Yeah, that''s spatial magic."

    "He''s definitely distorting space to move, which is why it looks like he''s moving faster."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Cameron tuned out the voices, but filed the information away for later, watching the next match. A few more went as people bravely attempted to defeat the spatial distorter, though none won.

    "So once someone loses, they''re out, right?" Cameron leaned over to Greyson.

    "Yeah," Greyson said.

    "What determines if you lose?"

    "If you''re knocked out of the ring," Greyson said. "The circle that the runes form. If you''re knocked unconscious, or if you yield."

    "WHO''S NEXT?" The referee called out again, looking around. No one responded. "ANY OTHER TAKERS?"

    Taking a deep breath, Cameron stepped forward, over the runes, and he sensed Greyson panic.

    "Hey there," the ref said. "Unless you''re a midget, you''re probably too young to fight well. You sure you want to challenge them?"

    Cameron ignored him, as his anger flared up over the comment about his size, and the ref started to take a few steps back, looking at the other opponent.

    "Don''t be too rough on the kid," the referee said. "Remember the rules."

    The ref left the arena as the crowd watched in silence. Two figures, faces concealed by hoods, one either a midget or a young kid. The ref hollered out for them to match, and neither moved.

    Cameron could sense his opponent''s mind. They were wary, though he wasn''t sure why. Probably because of his size and how rough they were on others.

    His anger still bristling from the ref''s midget comment, Cameron immediately struck out with a metal battering ram. His opponent dropped to his knees, his hands going to his head. It was the first time they were visible to the younger boy, and they were covered with black gloves. Nothing to let their identity be determinable.

    The crowd gasped in response, and Cameron struck again as he felt his opponent tensing up. He didn''t want them to attack again.

    Cameron sensed his opponent''s mind fill with frustration, and struck again. With the third strike, he felt his opponent give in. Instead of speaking that they yielded, however, he simply stood and walked out of the arena.

    Silence filled the air for several long moments.

    "It looks like Eden has bowed out!" The ref called as he entered the arena. "Marking their first loss! Alright, little guy, what''s your-aaragh!"

    Cameron glared at the ref, who didn''t see his face. He hadn''t hit that hard, just like when he fought against Eden.

    "Cam," Cameron responded after a moment, knowing that his current preteen voice could be mistaken for either sex.

    "Cam has won!" The ref called. "Now! WHO''S NEXT? WHO WANTS TO TAKE ON THE ONE WHO TOOK DOWN OUR UNBEATABLE CHAMP?"

    Cam fought three more magicians, not allowing a single one of them to get an attack off by striking with his mental battering ram. He heard others talking, and knew they thought he was applying either force magic or air magic to do it.

    According to Greyson, he and Blake had initially thought that, too, and would''ve kept thinking that if Greyson hadn''t been told it was mind magic by Elaine.

    After his fourth victory, no one else wanted to challenge him, and that ended the matches for the night. Cameron rejoined Greyson and Blake, who clapped him on the back.

    "Why''d you go out there?" Greyson leaned in close to ask. "You could''ve gotten seriously hurt."

    "The voices said I''d be fine," Cameron answered.

    Greyson didn''t push that, just walked with the two brawlers to the bookkeepers to collect their winnings.

    The blood mage explained to Cameron on the way that the way payouts worked was that the house took out fifty percent from each fight''s pool. That was split between the house and the winner evenly down the middle, to help deter fighters from having someone bet on them.

    Some people did double-dip, but most didn''t.

    Of the remaining fifty percent, betters'' original bets were returned to them if they had bet on the winner for that match, then the rest of the pool was divided evenly between them through some funky math.

    "Funky math?"

    "Don''t ask me," Greyson shrugged. "Blake used that wording when he explained it to me. I think it has to do with how long it takes to go out and other weird stuff."

    Cameron shrugged, then stepped up to the counter with Blake. He was curious how they paid out when more than half of the people had bet on the victors, but Greyson didn''t seem to know.

    "Cam''s with me," Blake told the bookkeeper.

    The bookkeeper then went and looked through the bins behind him until he located two envelopes, returning to the counter and handing them to Blake, who handed the one with Cameron''s ''Cam'' on it to the boy, who slipped it into his pocket, keeping it firmly in his hands.

    It felt like a lot of money.

    With their winnings in-hand, the trio left, mostly unaware of a particular person observing them heavily.

    <hr>

    Agent Michael Blackmoore left the warehouse and immediately drove to the office, where he knew his boss was working. The agency had known about that particular underground supernatural fighting ring for awhile, but they never caused problems, and so had been left alone.

    As he rode the elevator, Michael undid the invisibility spell on his camera and began looking at the pictures. The doors opened, and he walked out.

    "How were the matches tonight?" Grace, the secretary, asked.

    "Interesting," Michael answered. "Is Lucas still in?"

    "He is," she answered. "Do you need him?"

    "Immediately," Michael answered. "There''s a situation he should be aware of."

    She nodded and waved him through, and Michael went up to his bosses door, entering without knocking.

    "Michael," Lucas said. "How was your scouting tonight?"

    "Interesting," Michael responded, walking over and handing his boss the camera. "Check out the last group of photos."

    Lucas frowned as he pulled out the memory card and plugged it into his computer, pulling up the images. He skimmed down to the last of them, pulling them up. The images showed a nineteen-year-old, a small figure in a hoodie, and-

    "Is that Greyson?" Lucas asked.

    "I believe so," Michael responded. "I asked a few others, and he sometimes shows up with the werewolf, the older boy. The smaller figure, Cam, is an unknown ¨C it was their first time."

    "They fought?"

    "With the hood still concealing their face," Michael answered. "And while everyone was thinking he was using either air magic or force magic, I think he''s a mind mage. He took out four opponents in a row without even moving from his spot. Kept his hands in his pockets, not moving an inch. They''d suddenly feel a pressure in their head that would continue to hammer at them until they yielded or left the arena."

    "Did he fight Eden?"

    "First match of his," Michael nodded. "Eden simply got up and left the arena."

    "Did you get anything from them?"

    "They collected their winnings and left before I could track them down," Michael shook his head. "I did catch that they were wearing a mask, though. They''ve gone to great lengths to make sure no one knows what they look like, or even if they''re male or female."

    "Did you try to follow Greyson?"

    "Cam knew I was watching them," Michael shook his head. "As they left, I felt a pressure. Not enough to cripple me, but enough to let me know they knew I was looking."

    "They''re rather small," Lucas commented, looking at the pictures. "Do you think they''re a kid?"

    "It''s possible they''re simply short," Michael shrugged. "When the ref called him ''little guy'', they attacked with their mind blasts. Their size is clearly a sore point, so I''d bet on them being an adult, or at least in their mid or late teens."

    "Alright," Lucas said. "I want you to continue to watch the fights. We still need to find out who Eden is, and having another lone school there complicates things, especially since they seem to be able to read minds, unless you were being obvious."

    "I do my best not to, sir," Michael snorted. "You want me to watch them both?"

    "Yes," Lucas answered. "And if you get a chance to talk with my son, tell him I''d like to talk with him."

 01-007

    "How much did you earn?" Blake asked as Cameron looked through the bills in his envelope.

    "About four hundred."

    "Not bad for the first fight," Blake commented. "That''s around a hundred per fight, and four hundred bet on you each."

    "You?"

    "Two grand," Blake grinned. "I told you I was looking to make a fair amount. If Nat and I fight, there''s always a big payout for the winner. In the brawler section, there are six big names, and winnings are always in the grand-plus category when two of us fight."

    "Shut up and let me heal you," Greyson grumbled, walking over to Blake, who removed his shirt.

    Cameron watched as Greyson ran his fingers over Blake''s bruises and cuts. He took around thirty seconds to heal the lighter ones, and up to three minutes for some of the worse ones.

    "Someone was watching us when we left," Cameron told them once Greyson finished, and the other two tensed up, and he felt panic in their minds. "I let them know I saw."

    "Did you hurt them?"

    "I don''t have to hit hard," Cameron said, then blushed. "Okay. Maybe I do. That was¡­ new to me. I almost passed out from the effort of not ramming into his mind."

    Blake laughed as Greyson rolled his eyes.

    "That was stupid," Greyson said. "You going into the matches like that. You''re lucky you were able to take them out fast. What if you''d gotten hurt?"

    "It wouldn''t be my first time," Cameron grunted, then blushed again as his stomach growled.

    "I''m ordering pizza," Blake said. "What kind do you like?"

    "Pepperoni."

    "Same for us," Blake chuckled. "Good fighting, Cameron, but do be careful, okay?"

    Cameron nodded, then looked around the hotel room uncomfortably for a minute before pulling off his sneakers and the hoodie he was borrowing. He then climbed up onto Greyson''s bed and lad on the side furthest from the door.

    He was exhausted and had barely laid down before it caught up to him. When he woke, Blake and Greyson were eating. Cameron joined them for some pizza before curling back up on Greyson''s bed and passing back out.

    Cameron slept for most of the next day and the day after that. That night, he stayed at the hotel when Blake left for the fighting, Greyson staying to play cards while Blake made them money.

    <hr>

    "Hey, Blake," Natalie greeted Blake as he joined the spectators watching a werewolf and an enchanter who enhanced his strength spar. "No Cam this time?"

    "He hadn''t come to fight last time," Blake snorted. "He just came to watch, then decided to fight Eden."

    "Speaking of Eden," Natalie said. "They haven''t showed up since that fight."

    "Seriously?" Blake asked.

    "Yep," she said. "Seems they weren''t happy they lost, since hey wasn''t here last night or the one before. Whoever Cam is, they''re good. There''s been some decent fights, since."

    <hr>

    It wasn''t that I wasn''t happy, Eden thought to himself from just a few steps away. It''s that I finally found someone who could take me out in a fight.

    Eden was still there during the fights, but solely as a spectator. No one ever knew how he showed up or left, as no one ever saw him do so. He let them continue thinking he was an enchanter, even though his roots were firmly in spatial magics.

    It wasn''t distorting space, though that was something he''d been practicing, in the arena. His roots started with teleportation, which was how he came and left. Until he started fighting, he was there without his hoodie and mask. Tonight, he was dressed in his usual pants and boots, with a red button-up tucked in.

    Since the person he wanted to fight wasn''t there, Eden didn''t bother leaving to pull on his hoodie, mask, and gloves. The purpose of fighting every day was to find someone who could test him.

    Though he had been tested rather harshly. He hadn''t expected to face a mind mage. Glancing at the undercover federal agent, Eden wondered what DoSS thought of the two of them. He knew the agent was there to look into him, due to his rare magic and the high risk of a fae attempting to take him.

    When the matches for the night ended, Eden made his way into the restroom, and after ensuring no one was around, teleported to the apartment he called home. Not two steps later, he heard the sound of paws on the wood flooring and turned just in time to catch the mutt, who tackled him to the ground and licked his face.

    "Hey, Soldier," Eden ruffled the dog''s fur. "He wasn''t there tonight, either."

    "Woof!"

    "Yeah, I know," Eden smiled. "He might be a ''she'', too. Come on, let''s go potty."

    Soldier ran to the door, and Eden walked over, grabbing the leash for his dog and clipping it on, then the two of them went downstairs and to the plot of grass behind the building. Soldier took a minute to sniff around before peeing, then the two of them returned to the apartment.

    When he opened the door, there was someone waiting inside. A tall women with unearthly beauty, her fair skin smooth and flawless, her long, green hair sleek and glossy, falling nearly to her waist. Her emerald eyes watched him intently.

    Eden let out a sigh as he entered the apartment and closed the door.

    "Quiet, Soldier," he said as his dog growled. "It''s just a fairy."

    "So you know what I am?" She asked with a melodic voice.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "Yes," Eden answered. "And I know why you''re here."

    If only the agent knew they already tried.

    Several times.

    "Will you come-"

    Before she could finish, she found herself being thrown to the ground by the human mage.

    "Sorry," he said, a gun aimed at her forehead, his hand on her throat. "But I don''t have any intention of becoming a tree."

    Eden fired three shots into her head. Had she been fighting a different mage, she probably would have had a chance, but the inhuman speed of the fae was nothing against his ability to distort space when he put a lot of effort into it.

    It was one of the reasons he''d started training in the fighting ring.

    Letting out another sigh, Eden realized that the cops would probably be showing up shortly because of the gunshots. He should have grabbed a knife, but the bullets were more efficient. He''d bought the special anti-fae bullets from a black market seller who''d succeeded in scoring a shipment of the government ammunition.

    One shot would slow. Two would cripple. Three guaranteed death.

    Lifting the fae''s head, Eden confirmed that the bullets were still in her brain. Faes had horribly tough skulls despite having weak bodies. Their might came from their magic.

    Tucking the gun back into his belt and concealing it with his shirt once more, Eden placed a hand on the deceased fae and looked at his dog.

    "I''ll be back in a minute," he said. "Don''t lick up the blood. Or do. It''s up to you, but remember the last time you drank fae blood, okay?"

    Soldier barked, and Eden sighed, knowing he''d probably come back to blood being missing. With a flex of his powers, he teleported so that he was in the woods at the local park. Checking to make sure no one saw him, he left the body, teleporting home, promptly shooing Soldier away from the blood.

    Hastily, Eden began cleaning up the blood, just finishing up spraying air freshener when someone knocked on the door.

    He teleported to his room and swiftly pulled off his clothes, wrapping a towel around his waist, listening to the knock again and the officer calling out that they were the police. He teleported back to the foyer and reached for the door, opening it just as the officer went to knock again. There were two standing on the other side, Jenkins and Jones.

    "Morning, officer," Eden yawned. "I just got back from a late night, and was going to take a shower. Is there something I can help you with? I''d rather not pass out in the shower again, and I kind of need one."

    "How old are you, son?" The officer in front, Jenkins, asked.

    "Fifteen," Eden answered.

    "Are your parents home?"

    "They''re on a business trip," Eden answered. "Did something happen?"

    "Gunshots were reported in your apartment," the officer told Eden. "Did you hear anything?"

    "No," Eden answered. "You think¡­ someone else was in my apartment?"

    "May we look around?" The officer asked. "Just in case?"

    "Um, yeah," Eden said, then stepped over to block the officer attempting to enter. "Can I see your badge, first?"

    The officers pulled out their badges and showed them to Eden, who nodded and stepped to the side, letting them in.

    "Were you cleaning in here?" Officer Jones asked.

    "Soldier crapped on the floor," Eden gestured to the dog, who had come up to his side, watching the two officers with suspicion. "I guess he couldn''t hold it until I got home. Stank pretty bad, so I used some air freshener after scrubbing the spot."

    Jones nodded, and the two officers looked around the apartment, then left. Eden locked the door, then sighed.

    "That was a close one," he told Soldier, who woofed in response. "I''m going to go take a shower, okay?"

    Soldier woofed, then the two of them went to Eden''s room. Soldier jumped up onto the bed, and Eden took a shower. After drying off, he went to bed, and went back to his usual routine, working out and training in a room in the apartment during the day, wandering the streets in the afternoon, then heading to the fights, keeping an eye out for Cam.

    After around a week and a half, he saw Greyson again, though Cam wasn''t with him. While Blake was fighting, Eden walked up to Greyson and tapped him on the shoulder.

    "Hey," Eden said when Greyson turned around. "You were the kid who was here with Cam, right?"

    "Maybe," Greyson responded.

    "Do you know when they''ll be fighting again?" Eden asked.

    "No," Greyson answered.

    "Were they actually here with you?" Eden asked.

    "Yes," Greyson answered.

    "Are you friends with them?" Eden asked. "Or just someone he met on the way here or something?"

    "I''m not really sure," Greyson answered. "I kind of want to be their friend, and-how are you doing this?"

    "Doing what?" Eden asked innocently.

    "Making me answer," Greyson growled. "Do I need to sic Blake on you?"

    "Sorry," Eden smiled. "I guess I let it slip it, it''s hard to reign it in sometimes. I''ve got silkspeech, though it''s my only magic. I only started learning about it recently, and when I get carried away with my curiosity, it slips out without me realizing. Sorry ''bout that."

    Eden felt bad lying to the kid, but he hadn''t expected to be found out immediately. He''d been a mage for over two years, though had only recently learned the silkspeech spell. It came in handy, he''d discovered. Especially living on his own.

    "Well, keep it in," Greyson told him. "Or I''ll sic Blake on you."

    "Sorry," Eden help his hands. "Again, just curious, since I saw Cam with you last time. I''d been hoping to see them fight again, and thought if I saw you, maybe they''d be here."

    Greyson glared at him, and Eden backed off, returning to his usual routine. He saw Greyson twice more over the next two weeks, and the second time, he noticed the agent following.

    Sighing, he teleported home, changed into his brawler outfit, then teleported back, making his way to the agent and clearing his throat. The agent continued walking. Eden tapped him on the shoulder, and the agent turned around. As he did, Eden slammed his fist into the agent''s nose, sending him down.

    Making sure the agent wouldn''t be getting back up for awhile, Eden teleported home.

    A few days later, he was watching a match when he noticed Blake and Greyson show up ¨C this time, with a figure wearing an oversized hoodie and a black mask. Smiling, he knew his target was back.

    Teleporting home, Eden went to Soldier.

    "He''s back!" Eden ruffled his dog''s fur. "I''m going to see if I can beat him this time!"

    He quickly pulled on his gloves, hoodie, and mask, then teleported back and watched a few fights, knowing that as soon as he''d approached the crowd, he''d been spotted. The atmosphere became tense as fighters waited for him to enter the arena.

    Eden let seventeen fighters pass before he stepped into the arena, taking on six before no one else wanted to continue. Just as the ref was beginning the final call, Cam stepped into the arena.

    "And we have it again!" The ref called out. "Eden against the sole person who has ever bested them, driving them into a yield! What will it be this time, folks? Place your bets! Will Eden reclaim their title? Or will Cam prove that their victory against Eden wasn''t a fluke? Three minutes to bet!"

    The ref continued calling out until bets had closed, then stepped out of the arena and let them fight. Cam immediately bent space, but before he could step forward, a sensation like a sledgehammer slamming into his head sent him reeling. A much stronger attack than last time.

    The next attack occurred immediately and felt like a battering ram. The assault continued, giving Eden no time to recover, and in the brief moments he was able to think, he realized that the assault felt furious. Angry.

    As if Cam was letting frustration at something out on him.

    Nearly a minute passed, and Eden barely held onto consciousness. As soon as the assault let up, he knew he couldn''t win. Not that time. He needed to figure out how to create a mental shield to defend against that attack.

    Cam didn''t stop because he was done. He stopped so that Eden could give up. Testing to see if Cam would continue, Eden attempted to move through distorted space, only to find himself being pounded for another twenty seconds.

    When that assault let up, he stepped out of the arena. While it was a loss, he''d still won. Not just previous fights, but in getting to fight Cam again.

    After collecting his winnings, Eden teleported home to change, then returned to watch the fights. Cam fought nine more matches before no one else wanted to challenge them.

    As he went to teleport home, Eden felt a sharp pain in his skull.

 01-008

    Clutching his head, Eden looked around to find Cam staring directly at him. Though his eyes weren''t visible, the gaze still chilled Eden to the bone. Cam knew it was him.

    After a moment, Cam walked towards Eden, and beckoned with a glove-covered finger to lean down.

    "Use your magics on my friend again," the voice was cold. "And I will scramble your mind. Do I make myself clear?"

    Immediately, Eden realized that Cam ¨C who sounded like a boy ¨C didn''t know who he was. He was there because Greyson had probably mentioned him to the mind mage.

    "I hadn''t meant to," Eden whispered. "I did apologize, I was just wondering if he were friends with you, and if he knew if you''d be back."

    "Don''t do it again."

    "I won''t," Eden said, then feigned thinking for a moment. "Well, not intentionally. I''m doing my best to learn how."

    "Do you know any other mind magics?" Cam asked.

    "No," Eden answered. "Silkspeech is the only magic I know, period, actua-ah!"

    A pain sharper and stronger than any other went through his mind, and it took all of Eden''s willpower to not drop to his knees and clutch his head.

    "Nice lie," Cam growled. "But I know you''re a spatial mage. I wouldn''t recommend giving me an obvious lie again."

    "How did you know?" Eden asked when he recovered from the assault.

    "I saw you teleport," Cam responded. "I know who you are. It''s no coincidence your first day fighting after our last match was when I showed up. You wanted to see if I''d fight you again."

    Somehow, Cam knew who he was. The game was up, and there wasn''t too much point continuing to pretend he wasn''t who he was.

    "Will you match me again?" Eden asked, a little too eagerly. "I mean, would you like to fight me again?"

    "Friday night," Cam said. "Since you lost this one, fight until no one else will, then I''ll fight you."

    <hr>

    Cam turned and left after delivering his threat and then making an agreement for a future match. The boy made his way through the crowd until he reached Blake and Greyson, who were at the bookkeepers, trying to figure out where he''d gone.

    "There you are," Blake said when he noticed Cameron''s returned. "Where''d you go?"

    Cameron shrugged in response, then accepted his envelope of winnings, and the trio left. As they did, Cameron sensed someone following him, and became happy he''d extended his mental range out again.

    He attacked the stalker mentally with all he could without pushing past what he thought would damage the man without faltering in his step.

    When they returned to the hotel, Cameron went through his winnings. Nearly a grand, and he still had the four hundred from the first fight.

    "Most of it probably came from your match against Eden," Blake told him. "The more often you fight, the more you''ll make. Keep in mind, though, that the more you win, the more people will bet on you, lowering the overall winnings."

    Cameron shrugged.

    "I''m going to get some rest," he pulled off his hoodie. "I''m going back on Friday."

    "Why?" Blake asked. "That''s two days from now."

    "Eden and I are fighting again on Friday."

    "Why do you think that?"

    "Because we agreed to it."

    "When?" Greyson asked. "You said you couldn''t get telepathy down yet."

    "I can''t," Cameron shed his shoes, then climbed up into the bed. "We talked after the match. That''s where I went."

    "But Eden left after the match."

    "Eden removed the mask and hoodie, dummy."

    <hr>

    Blake and Greyson looked at each other in mild shock at Cameron''s comment, then back to Cameron, who had already passed out. They really should have expected that Eden did something like that. How else could he have just showed up the same time that Cameron was there? He could have someone watching, but why wouldn''t he watch, too?

    "You know," Greyson said after a few moments. "I feel like an idiot. Cameron can tell the differences between minds."

    The two of them suspected Cameron''s empathic powers, though never brought it up to him for fear of chasing him off. But when he always knew who was there, it was a little obvious he could do more than just mentally assault people, and they knew he couldn''t use telepathy since he''d been trying it with them.

    "Yeah," Blake said. "He knew Eden was there even after Eden ''took off the mask''. It means he also probably knows if Eden''s a boy or a girl."

    Greyson sighed, then headed for the shower. After he took one and changed into his pajamas, he climbed up onto his bed and looked at Cameron, who looked rather peaceful. The other kid was still as rough as he''d been at the start, though his suspicion had faded away. At least, his suspicion of them.

    He still refused to return to Elaine. He also cried when he thought he was alone. They weren''t aware of it, but that only happened when he''d pulled in his mind after being alone for awhile, and didn''t realize someone else had shown up.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    It was breaking Greyson''s heart, who knew from what little they could get out of him that Cameron wanted a family. Anytime one came up, he became bitter and cynical, but Greyson could see past that to the desire.

    It made Greyson desire for family again, though he didn''t really consider what he had before ''family''. Thoughts of family lulled Greyson to sleep, and when he woke in the morning, Cameron had gone, though Blake said he promised to be back later that day.

    <hr>

    Cameron, meanwhile, was wandering down the streets, listening to the voices in his head.

    "Now that is what I call ugly. Whoever bred such a thing should be put down."

    "Can we put you down?"

    "What are we putting down? I''ve got some stuff to put down."

    "We''re voices in Cameron''s head, we can''t put anything down. Nor have anything to put down."

    "What do you mean?" Cameron asked under his breath, and the voices didn''t respond. "You just said you''re just voices in my head, but that can''t be, can it?"

    "Well, we could be voices in other peoples'' heads."

    "Yeah, only no one else has the spell to let them hear us, and it''s your innate gift."

    "Speaking of spells, you''ve been going about telepathy wrong."

    "I have?"

    "Yeah," a different voice responded, one Cameron had only heard once before ¨C when the truth serum made all of the voices in his head start talking against their will. "You''re assuming it runs in the same vein as your empathy and have been attempting to use your empathy to hear the thoughts of others.

    "What you really need to do is push your mind to theirs, but not as a weapon. Simply push your mind outward. It''s similar to your empathy, but not quite the same. As you do, keep your mental ears open and you''ll hear their thoughts. To project your thoughts to others, don''t push your mind or try to use your empathy''s brushing of their thoughts to forge a connection. Instead, simply push your thoughts to them. Think of that more like your mental ram."

    "How come I''ve only heard you when the truth serum made everyone talk?" Cameron asked.

    "I prefer not to clutter your head," the voice responded. "There are a few of us you''ll have only heard when that happened. Try what I said on the lady with the black lab."

    Cameron looked around, noticing the woman sitting on the outdoor patio of a cafe. Rather than trying immediately, since it looked like she''d just sat down, he walked into the cafe and ordered a banana, piece of banana bread, a banana-nut muffin, and a large orange juice. Taking those, he went to the outdoor patio and sat down so the woman was in his view.

    He wasn''t sure why the voice wanted him to try on her, but he did, pushing outwards with his mind, but not his empathy. At first, nothing happened, but after a few minutes of trying, he sensed her mind, but not the way it felt.

    For several minutes, he attempted to listen.

    "-staring at me?" A female voice entered Cameron''s mind, and he realized he''d succeeded. "Maybe he wants to pet Rufus?"

    And then he realized she was thinking about him and that he''d been staring at her in his attempt. He pulled out of her mind as she walked over with the chocolate lab.

    "Hi," she said. "I couldn''t help but notice you staring at me."

    "Um," Cameron blushed. "I, um¡­ can I pet your dog?"

    "Sure thing, sweetie," she said.

    Cameron slid off his chair and start petting Rufus, deciding to try his telepathy on the dog.

    "This feels good!" The thought was accompanied by images, and Cameron could sense the happiness the dog felt. "Oh, yeah, that''s the spot!"

    Cameron touched that spot again, and Rufus filled with joy again, so he scratched it, and Rufus leaned into his hand, his tail wagging.

    "Seems he likes you," she said, and Cameron smiled up at the woman. "Mind if I sit with you?"

    "Um," Cameron hesitated.

    "Just say ''yes'', it won''t hurt you."

    "Yes," Cameron nodded, wondering why his new ''teacher'' was pushing this.

    He was wary. The last time the voices led him to someone, that person used a truth serum on him and it caused all of the voices to overwhelm him. He almost passed out. Cameron still wasn''t sure why they did that as they had always protected him in the past, always, and they refused to answer his inquiries about it.

    "Give me one moment to grab my stuff," she said. "Mind watching Rufus as I do?"

    "Sure," Cameron said, then went back to playing with Rufus as she grabbed her things and moved to sit across from his seat.

    Cameron played with Rufus for another minute, then sat back on his seat, the dog sitting beside his chair.

    "I''m Abigail," she introduced herself.

    "Ca-Cameron."

    "Nice to meet you, Cameron," she said, and he took a big bite of his muffin. "So, Cameron, it''s a Thursday at nine in the morning. How come you aren''t in school?"

    Cameron looked panicked.

    "I''m not going to call the police," she smiled. "There are sometimes good reasons why children aren''t in school. How old are you?"

    "Iu-twov," Cameron swallowed the bite of muffin. "I''m twelve. I''m home-schooled. M-my parents had to go out for the day, and I, um, snuck out."

    "Lame-ass lie."

    "I thought it was pretty good."

    "He''s twelve."

    "Yeah, but depending on which half of him you look at, he''s either still a kid or been an adult for years. He should''ve had a better response."

    Cameron paused at that comment. The voices sometimes referenced his halves, though that was the most blatant statement of it so far. What did they mean, he was already an adult? He was only twelve.

    "Everything alright?" She asked.

    "Um," Cameron flushed. "I have voices in my head that don''t shut up sometimes."

    "Voices in your head?" He sensed her worry. "Are you okay?"

    "Yeah," his face flushed again as he realized he''d blurted it out to a random stranger. "It''s why my parents school me at home and don''t let me out alone, and¡­ I just wanted to go out and see people. Eat something other than what they make for me or what I get from the kitchen. They said it''s skivo-skino-"

    "Schizophrenia?" She asked.

    "Yeah, that," he looked down at the table. "The voices tell me to do things all the time."

    "What kind of things?" She asked.

    "Go here, go there, eat this, don''t eat that, don''t go into that public restroom, because you''ll regret it. It''s never anything bad, but Mom and Dad and the therapist dude all say to not do what they say. It''s not like they tell me to go dancing naked in the woods and-"

    Cameron cut off, then narrowed his gaze at her.

    "This kid is way too suspicious," her thoughts hit him as he tried to hear them again. "He''s a good liar. I''ve finished my food, maybe it''s time to bow out?"

    "I''ve a meeting to get to," Abigail told Cameron, bending down to pick up Rufus''s leash. "Maybe I''ll see you around, Cameron?"

    "Maybe," he said low in his throat.

    Abigail picked up her trash and tossed it in the can, then left, and Cameron stared at her. She''d somehow gotten him to start rambling, yet hadn''t fed him anything.

    "Did she use magic on me?"

    "No," the ''teacher'' voice responded. "She just has that sort of presence about her. She''s a social worker, and could tell from experience that you were a boy of the streets."

    "Did you know I''d cause her to come over?"

    "It was a possibility," the voice admitted. "But it was harmless. She''s right about you being a good liar, though."

    "What did the other voices mean?" Cameron asked. "About me being a kid or adult depending on which half you looked at?"

    "You are only half-human," the voice answered. "Your other half is a species which is born fully-grown. Since your mother was human, you are forced to go through puberty. It''s quite sad, to be honest. Want to try reading more thoughts? There are a few people who might amuse you."

 01-009

    "Hello, Greyson," Elaine greeted him as he entered her living room.

    He walked over to the couch and sat down, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and crossing his ankles, staring at her.

    "What animal do you have for me to heal today?"

    "I wasn''t able to acquire any injured ones today," she told him. "Instead of canceling the lesson like we usually do in that case, would you like to attempt a different spell?"

    "I''m not into blood magics other than healing."

    "I know," she smiled at him. "I''m referring to a different school. You''re talented enough with your own roots and school that you might be able to learn this one in decent time. Blood magics and water magics are linked, after all."

    Greyson nodded. Blood''s linked schools were water, scourge, and nature. Everything in the linked schools linked with nature, but it was one of the most difficult schools to use. He knew that learning other schools would help him refine his control and increase his power, too. It was something Elaine hammered into him every session.

    "Okay," he said. "What''s the spell you want me to learn?"

    Elaine went to the kitchen, and when she returned, she carried a ceramic plate and a pitcher of water. She set the plate on the table, then poured a little water onto the plate, just enough to coat half of the surface. She set the pitcher down as the water pooled in the center of the plate.

    "This spell," she held a hand over the water, then drew her hand up. "Draws the water with your movements."

    The water pulled up into a sort of slender cone. She lowered her hand, and the water receded back onto the plate. She performed this a few times, then taught Greyson how to do the spell.

    "This is one of the most basic water spells," she told him. "Little practical use, but it does serve to help you grasp the basics and some control over water."

    Greyson nodded, then practiced the spell. As he expected, the spell was exhausting to use. While he considered himself talented with healing others, learning new spells always left him drained. Part of that was because it was a new magic, which meant it took a lot of energy. As he grew used to the spell and the school, it would become easier and easier to use.

    For two hours, Greyson and Elaine worked on the new spell, then Greyson paid her the three hundred dollars for his lesson and began to leave, then paused as he left.

    "I found Cameron."

    "You did?" Elaine asked in surprise.

    "He hates you so absolutely," Greyson turned his gaze to her. "That he never wants to see you again. And he told me to tell you that using the serum made all of the voices in his head start talking, and that there''s more than forty of them."

    His message delivered, Greyson left, making his way back to the hotel. When he reached his room, he found Cameron sitting with his back against the door, knees pulled up to his chest, arms crossed on his knees, head resting on his arms, eyes closed.

    "Cameron?" Greyson whispered.

    "Yes?"

    Greyson jumped at the sound of Cameron''s voice directly in his head, then he slowly broke out into a grin.

    "You finally did it," he said. "Let''s go in and talk!"

    Cameron stood up and stretched, and Greyson let him into the room.

    "So how''d you figure it out?" Greyson asked once they were inside.

    "The voices told me."

    "They what?" Greyson asked. "Didn''t they normally just guide your sense of direction or annoy you?"

    "It was a different voice," Cameron said. "I''d only heard him once before, and he stopped once I got things down. I practiced on dogs at the dog park, not on people."

    Greyson snorted.

    "So what''d he say that helped you?"

    "To not use my empathy," Cameron answered. "And to do it more like my ram. To push my thoughts into someone else''s mind."

    Cameron''s right ear cocked a little, and Greyson knew he was listening to a voice even before the frustrated glare formed on his friend''s face. That sent Greyson into giggles, and Cameron scoffed and climbed up onto the bed, curling up and resting until Blake returned from wherever he''d been.

    Greyson didn''t ask, and he didn''t want to know.

    Though he did like the burgers that Blake came in with and was practically drooling before the three of them had gathered around for dinner. After dinner, they chatted, played games, and helped Cameron practice his telepathy, now that he managed to figure out the spell.

    After Cameron went to bed, Greyson started practicing the water spell he''d learned for a bit, just until he was too tired to continue.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    The next day passed by quickly for the three of them, and when it was time to head to the fights, they left and made their way to the warehouse.

    <hr>

    Cameron bounced on his feet, nervous about the fight to come.

    It was one thing to just challenge someone who was there, but another to have a schedule set up for it. And what was more, the place was packed with spectators, more than he''d ever seen before. Even with his empathy reined in as much as possible, he was still overwhelmed.

    Though once people realized who they were standing beside, they quickly cleared a path for him to watch from the edge of the ring itself, and he sensed joy, greed, and awe in the minds of those around him.

    A few minds, he knew would challenge him after he beat Eden. If he beat Eden that time. He knew Eden had silkspeech, which meant Eden might also have started to learn to create a mental shield. Since he already had the branch, that made it easier for him to learn something like that.

    As the brawling matches went on, Cameron slowly let his mind expand out, reading into the thoughts of those he sensed with his empathy, mixing the two magics together. At one point, he noticed people reacting to another presence similarly to his, and that told him why everyone was there.

    "Eden''s finally shown up! The big match is going to happen for sure, it''s not just a rumor."

    "Does Eden really think they can beat Cam this time?"

    "Eden must have a way to defend against Cam''s blasts."

    Someone leaked out that the match was happening, and judging by Blake''s thoughts, he knew exactly who it was. The warehouse became packed because they knew Eden and Cam were going for Round 3.

    "Hello, Eden," Cameron pushed his thoughts into Eden''s mind as Eden was let to the front of the crowd opposite him.

    Eden turned his gaze to Cameron.

    "I can hear your thoughts, Eden."

    "Hello, Cam."

    "Blake told people about our match."

    "So that explains why it''s so packed."

    "There are six agents here."

    "I''ve only known about the one."

    "From what I can tell, they weren''t here before," Cameron hesitated. "I''m not so good at this telepathy thing yet, so it''s a bit jumbled, but I think they came to watch our fight and trail us home."

    "I can teleport, they won''t be able to follow me."

    Cameron hesitated for a moment. He didn''t know Eden could teleport. It meant that he''d have to hit Eden before Eden could teleport.

    "Will you guys be okay?"

    "Two of them have mental shields," Cameron admitted. "So I''m not sure. I was able to deter the usual agent last time, but¡­ I dunno. Not with them."

    "Can you point the two out to me?"

    Cameron did his best to describe the two, and could tell that Eden was looking around for them, trying to spot them without giving himself away.

    "I have to stop now," Cameron told him. "Or I''m going to exhaust myself."

    "Okay. I''ll see what I can do about the shielded agents."

    Cameron pulled his thoughts back, though left his empathy extended, filling the warehouse. So many minds threatened to overwhelm him, but he pushed through.

    As the fights began, Cameron noticed one of the people who ran the thing approaching Eden. The man leaned down and spoke to Eden, and Cameron briefly considered extending his mind out, but refrained. Hopefully, it was nothing bad.

    Eden gave a little nod, and the man left. Cameron tracked him, the man seeming to be pleased with something as he went to the back of the crowd and walked around everyone, eventually coming up to Cameron.

    "Cam," he leaned down, speaking directly beside where he thought the smaller mage''s ear would be. "Word went out about you two planning on fighting today. Rather than one of you challenging people until no one else would fight, then the other fighting, we were wondering if you''d rather do a separate match against each other after the mage block ended.

    "Eden has already agreed to this," the man informed him. "If you agree to it, then we''ll go through with it. You''ll each be paid five hundred for the fight, as we''ll consider it an exhibition match. The winner will also receive their usual share of winnings. Does this sound satisfactory?"

    Cameron wasn''t sure why they''d pay him just for the fight, but decided it sounded good. He was guaranteed five hundred dollars just for the fight, even if Eden did have a way to defend against his assault.

    So he nodded, and the man told him that they''ll announce the fight when it''s time, then left. When he returned his gaze to Eden, Cameron saw him bouncing on his feet, and the sense he got from the other boy''s mind told him that he wanted to talk.

    "What?" He projected, tapping into the spatial mage''s mind.

    "You agreed to it!"

    "We were going to fight anyway."

    "Well, maybe," Eden admitted. "But this is more fun, I think. I''m not going to go down as easily this time."

    "So you figured out how to shield yourself against me and managed to get it past my capabilities to breach in two days?"

    "Well, no, but-"

    "I''m going back to waiting."

    Cameron pulled out of Eden''s mind, then resumed watching the brawlers. Blake fought a few rounds before being taken out, then joined Greyson and Cameron on the sides. Cameron noticed Greyson telling Blake something, but didn''t catch what. Probably about the man coming over and talking to Cameron.

    The mage section began, and for four hours, magicians battled each other, until no one wanted to challenge a woman who used a form of air cannon as her primary spell. Cameron could tell the crowd and spectators were starting to wonder if the rumored match was a myth, especially since neither of them stepped in to fight.

    "It looks like that''s all for tonight!" The ref announced after no one challenged her. "And so! Without further ado! The fight you have all wanted to see tonight! Eden and Cam will be going for Round 3!"

    Eden teleported into the ring, startling the ref, and Cam walked into the ring. The crowd went silent, and Cam could tell part of it was because of Eden''s blatant display of spatial magic. He wouldn''t have done that unless he was confident no one would be able to track him down.

    People who wielded lone schools of magic were rare enough, and it meant that he''d be hunted.

    "You better know what to do if someone comes after you," Cameron told Eden.

    "I''ve had to deal with fae before," Eden smiled under his mask, though Cameron didn''t know what that meant. "I promise, Cam ¨C I can handle myself."

    "Alright, people!" The ref recovered from the shock of the sudden teleportation. "Cam and Eden will be fighting to see if Eden can best Cam yet! Betting ends in three minutes! Will Eden and their speed and teleportation be able to take down Cam, or will Cam''s blasts and pressure prove too much for the once-unbeaten champ?"

    People began betting with the bookkeepers as Cameron and Eden watched each other from under their hoods and masks. Cameron was impressed with how much the ref could talk about nothing in general while still making it sound like he was giving real information about the two fighters.

    When betting closed, the ref stepped out of the ring and called for the match to start.

 01-010

    Adam watched the fight from the second level of the warehouse, sitting on the ground with his legs hanging over the balcony, his arms resting on the lower level of bars that made up the railing.

    He knew about the match before Blake had begun leaking it, having ''overheard'' the agreement between the two. That was why he had subtly let people know about it before Blake began to do so. He wanted a packed room.

    Well, warehouse.

    Not for greed or anything, but to see how things were handled. No one knew that he was the one behind the underground fighting rings, and he went to ''great'' lengths to keep it so. No one suspected a kid of being the owner, which actually made it easy.

    When the ref called for Cam and Eden to fight, Adam turned his gaze not to them, but to one of the agents in his line of sight. All six of them were on the first floor. One was along each short wall, and two along each long wall, all six hidden through the crowd.

    Snorting, he wondered if the two who had light mind barriers knew he''d already slipped through. They weren''t any threats, and he planned on ensuring none of them managed to track their quarry that night.

    Returning his gaze to the two sparring mages, he saw that Eden had managed to get close to Cam before Cam''s mind blasts took over. Cam seemed to have a difficult time moving away while continuing the assault, but still managed to put distance between them.

    After three minutes, Eden surrendered the fight.

    Adam nodded, then watched as the two left, Eden immediately heading to collect the winnings, Cam to join with Greyson and Blake before doing so. As the agents went to follow, Adam misdirected them with a gentle application of mind and light magic. They''d eventually realize they were following the wrong people, but not before their intended targets were long gone.

    Once most everyone had left, Adam himself took his leave, heading to the suite he lived in at the top of an apartment building. Things had been set in motion, and he hoped they panned out.

    After taking a shower and getting some sleep, Adam pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, an orange tee, and then pulled a black button-up with short sleeves, leaving it unbuttoned. After fixing a belt around his waist and slipping his feet into black and orange sneakers, Adam grabbed his wallet and keys, then left, making his way down to a diner that served excellent pancakes.

    "Hey, Adam," the hostess greeted him. "Welcome back."

    "Thanks," Adam smiled. "I''m supposed to be meeting a friend here. He''s twelve, but on the short side, and with platinum-blond hair and dark blue eyes. Do you know if he''s shown up?"

    "Sure has," she answered. "Just sat him a minute ago. He''s over in Kelly''s section."

    "Thanks," Adam smiled, then made his way into his favorite waitress'' section, locating the platinum-blond mind mage, who jumped the moment he came into view. "Hello, Cameron."

    Adam sat down across from him.

    "Who are you?" Cameron asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "How are you doing that?"

    "Doing what?" Adam asked. "Making it so you can''t sense my mind?"

    Cameron gave him a small nod.

    "I''ve some talent with mind magics, too," Adam explained. "Though I''ve probably been doing them for longer. I''d like to make a deal with you."

    "The voices say you''re thousands of years old."

    Adam paused. He hadn''t been expecting that comment.

    "The voices?" Adam asked.

    "They''re in my head," Cameron stated. "All the time. And they said that you''re thousands of years old. And that you should go and die already."

    Adam groaned, smacking his head into the table just as Kelly arrived.

    "Everything alright, Adam?" She asked.

    "Where''s the nearest cliff?" He asked.

    "Don''t say that," she gently slugged him on the arm. "Who''s your friend?"

    "We''re not friends," Cameron stated.

    "He''s Cameron," Adam lifted his head back up. "And he''s just brought back some really painful memories. I''ll have an orange juice and a milk, and put his order on my tab."

    "What would you like, Cameron?" Kelly turned her gaze to Cameron.

    "Milk."

    "Alright," she said. "Two milks and an orange juice, here in a minute. Do you boys want to order breakfast now, or when I come back?"

    "When you come back," Adam told her, and she nodded, then left. He turned his gaze back to Cameron. "So-"

    "Why do the voices want you to die?"

    "Who knows?" Adam shrugged. "I don''t even know what the voices are."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "They''re in my head, and they say that the nearest cliff can be reached by-"

    "No," Adam held up a hand. "I don''t want to hear it. I can sense that you''re highly suspicious of me, Cameron. That''s why I arranged for us to meet here, not where I''ll be meeting with Eden later."

    Cameron started to ask why he was meeting with both of them, stopping when the waitress showed up with their drinks. They both ordered breakfast, then she left again.

    "You''re meeting with both of us?" Cameron asked.

    "Yes," Adam responded. "I have talent in both mind and spatial magic, and have trained in them over the course of my life."

    "How do you look like that when you''re thousands?"

    "Blood magic can assist with the aging process," Adam stated. "I''ve dabbled in all schools at one point or another."

    "So you prevented yourself from aging at thirteen?"

    "Can I please talk?" Adam asked. "Without being interrupted?"

    "Depends on how much I like you, and right now, I''m not liking you very much."

    Adam took a deep breath, then spent several long seconds letting it out.

    "I wanted to offer you a deal, as well as mentorship in your mind magic."

    "And the same deal to Eden, but with his spatial magic?"

    "Yes."

    "Why?"

    "You two," he said. "Bring in money to the arena. You also bring me entertainment. One day, he''ll manage to best you. However, you''re both limited by what little magic you know. I can help you. In exchange for training with me, I''d ask that you and Eden both come on Fridays, when able, and fight each other once the blocks are over. You''d both receive a five-hundred bonus for it, as well as ten percent of the overall winnings. The ring will only take twenty percent. The reason for this is because with you two fighting, there would only be a single bet, with the majority voting on one. Normally, people bet either on specific winners and time to win, or how many times someone wins in a row that night.

    "With the two of you," Adam continued. "It became predictable. If you two fight, you win. If you fight someone else, you win. If Eden fights someone else, he wins. There''s no variation. What it ended up being was people simply betting how long each of you would last before no one would challenge, which is why winnings were what they were.

    "For last night''s match," Adam pulled napkins from the dispenser and began arranging them on the table. "Nearly everyone who bet did so on you, and on how long it would take you to take out Eden. While that''s a valid way of betting, it''s kind of bad when it''s always the same person winning because then it becomes difficult to actually do the payouts properly because there aren''t enough losing money, either."

    "Oh," Cameron said. "I can see why that''s bad.

    "Only half of the spectators bet on that match," Adam continued. "If I train the both of you, and you both study well, the matches can become more varied. He could have had you simply from his teleportation. If he can manage a mental block, it''ll take you longer to push him back with your mental ram. That would give him the opportunity he needs. If you can manage to increase the power of your mental rams and your skill and getting through mental blocks, you could still take him out before he did something to you. I can teach you both other spells within your roots to augment those as well.

    "However," Adam stated. "Your mental ram is your most powerful weapon at the moment, and as you were doing before, with the fights, training it''s your best bet. If he can take you out before you can overwhelm him with it, then he wins. If you can manage to get through his mental barriers and disable him until he yields, you win.

    "Trained up," Adam repeated his earlier statement, pulling his hands off the napkins and setting them on his lap. "The fights will get more varied. People will bet on the one they like the most, even if they expect them to lose. And that brings me to another point.

    "One day a week," Adam said. "You and Eden would fight alone, against others. With you two becoming known as untouchable, stronger mages are coming by, wanting to fight you two. Unregistered mages with reputations beyond the arena or in others. People will bet on them."

    Adam fell silent and looked at Kelly, who was returning with their stacks of pancakes and plates of sausage and bacon. She set them down, then grabbed their glasses to refill. The two boys ate in silence as Cameron digested Adam''s proposal. When he finished, he looked at the other boy.

    "What kind of training?"

    "Depends on what you want to train," Adam answered. "Though I''d have no issue letting you use your mental battering ram on me. With my mental defenses, it''s unlikely you''d be breaching them anytime soon."

    "Because of your thousands of years of experience?"

    "What else do the voices say about me?"

    "That you should go and die already."

    "Anything else?"

    "That you''ve called yourself a god."

    "I didn''t call myself a god," Adam snorted. "That''s what regular humans called me. I didn''t ask to be called any of what they called me. I am simply me."

    "Do you know much about empathy?"

    "The ability to sense the minds and emotions of others?" Adam asked, and Cameron snorted. "You have it?"

    "I can''t turn it off."

    "Is it your primary root?" Adam asked.

    "The voices are."

    "Can you tell me about the voices?" Adam asked. "What they are? What they do? I''ve never heard of them before."

    "They call themselves the Zratakai."

    "Yeah, never heard of them," Adam shrugged. "Not unusual. Are you sure they''re your primary root?"

    "I could hear them before I had my empathy."

    "It''s possible you have a dual-primary, then," Adam said. "It''s rare, but it happens sometimes. They''re usually in different schools, but you''re probably both in mind."

    Cameron thought for a few moments.

    "Shut up, will you?" He hissed, and Adam raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, they were getting annoying."

    "You can''t tune them out?"

    "Not since I started hearing them properly," Cameron shook his head. "I can manage them just fine, though. I can''t turn off the empathy, though."

    "There''s a breathing exercise you can do," Adam told him. "It worked for the innate empath I met. You can adjust the range, right? There''s just a minimum?"

    "Yeah," Cameron nodded.

    "Okay," Adam said. "Inhale slowly and deeply, then exhale slowly until your breath is all out. Do it again, and this time, expand your rage to its maximum as you inhale, and decrease it down to your minimum when you exhale. Expand, then shrink, for five breaths. For the next five breaths, reverse it ¨C shrink when you inhale, expand when you exhale. Then, do another neutral, like you did at the start. Repeat this four times, so that you do a total of five sets, or fifty-five breaths. After, do another inhale, then another exhale, then inhale as deeply as you can, shrinking your range as much as you can. Hold that breath for as long as you can, then slowly exhale. The whole process should take around ten minutes, if each breath takes ten seconds."

    "What does that do?" Cameron asked.

    "Try it," Adam told him. "At least once a day. Don''t focus on the minds you sense as you do it, either. This will help you increase your range, your focus while doing it regardless of how many minds you''re sensing, and you''ll find yourself, over time, being able to reduce your range even more. It''s a good exercise for controlling your range with it and with controlling the power itself. Eventually, you''ll find yourself able to simply pull the sense back within yourself."

    "Oh," Cameron said.

    "So," Adam said, stopping his arranging of the napkins to put some cash on the table to pay for the meal. "Do you accept my offer?"

 01-011

    "What''s wrong?" Blake asked.

    Greyson shifted uncomfortably.

    "What?" Blake asked.

    "It''s been a week and a half since he fought Eden at their first arranged match," Greyson told him. "And he''s disappeared for a few hours each day. I''m just¡­ worried."

    Blake sighed, then sat on the bed beside the younger teen, resting a hand on his shoulder.

    "You''re thinking about your family again, aren''t you?" Blake asked, and Greyson nodded. "Do you want to go back?"

    "No," Greyson shook his head, fierce determination in his eyes. "They were terrible to me. I don''t want to see them ever again. But Cameron¡­ he''s never really known his family. I, um¡­ I did some digging."

    Greyson felt a little ashamed of it. He''d pressured Cameron into revealing some of his past, and while he didn''t know how much of it was true, he was sure at least part of it was. And that his pressuring had resulted in something unwanted.

    He was scared that because of his pushing, Cameron might run away, leaving them to return to truly living on the streets.

    "What kind of digging?" Blake asked.

    "He grew up an orphan," Greyson looked down at his lap, where he started playing with his hands. "I don''t know what happened with his mom, but she gave him up at birth, he said. He was adopted, but the adoptive parents died when he was two. He got adopted again pretty fast, but before the waiting period for finalization was up, they died. By the time he was five, he''d been in three homes. He got put into an orphanage, where he stayed until it burned down a few years later, then started getting bounced around from home to home until he ran away a little more than two years ago. And now¡­ he''s disappearing again."

    "You think he''s planning on leaving?" Blake asked.

    "Yeah," Greyson responded quietly. "I think he feels like he''s been here too long, and that''s why he''s gone so much the last few days. He doesn''t-he doesn''t have family, and he-he¡­ I want to be his family."

    "Hey," Blake sat down beside Greyson and rubbed his back. "Just talk with him. For all we know, he found someone who can teach him how to use his mind magic. That, or he just wants some space. He does hang around us almost all the time, don''t forget."

    "Yeah," Greyson smiled weakly at the werewolf. "You know, with him being around so much, the time that we had together, alone, was kind of interrupted. We haven''t done any of our special, secret training since he came to stay with us."

    Blake smiled at the younger teen, before pulling off his shirt, standing, and moving right in front of Greyson, who reached out with both hands and placed them on the older teen''s stomach.

    Inhaling deeply, Greyson focused his power and began to manipulate the blood within Blake''s abdomen. The werewolf grunting, clenching his teeth as pain shot through his stomach. They''d been secretly working on Greyson''s magical combat ability before they met Cameron.

    Due to the preteen''s suspicion of them, they didn''t want him to know about it out of fear he''d bolt, and neither of them wanted that. Otherwise, they''d have let him be the third person in on the secret ¨C the other two being them.

    Blake whimpered in the back of his throat as he felt his flesh tear, and Greyson pulled his hands back, the werewolf stumbling back a few steps. The blood mage moved his hands, the blood flowing through the air. Not enough to significantly weaken the werewolf, but it was still enough.

    Greyson stood, striking at Blake with the blood, hardening it and turning it back to liquid as he moved it through the room. Blake did his best to dodge and avoid the strikes, taking several more hits across his body, feeling his blood joining with that which was already out until he eventually collapsed to the ground.

    "Jeez," Blake gasped. "You''re definitely getting better."

    "Maybe," Greyson said as he shot the blood into the sink, sending it straight down the drain. "But I can''t put your blood back yet. Let me heal you up, then I need to head to Elaine''s. Hopefully soon, I''ll be able to restore your blood to you after I pull it out."

    "Yeah," Blake grunted as Greyson began working his hands over the injuries, healing the werewolf. "Have you been practicing anyway?"

    "Against a few pieces of scum," Greyson nodded. "Sadly, I still need to touch them to pull their blood out, and it''s not all that easy to do sometimes."

    Blake snorted.

    "You''ll get there," he assured the younger teen. "One day, you''ll be able to snap your fingers and rip all the blood out of someone."

    "Maybe," Greyson''s expression darkened. "I don''t want to be able to do that."

    "You need to be able to defend yourself magically," Blake reminded him. "And blood magic is one of the most potent of the linked schools for that, if you''re trained enough."

    Greyson sighed, pinched one of the werewolf''s injuries, then healed it and pulled on his hoodie and sneakers.

    "I''ll get something to eat on the way back," Greyson told him. "Let Cameron know, if he returns before I do."

    Blake nodded and Greyson left, making his way down to the mage''s shop where he took his lessons. When he entered, he was greeted with the sight of a man in his forties glaring at Suzanne, who looked terrified by him.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Elaine herself stood to the side, and looked nervous as well, and her horrified gaze told Greyson that he shouldn''t be there. The man''s presence terrified Greyson as well. There was simply something about it that instilled a sense of otherworldly fear into him.

    "I already told you," Suzanne gulped. "We don''t know him."

    "That''s a lie," the man said. "And you know it, little mage. Tell me where the boy is. Now. Or your little guest over there will be-"

    "You leave him alone," Elaine snapped. "We already told you that we don''t know the son you''re looking for."

    "Yet he''s been in your shop!" The man slammed his hand into the wooden counter, which split clean in half.

    He whirled around and reached for Greyson, freezing before his hand grabbed the terrified boy. The man''s golden gaze narrowed on him, and he sniffed the air. As he did, Greyson realized the man was unbelievably beautiful.

    Beyond human levels. Whatever he was, the boy knew he wasn''t human, something that powerful aura should have told him. It felt¡­ godly.

    "You smell like Refari," the man growled low in his throat.

    "I-I don''t know who that is," Greyson took a step back, right into a shelf. His breathing increased as he began to sweat hard. "I-I-"

    "Why did Refari have a child with a mortal?" The man asked.

    "I-I-"

    "Leave him alone!" Elaine hollered. "He''s just a kid!"

    "Indeed, he is," the man turned and walked back over to the counter. "And if his father''s Refari, I''m not touching him. Not without some serious backup. You two bitches, on the other hand, are fair game. Now. Tell me where the son of Ulrima is. Now."

    "We don''t know who he is!" Elaine protested. "Many people come into our shop! If Ulrima had a kid, it''s possible he came in here and didn''t tell us who he was!"

    "Demigods have certain auras!" The man threw out a hand, and the two female mages found themselves slammed into the walls. "Much like the little half-angel over there, he wouldn''t have been able to hide his presence from you!"

    Half-angel? Greyson wondered. Wait¡­ he knows what I am? He¡­ who''s Refari? My father?

    "Now tell me where he is! What does he look like? If you don''t start cooperating, bitches, I''m going to-"

    "Do absolutely nothing," Greyson turned to face the speaker, who had an even more powerful presence than the one already there.

    The newcomer had pink eyes, his hair golden at the roots, but pink halfway through and to the tips. He wore a pair of pink cargo shorts, crimson boots with pink laces that reached nearly to his knees, and a pink leather quiver strapped across his chest, a crimson bow with a pink string, a pink-fletched crimson arrow with a heart-shaped tip already knocked.

    The thing that stunned Greyson the most about the man''s appearance wasn''t his odd attire or the bow in his hands, but the pair of pink wings stretching out of his back, folded close against his body in the tight space.

    "Namil," the other man snarled. "What are you doing here?"

    "I was in town," Namil said. "And sensed the presence of a god. Thought I''d come investigate."

    "What is the Chief Cupid doing here?" The god asked, and Greyson began to slowly inch away from the two powerful beings.

    He''d rather not be there at all, able to teleport like Eden was able to do, but he couldn''t. So he prayed to whatever gods would listen to him that these two beings did not kill him as they destroyed the surrounding area.

    "There''s a restaurant down the road that makes the most amazing chocolate cake," Namil said. "I would have been here as soon as I sensed you, but dessert had just arrived. And then I sensed the nephilim''s terror and thought I''d come step in. I wasn''t expecting the son of Refari to be here."

    "So he is Refari''s son?" The god asked, suddenly unsure of himself.

    "He is," Namil stated. "Now. Why are you seeking one of Ulrima''s children?"

    "Tell your master that this isn''t over!" The god exclaimed before vanishing.

    Namil let out a heavy sigh, then looked at Greyson.

    "Hello, Greyson," he said. "I expect he''ll be back with a few others soon, so be careful. Looks like I''ll need to let your father know you''re in danger. He can probably assign a few angels to watch over you."

    "Isn''t that-isn''t that forbidden?" Greyson asked. "And¡­ is Ulrima¡­ is Ulrima a god of love?"

    "Yes," Namil''s lips twitched. "You guessed that based on my appearance?"

    "I-I heard that the Cupids served one particular god of love. That-that''s Ulrima?"

    "It is," Namil nodded. "And it looks like I''ll be in town more than for chocolate cake. Be safe, Greyson. And do remember ¨C your mortal parents love you very much. Elaine, Suzanne ¨C treat him well."

    "Wait," Elaine called as Namil began to walk towards the door. "Why did he think a demigod was in here? We never sensed one, and the shop is enchanted to-"

    "He''s been bound," Namil said without turning around. "Ulrima bound his son''s divinity to hide that he''s a demigod. He doesn''t possess his aura, nor will any readers detect it. For all intents and purposes, his kid is mortal. I''ll need to have some Cupids investigate how his existence was discovered."

    "Does the child know?" Elaine asked.

    "He''s aware he''s not fully human," Namil answered. "He doesn''t know what his inhuman parent is, though. Anyway, I do need to get going, I did sort of leave without paying, so I should go make up for that."

    Namil then left, and Greyson let out a huge breath in relief once the dominating aura left. It made him feel things he didn''t want to think about in the slightest. He looked at his mentors, who both looked shaken up.

    "That¡­ was a god?" He asked.

    "Yes," Elaine frowned at him. "You seem to know more than we''ve taught you, Greyson, including that you are half-angel."

    "Yeah," he averted his gaze. "I¡­ don''t know who Refari is, though."

    "He''s an angel," Elaine answered. "Though I''ve no idea as to who the god he serves is. You being half-angel explains your affinity for healing magics."

    Greyson nodded. Healing was one thing all angels had in common, and was their primary power. The Cupids were one of the rare exceptions to angels being a mix of warriors and healers, and had powers beyond the norm of an angel''s healing magics.

    "Come," Elaine said. "Let''s head upstairs and work on your water spell again, I didn''t have anything injured before that god showed up."

    "Why is he hunting a demigod?" Greyson asked as they went upstairs.

    "Normally?" She asked. "To either kill or enslave. However, if Ulrima had a son¡­ probably for blackmail. To use him to get what they want."

    "Which is what?" Greyson asked.

    "I don''t know," she answered. "I don''t know who that particular god was. However, any god would know that Ulrima would do anything for his children, which is probably why that High God bound his son''s divinity. Though it would cause great problems for the child until the divinity was released."

    "Problems?" Greyson asked as he sat on the couch, kicking his feet up onto her table and crossing his ankles.

    "Yes," Elaine answered as she went into her kitchen to retrieve the pitcher and plate. "The entities more commonly known as guardian angels don''t protect demigods. Instead, it''s their divinity that serves that function. Nearly all demigods who have their divinity bound that I know of die before they turn fifteen."

    "So¡­ Ulrima''s son is probably under fifteen?"

    "No," she smiled. "If Ulrima''s his father, there are probably scores of angels and magicians keeping an eye on him, ensuring his safety. As I said ¨C he''s very protective of his children. It''s very, very possible he''s already fully-grown. Could even be ancient, compared to us."

 01-012

    "Is something wrong?"

    Cameron jumped at the sudden question, then slowly released his breath, looking at Adam. They were at a youth center in the city, though at that hour on a Friday, it was mostly empty. They weren''t questioned about why they weren''t in school, however, as it was also popular among home-schooled youth.

    It had only been two weeks since the lessons began, and Cameron still didn''t trust Adam, even if the other mage never attempted to take him anywhere private. In fact, the ancient mage always arranged for them to meet somewhere public.

    "My friend¡­ told me something," Cameron said. "I''ve just been¡­ a bit confused."

    "What did he tell you?" Adam asked, sitting on the couch and taking a sip of his soda.

    "Remember how he was shaken-up at the warehouse on Monday?" Cameron asked.

    "I do," Adam nodded. "His mind was rather troubled, though as I promised to you, I didn''t pry into it."

    Cameron shifted around for a few moments.

    "He said," Cameron hesitated. "He said that a god was looking for a son of Ulrima when he went to Elaine''s that afternoon. And that Cupid showed up to interfere."

    "A demigod?" Adam looked bewildered, nearly dropping his cup. "That''s¡­ if there were a demigod in the city, I''d know about it."

    Cameron shifted again, then sat down on the love seat.

    "He said that the Cupid, someone called Namil, I think, said that the demigod''s power was bound."

    Adam thought over that for a few moments, then asked more questions about what Cameron had been told, though it wasn''t much. Sighing, he stood and asked Cameron if he wanted to meet a god.

    "Um¡­ meet a god?"

    "Yes," Adam said. "I can summon some. Minor ones, not High Gods like Ulrima."

    "What''s the difference between High Gods and minor ones?"

    "Most gods," Adam explained. "Require faith to fuel their power. High Gods are fueled simply by the existence of what they represent. For Ulrima, it''s love and lust, two things that will always exist. Also, sex. He''s also considered the patron of protection, though that actually goes to a different High God, who represents protection. Ulrima''s just incredibly protective, which probably explains why the High Goddess who represents protectors and sanctuaries fell for him."

    "What does Ulrima think of rapists?" Cameron asked quietly.

    "Depends on who they''re raping," Adam answered. "Rape falls into his territory of lust and sex, so he doesn''t mind it much. Unless it''s against one of his children or something. In that case¡­ well, let''s just say that I''d pity anyone stupid enough to rape one of his children, even if the child''s divinity is bound."

    "So praying to him about rapists wouldn''t do anything?" Cameron asked.

    "It might, or it might not," Adam shrugged. "To be honest, most of the High Gods ignore prayers, since they aren''t necessary. They don''t care about a following and have many things to do, so they can''t really attend to prayers. If someone raped you, Cam, I''d recommend praying to a minor god over a High God. I''m going to summon one who actually sits firmly in the love territory, if you want to join me for it. He really hates rapists. It does require going to my home, though, and I know how adverse you are to that."

    "I-I wasn''t raped," Cameron shook his head. "I-it was-"

    "Someone you knew," Adam finished, and Cameron nodded. "Well, Sebar will probably listen to the request."

    Cameron shifted around uncomfortably, but ultimately, he agreed to meet with a god. Part of it was because he had the opportunity to meet one, and part of it was because the voices in his head seemed elated at the idea of it. While he''d begun to trust Adam more than anyone else he knew, he had nearly an absolute trust in the voices.

    "Whoo-hoo! We''re getting to meet a god again!"

    "When did we ever meet a god?"

    "I dunno. Probably back when we were working with that guy Evan."

    "Wasn''t that about eighteen thousand years ago?"

    "Yeah."

    "Hey! Isn''t that the guy who sired, like, six demigods and demigoddesses?"

    "Oh! I loved that guy!"

    "Considering that he could hear us, of course you loved him. We always love the people who can hear us. They''re always awesome."

    "We haven''t met Sebar before. What do you think he''s like?"

    "Strong. Confident. Muscular. Probably gets all the ladies."

    "Do you think he has pencils?"

    "Will you guys shut up?" Cameron hissed under his breath, then flushed as Adam chuckled.

    "Come on," Adam said. "I don''t live far from here."

    Cameron nodded, then followed Adam out of the youth center. They walked a few blocks until they reached a skyscraper apartment complex. The ancient magician led him inside and to one of the elevators, dipping his head to the security guards stationed in the lobby.

    "Which floor do you live on?" Cameron asked as the elevator doors closed.

    "My suite''s the two top floors," Adam punched the button for the top level.

    Cameron blanched when he heard that.

    "You have two whole floors?"

    "I own the building," Adam snorted. "It''s only natural I can afford the penthouse suite."

    "But¡­ you look thirteen!"

    Adam sighed. His apparent age was something Cameron brought up often, and he hadn''t wanted to reveal things too much. He knew, however, that Cameron would never believe it was simply through mind magic.

    "My roots are in the shift school of magic," Adam told Cameron. "I can alter my form. In about three minutes, I can take on a completely different appearance. I take on this form because it''s easier to deal with things most of the time, with my current lifestyle. No one expects me to fight in the warehouse no matter how often I show up, for example."

    "It also makes it easier to gain another kid''s trust and lure him into your apartment for a sacrificial ritual," Cameron muttered.

    "I don''t do that!" Adam laughed. "Well, not anymore, and I didn''t live in apartment when I did sacrifice children. Back in ancient times, we''d sacrifice young boys to appease the gods ¨C those were the ''innocent sacrifices'', not virgin girls or women the media portrays it as."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "The gods want boys, not women?"

    "The gods couldn''t care less, most of the time," Adam scoffed. "What it really was amounted to nothing more than human superstition, Cameron. A natural disaster struck? The people would blame the gods and sacrifice a boy or group of boys to appease them. In reality, it was to decrease the mouths needed to feed."

    "Killing people to feed less?" Cameron sounded confused. "What did natural disasters have to do with that?"

    "That," Adam said as they stepped off the elevator. "Has everything to do with it. Back then, if you had an earthquake, chances were that you lost food and some space for food, too. Not enough to feed everyone. So killing people was necessary to lighten the load. They needed the girls to make babies for them and care for the babies, once they recovered from the disaster. They could only make so many at a time, after all. Meanwhile, a male could produce many children. They were also the laborers, and ate more, but again, they were the laborers, the ones who did the heavy work. The boys, on the other hand, often contributed too little. So it was them who got selected, as they were the ones best killed for the sacrifices. Especially preteen boys. They weren''t needed for repopulating as much, since a boy could produce more children than a woman in nine months."

    That was a bit more than Cameron had wanted to hear.

    "Oh," Cameron said, then looked around the apartment they had entered.

    It was spacious, with a view of the city nearly all the way around. There were stairs leading to the second floor of the suite, which Adam told him was where the bedrooms were. On the first floor was the living and gaming space, as well as the kitchen and dining room, all as one single room.

    "Play games or something, if you want," Adam told him. "I have to get the stuff to start the ritual to summon Sebar. If anyone knows anything about what''s going on, he probably does. He courted a daughter of Ulrima millennia ago, until she passed away."

    Cameron nodded, though remained by the elevator. Adam was upstairs for several minutes before returning downstairs with an armful of containers. He made several trips up and down the stairs, then began arranging candles on the floor.

    After creating a circle eighteen feet in diameter with fifty-four dark purple candles, Adam began drawing on the ground with a stick of dark purple chalk. It was only then that Cameron realized that while most of the floor was made of marble, there was a square twenty-four feet on each side made of a dark gray stone, and that was the space that Adam was using, centering everything on the slab.

    "What kind of stone is that made of?" Cameron asked.

    "One not of this world," Adam answered. "It''s fae stone."

    "Fairies?" Cameron asked.

    He''d heard a little about fairies from Adam, Blake, and Greyson. They kidnapped magicians from Earth, but no one would tell him why. He didn''t push the question of why, but he could sense worry and unease in the minds of the blood mage and the werewolf.

    That made him uneasy.

    "Yeah," Adam continued creating his magic circle, placing down eighteen crystals, each around three inches thick and eighteen tall, standing them on their ends. "Fae stone is harvested from one of their quarries. They have this massive forest of trees that create and pump out magic, which they use to connect their various worlds together and shape the worlds to their wills. The quarries where fae stone is harvested are one of the places they pumped magic into to alter. The stone makes for one of the best mediums for summoning magic."

    "I know we''re in America," Cameron shifted a moment, then frowned. "But shouldn''t you be, like, using metric or something? Everything''s always ''this many grams'' and ''that many millimeters'', and even though it''s America, lots of people are strict on that."

    "Ah," Adam chuckled. "Yeah, media''s got a few things wrong. Look at the words ''magical'' and ''scientific''. They give you a clue about something, in relation to measurements."

    "What?" Cameron asked.

    Adam looked up for a few moments, then sighed.

    "Magical and imperial," he said. "Scientific and metric. They end with the same two sounds. ''al'' and ''ic''. Magical rituals, formulas, potions, and such need the imperial system, that''s why it''s persisted. It''s also part of why America won''t shift to metric. A lot of America is built on magic and needs it."

    "Oh," Cameron said.

    Adam finished his lines, then grabbed a stick of black chalk and began making more marks, creating a series of circles around each crystal and linking them, putting three marble crystals around each crystal pillar, the marbles matching the crystals in type and color.

    "So what, exactly, do the Cupids do?" Cameron asked, and Adam snorted. "What?"

    "I keep forgetting how little a lot of people know," Adam said. "Especially you and those voices in your head. What do they say about the Cupids?"

    "Chosen of Ulrima Protecting the Intimacy of Demigods."

    "Yep," Adam said. "That is exactly what they do. By the way, if you''re wondering why it''s ''Cupid'' and not whatever it is in the tongue the acronym actually comes from, that''s because English isn''t new to Earth. It''s actually been around for about two billion years. Various forms and dialects, but it exists, and is spread pretty far across the universe."

    "And Latin?"

    "Also immigrated to Earth," Adam snorted. "I forgot how jumpy the minds of youth could be. Anyway, the primary objective of the Cupids is to ensure that demigods have good love lifes. Or lust lifes. Whichever they prefer. They don''t go out of their way to ensure it happens, but they do ensure others don''t interfere. Ulrima appointed them to that position because demigods have a divine aura about them that can make things difficult in the bedroom."

    "I didn''t need to know that."

    "Not that kind of difficult," Adam chuckled when he saw the preteen''s crimson face. "I meant things like other people trying to get between them or steal them or kill their lovers, and such. Ulrima''s children have it worst of all. With their divine aura, it draws people to them, even if the aura itself isn''t ''sensed''. It makes it even harder for them to have happier love lifes or-you know."

    Adam finished with the black chalk, connecting all of the smaller circles, then began working with white chalk, and at the same time, he began setting down pink stones that gave Cameron an icky feeling as soon as the wooden box holding them was opened.

    "What are those?"

    "Love rocks," Adam said. "To put simply. Actual name isn''t in English. It''ll help me channel to a god of love. When summoning a god, you need something that falls into their domain, and for Sebar, love rocks do. They have the power to increase love. They''re also extremely rare and expensive."

    That last sentence had been muttered, and the only reason Cameron even heard it was because he had moved in closer to watch what was going on better.

    "Then why are you using," Cameron did a quick count, then frowned. "Fifty-four of them?"

    "Fifty-four has a powerful meaning in magic," Adam answered. "There are two ''numbers of magic''. The first is eighteen."

    "Eighteen?" Cameron asked. "There are eighteen elements. Five lone, and thirteen linked."

    "Indeed," Adam nodded. "Thirteen is technically the third ''number of magic'', as it has some pretty potent power behind it as well. But there are eighteen total elements. And the number three¡­ simply has something very magical about it. A triskelion has three legs, and in the ones for this ritual, three swirls for each leg."

    Cameron looked at the triple-swirl marks, which Adam had made, the pink love stones resting on the center of each one.

    "Where do you get them?"

    "The love stones?" Adam asked.

    "Yeah."

    "They''re made of the blood of a god whose primary domain is love," Adam explained. "More than half of these actually came of Sebar''s blood, which should help me guide the summoning to him even better. And before you ask, you can''t simply ''make'' a love stone. First, that''d require bleeding a god, which isn''t a good idea in the first place and second, love stones form when they bleed and their blood mixes with certain other reagents. Don''t ask me what they are, because I won''t tell you."

    "Okay," Cameron made a face. "How much more do you need to do?"

    "Almost done," Adam placed the last stone down. "I''m about to begin the summoning."

    Cameron nodded, then stepped back as Adam stood in front of the circle and smacked his hands together until there was no more chalk on his fingers.

    The ancient mage took a deep breath, and as he let it out, all fifty-four candles sprung to life immediately, their flames reaching up eighteen inches in height. Every time he exhaled, the flames shrunk down to more normal-sized flames.

    After eighteen breaths, the crystals began to glow, and the love stones began to vibrate, lifting up into the air as the flames returned to their eighteen-inch height, no longer following the tempo of Adam''s breath.

    Cameron watched as the stones begin to circle, spinning faster and faster until they turned into a pink dust.

    "Oh, no," Adam said.

    "Was them vaporizing a bad thing?" Cameron asked.

    "Uh, no," Adam said. "That''s actually supposed to happen during a summoning of a god."

    "The ritual got hijacked by another god."

    "Yep! An even stronger god has denied Sebar the chance to even respond to the summons!"

    "The voices just said-"

    "That a stronger god is hijacking the ritual?" Adam asked as the crystal marbles lifted up into the air and shattered, their dust joining the pink dust swirling around. "Yep. I''m not sure why, though, since gods can simply descend on their own, especially if they have the power to hijack a summoning ritual. If a god''s hijacking this summoning, then it can''t be good."

    The eighteen crystal pillars began to glow with a bright light before shattering as well, joining the dust cloud that filled the ritual area. Then, all at once, the flames receded, returning to normal height for candles, the dust transforming into a flurry of rose petals that exploded outward, a powerful presence that made Cameron very uncomfortable filling the room.

    When he looked back to the ritual area, Cameron was met with the pink gaze and warm smile of the god who had been summoned, who appeared to be in his late teens, maybe early twenties.

    "Hello, Cameron," the god ignored the summoner. "I am Ulrima, and it is good to finally meet you, my son."

 01-013

    Standing six feet and eight inches in height, with a lean, but muscled body, Ulrima held an impossible beauty with his ageless features. His bright pink hair and eyes augmented this further, regardless of one''s views, and his aura could make even the most chaste feel desire. Any mortal to ever lay eyes on him would declare him the most beautiful, most handsome, most hot, most whatever along those lines to ever exist, and they would not be wrong.

    After all, the High God who represented love and lust itself would only naturally be the kind to invoke those feelings in others. Beauty was part of his domain. As was fashion, though if he were a normal person, people would likely question his sense of it.

    A pink polo with red skinny jeans, and a pair of pink-and-red sneakers. His belt was pink as well, with a red heart for the buckle, and he wore a series of pink and red bracelets on each wrist. Strangely, as Cameron and Adam would realize long after the High God left, one of the bracelets on his right wrist was blue.

    At the moment, however, both mages were still processing his presence, even the ancient mage stunned. He''d summoned gods more than a hundred times in his life for one reason or another, and had even had several seek him out without a summoning. He himself had fathered several demigods in his thousands of years.

    Yet never had he once met a High God, and until Ulrima''s words registered in his brain, the hijacking made no sense to him, even if Ulrima was the reason the summoning was taking place.

    Cameron was the god of love''s son, the demigod that the other god had been looking for. Never before had Adam ever encountered a demigod whose power had been bound so completely that he hadn''t realized they weren''t anything more than simply mortal.

    "S-son?" Cameron stuttered.

    "Yes," Ulrima''s smiled widened further, and he quickly took the three steps to Cameron, picking him up and holding him tight, spinning around a little. "My youngest son. You''ve gotten so big since you were born."

    Ulrima set his son down and began fussing with the boy''s hair and straightening the child''s clothes, his smile never fading.

    "You''re getting to be quite the handsome young man, too," Ulrima broke the silence again once he''d finished his fussing. "My Cupids alerted me that you were being hunted by a rogue god. I don''t want you to worry about them. Namil already informed me as to which god was hunting you, and I''ve already taught him a lesson he won''t forget."

    Ulrima held out his hand, and a crimson stone formed in it, a pink chain hanging from it.

    "Though if other gods ¨C or any angels ¨C start hunting you, here," Ulrima fixed the necklace around his son''s neck. "The stone''s made of my essence. If any angelic or godly magic hits you, it will absorb it. Well, an angel''s healing magic won''t be affected by it, because why should I care if someone''s healing you? Well, if they''re healing you, that means you got hurt, but we won''t get into that right now. Oh, I messed your hair again. Hold on."

    Ulrima began fixing his son''s hair once more, then frowned and moved his hands through it, the hair decreasing in length as he did.

    "There we go!" Ulrima beamed once he finished his son''s magical haircut. "Perfectly-styled! Also, I heard you''ve befriended Refari''s son. Good for you!"

    Ulrima clapped his son on the back, who grunted at the unexpected and immense force behind the action.

    "Do you have any questions for me?" Ulrima asked.

    "Uh-um-uh-I-you-uh-"

    "No worries," Ulrima chuckled as Cameron stumbled over trying to speak. "I''m sure you have plenty! After all, a boy whose never met his father before likely has many. Let''s see¡­ how come I haven''t seen you before? Well, I''ve had to minimize my contact with you to avoid drawing attention to your existence. Other question. Hrm. Why did I bind your divinity? I planned on unbinding it once you turned eighteen. Let you have a mortal childhood and learn to defend yourself without it at first. I''m still leaving you bound up, as it''s a good experience for you, though now that I know people are hunting you, you might be seeing an angel of mine or two from time to time.

    "What other questions might you have?" Ulrima asked. "Oh! I know! Was I ever going to visit you? Yes, once you turned eighteen. I was going to personally visit you to unbind your divinity. What else? Let''s see. Oh! You''re probably wondering why you were allowed to wander the streets for two years. Well, I didn''t exactly keep a personal eye on you, but since you can hear the aether voices, it doesn''t really matter, now does it?

    "Other questions, other questions," the god mumbled. "Oooh! Here''s one. You''re probably wondering-no, not going to answer that one, you''re too shy and modest to ask questions like that. Also, to answer some more of your questions, I''m an ancient god. I can''t exactly personally care for every one of my children, nor watch over them, and putting guards around you would''ve put you at risk. Other questions, other questions.

    "I know!" Ulrima exclaimed again. "Why-"

    "Why are gods hunting me?" Cameron blurted out, finally mostly over his shock and unease.

    "Don''t worry about that," Ulrima picked him up and kissed his forehead. "I''ve given you some protection, now, and sent a warning to others that I''m still around. Anyway, I really should be going. Good luck, my son, and enjoy your life!"

    Ulrima then vanished in another explosion of rose petals, the smell of chocolate filling the air. Adam sighed.

    "I have never been ignored by a god who''s in my presence before," Adam said, and Cameron gave him a bewildered look. "That answers the whole purpose of summoning Sebar, now. I''m not sure why Ulrima decided to hijack it, he could have just shown up. Judging by how fast he hijacked it, he was waiting for me to do it. Unfortunately, it brought up a lot more questions, and he didn''t answer those."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "My father''s a god?" Cameron asked.

    "Apparently!" Adam snorted. "That was surprising even to me, and I''ve been in the presence of more than two dozen demigods before. You seem completely and entirely human to me; your father''s bind is better than any I''ve seen before."

    Cameron thought for a few moments, then shrugged.

    "Who is Refari''s son?"

    "I don''t know," Adam answered. "Probably the nephilim you''re friends with."

    "The what?"

    "Half-human, half-angel," Adam responded. "Refari''s the Archangel of a god, though no one knows which one. Your friend Greyson''s a nephilim, so it could be him that your father was referring to."

    "Yes, it''s Greyson!"

    "Such a sweet kid."

    "His father''s a badass. Ever wanted to see literal darkness run away? Yeah. His father''s made that happen."

    "Okay, shut up," Cameron said.

    "Damn, I forgot how sexy Ulrima was."

    "I said shut up!" Cameron exclaimed, and the voices chuckled as his face flushed.

    "The aether voices," Adam muttered, frowning at Cameron. "So that''s what they are."

    "You know what they are?" Cameron asked.

    "Yes," Adam sighed. "I just didn''t think about them when I heard about the voices in your head. To be honest, I half-expected you to just be a little bit crazy. The fact that they didn''t use a term I''d recognize or tell you about my experience with one of them means they were intentionally keeping our connection a secret."

    "Well, we did say he should die."

    "Yeah, wasn''t that obvious enough that we knew him?"

    "Nah, since we could have just been random voices in Cam''s head."

    "We are random voices in Cam''s head."

    "Oh, right."

    "So, um, what are they?" Cameron did his best to ignore the conversation going on in his head.

    "Fifty-four voices," Adam answered. "Each representing one of the eighteen elements. Three voices to each element, each with a different spell they govern."

    "So¡­ hearing them isn''t my root magic?" Cameron asked.

    "They probably are?" Adam seemed unsure. "I''ve never actually met someone who could hear them before, to be honest. At least, not without an ancient ritual that actually does require a blood sacrifice. That''s why I didn''t make the connection, in addition to their not making it obvious."

    Adam thought for a few moments, then began cleaning up the ritual space. He brushed off the flower petals and brought his supplies back upstairs, then returned and filled a bucket with water and some soap.

    He scrubbed the surface of the ritual space until it was completely clean, dumped out the bucket, then sat on the couch, noting that Cameron had moved back to standing beside the elevator. Everything had probably scared him and exhausted him, and the boy was likely ready to go. He was still alert, attentive, keeping track of every movement around him.

    Part of his paranoia that something bad would happen.

    "What the aether voices do," Adam finally spoke again, beginning to arrange the magazines sitting on the coffee table. "Is teach the person who summoned them to him or her the spell that particular one governs. They walk them through how to use it, and once the magician''s proficient enough, they leave. During the time the aether voice is linked to them, they can also guide them, act as guardians of sort. ''Go this way'', ''don''t go that way'', and such.

    "However," Adam continued. "It also required that the mage actually work on learning the spells. If the mage didn''t go through the training, they died. It generally lasted one to three weeks. It seems to me that linking to them is your roots, meaning you don''t need to actually go through the rituals. By the way ¨C this one''s actually pretty specific about the sacrifice. Male, white, blond, with brown eyes. Must be the year of the age of majority for their species on their world.

    "Anyway," he shook his head. "The fact that they aren''t constantly trying to train you tells me that you aren''t bound into the lessons like the mages who summon them are. The fact that linking to them is your roots also means that you can probably tap into them for the knowledge of how to use the spells, too."

    Cameron shifted a little bit, then nodded.

    "One of them taught me telepathy," he confessed to Adam. "How to use it both ways. And¡­ when he did, the others all fell silent."

    "Was this when you were attempting to learn telepathy?" Adam asked.

    "Yes," Cameron nodded.

    "That''s probably why," Adam said. "Through the normal rules, they can''t teach you something outside of the schools of magic you already have branches for. They might also not be able to teach you unless you''re trying to learn it. Or they could have other reasons for not teaching you before now. The three for mind can teach telepathy, compulsion, and memory magic."

    "I don''t like the idea of doing compulsion or memory magic," Cameron shifted uncomfortably.

    "Which might be why they haven''t brought it up," Adam shrugged. "Who knows? Actually, they do. You could probably ask them."

    "They''re just going to chatter away," Cameron looked a lot more uncomfortable. That was exactly what they were doing at the moment. "Have you¡­ have you done the ritual?"

    "A few times," Adam nodded. "Do remember, Cam, that things are vastly different in today''s society than it was thousands of years ago. A sacrifice for that ritual was perfectly acceptable in my society, much like intercourse with what are now considered minors."

    Cameron made a horrified face, and Adam hastily held his hands up.

    "I follow modern society''s rules," Adam told him. "I promise. And in adult form, too. Anyway, I did the ritual to learn teleport magics and some of the magics of the void and space schools. Ah. You know what, you having mind school as your root school of magic actually makes sense, now that I think about it."

    "It does?" Cameron looked unsure.

    "Nearly all nephilim, the half-mortal children of angels," Adam nodded. "Have healing magics because of their heavenly parents. Demigods also tend to have an affinity for magic based on their divine parents. A child of a god of healing might have healing magic, too. The son of a god or goddess of nature might have an affinity for nature magics. The child of a god of sky might have an affinity for air, water, or energy magics. Son of a god of death? Probably has their roots in necromancy. Your father''s a god of love and lust, so it would make sense that you have mind magics."

    Cameron frowned.

    "I don''t see the connection."

    "Gods like Ulrima tend to affect the mind," Adam explained. "They can invoke or suppress feelings in people. Other gods can, too, but a god of love''s primary domain affects the mind. It''s possible that''s why you awakened empathy as well ¨C to sense the feelings of another can assist with-"

    "I don''t want to hear it!" Cameron clamps his hands over his ears, and Adam laughed.

    After a few moments, Cameron slowly lowered his hands.

    "I wasn''t going to say something that would make you uncomfortable," Adam said. "I was just saying, sensing the feelings of another can assist with knowing how someone actually feels, even if it''s just for dating and love. There''s a good chance you''ll have an easy time learning compulsion as well."

    "I don''t want to learn compulsion."

    "I know," Adam smiled at him. "Just letting you know. Anyway, I need to get going, it''s almost time to open the warehouse for tonight''s matches."

 01-014

    "Go left! Go left!"

    "No, go right!"

    "Go straight!"

    "Flyyyyyyyyyyy!"

    "Will you guys shut up?" Cameron hissed under his breath. "I''m still half a block away from the corner!"

    The voices giggled in his head, and he sighed. A week had passed since he found out who his father was, and so far, he hadn''t really told anyone about it. He wasn''t sure if anyone believed him, and he didn''t want anyone coming after him because of it.

    "Okay, so seriously go right at the next intersection."

    "Yeah, you''ll want to go right. There''s this nice little place you can have breakfast at."

    "Order the waffle sundae."

    "No, don''t order the waffle sundae, it''s breakfast, not dessert."

    "Order breakfast, then order the waffle sundae."

    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

    "Ooh, a sundae sounds so good."

    "Can you guys even eat?" Cameron asked. "Aren''t you just voices?"

    He sensed confusion and amusement, and looked at the woman who had heard his sudden outburst. Face flushing, he hurried up, doing his best to put her behind him as he felt the chill of autumn brushing his cheek.

    "Makes me wish I could have food."

    "Yeah, being a disembodied voice makes it hard to ever do anything physical."

    "You know, that lady was kind of cute, Cameron, maybe if you-"

    "Stop!" He hissed under his breath, face flushing further.

    Cameron turned the corner, doing his best to tune out the voices that weren''t guiding him to the restaurant. It was a twenty-four hour chain diner.

    Hoping that he''d be seated and not questioned, Cameron entered, then shifted nervously as he waited for the hostess to arrive.

    "Hi, sweetie," she said. "Are you looking for someone?"

    "No," he answered. "I, um, wanted to eat breakfast."

    "Don''t you have school soon?" She asked, and he checked his watch, finding it was a little after nine in the morning.

    "No," he looked at her. "I''m home-schooled. Dad had to do some stuff, and told me that I could come here for breakfast while he was shopping a few places down."

    "Say he''s custom ordering new dining room table and chairs."

    "Ooh! Yeah, there''s a custom furniture store down the road. Hailey''s Hand-Carved Furniture. You passed it on your way here."

    "He''s ordering new furniture as the hand-carved place down the road," Cameron shifted again. "Said it''ll be awhile before he finishes. He''d already had breakfast, and we had to go before I could eat."

    The hostess hesitated, and Cameron tapped into her thoughts. He knew then that she was considering seating him and calling either the police or children''s services, guessing he was either a runaway or abandoned.

    "If you want to compulse her into letting you sit without that, I can teach you how."

    Cameron shifted at the uncomfortably-deep voice that echoed in his head. Another one that had been silent, only heard once before, when the truth serum from Elaine forced all of the voices into talking.

    "I-"

    "Cameron?" A voice asked, and Cameron felt a familiar mind register with his empathy.

    Turning, he found Abigail, the social worker from a few weeks before, standing there, looking at him curiously.

    "H-hi, Abigail," his face flushed.

    "You totally think she''s cute, don''t you?"

    "Sh!" He hissed under his voice, then blushed deeper.

    "Good morning, Cameron," Abigail chuckled. "Having a bite to eat?"

    "Um, yeah," he shifted. "Dad made me come out with him when he went to order more furniture. At the hand-carved furniture place down the road. He, um, he said I could come here and eat breakfast while he did that, ''cause it''d take awhile. Mom had to leave for work, so I''d have just been at home."

    "Why don''t you eat with me?" Abigail asked, and Cameron knew she was amused, momentarily confused until one of the voices reminded him that she had already assumed he was a street kid.

    And then he realized that they''d probably planned on him meeting Abigail there.

    "Um, alright," he said. "I-I can''t pay for you, though. Dad didn''t give me enough."

    Actually, Cameron could pay for her. He had all of his money on him, and after five matches against Eden, he had plenty of it. Adam was more than willing to change his bills to bigger ones in their training sessions. The only reason he often received smaller bills after the matches was because the cash given mostly came from the cash received.

    Remembering the matches, Cameron thought about that night''s match. He''d nearly lost against Eden the week before, and wasn''t sure if he''d be able to win again. Eden had managed to create a rudimentary mental block, and it had delayed Cameron enough for the older boy to get a good punch in.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Cameron?" Abigail asked, and he jumped, realizing that he''d zoned out. "Come on, let''s go eat."

    "Um, alright."

    "I''m paying for myself," she smiled at him. "I wasn''t going to expect you to feed me."

    He nodded, then followed her and the hostess to one of the booths in a quiet corner of the restaurant. The hostess set down two menus and rolls of silverware as they sat, and Cameron picked up the menu and started looking through it.

    "So how''s school going?" Abigail asked after they ordered their drinks.

    "It''s-it''s going okay."

    "You''ve gained a little bit of weight," she commented. "Eating well?"

    "Y-yeah," Cameron nodded. "D-Dad found someone to teach me martial arts, too."

    The waitress returned with their drinks and took their breakfast orders, before leaving again.

    "So you''re learning martial arts?" Abigail asked.

    "Y-yeah," Cameron nodded.

    "How''s your mentor?"

    "Fri-friendly," Cameron answered. "He also taught me breathing exercises. Said it''ll help ground me. One of them takes ten minutes to do."

    That wasn''t fully true ¨C Adam wasn''t actually teaching him martial arts. But he was a mentor teaching him stuff.

    "It does?" Abigail asked. "That''s impressive. You''re twelve, so I''m sure that must be a struggle for you."

    "Yeah," Cameron smiled shyly. "It was really hard, but he''s been helping me for a few weeks now, and I''m getting better at it."

    "How do you feel, when you finish?"

    "Really good," Cameron answered honestly. "I feel all calm and stuff."

    "Do you only do it when you''re with him?" She asked. "Or do you practice it when you''re alone, too?"

    "When I''m alone, too," Cameron answered. "I like feeling all calm. The voices quiet down when I''m doing it."

    "Mostly because you start shrieking if we don''t."

    "Yeah, that really hurts our ears."

    "You guys don''t even have ears," Cameron hissed, then blushed, looking down at the table.

    "It''s okay, Cameron," Abigail assured him. "I''m not going to laugh at you or anything. So. Halloween''s next Friday, got any plans for it?"

    "Just hanging with a friend," Cameron shrugged. "I''m going to battle against another friend."

    "Battle?" Abigail asked, and Cameron blushed again.

    He hadn''t meant to say that. He found himself opening up again, even though he didn''t want to. He found himself doing that a lot lately. Greyson and Blake were both cool people, and Adam made it easy to think of him as a friend, too. He was still cautious, though, and always ready to run at a moment''s notice.

    It''s why he had all of his money on him, and why he was sitting at the edge of the booth by the aisle. To let him move faster and be gone instantly.

    "We duel," Cameron nodded, hastily thinking up something to explain the battling. "See who''s better. We-we''re both the mentor''s student. He has us spar with each other every Friday. It''s the only time we''re allowed to fight each other."

    "Ah," she smiled. "So who''s the better martial artist?"

    "He is," Cameron answered. "He was doing it long before me."

    "It doesn''t sound very fun if you''re going to lose every time," she said. "Are you forced to fight him?"

    "I have fun," Cameron smiled. "I''ve won every match so far, even though he''s better."

    "Oh?" She asked. "How do you do that?"

    "I have a secret weapon," Cameron answered, and she laughed.

    "So," she said. "Is there anything else you''re doing for Halloween? Going trick-or-treating? Getting dressed up?"

    "No," Cameron shrugged. "I don''t like Halloween."

    "Why not?" She asked.

    "Because everyone''s always more interested in it than celebrating my birthday."

    Cameron stiffened, his face flushing, as he realized that he''d said that out loud.

    "Your birthday?" Abigail asked. "Your birthday''s around Halloween?"

    "It is Halloween," Cameron quietly answered. "And I''ve never gotten a present for it. It''s not very fun."

    Their food arrived, and Cameron dug into it quickly, not answering any more questions from Abigail by making sure his mouth always had food in it. She stopped asking as soon as she noticed him doing that, which made him feel a little better.

    He''d given away information he hadn''t meant to, and knew it meant he was losing his edge. He was getting too comfortable. Cameron extended his mental range again, up to fifty feet. Sensing the extra minds brought him back to alertness, he felt.

    Spending so much time with Greyson and Blake probably did this to me.

    "So," Abigail said once they finished eating. "It was nice seeing you again, Cameron. Maybe we''ll see each other again?"

    "Maybe," Cameron shrugged.

    Not if I can help it.

    Abigail paid for her food and left, and after a few minutes, Cameron did the same. As he walked down the street, he sensed familiar minds and stopped, looking into the window of the place he''d sensed the minds within.

    It was the hand-carved furniture store that voices had told him about, that they made him use as a cover. When he looked through the windows, he saw Elaine inside, speaking with the worker behind the bar.

    Hurrying, he pulled his mental range closer in. She felt aggravated about something. Annoyed. He didn''t like her, either, and didn''t want to brush her mind.

    Cameron walked down the streets, noting that the voices were being unusually silent. He could sense them, but they weren''t guiding him. That wasn''t all that uncommon, as they often only directed him when they wanted him to avoid something or to be somewhere, but the fact that none were talking bothered him. Even the one who liked commenting on every female who passed them was silent.

    "Guys," Cameron muttered under his breath. "Why aren''t you talking?"

    "Oh, no reason."

    "Yeah, no reason at all."

    "By the way, some men are going to attempt to kidnap you."

    "Yep. They''ve actually got it pretty planned-out."

    "To the point that even our guidance can''t get you free."

    "You really need a phone. If you could call for help, you could definitely get out of there. Boom. Eden shows up, boom, you and Eden are gone."

    Cameron froze. People were planning on kidnapping him, and the voices couldn''t get him out of it. And they knew about it. To plan a kidnapping that well¡­. he wasn''t a random target. Someone was targeting him.

    Rapidly expanding his mind to its limits, Cameron sensed them. There were more than fifty of them. Tapping into their thoughts, he learned that their plans for him were because someone, somehow, managed to acquire a read on his magical might and sensed that he was powerful.

    Blake and Greyson had told him about the mage trafficking circles and that they hunt down anyone with awakened magic, collaring them and selling them off as slaves. They''d first look to see what his magic was, and if they found out he was a natural mind mage, they''d probably sell him for quite a lot.

    He''d be forced to use his magic for evil. Cameron began trembling. He didn''t want to be a mage slave, and he didn''t want to use his mind magic for evil. From what he could tell, the traffickers didn''t know what his magic was, it was just because of how powerful he was.

    "Can-my father can''t-does he-"

    "No, the angels aren''t watching you."

    "Yeah, he''s not that kind."

    "You''re only half-god, and even if you were wholly-god, Ulrima wouldn''t actually care that much."

    "Well, he does care, it''s just complicated. He focuses more on divine and heavenly beings who mess with his kids, not his mortals."

    "So you can''t call for help."

    Cameron blinked a few times. He could call for help. Taking a deep breath, he kept walking, bumping into a woman passing him. Not even a step later, he was praying her phone wasn''t locked. It was, so he dropped it, nicking three more phones before finding one that wasn''t locked, praying he was fast enough.

    He quickly dialed a number he''d been given a long while ago just as he sensed the first batch of kidnappers approaching him.

    "Hello?" A tired voice responded on the fourth ring as Cameron''s panic continued to mount.

    "Wh-what are the requirements, if I accept the offer?"

    "Two hours a day, three days a week, minimum."

    "N-no, the cost!" Cameron stumbled back. "Um¡­ please be fast!"

    "Is everything alright?"

    "You said you can protect me, no matter what, so long as I was in or near your territory!"

 01-015

    Breathless, Cameron collapsed against the alley wall. He couldn''t run anymore. He''d been running for nearly an hour, but no matter how far he got, the men managed to catch up to him. They''d even hurt him a few times, though he managed to avoid being caught each time.

    Only barely.

    He could see the men closing down on him at either end of the alley, and had given up. He''d been promised protection and rescue, but it hadn''t come. He was too exhausted to care and too exhausted to stay conscious.

    <hr>

    Seph watched as Cameron passed out, unable to fight anymore, and smiled. The kid had managed to survive longer than they''d expected. Unfortunately for the traffickers, the boy had made a deal with the right people.

    Stepping off the building he was standing on, Seph quickly dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. The traffickers paused at the sudden development as the clouds in the sky continued to thicken and darken, threatening to open up at any moment.

    At six and a half feet in height and dressed in an entirely-black, expensive suit, Seph was a sight to behold. His pale features, crimson eyes, and jet-black hair gave him an inhuman beauty. He smiled at the nearest group of men. There were ten total; five on either side of him and the boy.

    "Sorry it took so long to greet you properly," Seph said. "It seems you lack the memo. This section of the city, commonly known as ''The Blood'', is off-limits to your kind."

    "The boy ran into the Blood," one of the traffickers said. "We found him outside of it."

    "Ah," Seph said. "Except that you did, in the end, come into the Blood. Be off, will you? The boy is under my protection so long as he stays within the Blood."

    "Who are you?" One of the other men asked. "Obviously a supernat, the way you dropped off that building."

    "I am Joseph Rosvarin," Seph introduced himself, and several of the traffickers tensed up. He smiled, a tight-lipped expression that showed no teeth. Some of them knew his name. "And the Blood is my territory. If you do not leave it, and remind your men to stay out of it, I will kill you."

    "Stand down," the trafficker who asked him to identify himself ordered the others. "Clear out!"

    "If we leave without the boy-"

    Seph turned his gaze to the protesting trafficker, then moved towards him. To him, it was a leisurely walk, though the poor victim saw nothing but a moment pass, the ancient being standing by the boy one moment, in front of him next.

    "If you attempt to take the boy," Seph said. "I will kill you and feed you to my coven. And if you don''t think I can¡­"

    He snapped the trafficker''s neck, then looked at one of the ones standing down the alley from the group he had walked over to, fixing his gaze on one of them.

    Without a word being said by anyone, the trafficker Seph had fixed his gaze on began to strip off his clothes, stopping only once he was in his underwear. Then, he began singing at the top of his lungs and dancing on his way to the street.

    "Anyone else?" Seph asked.

    "MOVE OUT!" The trafficker who''d given the order bellowed.

    The remaining traffickers gathered the corpse of their man and the belongings of the others as they hastily ran, none of them prepared to deal with a mind mage who could compulse one of them to do several things without a single word spoken.

    Seph listened as the men ran, then he made his way over to the unconscious boy and picked him up.

    I forgot how light little ones could be.

    Seph walked to the end of the alley, where a sleek black car pulled up. The woman driving it stepped out and opened the back door for him, her own crimson gaze looking at the boy curiously.

    "He couldn''t be older than nine or ten," she said, reminding Seph just how bad her judge of a boy''s age could often be.

    At least she didn''t think he was eight, like she had a fourteen-year-old two years ago. Seph wasn''t sure how she guessed wrong that badly.

    "He''s twelve, nearly thirteen," Seph told her as he buckled Cameron into his seat. "Do you sense that power?"

    "Yes," she answered. "It''s unusual for a complete human to be so powerful."

    "I suspect he''s a demigod with his divinity bound," Seph told her. "Especially with that necklace he''s wearing. It has the essence of a god in it."

    Amanda gave the stone a curious look, but didn''t sense anything in it. Seph was much older than her and had better senses than any of the coven, so she decided to trust him, as she always had, ever since he saved her life centuries before.

    "Know which god?" She asked as he closed the door.

    "No," he walked around the car. "Back to the mansion, we go."

    He climbed in beside Cameron and buckled himself in, and Amanda resumed her spot in the front, putting the petal to the metal. Were the boy to be awake, he''d probably marvel at how she managed to expertly navigate traffic while driving at mach-ten. That, and the fact that the car actually left the ground several times to avoid being hit, yet no one seemed to notice.

    Within minutes, Amanda slowed, stopping at the wrought-iron gate in front of the mansion the coven called home. She stopped in front of it, barely a hair''s breadth away, and waited for the gates to slowly open.

    As soon as enough space for her to pass through formed, Amanda drove down the drive until she reached the parking in front of the two-story mansion that could be called a castle. Built of gray stone, complete with a tower on the front two corners, the place was imposing.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    It was also famous in the Blood of Tejina City, particularly of its supernatural community. Home to one of the most powerful vampires in the world ¨C and one of the first ¨C the Rosvarin Mansion boasted a proud history.

    And a dangerous one.

    Seph wasn''t sure what trafficking group that was, but he''d made it clear many times over the centuries since Tejina City was built that trafficking and traffickers wasn''t allowed in his territory. Not unless they went through him.

    Hopefully, they didn''t return with allies. The boy''s level of magic was a delicious treat to any trafficker worth their salt, he knew.

    "How did you meet him?" Amanda asked as Seph pulled the boy out of the car.

    "When he first came to Tejina a few months ago," Seph answered. "I sensed him on one of my walks. He''s a jumpy kid, and very suspicious of everyone and everything. He also hears the aether voices."

    "But if he''s only twelve-"

    "It''s his roots," Seph informed her. "Come on, I don''t want to be out here when that storm breaks. I didn''t ask them to summon one, just enough clouds for us to move comfortably."

    "Those storm mages always overdo things," she snorted. "However did you befriend them, anyway? From what I hear, they aren''t particularly friendly with anyone outside of their clan."

    Seph smiled in response, carrying Cameron inside. Immediately, they were swarmed by half of his coven, and he shooed them away, bringing the boy to one the living rooms and ordering the occupants of one of the couches to move. As soon as it had been vacated, Seph laid Cameron on it.

    Looking up, he found that the entire coven was now present, all thirty-seven of his vampires, watching from around the room. He should have expected that, as most of them would be able to sense his magic from their rooms and the ones who couldn''t were likely woken.

    And it was obvious most of them had come from sleeping, considering the states of their hair and what they were wearing ¨C or not.

    "Those of you who don''t have their genitals covered," Seph said. "Get dressed. The boy doesn''t need to see that."

    Amanda snorted as nearly all of the vampires took off, returning within a few minutes.

    "No, you cannot feed on him," Seph said.

    "He made the deal?" One of the males asked.

    "Yes," Seph responded. "I will personally attend to him. I understand it will be hard for some of you to sleep while he''s present, so I will attempt to see if he''ll come at night. For now, please return to your rooms or wander about. I''m preparing to wake him. And while it is cloudy enough for you to go out, please keep in mind that the storm mages once again overdid it, and the heavens are about to weep."

    Some of the vampires snorted, and most left the room, leaving just Seph, Amanda, and five others. Seph ordered a few to bring food and water for Cameron, and a few minutes later, a tray of cookies, brownies, and cupcakes was sitting on the coffee table in front of them.

    The vampires based it off the age of the one the food was intended for instead of the meal, a common issue when it was a young boy.

    Rather than amending his order to be lunch which they were to bring, Seph let it be. The boy would probably be happy to have the sweets after such a scary experience. With the pitcher of water and glasses set down beside the tray, Seph felt it was time to wake Cameron and sent a light mental prod at the boy, whose eyes shot open immediately.

    Cameron jerked up right, looking around with wide, fear-filled eyes, and Seph felt the boy''s mind rapidly expand outward as he took in the vampires, his gaze finally setting on the ancient one.

    "Seph," Cameron said cautiously.

    "Yes," Seph smiled at him. "I''m glad you accepted my offer, Cameron, though sad it was under the circumstances you found yourself in."

    Cameron looked at his watch, then gave Seph an extremely nervous look.

    "I, um, I''m supposed to be at some lessons in an hour," he said. "I know I said-"

    "Lessons?" Seph asked.

    "With a mage," Cameron shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze. "He''s been teaching me how to use my telepathy and empathy better, and do mental rams and martial arts better."

    "I can make sure you get there," Seph promised him. "Where have you been staying?"

    "With-with some friends."

    "Please," Seph gestured to the tray. "Eat, Cameron. You''re surely famished, after that fight."

    Seph watched as the boy hesitantly reached out, picking up a brownie and cautiously taking a bite of it.

    "So," Seph said as Cameron began eating with a bit more hunger than he''d initially realized he''d had. "Where have you been staying? If you give me an address, I can have someone pick you up and drop you off after every session."

    "Um," Cameron shifted nervously. "I''m staying at the Four Skies hotel over on West Jackson and Eighth."

    "That''s a nice place," Seph told him. "Not in the Blood, unfortunately. My domain doesn''t extend that far. Do you have a phone? I know you''d stolen the one you used to call me, based on the caller I.D."

    Cameron didn''t need to ask what Seph meant. It was a woman''s phone he''d stolen and Cameron wasn''t female.

    "N-no," Cameron answered.

    "I''ll have one arranged for you," Seph told him. "And program in the mansion''s main line. There''s always someone around to answer it, so if you''re ever in danger again, just contact us, so long as you follow the agreement."

    "Y-yes, sir."

    "Which three days would work best for you?" Seph asked.

    "Um," Cameron thought. "Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursday."

    "Okay," Seph responded. "Now, remember how I said that many older vampires can sense a mage''s magic?"

    "Yes."

    "Your magic," Seph told him. "Is powerful enough to wake them up when you arrive. So, would it be acceptable if I picked you up at night? Say, eight or nine in the evening? You''ll be out late, but it''ll make it easier on the rest of my coven."

    "Um, sure," Cameron said. "I don''t-I don''t have anything that late, and my friends are usually still awake then, anyway."

    "Excellent," Seph smiled. "Now, for today''s rescue, I''d like a little payment, before we take you to your lessons."

    "Um," Cameron shifted uncomfortable, looking at the other vampires and the two humans in the room before returning his gaze to Seph. "W-with others around?"

    "Not if you don''t want them," Seph promised, waving the others out of the room.

    "H-how do we do this?" Cameron asked once he made sure the others had left.

    "Remove your hoodie," Seph instructed Cameron, who obeyed as the vampire moved to sit beside him. "Stay still."

    Cameron nodded, and Seph pulled the collar of Cameron''s shirt to the side, pulling the boy close as he opened his mouth, revealing his elongated canines before biting into Cameron''s neck and shoulder.

    The boy whimpered, but didn''t resist as Seph drank his blood. At least, not audibly. Seph felt a panicked series of strikes at his mental barrier before Cameron calmed himself and whimpered out a sorry.

    Once Seph had drunk to satisfaction, not leaving the boy too weak and light-headed, he ran a finger over the puncture marks, healing the flesh of the young mage.

    "Th-thanks," Cameron said as Seph returned to the armchair he''d sat on before.

    "I take care of mine," Seph smiled at him, not a trace of blood on his lips from the feeding. "Go ahead and eat some more, Cameron. You''ll need your strength. Don''t forget to hydrate. Where are you supposed to meet for your lesson?"

    "Um," Cameron screwed up his face in thought. "The Jules Arcade over on West Madison."

    "That''s an odd place for a lesson," Seph commented.

    "I-I prefer meeting in public," Cameron said. "It-I''m more comfortable that way."

    "Ah," Seph said. "Well, as soon as we finish your refreshments, I''ll drive you there. It''s about twenty minutes outside of the Blood. Meet me at the park around the corner from there tomorrow around one in the afternoon, and someone will meet you to give you the phone."

    Cameron nodded, and reached forward for another brownie. They were really good.

 01-016

    Cameron hesitated inside the arcade. It was packed with teens and preteens, even though it was a Friday, and not much past noon. He slowly expanded his thoughts, tapped into the minds of a few of the happy kids, and found that the nearby school district had a half-day and another nearby school was out.

    It took him a few minutes to locate Adam, who was playing a shooting game, killing zombies while competing against a fifteen-year-old. And winning by a huge margin.

    The game ended and the other teen groaned.

    "You win again," he told Adam.

    "Yep!" Adam grinned at him. "Though it''s not like this game would help against real zombies. They aren''t what media makes them out to be. You need to either incinerate them or to kill the necromancer, though the latter doesn''t always necessarily kill the zombie."

    The teen gave Adam a baffled look, then rolled his eyes and left. Cameron approached the ancient mage, who put two more coins into the machine.

    "Come on," Adam said. "Let''s see your skills!"

    For the next hour, the two of them played games as Cameron did his best to work his mind magic at the same time, then they moved to the arcade''s restaurant and ordered nachos with cheese sauce, burgers, fries, and soda.

    As they waited for their food to finish, Cameron watched as Adam messed with the napkins on the table, arranging them over and over until the worker brought them their food. The two talked as they ate, though Cameron left out his earlier encounter with the traffickers.

    Mostly so that Adam wouldn''t pressure him into telling how he escaped, and he wasn''t sure he could tone down the scale of the attack enough while still being believed to not be pressured. Cameron didn''t want to reveal that he''d made a deal to feed vampires three times a week in exchange for protection whenever possible.

    Cameron was just happy that he wasn''t asked to move into their mansion, though he was sure that wasn''t far off. He wasn''t sure how he''d react when that day came, especially since calling them for help had been a huge leap of faith and trust for him.

    One he still wasn''t sure if was a good choice or not, and that scared him, like most unknown things.

    After they ate, Cameron practiced his breathing exercises again, then they talked a bit more before he left to make his way back to the hotel, where Blake and Greyson were waiting for him, ready to head to the warehouse.

    Cameron pulled on his mask and gloves, then pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head, and the trio left, walking down to the packed warehouse.

    Because of their improving skills and Eden''s clear ability to resist Cameron''s attacks, betting was still excellent between them, and the warehouse found itself packed every Friday night in anticipation of the fight, especially after the previous week''s match, where Eden managed to punch Cam before giving up.

    Word had begun to go around that Cam was a mind mage, particularly after that Monday''s matches against against someone who''d come just to fight him. She was a registered mage who had some dealings in mind magic and had felt his attacks slamming into her mental barrier before he broke through.

    Because of everyone''s inability to defend against the blasts, people began to realize the small mage probably wasn''t a master of wind or force magic, but mind, and Cameron knew that most of them were eager to challenge him again as a result of it.

    Though his knowledge of that mostly came from tapping into minds and hearing their thoughts, though he pulled out before the first matches of the brawling section began. He didn''t want to exhaust himself.

    As the brawling section drew to a close, Cameron expanded his mind out to its full range and frowned. The six agents were there, as usual, though he knew they''d given up on tailing him, Greyson, Blake, and Eden ¨C Adam was quite protective of his customers.

    That wasn''t why he frowned behind the mask, however. Sensing with his mind, he hoped Adam would return soon. There were more than two hundred unfamiliar, hostile presences outside of the warehouse. He wasn''t sure, though, as he was counting more than he normally did, and lost track somewhere along the way.

    "Eden," Cameron projected his thoughts to his future opponent after around twenty mage fights.

    "Thought you hated doing this before matches?" Eden responded, not moving an inch at the sudden telepathy reception, though his eyes did move from the match to his foe.

    "There are more than two hundred strange minds outside," Cameron told him. "They keep thinking something about how we''d make for excellent trees, and-"

    Eden vanished, causing Cam to jump. A few minutes later, the spatial mage returned.

    "Eden?"

    "Sorry," Eden replied. "If you''re serious about that, then it''s better that I have more than two handguns and two spare magazines on me. Have you let Adam know?"

    "He left halfway through the brawlers," Cam responded. "It''s not unusual, he finds that section boring most of the time. Why do you want to have guns on you?"

    "Because they''re just as effective as beheading those guys," Eden responded. "Be prepared for a fight, and make sure you hit them hard and fast when they attack. Don''t provoke them. More than half the people here are fighters."

    "What are they?"

    "Fae," Eden answered. "They kidnap magicians and convert them into trees for their magic forest. The more powerful the magician, the bigger the tree and the more magic it''ll output and longer that it''ll live. You and I are probably the two most delicious targets for them, though Adam would be a big one as well, were he here."

    "THEY TURN PEOPLE INTO TREES?"

    Half the people around them jumped at the sudden mental outburst, Cameron accidentally projecting that to everyone within twenty feet of him. The fight stopped as everyone who heard his exclamation turned to the mind mage.

    Cameron felt his face heat up behind the mask, unsure of what to do. He knew then why no one wanted to tell him what the fairies did with their victims. The idea of being turned into a tree to pump out magic until he died wasn''t very appealing to him. It horrified him.

    He sensed Adam''s mind reappear, and the confusion in the surface of it as soon as he registered the unusual scene in the warehouse.

    "Cam, why is everyone staring at you?" Cameron heard in his head.

    "I may or may not have made a mental outburst when Eden told me why the fae kidnap people."

    "I''m going to kill him," Adam said. "Why did he tell you that?"

    "There are at least two hundred fae outside."

    A few moments passed before the response came.

    "Shit!" Adam swore in Cam''s head. "And they''re about to attack, too!"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    "We''re too packed! It''ll be a slaughter!" Cameron wailed.

    "I can expand the space within here," Adam projected soothing thoughts to the panicking preteen. "It''ll give us more space, and-"

    The windows exploded inwards and hundreds of fae flew into the warehouse. Cameron felt Adam''s mind leave his as the space in the warehouse expanded, yet he could tell that the walls themselves didn''t move an inch.

    Cameron watched as the mages around him began casting spells, Eden pulling out a pair of handguns and firing at the fae, werewolves shifting and barreling their way through the fae. There were more fae around than Cameron had counted. A lot more, he realized.

    Within a minute, the warehouse had turned into a space five hundred feet on each side with more than a thousand mages, other beings, and fae fighting on the two levels. Cameron moved closer to Eden as he mentally assaulted any fae that came near him, giving the gunner enough time to kill them, putting three bullets into each.

    Looking around, Cameron spotted Adam, who was flinging fireballs, spears of ice, lances of stone, bolts of lightning, slashes of air, and waves of force at the fae without pause. He looked around for Greyson and Blake, sensing them near him. Blake himself was injured, and suddenly, his mind disappeared from Cameron''s sense.

    Did he get teleported out? Cameron wondered as Greyson''s mind filled with fury and sadness.

    A wail let out, and a moment later, Cameron watched as Greyson flew up into the sky, his hoodie and shirt falling to the ground in front of him, ripped by the sheer force of the manifestation of the pair of pure-white wings stretching out of his back, an aura that felt heavenly just by its nature filling the space around him. Cameron wasn''t sure how he knew it felt heavenly, just that some primal, subconscious part of him did.

    Cameron watched as Greyson cried, deftly dodging attack after attack of the fae, and realized that the warehouse had gained a lot of height, too.

    Then, he realized what happened to Blake. He didn''t get teleported out.

    "NO!" Cameron screamed, and at the same time, a wave of mental energy washed over the warehouse, a pink-and-purple wave of energy that flowed out of Cameron.

    <hr>

    Greyson fell out of the sky, losing consciousness at the same time as nearly everyone in there. Only those who had mental guards or powerful wills and strength of magic managed to stay conscious under the sudden outburst. Even most of the fae were knocked out from the force.

    Adam looked over at the wailing demigod, who was continuing to emit a powerful mental ram in all directions at once, and he was glad he''d erected a barrier around the warehouse. If that wave hit civilians outside, it would cause a number of problems he didn''t want to deal with.

    He needed to shut it down, too, before he was knocked unconscious. Focusing himself, he aimed a mental hammer at Cameron and swung, watching as the boy collapsed to the ground. Instantly, the mental waves ceased, and the ancient mage took a few deep breaths, then looked around. Only around a dozen non-fae were still standing, while around twenty fairies remained conscious, though everyone else looked weakened.

    Taking the opportunity, he manifested a series of firebolts and threw them, killing the fae with a fire that consumed their bodies, leaving only ash behind.

    The other magicians and the werewolf recovered quickly, and they went about killing the remaining fae.

    "What the fuck was that?" One of the female mages looked at Adam, who sighed.

    "Why are you asking the kid?" One of the men asked.

    "He''s an extremely powerful mind mage," Adam told her, ignoring the inquiry as he did a mental search. "Damn. The werewolf who''s been taking care of him recently was slain in the fighting. One of the only people he''s ever let in. Brace yourselves, I''m about to undo my spatial spell, so you''ll probably feel the distortion. I''d do it slowly, except that it''d be pointless with nearly everyone unconscious."

    Adam undid his spell, and space snapped back to normal, with corpses and people suddenly a lot more packed-together than they had been a moment before, many of them laying on each other.

    "How the hell did you do that?" The male mage asked.

    "He''s the owner of this arena," the werewolf snorted. "A shifter-type mage who''s older than¡­ who the hell knows? I don''t think they even had calendars back then. I take it we have you to thank for us not being forced unconscious by that?"

    "Yeah," Adam rubbed his temples. "He almost knocked me unconscious, too. Maybe one or two seconds for you guys? Three or four for me? Agent. You calling this in?"

    Adam turned his gaze to the agent who was at the warehouse often, to keep alert for any signs of fae activity or any potential targets.

    "Have to," Michael said, rubbing his temples, then looked at the other two agents who''d maintained their consciousness before looking back to the ancient mage. "Are you going to stop us if we try to take the boy in? After this-"

    "He''s under my protection," Adam warned him. "I''ve been personally training him to help him get his mind magic under control. You will leave him, Eden, and Greyson alone."

    "So it is a he?" The female agent asked. "Cam, I mean?"

    "Yes," Adam responded. "It''s short for ''Cameron'', and he''s twelve. Call it in, Michael, but make sure Lucas knows that the three of them are to be left alone. You''re reporting a fae attack, not taking advantage of their unconscious states."

    Michael nodded, then pulled out his phone as Adam jumped back onto the second level, sitting on the railing and looking down at them. Twenty minutes later, dozens of agents began attempting to enter the building, so Adam expanded the space again, giving them the room they needed to do their work.

    Fae bodies were removed, and agents began to check the guests'' bodies to remove the ones who''d been killed and began treating those who''d been injured. Lucas made his way up to the second level and walked around the bodies until he reached Adam.

    "You''re Adam Leosvar?" Lucas asked.

    "You''re Lucas Tulim?" Adam responded.

    "Would you mind undoing the sleep spell you''ve cast on everyone Cam knocked out?"

    "You might want to tell your agents to back off," Adam snorted. "A room full of fighters, right after getting knocked-out? They''re liable to attack anyone touching them when they wake."

    Lucas gave the orders, and his agents temporarily left the warehouse until people began waking up, then returned to resume checking on people and working.

    "We aren''t going to arrest anyone," Lucas told Adam. "Even though you and they know this is illegal."

    "You and I know that this keeps most of them from doing this on the streets or doing other shit," Adam said.

    "Which is why we''ve let you do this," Lucas nodded. "I take it you''re changing form again once this is over?"

    "That is correct," Adam nodded. "Your son''s conscious. I''d recommend not attempting to force him to come home."

    Lucas looked down to where his son was picking his way through the bodies to reach the werewolf''s. Blake had reverted to his human form upon death, as all werewolves did. The boy began to cry again, hugging against the older teen''s body, telling him to wake up.

    "Without Blake-" Lucas began.

    "Greyson did fine on his own before he met the werewolf," Adam stated. "He''ll do fine on his own without. Give him time to recover."

    "And the mind mage?" Lucas asked. "What are your intentions towards him? It is best if-"

    "Don''t," Adam said. "I can handle him. I''ve contacted one of my familiars to track him and alert me if he begins to do such things. The fact that the thing let me know even though I was right here tells me it''ll do its job."

    "If he does that in public-"

    "It''s unlikely it''ll happen before he can pull himself under control," Adam said. "At least, not again. He''d let Blake and Greyson in and had begun to trust and like them. Then he found out that Blake died. Even with all the fighting going around him, he didn''t freak out. It wasn''t until someone close to him died that he freaked out and began casting a powerful mind spell. He''ll shut himself down again and raise his walls once more, blocking even your son out."

    And Adam, though the ancient mage didn''t mention that.

    Lucas sighed, but knew he wouldn''t get anywhere with the ancient mage. His department had clear orders to not tread on his feet, and if Adam wanted them to leave Cam alone, then they would need to.

    Adam watched as the Director of the Anti-Fae Task Force made his way back downstairs, then he started watching the warriors and mages who were recovering from Cam''s mental blast. After nearly half an hour, his gaze traveled over to Greyson, who was standing up, rubbing his eyes.

    Looking around, Greyson began walking over to his father, those beautiful, brilliant wings of his tucking in behind him. That told Adam all he needed to know. The boy didn''t have true control over his wings and they''d manifest on his own if his emotions were heightened. He didn''t possess the ability to dismiss them until he calmed down.

    The ancient mage enhanced his hearing and listened as Greyson spoke with his father with a shaky voice, tears streaming down his face again. Lucas stared at his son''s wings at first, a human''s natural reaction to seeing the wings of nephilim and angels, though his son''s words caught his attention.

    The director pulled his son in for a hug, and Greyson began sobbing into his chest. He asked to go home. That surprised the ancient mage, his estimation of the situation being off. A rarity, when he knew the subject involved.

    Looking around, Adam frowned. Cameron was missing. He was pretty sure none of the agents would have disobeyed him and began to panic at the thought that someone somehow managed to kidnap the mind mage from under his nose. That worry disappeared as he realized that Eden, too, had disappeared, and the last he''d seen of the teen, he was checking on the younger boy.

    So, Adam thought to himself. Eden''s taken Cam out before things could get uncomfortable for them.

    Sliding forward, Adam let himself drop to the ground and asked his familiar for its location, receiving confirmation that the boy was at the spatial mage''s apartment. Undoing his spatial spell, Adam waved his hand, and the glass shards around the warehouse flew up and to the windows, returning to their previous state.

    "Would you please not perform such a blatant use of time magic?" Lucas asked as the few remaining agents, mages, and supernats stared.

 01-017

    When Cameron woke, the first thing he noticed was the presence of a resting dog''s mind. The next was that he and the dog were both laying on a bed more comfortable than any he ever remembered laying on, with a thick, fluffy pillow under his head and thick, fluffy blanket over him. The dog itself was laying on top of the blanket, right beside Cameron, its head resting on the boy''s chest.

    Slowly expanding his mind, Cameron determined he was in either an apartment or a hotel of some sort, and there was a familiar mind nearby, sleeping. Gently poking at the dog''s mind, he woke it up, then sat up and scratched behind the dog''s ears, feeling a sense of contentment emanating from the animal with the action.

    "Eden?" Cameron poked at the teen''s mind, and felt it immediately wake up. "Eden, I''m scared. Where are we?"

    "At my apartment," Eden responded. "Give me a moment, and I''ll be in there."

    A couple of minutes later, Eden knocked on the door to the room Cameron was staying in.

    "C-come in," Cameron called weakly, feeling himself start to shake as he remembered that Blake had died, tears beginning to roll down his face.

    Eden entered the room and turned on the light. He was dressed in a pair of silk pajama pants, his torso bare, revealing a muscular body with well-defined abs that drew Cameron''s eyes. Even Blake hadn''t been that well-defined.

    "It''s okay," Eden said soothingly, making his way over to Cameron, who could sense the calm mind of the teen. "You''re safe, Cam, no one''s going to hurt you here."

    "B-b-but Bl-Bl-Blake-"

    "It''s okay," Eden climbed onto the bed and pulled Cameron against him. "He''s being cremated, along with the other undergrounds who were killed in the battle. I know you''re paranoid, but you won''t be able to stay at the hotel again, so if you want, you can stay here with me. And I can teach you how to fight with martial arts, too, and you can play with Soldier all you want."

    "S-Soldier?" Cameron gave him a confused sniffle.

    "Yes," Eden rubbed his back, then the dog''s head. "This is Soldier, my dog. I found him on the street a few years ago."

    Cameron sniffled for a few minutes, basking in the calm of the minds of his friend and the dog, which helped him relax, only a little.

    "H-how do you live in an apartment?" Cameron asked.

    "It''s actually my parents''," Eden scratched the back of his neck.

    "Th-they won''t care if I stay here?" Cameron asked.

    "They don''t," Eden snorted. "It''s just me and Soldier."

    "B-but-I''m confused."

    "They own the apartment," Eden told Cameron. "But they don''t even check up on me. I don''t even need the money from the fights, it just supplements my allowance. I discovered that I could teleport a few years ago, and my parents¡­ reacted weirdly to it. They weren''t magicians, and had no knowledge of it.

    "Instead of kicking me out, putting me in the hospital, calling black market doctors and scientists to dissect me," Eden ruffled Cameron''s hair. "They bought me this apartment and gave me a monthly allowance. They pay my bills and give me the money, but other than that, I''m pretty much on my own. They don''t even care that I never attended school again. As long as I''m okay, that''s the extent of their care. Me being able to teleport around weirded them out."

    "Oh," Cameron said, then leaned into Eden, who felt him shaking. "Wh-what''s going to happen to me?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Th-there were so many fairies," Cameron said. "Doesn''t the Department of Supernatural Services do stuff? I-I got knocked out, and wasn''t I attacking everyone when I freaked? Aren''t they going to hunt me down and-and-and-"

    "No," Eden assured him. "Adam''s a lot more influential than he lets on. DoSS leaves him be, and he''s put you and me under his protection. He probably suspected something like that could happen, which might be the real reason he wanted to train you."

    Cameron gave him a confused look, and Eden snorted.

    "You''re adorable like that," Eden kissed his forehead. "Adam probably wanted to help you get your powers under control because of how much power you have. You knocked me out in an instant, so what I know comes from what I heard before I grabbed you and left, before remembering who, exactly, Adam is."

    "Who is Adam?"

    "Adam Leosvar," Eden answered. "One of the five most powerful magicians in the world. Thousands of years old, with his exact age being unknown, he''s older than pretty much any other mortal on Earth. He''s trained nearly every magician who reached the strongest hundred in our history, and of the ones he didn''t train, he fathered most. The only reason the fae were able to do so much damage last night is because he couldn''t go all-out with everyone there."

    "The fae," Cameron started sniffling again. "They-they want to make me a tree!"

    "Sh," Eden rubbed his back. "It''s okay, Cam. No one''s going to turn you into a tree. You have me and Adam protecting you, and I promise that I won''t let anyone hurt you."

    Cameron cried for a few minutes, until he calmed down and asked about Greyson, and how he was coping with Blake and where he was.

    "He went to one of the agents," Eden shrugged. "Said something about wanting to go home. I don''t really-"

    "His dad''s the Director of the Anti-Fae Task Force," Cameron told him. "But-but he hates his dad. He said that one of his classmates came out as gay and was looking up what that meant and stuff, and his dad and mom hated him for it and thought he was gay and stuff. So he ran away. He has wings."

    Eden laughed, patting Cameron on the back.

    "Yeah," Eden said. "He does have wings. They''re usually not manifested. Nephilim, during puberty, gain their wings. Until they gain control over the manifestations, strong emotions can force them out, like last night."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Eden chose not to let Cameron know that Greyson had injured his wings in his fall when Cameron freaked out, which would also affect when he could put them away. Injured wings couldn''t unmanifest.

    "They were so beautiful," Cameron breathed.

    "Yeah," Eden smiled. "Nephilim wings are said to be one of the ten most beautiful things in existence, when not including actual gods and angels."

    Coming to a decision, Cameron chose to trust Eden. He sensed nothing more than sincerity in the older boy, and a genuine feeling of protectiveness was there as well. It had nothing to do with the voices, who were silent again, though still present.

    "I-I met a god," Cameron said, and Eden raised an eyebrow. "A-Adam summoned one last Friday. He-he, oh, we never did ask if they could punish rapists. Well, Adam said that particular god wouldn''t care. He hijacked the ritual, anyway. It wasn''t the god that Adam was trying to summon. He also said that the god that hijacked the ritual didn''t need to hijack the ritual, he could''ve just come down on his own. It turns out that I''m a demigod, and other gods are hunting me, but my dad bound up my divinity, so it makes me seem like I''m perfectly human."

    Cameron realized he was fingering the stone his father had given him and dropped his hand. Then, panic filled him, and he started patting his pockets.

    "Where''s my wallet?" He exclaimed.

    "On the night stand," Eden frowned as Cameron detached himself and scrambled over to the nightstand. "I didn''t take your money, I just didn''t think it''d be comfortable to sleep with a wallet in your pocket or watch on your wrist."

    He''d also removed Cameron''s belt and sneakers, though those were on the floor.

    "It''s not the money."

    Cameron opened up his wallet, checking its hidden pocket, then let out a sigh in relief. When Eden around him to see what he was checking on, he saw nothing in the preteen''s hands but the wallet, the object already having been returned to its spot.

    "What is it?" Eden asked as Cameron set the wallet back down.

    "It''s-it''s nothing," Cameron looked away. "Th-thanks for the bed, Eden."

    "You''re welcome," Eden snorted. "I got you some pajamas, too. They''re on the dresser. If you want a shower, the bathroom''s down the hall on the left when you leave the room, first door after yours. If you''re hungry, I can make us an early breakfast."

    "What time is it?" Cameron checked his watch. "Just after five."

    "Yeah," Eden ruffled his hair. "There''s a fresh set of clothes by the pajamas. Pick whichever you want to wear."

    Cameron nodded, and Eden left the room as the younger boy wondered what Greyson was doing, and how he was handling his decision to go home.

    <hr>

    The answer to Cameron''s question was ''pretty well'', for at that moment, Greyson was snoozing on the couch in his father''s office, his father''s jacket covering him. He had fought his exhaustion, but it eventually won him over after several hours of feeling numb from the loss of his close friend.

    As Greyson slept, his father sat in the office next door, where his boss, the Director of the Department of Supernatural Services, sat, having flown in as soon as the incident was reported.

    "And Adam won''t budge on his stance?" George asked.

    "No," Lucas responded. "Can you tell me why we dance so gently around him? No matter how many times I push, the explanation is never given. Even the most powerful of magicians can be handled."

    "Maybe," George said, then sighed. "To be honest, I''d love to tell you, except the answer is classified to my pay grade or higher. If he wants those two boys left alone, however, then it''s in our best interests to do so."

    Lucas sighed, leaning back in his seat.

    "How''re your agents doing?" George asked. "I heard that Cam''s mental wave was pretty hard on everyone there, even the few who managed to maintain consciousness."

    "Yeah," Lucas rubbed his temples. "I''m glad I wasn''t there when it happened, based on what they said. I''d almost gone, just to see Greyson again, but thought better of it after your warning that observations should only occur there. You really can''t tell me why we shouldn''t cross Adam? We could always call in-"

    "No, I won''t," George said. "And no, we won''t. Anyway, our debriefing''s done, and we''ve all had a long night. You should head home and get some rest, Lucas."

    "I was planning on waiting for Greyson to wake up," Lucas informed his boss. "Let him rest a bit more. He should hopefully be calm enough to hide his wings again."

    "Half-angel," George sighed. "We know your wife isn''t one."

    "Yeah," Lucas nodded. "Another reason I want to delay going home. From what my agents told me, Greyson was flying pretty well, too, which means he''s known for at least a little while what he is. Most nephilim break their wings in their first flight attempt, not soar straight up into the air. I am not looking forward to this conversation with Kathy."

    "Good luck," George said.

    "Thanks," Lucas sighed, then frowned. "Did you know that a minor god was spotted in town last week?"

    "I heard about that," George nodded. "Though word took quite awhile to reach me."

    "I was just getting the report when Michael called the attack in," Lucas said. "He''s apparently looking for a demigod. Did you hear who stopped his little fit?"

    "No," George answered. "I was reading the report when you called me. Looks like someone might have intentionally delayed us hearing about this. Who stopped him?"

    "Namil," Lucas said. "Chief Cupid."

    "Doesn''t he stop in town at least once a month for chocolate cake?" George asked.

    "Yeah," Lucas chuckled. "The god decided to show up while the Chief Cupid was on one of his regular trips. However, the interesting part of this is that Namil hasn''t left. He''s still here, and several other angels have been spotted around town since, under six different gods. I actually walked into Refari earlier."

    "Where at?"

    "And I mean that literally," Lucas said. "Turned a corner and walked right into him. Just around the corner from here, actually. I was heading into the parking lot. He just looked at me, snorted, and walked off."

    "Something''s going down," George said. "I received a report earlier that Derrick''s trafficking ring moved into Tejina over the last few weeks, and that they made a mistake of entering the Blood earlier chasing after a kid with magic. We suspect it was Cam, based on the sightings."

    "Damn," Lucas muttered, rubbing his temples again. "That''s just what we need, George. A new trafficking ring, potential war involving the oldest vampire on Earth, an unknown demigod, two Class X-level mages with lone schools who are both still kids, one of whom is powerful enough to break through mind defenses in just a few seconds, fae invasions, and a heavenly battle going on all at once."

    "Hey," George smiled.

    "Don''t you fucking dare."

    "At least we aren''t dealing with a primordial."

    "I fucking hate you," Lucas said. "You just fucking jinxed us, George."

    "I know," George laughed. "Honestly, though? All of the primordials are bound up in other planes and under heavy security. They won''t be breaking free anytime soon, so it''s extremely unlikely. Anyway, I''m sending extra agents into town, hopefully, we can settle things without a secrecy breach. Or at least, without too big of one. I''ll be staying in town awhile as well, and we''ll be releasing a press release."

    "For what?" Lucas asked. "The warehouse situation was contained ¨C thankfully ¨C but-"

    "To explain possible oddities seen by the mundanes," George answered. "We''ll claim that there''s a festival coming to the city in two months, and that they''ll be seeing preparations for it and visitors from out-of-town arriving earlier, to celebrate this year''s winter solstice. The people drafting it up are coming up with some reason why this year''s is special."

    "That makes sense," Lucas nodded. "It''ll help with the secrecy breaches for sure, and we''ll be able to handle the rest."

    "Hello, Greyson," George looked to the door and smiled at the teen, who looked shy and nervous, his father''s jacket worn backwards to cover his chest. "Your father and I were just talking about you. Those are some pretty cool wings you have there. Lucas, I''ll leave you two alone."

    George stood and left, and Greyson shuffled his feet before walking over to his father and wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

    "I''m sorry," he whispered.

    "I''m sorry, too," Lucas whispered. "Once you hide your wings, we''ll head home, okay?"

    Greyson nodded, tightening his hug.

 01-018

    "Hey, Lucas," Kathy greeted her husband as he entered their manor. "Long night?"

    "Yeah," he said. "More than four hundred fae attacked an underground mage arena. Outside of the fae, there were around forty deaths, the appearance of a nephilim, and a kid mind mage who freaked out and sent out waves of mental energy powerful enough to knock out nearly everyone within three seconds."

    "How many did they get?" Kathy asked.

    "None," Lucas answered. "The mind wave happened before any of the fae left with people, and the few magicians remaining were powerful enough to take them out. Where''s Kayla?"

    "Doing her training," Kathy answered. "Come on, I was just getting ready to start breakfast."

    "Make sure there''s enough for all four of us," Lucas told her.

    "All four of us?" Kathy answered. "Sweetie, I think you''re a bit tired."

    Lucas cleared his throat and jerked his head over his left shoulder. Curious, Kathy looked behind him, spotting Greyson clinging tightly to the back of his shirt, wearing his father''s jacket over his hoodie, a backpack on his back.

    "The person who''s been taking care of him died in the fighting," Lucas said quietly. "When I showed up, he asked to come home. After breakfast, he''s heading up to his room for some more sleep. The rest of his things are in the car."

    Kathy smiled, welcomed Greyson back, then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Greyson sat the table, not even taking off his backpack, and waited until his parents started setting the table to move again, answering his father''s question of what he wanted to drink as milk and orange juice.

    "I finished," Kayla entered the dining room, breathless, then realized Greyson was there. "Greyson!"

    She went to hug him, only to find her father grabbing her and pushing her back.

    "Dad!"

    "No," he said. "You''re sweaty and smelly, and Greyson had a long night."

    Kayla sighed, then took her seat at the table, and the four of them ate breakfast, though Greyson barely touched his food. After they finished, Kayla began cleaning the table as Lucas took his son up to his room, making sure his son changed into pajamas and got into bed okay.

    "Kathy," Lucas tracked his wife down. "We need to talk."

    She nodded, following him into his home office. The walls were nearly completely covered with bookshelves that reached from the floor to the ceiling, most of which had tomes on them, nearly all of which were related to his job. Books on magic, on fae, on laws, and on other supernatural creatures.

    The few bookshelves that didn''t contain various texts either held small statues, bookends, wooden boxes, and on one shelf, a framed drawing of the family that Greyson made when he was nine. The art wasn''t expert, but it reminded Lucas of his son. Kayla always destroyed her creations from school, so he didn''t have anything from her to display, though he did keep their report cards in his safe.

    A large, black rug covered most of the wooden floor, with a lamp in each corner, providing additional light on top of the overhead''s. In front of his window, wrapping around against part of one wall, was his wooden desk, a tall-backed office chair sitting behind it. In front of the desk were a pair of chairs, and that made up all of the furniture in the room.

    It was cozy, and eased his mind and helped Lucas stay focused when he needed to work from home.

    Lucas closed and locked the door, then sat behind his desk and sighed, looking at his wife.

    "Was you cheating on me a one-time thing, or did you get with someone more than once?"

    "What are you talking about?" She asked. "I''ve always been faithful to you."

    "Considering that neither of us are angels," he said. "And Greyson was the nephilim, there''s clear evidence that''s false."

    "Greyson was that-" she began, then covered her mouth, taking a few breaths before speaking again. "Honey-"

    "Just answer the question," Lucas said. "It took me nearly twenty minutes after Greyson woke up after having fallen asleep for several hours to calm him down enough so that he could unmanifest his wings, and after the night I had and information George gave me, I''m not in the best of moods. We''ve got at least two supernatural wars building in Tejina right now."

    Kathy lowered her gaze, taking a few moments to compose her response.

    "It happened several times," she answered. "Not anytime recently, I promise. Between the births of Kayla and Greyson, maybe twenty times? Thirty? It was mostly with the same two men, though there''s one I slept with only once. He never gave his name, and he did have an inhuman beauty about him. I didn''t think much of it back then, but he was probably an angel."

    "And after Greyson?"

    "Honey, I-"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "After Greyson?"

    "A few more times," she sighed. "I''m sorry, honey. I promise, though, for the last decade, I''ve been faithful."

    "You spent five years not being faithful," Lucas said. "Forgive me if I don''t take that as honesty. We''re not putting Greyson through the motions, he''s manifested his powers, and apparently had before we scared him out. He''s a blood mage with his roots in passive self-healing. While he''s been gone, he''s been learning how to heal others. And ¨C according to witnesses from the fight last night ¨C fight with the blood of others."

    "Is he registered?" Kathy asked.

    "Yes," Lucas answered. "Can you give me some space? I need to make some phone calls for work."

    Kathy started to speak, but decided against it and left, and Lucas picked up his phone and dialed George''s number as he wondered who Greyson had been receiving magic lessons from. He decided not to pry into it, as Greyson seemed to be fine. He did decide to ensure his son could continue to afford it and attend the lessons with the same tutor even though a cheaper one could be found through his agency.

    Greyson trusted his teacher, and allowing him to continue seeing them would help him trust his parents again.

    <hr>

    As Lucas wondered about her identity, Elaine looked at the man who had entered her shop. Dressed in black leather pants and boots, a pair of black wings stretching out from his back, his torso bare of clothing, the angel walked with a lethal grace, his black hair stylish, his blue eyes sweeping over the store and taking in everything in a heartbeat.

    It only took him a few moments to reach the shattered counter, and he looked at the intimidated mage only once he was in front of it. Elaine could tell that he had serious power ¨C likely an Archangel of some sort.

    Of course her luck won out in that she''d face down her thirteenth angel in a week. It seemed everyone was looking for the son of Ulrima.

    "Elaine?" The angel asked.

    "If you''re looking for the son of Ulrima," she said. "I''m telling you what I told the others ¨C I don''t know who he is, nor where he is."

    "I''m not looking for Ambrosius," the angel said. "I was looking for night stones and magic crystals three inches wide and eighteen long. From what I hear, this is one of the best suppliers in the city."

    "Twelve angels have come since last Friday," she said. "Seeking out the son of Ulrima, and you''re expecting me to believe that you aren''t doing the same?"

    "I know where he is," the angel stated. "My master has no care for the war, and nor do I. I do, however, wish to perform a summoning. One of the other angels in town trampled my garden, and I''d like to have a few words with his god."

    When the angel mentioned his intentions, his heavenly aura became tinged with death, Elaine seeing images of it flashing through her mind and a sense of foreboding that her end was near. Immediately, she understood that she was standing before an Angel of Death.

    Before she could tell him that it would be a minute while she grabbed what he was looking for, he turned his head to the side, the lethal intent in his aura fading. The angel walked off to one of the shelves and began examining the salves on it.

    Elaine excused herself to grab the items he was seeking, meeting Suzanne, who was doing inventory.

    "I need summoning supplies," Elaine told her. "There''s an Angel of Death out there who''s in a bit of a mood and wanting to summon a god."

    "Which god does he serve?" Suzanne asked.

    "Didn''t say," Elaine said. "But it''s either a very powerful god, or he''s an Archangel, judging by how strong his heavenly aura is."

    "The crystals are over there," Suzanne pointed.

    Elaine walked over to the crystals and opened the boxes, selecting the one with the best set of summoning crystals, then located the night stones. With both boxes in-hand, she made her way back to the front, where the angel was examining objects on another shelf.

    He looked over to her, holding up a small vial that had been within a locked glass case. Nearly everything in the shop was locked in a case, though she wasn''t surprised that an angel that powerful might have a way to ignore that. It only supported the idea that he was an Archangel, since they were the rare beings who could learn a variety of spells outside of the standard ones for angels.

    "This potion," he said curiously. "What''s its purpose?"

    "Three drops of it in a drink just before bed," Elaine said after checking the tag. "And it''ll help soothe nightmares."

    "Interesting," the angel said, then reached through the glass to set the potion back and returned to the counter, looking down at it. "I take it someone disagreed with your counter?"

    "A god," she told him.

    "Ah," he said. "I heard Bulfis had paid a visit here. And that a Cupid stopped him."

    "You heard correctly," Elaine told him. "Though I didn''t know who the god was."

    "Ulrima was a tad bit unhappy," the angel said. "You won''t have to worry about Bulfis returning anytime soon. His angels will still be recovering bits of his body for the next thousand years or so."

    Elaine didn''t comment on that and instead showed him the case with the thirteen crystals, apologizing for not having any for the five lone schools. The angel ran his hands over them, pulling out a reddish-orange crystal that was warm to the touch, a dark blue crystal that felt as if it were liquid despite obviously not being, a gray crystal with silver streaks through it, and a pale yellow crystal with a faint glow to it. They represented the schools of fire, water, enchant, and light.

    "I already have pillars for the lone schools," he informed her after making his selection. "I''ve been wanting to summon a god for awhile. And the night stones?"

    Elaine moved the box of crystals to the side and opened up the box of night stones, pitch-black stones flecked with gold and silver, reminiscent of the stars at night. The angel felt each stone, selecting exactly fifty-four of them.

    With his items selected, Elaine bagged them, nearly giving the items to him free out of fear of being killed where she stood, only to find him pulling out a black wallet with a puppy design on it.

    "How much?" He asked as he opened up the wallet, the first thing she noticed being the image of a golden retriever.

    How odd for an Angel of Death, she thought to herself. They normally prefer horses over dogs.

    "Give me one moment to add it up," she looked around for the laptop she''d been using ever since the counter was smashed, as the register had fallen and broken as a result and had yet to be replaced.

    After charging the angel, who paid with crisp hundreds, Elaine handed him his change and receipt, and he left. Letting out a sigh of relief, Elaine returned to the back.

    "That was the most unusual encounter with an angel I''ve had," Elaine told Suzanne. "And I just realized something."

    "What?" Suzanne asked.

    "He gave a name for the son of Ulrima," Elaine told her. "Called him ''Ambrosius''. None of the other angels so far have used a name for him, they always called him ''son of Ulrima''. He also said he knew where this Ambrosius was, too. The angel seemed more interested in summoning a god over some trampled plants than looking for the son of a High God."

    "An angel in a city with a heavenly war brewing who isn''t interested in the heavenly war?" Suzanne was stunned. "Are you sure that was an angel?"

 01-019

    "Good morning," Eden smiled at Cameron as the younger boy padded his way into the living room, plopping himself onto the couch. "Want lunch? I was just fixing myself some sandwiches."

    "Sure," Cameron yawned. "Thanks, Eden."

    "No problem," Eden responded, fixing up a few extra sandwiches before joining Cameron on the couch. "Mind if I ask when your lessons with Adam are? I go four times a week, though he mentioned you do more than me."

    "I see him every day," Cameron took a bite of his sandwich. "Usually around one-crap."

    "What?" Eden asked.

    "I''m, um, supposed to be meeting someone else at one today," Cameron answered. "To, uh, get a phone."

    "A phone?" Eden asked, and Cameron squirmed a little. "What''s wrong, Cameron?"

    "I got chased by mage traffickers yesterday," Cameron looked down, his voice quieting. "I-I made a deal with Seph for protection and rescue. He''s a-a-"

    "A vampire," Eden said, and Cameron gave him a stunned look. "I live in the Blood, Cam, I know about Seph. I picked this apartment specifically because it meant lower odds of being chased by traffickers due to its location. When are you supposed to meet with him?"

    "Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays," Cameron answered. "Around eightish at night. I-I''ll need to tell him that-"

    "I can take you," Eden assured him. "I can teleport with someone else, and you''re a lot smaller than the people I normally teleport with."

    Cameron''s face flushed, and Eden quickly realized the implication of that. He was glad Cameron hadn''t gotten mad and mentally assaulted him for the size comment, though.

    "Fairies," Eden hastily amended. "They sometimes track me down because of how much power I have. I drop them off somewhere else, then put three bullets in them. The government''s still trying to figure out who''s doing that."

    Cameron frowned.

    "Three?" He asked. "You were doing that last night, too."

    "Yeah," Eden said, teleporting into his room, then back to the couch, holding up one of his guns. He pulled out the magazine and showed Cameron the green-tinged bullets. "These bullets are designed for fighting fae. One shot can kill, if it''s a clean shot in the heart or brain, but it''s not a guarantee. One to slow, two to cripple, three guarantees a kill. I can take out five fae before having to reload a gun. Want me to teach you how to use them?"

    Cameron shifted around uncomfortably.

    "You don''t have to," Eden assured him. "I won''t make you do anything you don''t want to, Cam, it''s just an offer. If you don''t want to use guns, I''ll protect you from the fae. I promise."

    Cameron nodded, dropping a hand onto Soldier and playing with his ears, feeling the contentment. Eden asked where he was supposed to meet to get the phone, and after being told, he informed Cameron it was a dog park and they could take Soldier.

    "I''ll let Adam know you''ll be a bit late," Eden said. "Then take you to him after."

    "Thanks," Cameron said, then finished his lunch, feeling a lot more comfortable than he had in awhile.

    He knew it was a bad idea, getting comfortable again, but he did anyway. Eden was strong and fast, and he could teleport, too. And he''d been fighting fae and was a badass the night before. He was positive that Eden would be safe and trusted Eden more than he''d trusted even Blake.

    When it was time to head to the park, Eden fixed a leash to Soldier''s collar, then teleported the three of them to the park and started playing with Soldier while Cameron sat on a bench and watched. A few minutes passed before a man came up to him, holding a phone in one hand.

    "Cameron?" The man asked, and Cameron eyed him suspiciously. His mind held no hostility. "Seph asked me to deliver this to you."

    Cameron took the offered phone and thanked the man, who left. Pocketing the phone, Cameron returned his gaze to Eden and Soldier, beginning his breathing exercises. After a few more minutes, he stopped, sensing a familiar mind approaching him. Two familiar minds.

    Rather than turning, he kept his gaze forward, and a few moments later, Rufus bounded around the bench and pushed his way between Cameron''s legs, looking up at the boy, who started rubbing his head.

    "Hey, Cameron," Abigail said. "Fancy seeing you here. Your parents have a dog?"

    "No," Cameron answered. "My friend does. That''s him with Soldier."

    Cameron gestured to Eden, who''d noticed the strange woman with his friend and had begun walking over, Soldier right beside him.

    "You look kind of sad," she said. "Did something happen since we saw each other yesterday?"

    "One of my friends died," Cameron said quietly. "He was killed in an attack last night."

    "I''m sorry to hear that," she said. "Do you want to talk about-hold on."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Abigail pulled out her phone and checked who was calling.

    "This is work," she told him. "If you want to talk about it, we can after I take this call. Want to watch Rufus while I do?"

    "Sure," Cameron started playing with Rufus a bit more as Abigail stepped away.

    <hr>

    Abigail noted the teen talking with Cameron and checking he was okay as she answered the phone.

    "Hey," she said. "What happened, Amy? Did Jared-"

    "No, Jared''s fine," her boss responded. "He didn''t call the office after you left."

    Abigail let out a huge sigh of relief. The sixteen-year-old had a tendency to call the office within two hours of her leaving him at a home, asking to be removed. Always with valid reasons. If he didn''t make that call, then he usually stayed until the people caring for him no longer wanted to. It was a curse he had, he claimed. She would likely have to put him in a group home if he got kicked out again, and finding one that worked with a blind kid was hard.

    "What''s up?" She asked.

    "About the boy you were looking into," Amy said. "You said he''s twelve, with his birthday on Halloween, and will be turning thirteen? Blond hair, blue eyes?"

    "Yes," Abigail looked over at Cameron, who was playing with both dogs while his friend sat protectively beside him, keeping an eye on everyone around him. "Did results come back already?"

    "Yeah," Amy said. "His name''s Ambrosious Nathaniel Caldwell, and he ran away from his latest foster home more than two years ago ¨C and more than two hundred miles away. It was on his tenth birthday, so pretty much three years, now. He''s been presumed dead. Since you said you''ve seen him twice, can you confirm for me the next time you do if it''s him or not? If it is, we''ll have his case transferred down here."

    Jeez. Whoever named him must have wanted him to get picked on, Abigail thought.

    "I''m actually looking at him right now," Abigail told her boss rather than voicing her thoughts. "He claims to have a family, but I was able to tell the first time we met that he''d been on the streets. He''s gained some weight since then, so I think he''s been staying with someone, possibly the kid he''s here with now."

    "At the dog park?" Amy asked.

    "Yeah," Abigail responded. "He''s playing with Rufus while I talk with you."

    "I managed to find out what his token is," Amy said. "If you can verify he has it, it''ll as good as confirm it''s him."

    The token was their term for an object many foster kids had. They kept with it them through their homes, often as a reminder of their life before they were in the system or something to remain constant for them in a changing life. Jared''s, the kid Abigail had thought the call was about, was his father''s class ring.

    "What is it?" Abigail asked.

    "Literally a token," Amy answered. "It''s a gold coin a little bigger than a quarter with a crown over a staff imprinted on one side and some odd runes on the other. He was given up for adoption at birth, and the coin came from his mother. I''m honestly not sure how he managed to keep hold of it, especially early on. From what the report says, it''s real gold. I''ll text you the picture they sent me."

    "Thanks," Abigail said. "I''ll let you know if I can get him to confirm it for me."

    "Thanks," Amy said. "Good luck."

    Abigail hung up, and a moment later, checked her phone as the image of the coin was texted to her, both sides of it in the image. She walked back over to the two boys, noting the older one hovered protectively beside Cameron as soon as she approached.

    "Sorry about that," Abigail said. "I told you I was a social worker, right?"

    Cameron nodded, and Eden tensed up.

    "Well, that was about a case I''m working with," Abigail told him. "It was rather important, though it looks like you and Rufus got along great again."

    "Yeah," Cameron gave her a suspicious smile, almost as if he knew she was nervous about asking him.

    "Want to see something my boss texted me?" Abigail asked. "It has to do with the case."

    Cameron nodded, the suspicion still clear on his face. She held up her phone, and as soon as he saw the image, he jumped to his feet, tripping over Rufus as he tried to run. The other boy grabbed him and pulled the younger one behind him, firmly planting himself between Cameron and Abigail.

    "What did you show him?" He demanded. "Who are you? What do you want with Cam? Why did you just freak him out?"

    Abigail took a deep breath.

    "Cameron," she said as she pocketed her phone. "I know who you really are, and I know that that''s your token. I''m not going to make you go back. However, I want to make sure you''re okay. My first concern is about your safety, Cameron."

    "He''s perfectly safe with me," the teen glared at her. "He doesn''t need children''s services looking out for him, not after they failed him. Cameron, we''re late for your lessons, and our teacher is waiting. Soldier! Come!"

    Abigail watched as the two boys left, looking down at Rufus for a moment before looking back to them, only they''d gone. Looking around, she frowned. It was as if they''d vanished into thin air. She couldn''t see them anywhere.

    Sighing, she pulled out her phone and called Amy.

    "Did you already talk to him?" Amy asked.

    "It''s him," she said. "Judging by the way he reacted to the image of the coin. The teen he was here with is rather protective, so I''m thinking that he''s been taking care of Cameron ¨C that''s what he''s calling himself ¨C since he came to town. I didn''t catch a name, so I''ll have to see if I can figure that out next time I see Cameron."

    "Alright," Amy said. "I''ve already had the case transferred down here, I was sure it was the kid you were talking about."

    "Does it give anything useful?"

    "Other than that he''d been in more than a dozen homes before he ran away?" Amy asked. "Not really. There''s no indication he''d be as resourceful as he was, either. Two hundred miles is quite the distance to travel on his own."

    "I doubt he''s had help from others," Abigail asked. "To be honest, with how suspicious he is, I was surprised he made a friend around here. The other kid''s well-fed, too, indicating he hadn''t been on the same diet as Cameron. I''ll look into his background a bit more."

    Amy wished her good luck, then hung up, and Abigail took Rufus to the office to pick up Cameron''s file and research the coin. Finding no results online, she left to make her way to a store she knew sometimes dealt with odd artifacts that might be able to identify it.

    "Hello, Elaine," Abigail smiled as she entered. "What happened to the counter?"

    "Rowdy customers," Elaine responded, smiling back at her mundane cousin who knew nothing of magic''s true existence. "How goes things?"

    "Not bad," Abigail responded as she approached the counter, then pulled out her phone, pulled up the text, and held it out. "One of the kids whose case I came across has a token that''s a rather unusual coin. I was wondering if you knew anything about it, or if you could direct me to someone who could. It seems like something that might pop up in your weird society."

    "You know you''re just denying reality," Elaine chuckled.

    "Sure, and the day I see you actually do magic, I''ll believe it," Abigail said. "The boy didn''t have a closed adoption, which means his parents might be looking for him. If I can figure out where this coin came from, it might help me, whether it''s in your world or the real one."

    Elaine laughed again, then looked at her sister''s phone and shook her head.

    "No," she said. "I don''t know the coin, though those are definitely magical runes on the back of it. I''ll have to make some calls, do you mind sending me that image?"

 01-020

    Chapter Twenty.

    "Is everything okay?" Adam asked as Cameron and Eden sat down at the restaurant.

    Since his old appearance had been ''compromised'', Adam had taken on on the appearance of a twelve-year-old boy with black hair and dark blue eyes, his fair skin lightly tanned. Cameron only knew who he was because Eden had seen him earlier that day and pointed him out.

    The restaurant itself was more like an upper-level bar and grill, where its cheapest burger cost ten dollars and the staff prided itself on excellent food rather than fast food. Cameron''s nerves grew with every passing moment in fear of being kicked out for being street trash. As usual, he sat at the edge of the booth, ready to leave on a moment''s notice.

    "No," Eden responded. "Some social worker lady showed up at the park. Cameron''s apparently seen her a couple of times around town, and she showed him a picture of something, claiming it had to do with a case she''d just gotten. It freaked him out, and she knows who he really is, apparently."

    "What did she show you?" Adam asked Cameron. "I can get her off your case with a phone call, if it''s freaking you out."

    "Um," Cameron shifted around. "My token."

    "Your what?" Eden asked.

    "Something he''s had with him through the homes," Adam explained. "I take it you have it on you?"

    Cameron nodded.

    "Mind if I see it?" Adam asked. "I promise on my magic that I''ll return it to you."

    Cameron fidgeted again, then pulled out his wallet, before pulling out the golden coin and handing it to Adam, whose mouth formed an ''o'' when he saw it.

    "The Thornton Crest," he said. "A three-peak crown worn by a staff, with ancient magic runes on the back. This is the real deal, too."

    Adam looked at Cameron critically, then nodded.

    "Yeah," he handed the coin back to its owner. "You''re a Thornton, I can see it in your eyes, ears, and jaw. Interesting that you were in the system, though ¨C I can''t think of a reason why a Thornton would willingly allow one of their own to be given up."

    "Well, I don''t want them," Cameron said, agitation clear in his voice. "I don''t need them. I don''t need anyone. I''ve got the voices, and that''s enough for me!"

    "What about me?" Eden asked quietly, and Cameron looked at him.

    "Um," Cameron suddenly looked very, very sorry. "That being enough doesn''t mean there can''t be more."

    "Nice save!" Adam laughed, and Cameron blushed.

    The younger boy returned his coin to his wallet, which he slipped back into his pocket just as the waitress arrived to take their drink orders.

    "Hi," Adam said. "I''ve been sitting here for nearly forty minutes, and no one came by for my drinks. Any particular reason the kid was getting ignored until five minutes after his friends showed up? I''m actually rather quite thirsty for both a drink and a word with the manager. Drinks first."

    "Yeah," the waitress looked nervous. "I''ll get him for you just as soon as I go to get your drinks."

    "You do that," Adam told her. "I''ll have a root beer."

    "Dr. Pepper," Eden said.

    "Same," Cameron said. "Oh! And a root beer float!"

    Cameron''s face flushed as he realized his childish exclamation, which was quite unlike him.

    "Make that three," Adam said. "Now run along, and don''t forget the manager."

    The waitress looked annoyed as she left.

    "She''s very annoyed," Cameron commented. "I''ve got a feeling she''s going to badmouth us to the manager."

    "Probably," Adam shrugged. "But I''ll manage. I''ve been given bad service here a few times with my old look. It''s about time I finally caused a ruckus. It''s either that, or mind-rape half the staff."

    Cameron snorted.

    "I don''t know how I feel about being the only one of us at this table not able to do such a thing," Eden commented.

    "I can''t," Cameron said. "I can just hit them with a battering ram, and you hit me with a hammer!"

    Adam grinned at him, the comment clearly directed to him about knocking the younger boy out the night before.

    "Eden did tell you why, didn''t he?"

    "Yeah," Cameron sulked. "Why did that happen?"

    "Excuse me?" A man in a sharp suit approached the table. "My waitress said you''ve been causing problems?"

    "Actually," Adam said. "Your waitress pointedly ignored me for forty minutes. I simply commented on it when she approached. If that''s me causing problems, then your restaurant has some serious problems, and I''d like to speak with the owner about them."

    "Alright," the manager grabbed Adam''s arm. "You and your buddies can leave, now."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Adam looked at the manager''s hand, then looked back up to the manager.

    "You really shouldn''t have done that," Adam said. "You just assaulted a minor without cause while discriminating based on age."

    The manager began to pull on his arm while starting to order him out, and Adam jerked his arm out of the man''s grip, grabbing his wrist and snapping it before grabbing the manager''s tie and pulling it, slamming the man''s face into the table. He calmly placed a hand on the back of the manager''s neck as the other customers began to stare.

    "I can assure you," Adam said, not lowering his voice so that the other customers could hear him. "That my father will not hesitate to press charges against you for the assault. Now. You can do one of two things. The first is call your boss, the owner, and let him know what an idiot you''ve been. The second is to call the police, have statements taken, and get arrested for assaulting a minor. You will pick one of those two, then do them, and then your wrist can be looked at. Am I clear?"

    The manager nodded, and Adam released him. The manager hurried to the back of the building, and Adam looked at Eden, who seemed calm, and Cameron, who was panicking, bouncing in his seat and getting ready to take off.

    "Don''t worry," Adam told Cameron as he began spreading napkins over the table and arranging them. "We won''t be kicked out of here. I may have complained to the owner a few times as different kids, and in my last appearance, told him that if the staff continued to touch kids and try to force them out for complaining about crappy service, one of the kids was going to fight back one day. Considering that was actually two days ago¡­ consider this evidence. Here comes the big boss."

    A man in a chef''s jacket, spattered with bits of food and stains, approached the table, a hat keeping his hair in.

    "My manager said you boys had a complaint?" The chef said. "Don''t be fooled by the outfit, I''m Henry, the owner."

    "Yes," Adam looked up at him. "Your manager attempted to forcibly remove me from the premises when I complained to him about your waitress taking forty minutes just to take my drink order. By the way ¨C we''re still waiting for our drinks. I came here with two of my friends to celebrate something, and your staff is ruining the mood. After that assault, I''m half-tempted to tell my dad about it, and he''ll sue the crap out of this place for it and the age-based discrimination going on."

    "Yes," the owner said. "Well, I''d like to apologize for that. I''ve been receiving a number of complaints lately. A rather disturbing number, actually. It seems my staff is in serious need of retraining, and I''d be more than happy to comp your meals for you."

    The owner assured them he take care of the situation, then left, and Adam smiled at Cameron, who still looked and felt ready to bolt.

    "Cam," Adam let out a sigh. "Sometimes, you just need to be blunt and forceful. I didn''t really do anything wrong."

    "Wh-what would you have done if he didn''t agree?" Cameron asked.

    "Left, became my dad, and came back," Adam grinned. "Threatened again, and if it didn''t work, contact my lawyer."

    Cameron looked bewildered, but decided not to comment on it and wait for their drinks. After they received them and their orders were taken, he began performing his ten-minute breathing exercise. As he held his last breath, he began counting the minds around him and looking at how they felt.

    Nervous. Giddy. Loving. Bored. Tired. Bored. Giddy. Excited. Calm. Tired. Curious. Amused. Angry. Furious.

    He continued his counting and noting until he ran out of breath, then slowly let it out before sucking in a few more.

    "Alright," Adam said. "How did you do?"

    "I think I did alright?" Cameron asked. "Thirty-four minds in the restaurant."

    "That''s correct," Adam smiled. "Remember while we''re eating, ram away at my mind, but don''t make eye contact, and don''t look at me unless we''re talking. Keep it up for as much as you can. Use your empathy, not your eyes, to direct your assault."

    Cameron nodded, then looked over as their waitress arrived with their food. She seemed rather agitated, but he also felt confidence and smugness in her mind. Biting his lower lip, he began to enter her mind.

    "You could probably stir up a complaint."

    "Yeah, stir up a complaint."

    "She totally didn''t mark your order as not having mustard."

    "Yeah, so it has it."

    "Oh, and there''s the matter of her opening up, then spitting on, Adam''s burger."

    "You should mind-rape her."

    "She''s too beautiful for a mind-rape, maybe-"

    "We want the owner," Cameron looked at her, his agitation leaking out as he resisted the urge to hammer away at her mind. "Again. I asked for no mustard, and you intentionally didn''t write it down, and you spit on Adam''s burger. And our fries don''t have any salt, even though none of us asked for them to not be seasoned."

    "That''s actually a food safety violation," Adam said after he recovered from his shock, looking at the waitress. "Spitting on my food? Seriously? And what if Cameron''s deathly allergic to mustard? You could have killed him with that."

    "Yeah," Eden said. "Get us the owner again. You can bet your ass that I''m not coming back here, and I''ll be telling all of my friends to avoid this place."

    The waitress''s mind filled with both agitation and smugness higher than what she had before, and Cameron watched as she left, then gave Eden a curious look. His mind was filled with confidence and irritation, but the younger boy could tell there was more to the irritation than just what was going on.

    A few minutes later, the chef-owner came back out, and Adam explained their two complaints.

    "Nope," the owner said. "I wasn''t told no-mustard, and I''m sorry about that."

    "Excuse me," Eden smiled at him. "Hi, you probably don''t remember me, but we met a few years ago, when I was around eleven. My name''s Eden Portman, my parents are Sam and Gina Portman."

    The moment Eden introduced himself, Cameron felt the chef-owner''s mind grow nervous. Very, very nervous. Eden''s agitation spiked when he named his parents, too, and Cameron knew why his friend was so annoyed.

    "You can be sure that I''ll be telling all of my friends to avoid this place," Eden told the chef-owner. "Though I''ll be kind enough to not tell my parents. And make sure that our orders are remade, as we can''t eat this."

    The chef-owner apologized to the trio again and offered them meal vouchers for the future, though Eden declined his own, stating he didn''t want to come back to a place that prided itself on mistreating youth and customers who gave valid complaints. Adam and Cameron still took theirs, and the chef-owner gave them Eden''s share of the vouchers.

    They were served by a different waitress the rest of their meal, their food replaced, and once they''d finished, the trio left.

    "Well," Adam grinned. "That was fun. And lighten up, Cam ¨C sometimes, you have to be like that to get your way."

    Then, Adam frowned and looked at Eden.

    "Are you really the Portmans'' kid?"

    "Yeah," Eden looked about as annoyed as his mind felt to Cameron. "I didn''t want to have to bring them up, but-"

    "Hey," Adam said. "I understand. Not going to lie, I didn''t exactly have the best relationship with my parents. Maybe one day, you''ll make it up to them, maybe you''ll find you never can. Either way, it''s all for you, and you don''t need to explain it to me."

    Adam gave Cameron their meeting point for the next day, then left, and Eden pulled Cameron into an alley and teleported them back to his apartment.

    "Are your parents famous or something?" Cameron asked as he mentally poked at something in the apartment.

    "My mom''s a high-class chef," Eden nodded. "And my dad''s a real estate agent. A very successful one."

    "Okay," Cameron said. "Soldier''s guarding your bed against a fae, I think."

    Eden snorted, then teleported out, and Cameron felt him and the fairy leave, then he went into the kitchen to get himself some water. A few minutes later, Eden returned, some blood on his face, neck, and hoodie.

    "I''m going to take a shower," Eden told Cameron. "Need to use the bathroom first?"

    "Yeah," Cameron realized he really had to go. "Give me a minute."

 01-021

    Chapter Twenty-One.

    Cameron hovered nervously by the door to the study that the vampire had led him to. Seph was lounging on a recliner, a glass of a rich, red liquid in his hand. He was pretty sure the vampire was drinking wine, based on the bottle sitting on the table beside him, but since Seph was a vampire, he wasn''t that sure.

    "Come on in," Seph said. "I heard you''d moved. It''s a pity, what happened Friday night. Fairies especially love mages, but a full-on attack like that is rare. Normally, they hunt specific individuals."

    Cameron nodded, but didn''t move, his gaze traveling to the brown-eyed, black-haired woman sitting in another recliner.

    "Come in," Seph gestured. "This is Isabelle, and a human, as you can see."

    The boy shifted uncomfortably, and Seph sighed.

    "You made an agreement," Seph said. "Are you backing out of it?"

    "No!" Cameron squeaked, then entered the room, taking a seat on the couch. "Um, bl-fee-"

    "Lessons first," Seph interrupted, waving his hand. The door shut. "I''ll feed after it''s over. Now, to verify you understand the terms of the agreement, what are they?"

    "Um," Cameron shifted around in his seat. "In exchange for protection by the coven while in the nearby area and lessons on magic, I''m required to allowed members of the coven to feed on me at least three times a week. The lessons are mandatory under the contract, and will last anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours, and will occur three times a week. I may also, at any time, move into the mansion. If I do so, physical combat training will also be added into my required lessons, and I''ll be expected to serve the coven."

    "Excellent," Seph smiled. "Now, do you know what the difference between a supernatural and a mage is?"

    Cameron listened to the voices for a moment, then nodded.

    "A mage," Cameron said. "Is someone who uses spells and weaves together magic, while a supernatural is a creature that has inherent magics and cannot learn spells under ordinary circumstances. Like vampires."

    "Quite right," Seph nodded. "We vampires have three innate magics available to us, regardless of what we could do in life. Amanda ¨C you briefly saw her on your last visit ¨C was a mage in life, and quite a talented one, with six schools learned. However, she only has access to the magics we vampires have.

    "The first of those magics," Seph said. "Is the healing magic I used to mend your flesh after I fed on you on Friday. We have the power to heal the flesh of others. The second of those is force magic. This one''s the most expansive of our three magics, as it isn''t limited to just telekinesis, though it does take time and age to move beyond that.

    "Finally," Seph said. "The school that you have access to, mind, also grants us a spell. We have the compulsion trinity. Do you know what those are?"

    "Um," Cameron screwed up his face, then made a disgusted one. "No!"

    Seph chuckled, and Cameron realized he''d exploded at the voices verbally around others again.

    "Well," Seph said as the woman looked at Cameron in confusion. "There is mind-control, which is you directly controlling someone else''s actions. It generally requires you to control every single action, and is more intensive. Only very ancient vampires gain that ability among us. The victim is fully aware that it''s in-use, and will often fight against it.

    "Then," he says. "There is silkspeech, which influences one''s thoughts and actions. It cannot work to make someone do something they normally wouldn''t ¨C so a true pacifist couldn''t be forced to kill, for example. Silkspeech makes them think it''s of their own accord, and much like mind control, it can''t be resisted just by knowing about it. The best way to resist it is to stop it before it starts. It is what all vampires gain the ability to do early in their lives.

    "Finally," Seph said. "There''s true compulsion, rather than the term that encompasses all three. In this sense, compulsion is a mix of the two. They don''t know it''s affecting them ¨C usually ¨C and it can make them do things against their own nature, meaning you could make a true pacifist kill.

    "Unlike the other two," Seph said. "Compulsion can be resisted and even ignored, if the victim is aware of it. Knowing that your thoughts and intentions are your own are the chief way of resisting all three, but most importantly, compulsion.

    "Because it can be resisted or ignored if the victim is aware of it," Seph continued. "It''s also considered the most dangerous during use. If the victim becomes aware that they aren''t doing things of their own accord, they can easily turn on you and kill you. And be advised that anyone who truly hunts a vampire, succubus, or incubus will-don''t ask what those are, you''ll just flame again-will have a resistance to all three."

    Cameron thought for a few moments, then nodded, looking at the woman uncomfortably. He knew she was supposed to be his training victim.

    "Which are you teaching me?" Cameron asked.

    "That depends," Seph told him. "I won''t teach you mind control, as it''s the most difficult of the three. Are you a telepath or empath?"

    "Both."

    "Then compulsion will work better," Seph told him. "Silkspeech requires speaking when starting out. Only advance silkspeakers can do it without a word spoken. Compulsion is purely mental. To use it, you touch upon someone else''s mind and suggest actions for them.

    "We''ll use Isabelle today," Seph said. "She won''t resist or fight you. Attempt to compulse her into picking up a glass."

    Cameron''s gaze traveled to the table between the two armchairs, where a glass of water was sitting. He shifted around uncomfortably while staring at the glass, then focused his mind on Isabelle.

    Pick up the glass, he tried without projecting his thoughts.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "It won''t work that way," one of the voices said. "You''ll have to actually want her to do it, not just tell her to. Compulsion won''t work if you don''t do it with purpose or reason. Simply trying won''t work. When you try, you must do so with the intent for results."

    Cameron nodded, then tried again, Seph watching curiously. He''d seen the boy''s ear twitch and eyes shift to the right, indicating the voices were talking to him. The ancient vampire knew they were the aether voices, and assumed it was the one who taught compulsion speaking.

    Seph had done the ritual to learn from it many thousands of years ago, before he''d fled to Earth with his brothers and sisters. It was part of the reason they''d managed to succeed in escaping their hunters on their old world. Using a mixture of mind control and compulsion, he forced a spatial mage to open a gate to Earth, then commit suicide once it closed.

    Watching Cameron, he knew the boy was trying by the concentration on his face, and the occasional twitch of his ear told the vampire he was receiving more advice. Seph hoped Cameron would one day lose the tell. He was sure the boy didn''t always give those tells, but it was obvious that when he was actually listening, he did.

    Movement to his right caught his attention, and Seph looked over to find Isabelle picking up the glass. She looked at it, then smiled at Cameron, who looked exhausted. It wasn''t difficult for the vampire to guess why, as he''d been using compulsion on someone who knew it was being used.

    No matter what anyone said, that made it much, much tougher, because the subconscious mind was ready to defend against it. Normally, Seph didn''t expect anyone to actually succeed on the attempts with one of the usual donors.

    He even had a fresh person off the street for Cameron to practice on after an hour passed. Seeing as the boy succeeded in only half an hour at making Isabelle pick up the glass, he decided to bring the victim out.

    "Isabelle," Seph said as she set the glass down. "Would you mind fetching him?"

    "Yes, Seph," she said, then left the room.

    "Cameron," Seph smiled at him. "You did well, better than most. To be honest, I expected you to fail on her. She''s now bringing us someone who isn''t going to be aware that you''re going to compel him."

    Seph reached under his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Cameron. The boy felt the paper around, it was thicker paper, like cardstock, and he unfolded it. An index card.

    "On that card," Seph said. "Are a list of instructions. Use them on the person who comes in here. They will have no idea that they''re being compulsed, which means there won''t be a subconscious resistance to it."

    "Subconscious resistance?" Cameron asked.

    "Yes," Seph smiled. "The moment someone finds out someone is using or going to be using compulsion on them, they create a subconscious resistance to it that makes it harder to compulse them. It normally takes a month or two before my students manage to compulse someone with the subconscious resistance."

    "Oh," Cameron shifted uncomfortably. "Do I have to make him do everything on this list?"

    "In order," Seph nodded as the door opened up, a man in his late teens or early twenties entering, his hair scruffy and face with the start of a bear. "Come, sit down."

    Seph gestured to the other seat, and Cameron sensed the young man''s anxiety and nervousness. He felt uncomfortable, and the voices told him that Seph had kidnapped him off the street.

    "You kidnapped him!"

    "It''s what I do sometimes," Seph''s lips twitched up a little at the sudden and unexpected telepathic message. "I didn''t realize you were a two-way telepath."

    "The voices taught me how," Cameron nearly nodded. "But why''d you kidnap him?"

    "You needed a victim," Seph responded. "And he was on the streets. I''ll compensate him well for his services tonight."

    "I don''t believe you," Cameron said, not entirely without reason.

    He suspected that Seph and he had different definitions of ''compensate''.

    "He''ll be fine," Seph told him. "Now, get to work. You agreed to this, Cameron, and breaking a contract with me isn''t the best of ideas."

    Cameron sighed, then looked at the list. The first item on it was to pick up the glass of water, and it only took him a minute to succeed in getting the man to do it. The next was to drink it, which wasn''t hard, either. He could tell the man was thirsty from the relief in his mind as he drank, and the voice teaching him while the others quieted down mentioned that the more someone wanted to do something, the easier it would be to compulse them into it.

    The next few items on the list were to fill the glass and drink it, having him make the man do it three times. As he did, the man apologized, saying he was really thirsty and sorry for drinking so much. Seph assured him it was fine, and made small talk with him.

    Then the man asked if he could use the restroom, and Cameron hesitated. His next thing was to keep the man from leaving, suggesting he could hold it.

    "Seph''s trying to get your attention."

    Cameron looked up at Seph, who was rubbing his temple while looking at the boy.

    "What?"

    "You don''t have to force him to pee himself, just have him hold it as long as he can before he absolutely needs to run."

    "I don''t feel comfortable doing that."

    "We have an agreement, kid."

    Cameron huffed, but complied with the vampire''s instructions. He really didn''t want to piss off a vampire much older and much more powerful than him. For the rest of the training, Cameron barely managed to perform all of the tasks assigned to him without passing out from exhaustion, and Seph dismissed the man they''d been using.

    "Time for the feeding," Seph said, and Cameron shifted uncomfortably. "Come on, Cameron."

    The boy pulled off his hoodie, and Seph moved over to move his collar away from his neck before biting down into it. After he drank his fill, the vampire healed his donor, returned to his seat and looked at the boy.

    "Don''t sulk so much," Seph told him. "You did agree to the contract. I''m not going to make you use your powers for nefarious purposes, and that young man will be back to what he was doing in the morning, and will be given ample compensation for his service."

    "Yeah, whatever," Cameron muttered, then stood up, just in time for Eden to appear in the room. "See you Tuesday."

    Eden placed a hand on Cameron, and the two of them vanished from the room. Seph stared at the spot, his lips curling down in a frown.

    No one should be able to teleport in and out of his masnion, he had it enchanted specifically against that. When the older boy had dropped him off, he was redirected outside the gates, as everyone who tried to teleport onto the property was.

    Had the boy figured out how to bypass the wards somehow? Seph checked over his wards, and finding no flaws or weaknesses in them, he shrugged and buffed them, then poured himself another glass of wine.

    It seemed his newest student would be more resistant to his normal teaching methods than the rest. A lot more resistant. The kid didn''t have a speck of cruelty in him, from what the vampire could tell. His bouts in the arena didn''t make sense.

    At least, not until Seph thought about it more, and realized that the boy ¨C like most of the mages and brawlers ¨C probably saw it as nothing more than training against people who thought the same way.

    Sighing, the ancient vampire drained his glass, then stood and left the room, licking his lips. The boy''s blood was the most delicious he''d ever drunk, though he could sense another strong power around, one that might be almost as delicious.

    Turning down the hall, Seph slammed into the source of said power, a fair-skinned, black-haired, green-blue angel with black wings tucked behind him, a sword strapped against his waist. Angels, too, would need to enter through the gates, and his coven would have alerted him if there was an issue. So, naturally, he came to the only conclusion he could think of.

    "Hello," Seph smiled. "Are you here for-"

    The angel grabbed Seph and lifted him with one hand, cutting off his words as his electric-blue glare pierced the vampire''s, sending a chill down through the ancient being''s soul.

    "You''re coming with me."

 01-022

    Chapter Twenty-Two.

    "Greyson?" Lucas looked at his son, who was looking out the car window at the school, Kayla having already been dropped off at the high school. "Are you ready for this?"

    "No," came the curt response.

    Lucas did his best not to laugh at his son''s sulking mood. Greyson didn''t want to return to school, but it was for the best. Enter him into the routine immediately, rather than delaying it, to give him a sense of normalcy before creating a false one.

    He could tell his son would take time to heal. In the months that they''d been together, the young mage and the werewolf had drawn close and reliant on each other.

    "Greyson," Lucas said. "Go on in, and if you''re worried about being behind your classmates, your teachers are more than willing to help you catch up."

    "I know," Greyson grabbed his backpack and left the car.

    His parents had already gotten him to work on getting caught-up with his classmates. The ''excuse'' for why he wasn''t in school was medical, though he didn''t plan on talking with anyone. He''d changed his personality after leaving home, and had no intention of returning to the happy front he put on at school previously.

    Well it wasn''t so much as changing his personality as stopping the acting he did around his parents and teachers, but he knew he''d changed from his time on the streets.

    Pulling his backpack on, Greyson made his way into the school, though he''d barely set four steps inside when someone ran up to him and flung their arms around him. It took every ounce of his will to not strike out and throw them into the ground.

    Then, he looked at the assailant and sighed.

    "Jess, seriously?" He asked.

    Jessica, or Jess, as most called her, just grinned at him, stepping back. Bright pink shirt, black pants, and pink sneakers, Jess was, by most definitions Greyson knew, a girly girl. Her brown hair and bright green eyes agreed with her fair complexion, with the former tied into a pair of pigtails with pink ribbons. She was, he had to admit, a beautiful girl, and had become even more so in the months he''d been gone. Seven months? Eight months?

    He couldn''t really remember, and he didn''t really care.

    "Hey, Greyson," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he rolled his eyes. "I heard you were recuperating from some nasty sickness, needing to get fresh air. How''s it here?"

    He could definitely use fresh air.

    "Smelly," he wrinkled his nose. "What salesman told you that you needed that much perfume?"

    "Oh, come off it," she slugged his arm, then looped one of hers under it. "Come on, the rest of the gang are waiting."

    Greyson sighed, wondering where his friends heard he was returning from. He himself only found out that morning, having thought his parents had decided to home school him due to being out for so long.

    He let himself be pulled to his homeroom, where his group of friends were gathered in the back corner of the room. There was Sam, who was half-Japanese and looked it, with his olive skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes, there was Jeff, with his curly orange hair and hazel eyes, and there was Barry, with his blond hair and blue eyes.

    Barry was the reason Greyson had been looking that stuff up, the night his parents caught him and he ran away. His friend had admitted to having a crush on Sam, and Greyson had simply been curious about being gay because of it.

    He didn''t feel anything like that either way, even though he knew most of his classmates probably had crushes on people. The only people he''d ever felt anything real for would have been Blake and Cameron.

    They were people he trusted and cared for. And now, one was dead, and he didn''t know what the other was doing. Though he did know that Mondays were the nights that Cameron took on his role as Cam and fought in the arena against anyone who''d challenge him.

    Clearing his mind from that, Greyson focused on school, deflecting the questions about where he''d been and how he was feeling. After school ended, he went home and did his homework, then ate dinner before grabbing his hoodie and leaving.

    He hadn''t gone far when his new phone began ringing, and he rolled his eyes, pulling it out of his pocket. It was his dad.

    "Can you tell your agent to stop tailing me?" Greyson asked.

    "Where are you going?" His father asked.

    "Where do you think?" Greyson asked. "I''m heading to the warehouse."

    "There haven''t really been many fights," Lucas told him. "Most people have stayed away since the tragedy on Friday."

    "Yeah, well, I doubt Cam''s going to skip out," Greyson told him. "I''m going, and don''t you dare tell your agent to stop me, or I''ll kick his ass."

    His father let out a huge sigh into the phone, and Greyson rolled his eyes.

    "He''ll give you a ride," his father said. "And make sure you get home safely as well."

    Greyson grunted and hung up the phone, then turned and walked down to the black car that had been slowly rolling down the street. The driver rolled down his window.

    "My father said you''ll take me."

    "I will," the agent told him. "Hop in."

    Greyson grunted again, then climbed into the backseat and let the driver take him to the warehouse. There weren''t many people there, though the bouncer at the door was there, as usual. He gave the password and entered, his new bodyguard following him in.

    There were maybe only around fifty people there, and most were magicians he recognized from past visits. Judging by the wounds in the crowd, the brawling matches were probably already nearly over.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Greyson made his way over to where Cameron was standing, already wearing his hoodie and mask, his gloved hands in his hoodie''s pocket. Even though the younger boy''s expression couldn''t be seen, Greyson got the sense of unease with him.

    The brawling match ended, and no one gave much cheer, and no one else challenged the winner, so the mage matches began, two females entering the arena first. After a few matches, Greyson felt a familiar tell letting him know that thoughts were about to be projected into his mind.

    "How''s your wing?"

    "Huh?"

    "I heard it break when you fell."

    "Oh, that," Greyson responded. "My primary root''s passive healing magic, and even though I''ve yet to figure out how to mend bones myself, it works for those, too. My wings had healed by the time Dad took me home."

    He hadn''t let his dad know his wings had broken, because he didn''t want his dad to freak out or something. The break hadn''t been that bad, and was almost healed by the time he woke up. A little application of self-healing magic, twenty minutes, and they were done.

    "Are you doing okay there?" Greyson could sense the worry his friend had for him.

    "Yeah," he told Cameron. "It''s¡­ taking some adjusting. Dad says I''m in grief. Everything''s just weird. I really miss Blake. Where''ve you been?"

    "I''ve been staying with Eden," Cam said. "He''s left to go poop, he''ll probably be back in a minute. Might be letting his dog out, too."

    Greyson snorted, then frowned.

    "You''re staying with Eden?"

    "Yeah. He''s okay. He sometimes gets hunted by fairies and kills them. It''s cool. I like playing with his dog. He''s back."

    Greyson turned, finding himself staring at the masked face of Eden, who dipped his head to the younger teen before looking to the matches. The tell disappeared, and he knew that Cameron had probably started talking with Eden about something.

    It only took a few more rounds before no one else was challenging the current winner, a man around forty. When the ref started the final call, Cameron stepped into the arena and faced the magician, a wind mage who specialized in air slashes.

    As soon as the ref called for them to go, the wind mage sent out a slash, succeeding in just the one before Cameron''s assault began, the mind mage successfully dodging the attack, having anticipated it.

    Mostly because the wind mage had subtly began casting it before the betting had ended to ensure he got it off before the assault began.

    Rather than hammering away at the other opponent, giving them a few seconds to forfeit or not, Cameron hit him hard and fast, knocking him out in just a few seconds. He didn''t care much for cheaters, and when Adam asked him why he knocked the guy out, he''d answer with the truth.

    Adam didn''t like cheaters, either.

    Cameron fought two more opponents before one stepped into the arena with a confidence that was different from others. Their confidence wasn''t laced with what the mind mage had come to know was arrogance, which made him hesitate a little bit.

    The man was around thirty, with short black hair and dark brown eyes, his pale skin without flaws, save for a splash of freckles across his nose and cheeks, and Cameron could clearly sense his foe''s mind.

    At least, up until the ref called for the fight to begin. Immediately, the man''s mind disappeared, though when Cameron pushed back with his empathy, he felt it, a mental wall up. He began striking at the barrier as he probed it for weaknesses, momentarily forgetting to keep track of his fighting.

    The fireball soaring towards him reminded him, and Cameron ducked, dropping to the ground and rolling over to dodge another one before scrambling back to his feet and back, dodging a third fireball.

    It took him nearly a minute to be able to focus on penetrating the mental barrier again, his foe calmly throwing fireballs at him, part of his success only through the familiar situation and two years of reacting immediately to the voices in his head, which warned him when he needed to dodge as he focused on attempting to find a weak spot in the mental barrier.

    At least, until the fire mage began throwing two fireballs at once. Then, Cameron''s focus broke again, and he stopped attempting to break through the fire mage''s mental barrier and returned to dodging. He was being forced to stay on the far side of the arena from the fire mage, who moved enough to keep the distance between them as far as he could.

    "Visualize the space directly behind him," one of the voices he heard often say. "Rather than attempt to probe his mind. See the space with both your eyes and your mind, and take yourself there without running or walking, but by simply being there instead of here."

    Cameron froze as he realized that the voice was guiding him in teleportation magic. He''d been thinking about if only he could do it just a moment before the voice had said that.

    "To the right!" Another voice exclaimed, and instinct took over, Cameron running to the right in time to dodge the fireballs.

    Thinking back to what the voice had said, he looked at where the fire mage was and visualized the spot while seeing it with his eyes as he continued to dodge the fireballs. After a few minutes, the fire mage realized something was up, Cameron could tell that by his face. He realized that Cameron hadn''t been attempting to breach his mental defenses.

    He threw a series of fireballs followed by a wall of fire at the boy, the balls slamming into the barrier, the boy himself gone from sight when the fire wall slammed into the barrier, yet the flames shouldn''t have burned him away, only set him aflame.

    The fire mage felt a moment of confusion for a moment, up until a fist slammed into his back.

    The moment Cameron punched the fire mage, he sensed the mental barrier weaken and struck immediately, breaking through the mental barrier in moments and striking hard and fast, knocking out the fire mage.

    Breathing heavily, Cameron leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, feeling his breath warming up the area behind his mask.

    The referee walked over and checked on the fire mage, then addressed the crowd.

    "CAM WINS!" He announced as Cameron began to realize that the crowd was shocked, and more than just from his sudden teleport. Something else stunned them. "WHO''S NEXT?"

    He called out three times, then made the final call, and no one challenged Cameron, who began to realize that during the betting, everyone had bet. He looked at Greyson and Eden, then walked over to them.

    "Why does everyone seem so shocked?" Cameron asked Eden. "And don''t say it''s because of my teleport. I''m young, not stupid."

    "The fire mage is pretty damn famous," Eden responded. "You probably only won due to his surprise at your teleportation. Damn, short-range teleport. I wish I could do that."

    Cameron almost asked what he meant, before remembering the explanation Eden had given for his teleport spell on Saturday. Eden''s specialized in returning long-range teleport, which meant that he couldn''t visually see the location he was teleporting to and had to have been there before. It also couldn''t be within a few feet of himself.

    Teleporting in his apartment was covered by returning long-range teleport, as he was teleporting into different rooms, and never somewhere he could see if he turned his head around. He wasn''t sure why it was different, but it was.

    Short-range teleport and visual long-range teleport required visualizing the location the mage wanted to teleport into, as well as being able to visually see the area they wanted to teleport into.

    Starting off with the former, the range was incredibly small, usually within a few feet, hence why it was called short-range. Despite that, it was possible to teleport several miles for an experienced mage using short-range teleportation, if they could see the location they wanted to teleport to unobstructed, such as standing on a hill or mountain. Eden could use this kind, though it was a lot more exhausting for him, which was why he hadn''t used it in his matches until Cameron.

    The latter, on the other hand, couldn''t be used for something short-range, nor something that could be seen with the mage''s eyes at the time, though they didn''t have to be there in the past to go there. A picture would do.

    As Cameron remembered that, he went to ask Eden something else, only to pass out. Having learned not just another school of magic, but one not linked into his own, had been a lot more exhausting than learning another spell within his own school. Having already run around and exerted himself mentally, using a new spell in an unlinked school of magic was too much for the boy.

    Eden caught him, then lifted him up. Adam would make sure they received Cameron''s winnings the next day, so Eden simply teleported home to put Cameron in the younger boy''s bed for some sleep.

 01-023

    Chapter Twenty-Three.

    Cameron woke to the smell of bacon frying, and groggily got out of bed, before narrowing his gaze and looking down. He was wearing blue silk pajamas, which meant that Eden had changed him after he passed out.

    Sighing, he made his way down to the kitchen, where Eden was preparing breakfast. Grabbing a glass, Cameron opened the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, before taking a seat the dining room table and filling his glass, draining it before looking at Eden.

    "I passed out?"

    "Yeah," Eden looked at him. "You used a school of magic you weren''t in, and one that wasn''t linked to yours at all ¨C a lone school of magic. Just like mind magic. After all of your mind magic usage and running around, I don''t think anyone was surprised you passed out."

    "Shouldn''t you be training with Adam right now?" Cameron realized as he saw the kitchen clock.

    "He suggested I come with you for yours," Eden shook his head. "If you don''t mind, that is. Rather than doing our usual training, he wants us both to focus on short-range teleporting today. With how much power you have, he estimates you''ll probably be able to do it around twenty to twenty-five times before passing out, which is about the same amount as me."

    "Okay," Cameron yawned. "If we''re doing the same thing, I don''t mind. Are you going to teach me martial arts before then? If the offer''s still open. I know a bit, but it''s been over a year, and only a few months of practice, and you probably know different stuff."

    The revelation that Cameron actually knew some martial arts surprised Eden, especially the fact that it was from before Cameron had met Blake and Greyson. Someone else had taught him, and it was implied it was while on the street.

    "Sure," Eden told Cameron, deciding not to push how and where he learned. "We can do that if you want, after we eat and stuff."

    "Okay," Cameron said. "I''m changing myself, though."

    "Sorry," Eden apologized. "I was removing the gloves, hoodie, mask, pelt, pants, and emptying your pockets, and thought I''d just go the rest of the way for you and change you into your pajamas. I didn''t touch your underwear, though."

    "Good."

    Eden finished making breakfast, and the boys ate in silence, mostly due to Cameron still recovering from his exhaustion. After breakfast, Cameron went to his room to change, then joined Eden in the exercise room, where Eden taught him a few martial arts moves.

    Cameron took a shower after that, then they ate a light lunch before Eden teleported Cameron and himself to Adam''s, unaware that Eden''s apartment was about to receive another unexpected guest.

    Silviar looked around the apartment, sensing the teleportation magic that had occurred moments before he''d picked the lock. Like all fairies, he lacked the ability to do such a spell himself, and nor could he track it. The magic of the fairies was deeply rooted in the elements and nature, though they did have some silkspeech power.

    Walking around the apartment, he examined several various objects, including the clothing in both of the bedrooms he could sense the targets in. Not one, but two. The others had claimed there was only one mage living there, but he could tell two did.

    Which meant they''d either been lied to, or something had changed. Somehow, the spatial mage living there managed to kill every fae that had been sent so far, no matter how much stronger than the last it had been.

    Silviar wasn''t a normal fae, however. He was a Fairy Lord, making him far, far more powerful than any that had come before. Dealing with two strong mages wouldn''t be a problem, even if one of them had god-level magic.

    Based on the reports, he knew who the other one was, and it was a mere child as well. A mind mage, sure, but not something he couldn''t overcome. He''d dealt with them before. If his observation from the night before had been correct, the boy had figured out teleportation magics, too.

    The amulet hanging around his neck vibrated as he began placing strips of paper around the apartment. A sealing enchantment, to prevent spatial magics the moment he activated the spell with just a touch of his magic.

    Silviar ran his fingers through his silver hair, then touched the amulet.

    "Silviar," the silky voice of one of the Fae Queens projected from the amulet.

    "Tabiris," Silviar said. "I wasn''t expecting one of our Monarchs to contact me."

    "This mission is too important," she said. "The spatial mage must be captured, and the other child he''s befriended. The nephilim can be ignored for now, he''s not as powerful as those two."

    The Fairy Lord immediately understood that the other target he was to pick up likely lived in the apartment as well. It didn''t matter to him, though, as he would be able to grab both of them. He wasn''t a Fairy Lord for nothing.

    "I understand," Silviar said. "I''ve no plan on failing, like the others. King Rilmari coerced some mortals into creating an enchantment to stop him from leaving once they arrive. With Eden''s teleportation neutralized, and his ability to warp space negated, grabbing the two boys won''t be difficult. Will the gate be ready?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Yes," she responded. "As soon as as pulse your magic into the ring, the gate will open. It will lead you directly to the Forest. I''m waiting here personally for your return with them. The two of them alone will generate more magic than half the Forest currently does. That one boy, the younger one, could easily make up for half the forest, and if he''s as powerful as he smells, he''ll live for thousands of years. He''ll easily be our most powerful grab. The teleporter isn''t bad, either. To be able to obtain them before they reach maturity and true effectiveness in combat is a boon. Make sure you don''t fail."

    "I won''t, Your Majesty," Silviar bowed his head a little, even though he knew the Queen couldn''t see the gesture. "If, however, something comes up, can the ring be used multiple times?"

    He twisted the ring around his right middle finger, a dark brown, wooden object carved to resemble intertwining vines and leaves, touched with gold and green.

    "Yes," she responded. "The elf who crafted it assured me that it could create the gate to the Forest dozens of times. All it needs is a touch of magic pushed into it, and it''ll link back to the power of the Forest and open it. Did you make sure you weren''t detected?"

    "The mind mage didn''t notice me," Silviar informed her. "My mental barrier is among the best, outside of Your Majesties. It didn''t surprise me he couldn''t sense me when he wasn''t trying to find a hidden mind. He seems to have moved in, so I can grab both at once, rather than separately."

    "Good," she said. "Be careful, Silviar. The boy lived on the streets for two years from when he was ten, and if our reports have been accurate, he may be able to hear the aether voices through his mind magic."

    "Is that why I have the other ring?" Silviar asked.

    The other ring was a silver ordeal, another slender, graceful ring, worn on his right index finger. This one had no jewels within it, though it did possess touches of violet and pink runes on the inside of it and a gentle, graceful violet pattern around it.

    "Yes," she responded. "The reason we didn''t go after the boy before was because we suspected he could hear them, and they''d have warned him in advance if he were being targeted by fae and not mortals. It''s taken us two years to craft that ring. It should make the aether blind to you, rendering its voices unable to aid him in the fight and unable to forewarn him of your presence."

    Silviar frowned, looking around. He''d heard the elder boy had a dog, but couldn''t find it. Reaching out with his senses, he determined it was cowering under its master''s bed. Not unexpected, considering the sheer power within the fairy.

    "Understood," Silviar said. "How are the vampires faring?"

    "Quite well," she responded. "Our distraction has already begun, though we won''t truly move in-force until the boys are supposed to return to the apartment. Piramis, that one is ugly."

    Silviar snorted. Piramis was who he had expected to contact him if any had, not Tabiris, and from the sounds of it, the other Fairy Queen was attempting to hook Silviar into whatever she was doing. Probably seducing a mortal, as that was the Queen''s usual leisure activity. She derived a sick pleasure from it.

    Not that Silviar didn''t sometimes do that, though he wasn''t as blatant with it as Piramis was.

    "With the vampires distracted," Silviar said. "And the agents who come to interfere in the fights, we should be cloaked."

    "Yes," Tabiris said. "Our only other concern in that city are the angels and Leosvar. However, from what we can tell, the angels aren''t interested in either of the boys, and Leosvar likely won''t realize something is going on until it''s too late. His familiar will only check in if the boy goes out of control or if Leosvar contacts it, so it won''t alert him to the trouble. Even then, you should be powerful enough to take on Leosvar."

    "Yes," Silviar frowned. "My only concern with him is that if he interferes, the boys may be able to escape."

    "We have a contingency for that," Tabiris told him. "Melphori and Nairumi will move to intercept him. Worry about nothing else, Silviar, we''ve thought of everything. Those two boys are too great an opportunity to pass up. I''d rather we got all three of them, but we can worry about the Nephilim once things calm down from these two."

    "Alright," Silviar said. "I need to finish setting this up, Your Majesty. See you in a couple of hours."

    "May the Fae Gods ensure your success," she said, then the magic in the amulet returned to its dormant state.

    Silviar continued to set up the barrier. Once he finished it, he made his way into the bathroom and sat on the counter. If the reports were to be believed, Eden always teleported into either his bedroom or his room''s attached bathroom.

    He also had a younger brother, and Silviar had spent the morning watching the younger boy. He was powerful, too, though not as powerful as the teen. Maybe half as powerful as the nephilim, which was still pretty powerful.

    The parents themselves were nothing special, at least, not at a first glance. Except that Silviar had looked a bit deeper. They were both children of nephilim. The children of nephilim and mortals were mortal, but they still held strong power. As with all things, it would dilute in every generation, unless another angel or god entered the mix.

    Like the Thorntons ensured happened. Every generation was either a nephilim or a demigod. Those were true monsters, and attempting to grab one of them was the same as committing suicide. They''d attempted it several years ago with one of the Fae Kings, and he had nearly died. And he''d gone with six Fairy Lords who did die.

    Eight living generations of nephilim and demigods, each stronger than the last. The mind mage, Silviar guessed, would be equal to twenty or so more generations of them in terms of his raw, untrained power.

    They''d learned not to go after the Thorntons. Thirteen of them were enough to take out some of the strongest fairies to ever live. Five hundred powerful fae, slaughtered in minutes. Friday night''s massacre came pretty close to it, though the reason it failed was different.

    The mind mage''s sudden bout of grief caused him to use his mental magic on everyone around in a way he hadn''t done before, and very few fae could guard against such a thing.

    Silviar closed his eyes, thinking back to that battle. Not Friday''s but the one two centuries ago, when the fairies forged their alliance with the Thorntons. After that fight, they made a deal with the patriarch of the family that had forged alliances with some of the darker gods.

    The Thorntons now ran one of the most powerful mage trafficking rings, and part of it was to give the mages to the fairies. Most mages only lasted a few years as trees. They also cast out their unwanted spawn to the fae. Some of the biggest Fairy Trees were Thorntons who had been raised to puberty, to allow their magic to flourish. Those trees would last for three or four decades, though they had one that was nearly six.

    The air shifted, and Silviar knew the boys had returned. Triggering the barriers, he slid off the bathroom vanity and made his way into the living room, delighting in their stunned faces, especially when his barriers reacted, informing him that Eden had attempted to warp space.

    "Hello, boys," he smiled. "Your little fun ends now."

 01-024

    Chapter Twenty-Four.

    Silviar watched as Eden drew his guns and fired off several shots. A wind barrier between them stopped the bullets in their tracks. The fae followed that up with a gesture that raised vines from the ground, and the two boys jumped out of the way. They were weak from their lessons, their magic spent and minds tired.

    It was the perfect opportunity.

    Silviar continued to manipulate the vines as he summoned up wind and water to strike at and contain the boys, who continued to do their best to evade, the barrier continuing to react to attempts at breaking free.

    After several minutes, Silviar frowned. He should have had the boys already, and while this was a setback, it proved they were more adept at fighting than they''d let on in the past. The younger one had even launched into a series of punches and kicks that hadn''t been reported as being in his skillset. No one had ever seen him fight in hand-to-hand combat.

    The boys were slowing down, however, with the younger one sooner than the elder. No matter what he tried to claim, Cameron had lived on a small diet for two years. A couple of months of eating his fill wouldn''t fix his inherent weakness. It would take longer than that.

    Seizing the opportunity, Silviar shot several blasts of water and air at Cameron as the boy attempted to dodge, only to find the spells dissipating once they hit him. Before he could process that, Eden jumped over the kitchen counter, both feet aimed at Silviar''s face.

    The fae caught him by the feet and threw him into Cameron as he realized what had happened.

    The boy had a Thornton Crest. As part of the deal between the fairies and the Thorntons, that lineage of demigods and nephilim were given coins made of fae gold and enchanted to prevent fae magic from working on them.

    It was a complication, but the two boys had been bested by that last attack. Judging from the research, the boy had been in foster care since birth, which meant he was an unwanted Thornton. If he''d been born and not given up to the fairies despite being unwanted, that meant his parent was likely a regular human, and that his magic hadn''t been registered as strong at birth. Not worth giving to the fairies.

    Walking over to them, Silviar reached for the younger boy, the elder gasping for breath while the younger just lay there, eyes closed, breathing rhythmic. He''d passed out from exhaustion.

    "No," Eden gasped, struggling to move. "Leave¡­ him¡­ alone!"

    The Fairy Lord ignored the spatial mage as he reached for the mind mage''s throat¡­ only for the boy to suddenly leap at him, grabbing not at his wrist or arm, or attempting to punch and kick, but at the rings.

    Before Silviar realized what was happening, Cameron had pulled the rings off. The fairy slapped him, throwing the boy across the room, and watched in amazement as the child landed with inhuman reflexes in a crouch.

    Cameron slipped the rings into his pocket and smirked at the fae.

    "Got you," he said, his right ear twitching.

    The boy had figured out that one of the rings was nullifying the voices'' ability to detect Silviar. The fae wasn''t sure how the boy knew it was a ring and not the-

    Silivar reached up to his chest, where the amulet should have been, only to find it in the boy''s other hand, slipping into his pocket as well. The boy had gone after all three, just in case.

    It was no matter, though. The boy was too exhausted to continue, and-

    "ARGH!" Silviar screamed as his mental defenses were suddenly breached without mercy, the boy hammering away furiously, driving the fairy to his knees.

    "I''m not that exhausted!" Cameron exclaimed, charging forward.

    Silviar attempted to fight through the onslaught, finding the boy moving faster than any normal human should be able to, even one with a nephilim or demigod parent. Cameron reached the fae and kicked, his foot connecting with the enemy''s chin as he continued to hammer away.

    The fairy fell backwards, and Cameron landed on top of him, punching at the fairy''s face repeatedly. Normally, Silviar would have been able to handle that, even with the mental onslaught. Except the boy was strong, too strong, and the fairy''s magic failed to work on him. He couldn''t summon up a spell to grab Eden, either, as he felt his life slipping away.

    Cameron continued punching until his exhaustion slammed into him like an eighteen-wheeler, and he fell to the side, breathing hard while struggling to maintain his consciousness. He looked at the blood on his hands, the literal blood on his hands.

    He''d seen blood plenty of times, but never from his own fists. It shocked him, and all he could think was that he''d beaten someone up to the point that he was bloody. That, and that at any moment, the fairy was going to grab him and turn him into a tree.

    Only that moment never came, and when Cameron looked at the fairy, Eden was checking his pulse.

    "Dead," Eden looked at him. "Holy fuck, Cam. That was¡­ silver hair. This is a Fairy Lord. You killed a Fairy Lord. Holy fuck."

    Cameron sat up and looked at Eden, who seemed in shock as well, and it took nearly a minute for the words to process in the younger boy.

    "I killed someone."

    "He was going to kill us," Eden crawled over to Cameron. "It''s okay, Cam. It was self-defense. You fought in self-defense, and killed to avoid being killed. It''s okay, I promise. You did the right thing."

    "I killed someone."

    "Yes, you did," Eden said. "You killed someone who would have killed you if you didn''t. It''s okay, Cam. Let''s get your hands cleaned up, okay?"

    Eden got up and grabbed some paper towels, wetting them and giving them to Cameron''s, who just stared at them. Eden started washing Cameron''s hands, who began to recover after a few minutes and got up to wash his hands in the sink, then looked around.

    "The apartment''s a mess."

    "Yeah," Eden said. "But we''re alive, Cam. Because of you, we''re alive to fight another day."

    "I really killed him, didn''t I?"

    "Yes," Eden smiled at him. "Fairies are physically weak, though they have potent elemental and nature magics. That''s their shtick. They can''t do force, enchant, scourge, blood, and necromantic magic, and their only lone school is silkspeech, but they''re still strong, and a Fairy Lord is stronger than most. As a demigod, you''re a lot stronger and faster than you look. Once you have real muscle on you, you''ll be punching through walls. The fairy couldn''t withstand your attacks. How did you do that? You seemed even more exhausted than me, especially after how hard Adam pushed both of your schools."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Cameron blushed.

    "I just acted," he admitted. "I¡­ kind of was exhausted. But the voices told me that he was probably wearing something hindering their ability to read him, so I figured, it was probably one of his rings or the amulet, right? I''d gotten a few moments to catch my breath after he threw you at me, and decided to take it. I think it was that adredin stuff?"

    "You really had me fooled," Eden grinned. "I thought he''d knocked you out, you seriously seemed it. Even breathed the right way and everything."

    "I figured out how to do that awhile ago," Cameron smiled shyly. "How to pretend to be asleep when I wasn''t, and to pretend convincingly. We weren''t that quiet, and you shot a gun a lot. Why aren''t there cops here?"

    "Probably the barrier that hinders spatial magics," Eden answered. "I didn''t see any tokens, which means he probably hid them under things or in them. Check under the cabinets."

    Cameron began looked in the cabinets under the counter, locating a strip of paper that probably didn''t belong and pulled it out, holding it up to Eden.

    "Yep," Eden said. "That''s a barrier enchantment, based on the runes I can read. Rip it."

    Cameron did, and a moment later, Eden appeared beside him.

    "The barrier''s broken," Eden said. "Though I can''t teleport out or warp space, and I''m extremely limited in range, and fuck, that was exhausting to do. I''m going to check for the others."

    Cameron nodded, then walked around to the fairy. He was a tall man, and an extremely beautiful one, with silver hair and eyes. No wings, though, but Eden had explained to him that much like nephilim, fairies could manifest and unmanifest their wings at will.

    His pocket started vibrating, and he looked down, then pulled on the chain, pulling the amulet out. The amulet was a delicate pair of golden wings with a silver jewel set between them, though the voices had told him after he''d grabbed them that the amulet wouldn''t damage in his pocket.

    "Touch it," one of the voices said. "It''s a communication amulet."

    Cameron touched the amulet.

    "Silviar!" A female voice exclaimed. "What''s taking so long? We have every potential threat to the plan engaged! Hurry up and open the gate."

    Eden looked up and frowned at the amulet.

    "Silviar?" The woman asked. "Silviar, respond! What''s going on? Why haven''t you returned with the boys? Did the barrier fail?"

    "No," Cameron responded. "The barrier worked. So did my fists to his face. He''s dead. Very, very dead. Do you know a necromancer? He might be able to help you ask him about his failure, though I''d like to ask you a few things, first."

    "You must be Cameron," the female asked coldly.

    "I am," Cameron stated. "And I killed your Fairy Lord. How did you know I could hear the voices?"

    "What voices?"

    "Answer my questions," Cameron said. "And I will return your fallen fae to you. Otherwise, I''ll cut him up into itty bitty pieces and feed him to random dogs."

    "You''re probably still in shock," the fairy responded. "I know you, Cameron. We''ve been watching you for two years, now. You don''t have it in you to do something so cruel. Killing someone has startled you. You''re going to have nightmares over it. You''d never do something like that."

    "You''re right," Cameron said. "I wouldn''t. However¡­"

    He looked at Eden.

    "I would," Eden stepped up next to Cameron. "And considering that I''ve had no issue putting bullets in fae and anything or anyone else that came after me, I''m sure your studies will tell you that I would. Wouldn''t they?"

    "Yes," the terse reply came several seconds later. "What do you want to know, Cameron? Do not think I will not personally come hunt you down, if you do not uphold our end of the bargain."

    Cameron knew that it was likely she''d hunt him down personally anyway. In fact, he knew she was probably preparing some sort of force to come take him in and make him a tree, and he knew from Eden''s face that a plan was already forming in the older boy''s mind.

    "First," Cameron said. "You''ve revealed you studied me. I''m guessing that''s how you knew I could hear the voices?"

    "That is correct."

    "Which ring made him invisible to them?"

    "The silver ring."

    Cameron pulled the rings out and handed the silver one to Eden, who slipped it on.

    "Can you see him?" Cameron asked, and the voices confirmed that he''d vanished. He nodded, and Eden returned the ring to him. "Thank you for the honesty, Eden''s decided to not cut off your fairy''s junk."

    Eden snorted.

    "What does the other ring do?" Cameron asked.

    "Push magic into it, and it will open a gate directly to the Fairy Forest," she responded.

    "That must be why he destroyed it when I was about to kill him," Cameron lied. "So I guess returning his body to you directly to where you want us won''t work. Who are you?"

    "Tabiris," she responded. "One of the Fairy Queens. Did you two defeat him by yourselves?"

    "Yes," Cameron stated. "And that was while exhausted. You planned on us both being exhausted, didn''t you?"

    "We did," she said.

    "Call off the attacks," Cameron told her. "You said that there were threats engaged. Only after that ends will we consider returning the fairy to you."

    "Do you really think we care that much about him?" She asked. "I''ve only been stalling you."

    "And we''ve only been stalling you," Eden said as Adam appeared in the room, looking out of breath and covered in injuries. "You''re probably going to get word shortly that Adam''s no longer engaged. He''s here, with us."

    "And I have a godstone," Adam spoke.

    The Fairy Queen went silent, and Cameron and Eden both gave him an inquisitive look.

    "What''s a godstone?" They asked at the same time.

    "A stone that will allow me to instantly summon the god who imbued their essence into it," Adam stated. "It''s a one-time use thing, and they can''t refuse the summons. If you come here, Tabiris, I will summon Narui."

    "Call off your attack," Cameron stated. "And we will return to you your dead fairy. You have thirty seconds."

    "Keep him," she laughed. "You win this round, boys, but I''m still going to make a dent in your world''s supernatural community."

    The amulet''s magic went dormant, and Cameron let out a huge breath, then looked at Eden.

    "I¡­ think I need a nap."

    "Go take a shower, then a nap," Eden told him, and Cameron nodded, then went off to his room, taking the amulet with him "Adam, Cam lied to the Fairy Queen."

    "About what?" Adam asked.

    "The fairy had the amulet and two rings," Eden told him. "A silver one that blocked the aether voices, and a wooden one that can apparently open a gate directly to the Fairy Forest. Cameron told her that the fairy destroyed it when he realized he was about to die. It''s in his pocket, right next to the silver ring."

    "We''ve never had a way to the forest before," Adam''s eyes widened. "Cameron may have just given us a way to hit them with a heavy surprise. If she thinks the ring was destroyed, then they likely won''t look at things as if there''s a gate that can be opened by someone other than a fairy. They probably can''t stop an enchantment like that, only make sure there are people waiting."

    "Yeah," Eden nodded, taking a shaky breath. "How''s the secrecy breach?"

    "Very well-contained," Adam answered. "The angels created a veil. One benefit to having a bunch of them hanging out? Odds of large-scale supernatural problems being noticed by mortals are extremely thin.

    "Now," Adam said. "I''m guessing by the blood on the two of you that Cam was the one who killed Silviar. He''s probably in shock, based on what I saw. Get cleaned up, then joined him."

    "For the nap?"

    "For the comfort," Adam corrected. "He needs someone he''s close to right now, and at the moment, that''s you, and only you. I''ll clean up the apartment."

    "With your time magic?"

    "Maybe," Adam shrugged. "It''ll fix everything, so you won''t have to worry about cleaning up or replacing things. I''ll handle the corpse, too."

    "Send the head to the DoSS headquarters," Eden told him. "Cam and I promised that I''d cut him into tiny pieces and feed him to dogs around the city, and I intend on doing that just to piss her off more."

    Adam rolled his eyes, but agreed, and Eden started for the hall, but paused before entering it. He looked back at his mentor.

    "There''s one more thing," Eden said. "During the fight, the fairy''s magic didn''t work on Cam. I don''t know if he noticed it or not, but anytime a spell hit him, it just faded away."

    "Remember that token?" Adam said. "Cam''s coin?"

    "Yeah."

    "In the hands of a Thornton," Adam said. "It renders fairy magic ineffective, proving his heritage. Now hurry up. He might take a bit in the shower as he starts to overcome the shock, but he''ll still need you once he''s done."

 01-025

    Chapter Twenty-Five.

    "Cam?" Eden whispered.

    "Hm?" Cameron responded.

    "Don''t forget you have to meet with Seph tonight," Eden told him. "If you want to eat before you go, you should do that now."

    Cameron shifted on his bed, looking over at Eden, who was standing beside it, looking at him with concern. Eden''s concern wasn''t entirely unjustified, as Cameron had been sleeping fitfully ever since he''d laid down after the fight against the fairy.

    The only reason Eden wasn''t still in the bed was because he''d gotten up to make some spicy chicken and rice for them for dinner, and it had just finished.

    He talked Cameron out of the bed and into the kitchen, where they ate dinner. Eden then made sure Cameron changed, before teleporting the two of them to the mansion''s foyer, where Seph was talking with some wounded vampires.

    According to Adam, every major supernatural force in the city had been attacked by fairies. Adam, Seph, the DoSS headquarters¡­ all of them. All to ensure that Silviar could kidnap the two of them without anyone else interfering.

    The only reason he failed was because of Cameron''s demigod strength and speed. Eden knew demigods were stronger and faster than regular people, but he hadn''t expected Cameron to have that, not with his divinity bound.

    Looking at Seph, Eden realized that there''d been some serious fighting. The vampire was paler than normal, and even had a few injuries, himself.

    "I take it you got attack by the fae, too?" Eden asked.

    "Yes," Seph looked at them. "And you two?"

    "Everything was a distraction to try to get us without issue," Eden stated. "But Cam and I aren''t entirely defenseless, and they targeted me in my apartment. I have anti-fae guns everywhere in there, and always on me."

    Eden and Cameron had agreed on the story being that Eden had been the one who killed the fae, with three bullets to the chest. To further the story, and explain why only the head was dropped off, they agreed to claim that Eden was abusing the rest of the body in revenge for scaring his dog and trashing the apartment.

    "Alright," Seph said, then looked at Cameron. "Head to the room I trained you in on Sunday, I''ll meet you there in a few minutes."

    Cameron nodded, and Eden tapped his arm.

    "I''ll return in two hours."

    Cameron nodded, then left, and Seph looked at Eden, frowning.

    "How did you do it?"

    "Do what?" Eden asked.

    "Bypass my wards," Seph answered. "This is twice in three days you''ve teleported directly into the mansion, and I had the wards buffed heavily since then, especially after we had an angel break in."

    "What did the angel what?"

    "I''m not actually sure," Seph answered. "The only reason we know it was an angel was because we could sense his heavenly aura. He kidnapped me, and erased my memories of the ordeal."

    Any angel who could actually mess with memories was either an Archangel or higher, and Eden couldn''t think of any good reason why one of them would want an ancient vampire and leave them alive.

    "Contrary to common misbelief," Eden answered the question posed to him before he posed his. "My primary roots are the type of teleportation that can''t be blocked in most cases."

    The only reason the fae had succeeded with him was because they had blocked all spatial magic, not warded against teleportation, the most common form of it.

    Seph''s lips curled down when he heard Eden''s statement as realization hit him.

    "Personal teleportation," Seph said. "The rarest of all spatial magics. To have that as your natural gift is an incredibly rare chance, even when ignoring how rare spatial magic as the roots is. You can teleport directly to anyone you''ve met before. That explains why you were able to teleport into our room on Sunday ¨C you were teleporting to Cameron."

    "And today," Eden said. "I was teleporting to you, since I ''officially'' met you on Sunday, when I picked Cam up."

    "I''ll have to look into wards against that," Seph muttered as Eden''s phone rang.

    Eden pulled his phone out and frowned. His father was calling. They paid for the phone, but never contacted him. The only reason he had his numbers was because he''d never forgotten them and programmed them into his phone when they gave it to him.

    "I have to take this," Eden said. "Don''t you dare upset Cam again."

    With that, he teleported back to his apartment and answered his phone, putting it to his ear without saying a word.

    "Eden," his father said.

    Eden stood there.

    "Eden, can you please let me know it''s you I''m talking to?" His father asked, and Eden detected not a hint of annoyance in the voice, just the genuine request.

    "It''s me," Eden stated. "It''s been what, three years? Four years? What, decided to finally sell me to some scientist or mage trafficking ring?"

    "What?" His father exclaimed. "Eden, we''d never do anything like that. I''d have called you months ago, but from what I knew, you seemed pretty happy with what you were doing, and I didn''t want to pull you from that. Your mother and I have done a lot of talking ¨C and I do mean a lot of talking. About you, and about your ability to just teleport around like that. We''ve talked to a few people we found in the supernatural community who had discovered similar things themselves or with their kids. We wanted to call you and ask you to come home, but as I said, you seemed happy with what you were doing from what we did know, and we didn''t want to pull you from that happiness."

    "What''s the point of all this?" Eden asked. "Decided you wanted to pull me away? Dad, I was happy when you bought this apartment and sent me to live here. Well, before then. It took me nearly a year to start being happy again, and I didn''t really get happy until I found someone in the underground fighting who could actually challenge me. You took me away from my friends, the people I enjoyed hanging out with. You took me away from my home, from you two, from Nick. I enjoyed being with you three. What do you want, now? To pull me away now that I''m happy again? To ruin what I have?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "No," his father said. "Eden, I''m sorry about what we did, and so is your mother. That''s another reason it''s taken us so long to talk to you again. We knew you were heartbroken by what we did, and angry at us. We knew you were probably still angry-"

    "Then. Why. Are. You. Calling. Me?"

    "We think Nick''s awakened magic, or whatever you call it," his father told him. "The last few weeks, he''s been buying a lot of candles, and pulled away from his friends. He doesn''t talk to us much anymore, and when we check on the candles, they''re mostly used up. We think he''s using fire magic of some sort, and is using the candles for it."

    Eden thought about that. It was possible that Nick had awakened his magic and found himself a fire mage. If all he was doing was lighting candles with it, then he probably had the most common basic fire spell root for natural fire mages as his primary root as well.

    "It''s possible," Eden said. "Have you tried talking to him?"

    "Attempted," his father said. "Tried everything short of asking him if he was using magic, in case we were wrong. He''s in his room right now, and we''re sure he''s doing¡­ whatever it is he''s doing when he''s playing with the candles. I was hoping you''d be willing to come home and maybe talk to him? I know he remembers you teleporting, even if he doesn''t bring it up."

    "Fine," Eden sighed, then hung up the phone without waiting for his father to say another word.

    He pocketed his phone, then visualized his thirteen-year-old brother in his mind. Same sandy blond hair and brown eyes as him, and same lean muscle. From some of his secret spying sessions, he knew his brother preferred anime tees, possibly a change that occurred after seeing his brother teleporting around the house before getting kicked out.

    A few deep breaths later, and Eden appeared in his brother''s room, who jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of someone, the movement knocking over the pillar candle. Sure enough, Nick was wearing sweats and an anime tee, and when Eden had appeared, he had his right hand by the wick of a candle, index finger and thumb less than an inch apart, the wick between them.

    "E-Eden?" Nick asked in surprised, then dropped his voice. "If Mom and Dad find out you''re here-"

    "They suspect you can do magic, too," Eden said. "I just hung up on Dad as he was asking me to check. Do the spell you were about to do."

    Nick scrambled back to the candle and set it upright, then touched the wick with both of his fingers, a flame appearing between them. He released the wick quickly, though kept his fingers to either side, before widening them as far as they''d go. The flame grew in size as he did that, melting through the candle faster. Nick let it burn for a few seconds before pulling his hand away, and the flame returned to normal.

    "Pretty basic fire spell," Eden said. "Also the most common spell to have for fire mages as their primary root. Looks like you''ve already figured out how to make flames bigger, too."

    "Yeah," Nick smiled at Eden. "I''ve missed you, E. And you weren''t as subtle as you think when you were spying on me at school."

    Eden snorted, then grabbed his brother and pulled him up and into a hug.

    "So," Nick said once they separated. "Mom and Dad know?"

    "Suspect," Eden said. "They aren''t going to kick you out. I think. When my friend finishes with his training, I''ll see if he''d be happy to ask."

    "Why do I get the feeling that''s a lot more sinister than it sounds?"

    Nick and Eden looked at the door, where their father''s voice had come from. Eden walked over and opened the door, glaring up at his father.

    "My friend''s a mind mage," Eden said. "A very powerful mind mage who''s bested me in every fight we''ve had. He''ll mindrape you to find out the truth."

    "I promise," their father said. "We don''t intend on that. We''d like you to come home, Eden, and we''ll do whatever it takes to help the both of you get stronger with your powers. How-how does that work, anyway?"

    "Mostly?" Eden asked. "Training. Lots and lots of training. Nick''s got his spell down already, and even learned a variation on it, which is impressive. Other than that? It''s best to find a teacher. If you register Nick with the government, they can connect you to mages who are suited to teaching him, though it''ll cost, of course."

    "Cost doesn''t matter," his father said. "If it really mattered to us, we wouldn''t have bought that apartment for you, Eden. We''ll spend whatever it takes."

    "Or you can go for underground teachers," Eden said. "No government registration involved. They''re a lot more expensive, however, especially the good ones ¨C who the government know teach magic against regulations, but allow anyway."

    His father thought for a few moments, then nodded.

    "What''s the difference between registered and non-registered magicians?"

    "Registered mages," Eden explained. "Can receive cheaper training, often better training, and have access to government-run supplies for some magical things, which is generally cheaper than going somewhere that''s not a government mage shop.

    "Word of advice," Eden looked at Nick. "Don''t go out and try to be a superhero. There are secrecy laws in place, and the government''s pretty strict, regardless of what you''re doing. If you knew it''s not allowed, the fine they''ll slap you with will be bigger, and depending on what you did, you might even serve jail time. The only difference between registered and unregistered mages with this is which jail you go to if you do get slapped with some time for it. Registered mages get a nicer jail. There are some other perks to being registered, but these are the main ones."

    "Are you registered or unregistered?"

    "Unregistered," Eden answered. "But for someone with innate spatial magics, that''s better. Being registered also means you''re willing to do some things if the government calls on you, and for someone who learned spatial magics, that happens quite often. Having it innate would only increase that. The government''s been trying to take me in, but they''ve kind of given up as of Friday. Me and my mind mage friend are both high priority targets for taking into custody, either as a registered mage or as a prisoner. We can cause a lot of chaos."

    "What kind of chaos?" Nick asked.

    "Will you come home?" Their father asked.

    "No," Eden answered. "I''m in the middle of at least two wars going on right now. I''m going to explain something else, before giving an example of why I''m not coming home. The heavens themselves ¨C the various gods that exist ¨C support the secrecy laws. They''re the primary reason they went into effect, and the governments saw it as a good thing.

    "To put into perspective how much the heavens want this," he continued. "Earlier today, more than one thousand fairies attacked while one very powerful one attempted to capture me and my mind mage friend. Their mission had been to tie up the federal agency that deals with the supernatural, as well as anyone that could interfere in the kidnapping plan. You won''t hear about it on the news, because the various factions of angels that are part of one of the two major supernatural wars going on right now worked together to create a veil that obscured the truth from mundane eyes. The news will probably report gang wars or terrorists, not a thousand faes fighting against vampires, werewolves, mages, and the government."

    "Are-are you okay?" His father stepped forward. "You said they attacked you and-"

    "I''m not that easy to kill," Eden smiled, then looked at his brother, his lips curling down. "Actually, depending on how powerful Nick is, he might become a target for the fae, too. I''d have to get a read on his magic level, but I don''t actually know the spell for it.

    "I do, however," Eden looked back to his father. "Know a mage who specializes in fire and enchant magics. Unregistered, and teaches other unregistered fire mages. He charges two hundred an hour, usually working in sessions two or three hours long. He''s a blacksmith that makes some underground mage weapons. Want me to put you in contact with him?"

    "Yes," his father said. "You''re sure you won''t come home?"

    "A thousand fae and a Fairy Lord invaded in an attempt to kidnap me," Eden said. "And my friend and I seriously pissed the fairies off by not dying and for killing the Fairy Lord. As soon as they muster an even bigger force, they''ll be back for us.

    "Also," Eden said. "The whole, ridiculous thing about the winter solstice that''s on the news the last couple of days, and how people are showing up in town and preparing for the celebrations early? Yeah, that''s bullshit. It''s to help cover up the war that''s going on."

    "So fairies and the heavens are at war?" Nick asked.

    "No," Eden said. "The fairies are kidnappers, and are working on invading to catch my friend and me before we can become powerful enough to truly pose a threat to their attempts at kidnapping us. We got lucky earlier with our victory. They only sent one, against the two of us, and we have a secret weapon. As soon as it''s out in the open, however, we lose that advantage. The heavens are at war with themselves, but it''s bleeding over into our city because the war is over a demigod living in the city.

    "Anyway," Eden smiled. "Let''s play a game or something. It''s been too long, and I''ve still got a bit before I have to pick up my friend."

 01-026

    Chapter Twenty-Six.

    "Before you two go," Adam said once their lesson had finished. "Is your match still on for tonight?"

    "Will there be a crowd that''ll make it worth it?" Eden asked.

    "Yes," Adam said. "If you come. I know there wasn''t much of one yesterday, and that we''ve been pretty empty since the attack, but if you two are rumored to show up for a fight against each other, you can bet that more people will show up. You''ve both already shown up individually on your usual marks, and everyone already suspects the fairies were there specifically for the two of you. By showing up like normal, you''ve shown that you aren''t scared of the fae. A fight between you two will draw in a crowd, it''ll show them that we''re not going to let the fae take us out without a fight. A really huge fucking fight. There are other reasons, but that''s one of them."

    "Yeah," Eden said. "We''ll be there."

    "Great!" Adam grinned. "What time?"

    "Probably our usual," Eden frowned. "Why are you asking?"

    "It''s Halloween!" Adam told him. "Aren''t you two going trick-or-treating? Especially you, Cam?"

    "No," Cameron responded. "I don''t trick-or-treat. I hate Halloween."

    "Yeah," Eden said. "He''s been very adverse to the idea of it, and just wants today to be over with."

    "Why?" Adam looked at Cameron again.

    Cameron refused to elaborate, but his mentor and his friend pushed until he finally told them the truth ¨C that it was his birthday, and no one ever cared for it, preferring to celebrate Halloween instead. And so, he hates Halloween, because it''s more important than his birthday, which he knows, because everyone else gets birthday celebrations.

    "What the fuck?" Adam asked. "I officially hate everyone who had custody of you on your birthday. Hold the fuck on."

    Adam walked upstairs, returning a few minutes later dressed in a sharp suit, holding two more suits.

    "I got these for you a bit ago," he said. "For something special. Try them on, they should fit just fine. We''re going out for food, and you''re not fighting this. We are celebrating your birthday."

    Cameron glared at the suits.

    "Only if we can fight in them tonight."

    "With your masks?" Adam asked.

    "Nah," Cameron said. "I just wanna destroy those things. Who the fuck cares if people know my face? I killed a fucking Fairy Lord."

    "By luck," Eden punched him in the arm.

    "Maybe," Cameron said. "But I still hate suits."

    Adam snorted, then said that they can fight in them at another time, in the penthouse, and that it was better if they kept up their masked appearances.

    "By the way," Adam turned serious. "I''m working on a project that requires the ring that opens a gate to the Fairy Forest. If it works, we can destroy the entire thing. I''m expecting to be able to finish it by the end of the year."

    "Two months," Eden nodded. "How sure are you that it''ll succeed?"

    "Extremely," Adam answered. "It mixes up several powerful magics I''ve seen or used in my life. If I can get some certain godly stones, similar the love stones I used to summon Sebar ¨C well, Ulrima ¨C then it''s pretty much guaranteed to work. Even without them, I might be able to pull it off in that time frame. By Valentine''s Day, for sure."

    "And exactly what''ll it do?" Eden asked.

    "Destroy the Fairy Forest," Adam grinned. "I won''t go into more details than that, but if it works, they''ll lose the source of power for all of their gates. It will take them a long time to recover, and meanwhile, if we catch them by surprise with this, they will be scattered in their various realms. And do you know what that means?"

    "No?" Eden responded.

    "Yes," Cameron said, and Eden looked at him. "Aren''t a lot of those realms supported by the Fairy Forest? They''d die, unable to leave. And without the power of the Fairy Forest, the others would be undefended. Spatial mages could open gates into them for armies to move through. We could kill every last Fairy in their realms, and they''d be powerless to stop us. We could take our time doing it, too, because it would take them time to recover, and the fairies need others to move between worlds, if they aren''t using their gates."

    "Exactly," Adam said. "The Fairy Monarchs are rarely together in more than pairs, and there are six of them total. We also know where they''re usually located at all times. I have a few allies across the various worlds and realms that are as powerful, if not more so, than me. And I''m only one of the five most powerful mages on Earth. There are a few stronger than me here. A joint effort between the various worlds, after the forest is destroyed, would permanently eliminate the threat. Sure, some might escape, but they''d never be able to build up their power again. The only real risk would be the Fairy Empress and Fairy Emperor, but with the forest destroyed, they''d be manageable, if they aren''t in a realm supported by it.

    "So," Adam smiled at the two youth. "Change into your suits. We''re celebrating your coming into the teenage years, Cam."

    Cameron resisted, but the other two talked him into it, and the three went out for dinner at a very expensive restaurant, making him nervous. Adam assured them they''d face no problems and that he''d pay for everything as a birthday treat.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    It took awhile, but Cameron relaxed and enjoyed the fancy dinner, though he felt out-of-place, especially since Eden and Adam both seemed able to pronounce everything on the menu and him unable to pronounce even half of it.

    What he did know was that the steak was delicious and that Adam had tried secretly telling them about the birthday.

    "Hey, Adam?" Cameron said when the waitress had begun to grab the dessert after they finished eating.

    "Yeah?" Adam responded.

    "You do know that their minds aren''t blocked to me, right?" Cameron asked. "And that I''m in the habit of using telepathy when I''m eating with you."

    Eden laughed as Adam blushed, which caused Cameron to crack a smile. Adam called attention to it, claiming he''d never seen Cameron smile before, and Eden agreed, watching the younger boy''s face redden, which sent the older two into laughter.

    The waitress showed up to them attempting to calm down while Cameron was fidgeting in his seat, his smile gone. She almost turned back, but Adam mouthed that they were ready, so she set the plate with the slice of seven-layer chocolate cake drizzled with caramel and chocolate in front of Cameron, before setting down the parfaits in front of Eden and Adam.

    "Happy birthday," she told Cameron, who just nodded, and she left.

    "Thanks," Cameron said.

    "We''re going trick-or-treating," Adam told him. "After we finish eating."

    "I don''t have a costume."

    "I can get some quickly."

    "I''m not going trick-or-treating."

    "Uh-huh," Adam said. "We''ll see about that when we finish."

    Cameron grumbled under his breath, but dug into the cake. By the time he''d finished eating, he''d become a lot more willing to go along with Adam and Eden and their desire to go trick-or-treating. The promise of lots of candy helped with that.

    Adam paid the bill, then they left, and teleported to Adam''s home, where he gave them earpieces.

    "What are these for?" Cameron asked as Adam handed out opaque, black-framed sunglasses.

    "We''re going as secret agents," Eden snorted as he fixed his things into place.

    "Yep," Adam said, putting his earpiece in. "Come on, Cam, and I promise, the earpiece is new. Never been used before."

    "I can actually hear you," Eden looked at Adam. "These are real earpieces."

    "Makes it more authentic," Adam nodded.

    "Why do you have real earpieces sitting around?"

    "Just in case," Adam responded, then looked at Cameron. "Come on, put yours in."

    Cameron let out an aggravated sigh, then push the earpiece into his ear and popped on the sunglasses, before giving Adam an unhappy look.

    "That good?"

    "Yep!" He said.

    "I know the suits were part of the costumes."

    Adam laughed in response.

    "They''re expensive suits," Eden said as he realized what Cameron was saying. "You bought us suits worth thousands of dollars for a costume? Wait ¨C how did you know we''d get Cameron to agree?"

    "Cameron hides his sweet tooth well," Adam said. "But he''s a thirteen-year-old boy. Of course he''s going to like his candy."

    Cameron blushed in response. He hadn''t been able to eat much on the run, but he did enjoy it. Especially chocolate, which makes him wonder if that comes from his father being a god of love, especially since he particularly liked chocolate-covered strawberries and blueberries.

    Adam headed upstairs again, returning with three plastic pumpkins to put their loot in, and Cameron reminded him that trick-or-treating didn''t start for another hour. The ancient mage shrugged, then pulled them into a game of cards until it was time to teleport to the bottom of the apartment complex.

    The three of them worked their way to the top of the complex, filling their buckets by the time they''d made it back to Adam''s suite. Dumping their candy into separate piles inside, they then teleported to a nearby apartment complex.

    Over the course of three hours, they tackled seven different apartment complexes and a small neighborhood, amassing three massive piles of candy, with Cameron receiving the most. Eden didn''t expect to receive as much as him, as he was technically the ''chaperon'' in the eyes of the people giving out the candy.

    Cameron wanted to sort through his winnings, but Adam said they needed to head to the warehouse, then teleported out. Eden teleported the two of them to his apartment, where they changed into their usual arena garb, then brought them to the warehouse, which had more than a hundred spectators.

    The matches were already in the mage set, which lasted another thirty minutes before no one else wanted to spar.

    Then, the ref stepped into the arena as the two battlers left.

    "Before we move on to tonight''s big fight!" He called out. "There is a change to announce! Starting next Friday, there will be a ten-dollar cover charge for anyone wishing to watch the match between Cam and Eden! This can be paid upon entry or during the betting period, though the match itself will not begin until every viewer has been checked for the wristbands that will be given to show paid attendance for the match! All other matches will remain free!"

    Cameron knew it was a bold move, considering their reduced attendance, but he''d been informed about it during the card game. Their matches would have that cover charge to help make up for the smaller margin with some of the betting ¨C it would be split sixty-forty between them and the warehouse. That way, the arena could focus on giving the betters at least as much as they''d won, if they won something.

    Part of the reason the change was happening for after just six rounds, however, rested with the need to assure people that the warehouse was keeping itself together, despite the attacks. That things were going to continue, no matter how bleak things seemed.

    That attacks on the warehouse wouldn''t put them back.

    "Now that that''s out of the way!" The ref called. "Betting for Cam and Eden, Round Six, ends in five minutes!"

    Cameron and Eden entered the arena and faced each other, waiting for the ref to step out and call the fight to start. As soon as he did, Eden teleported as Camerom began his assault, only to find Cameron having teleported at the same time.

    Eden''s rudimentary mental barrier fell apart immediately under the force of Cameron''s assault, and he attempted one more teleport as he began to buckle under the onslaught. The moment he appeared, he found Cameron''s fist moving towards him, the younger boy having predicted his arrival without the voices.

    Cameron had convinced the voices to shut up during the matches between the two of them.

    As Eden went to dodge it, his mental resistance to the attacks broke, and he collapsed to the ground. Cameron didn''t let up until Eden squeaked out a yield, then the younger boy helped him to his feet.

    They left the arena to the cheers of people, and from what Cameron could tell by sensing thoughts, no one had expected their fight to end in under thirty seconds. The last couple hadn''t. He did sense one mind that had an air of confidence, suggesting they''d won something, but there was only one.

    Eden cleared his throat, and Cameron looked at him.

    "What?" He asked.

    "How did you know where I was going to teleport to?" Eden asked.

    "You always teleport in front of people."

    Eden groaned as he realized how easy his fighting style had been to read. Cameron knew where he was going to be because he always teleported like that. It wasn''t an intentional thing, just something he''d built up. Making a note to work on changing up his pattern, he walked with Cameron to the counter to collect their earnings for the night, then teleported back to Adam''s apartment to secure their candy before the ancient mage hid it from them.

 01-027

    Chapter Twenty-Seven.

    "Ulfar!" A deep, terror-instilling voice whispered into the ancient Demon King''s ear.

    The powerful being froze as he heard his master''s voice, then slowly looked around the cave he called his home, taking note of the various skulls, hides, and other trophies scattered throughout it. Eventually, his gaze settled on one of the skulls, from which the head of a red and black snake stared at him through the right eye socket, the creature''s own eyes yellow in color.

    "Lord Satan," Ulfar clapped his right fist to his chest, dipping his head. "How may I serve you?"

    "The time for true freedom is near," Satan whispered again, and Ulfar walked over, crouching down before his master. "Your face is known to few, Ulfar. Enter the mortal world, Earth. There is a boy there, just barely thirteen in a city called Tejina. His name is Ambrosius, though he goes by Cameron at the moment. The heavens are fighting over him, though they''ve yet to identify him."

    "You wish him dead?"

    "No!" Satan responded with a hiss. "No! The boy must be brought here, to the hells. He is a son of Ulrima, with a mortal. Right now, his divinity is bound. Ulrima wanted him to have a more mortal childhood, for the experience. However, he has much hunting him¡­ the promise of freeing his divinity, and what that really means, might help sway him to our cause."

    Ulfar saw his master''s plan immediately. If they could turn a demigod child of a High God to their side, then they might be able to sever the binds that bound most demons into hell without a summons.

    That would allow Satan to finally be freed and for the Demon Lords and Demon Kings to be at full power when leaving their prison.

    "Do what you must," Satan told him. "But do not harm his friends. We want him on our side, and if he ever finds out we were cause of his strife, it would permanently turn him against us. And take the mind ring. The boy''s a powerful mind mage, and he''s still a fledgling. From the reports I received, he even killed a Fae Lord."

    "Which one?" Ulfar asked.

    "Silviar," Satan answered. "Make haste, Ulfar. Halloween has nearly ended there, and when it does, you will not be able to enter that realm for another year."

    Ulfar nodded, and Satan retreated, disappearing into the shadows. Ulfar knew his master had dissipated the construct used to communicate with him.

    Stretching, Ulfar changed forms, his swirling black and red skin changing to a more human color, of a man with a light tan. His black eyes become more human, the irises blue. His sleek black hair changed to a soft, dark brown, and his horns faded away as his great, black-feathered wings retreated into his body.

    He was one of the only demons capable of taking on human form, a result of his father being the son of a demon and an Archangel and his mother a High Goddess. He possessed no divinity, however. The demon grandfather of his and his divine mother overrode it.

    For his mother was the High Goddess of darkness and evil, and that only fueled the demonic nature he inherited. Unlike other demons, however, he could conceal his demonic nature and pass as human, and he wasn''t inherently evil.

    Walking over to one of the human hides, he pulled it aside, revealing a pitch-black chest and lifted the lid, pulling out a pair of black trousers, a black shirt that might pass as normal on Earth, then a pair of boots, pulling the outfit on. Closing the trunk and hiding it, Ulfar looked around until he located one of the skulls.

    He lifted the skull, then the one it was resting on, revealing a dark purple box decorated with flowers. Opening it, he revealed the ancient ring. Set into polished gold, the pale pink morganite sparkled, even in the dim lighting of the cave. It would shield Ulfar from any and all mind magics without interfering in his own.

    Obtaining it had not been easy, as it was difficult to block an entire school of magic. The ring itself was millions of years old, and he had laid claim for it himself as soon as he heard about it. Five thousand lives went into its creation, and he knew of nothing else created that could do such a thing.

    Slipping the ring onto a finger, Ulfar grabbed a few other items, took a deep breath, then phased between worlds, arriving on Earth. He could return to hell without an issue, but could only leave Hell into a world on the world''s own version of Halloween. Checking the time, he''d made it with a few minutes to spare.

    That''s cutting it close.

    Using his own powers of the mind, he gleaned the location of Tejina and teleported to it.

    His first order of business was to find a place to sell the gems he had brought with him, to grant himself some wealth. It wasn''t hard to find a buyer, but finding one who could pay him for the entire supply of large rare stones he held took some time.

    At last, pay up-front. It wasn''t hard to convince the man to not head back to bed just by showing a few of the jewels. By the time he finished selling the gems, Ulfar had twelve grand in cash. His next order of business was to find a temporary place to stay while seeking out an auction of some sort, preferably a mage''s auction.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    In addition to the jewels, he''d brought with him several items that would fetch an even higher price. He knew, because they had value in one of the two societies, several of which were famous pieces he''d stolen at one point or another throughout history. He kept his chosen pieces for this visit to ones that he had taken from Earth itself, as they would likely be easier to identify and sell.

    After an hour of searching, he found a hotel that he felt was worthy of him and made his way inside, renting a room for at least a week.

    Taking the keycard, Ulfar went up to the room and stripped down, moving to the bathroom for a shower. It had been a long time since he''d had one where it was hot water and not either cold water or hot magma.

    Not that there was anything wrong with a good magma shower or bath, but the mortal side of Ulfar enjoyed some of the things that other mortals did.

    When he stepped out of the bathroom, still drying himself off, he found an angel standing in the room. The golden hair, eyes, and wings gave it away, and based on the muscular torso, golden pants, and the golden sword, they served his mother''s irritating male counterpart, the High God of light and goodness.

    The angel''s aura denoted him as an Angel King as well. They were the highest order of angels, and each god only had a single one.

    Ulfar let out a sigh.

    "What do you want, Jestin?"

    "Why are you here?" Jestin asked.

    "How did you even detect me so early?" Ulfar asked.

    "I am in town," Jestin stated. "There''s a war going on, which I''m sure you''re aware of. I sensed you the moment you were within a hundred yards of me."

    "You''re staying here, aren''t you?" Ulfar asked.

    "Why did you leave hell?"

    "I can''t take a vacation every now and then?" Ulfar asked.

    "After what you did in the War of the Line?" Jestin asked. "Return to hell, Ulfar. Now."

    "Over the ages of mortals on Earth," Ulfar gestured to the box he''d set on his bed before his shower. "I have obtained a few pieces of jewelry of theirs, from various demons I''ve encountered. I''ve decided to return them to the mortals. I intend on finding an auction, letting them be sold there, and when the earnings from that run out, I will return to hell."

    "Do not make me-"

    Jestin glanced down at the wooden box. It was enchanted to hide the magic of whatever was inside of it, so it was a plausible situation. Were it not for one little issue.

    "You chose the side of darkness," Jestin said. "I doubt very much that you would ever do something like this just for goodwill."

    "I do have some good in me," Ulfar smiled. "After all, I haven''t attacked you yet. That''s why you haven''t moved on me, after all. Trust me, cousin, I am here to enjoy myself a bit outside of hell. I intend no chaos during my visit, and I swear that on my magic."

    Jestin relaxed, though only a little. Ulfar knew the oath meant something, as any mage ¨C or magical being ¨C who swore on their magic was bound by it. Had Ulfar lost his magic, it would have been a sign that he intended chaos while there.

    "If I really wanted to cause problems," Ulfar added. "I''d have already gone after Ulrima''s son and dragged him into hell, to begin breaking him so that I could turn him to our side without an issue."

    "I know you, Ulfar," Jestin began.

    "And I know his age, his name, and the name he goes by," Ulfar said, and Jestin''s eyes widened. "As you well know, the first two are all I need to track him down, since I know who his father is as well. I even know his divinity''s been bound, to hide him from all of you. Again, if I were interested in chaos, I''d have already gone after him. After all, a prize like a son of Ulrima is all we''d need to free ourselves from the prison my aunts and uncles ¨C your father included ¨C cast me and the rest of mine into after the Line of the War.

    "No," Ulfar continued. "I plan on partaking of other pleasures. Proper food, the body of mortals, hot showers, fresh air, and swimming in water and not molten rock or pure fire. And, when my money runs out, I will return to hell."

    "You possess the power to acquire more money," Jestin narrowed his gaze at Ulfar. "You possess mind magics, Ulfar. It would be no-"

    "I swear on my magic that I intend not to steal money," Ulfar stated. "That covers using magic to assist in acquiring it through darker means, does it not?"

    "Yes," Jestin said through gritted teeth.

    "As I said," Ulfar told him. "Pleasures, cousin. You should try it sometime. Though if I do find an impressionable young mind who might be tempted to learn from me, don''t think I won''t be willing."

    "I''m keeping an eye on you," Jestin said. "Try anything-"

    "And you wonder why I choose not to serve the light," Ulfar snorted. "Would you mind leaving, cousin? I do wish to find out how much comfortable mortal beds are here. It''ll be quite the contrast to the rocks and hides I''ve been using for¡­ well, ever since I was forced into hell."

    "Don''t try anything," Jestin warned Ulfar, then walked past him and out of the room.

    As the door closed, Ulfar rolled his eyes. They wouldn''t be able to stop him if he did. It would take at least three Angel Kings to interfere with his plans. Minimum.

    They were the reasons he''d sided with Satan in the War of the Line, and the reason he stuck to his side. He found, over time, that he quite enjoyed chaos and hurting others. Though he also knew that good still rested within him.

    After all, he never could bring himself to hurt a puppy. The ancient Demon King even enjoyed playing with the young hellhounds from time to time. No one ever commented about it, out of fear that he''d rip their guts out, but he knew they didn''t like him for it.

    He didn''t care. If they did comment on it, well, certain rivers meant he could rip guts out many, many times. One of them flowed right outside his cave, and it had turned to a river of blood solely because of him and his annoyance.

    Letting out a breath, Ulfar dropped the towel onto the floor and climbed onto the bed, enjoying the soft comfort it brought him. In the morning, he would buy some proper clothes, then begin seeking out an auction.

    It might take him time to convince his cousin to come to hell with him, but he knew he''d have plenty of it. He also knew he likely wasn''t the only demon Satan had sent out with this task, but he was likely the only one with a chance at success.

    The others would go the kidnapping route, attempting to forcibly take him with them. Ulfar, on the other hand, would bide his time as he befriended his cousin, becoming friends before bringing up his offer.

    He''d maybe even dine on a few demons, if they got in his way. Smiling, Ulfar closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep.

 01-028

    Chapter Twenty-Eight.

    "Where are we going?" Cameron asked, not for the first time that evening, and Adam let out an aggravated sigh.

    "I told you," he said. "The second Saturday of November always begins the biggest auction in the world. My arena closes for its duration, that many people attend it. I''d rather have the arena open during this due to what happened, but there won''t be that many people attending."

    Cameron fidgeted again, then stood still as Eden stepped up to fix his tie. He really hated suits.

    "Most people," Adam said once Eden finished. "Have to go somewhere with a gate leading to the ancient Colosseum, which the Roman one was based off of. Rather than rows of benches, however, it''ll have individual pulpits, small rooms, for each group to have its privacy, among other things.

    "Fortunately for us," Adam grinned. "I don''t need to go to a gate generated by the people running the auction, and can open one there directly. Do you have your wristbands?"

    Cameron and Eden pulled back their sleeves to show the black wristbands, and Adam showed his own, confirming all three had them on.

    "Those are our tickets," Adam told them. "They''re enchanted, making them impossible to steal. Only you can take them off or break them, since you''re the one wearing them. They show that we paid the hundred dollars to enter. A lot of people go not for the goods, but in the hopes they can forge connections with others."

    "And us?" Eden asked.

    "We''re there for the goods," Adam answered. "Which is why we have black wristbands. The auction lasts for nine days. A white wristband is one entry, red is two, orange is three, yellow is four, and so on, until black, granting access for all nine days. Black ones are the only ones without numbers on them, which would represent which days of the auction you paid to enter. With the others, you pick which day or days you plan on attending.

    "It''s not like they could stop me, though," Adam said. "I own one of the pulpits, so this is mostly a formality. Are you two ready?"

    The two teens nodded, and Adam placed a hand on their shoulders, leading them to the slab of fae stone. There, he began weaving together the gate, ushering them through the moment it had opened. They stepped out of it and onto a cobblestone path leading up to a round building hundreds of feet high and at least a thousand across.

    They walked down the path, joining the others on their way in, and showed their wristbands to the guards at the entrance, before making their way up the steps inside the building, stopping at the fourth level.

    Adam led them down the hall until they reached one of the pulpit doors.

    "Jared Leosvar," Adam said when a man moved to intercept them. "My family owns this pulpit."

    "I''ll need to see your family crest," the man said, and Adam produced a dark blue coin, which the man examined with a crystal before handing back. "Very well, you may enter."

    Adam nodded, then led the other two into the pulpit. It was a cozy space, with two rows, each with three seats with thick, purple cushions and a pair of armrests for each, a long table at the front of the room and a smaller one between each seat. Fixed along the corners where the walls met the ceilings were strip of a glowing rod, which provided the only source of light to the room.

    The window allowing them a view of the ''arena'' section of the hall shimmered faintly, and Eden gave Adam an inquisitive glance. It was interesting in more ways than one, since even though they could see through it just fine, no light actually entered the room.

    "It''s a barrier," Adam explained as he sat on the right-hand seat facing the front, gesturing for Cameron and Eden to take the two seats beside him. "Prevents anyone from seeing in, and without the proper items, you won''t be able to bid, either."

    With that explanation, Eden realized that they saw only a white barrier in front of every other booth, none of the other attendees visible.

    The guard outside returned a few minutes later with three modern tablets, handing them to the boys, who accepted them before he left.

    "We can use these to order food, too," Adam told them. "Just go into the food section and order, and don''t worry about the price. On the same thought, if you see something you want, just bid on it, and don''t worry about the cost. All three will charge to my account, and we can figure out how you''ll work off the cost over time, though what the warehouse makes off your fights will be considered part of the payments."

    "Adam?"

    "Yeah?" He looked at Cameron.

    "So¡­ where are we?"

    Adam face-palmed as he realized what the boy had been asking.

    "We''re in," he answered. "A pocket dimension created through mixing void and spatial magics and supported by one of the world''s natural leylines ¨C or as I like to call them, dragon veins. It technically doesn''t have an actual physical location, though its anchor, which is how it''s powered by a dragon vein, is hidden in a location only one person alive knows."

    "You?"

    "Yep, and only because I was there when it was made," Adam said. "I didn''t actually participate in its creation, it was back when I was still learning void magics, and was apprenticed to a mage who specialized in them and spatial magics."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Family?"

    "Uncle," Adam nodded. "Even though your school of magic that''s your roots isn''t typically inherited ¨C expect in cases like yours ¨C my family had a tendency to consistently have lone schools. My father and I are both shifters naturally, two of my uncles were void mages, another was a spatial mage, and my aunt was a mind mage."

    "Any of you have time mages?"

    "My grandfather," Adam grinned at him. "Who''s still alive. He''s one of the only mages in the world more powerful than me. If I had to give you a scale to just how powerful he is, he''s in the top ten most powerful mages in the entire universe, and can compete with some of the lesser gods."

    "Damn!" Eden breathed.

    "You almost make me sound impressive, Adam."

    Adam threw a cheeky grin to the old man who had entered the room, a tablet tucked under his arm. He was dressed in a sharp, black suit with a dark purple dress shirt beneath it, his pale brown eyes looking at them in amusement, blond hair styled neatly, defying the aging body.

    Cameron knew the hair was either dyed, or the body artificially aged. Natural time mages aged barely faster than a demigod, and powerful ones could age as unagingly as a full-grown demigod with his divinity unbound.

    That is, not at all.

    "Hello, Cameron, Eden," the time mage greeted them. "You may call me ''Alex'' if you wish."

    "It isn''t like you to come here, Gramps," Adam said as Alex took the middle seat in the back row. "Got your eye on something?"

    "Not particularly today," Alex answered. "My eyes are on the fourth and fifth days, when they''re selling mage slaves. It''s one way to find talent to train."

    Adam looked at his companions, who had noticeably grown uncomfortable at the casual comment of his father''s.

    "He doesn''t use them as slaves," Adam clarifies for them. "He looks for mage slaves with potential, buys them, then trains them, giving them employment as his servants in exchange for it. They live at his home, do work there, and get free lessons in whatever magics they know. He also lives on an island that isn''t exactly always there."

    Cameron raised an eyebrow at the comment, and Adam glanced at Eden before giggling.

    "Don''t worry about it," Alex said. "My island shimmers in and out of Earth. I do rather like being left alone, and that''s one way to do it. I bring it back when I''m in need of something ¨C or coming to an auction like this."

    "So," Adam said. "What brings you here, Gramps?"

    "I summoned a goddess a few nights ago," Alex told him. "And she let me know about your new students. I suspected you were going to bring them here, and thought I''d come and meet them."

    "So you bought a ticket for all nine days?" Adam asked, and Cameron checked, noticing for the first time the black wristband on Alex''s left wrist.

    "I figured, ''why not''?" Alex answered. "And I''m not regretting it, either. There are two Angel Kings present, seven Archangels, nineteen other angels, as well as a Fairy King and three Fairy Lords. I think I even spotted two of the Ancient Vampires here. Seph and I were having a nice conversation before I cut it short so I could come say ''hello'' before the auction began."

    The image of a door formed on the barrier in front of them, and Adam frowned.

    "Someone''s at the door."

    "Probably the food," Cameron said, and everyone looked at him. "What? I''m hungry, and they have burgers, pizza, fries, chips, chocolate, cake, pies, and ice cream."

    "At least he knows how to navigate the tablets," Alex chuckled as Adam rolled his eyes, then tapped something on his tablet.

    The door to their pulpit opened, and a servant dressed in white and pale blue entered, pushing a cart piled with food. He set it out on the front table, as well as two two-liters of soda and four glasses, before backing out of the room, closing the door behind him.

    "Okay," Adam said as Cameron started fixing himself a plate. "To know something about the auction: things can be bid in increments of fifty, one hundred, five hundred, one thousand, or ten thousand. It depends on the starting price. If its starting price is between two tiers, then it can be increased in increments of the tier below the lesser of them. So if something starts at three hundred dollars, you can bid in increments of fifty. As well, you can bid an increment of one, two, three, four, or five.

    "During the auction," he said as Cameron sat down with his heaping plate of junk food. "You can look at each item on the tablet, which will give you the list and the order they''re being presented in. You can only bet while the item''s own betting is open, not before or after, and do so from the item''s page, which also gives you the information on the item that they''re presenting. It''ll include details about it, as well as where it was obtained or who''s selling it, if applicable."

    Cameron nodded, continuing to eat his food, and Eden got up after a couple of minutes to claim his share of the fries and chips, though Cameron had taken all of the entrees, having ordered just enough for himself.

    "So," Eden said. "How do they get away with auctioning mage slaves here? Aren''t mage slaves illegal?"

    "They are," Alex answered for his grandson as he looked through the listing of items. "However, this isn''t a government-run auction, nor is it government-approved. You can be sure some governments have agents here ¨C I know the US does ¨C but they won''t do anything other than attempt to buy a few black market goods to get them off the streets. We get away with the auctions because the forces behind it are too powerful to stop, and too many people come to it. It also gives them a general gauge for what''s going on in the underworld as well, especially if they can see people coming and going."

    "Oh," Eden said, then looked back outside. "Over some of the other booths, there are crests. Doesn''t that tell people who''s sitting them?"

    "If someone''s in them," Alex nodded as the teen looked back at him. "Some families own pulpits, like mine. However, due to the way the auction works, no one knows who''s bidding. And it''s beginning."

    A masked man walked out in the middle of the arena, and immediately, the barrier in front of them zoomed in on him, showing him on the right, and the object on the pillow in his hands on the center. Resting on the pillow was an elaborate, cat-themed amulet made of gold.

    Cameron pulled up the information and skimmed it as the auctioneer began giving them information about it. The amulet was called the Cat of Tongues, and granted the wearer the ability to converse with most small cats. Rather cheap, with bidding starting at a hundred dollars.

    "I''d imagine some old cat lady will buy it," Adam said, and his grandfather smacked him in the back of the head. "Hey! Grandma was not a crazy cat lady, there''s a difference between big cats and little cats, and she kept big cats. That amulet wouldn''t work for them. Besides, I''m pretty sure it''s only got another six months of charge in it. To be honest, I''m surprised it''s lasted as long as it did."

    Cameron and Eden gave him inquisitive looks.

    "My sister made it," Adam told them. "For a friend of hers who''d been having troubles with a cat that wouldn''t be shooed. Her roots were firmly in enchanting, and she made quite a few things that ended up lasting thousands of years as a solution to a temporary problems. It''s actually rather funny. I have to wonder what she''d say if she were still alive."

    "Probably ''I can do better''," Alex responded, and Adam laughed in agreement.

 01-029

    Chapter Twenty-Nine.

    Nathaniel leaned against the wall, checking his watch. It was twenty minutes until the fourth night of the auction began, and he knew the boys had been wearing black wristbands, which meant they would likely be there. Assuming they entered the same way as last time, that meant they''d be passing through the hall near him on the way to their pulpit.

    His lips curled down as he thought about the pulpit they entered. The Leosvar family was one of the few families that could contest the Thorntons, and three of the five most powerful mages of Earth alive were of their blood.

    However, he had to confirm what his servant had commented about the night before, which was why he was there, waiting for them.

    Another two minutes passed, and he was finally granted the sight of the three boys. One who looked around twelve, he wrote off immediately. He was the Leosvar, based on him having the Leosvar Crest, which he presented to the servant outside their pulpit before entering.

    It was the other two that Nathaniel had wanted to see. According to the vampire, the one with more regular blond hair and the brown eyes was very powerful, more so than most youth. However, he smelled human on all levels. Nathaniel didn''t detect anything special about his looks, and wrote it off as a special case, a rare prodigy.

    The other boy, the platinum-blond, however, Nathaniel recognized immediately. That was the one the servant had expressed great interest in, claiming his magic rivaled anyone the vampire had ever met before.

    That''s not what caught Nathaniel''s attention, however. He couldn''t detect the boy''s magic at all, as he didn''t have a sense for it. The boy had their hair and eyes, and while it could have been coincidence, he could see his own features in the boy''s face.

    The boy was a Thornton through and through. Only one Thornton had been born who wasn''t in their estate or living the rest of their miserable life as a Fairy Tree. Nathaniel''s daughter had been raped, and when she turned out pregnant, they did tests on her.

    The child had almost no magic and absolutely no divinity or angelic aura. They forced her into a choice: give him up, or leave the family and be cut-off from everything. She convinced them into letting her give birth and put him up for adoption.

    The only explanation for the boy having so much magic would be if the father was a god. Demigods had very little magic until they reached puberty, which started for them around five to seven years of age and went until they were between thirteen and fifteen, their growth spurts starting in the second half. Around three years into puberty, their magic would awaken naturally as well.

    They were one of the few types of beings whose magic awoke so naturally.

    Nathaniel frowned further at that thought. If the boy had read as human when he was only a month into formation, then his godly parent had bound his divinity at conception, no doubt. Only gods of fertility, life, or sex could tell for sure if the pregnancy would happen immediately. Only they could do such a thing.

    It made no sense to him, a god binding his son''s divinity at conception. Not unless it was one particular god of sex, fertility, and life. Or, more accurately, one particular High God, who was known for doing that, leaving them bound until they were of the age of majority for their birth world.

    It seemed they''d made a mistake, giving the boy up. The adoptive parents had died within a couple of years, which he knew should have been a sign that the boy had divinity that was bound up, but he didn''t think much of it.

    At least the adoptive parents had let them name the kid. It would be easy for him to track down where the boy was and see about paying off whoever had custody of him to turn it back over to the family without a fight.

    A few more minutes passed, and Nathaniel felt a familiar presence standing beside him. Looking over, he was met with the amused gaze of Alexander Leosvar.

    "It isn''t like you to lurk, Nathaniel," Alex said.

    "It isn''t like you to directly talk to me," Nathaniel shot back, then turned and walked towards his own pulpit.

    Alex watched him, his smile widening. He enjoyed pissing off the other demigod at every opportunity, and had seen him take up the spot on the wall. Not for the first time, he wondered if Nathaniel knew that he wasn''t the only demigod who could conceal their divinity.

    Or that Alex was his uncle.

    Making his way to his own pulpit, he showed his crest to the servant before entering and taking his seat behind the boys, who were talking about the Thorntons.

    "I take it you noticed Nathaniel standing out there, then?" Alex asked.

    "Yeah," Adam looked behind to his grandfather. "I''m sure you''ve already noticed that Cameron''s one. We''d been hoping to hide it for as long as possible, so that we could get Cam trained up enough to defend himself well."

    "Nathaniel will be looking for him," Alex said.

    "He''ll find my town fast enough," Cameron said. "But he''ll have to search for me hard once finding out I''m in Tejina. I''m not in anyone''s custody."

    "I''d rather you avoid war with the Thorntons," Alex told Adam. "They will raise it to find one of theirs as powerful as Cam is."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "Wow are you out of the loop," Adam snorted. "Gramps ¨C there are at least two wars already going on in Tejina. Including with angels and gods. And fairies have already found Cam and begun hunting him. He fought a Fairy Lord."

    "How did you survive?" Alex looked at the boys.

    "I have anti-fae guns," Eden answered. "Three bullets are three bullets, regardless of how powerful the fae is."

    Alex nodded in response as the barrier signaled the arrival of food, and he poked at Eden''s mind, quietly slipping through the weak mental defenses he had. It didn''t take him long to find the memories of the incident, and the truth of it.

    He was surprised they had managed to kill Silviar, just the two of them, but after viewing the memories of Eden''s on it, he understood how they succeeded. Surprise, and a demigod''s strength and speed.

    With that known, he turned his mind to Cameron''s to see the younger boy''s view of the events. Immediately, he recoiled as the sense of thousands of minds assaulted him, though another assault continued for a few moments after he''d pulled out.

    Cameron gave him a sharp glare, letting him know that the mental probe had definitely been noticed, and its source as well.

    "Cameron," Alex was surprised that the boy had detected his probe. "How big is your range for your empathy?"

    "Around fourteen hundred feet in diameter."

    "Interesting," Alex said. "How long has it been that far?"

    "About six hours."

    In other words, Cameron had only recently brought it to that distance.

    "I have two more questions regarding it," Alex said. "How are you able to handle thousands of minds brushing yours at once?"

    "I based it off of selective hearing," Cameron returned his focus to his food. "Looking only for specific things I''m sensing to pay attention to. Adam''s been working with me on it."

    "Weren''t you at only around three hundred feet a couple of months ago?" Adam asked.

    "Perhaps."

    "Doesn''t that mean you''re sensing all, like, fourteen thousand people here?" Eden asked.

    "Yes."

    "Second question," Alex said. "How are you penetrating the barriers in every pulpit preventing any form of eavesdropping, including mental?"

    "So that''s what those were?" Cameron asked.

    "You didn''t break them, did you?"

    "No, but I bypassed them pretty easily," Cameron said. "There are small cracks in the barrier. I guess that explains why it resisted me until I went through the cracks. The auction''s starting."

    Cameron resumed eating as he watched the auction. A lot of the items starting out that night were potions of one sort or another. As much as he wanted a couple of them ¨C like the one that would let him fly for nearly an hour ¨C he knew that Adam could probably recreate them at a much, much cheaper price.

    Eventually, things moved to the main purpose of the fourth night: slaves. At first, mundane slaves were brought out. Some children, some adults. The ones starting out were cheap, and bidding started at a hundred dollars. By the tenth slave, however, they were starting over five hundred.

    Each slave, Cameron noticed, had a bronze collar around their neck, etched with runes. He knew from Adam''s description that those were different from mage slave collars in that they prevented magic from awakening entirely. The collars themselves were impossible to make, Adam said, the recipe for them lost thousands of years ago.

    Since they were worth thousands, a clause of the slavery contract required them to be returned to the slave master who owned the collar when the slave died, as a way to allow them to be used on even cheap slaves.

    Twenty slaves were auctioned off before the first of the mage slaves was brought out, a fifteen-year-old African girl who had recently awakened to necromantic roots. She wasn''t the common type of mage with necromantic roots, either ¨C instead of being able to converse with the dead, she could reanimate bodies without a ritual. A very rare type of necromantic root.

    She wore a bronze collar around her neck with purple and silver runes, which he knew was used to punish her, much in the same way as the bronze collars on mundane slaves, but also to restrict her magic and prevent her from using it against whoever owned her key.

    Those collars could still be forged.

    Cameron heard Alex swear under his breath, then tap at his tablet as soon as the bidding began. Based on his education under his mentor, he knew that necromancers with that as their root were rare, but considered powerful, because a ritual was normally needed if one wanted to keep their magic cost down. Root magics always cost less than any others.

    Bidding on her started at eight hundred dollars, and increased over six minutes until she was sold at nearly five grand. Someone other than Alex wanted her badly, and went at war with him until eventually giving up.

    Cameron wasn''t surprised by that. Anytime Adam or Alex wanted something, they bid until the other bidders gave up.

    The night ended after forty-six mage slaves were sold, three of whom Alex had purchased. In addition to the necromancer girl, he also bought a six-year-old boy with fireballs as his root spell, and a twenty-two-year-old girl with force magic.

    They left, returning to their homes early in the morning, and went about their usual routine for the day, including attending the auction that night. Alex bought four more mage slaves that night, though he had to pay nearly a hundred grand for the ten-year-old boy with blood magic.

    That boy reminded Cameron of Greyson, and made him wonder how his friend was doing. He didn''t know how to contact Greyson, and Adam and Eden didn''t, either, or he would''ve. The agents hadn''t been at the warehouse, or he''d have tried that way.

    The next time something significant happened in the auctions was the eighth night, when the final item ¨C the last ten each night were always kept as a mystery until they were shown by the auctioneer ¨C was revealed.

    Contained within a wooden box enchanted to preserve it, what looked to be a human heart rested. The box itself had been opened only long enough to verify its contents. Unlike the other hearts sold that night, among the other various harvested body parts, that one drew a lot of interest the moment its source was revealed.

    "And for our final item," the auctioneer said. "We have here the genuine heart of the Fairy Lord Silviar. As everyone here likely knows by now, the fairies launched an attack on Tejina City a week before Halloween. During that fight, the Fairy Lord made an appearance, and the one who slayed him has offered us his heart.

    "The heart of many magical creatures have great use in enchanting and alchemy," the auctioneer continued. "The heart of the fae are no different. Able to be used in some of the most powerful potions ever discovered, the heart of a fae lord is considered one of the One Hundred Ultimate Reagents.

    "For this very special reagent," the auctioneer said. "Bidding goes in increments of one hundred thousand, and begins at one million. Begin!"

    "Pretty sure that''s not fed to a dog," Adam looked at Eden.

    "I saw an opportunity to make money," Eden snorted. "Million bucks for a heart that was just sitting there? Fuck yeah."

    Cameron went to open his mouth.

    "I''m splitting it with you, don''t worry," Eden ruffled his hair, and Cameron immediately went to fix it, causing his friend and his mentor to laugh as Alex looked on in amusement.

 01-030

    Chapter Thirty.

    Cameron examined the broach that was coming up next. It was designed after an arctic fox, and according to the information on it, the wearer could push magic into it, and they''d blend into an arctic or winter environment. The more arctic the conditions, the better the blending. It also granted the wearer resistance to cold down to seventy below zero Celsius. He didn''t know what that meant, and asked Adam.

    "Minus-ninety-four," he said.

    Cameron nodded and went back to perusing the information on it. The starting bid was a hundred and fifty grand, which meant that it could increment in ten-grands.

    As soon as it was presented, Cameron heard Alex breathe in sharply, and looked at the ancient mage after a few moments and getting an answer from Adam. The old mage seemed both shocked and horrified, sitting stiff in his seat.

    "Grandpa Alex?" He asked, receiving no response.

    "Gramps!" Adam exclaimed, and Alex looked at him. "Why did you react like that?"

    "Because that broach," Alex informed him. "Was in hell. In the hands of a Demon King who rarely ever ventures out into the mortal planes, and when he does, it''s rarely into this one. The broach was forged around two hundred thousand years ago, on another world, and the Demon King stole it fifty thousand years later, on a random visit where he murdered an entire kingdom because the king ignored him."

    "Damn," Eden said.

    "Wh-what does that mean?" Cameron asked, and the other three mages noticed him visibly shaking, having turned pale.

    "It means that Ulfar has left the hells," Alex told him. "And is here on Earth for some reason. And the fact that he''s selling goods means he''s planning on staying awhile ¨C likely in human form while hiding his nature."

    "I thought demons couldn''t take human form?" Eden asked. "Nor hide the fact that they''re inherently evil."

    "Some can," Adam looked uncomfortable as his grandfather continued. "And Demon King Ulfar is one of them. He''s half-god, and technically, half-human. One of his grandparents is a demon, though, and he''s chosen to align with evil, though I''m not sure if he has reasons or if he was raised by it. That''s before my time.

    "You can bet, though," Alex continued. "That if the Angel Kings weren''t already aware of this, they are now. I don''t know about Imirs, but Jestin knows who owned the broach, and he''s here. After arranging some things on the island, I may move to Tejina until we know he''s gone."

    "Why?" Cameron looked ready to pass out at that point, and Alex realized his fears.

    He was terrified the demon was just another party after him, and didn''t like the sound of ''Demon King''.

    "You don''t have to worry," Alex assured Cameron. "If the Demon King were after you, the Angel Kings would step in the moment he realized it was you he was after and made his move. There''s a good chance that since he''s selling stuff this way rather than just doing whatever he wants that he actually doesn''t have any intentions other than just enjoying a little time outside of hell. Ulfar, not being a true demon, isn''t inherently evil and is able to do such things without drawing attention to himself."

    Cameron looked reassured, though not by much. Alex shot his grandson a mental message to not even dare mention that Ulfar could end up going after him if he found out about his existence, due to a son of Ulrima being able to free them from hell.

    The quartet resumed watching the auction, which had moved on to the vials of Silviar''s blood that Eden had give the auction. There were five of them total, and they were selling the fourth at the moment.

    It took Cameron more than an hour to start to calm down, which mostly happened when Adam bid until he won on three cases of eighteen love stones.

    "Are you trying to summon a god of love?" Alex asked his grandson. "Why''d you buy all three of them?"

    "Already summoned one," Adam shook his head. "Need to replace my stash of the things."

    "Who''d you summon?"

    "I attempted to summon Sebar," Adam paused, then bid on the next box. "I could do with three more. I never did finish summoning him, and Cameron wanted to ask him directly to deal with some rapists."

    "You''ve been raped?" Alex looked at Cameron. "I wouldn''t mind flexing my powers a bit before heading back to my island."

    "Not me," Cameron fixed his gaze on the tablet in front of him.

    "Who, then?" Alex asked, and received no response.

    "We think it was a foster kid he''d befriended at some point," Eden told Alex. "He''s never really told us anything when we pry, so we aren''t sure."

    The rest of the auction passed with mostly silence between them, up until the final item. It looked like an ordinary wooden staff at first glance. At second glance, too. The only ''special'' thing about it was the leather grip, a single cord wrapped around it several times, a pair of feathers ¨C one blue and one green in each pair ¨C hanging from each end of the cord, three beads of dark crystal slid over the ends of the cords, helping to hold the feathers in place.

    "We have here," the auctioneer said as Cameron felt everyone''s minds take great interest.

    Not literally everyone, he knew, but enough that the staff was definitely something special. If it weren''t for the fact that the auction house did strict verification tests on every item sold, he knew people would think it were fake. And whatever it was, it was easily identifiable despite its simple design, based on the interest levels he sensed.

    "The Ambrosius Staff," the auctioneer finished naming the item.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Cameron felt everyone who seemed to have great interest in the staff feel a small bit of relief, telling him it was exactly what they all suspected. That piqued his interest, though not as much as the staff that shared his name.

    "This is the same staff," the auctioneer said. "That was wielded by Merlin Ambrosius as he fought with Arthur and Mordred against Morgana le Fay, the half-fae, half-god enchantress who wreaked havoc upon Arthur''s kingdom and allies in the fifth century.

    "The Ambrosius Staff," the auctioneer continued. "Was carved of an ordinary oak tree. Over time, Merlin''s powerful magics channeling through it altered it, turning it into a channel for nigh any spell."

    "This explains why the heart was the final item last night instead of tonight," Eden commented.

    "Though it has no other magical benefits to the caster," the auctioneer continued. "Other than being the greatest assist in channeled spells to ever be found in any world, the Ambrosius Staff is indestructible by any known means, even withstanding a blast from the father of Morgana le Fay, the Fairy Emperor himself.

    "It was believed to be lost nearly a thousand years ago," he continued. "And was found just months ago in Chile-"

    "So that''s where I left it," Adam said, and Alex laughed.

    "-then acquired shortly after by the one who donated it here, who wishes to remain anonymous," the auctioneer continued. "For this item''s bidding, increments are in one hundred thousands, and bidding begins at five million. Bidding begins now!"

    Cameron immediately increased the bid by the maximum.

    "You don''t¡­ need a channel assist," Adam told him.

    "It has my name, and it belonged to Merlin."

    Adam shook his head as his grandfather chuckled, so he shot the old man a glare.

    "What were you doing in Chile a thousand years ago?"

    "There was this beautiful woman there, and-"

    "That''s all I need to know," Alex interrupted, and Adam grinned.

    "Why did you have Merlin''s staff?" Eden asked as Cameron bid again, the younger boy''s attention firmly fixed on his tablet, ready to bid again as soon as someone else did, before the auctioneer could even finish talking. "That seems like a random thing for you to have. And you just¡­ forgot it?"

    "Yeah," Adam said. "See, Merlin studied under me. He died in the same fight that killed his brother and Arthur, and-"

    "His brother?"

    "Merlin and Mordred were twins," Adam said. "Anyway, he died in the same fight, but the staff remained, so I took it and used it as a walking stick. It''s actually pretty handy like that. Well, when I''m in a taller body."

    Alex rolled his eyes.

    "Did you ever even use it as a magic staff?"

    "What?" Adam asked. "Of course not, I didn''t need it. No, I just used it as a walking stick, when I wasn''t loaning it to someone."

    "You used one of the most powerful magical artifacts in existence as nothing more than walking stick?" Eden asked.

    "Yes," Adam said.

    "YES!" Cameron exclaimed as the auctioneer concluded the bidding.

    "How much am I spending on that?" Adam looked at the tablet. "How in the fuck did you hit thirty-two million in two minutes?"

    "Two other people kept bidding max increment, too," Cameron told him. "With three of us doing it ASAP, it didn''t take long. Duh."

    "You''re sure it was two other people?" Adam asked.

    "Positive," Cameron answered. "One of them''s an angel, I think, and the other was the guy you said was Nathaniel Thornton. The angel gave up after twenty million."

    "Thank you all for attending," the auctioneer said once the staff had been removed from the arena. "This concludes our annual auction. For those of you who have purchased something, please expect it to arrive within one month. For those of you who sold something, your payment should arrive within the next week."

    The barrier signaled someone was at the door, and Adam tapped something on his tablet. A moment later, a gentleman entered carrying three suitcases, handing one to Eden, one to Adam, and one to Alex. He waited for them to verify their earnings, then left.

    "I''m not even going to bother with the makeup plan for the staff," Adam told Cameron, who looked confused. "It''s technically my staff in the first place. We''ll just consider it on-loan to you until one of us dies. If I die first, it''ll become yours, if you die first, then the loan ends, since you''d be, well, dead."

    Alex smacked his grandson in the back of the head, and Adam just shrugged at him.

    "Anyway," he said. "Let''s get going."

    "Why did we get paid now?" Cameron asked. "They said-"

    "Standard statement," Alex informed him. "No one really knows how soon they''ll receive things. It helps throw off people who are trying to see if you got something."

    "But our suitcases will be obvious?"

    "Yes," Adam said. "But Gramps and I are known for being as powerful as we are."

    "I''ll likely be receiving my new students before I even leave the building," Alex informed him. "In fact, I should go check on that now, then head back to my island to get them settled in. It was nice meeting you two, Cam and Eden. Enjoy your studies under my grandson."

    Alex left, then Adam, Cameron, and Eden left, making their way downstairs. When they reached the first level, a man over six feet dressed in black pants and boots, and a dark red sweater approached them. In his right hand was another metal briefcase indicating he''d made money and been paid immediately.

    The man had dark brown hair that fell in front of his right eye, his eyes a deep, rich blue that reminded them of Cameron''s own eyes.

    "Hello, Cameron," the man said.

    "Who are you?" Adam immediately positioned himself in front of the boy.

    "I am Callum Narinis," the man introduced himself. "A cousin of Caneron''s, on his father''s side. I was wondering if he''d be interested in having lunch with me? Or breakfast, if he were to wake early enough for that. Or dinner, if he''d rather go later."

    As the man spoke, Adam frowned. He couldn''t sense a trace of divinity in the man, who looked to be in his late teens, which was around when demigods stopped aging without their divinity. That suggested he had his divinity bound, just like Cameron.

    "How come I can''t sense your mind?" Cameron asked, and Adam immediately went on full alert. If Cameron was asking that, he was letting both of his companions know that the voices were silent regarding the man. "It''s like it doesn''t exist at all, no matter how hard I push."

    "I like my privacy," Callum told him. "Would you be interested in a meal together, to get to know each other a bit?"

    "Swear on your magic that you''re my cousin," Cameron said.

    "I swear on my magic that you''re my cousin."

    "Swear on your magic that you mean me no harm."

    "I swear on my magic that I mean you no harm."

    Adam frowned. Those covered a lot, but there were other things that he''d prefer to ask. He couldn''t, though. Not without revealing who he was and needing to discard his new form so soon after making it.

    "Only if Adam and Eden can come."

    "That''s no issue," Callum said. "I just wanted it to be a cousin-to-cousin thing, but I can understand being cautious, especially with your divinity bound."

    Cameron''s sudden fear momentarily stunned Adam.

    "Cam," he realized. "Divinities are noticeable by anyone around, though most demigods and nephilim aren''t affected by them. It''s kind of obvious yours is bound, as a result of that. Yours is, too, isn''t it, Callum?"

    "Something like that," Callum answered. "So, cousin ¨C what do you say?"

    Cameron thought for a few moments, then nodded, though not without hesitation.

    "Alright," Callum said. "You''re in Tejina, right? I''ve recently moved there, and am looking for a home while staying near the Garden. Are you near there? If not, I can meet you somewhere close."

    "We can get there," Adam told him. "Belle May''s Place is a good restaurant. We''ll see you there at eleven?"

    Callum nodded, then wished them a good sleep before walking out.

    "Come on," Eden said. "I want to go home and play with my money. After splitting with Cam, of course."

 01-031

    Chapter Thirty-One.

    Cameron, Eden, and Adam made their way to the teleportation plaza they''d been arriving and leaving the auction center through, the latter two immediately guarding up when Cameron stopped walking, rigid.

    "What is it?" Adam projected into the younger boy''s mind only a few moments before he felt a very powerful presence near him.

    Not a divinity or angelic sense, however. Something far, far more terrifying, which he had faced only once before, and that was with the backing of his grandfather and several other members of his family. A force that had laid waste to the Leosvar two thousand years prior, resulting in only three of them actually surviving.

    Turning slowly, the trio faced a group of fairies, noting the mages and other supernats having backed off or stayed back. There were forty fairies in total, which told Adam that they had likely taken over at least seven rooms to auction in.

    The terrifying power he sensed wasn''t coming from the four silver-haired and silver-eyed fairies. Fairy Lords, he could handle as long as there weren''t more than four of them. The two with white hair and silver eyes gave him a little concern, but he could handle Fairy Kings and Queens in one-on-one fights. As a force combined with thirty or more other fairies, that was fear-instilling, even for the ancient mage. His grandfather being there only gave him a small amount of reassurance.

    However, those thirty-eight were not what he truly feared. It was the two emitting the most powerful auras around that bothered him. Alone, they could lay waste to the entire auction. And they were together, something that never happened.

    The silver-haired, golden-eyed Fairy Empress, Titania, and the golden-haired, silver-eyed Fairy Emperor, Oberon.

    Not for the first time in his long life, Adam was grateful that he had a habit of never revealing his true form and changing them regularly. It meant that the two terrifying, god-level beings didn''t know who he was.

    The last time they''d met, he''d pissed them off to an extreme level. Destroying one of their Fairy Gates while their daughter was passing through would do that. They only reason they''d stopped fighting after she died was because a High Goddess showed up. One of the ones Adam didn''t know the identity of.

    Purely by coincidence, but it still had an effect on the fight, and caused the pair of nigh-immortal beings to leave.

    Them being there meant that Cameron would be captured and turned into a tree. That, or returned to the Thorntons, if the evil mage family had contacted their fae allies for assistance in retrieving their lost member.

    It took Adam a full minute to realize that the Fairy Emperor and Fairy Empress were staring at Eden, who was clearly uncomfortable.

    "What happened to cutting him up and feeding him to the dogs around the city?" Titania asked after another minute had passed.

    "I saw an opportunity to make money," Eden answered with a shaky voice. "Fairy Lord hearts are extremely expensive components. They''re a limited supply, after all. So I spared some of his blood and his heart and-"

    "Uh-huh," Titania stepped forward, and Eden took a step back. "Tabiris purchased the heart last night and let me know about the sale. She also purchased the vials of his blood. It is interesting that someone with your level of power could kill him."

    Her gaze turned to Cameron, who shrank back behind Eden.

    "You on the other hand," she said. "Are powerful enough, even if your own tree doesn''t show the signs of you having the magical talent to do so."

    "I killed him," Eden shakily pulled a gun out from under his hoodie. "I sh-shot him with a gun. Anti-anti-fae bullets. Three shots equal death."

    "Silviar knew how to make barriers that ignore that little property of theirs," Titania said.

    "I got-got lucky," Eden''s hand was shaking to the point that he might drop the gun at any moment. "And it took me a-a bit. Not-not three shots at o-once."

    "Interesting," she smiled, then turned her gaze back to where Cameron was hiding behind Eden, before seemingly teleporting behind them.

    The only reason they knew she had used speed alone to reach that spot was because spatial magic was impossible there, outside of the teleportation plazas.

    "You have the face of a Thornton," Titania commented as Cameron buried his face into Eden''s hoodie, holding on tight. "Yet you aren''t among their family. That tells me that they broke our agreement in not giving us their unwanted children. No matter, you''re ours, now."

    Titania grabbed Cameron, pulling him off of Eden as he attempted to wrap his arms around for a better grip. The younger boy started wailing and flailing, only to find his efforts fruitless against the powerful fae. Eden launched himself at the Fairy Empress, who flicked a wrist, sending him flying into Adam, who caught the teen and flung spells at the Fairy Empress.

    "Your magic smells familiar," Oberon said as the spells splashed against his wife''s barrier. "You are Adam Leosvar, are you not?"

    Adam''s eyes widened, and he grabbed Eden.

    Titania sighed as the pair disappeared from sight.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "We can track him down later," she said. "We have the real prize, now."

    "He''s grown more adept at time magics," Oberon commented. "I wasn''t able to lock into it before he finished."

    "You can hunt him later," Titania slung Cameron over her shoulder, the boy having already given up his fight, tears streaming down his face. "The little demigod will provide more power than we had ever hoped to have."

    "Shame he''s not fully matured," Oberon commented. "Another year or two, and he''ll have reached full maturity. Another year or two of training after that, and his magical power could likely be ten times what it is now."

    "Indeed," Titania commented. "Let''s go."

    Oberon nodded, and they and their underlings followed them down to a different teleportation plaza, where Titania waved a hand, the wooden ring around her finger glowing as a ring of vines and flowers formed, the throne room of a palace of marble and wood visible through it.

    The fairies entered, Titania entering last, and the gate collapsed in on itself, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

    "I will personally see to the transmutation," she informed the fae. "You may go off to your own realms, and do your own things."

    The other fairies nodded, opening up gates of their own and leaving, until only Titania remained in her throne room. Once they had left, she opened another gate, this time to the Fairy Forest, and stepped through.

    Tens of thousands of trees filled the forest below the cliff she stepped out onto, trees of varying types and sizes. She could see the lake in the center of it, at the bottom of which rested a portal to where the Tree of Eternity, also called the Tree of Life or the Tree of Magic, grew.

    Or at least, to part of the tree.

    With the boy converted into a tree, she might finally be able to open the portal. She had waited far too long for that.

    The back of her dress fading away, Titania manifested her delicate, silver-and-gold wings that sparkled in the light of the twin suns of the forest''s realm. They began to flutter, and she flew into the sky, making her way towards a massive empty space near the edge of the lake.

    With luck, the boy''s tree wouldn''t uproot those around it once planted, though if he did, they would deal. He was worth more than a third of the forest by himself. She''d been growing the strongest trees around the lake, and that was where he was to grow.

    Landing, Titania looked at the runic circle etched onto the ground, the vibrant, lush grass parted by the marks. Purple, silver, and gold, the ten-foot-wide circle was all that was needed to make the boy into a tree.

    Carefully and slowly, Titania flew around it, aware of the eighteen fae around her, all of whom had spent extra time preparing the ritual. This was too important for them to miss.

    After confirming that the ritual circle was ready and without flaws, Titania flew over the circle and placed the boy into the very center. He''d passed out during the passage into the fae realm, as was normal. That was why she''d taken him to her palace first, rather than straight to the forest.

    Had his divinity been unlocked, he would have retained his consciousness. Only fae, demigods with unbound divinities, and gods could stay awake when entering the fae realms. The Fairy Forest wasn''t within one, even if their power permeated every aspect of it and prevented anything but a fairy gate from allowing access.

    "Begin," Titania ordered them, floating back.

    With the boy unconscious, he wouldn''t attempt to run away, and nor would he resist the ritual. It made things easier.

    The eighteen fae began feeding their magic into the ritual, speaking in the ancient tongue, and the magic circle began to glow with a rich, violet light. Several minutes passed, and Titania frowned. The circle wasn''t working. While it did normally take a few minutes for its effects to become noticeable, the boy hadn''t begun the conversion.

    Titania swore as she realized that a complication had arisen. The token wouldn''t interfere with the ritual, and neither would the boy''s gift from his father. She would''ve removed them if they had.

    What prevented the ritual from working, and caused the circle''s light to turn red, then burn out, was the fact that the boy had never, not once, accessed his inner tree. It was one of the first things every mage was taught how to do when they began lessons. Even mages who didn''t have teachers inevitably accessed their inner trees within a few months of gaining access to their magic. It was a simple matter of meditation focused inwards on their magic.

    And he''d had access for roughly three years, and had the aether voices as his native root. She''d assumed he had been taught how to access his inner tree by then, yet it seemed that he hadn''t.

    Of course he hadn''t, she thought to herself. The aether voices likely never taught him how because he''d never asked, and everyone else assumed the voices had taught him.

    With any other mage, she could easily convince them into accessing their mage tree. A slight suggestion with her silkspeech, coupled with the promise that doing so would give them better control over their magic, always worked.

    Cameron, unfortunately, would likely have a subconscious mental resistance to awakening his mage tree the moment they attempted to convince him into it, rendering silkspeech ineffective against the natural mind mage on that matter. She needed to find a way to talk him into it in a way that he could actually meditate.

    Titania walked over to the boy and lifted him up, then glared at the fae.

    "We can brute force this in a month and a half," she told them. "But I expect that he''ll access his mage tree within two weeks. Prepare the ritual again, in this spot. Let me know as soon as it''s finished."

    "Yes, Empress!"

    The fae immediately got to work soothing the land as Titania flew towards a mountain in the distance. The rituals took two weeks to create, and they would need to fully sooth the land before placing it down again, which could take a week or more.

    There were other open spaces near the lake, with even larger trees around it than the ones there, but that was the largest of clearing, stretching more than seven hundred feet around. With the boy as powerful as he was, she doubt any of the others that close to the lake would be large enough to house him without uprooting numerous layers of trees, rather than just the nearby ones.

    Reaching the mountains, Titania made her way into a tunnel network, which only a dozen fairies could navigate unassisted. She traveled deep beneath the mountain, until she reached the prison. Each cell consisted of three stone walls and a metal grill.

    Ignoring the prisoners within the cells, some of whom begged for release, Titania made her way to the first empty one, which took her several turns to reach. Tracing a finger along one of the bars, she activated the unlocking mechanism.

    The metal rearranged itself until a doorway had formed, and Titania entered, dumping the boy on the woven pad that would serve as his bed. Turning, she flew out and relocked the cell, then looked at the three prisoners in the one across from him.

    They were all young men, and scared. She couldn''t remember why they were in there, just that they''d been brought in when they were around the boy''s age. So several years had passed. As she floated closer to the cell, the three elves shrank back in fear.

    All three were rather attractive, she had to admit, especially the orange-haired twins.

    Smiling, she touched a finger to one of the bars.

    "You two with the orange hair," she said, her voice soft and soothing, her silkspeech weaving its way into their minds, broken and unable to resist due to their time there. "It''s your lucky day. You finally get to leave."

 01-032

    Chapter Thirty-Two.

    "Shit, shit, shit!" Adam swore as he paced around his apartment, Eden watching.

    "We-"

    "Shit!" Adam swore again. "Cameron had the ring on him! We can''t use it to stop the ritual! Shit! Even if we did, it''d be pointless! They''d just have us, too! Shit! Oberon and Titania! Shit! They''re never together! I''m contacting the auction house and seeing if I can get those love stones now. I need to summon Ulrima, and let him know what''s going on. Fuck! We won''t be able to stop it! But he''ll probably destroy them. Maybe. Fuck! All we can do is put Cameron out of his misery, now. But without a way into the forest, we won''t be able to, and it can only be accessed by fairies and their gates. Shit, shit, fuck! Even still, I need to finish my project. I''m going to do a summons for Gramps and let him know I need him to help me with this project."

    Adam disappeared upstairs to start doing whatever it was he was planning on doing, and Eden bit his lip and slid his hands into his hoodie, feeling two objects inside of it. Frowning, he pulled them out, finding both of the rings Cameron had taken from Eden, still looped through the leather cord he''d worn them around his neck on.

    When did- he began to wonder. When he slid his hands around me!

    Eden remembered Cameron''s action, just before the Fairy Empress had grabbed him. The younger teen had attempted to wrap his hands around Eden''s stomach, to hold onto him. Or had he? His hands might have slipped into the hoodie pocket in the movement.

    Cameron had given him the rings without making it obvious he''d done that.

    Adam returned downstairs with a case of supplies, muttering about how Ulrima probably wouldn''t retaliate against the fae, since the actions had already occurred. It was the pre-action that he was mostly against.

    "Adam," Eden said, and Adam kept moving. "Adam. Adam!"

    The ancient mage looked over at Eden, beginning to speak, though his words died when he saw the cord Eden was holding up, the two rings hanging from it.

    "Cameron must have slipped them in my hoodie when he grabbed me," Eden told him. "Is there really no way to save him?"

    "No," Adam shook his head. "Unfortunately, the ritual only takes ten minutes to perform, from what I can guess about their methods of doing it. We''re already past that, and they wouldn''t have wanted to delay. Even if they were in the process of it right now, there''s the matter of finding them, then getting past Titania and Oberon."

    "You said something about them never being together."

    "Yeah," Adam nodded. "Titania and Oberon are rarely ever together. Each one is on the level of a god, and nearly immortal. If their plan succeeds, they can become immortal. And having a mage as powerful as Cameron? Will likely be all they need for it. The fewer sources of magic fueling the spell, the less magic they actually need."

    "Spell?" Eden asked. "What are they wanting to use him for, once he''s a tree? To make them immortal? They''re going to kill him to give themselves immortality?"

    Adam started to answer, then realized that Eden was fighting tears. A slight push with his empathy told him all he needed to know. The spatial mage loved Cameron. That was why he was so protective of his combat rival.

    "No," Adam told him, who started to talk again. "They won''t kill him, he''ll still live, as the tree. We will kill him, to spare him the life he''ll have as their fuel. Fortunately, the spell they''ll use him for, if he provides enough magic for them to be able to do it with the other trees, takes a lot of time to cast. Months."

    "What''s the spell?"

    Adam gave a small sigh, then walked over to Eden.

    "It''s okay," he told Eden. "We can''t save him, but we can spare him the misery of that fate. As soon as I finish this project, that forest is destroyed. For good. Dammit. This is one of the reasons why I hate it when kids awaken their magic. If only he didn''t access his tree-"

    "Wh-what does that have to do with anything?" Eden asked, and Adam noticed an odd tone in his voice, a hint of hope in his mind.

    "Everything," Adam answered. "It''s the primary way of gaining better control over your magic, that''s why every teacher ever teaches it as one of the first lessons to magic. It also gives you a small boost to your magical strength as a result of simply being able to connect to it. It''s also needed to have happened in order for the ritual to work. The ritual draws on that connection forged by you accessing it. The more times you have, the stronger the connection, the stronger your control over magic in general, and the easier the ritual takes hold. It literally converts you into your tree."

    As Adam spoke, he felt the hope rise in Eden''s mind. Concern was still there, but the utter panic was gone.

    "Cameron''s never accessed it!" Eden practically yelled. "I''d asked him what his looked like, and he told me he didn''t know, because he hadn''t accessed it, and didn''t want to until you''d brought it up in training, since you didn''t seem to think it was important!"Stolen story; please report.

    "I thought he had," Adam''s eyes widened as he realized with shock just how powerful Cameron really was. "If he''s that powerful without having accessed his tree even once, and has that much control, that boy is a lot more powerful than we''d suspected."

    "That also means we''ve got time, right?" Eden asked. "Time to save him before they make him a tree?"

    "Yes," Adam hesitated. "Though there are some things that can affect it."

    "Like what?" Eden asked, and Adam felt bad about what he was soon to say.

    It might break Eden.

    "They use silkspeech," Adam told him. "On people who don''t already have access. It might not work on Cameron, since he''s a natural mind mage who''ll form a subconscious resistance to accessing it the moment he realizes they need him to, rendering their silkspeech ineffective. Unfortunately, as time goes on, they''ll be able to wear away at that.

    "In addition to that," Adam said. "No one knows where they keep their prisoners, or where they''d keep someone like Cameron. The fairies have a large number of realms, and they could be in any of them. No one''s ever escaped from a fairy''s prison before."

    Adam sensed Eden''s hope break. He didn''t want to sugar things up and grant false hope. It was possible they could locate Cameron, but it wouldn''t be easy and would take time. A lot of time. The most optimistic period would be four weeks, and that would only work if the Thorntons worked with him, which he doubted would happen.

    "I''m going to do what I can," Adam assured Eden. "I-Eden. You love Cameron."

    "No, I don''t!" Eden''s face flushed.

    "Yes, you do," Adam said. "Admit it, Eden."

    "You''re mistaken!" Eden protested.

    "Eden," Adam said. "Admit you love Cameron. You do. Admitting it will give me an opening to summon any nearby Cupid."

    "What?" Eden asked. "Why?"

    "Champions of Ulrima Protecting the Intimacy of Demigods," Adam reminded him what they were an acronym for. "Regardless of what Cameron''s own sexuality or interests are, the Cupids are sworn to protect any romantic prospects he has, since he''s a demigod, especially if he''s in danger and unable to ever find out one exists. It''ll require revealing who he is and bringing the attention of the heavenly war to us, but-"

    "But that means," Eden finished for him. "That the heavenly war will turn their attention to the fairies as they fight to gain control of him."

    "Which will enable us to free him," Adam said. "It might still take time to locate him specifically, but it''ll buy us a lot of time. That, or speed up his finding. Either way, it''s a win for us. As soon as we know where he is-"

    "But what if they find him first?"

    "The heavens will go to war to claim him," Adam answered. "It''ll essentially be a beacon as soon as he''s found, and until someone manages to hide him. But once he''s out of the fairies'' realms, we''ll be able to locate him almost anywhere, given enough time. Or Ulfar would locate him."

    "The Demon King who might be after him?" Eden said. "Who will be after him, if he finds out about Cameron being a son of Ulrima?"

    "Yep," Adam said. "He can locate nearly any of his blood relatives, as long as they''re in a mortal realm, so long as he knows their given name and their age."

    "But wouldn''t the gods want him in the heavens?"

    "No," Adam grinned. "Because all gods can locate their children in the divine realms, no matter how well they''re hidden. They''ll keep him in a mortal realm. So, Eden. Do you love Cameron?"

    "Yes," Eden admitted.

    A few moments later, the duo of mages was greeted with the sight of a well-muscled man with pink wings, blond hair with pink tips, and pink eyes, a quiver strapped across his back, a bow in one hand. The angel wore a pair of pink pants with a red belt, a pink heart for its buckle, as well as a pair of crimson boots with pink laces.

    He also had an arrow knocked, the heart-shaped tip aimed directly at Eden, the string pulled back, ready to fire, an intense look of suspicion in his gaze.

    "Cupid! Cupid!" Adam exclaimed. "Whoa, there, boy!"

    "False claims of love to demigods are taken very seriously," the Cupid said.

    "He really does love a demigod!" Adam said. "It''s the same demigod the heavenly war in Tejina is over! His name is Cameron, well, that''s what he goes by. He''s the son of Ulrima, and right now, the fairies have custody of him, but only until they convince him to access his inner tree. Under your oath, you''re sworn to act in these circumstances, as he''d never been in a relationship and has a prospective one that''s true."

    The Cupid hesitated. It wasn''t entirely within the oath, but it could be considered close enough. He could sense an actual, tangible potential for relationship, even if they were wrong about the source. She wasn''t that far away, either, which did start to pull things under their oath.

    The Cupid relaxed his string, then returned the arrow to his quiver.

    "I''ll speak with Namil about this," he stated, his eyes glowing for a moment. "Seems his divinity''s been bound. That might make it a touch more difficult, but we''ll manage."

    The Cupid then left through the elevator, and Eden gave Adam an inquisitive look.

    "Cupids can''t actually teleport," the ancient mage told him. "I used a summoning spell to bring him here with your admission. It wouldn''t have worked if you didn''t actually love a demigod. I''m going to get to work on summoning my father, to see if he''ll respond. With his help, I should be able to speed up making the thing to destroy the Fairy Forest. You can get some sleep."

    Eden nodded, but sat on the couch to watch as Adam began creating the circle. As the ancient mage worked, his cell phone ring, and he let out an aggravated sigh, then answered it, setting the phone on speakerphone so he could resume working on the ritual to summon his father.

    "What, Lucas?" He asked, and Eden perked up.

    "I heard about the incident with the fairies," Lucas stated. "As you know, Adam, I''m in charge of the Anti-Fae Task Force. This poses a serious problem."

    "For everyone," Adam smirked. "Including the fae. I just sicced a bunch of gods and angels on them. Consider yourself lucky that Titania and Oberon were only looking to grab Cameron, Lucas. Or they could have thousands of more trees being forged at this moment."

    "Unfortunately," Lucas said. "We''re looking to see how they managed to attend the auction without anyone realizing it. Someone on the inside had to have assisted them. Can you offer anything?"

    "Just that by the winter solstice, I''m planning on razing their forest to the ground."

    Lucas let out a sigh, then hung up the phone. Not twenty seconds later, it rang again. Adam swore, checked it, then swore again.

    "What, Nathaniel?" He asked after answering it.

    "You and I," Nathaniel said. "Have a common interest right now, I believe. Titania and Oberon took what was mine without permission, violating an agreement we had. Why don''t we put our differences aside until he''s been recovered? I can''t locate him myself, and while you can, it''ll take you longer without my cooperation. Once he''s found, we can discuss his living situation. Truce?"

    "Temporarily," Adam agreed.

 01-033

    Chapter Thirty-Three.

    Cameron shivered against the wall, holding his arms against his chest, beneath both his hoodie and his tee. His knees were pulled to his chest, and he was doing his best to stay warm. The fairies had left him alone, for the most part. They brought him food five times a day, and water nine. They changed out his urn that served as a toilet once a day.

    He kept that by the door to the cell.

    A week had passed since the fae had kidnapped him, based on his watch.

    At the moment, all he could think about was that he was cold. The deep caves were chilly, and he didn''t have much meat on his body. To add on to his discomfort with the situation, the voices weren''t just silent, he couldn''t sense them.

    At all.

    It was the first time since he''d first heard their voices that he couldn''t even sense them. Something about the caves they were being kept in blocked out the aether voices. That, or the food was drugged, but he didn''t think it was. The cells also kept him from pushing his mind through, which both relieved and worried him.

    "Psst," a voice said, and Cameron ignored it. "Human kid. Psst."

    Cameron ignored it. The elf across the cell was trying to get his attention again. He didn''t want to talk to anyone at all. He was suspicious of them all. His escape attempts had failed, too. He had a massive bruise on his face from the one earlier.

    That fairy was rough. Excessively, in Cameron''s opinion.

    "Human kid," the elf attempted to get Cameron''s attention again. "Are you awake?"

    He refused to acknowledge the elf.

    "There might be a way out," the elf whispered. "I heard them talking, before you woke up. You didn''t forge a connection to your tree, which is why they throw you down here. Once you access it, they plan on turning you into a tree.

    "However," the elf continued as Cameron made a decision to never access his tree. "I heard them mention that you''re a demigod, and an extremely powerful one. They think that with you as a tree, they''ll finally be able to open the portal to where part of the Tree of Life is. If they can open it, Titania and Oberon can eat its fruit and become truly immortal. Gods without being gods.

    "That must mean you''re pretty powerful," the elf told Cameron. "Immensely. I''m not sure how powerful, but if you''re that powerful, then you might be able to escape. When you forge the connection to your tree, your control over your magic increases, as does its strength. It especially helps you with the control of any spell you have, as long as you study and become familiar with the branches or roots relating to them. The fairies all wear the mind block rings when coming down here to enter your cell, now, which tells me that you''re a mind mage. A demigod as powerful as you probably are, with a forged connection to your tree ¨C you might be able to override their mind block rings.

    "All you need to do," the elf said. "Is to meditate inwards, to focus on clearing your mind of anything and everything while still sensing your magic flowing through you. You''ll see your Tree of Magic. You''ll be able to tell what every branch on it, what every root and leaf and fruit on it is for. If you have them."

    The elf fell silent, and a few minutes later, a fairy floated through, changing out the urns. After the rounds ended, the moss on the ceiling of the tunnels dimmed, signaling that night had fallen.

    "Just something to keep in mind," the elf told Cameron.

    Cameron wasn''t sure how true that was. He couldn''t sense the elf''s mind, and that bothered him. But Adam had mentioned the strengthened magic and greater control before, so it was probably true. But he wasn''t sure how much else was true, nor how much better his control would be. For all he knew, it could be a tiny increase, and that was it.

    Continuing to pretend to be asleep in a sitting position, Cameron turned his thoughts inward as he began to meditate. He didn''t want to access his tree, but if it was the only hope he had at escaping, then he was taking it.

    It had been a week, and no one had come. That meant no one was coming. They couldn''t find him. To his thirteen-year-old mind, that meant that it would never happen. He couldn''t believe that rescue would come if it hadn''t already. He''d already been alone most of his life, why should have he have expected anyone to come rescue him again?

    And so he meditated. It took him more than two hours before he found himself staring at the tree surrounded by blackness all around.

    It was around five times his height, with four great, massive roots stretching both far and deep, as well as two branches. To him, it looked like just a tree, nothing special about it.

    Examining one of the great roots, turning his thoughts to it, he knew it was the root for his mind ram. Mind force, as it seemed to call itself. The root itself had another, smaller root branching off of it. The one for his actual mental ram itself.

    Another root was for his empathy and telepathy, each with their own roots branching off of it. A third root represented his compulsion, with the smaller root for the spell itself stretching out.

    Finally, the thickest and greatest of his tree''s roots, the one he instinctively knew was his primary root, his natural gift. The root for the voices. It had fifty-four smaller voices stretching out of it, three of which had smaller roots stretching off of those. Compulsion, telepathy, and short-range teleportation.

    Making up his mind to focus on that root when strengthening his connection to his tree, Cameron let himself drift up to the pair of branches. He knew one of them was for his spatial magic. It even had a smaller branch sticking out of it, for his short-range teleportation. He knew that as he examined it, though he''d already suspected it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Turning his mind to the other branch, he examined it, and frowned.

    When did I learn force magic? He wondered as his gaze traveled to the smaller branch sticking out, which had a couple of leaves growing off of it.

    The leaves suggested great skill with a spell, and if he wasn''t mistaken, there was even an apple forming, which confused him further. As he examined them, he came to understand what they represented.

    And that, combined with his voices and compulsion, he might supply his way out.

    Cameron allowed his mind to wander with his tree as he meditated on it and became more familiar with it. It would take time for him to be able to break through their barriers, he knew, but if he could hold out on letting them know he''d connected to his tree, then he might have enough time.

    Eventually, he actually fell asleep, though those observing him would have seen no difference. When morning came, Cameron continued his usual routine. Titania paid him her usual visit, speaking sweet words to him, kind words he knew were meant to make him trust her.

    She promised him safety if he agreed to help her with a project. Life that would last forever. All sorts of sweet promises that he knew were lies or twisted versions of the truth.

    Eventually, she left, and he returned to his inner meditation, stopping only when he ate or needed to relieve his bladder or bowels.

    For several days, he fell into that routine. He wasn''t sure how long passed, but he knew that Titania was growing frustrated with his refusal to budge, and he began to suspect the elf was working with her.

    But he knew something they didn''t, which was why he continued deepening his connection to the tree. He knew he had that other spell. His most powerful spell, he considered it.

    Two weeks after he''d been captured, he could tell that Titania was pissed about something, even if she did her best to hide it.

    After failing to draw a reaction out of Cameron, Titania left his cell and floated her way back out of the prison, where Oberon was waiting for her.

    "I take it they''ve caused a ruckus again?" She asked.

    "Yes," he answered. "The Cupids aren''t holding back in making it clear they want him, and during their attack while you were down there, another faction of angels led by their god showed up and went at it with them until a third group of angels showed up."

    "Factions?" She asked.

    "Omiru," Oberon told her. "And the Gefulri''s angels."

    "Was his Archangel present?" Titania asked.

    Yes," Oberon answered. "And Refari was leading the third group, and helped the cupids push Omiru and his angels away."

    "Gefulri doesn''t often have interest in things," she commented. "Even if it''s a heavenly war. Why would they be interested in him? And Refari? What was he doing there?"

    "According to my spies," Oberon answered. "Cameron befriended a son of Refari''s. I''m not sure why Gefulri is involved, though Refari has proven to have some sort of relationship with him, even if he''s not one of the god''s Archangels."

    Titania let out a long sigh.

    "Where did they attack, and what was the damage?"

    "Silviar''s domain," Oberon answered. "And they destroyed nearly half of it in the fighting. What''s the progress with the boy?"

    "Still unresponsive," she answered. "The elf failed to convince him into accessing his tree, and he''s tuned my voice out entirely, not even reacting to my presence."

    "Grabbing Greyson would prove problematic," Oberon said. "Refari likely has a tracker on him that allows him to instantly travel to his son. However, the other mage, Eden, is also a prize. If I capture him and throw him in the same cell, he might believe that with them together, Cameron accessing his tree would be a boon that let them escape."

    "Indeed," she said. "Make sure you capture Lesovar, when you take the boy. It''s time we repaid him for what he did to us."

    "Indeed," Oberon smiled widely, revealing his rows of razor-sharp teeth. "And when we finally let him see the final end, I will feast on his flesh as he screams for mercy."

    "Go," Titania ordered him. "Bring us the boys. Make sure to move them into another realm, first, so they''re unconscious."

    Oberon nodded, then opened a gate and exited through it. Titania left as her husband''s gate disappeared, making her way to the ritual location, examining the circle that was being carefully enchanted into the ground by the eighteen fairies.

    Three more days, and it would be complete. If they could convince him to access his tree, then they''d have succeeded in the first step. She was confident at this point that with him having access, he''d be powerful enough that they might only need a dozen of their largest trees in order to open the portal to the Tree of Life.

    She watched as the fae continued to lay down the enchantments. It was one only they could forge, yet they lacked any affinity for enchantments, which made it difficult. The ritual was purely through the ingredients and pushing magic through when it was time to activate it. As soon as they did that, it would tap into the victim''s magic to power the enchantment.

    Nodding in satisfaction at the progress, Titania left the clearing, before flying to another spot in the forest, a clearing where two dead trees had been removed two weeks prior. The ritual circles there had been completed while she was working on the boy.

    A quartet of fae guards appeared through a Fairy Gate, the redheaded twin elves following with them in a daze. They were butt-naked, their lean bodies fit from the exercise they''d done in their cell before she took them to her palace.

    "Thank you for your services these last two weeks," Titania said to the elves, who smiled at her, happiness on their faces and in their eyes, even without silkspeech being used. "You two were most helpful with your duties. As promised, I''ll allow you to grow beside each other."

    The elves stammered their thanks in their native tongue, and she gestured for them to move to the two ritual circles. Without hesitation, the twins obeyed, and Titania watched as the fae began to initiate the rituals.

    The elves were willing, their connection to their trees strong before they''d been captured, and strengthened over the last few years. It was one of the few things prisoners could do, so nearly all did, in the hopes that they''d manage to escape.

    A realization came to her as she watched the brothers sprout roots from their legs, roots that dug into the ground as their bodies grew and thickened, growing bark and a pair of branches. Their bodies darkened, taking on the brown of the Trees of Magic. Both of the twins had a cluster of leafy branches on one of their boughs, a testament to the spell they''d cast together that had earned them a spot in her prison.

    Once the twins had finished turning into trees fifteen feet in height and near-identical appearance, Titania''s lips curled downward.

    The boy was good at acting. One thing they''d learned over the last few couple of was that he could pretend as if he was asleep in nearly any situation, in nearly any pose. If he utilized that skill in acting he had, he could continue to pretend as if he''s in fear while secretly doing everything he could to forge and strengthen a connection to his inner tree.

    Which meant that he was likely planning another escape attempt. She should have found it suspicious that he hadn''t done so in a week, despite making an attempt daily. The kid had balls of godstone, he wouldn''t have given up that easily.

    As she lifted up into the air to inform the fae making the ritual for him to make haste, Titania froze, refusing to believe what she was feeling.

    The soul marriage she had with Oberon was gone.

    Somehow, he was no more.

 01-034

    Chapter Thirty-Four.

    "Hey, Greyson," Eden said as the boy stepped off the elevator, his father following close behind.

    "Whoa," Greyson said. "This place is awesome."

    "Yeah," Eden said. "It''s fucking amazing."

    "What is Nathaniel Thornton doing in Adam Lesovar''s apartment?" Lucas asked, his gaze falling on the ancient demigod, then the three other demigods and two nephilim who were of his family.

    "Helping bring my grandson home," Nathaniel said tersely. "The Leosvar and I are under a temporary truce, until Ambrosius has been recovered."

    "Where is Adam, anyway?" Lucas asked.

    "That''s me," Adam waved a hand.

    After the incident with the Fairy Empress, he''d taken on a new form once again, as his identity had been outed. This time, he was a sixteen-year-old with brown hair and eyes, with a splash of freckles across his pale cheeks.

    "Am I to assume that after this, you''re taking on a new form and home?" Lucas asked.

    "This isn''t even my house," Adam snorted. "Well, not my main one. I''ve been using it as a temporary headquarters, since Gramps is staying here as well, and the Thorntons and I have, much to my distaste, been working together."

    "Why did you want me here?" Greyson asked.

    "Other than to inquire about that girl you were hitting on yesterday?" Eden asked, and Greyson took a few steps back, staring at him in confusion. "I''m a teleporter, and you mean a lot to my best friend. I may or may not have been keeping an eye on you since Cam was kidnapped."

    "I want to know why the kid''s here, too," Nathaniel said. "And the fed? And your grandfather''s apprentices? Why are we being gathered, Adam? Don''t you have a project to work on?"

    Six of Alex''s apprentices were present, including the necromantic girl he''d purchased at the auction and a boy with a particular affinity for water magics who specialized in ice that he''d bought at the auction, though no one knew where the boy had gone.

    "It''s done," Adam said. "Gramps and I were working on it upstairs since I called him here to help me with it. The scrying for Cameron can wait until after we do this."

    "The plan to destroy their forest?" Lucas asked.

    "Yes," Adam grinned. "We finished weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to Taylor''s presence."

    "What does frost-boy have to do with anything?" Blaine Thornton asked.

    "He had a small talent for enchanting," Adam answered. "Which helped us to create the spell that will destroy the Fairy Forest. It, and the magics linked to it. The magic in the trees is pumped into a stone deep beneath the ground, joining them all together. It''ll travel through all of those pathways, destroying them and the magic within them. Any realm powered by that spell, any realm supported by it, will instantly collapse in on itself, killing every fairy within. It is a much, much more advanced version of the spell that I used to accidentally kill the fae princess two millennia ago. There is one major hitch."

    "It''s not a single item," Nathaniel guessed. "And they need to be placed throughout the forest."

    "Correct," Adam nodded, walking over to the fae stone slab in that suite. He frowned, then jumped back, a lance of lightning forming in his hands, which he then threw at the air over the slab. "Attack!"

    As the lance slammed into the space, everyone saw the target, a golden-haired, silver-eyed fae who had attempted to sneak into their apartment through an invisible gate.

    The gathered mages attacked immediately, with Lucas sending gusts of air with snaps of his fingers, Adam launching every spell he knew at the Fairy Emperor, Nathaniel weaving fire around them, and the others all using their various spells.

    Even Eden began fighting, using short-range teleportation to strike when he could.

    Greyson backed up, feeling useless. His own fighting style couldn''t even compete with anyone else there, and he''d still need to touch someone to work his magic in the first place. As Oberon attempted to obliterate everyone, the nephilim grit his teeth.

    If he died there, then he couldn''t help save his friend. He could still heal his sudden teammates, as long as he touched their injuries. He was good enough that anything minor could be dealt with just by touching them. If he showed his true form, he could bolster that power.

    Pulling his hoodie over his head, Greyson then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his polo before pulling that off as well. Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled, and his wings began to stretch out. He pulled them in behind him and ran forward, grabbing his father''s arm, which had a massive gash on it.

    Lucas nearly punched his son, before realizing who was touching him and that he was healing. He nodded, thanked Greyson, and went back to the fight.

    Greyson continued to heal anyone he managed to get close enough to, until Oberon noticed what he was doing and threw a blast of magic at him. The nephilim flipped through the air, slamming into a wall, and felt his wings break.

    He let out a cry of pain as his father went at Oberon with renewed vigor and rage.

    The nephilim attempted to stand, taking several moments to return to his feet, then reached around behind him, feeling his wings, before realizing that his other hand was clutching his chest, where he''d been struck.

    When he pulled his hand away, he found it sticky with blood, some of it from touching injuries of others, some of it from his chest. It wasn''t a big wound, but it still hurt. He placed his hand back on it and began to heal, before stopping.

    He didn''t need Oberon''s blood.

    Gritting his teeth again, Greyson pulled his hand away from his chest, drawing some of his own blood out as well as all that had been on his hand.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Letting out a warcry, Greyson thrust his hand forward, sending a spear of blood at Oberon, who stopped it with a wall of water. Greyson thrust out his other hand as the water began to splash down to the ground, then took control of the water, using both elements to strike at Oberon.

    No matter how powerful the mages were, no matter how many of them were there, most were too weak to take on the Fairy Emperor, who continued to stop their attacks and inflict injuries. And with Greyson no longer healing but acting as another thorn in his side, it did not take him long to wear the others down.

    He hadn''t expected such a full fight, and the mages there were all powerful. Had Alexander Leosvar been there, he might have actually been in trouble.

    A female warcry caught Oberon''s attention, and he turned in time to deflect the fist of a woman around twenty or so. He looked at his hand for a moment, noting the burns, then kicked her in the stomach as he resumed fighting. She hadn''t been there before, and she smelled immensely powerful. Nearly as powerful as the other three powerhouses present.

    Three? There had been just two a minute ago.

    Oberon turned his head in time to see that Alex was, indeed, present. And nearly finished weaving together a spell that mixed scourge, void, and necromancy together. In his current state, Oberon knew he wouldn''t be very powerful after being struck by that spell.

    He pushed magic into his ring, to open a gate directly to his palace and flee.

    Then felt his finger slice off, and the gate collapsed. He looked down as he felt his blood continue to flow out, joining the stream that had sliced him, and he looked over at the nephilim, who looked ready to collapse.

    Only to remember that other threats in the room as Nathaniel slammed him with a wave of force magic and Adam struck out with his mind, taking advantage of the Fairy Emperor''s momentary mental weakness.

    Oberon dropped to one knee, hastily reaching for the ring as he felt death approaching at an impossible speed. Looking up, he found a cloud of black and green smoke crackling with black lightning drifting towards him, covering the gap between him and Alex much too fast for a spell of that type a mortal could have made.

    The cloud struck Oberon, who fell backwards, his skin bubbling and rotting. He grit his teeth and attempted to go after his ring again as he realized that Alex had everyone fooled.

    The man was a demigod who found a way to conceal his divinity without losing its potency.

    Black spots formed in the Fairy Emperor''s vision, and he realized that the nephilim was still draining his blood ¨C and had nearly finished. Only the sheer force of power within the Fairy Emperor had kept him conscious.

    Alex''s curse continued to work on Oberon, and the Fairy Emperor breathed his last, collapsing to the ground as the spell continued to rot away his body.

    The mages, demigods, and nephilim in the room stared at the remains of the Fairy Emperor as they caught their breath.

    "Ow," Greyson broke the silence as he limped over to his father. "Dad, my wings are broken real bad."

    "Let me take a look at those," Tabitha Thornton walked over, running her fingers over the boy''s wings as he trembled. "It''s bad, but nothing I can''t mend. Come here."

    Tabitha led him to the dining room, picking up one of the two surviving chairs. She ordered Greyson to sit backwards on it, and once he did, she began weaving her healing magics into his wings.

    "You''re a demigod," Nathaniel looked at Alex.

    "Yes," Alex said. "Not something I reveal very often, and I''m not going to tell you which of my parents was divine."

    "Your son did a good job," Nathaniel looked at Lucas. "Cutting off the Fairy Emperor''s finger when the gate began to form."

    "He was aiming for the ring," Adam said, holding up the two bloody halves of the ring. "Which means it''s been destroyed."

    "So," Nathaniel clapped his hands together. "Now that the easy way Oberon was kind enough to give us was destroyed, how do you plan on taking us into the Fairy Forest, Adam? Or can your fae stone slabs allow us to open the gates."

    "Oh, that?" Adam asked. "We''ll have to perform a ritual that takes six hours, costing fifty-four virgins and the blood of a fae. While Greyson kind of took all of Oberon''s and mix it with ours and his, we do still have the finger and the blood on the ring halves, so that''ll probably be enough, especially with how powerful he is."

    "Or," Eden snorted. "We could just use the ring that Cameron took off the Fairy Lord who attacked us during the big attack before Halloween. According to Fairy Queen Tabiris, it''ll open a gate directly to the Fairy Forest."

    "So," Lucas said. "Did anyone else just realize what we did? Or just me?"

    "If it involves the fae," Nathaniel said. "Probably just you, seeing as you''re in charge of their primary enemy on Earth."

    "We just killed the Fairy Emperor," Lucas said. "The second-most powerful fairy to ever exist, a being as powerful as many gods. We just did what was believed to be impossible."

    "Don''t expect Titania to be that easy," Nathaniel said. "We got lucky against Oberon, and this room held some of the most powerful mages to ever live in any world. And Titania is much, much stronger than her husband."

    "He''s right," Alex said. "Without my son, grand-niece, myself, and the Thorntons here working together, we would have lost."

    "Even if the entire Thornton family gathered," Nathaniel admitted. "We wouldn''t have been able to win without the three Leosvars."

    "Hey, Meredith," Adam greeted his cousin. "I guess getting you is why Gramps took so long?"

    "Yeah," she smiled at him. "Still changing your appearance every other week?"

    "I only did that for a year," he laughed, then looked around. "Alright, once we finish healing up, we''ll go over the plan, then I''ll open the gate. We''ll destroy the forest, find Titania, and give her Oberon''s finger. She''ll probably know it immediately. Actually, I''m getting a box."

    Adam disappeared, and Meredith frowned.

    "Probably to put the rest of Oberon''s remains in," Alex told her, and she rolled her eyes.

    Adam reappeared with a shoebox, which he then used to house Oberon''s rotted remains, carefully setting the finger and broken ring on top, before closing it and looking at everyone, thinking.

    "With our weakened states," he said. "We''ll need some reinforcements. I know a few hundred people who might be willing to come to aid Cameron''s rescue and the fairies'' destruction. Everyone, meet at my arena in one hour, I''m sending out word. Gramps, create a spatial expansion within it to house a couple thousand people, and make sure it lasts at least a day."

    Adam disappeared, and Eden walked over to Greyson.

    "How are your wings?"

    "Feeling better," Greyson groaned. "She said she''ll probably be done in around fifteen minutes."

    "Cool," Eden said. "Haven''t seen you at the arena since it resumed after the auction."

    "Dad told me about what happened," Greyson looked sad. "Will this really free Cam?"

    "If he hasn''t been turned into a tree yet?" Eden asked. "No. If he has, then it''ll end him, so that he won''t live through that agony. And we might be able to find out where they''re keeping him."

    Greyson nodded, and Eden looked to the adults, who were conversing about the plan, as well as any reinforcements they were bringing in themselves to assist with it. The last two weeks had been hell for him, even though he knew the angels had been fighting to find the captured demigod.

    As Eden walked away, his cell rang, and he pulled it out. The screen had cracked in the fight, but that was all. Frowning at the name that appeared on his screen, he answered the phone.

    "Callum," Eden said.

    "Eden," Callum said. "I''ve still found no word on my cousin''s whereabouts. Are you sure there''s nothing I can do to help you guys?"

    Eden almost rejected the demigod. Adam suspected he was Ulfar in human form, especially since he had a ring that blocked all mind magic from working on him. Because of that, they weren''t supposed to be in contact with him.

    But if he was Ulfar, then he could potentially bring in some extra power, which they would need. Titania had been rumored to be staying at the Fairy Forest, and someone as powerful as him would make a huge difference in a fight against her.

    Especially one where she was prepared for the fight, not a grab and go like Oberon.

    "We''re about to confront Titania and a bunch of other fairies," Eden told him. "And destroy their forest. Do you want to help?"

 01-035

    Chapter Thirty-Five.

    After Titania left, Cameron began to focus inward on his magic as he entered his meditative state once more. He could feel his magic growing stronger every minute he spent familiarizing himself with it, even if by a small amount.

    He especially wanted to master those three roots and branches. Combined, they were his way out. The voices to guide him, the other two spells to ensure no one stopped him until he was exhausted. Since he couldn''t practice, this was the only way he could increase his ability with them.

    The only thing that frustrated him was that it was slow. This was not as effective as straight-up training them. It did increase his control and power, he was sure of it, but not by much. He needed something else, he felt. He was missing something, he was sure of it.

    Whatever it was that provided the boost everyone spoke of.

    Focused on the tree, Cameron frowned. There was something odd about it, and about what everyone had told him about the trees. Why did it have so few branches on it, for a tree? Each bough representing a branch kind of made sense to him, but there was still much that confused him.

    Like it being a part of the Tree of Magic. The true Tree of Magic. How could that be, if he saw its roots?

    Tilting his head to the side, he imagined the tree sideways, looked at the roots. What if they weren''t just roots, but connections? As he thought on this, another image began to form, a phantom tree of such gargantuan size, his own looked positively small.

    And that it was just another branch on the bigger tree, not a tree by itself.

    He turned his head upright, looking at the phantom tree beneath his own tree, feeling an even stronger connection to his tree than he had for the last week, and watched as his roots thickened and grew, stretching further into the great tree as his own swelled in size, quickly become ten times its original height and thickness.

    Every person''s inner tree was simply an extension of the Tree of Magic, one of its many, many branches. The stronger their roots, the stronger their connection to the Tree of Magic.

    "Ambrosius," a light, feminine voice echoed in Cameron''s mind as he regained awareness of the voices. None of them had female voices. "Ambrosious."

    "Who are you?" Cameron murmured.

    "I have many names," she responded. "You know me as the Tree of Magic. It is rare for anyone to find the connection, Ambrosius. So very rare. It''s woken me from my slumber, to which I will soon return. You are in danger."

    "No shit," he murmured as sarcastically as he could. "And here I thought this was a vacation."

    "When you escape, flee to the lake," she told him. "Swim to its bottom, where you''ll find the portal. I''m giving you the knowledge of how you may open it. Come to me, and you''ll find safety, Ambrosius. I''m slipping back into my slumber. Come to me, Ambrosius."

    Her voice faded away, leaving Cameron with just the knowledge of how to open the portal. He could still sense her body, though it had become more transparent, more phantom-like.

    Releasing his reflection on the tree, he became aware of everything around him, and that he could still sense the voices.

    It was time.

    Cameron looked up as a fairy unlocked his cell to give him more food.

    "Daaaaaamn! If she wasn''t a fae, I''d probably tap that."

    "No room under that dress for pencils."

    "You know, there''s a perfect escape opportunity, if you use the right spell."

    "Ha! With his connection to his inner tree, and the connection to the Great One herself forged, I bet he''d take her on a thousand times!"

    "Oh, I''ve missed you guys," Cameron breathed out a sigh of relief as the fairy looked confused. Then, he grinned at her. "Just talking to the voices in my head."

    The fae frowned, before her eyes widened. A moment later, she dropped to the ground, and Cameron bolted out of the cell, drawing the attention of the fae at the other ends of the hall.

    "Fuck you!" He thrust his hands outwards, a wave of violet energy manifesting, crossing the distance in under a second and knocking them unconscious. "Fuck yeah, that''s awesome!"

    Cameron whooped, then ran off down the hall, ignoring the other prisoners. He had to focus on himself above all others.

    Anytime he passed up fairies, he sent out another violet blast. It was a mixture of force magic and mind magic, and the most powerful spell in his arsenal. It bypassed all physical barriers and assaulted the mind of anyone it came into contact with. Mental resistances ¨C and only mental resistances ¨C could prevent a one-touch knockout.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    It was the same spell he''d used at the warehouse, back when the fae attacked. A mind blast that could take out even Adam in seconds. When he reached the end of the prisons, Cameron leaped onto one of the fae after knocking him out with a blast.

    "Voices!" He said. "How do I read memories? This is a labyrinth, I''m sure of it! They''ve got to know the way out!"

    Listening as all but one voice went silent, Cameron began pushing his mind into the fae''s, digging through the man''s memories for the way through the maze. Lucking out, he learned that while not many knew the way, the female fae nearby did, so he jumped over to her and began rummaging through her mind until he had the way in his mind.

    Cameron took off again, running as hard as he could as he used the stolen mental map. A few times, he came across fae, but his mind wave, as he called the spell, took out every fairy. Most of the ones in the tunnels didn''t even have the rings that blocked his mind magic.

    When Cameron burst out into the sunlight, he stumbled, sending out mental blasts at the minds he sensed, rapidly striking until the dozen fairies had fallen unconscious.

    It took him several moments to stop stumbling and regain his ability to look around without covering his eyes. It was extremely sunny, and he still had bright spots in his vision.

    Taking off again, Cameron headed towards the forest. It creeped him out, especially knowing what it really was, but the voices told him to listen to the Great One, as they called the Tree of Magic.

    As he ran through the trees, he caught the sounds of fighting here and there, and ignored it. Nothing was drawing near him. At least, not too often, and when something did, it wasn''t a fairy, just an animal or two.

    At least, not until he was near the lake, when a trio of fairies saw him. They looked just as surprised as he felt, though he threw his hands up, slamming his mind wave into them, and they dropped to the ground.

    Tripping over a root, Cameron slammed into the ground, rolling. Pain shot through his right arm, and he looked at it, then squeezed his eyes shut. He''d broken it, and part of the bone was sticking out.

    Tears began to stream down his cheeks. He was so close. He couldn''t swim without his arm, which meant he couldn''t get away, and he knew there were angels there, fighting. If one of them got him¡­ he didn''t want to even think about that.

    "Setting a bone isn''t that hard," a voice said. "With your current, even if temporary, connection to the Great One, learning a new school will be easy, though it''ll weaken the connection, so you can only do it this one time. Then, you''ll have to work off your own power, unless you want to lose the ability to open the portal."

    Cameron nodded, listening as the voice walked him through pushing the bone back in. He felt himself growing faint, nearly passing out, but grit his teeth and forced his way through the pain without screaming. No need to draw more attention to himself.

    After setting the bone, he listened as a different voice taught him how to mend the flesh. It took him what felt like an hour to succeed, but once he did, his skin healed rapidly. The previous voice then taught him how to mend the bone, which went by much faster.

    Though he was still in pain, he could use his arm again. After rotating it a few times and punching the air twice, Cameron took a step forward, then stopped.

    Turning, he saw a wave of ice moving towards him. The forest was freezing. It was in the distance, and moving slowly, but it was freezing. Not just the ground, but the trees, the leaves, the animals ¨C everything.

    He had plenty of time to move, based on his speed, but he really needed to get to the bottom of the lake before that froze over, too.

    Turning, Cameron ran to the lake, removing his boots, belt, pants, and hoodie, leaving him in just the tee and underwear he was wearing. Something Eden had told him, for if he ever got dropped into water while clothed and was in an emergency. Lose as much clothes as possible, because it''d help him swim faster. Or something like that.

    He couldn''t quite remember everything, so just lost all the heavy stuff. Touching his father''s gift, he grabbed it and lifted it to his lips, kissing it and asking for luck as he jumped into the lake.

    Cameron began swimming, making his way towards the center of the massive lake. By the time he reached it, his arms and legs were screaming in agony, his adrenaline long since faded.

    Taking a few moments to rest as he tread water, Cameron took several deep breaths, before sucking in as much as he could and holding it, allowing himself to drop straight down.

    He twisted underwater and began swimming, doing his best to keep his eyes open. He wanted to teleport, to make the trip faster, but he wasn''t sure if he''d be able to hold his breath that long.

    Or if it was a good idea to teleport into water. Eden and Adam both refused to comment on what would happen if he did, and when one of them didn''t comment on something, there was usually a strong reason for him not knowing.

    It took him less than a minute to reach the bottom, and he looked at the massive stone mural of a tree surrounded by large, black rocks. Standing on the center of the mural, Cameron began to push his magic into it through his feet, weaving it into the proper patterns within, ignoring the false ones.

    He felt his tree begin to strengthen, the connection to the full Tree of Magic increasing as the portal drew on said link. Then, the water began to suck down, draining through the portal. It was still physical to him, the spell not quite complete, though he no longer needed to work his magic through it.

    The portal had been activated, and there was no stopping it from its job.

    As the water drained, Cameron lost his breath and sucked in, getting a massive lungful of water. He began to flail, his body fighting to bring him up as the current forced him down. Just as he felt ready to die, his head broke the surface and he began coughing out the water in his lungs.

    Looking up, he saw more than a hundred figures flying towards him. Fairies, angels, nephilim, even mages using magic to augment their flight. Titania was there, as well as his cousin Callum, Greyson, Alex, and a bunch more.

    "Hah!"

    "Take that, bitches!"

    "They won''t make it before the portal closes!"

    "Losers!"

    Cameron gave the eager Fairy Queen a victorious grin just before the mural beneath him turned into emptiness, and he fell, his breath sucking out of him.

    Titania came into view, soaring down and nearly reaching the portal. Before she entered, however, Cameron lost sight of her, the portal having closed. It was only open for eighteen seconds, due to the method of opening. Her own ritual would leave it open for eighteen hours.

    Excited that he''d ruined her plans, Cameron gave in to the fall and his exhaustion, blacking out. For five minutes and twenty-four seconds, he fell at a steady rate, then began to slow down for another five minutes and twenty-four seconds. After that, he gently floated eighteen inches above the massive branch for five minutes and twenty-four seconds, before his body gently touched down.

 01-036

    Chapter Thirty-Six.

    "I thinks she''s mad!"

    "You think?" Eden yelled at Greyson, who giggled as he dropped the orb onto the ground. The size of a soccer ball, it was a frosty crystal that was cold to the touch. "Careful with that thing!"

    "It''s not gonna break from that," Greyson said. "They said you could hit it with a lot of force without even cracking it. Besides, that''s where it''s supposed to be."

    A spear of light blasted overhead, and Greyson giggled again.

    Titania had been on a rampage for almost twenty minutes at that point, doing her best to kill the Thorntons and Leosvars to avenge her husband''s death. At least, that''s what the two boys were sure was the source of her constant attacks in a certain direction.

    Greyson looked at the four fae who had attempted to stop them. Eden had shot all of them three times each. Shaking his head, he looked at Eden.

    "How much longer before it activates?"

    "It should be activating in-there it is!"

    Greyson looked at the orb, then jumped back. It was emitting a frosty aura, the land around it freezing. The duo walked back as they watched the frost slowly spread. When it reached a tree, the tree itself began to freeze, doing so almost rapidly, the frost picking up speed.

    "Every tree it freezes," Eden told Greyson. "It will drain completely of its magic, fueling the spell and speeding it up. Think you can carry me again?"

    "Yeah," Greyson answered, and Eden walked over to him.

    Greyson wrapped his arms around the taller boy, pulling him against him as tightly as he could, then flapped his wings a few times before soaring straight up. It was harder to do, but also extremely rewarding, he felt.

    He dodged a few attacks from various fairies as he flew towards the angel they were to meet up with, who took Eden from him.

    "Ours is in place, too," the angel said. "Almost didn''t make it out of there. What was in that box Adam gave her?"

    They looked over at Titania, who was still in her rage, flinging every spell she had at her targets, who did their best to just avoid it. Even though she and Oberon were the two strongest fae, Titania was more than ten times as powerful as him. Even combined with the angels who had come, they didn''t have a force powerful enough to stop her.

    "What was left of Oberon," Eden answered.

    "What was¡­ left of him?"

    "He attempted to kidnap Adam and me," Eden explained. "Only to find himself surrounded by demigods, nephilim, and ancient mages. We managed to kill him through sheer luck."

    The angel nodded, and Greyson frowned, his gaze moving to the lake. The center of it had begun swirling, sort of like when he pulled the plug after a bath. Something was sucking the water down.

    "Um, guys," Greyson said.

    "Yeah?" They looked at him and he pointed at the center of the lake, which had begun to drain even more rapidly than before.

    Their gazes traveled to the scene, and the angel swore.

    "Is that bad?" Greyson asked.

    "Yes," the angel said. "The local portal to the Tree of Life has been opened somehow. Since it wasn''t through the ritual, that means someone knows the other method."

    "There are two ways?" Greyson asked.

    "Of course," Eden said. "And of course there''s one that doesn''t require an immense amount of magic."

    "A very specific spell," the angel told them as others began to notice the lake''s retreating status. "It requires a lot of magic, but nowhere near as much as the other method. It can''t be shared, only given by the Tree of Life herself. It can only be done once, and then you forget how to do it. You can''t even write it down or hint how to do it before you do it. What''s more, it still requires an immense amount of magic and a connection directly to her."

    "What does that mean?" Eden asked.

    "All of our personal trees," the angel explained. "Are connected to the Tree of Life. The faster method ¨C the one that doesn''t take months and an unbelievable amount of magic to perform ¨C requires the mage to temporarily access that connection. The last one to do it that I''m aware of was Alexander Leosvar, at a different portal. Since it''s been opened this way, we''ll have eighteen seconds once it fully opens ¨C after the water stops draining ¨C before the portal returns to being nothing more than a mural."

    Greyson took off towards the lake, where everyone else was headed. He wasn''t sure why, but he wanted to help them try to stop Titania, who was closest to the center. He knew he couldn''t do much, but if he could do even a little, then he''d feel satisfied that he''d done something against the one who''d kidnapped his friend.

    Eighteen seconds. If they could delay her for only eighteen seconds, then they''d win. She''d never be able to open the portal again. Ever. Anywhere.

    The water finished draining, and Greyson registered the figure coughing on the surface of the eighteen-foot mural of a great tree.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "CAM!" He exclaimed, finding a boost of speed he didn''t know he had.

    A moment later, the mural vanished, and Cameron fell from sight. Everyone put on bursts of speed, Titania reaching the portal. Just as she began to descend, the mural returned, and the Fairy Empress slammed into the stone.

    A moment passed as everyone froze, then Titania let out an enraged shriek and began pounding on the mural. Greyson snorted, then covered his mouth. She reminded him of when he was younger, and his sister didn''t get her way. Kayla would get hotter than a fire in hell back then.

    Well, she still did sometimes.

    Greyson looked at the forest, which had completely frozen over. He could see some of the fairies that had been trapped by the ice, unable to escape as they turned into macabre sculptures.

    The ice was still spreading, both beyond the forest and into the lake''s pit. Something about the air, he realized, felt different than before. Looking around, he flew back over to Eden and the angel carrying him as Titania took to the air once more.

    "I think it''s best if we got out of here," Greyson said. "You can do that, right?"

    "Now that the protections on this realm are gone?" The angel asked. "Yes. I''ll return you to the warehouse."

    Greyson flew forward and grabbed the angel''s arm, and a moment later, they were in the warehouse. He landed, then unmanifested his wings, walking over to where he''d discarded his hoodie to pull it on, slipping his hands back into his pockets.

    "Cam can''t come out of that portal, right?" He asked.

    "He might," the angel answered. "Though no one knows where those who actually visit the Tree of Life exit. The twelve who have been there before have never revealed it. We do know that time passes differently there. Do not expect Cameron to be the same person you knew when he returns. It could be minutes for him, or centuries."

    "He''ll be back soon," Eden said as others started appearing. "I can feel it."

    "I need to return," the angel informed him. "To pull more of the mages out and back here."

    Eden nodded and walked over to Greyson, ruffling the kid''s hair as the angel vanished. Greyson pulled away and fixed his hair, then looked around. The handful of people able to move between the two realms were acting as ferries for everyone, making sure no one was left behind. A few others had already been brought back, once the orbs had been activated, and the place was filling quickly.

    Alex''s spell still stood steady, however, ensuring there was plenty of space.

    "At least," a werewolf commented. "Fairies can''t move between realms on their own. This is going to slow Titania down a lot."

    "Indeed," Seph said, and the werewolf shot him a glare. "Lose the glare, doggy. We were allies for the fight, but only because I was seeking my student."

    "How did he get there?" Eden asked. "To the portal, I mean. He had to have swum, and even though he can hold his breath pretty well, he had to have been on the surface a lot. How did no one notice him."

    "I did," a quiet voice said, causing Eden and Greyson to jump.

    They turned around to face Callum, whose hands were tucked into his hoodie''s pocket, right eye behind by his hair, as usual. He didn''t have a mark on him, as if he hadn''t fought at all. The tall man was standing directly behind them, having managed to approach without being heard.

    "I still don''t trust you," Eden said.

    "You saw him?" Greyson asked.

    "When he was diving down," Callum nodded. "I saw him just before then. I was too far away to get there before the portal closed."

    "Uh-huh," Eden crossed his arms over his chest. "How do we know you actually saw him? Or made sure no one else did, so that he''d end up in there? How do we know that''s not your big plan?"

    "I simply want to get to know my cousin," Callum said. "That is it."

    "I don''t believe you," Eden stated. "Adam suspects you''re his cousin Ulfar, taken human form."

    "The second-to-last time I saw Ulfar," Callum said. "I promised him that I would kill him, burn his body, and destroy him in Oblivion if I ever saw him again. The last time I saw him, which was the first of November of this year, I made good on that promise."

    "You!" A woman''s voice called out, and Eden, Greyson, Seph, the werewolf, and Callum turned to face her.

    She had the blond hair and blue eyes common among the Thorntons, her chest bound to cover her breasts, her black wings folded in against her back, though several breaks were obvious on them, and wounds covered her torso and legs.

    "Victoria?" Eden guessed.

    "You''re the one who''s been letting my son stay with him?" She asked.

    "He ceased to be your son the moment you gave him up for adoption," Eden crossed his arms over his chest. "And he seems quite happy, living with me. Try to force him out of my home, and you will regret it."

    "Do you really think you intimidate me?" She asked, though Eden missed the tone of her voice that suggested a lack of hostility towards him.

    "It''s not me you should be worried about," Eden said. "It''s his father, who Adam will summon if you force Cam to live with you. For now, we''ll just worry about him while he does whatever he''s doing at the World Tree."

    "Where''s my dad?" Greyson asked, and Eden turned to find him nearly hysterical. "Everyone''s back, and I don''t see my dad! He should''ve been back! Why isn''t he back? Where''s my dad?"

    Please don''t let Greyson lose his dad so soon after reconnecting, Eden sent up a prayer to whatever god or goddess would listen as he placed a reassuring hand on the younger boy.

    "Your dad''s a tough mage," Eden said. "He fought the Fairy Emperor and came out one of the winners. He''s probably been dropped off at headquarters for debriefing or something."

    "No! He''s supposed to be here!" Greyson began crying. "Dad died! He''s dead!"

    The boy broke down in sobs, and Eden crouched, giving him a hug. As Greyson cried, the older boy heard the sound of a phone ringing, and slipped his hand into Greyson''s pocket, pulling it out. A look at the screen confirmed it was that phone ringing, and the number labeled as "Dad".

    "Greyson, he''s calling you," Eden said, and Greyson kept sobbing. "Greyson, your dad''s calling you, on your phone."

    Greyson started to calm down, and quickly took the phone, answering it.

    "D-Dad?" Greyson asked, then broke down into tears. "Why aren''t you are the warehouse?"

    Eden let out a huge sigh of relief. It was exactly as he''d suspected. Looking around, he wondered how the others were faring against Titania.

    The answer to that was ''badly''. Her fury had grown to new levels, and she began unleashing even stronger spells. It was all the angels and mages there could do to distract her, none of them able to weave a gate out without her destroying it or nearly killing them.

    Adam spun the Ambrosius Staff around as she targeted his father, and when he finished the spins and aimed it at her, a beam of pure-white energy shot from the tip of the staff. The Fairy Empress lurched backwards, then hurled a meteor at him.

    The mage aimed the staff at the meteor, blasting it apart, then created a barrier to deflect its shards as he channeled force magic to throw them back at her as she dodged an attack from four Thorntons, his cousin, and two Angel Kings working in harmony.

    The thing that concerned all of them was the spell she was building up in her right hand, using only her left to cast magic. The orb of yellow-white light was no larger than a softball, and with how much power she''d been pouring into the spell, they knew it would not be something pleasant to encounter.

    As Adam spun the staff again, preparing another beam to try and take a shot at that orb for the hundred and twelfth time, an overwhelming divine aura filled the air. The force of the divinity was so great that he temporarily lost hold of his flight spell.

    "IIIII''M BAA-AAAACK!"

 01-037

    Chapter Thirty-Seven.

    Before he even opened his eyes, Cameron felt scared, wanting to curl up into a ball and cry. The voices were gone, unable to be sensed again.

    It took him several minutes to calm down and open his eyes. The first thing he saw was a massive branch above him that stretched into the distance above him. Sitting up, he found himself resting on a branch half a mile across.

    The great tree itself stretched to either side as far as the eye could see, only a dozen feet from him. Slowly turning around, he saw other branches in the distance, some off the main tree, some off the ones he could see. Nothing but darkness surrounded him, though he could see the tree itself without issue.

    The bough he was standing on stretched into the distance, and without a clue of what to do, he began walking, until he came across one of its smaller branches. The leaves were all colors of the rainbow, and pear-shaped fruit hung from it.

    There were five different fruit hanging from the branch. One was the deep, rich purple he''d come to associate with magic, one was silver, another gold, the fourth black, and the fifth was completely translucent.

    Cameron reached out to feel the clear fruit nearest to him. It was higher than him, and he had to stand on his toes. Cursing his height, he stretched as high as he could, only to find his fingers barely brushing the smooth, cool fruit.

    He climbed up, doing his best to hold onto the thick branch without sliding down, thankful for the bark and the grip it gave him, though not for his bare arms and legs, which were scraped against the bark. Once he was level with the clear fruit, he reached out and touched it again.

    It was as smooth as it looked, and cool to the touch, yet not cold.

    So it''s not ice, he thought. Maybe a crystal? But it feels too soft to be something that hard.

    Stomach rumbling, Cameron decided that maybe the big tree wouldn''t be unhappy with him eating her fruit. She had directed him there, and he could only see her around him. Then again, she was an ancient tree said to permeate all of existence.

    Maybe it''d be best to ask for permission, first.

    "May I eat something?" He asked.

    He received no answer, felt none of her presence in his mind, even if he could feel her in the tree. Deciding to take the lack of a rejection as an acceptance, based on his previous assumption, Cameron plucked the crystal fruit from the tree.

    As carefully as he could, Cameron made his way back down the branch and stood on the massive bough, looking at his arms and legs. He''d gotten cut up a little bit more, and wished he hadn''t gotten rid of the rest of his clothes before jumping in the lake.

    The moment he thought that, Cameron shivered, realizing how cold and chilly he was. The air there wasn''t really all that warm, and he was still wet. Now that he paid attention, he noticed his body was covered in goosebumps.

    Giving himself a small shake, Cameron lifted the fruit to his mouth and took a bite of it. Crystal-clear juice ran down his chin as he chewed it. It was the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten in his life, and the sweetest. Despite the sweetness, however, it wasn''t overpowering. Instead, it was just right.

    Before taking more bites, Cameron inspected the fruit, to see what its meat looked like. Much to his surprise, it was clear as well, though he could see his bite marks warping the appearance, as well as the juice on the surface of the ''wound''.

    Giggling, Cameron took another bite, then another. It wasn''t until he was nearly finished that he realized the sting in his arms and legs had faded. His eyes widened when he looked at the cuts. Though the blood that had risen to the surface was still there, his injuries had healed.

    "That is so cool!" He exclaimed. "It''s healing fruit!"

    Giggling again, Cameron ate the rest of the fruit, then licked his fingers of the juice before wiping his chin on his sleeve.

    Are the rest of the fruits that delicious? He wondered, looking back up at the branch.

    He didn''t like the idea of eating the black fruit. That just screamed ''you will die'' at him. In all-caps. By a skeleton cloaked in shadows who was carrying a scythe. Directly into his head without passing through his ears.

    Yeah, he didn''t want to even touch that fruit.

    The silver and gold fruit looked interesting. He knew from myths and stuff he''d heard that they were real. No one had ever told him what the fruits were for the big tree, with Adam claiming that no one knew, but the myths probably had some truth. Maybe. Silver for immortality? Or gold?

    He didn''t think he wanted to be immortal. Living forever would be boring after awhile. That was why Adam started training him and Eden, after all, and why he ran the warehouse. He was bored. He''d already done pretty much everything he could.

    There was also the possibility those were just human myths, too.

    The purple fruit was just plain weird, and it reminded him of eggplant. The last time he ate eggplant, he puked for a week.

    Well, that was exaggerating. It was only for seven hours. But it felt like a week, so that''s what he said when anyone asked.

    Well, no one has, he thought to himself, then shrugged.

    Deciding to go with the safety of the healing fruits, he began climbing the branch again. He knew what those felt like, and what they did. After carefully walking across one of the branches offshoots, he slowly sat down with one leg on either side of the branch, using one hand to steady himself as he reached for the fruit growing off to the side.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "I wouldn''t, if I were you."

    Cameron nearly jumped. He couldn''t tell where the voice had come from, so he expanded his mind outwards until he brushed the one belonging to the female who''d spoken.

    "I can''t see you," he looked down at where she was.

    A moment later, a woman wearing a dark green dress trimmed with silver came into view. She wore no jewelry, but Cameron had to admit that she was beautiful without it. He bet she didn''t even wear makeup.

    Her hair was as black as the fruit in front of him, her lips thick and red, her eyes a deep, rich, forest green, her skin paler than the moon back on Earth. The thing that made him nervous was that as soon as she became visible, he felt an extremely strong aura around her, similar to the one he''d felt when he met his father.

    "Who are you?" He asked.

    "I have many names," she said. "Though most have been forgotten to time. I am a goddess, and judging by your divinity, you''re either a god or a demigod."

    "I''m a demigod," Cameron said. "By my divinity''s been bound. I was told it can''t be sensed?"

    "It is?" She asked, her gaze moving to his sleeve. "Ah. You''ve already eaten a clear fruit, haven''t you?"

    "How''d you know?" He asked, having missed the slight shift in her gaze.

    "If your divinity was bound," she said. "But able to be sensed, then you''ve eaten of the clear fruit. To consume one with bound divinity is to undo the bindings, to eat another with your divinity whole is to lose it entirely."

    "M-my divinity''s unbound?" Cameron''s eyes widen. "B-b-but I''m not an adult yet! I haven''t hit my growth spurts yet!"

    The woman laughed, a melodic sound the filled the air, and Cameron shot her a glare.

    "This is serious!" He said.

    "How old are you?" She asked.

    "Twel-thirteen," he answered. "I just turned thirteen¡­ a bit ago? I think a month ago? I''m not sure what the date is."

    "You''re a demigod," she said. "You age to adulthood faster than normal mortals of your species. What was your mortal half? Human?"

    "Y-yes," he answered. "Age fast? But I''m not done growing! I haven''t hit my growth spurts!"

    "Eat another of the clear fruits," she said. "And you''ll be able to finish your growth. However, as you are human, and speaking in this particular language, know that you have a year, two at most, before you finish growing."

    "Eden said that with a good diet and lots of exercise, I''ll be able to grow a bit more!" Cameron cried. "I don''t want to lose my divinity, but I wanna grow!"

    "You could always ask your godly parent to bind you again," she said. "Depending on your relationship with them, they might comply."

    Cameron grumbled under his breath, and she laughed.

    "Did you say ''Ulrima''?" She asked. "I thought your divinity felt familiar. You''re right in your skepticism, he wouldn''t do such a thing."

    "What do I do?" Cameron wailed, and she laughed again. "I''m going to be puny forever!"

    "Demigods have a unique spell in the time school of magic," she told him once he calmed down a bit from his fit. "They can control their rate of aging simply by their will alone. It''s inherent to them with their divinity. If you don''t want to stop aging, you simply won''t. It''s as simple as that. The misconception is given mostly to mess with young demigods and the actual mortals."

    "So I-I''ll get my growth spurts?" Cameron asked.

    "Indeed," she answered. "Because you don''t want to stop aging yet, you won''t. You would need to forcibly stop the spell to working, and to me, it seems as if you don''t wish that to happen, so it would be quite difficult to do, even if you did try."

    Cameron nodded, wiping his eyes with his hands. That calmed him down a lot.

    "Um," he said. "How do I get out of here? My friends are in trouble."

    "There are two ways out," she told him. "The first is through death. The second¡­ is by consuming two fruit, then plucking a third. Only the one you pluck after consuming the other two will travel with you outside. It will act as your ''key'' to open the passage out of here."

    Cameron nodded, looking around the tree, then back down at her.

    "How do I open the passage?"

    "Choose your fruit," she told him. "Then I''ll take you to the pool."

    "The pool?" Cameron screwed up his face in confusion. "I''m going swimming again?"

    "No!" She laughed. "It is a pool of nectar. You will lower yourself into it, and as you do, you''ll be transported out of here, so long as you''ve consumed two and are carrying the first one you plucked after."

    "Where will I end up?"

    "That depends on you," she answered. "The place you most desire to be will be the place you find yourself. And know this, Cameron: you will be unable to tell anyone about what you encountered here, nor the truth of the fruits. It is simply the way things are."

    He began to nod, then an idea formed in his head.

    "The black fruits kill, right?" He asked.

    "Yes," she answered. "To eat one in its entirety will kill any being that is neither a god nor truly immortal."

    Which meant it would work on Titania. And if he couldn''t speak of the truth of the fruits, then maybe he could lie about one.

    "Do I have to eat the fruit I take with me?" He asked.

    "If you wish," she answered. "Or you can use it in a potion, to create a realm, or give it to another. What you do with it is your choice."

    "Create a realm?"

    "Yes," she floated upwards and sat on the branch beside him, gently touching a golden fruit. "The golden fruits will spawn a realm of your design when you plant it. Two have been taken before, one by a niece of yours by the name of Belana, the other by a demigod by the name of Alexander Lesovar."

    "I know Alex!" Cameron said. "Wait! That''s how he has the island, isn''t it?"

    "The island?"

    "He has his own island that shimmers in and out, or something like that," Cameron shrugged. "Adam told me he wasn''t sure how Alex did that. I guess this explains it."

    Cameron grinned at the thought of knowing something Adam didn''t.

    "So," he said. "What do the other fruits do?"

    "Every fruit has two parts," she said. "You know the fruit of divinity''s. The fruit of death''s kills anything that is neither truly immortal nor a god, or if it''s already dead, will restore it to life when ''fed'' into their body. The golden fruit can create a realm when planted, or destroy a realm when planted.

    "The purple fruit," she said. "Will complete your connection to your tree, greatly augmenting your magical prowess. For some, they might only see a decent improvement in their control and learning, in others, it could be a massive leap. No one truly knows until they try."

    "I spent two weeks doing nothing but connecting," Cameron pouted. "But my improvement doesn''t seem to be that much better."

    "Then it might not do much," she told him. "Either way, it will still give you some greater level of control. It''s possible you''re a natural already, and that''s why your connection doesn''t do much."

    "Yeah, okay," Cameron said. "So what''s its other side?"

    "It''ll completely sever your connection to the tree," she said. "Stripping you of all your magic and preventing you from ever reforging it. However, that''s only if your connection has already been forged to the unbreakable level, which eating it without that will do."

    Cameron nodded.

    "And the silver?"

    "The fruit of immortality," she answered. "It will grant you true immortality, so that death will never claim you. If you are already truly immortal, it will strip that away."

    Cameron looked at the tree, then nodded.

    "One more question," he said. "Can I tell someone that something is a fruit''s property when it isn''t?"

    "Yes," she smiled. "You are only prevented from telling the truth. I take it there''s someone you want to kill?"

    "Yes," Cameron''s gaze darkened. "She killed my friend, scared my other friends, and did everything she could become truly immortal, even attempting to turn me into a fucking tree. I am going to kill the Fairy Empress, Titania."

 01-038

    Chapter Thirty-Eight.

    The pool of nectar emitted a faint, golden glow that matched the translucent golden liquid that was slowly shifting around. Cameron looked at it hesitantly, clutching the fruit against his chest.

    "Go ahead," the goddess told him. "You may return to your friends and family, and save those who mean everything to you."

    "Yeah," Cameron nodded. "I was just¡­ why are you here?"

    "What do you mean?" She asked.

    "Here," he said. "You''re a goddess, aren''t you? At least, you said you are, and you have the same powerful, overwhelming aura that my father had. Well, something similar to it."

    She thought over her answer for a few moments, then nodded.

    "I intentionally trapped myself here," she answered. "I ate two fruit, and then waited until someone else showed up. When they heard what the fruit did, I plucked the one they said they wanted to eat and gave it to them. It was consumed by him, leaving me in here for eternity."

    "Why?" Cameron asked.

    "Many reasons," she answered. "Though the primary of which was that your father sent my son into a prison. Rightly so, but it still broke my heart, and I chose to come here and live out the rest of my days."

    "Ulfar?" Cameron suddenly felt very, very scared that he was facing the High Goddess of evil.

    "No," she smiled. "My son hated Ulfar, your cousin whose mortal appearance was actually rather similar to his own, and even vowed to kill him, burn his body, and throw him into Oblivion the next time they met. I don''t know what my son would go by now, if he managed to escape his prison, though he often took my original name as his family name. Narinis. My son had greatly upset your father by destroying something very, very sacred to him, and my brother swore he''d never free him for it. I don''t blame him, but¡­ in my grief, I bound myself to here, so that I could never know such sorrow again. He wasn''t my first son to be punished or killed, and it saddened me so."

    "Oh," Cameron looked down, thinking. "There''s someone outside claiming to have the last name of Narinis. He said he''s my cousin, but I thought he might''ve been Ulfar, since I''d just been told he was there by someone else."

    "The only way to know for sure," she said. "Is to see his wings. Ulfar''s wings are purest black and quite leathery, a testament to the darkness and demon within him, while my son''s are the same blue as his eyes and feathery."

    "So¡­ he''s a nephilim?" Cameron asked.

    "Not quite," she smiled. "Any child of a High God has wings."

    "I don''t."

    "When you can sense them," she told him. "Acquiring the ability to manifest and unmanifest them at will, that is the day that you finish puberty. This is true of all demigods born of a High God, and a sign that they are truly an adult."

    "Oh," Cameron said, then grinned. "I can''t wait until I finish puberty, then. I''ll be able to fly around with Greyson lots!"

    "Don''t be in too much of a rush," she said. "You''ll age rapidly as a result unless you hold yourself back, if you want to finish puberty quickly."

    "Right," Cameron sobered up, then gave her another grin. "It''ll still be cool. I hope it''s not too far out. And that I get lots of growth spurts before then."

    "Good luck," she told him. "I''ll be quite surprised if that''s my son, your father is known for his grudges, and for never backing down when he decides on a punishment."

    "Okay," Cameron said, then thought for a moment. "If he is your son, is there something you want me to tell him? I''m not ruffling his hair, then fixing it for you."

    Narinis laughed in response to that.

    "I can see you''ve met your father," she said. "Tell him that I do still love him, and that I wish he hadn''t eaten the fruit."

    "The fruit?" Cameron asked. "Wait ¨C he''s been here?"

    "It was where we were when Ulrima grabbed him," she nodded. "As High Gods, we can ordinarily move in and out of here, under the right conditions. The only way to prevent us from leaving is to do what I did. My son had eaten the violet fruit and the clear one, just like you."

    "But why?" Cameron asked. "Was his divinity bound?"

    "No," she looked sad. "He did it to strip it away. He intentionally gave up his divinity, considering it a curse."

    "Oh," Cameron looked at the fruit in his hands. "I should get going. I''m going to give this to Titania."

    "Good luck," Narinis smiled at him. "And farewell, Cameron. Though I do think ''Ambrosius'' suits you."

    Cameron pulled a face, and she laughed, then gestured to the pool. He nodded, then stepped into it. Even though it looked like magic honey to him, it was silky in texture and very unsticky.

    A few more steps, and he was submerged to his neck, the fruit already beneath the surface. Another step, and his head went under as he thought about Titania and giving her the fruit.

    The next thing he knew, he was standing in the warehouse, beside Greyson and Eden, who were busy talking with Callum. The demigod-possibly-a-demon looked at him, then the fruit in his hands.

    "Who is that for?" He asked.

    "Titania."

    "Are you insane?" Callum asked. "Do you have any idea what that''ll do?"

    "Yes, I do," Cameron asked. "It''s what she seeks, and so, it''s what I''ll give her. You can open a gate to the Fairy Forest, can''t you?"

    "I am not letting you give that to her!" Callum exclaimed as the others in the warehouse began staring. "Cameron, you know what that''ll do!"

    "Yes, I do," Cameron smiled. "As does she. Now. Before you open a portal there, I need you to remove your hoodie and shirt, and show me your wings."

    "Why?" Callum''s face turned red.

    "To verify you''re who you say you are, and not Ulfar."

    Callum cast his gaze downward, then slowly pulled his hoodie over his head, the lesser angels who''d come to help heal people while the stronger ones stayed at the Fairy Forest to fight the Fairy Empress watching intently.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Callum handed his hoodie to Eden, then pulled off his shirt, and a moment later, a pair of the most beautiful wings Cameron had ever seen before manifested behind the demigod. The same rich blue as his eyes, with flecks of gold, they drew the eye of everyone in the room.

    For the full three seconds they were out. Callum quickly unmanifested them, then pulled his shirt and hoodie back on.

    "Satisfied?" He asked quietly.

    "My dad let you out."

    "He, um, thought you and I could connect," Callum muttered. "Made me promise to protect you. Gave me the ring so that your mind magic wouldn''t work on me, it''s partially imbued with his essence, much like your amulet."

    "Your mother said she wished you didn''t eat the fruit."

    "And Titania should never eat that one," Callum told him.

    "Trust me on this," Cameron told Callum. "I will give this to Titania, then I will kill that bitch myself."

    "A distraction," Callum realized. "You plan on distracting her with it for the opening. But if you don''t do it in time-"

    "I''ll have plenty of time," Cameron told him. "Please take me there, Callum. Your mother was the one who put this idea in my head. Please, trust her."

    "She was a fool," Callum muttered. "Uncle Ulri told me what she did. I wish I could travel there freely."

    "Maybe one day," Cameron shrugged. "Please, Callum? We need to hurry, there''s no telling how bad things might be."

    Callum nodded, then placed a hand on Cameron, teleporting them above the frozen Fairy Forest. A lot of damage had been done to the sculptures by the fight, which was still going on.

    Cameron could see Adam preparing some sort of spell with the Ambrosius Staff, and got a bit annoyed. He wasn''t dead, and he was most certainly not going to get stuck in another realm forever. That staff was his.

    "IIIII''M BAA-AAAACK!"

    The fighting stopped immediately, though Cameron sensed that it might have begun to before he hollered that, which was, admittedly, mostly to get Adam''s attention. The ancient mage looked a bit shy at the moment.

    "Huh," Cameron said. "I didn''t expect that to get everyone''s attention."

    "Cameron," Callum said as the younger boy realized they were floating in the air without wings.

    "Are we flying with just magic?"

    "Yes," Callum answered, and Cameron suddenly felt the knowledge of how to use space magic to alter gravity fill his head. "That''s the spell. Anyway, it wasn''t your shout. Your divinity''s unbound, and you aren''t concealing it. It''s very noticeable, considering how powerful you are. That''s why everyone was looking at you in the warehouse."

    "Ah," Cameron said, then tried out the spell for himself, falling for a few moments until he caught himself, then brought himself back to Callum''s level. "You''re powerful, right? Like, more powerful than almost everyone here?"

    "Yeah."

    "Make sure no one interferes when I give this to Titania," Cameron said, then fixed his gaze on the stunned Fairy Empress. "Titania! I have what you want!"

    She narrowed his gaze on him, but flew forward as the other mages, demigods, nephilim, and angels began to fly towards them.

    "That won''t bring Oberon back!" She said. "We wanted it for Oberon, Cameron! With how much you and your friends destroyed him, he''ll be impossible to resurrect! No! I wanted a different one!"

    "Oh, right," Cameron said as she drew near, his allies watching cautiously as Callum flexed his powers. "So, uh, Callum''s mother told me something. She said that you had a sort of marriage soul bond with Oberon?"

    Titania looked hesitant, then nodded.

    "Narinis said that if you ate this," he said. "Because of that soul bond, it''d have its effect on him. Even though he''s dead, it''ll grant its effects to him, rather than you. It''ll only work ''cause you two are bonded together."

    "And you''re giving it to me?"

    "On the condition that you leave me and my friends alone," Cameron nodded. "Once Oberon''s back, I''ll reopen the portal for you. I have enough connection to the Great Tree left to do it. You''ll be able to achieve your goal. Swear it on your magic, or I''ll destroy this fruit in an instant."

    Titania considered it for a moment, then nodded.

    "I swear on my magic that I agree to your conditions," she said.

    Cameron held out the silver, pear-shaped fruit, and Titania took it, eating as the others began to try to stop them. Callum created a shimmering, blue and gold barrier to protect them, even though he wasn''t sure why he wanted to go with Cameron''s plan. He didn''t know that tidbit about the-

    He didn''t know, and yet Cameron told it. They couldn''t speak of the truth of the fruit. But then why would Cameron give her immortality? For that matter, why did his mother even know about Titania? He''d never heard of the fairies until after Ulrima had freed him from the prison to-

    Oh.

    Oh.

    He looked at his cousin, who was grinning wildly as understanding dawned on him.

    "Hey, Titania," Cameron said after Titania ate the fruit.

    "What?" She asked coldly.

    "Can I give you a hug?" He asked. "You did take such good care of me, and this''ll probably be the last time we''re together."

    Titania hesitated, then nodded, floating against the young demigod, who wrapped his arms around her and began squeezing as hard as he could with all of his demigod strength, newly enhanced by his divinity.

    "CALLUM! NOW!" He yelled.

    Callum nodded, smiling at the ancient fae as he held up a hand, sending a strike of hot force magic at her neck, severing it from her head. The heat from the spell cauterized it, preventing it from bleeding all over his cousin, who released Titania, and the fae began to fell.

    "By the way," Cameron said. "That''s my loot. Well, mine and Callum''s. So we are the ones who are selling it or using it. Not any of you."

    "If you fed her the fruit of immortality," an Angel King flew towards them once Callum removed the barrier and cast a spell to catch the body and head. "Then how did you kill her?"

    "The truth of the fruits cannot be revealed outside of the realm of the Great Tree," Alex stated, joining them. "The boy used a simple deception on her, making her think it''d grant her husband immortality when it wouldn''t. There''s a chance that wasn''t even a fruit from there ¨C nigh every depiction has them as apples, does it not?"

    Callum did his best not to snort when he heard that bit of information. The ancient mage, he sensed, knew the truth of the matter ¨C that Titania had eaten of the silver fruit before. His mother must have told Cameron that when he was choosing his fruit. In her fury and grief, Titania hadn''t remembered the crucial rule of that realm, one that bound itself into them the moment they entered.

    And it cost her her immortality, an immortality no one knew she had.

    "Now," Cameron looked at Adam. "I want my staff back."

    "Uh, it''s my staff."

    "No," Cameron said. "It was Merlin''s staff, then he died and you looted it off his corpse. Then, you lost it. It was lost for a thousand years, discovered, sold, and I bought it. So it''s mine. We have an agreement, remember? Don''t make me sic my dad on you. I''ve got my divinity unbound, I can do it."

    Adam meekly held out the staff, which Cameron grabbed, then promptly whacked him over the head with before glaring at the small army of angels.

    "Which of you fuckers wants to kidnap me, kill me, turn me to your side, use me against my father, or do something else which I or my father would find rather unpleasant?"

    More than half of them shifted, looking uncomfortable.

    "Do you think you can take me?" Cameron asked, before promptly falling out of the sky.

    He caught himself, reactivating his spell, then flew back up to them.

    "Well?" He asked as several of the spectators tried not to laugh. "Oi! Cuz! Kick their asses!"

    "I''m not your guard dog."

    "Didn''t you say that''s why my dad freed you?"

    Callum sighed, then extended his hands, and all of the angels there gathered with their own teammates as those able opened gates to hastily leave the realm.

    "I guess my reputation precedes me," Callum muttered.

    "Whoa," Cameron looked at him in shock, losing focus of his spell for a few seconds. "I really need to get the hang of this. What language was that? How come I could understand it?"

    "Your father is literally a god of love," Callum snorted. "You can speak every language, much like me for having a mother who''s a goddess of travelers."

    "Didn''t know that," Cameron said. "Though that does explain why I could understand the workers arguing at that French restaurant Adam took me to during one of my training lessons."

    Adam snorted in response, and Cameron looked around at the remaining angels.

    "Anyone else wanna be my enemy?" He asked. "I''m a lot stronger now, now I''ve unbound my divinity. It was my aunt who did it. She''s really nice. I told her ''bout what was going on, and she offered to unbind it for me so I could be a lot stronger, in case the plan to kill Titania failed."

    "That''s a lie, if I ever heard one!"

    "Damn, that lady angel is beautiful."

    "Of course she is! She''s an angel!"

    "Does your great-uncle really have a pencil behind his ear? That''s one of the stupidest places to put them for a fight."

    "Yeah, he should''ve put it in an enemy''s eye or something."

    Cameron exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes as the voices starting chatting again. Why did he ever miss them?

 01-039

    Chapter Thirty-Nine.

    The first thing Cameron was aware of when he woke up was an intense pressure in his room, which told him that a High God was present. Knowing his luck, it was his father, especially after his threat the day before. Cracking open an eye, he groaned.

    It was his father, who was sitting in a chair, smiling at him warmly.

    "Good morning, son!" Ulrima said.

    "I''m going back to sleep," Cameron turned over, closing his eye.

    "I just wanted to congratulate you," Ulrima stood and walked over to the bed, before climbing up on it, picking his protesting son up and squeezing him tightly. "You managed to single-handedly put an end to a heavenly war and unbind your divinity! You passed the test!"

    "The test?" Cameron gasped. "Choking me!"

    "Nonsense!" Ulrima released his son, who collapsed on the bed, gasping heavily. "If I were choking you, you wouldn''t have been able to talk!"

    Cameron finished catching his breath, then gave his father an incredulous look.

    "Test?" He said. "What test?"

    "To see how you handle yourself!" Ulrima clapped him on the shoulder. "I put all of my children through it, even the immortal ones! Not only did you handle yourself just fine, but you even managed to unbind your divinity on your own! Of all my children, you''re only the eight hundred and seventeenth to ever do that!"

    "Uh," Cameron backed up a little bit on his bed. "How many children do you have?"

    "Alive, or total?"

    "Never mind," Cameron answered as he remembered what his father was a god of.

    "Seven-"

    "No!" Cameron exclaimed. "Don''t say it! Don''t you dare!"

    "The voices?" Ulrima asked, and Cameron glared at him. "You aren''t my first child to hear them, son. They''re quite interesting, aren''t they?"

    "They''re annoying," Cameron grumbled.

    "Well, they''re yours," Ulrima ruffled his son''s hair. "Whoops!"

    The god then fixed his son''s hair, and Cameron just groaned.

    "We''re having a party at my place," Ulrima said. "To celebrate you passing the test. Come on."

    "But-" Cameron began to protest, only to find himself in another bedroom, on a rather large bed with a massive, heart-shaped headboard, with red and pink sheets, blankets, and pillows.

    Looking around, the room matched the lovey-dovey color and pattern scheme. He let out a frustrated groan as his father hopped off the bed and walked over to the closet, returning with pink briefs and socks, red pants, and a pink button-up, adding a pink belt with a red heart for the buckle and a pair of crimson boots with pink laces to the mix as he set them on the bed.

    "These should fit you!" He said. "Come meet us down in the ballroom."

    Ulrima vanished, and Cameron groaned, looking out the window. Massive gardens were outside of it. He was in the back of the house, he guessed.

    Knowing he wasn''t going to get out of the party, Cameron changed into the outfit, then wandered the house until he found the grand ballroom on the first floor, a room with rich, dark brown wooden floors and crimson pillars around the edge, the walls a mix of red and pink.

    Tables covered with pink tablecloths were filled with food and drinks, and the grand room itself was packed with gods, demigods, angels, and nephilim, and the sheer power in the room gave him a headache.

    The voices introduced him to some of the guests as they congratulated him, if they forgot to introduce themselves. That was the only reason he even knew some of the beings there were gods.

    Eventually, he found his father, who was dancing with a woman with long, dark brown hair, golden eyes, and beautiful, flawless skin. She was dressed in a green summer dress that Cameron recognized the brand of.

    Mostly because Adam had taken him to a dress store during one of their training sessions. When he realized the dress''s brand, he looked around, then groaned.

    They were on Earth. His father, a literal god, had a house on Earth. A mansion on Earth.

    "Son!" Ulrima exclaimed, spotting Cameron. "Come! Meet your mother! Well, step-mother! This is my beautiful wife!"

    "Um, hi," Cameron said.

    "You can call me whatever you wish," she told Cameron with a sweet voice, and he blushed deeply. "You''re cuter than some of his other children."

    "Yeah, but I''m betting the ones who aren''t cute are just plain hot. He is a god of beauty."

    "Hush!" Cameron hissed, and his step-mother laughed, causing him to blush some more.

    "I know about the voices," she said. "They''re one of the few products of the union between your father and I."

    Cameron blushed again as he realized the implication of that, then a realization hit him.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "What?" Cameron looked stunned for a moment. "Wait ¨C do you mean that you and him are their parents?"

    "In a sense," she answered. "We were among the first gods to ever form, and were second only to the High Gods of Order and Chaos to ascend to such status. We don''t usually work together, but one of the times we did, the aether formed, and eventually, those voices you hear, which teach spells to those who make the appropriate offerings. Or, in your case, simply as you wish it, if it''s one they can."

    "Oh," Cameron said. "So, um¡­ don''t give me the details on how you made them."

    "It''s nothing like that," she told him. "An experiment of ours, to help the mortals. Come, dance with me."

    "You''re a lot taller than me," Cameron grumbled.

    "Maybe," she stepped up to him, taking his hands. "But I can make do."

    "I can''t dance."

    "You''re the son of the High God of Love," she told him. "Dancing is in your genes."

    As she moved, Cameron found that he could, indeed, dance, even though he''d never done so before. Just another thing being a demigod granted him, he supposed. He did have to wonder why he was dancing at a party, though. Was it a party, like his father claimed, or a dance of some sort?

    A lot of the guests were dancing, though many were also chatting in groups around the room.

    After the dance with his step-mother, Cameron wandered around the room, not really sure what to do. All of the guests he passed by congratulated him on passing the test, though he still wasn''t too sure why it was such a big deal.

    For more than two hours, Cameron wandered the room, trying to figure out what was going on and what to do, only to not be given any answers. Mostly because he was too intimidated to ask, and everyone else seemed interested in dancing, eating, drinking, or talking.

    Eventually, Cameron walked over to his step-mother, and hung around as she talked with a duo of gods he was pretty sure were married. He wasn''t too sure, though, since it was just a feeling he had. Were he to voice the feeling at that moment, he''d find out that with his divinity unlocked, he could sense the way people feel towards each other, as well as whether or not they were under some form of marriage.

    "Yes?" His step-mother looked down at him with a warm smile as the two gods went off to speak with some angels.

    "Um," Cameron said. "My friends are probably worried, since I didn''t get to tell them where I''m going, and I don''t even know why I''m here."

    "Again?" She asked, then looked around until she found her husband. "Ulrima! You were supposed to let him tell his friends where he was going to be!"

    "Oops!" He called back, waving at her. "I''m sure they''ll figure it out!"

    She rolled her eyes, then looked back to Cameron.

    "I am so sorry about that," she smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, and he shifted a little at her touch. "He forgets quite often. Your father does love his parties."

    "Okay," Cameron shifted again. "So he was just looking for a reason to party?"

    "A little," she answered. "But also because you''re only the fourth of his to unbind his divinity and pass the test before becoming an adult of his own. Nearly all of his children who do both of those do so between when they become an adult and when their society declares them so."

    "How often does someone fail the test?" Cameron asks. "It''s to see how we handle ourselves without our divinity, right?"

    "Indeed," she answers. "Though you can fail it at any point before the society you live in considers you an adult based on their own narrow minds or in rare cases like yours, unbind your divinity. The way of failure is simple: rely on the higher powers, seek out the higher powers for help, other such things, and die."

    "But I had higher powers helping me?"

    "You weren''t constantly coming to us," she said. "Nor were we directly involved. Ulrima descended to visit you during it, but only because he couldn''t take not seeing you anymore. He and I both agree that you''re his cutest son so far."

    Cameron''s face instantly flamed with that comment.

    "I''ll send you home," she said. "Think of the person you want to be with, and the path will form."

    Cameron screwed up his face in confusion, and she repeated it, so he thought about Eden, since it was Eden''s apartment he was living in. A moment later, he found himself standing beside Eden, who jumped in shock.

    "Ah, crap," Cameron looked down at his outfit. "I''m still in this hideous thing. Hey! They have my pajamas!"

    He ran off to his room, leaving Eden and Adam confused and Alex laughing.

    "His father must have kidnapped him," Alex told the boys. "I forgot that Ulrima did that."

    "Did what?"

    "Cam unbound his divinity," Alex said. "Which means that he probably wanted to throw a party to celebrate Cam having his divinity at last. It is not uncommon for him to do that. He''s a god, he looks for reasons to celebrate."

    "Oh," Adam sighed. "Well, that explains how he got in after I warded the apartment. I can''t exactly ward it against gods."

    "We suspected it was a god," Eden said. "One who decided to go after him personally."

    "Yeah, like that''d work," Adam scoffed. "Cam has his divinity unbound. He''s stronger than most regular gods."

    "In hindsight," Alex said. "I still should''ve expected that. I do have Ulrima''s number, so I could''ve just-"

    "You what?" Adam stared at his grandfather. "How do you have his number?"

    "Ulrima has a property here on Earth," Alex said. "He invited me to one of his celebrations a few years ago. Tried getting me to marry half his children present. And on that note, I should no longer be present, since Cam''s been found. I''m going to head to my apprentices, then back to my island. You two have a good day."

    Adam and Eden opened their mouths to respond, only to stop, as Alex had already left. Shaking their heads, they looked at each other, then at Cameron, who had come out of his room wearing dark green jeans and a dark blue tee.

    "Your cousin disappeared while you were gone," Adam told him. "Not sure if he''s still looking. Eden, you should-"

    "He was at the party," Cameron told them. "He''s probably going to be gone for awhile."

    "He doesn''t seem like the kind of person who''d be at a party," Eden commented.

    "He was at the party," Cameron said. "He left after he saw me there."

    "Ah," Eden said. "Do you know where he went?"

    "Probably to another room?" Cameron answered.

    "Why do you think that?" Eden asked.

    "Because he wasn''t alone," Cameron''s face was crimson. "Are we still training today, Adam? Or can I relax until it''s time to head to Seph''s?"

    "Seph''s?" Adam asked. "Wait ¨C are you talking about the vampire?"

    "Yeah."

    "You made the deal with him?"

    "I was getting chased by traffickers," Cameron nodded. "He-I managed to get a phone and call him for help. He was the only thing I knew. So I made the agreement. He''s helped me learn compulsion, even though I don''t want to use it."

    Adam rubbed his temples.

    "Seph owes me a big one," Adam said. "Do you want to have lessons with him and feed him your blood?"

    "No," came the immediate answer.

    Adam expected that. Cameron hated silkspeech and compulsion, and going through the lessons must have been agonizing for the kid. However many of them he''d gone through. It was probably a good thing, in his opinion, since Cameron''s heritage, natural affinity for mind magic, and divinity meant that he could override nearly any mental barrier against compulsion.

    And as he knew from experience, using compulsion spells could become addictive. It took him nearly two centuries to stop using it regularly after he''d become addicted to the power it gave.

    "I''ll call him, then," Adam said. "And get some rest, you''re still weak from being imprisoned for two weeks."

    Adam disappeared, and Cameron looked at Eden.

    "I''m not that weak," he said.

    "He meant out-of-practice moving around," Eden explained. "And from hunger."

    Cameron''s stomach rumbled, echoing its agreement, and Eden laughed.

    "I''ll fix you something to eat," he said.

 02-001

    Chapter One.

    Eden cast his brown gaze towards Cameron''s room, something that had become a habit over the last week, ever since the younger boy had returned. Anytime Cameron was in there, Eden was worried. The first time Cameron had slept, his nightmares had been bad enough that Callum enchanted the room to prevent sound from leaving it and to ease them.

    Cameron still didn''t sleep well despite the ancient demigod''s charms. He hadn''t left the apartment, either, as his divinity was so powerful that it permeated everything around him. Callum had enchanted each of the rooms in the apartment against it, so that it would be contained to whatever room the younger demigod was in, provided the door was closed.

    His kidnapping, imprisonment, and near-treeification had left its mark on him, and Eden wished he could be there for Cameron. He let out a sigh as the Cupid''s words came back to him. Cameron was straight, and there was a potential love of his. Whoever she was, Cameron wouldn''t talk about her. The only thing he''d say was that she wasn''t around, when Eden asked.

    Eden did manage to find out that she was the one who had taught the younger boy martial arts a couple of years ago. Her and her brother, it seemed. They were only together for a few months before parting ways.

    That was the extent of what Cameron would reveal, and Eden suspected they didn''t part on good terms by how bitterly Cameron spoke about them.

    Sighing, Eden grabbed the last fry from his plate and crammed it into his mouth, before taking the plate to the sink to wash. Briefly, a sense of divinity overwhelmed him, filling the apartment. A door quickly closed, and the spatial mage looked at the bathroom, whose door had been opened a moment before.

    Cameron must have needed to pee or something, Eden thought. He normally doesn''t teleport into it.

    A moment later, Eden heard the shower turn on, then shrugged and finished washing the plate. When he finished, he walked over to Soldier and took the dog outside to use the bathroom and toss a ball around for a few minutes.

    With Cameron''s current state, Eden didn''t want to leave him alone for too long. Adam was busy doing something, so he couldn''t watch Cameron, and Eden didn''t trust the vampire. Otherwise, he''d take Soldier to the dog park to run around.

    After a few minutes, Eden brought Soldier back upstairs, where he was overwhelmed with Cameron''s divinity once more. The younger boy was sitting on the couch, a bowl of grapes on his lap, h is feet on the coffee table, ankles crossed as he watched cartoons. He was dressed in a pink hoodie and black skinny jeans, his platinum-blond hair darkened by the water from his shower, his dark blue gaze focused on the cartoon.

    "Are you okay?" Eden asked as Cameron popped a grape into his mouth. "You were napping for a long time."

    "Napping?" Cameron asked. "Oh, that. I didn''t get much sleep, so I was working out. Then I got all sweaty, so I took a shower. No! Stop that! That''s disgusting! Why would you even say that? Well, I don''t care. You''re disgusting, so shut up. No, please, shut up. Seriously. Stop that. Yeah, listen to him, but not me. It''s not like I''m the one who has to put up with you in his head. Oh, wait, I am. So stop saying stuff like that!"

    This has to be good, Eden thought. The voices always say amusing things when he gets frustrated like this.

    "What did the voice say?" He asked.

    "Huh?" Cameron asked, then huffed. "I did it out loud again, didn''t I?"

    "Yeah," Eden responded.

    He didn''t point out that out loud was the only way Cameron could talk to the voices, as he knew it would only upset the mind mage more.

    "He said I should try dipping the grapes in mustard."

    "That¡­ sounds disgusting," Eden said.

    "I know!" Cameron popped a grape into his mouth. "Hi, Callum. Where''d you go?"

    Eden turned around to find the ancient demigod standing behind him. Unlike most demigods, Callum didn''t possess a divinity. For reasons not given to him, it had been stripped away, something that Adam said he didn''t know was possible.

    Callum stood over six and a half feet in height, and possessed dark brown hair that covered his dark blue gaze. He wore a dark gray hoodie, his hands tucked into their pockets, and dark blue jeans, black sneakers on his feet.

    The ancient demigod was not a people person, Eden knew, and was only around because of Cameron. His cousin''s father had freed him from a prison specifically to protect Cameron and help teach him how to use his mind magic, something that happened a little too late to protect the boy from being kidnapped by the Fairy Empress herself.

    "To visit an uncle," Callum responded, pulling a hand out of his pocket and tossing something to Cameron. "That should conceal your divinity as long as you wear it."

    The amulet he had tossed Cameron was an intricate, chaotic design with black, red, and blue bands wrapping around each other several times. It was no thicker than half an inch at the center and a quarter of one at the golden edges, a perfect ring all the wary around, only three inches across. It hung from a chain as black as any void, and Cameron stared at it in shock for several seconds, then slowly turned his gaze to Callum.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "You met Lelmaris?" Cameron''s eyes were wide.

    "The voices tell you his name?" Callum tilted his head to the side. "He isn''t very well-known."

    "I''ve met a couple of his children in the past," Cameron''s voice turned bitter, informing both of his protectors that it was the set of twins he''d met a couple of years prior. "They wore these. But they said that their father only made them for his children."

    "I asked him to make one for you," Callum said. "The first being with divinity to wear it, it will bind to. You can remove it as you wish, but no one can ever steal it from you or force you to remove it or give it to them, not even through magical means."

    Cameron nodded, having already known this, and pulled the amulet on. Immediately, Eden felt his divinity disappear.

    "That''s¡­ impressive," Eden said. "But who''s Lelmaris?"

    "High God of chaos and destruction," Callum answered. "He makes those amulets so that his children go undetected for longer. He likes to see how much chaos or destruction they''ll cause before being found."

    "Are all High Gods unstable?" Eden asked, and Cameron snorted. "What?"

    "They''re ancient beings who''ve been around since, well, forever," Cameron said. "They have to find some way to amuse themselves. Though I''m still mad at my own dad."

    Ulrima, the High God of love and life, had kidnapped Cameron after the boy unlocked his divinity to throw a big party for passing a test. Cameron still wasn''t completely sure what the test was.

    "I haven''t been able to go to the arena," Eden stretched a bit, looking at Callum. "But I''ve heard that there''s a new contender for untouchable. Since you''re back, I''ll be heading there. Cameron, do you want to come with me?"

    Eden knew the answer was probably going to be a ''no'', but he asked anyway. Odds were, Cameron was not yet ready to be around fighting again, especially after being one of the two people who killed the Fairy Empress.

    "No," Cameron answered. "Callum''s really, really old. Like, really old. That means he knows lots of stories."

    "Alright," Eden felt surprised by the answer. "I''ll see you two later, then."

    Cameron looked at Callum as Eden teleported into his room to change before teleporting to the arena, and the ancient demigod sighed.

    "I''m not going to be allowed to turn into a dog, am I?" He asked.

    "No," Cameron said. "What''s the War of the Line? You fought in it? What was it like? Don''t give me the gory details, I just wanna find out what the War of the Line was over. And your role in it."

    Callum nodded, then sat in Eden''s armchair, stroking his chin before explaining to his younger cousin about the War of the Line.

    Long before most worlds that have life now had life, there was a single world where all species and races originated. All sapient life could trace its roots back there, and it was where the first gods formed, including the High Gods.

    Back then, the gods walked among mortals, ruling over them personally, much like how some did on Earth from time to time. Gods and demigods, angels and nephilim, roamed the world freely back then.

    One day, a demigod was born who was unlike any other. He was a son of Ulrima, a powerful god who was constantly fed by many things, even without worship. A High God, among the first. It was the first demigod sired by any of the High Gods after their ascension to that status.

    At the time, Ulrima didn''t pay much attention to his children ¨C most gods didn''t care what their children did, after all. However, he was in the habit of binding his children because of one particularly nasty habit of theirs, something Cameron seemed to not have an inclination towards.

    Somehow, another god found out about this daughter of Ulrima''s and how powerful her magic truly was. A natural mind mage with the power of a High God was a tempting reward, and he stole her away, training him to serve him.

    It was a god of darkness and evil, and he corrupted her, turning her into a perfect warrior of hatred and spite. He built up a cult using her powers and befriended many gods who served darker ideas. Once his power was strong enough, he began to conquer the world with the gods beneath him.

    Soon after that, the gods who served good ideas began to rally their own followers and angels, forming a second side and began to fight against the darker gods. The battle lasted for three days and nearly destroyed the world. Most mortals who wanted no part in the battle found spatial mages and them create portals to flee, hoping that their gates would lead to other lands.

    Callum himself had fought on the side of good, and had even assisted in creating the portals, guiding them to other worlds he''d found during his journeys. He and his mother both did so, their ideas being to protect mortals from the darkness.

    Cameron''s own mother-in-law, the High Goddess of protection and sanctuaries, ascended to the status of High Goddess in that three-day battle, mortals worshiping her and asking for protection, their worship filling her with immense power, enough to create sanctuaries, havens where only the strongest of the gods would chance breaching.

    When the war ended, the First World had been devastated to the point that even now, billions of years later, it had yet to recover. There were some mortals there, but not many, the environment harsh and corrupted by the War of the Line. Many gods had been slain in the war as well, to never be recovered or remembered.

    It was the first true war between good and evil the universe had ever known, and was where the line between them was finally drawn.

    "Whoa," Cameron said when Callum finished telling him about the war. "So our battle with the fairies¡­ that doesn''t even compare."

    "No," Callum shook his head. "Though the war against the fairies can be compared to it. It''s cost more lives than the War of the Line, and by freezing the Fairy Forest and destroying those trees, many realms were outright destroyed. The only reason why the War of the Line can be called worse than the Fairy Wars would be because of how short the actual war lasted. If it were stretched out over the same timeframe as the Fairy Wars, it would be much, much less significant."

    He didn''t add that when comparing the populations during the wars, the War of the Line would remain more significant. Ninety percent of all mortals were killed during it, as well as more than half of the gods, angels, demigods, and nephilim. Not one god was killed by the Fairy Wars.

    "Okay," Cameron seemed to relax a little to him. "So-"

    "No more stories," Callum said. "You will learn a spell, now."

    "But I already know spells," Cameron pouted. "I don''t want to train more."

    "You need to," Callum stated. "You have to learn to control your powers, now that they''re even greater than before. When you unbound your divinity, you increased the power of all of your magic. What might have knocked a mortal out before could outright kill them now."

    "Teach me," Cameron quickly sat up straighter, pulling his feet off the table.

    Callum nodded. Mentioning that Cameron could accidentally kill someone was definitely the way to go to convince the younger demigod to learn how to control his new level of magic. Cameron did not like the idea of killing, even if he''d already done it several times.

    And being scared of doing it again, especially by accident, was the primary source of the boy''s nightmares.

 02-002

    Chapter Two.

    Jenna pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She looked around fifteen years old, and possessed dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, her fair skin flawless and only lightly touched by the sun.

    She snapped, and a flame jumped out of the tips of her thumb, hovering there for several long seconds before she released the spell.

    Letting out a sigh, she made her way out of the studio apartment''s bathroom and walked over to the bed, grabbing her red and blue hoodie. She pulled it on, then pulled her ponytail out of it, letting it drop against her back.

    Slipping her hands into the hoodie''s pockets, Jenna left the apartment and made her way down the street. She wasn''t too far from the warehouse district where she was testing the few people who showed up and actually challenged her in the mage arena.

    There weren''t any she felt were powerful enough. From what she''d heard, there were three exceptionally powerful mages there, but none of them had shown up since she started almost a week prior. She needed strong mages. If someone was taken out in under a minute against her, then they weren''t strong enough.

    According to what she''d heard, all three of them had faced off against Fairy Lords, Fairy Kings, and it was even rumored that two of them helped kill the Fairy Emperor while the other helped kill the Fairy Empress. No one was completely sure, though, and she was pretty sure it was just hearsay.

    The war that ended the fairies'' major reign of terror was still fresh in everyone''s minds, and stories were embellished often to promote the ideas that someone was strong. One of them was a healer, so she wasn''t sure how he could have helped kill the Fairy Emperor.

    The other two, on the other hand, were the ones she was hoping would show up. Supposedly, the mind mage among them was kidnapped by the fairies, which is what led to the massive battle the previous week.

    A battle that involved gods, angels, nephilim, and demigods and resulted in the destruction of dozens of realms.

    Shaking her head, Jenna approached the bouncer at the warehouse, gave the password, and entered. She hoped the strong mages would show up soon and prove themselves to be of decent strength.

    She needed strong mages. But the arena wasn''t as lively as she''d heard from other arenas. Word was that this one had massive crowds ever since these two mages started showing up, yet there were less than a hundred each night.

    Except tonight. Jenna stared at the crowd. There were nearly two hundred mages there. Fridays were the nights that it was said the two powerful mages sparred against each other. Had they both shown up?

    But the spatial mage hadn''t been there on his usual night for sparring against others.

    Mages parted for Jenna as she approached the enchanted ring and watched the werewolves spar. Looking around, she spotted a figure standing on the edge of the ring at what would be two o''clock if she was standing at six. He was dressed in a black hoodie, the hood up over his head, a gray mask covering his face. His hands were in his pocket, and he seemed to be staring at her, though she couldn''t tell for sure.

    The mask had no eyeholes.

    Judging by his height, he was likely around her apparent age. That, or a short adult. As a demigoddess, Jenna aged faster than humans. She was only thirteen and a month, but she was the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old in human age, nearly sixteen.

    From his description, he was the spatial mage that she had wanted to fight against. A teleporter who could also distort space in front of him, using a mix of those to move in close to his target, prevent them or their attacks from drawing too close, and to strike at his opponents.

    If he was as good as the rumors claimed, then he might be suitable for her needs. Once she fought him, she would know. She only hoped she''d be able to converse with him after to try to recruit him.

    Jenna frowned as she realized the mind mage wasn''t around. The pair usually showed up together, everyone had said. That was one thing that had been clear to her: they were friends or brothers. One or the other, but both showed up together ever since a month or so prior.

    It was the mind mage she really wanted to befriend. He was a demigod too, which meant he was surely powerful.

    Before Jenna knew it, the brawling matches were over and it was time for the mages to start. She waited through three fights, then stepped into the arena, realizing only once she was facing the wind mage that Eden''s apparent gaze had never left her.

    So he''d heard of her reputation and come to watch. It was time to show him what she was made of.

    As soon as the referee called the match''s start, Jenna dodged to the side, flames bursting from her feet to propel her forward. She jumped back towards the wind mage, striking at him in the side with a flame-covered fist before following it up with a kick to his stomach, her flames increasing the speed.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The wind mage was thrown into the barrier and collapsed. She flicked her hand out, and a whip of flames burst forth, snapping into the wind mage''s meager wind shield, piercing through it and striking him against the face.

    He was out.

    Four more matches went similarly, Jenna not losing one, and then the spatial mage entered the arena. The two of them faced off, and as soon as the match began, Jenna darted to the side, intending to jump up into the air this time to avoid his teleportation.

    Instinct alone drove her to raise up her arms and twist in the direction she was moving, and that saved her from the punch that struck at her, throwing her back. As she used her flame strike spell to control her fall and landing, Jenna thrust out her hand, throwing several fireballs as Eden.

    Immediately, she knew she''d failed. He simply distorted the space so that her attacks diverted around her. She summoned up several flame whips as she ran to the side, barely avoiding another teleport. Flicking her whips, Jenna found them affected by distorted space as he charged forward, the distorted space allowing him to reach her in half a second.

    Jenna summoned her blazing aura, causing flames to whip and flash around her, only to be struck in the head before they could fully form. She stumbled back, raising a hand to block the next strike as she pulled on her aura again, only to find a fist striking into her gut, breaking her focus.

    A hand chopped into the back of her neck, and she dropped to the ground, blackness filling her vision.

    When Jenna woke, she found herself in the medical section of the warehouse, a section separated by a few dividers with a couple of beds and a blood mage who specialized in healing.

    "Ow," she rubbed her stomach. "He didn''t hold back."

    "You don''t, either," the blood mage snorted. "At least you didn''t have any injuries that needed treating."

    "Is he still here?"

    "He''s on a match," the mage nodded. "You were only out for a couple of minutes."

    Jenna hurried out of the section, rubbing her throbbing forehead as she pushed her way through the crowd so she could watch Eden fight, arriving just in time to witness him throw to the ground an earth mage she''d fought the night before.

    Eden fought three more mages, not a single one of whom lasted more than ten seconds against his distorted space. In fact, Jenna was pretty sure all of their fights were shorter than hers, which she was pretty sure only lasted around seven or eight seconds, at most.

    He really was as good as he was rumored to be.

    When no one else wanted to match against Eden, the referee called the night, and everyone went to collect their winnings. Jenna hurried to reach the counter, collecting her envelope before stepping to the side to watch for Eden.

    "You seem to be waiting for Eden," a voice said from beside Jenna, causing her to jump. "Mind telling me why?"

    "I don''t think I have to answer you," she glanced at the boy, who was probably a year younger than her.

    He seemed nerdy to her, with a rather skinny frame, medium-length blond hair, amber eyes, glasses, and an anime tee under his jacket, skinny jeans, and sneakers.

    "You can look all you want," the boy said as she turned her gaze back to the crowd, watching for Eden. "But he teleported to the counter to collect his winnings. He''s already left for the night. It''s pretty normal for him, though he''s in particular hurry tonight. I was honestly surprised to see him here."

    "I don''t believe you," Jenna snorted. "Who are you, anyway?"

    "Just a watcher," the boy said. "You look through the crowd every night, and you fight. You''ve also subtly asked about Eden and Cam every night, though you most talk about the strongest here. Why do you wish to fight with the strongest? And why, after fighting one of them, do you wish to talk with him, as you seem to want?"

    "I don''t believe that''s your business," she said. "What''s your name?"

    "In the end, what is a name?" He asked. "It is simply something we call ourselves to identify ourselves by. Some people prefer not to be identified, and thus, don''t use such things. I happen to know a way to contact Eden. A specific person, the only one I know of who has his number."

    "I still don''t believe you," she said. "And I''m not going to answer your question."

    The nerd shrugged, then waited beside Jenna. She kept her frustration concealed, keeping on the mask of business and authority. She was not beneath anyone there, she was above them. She had to believe that, because it was the only way she could find people to help her.

    When it became evident that Eden was not, in fact, there, Jenna realized the nerd had been right about that. He was still waiting, even though it had been half an hour, as if he expected her to answer his questions.

    "What do you want?" Jenna asked him.

    "Answers," he shrugged. "There are only a couple of people left. Why don''t you and I spar?"

    "Why would I do that?" She asked. "And I''m pretty sure the owner of the arena wouldn''t like that."

    "I have full confidence in my ability to fight you," he answered. "And the owner of the warehouse sometimes allows unsanctioned matches after everyone leaves. The runes on the ground won''t wear out from that. I''ve already gotten permission to fight with you."

    "And why would I do that?" Jenna asked. "You didn''t answer that."

    "Me believing I can best you isn''t proof enough?"

    "Tonight," she said. "Four people believed they could best me. All four fell quickly."

    "Did they?" The nerd asked. "In other arenas, you might be right. But this arena? It contains some of the strongest magicians in Tejina. It also contains some of the weakest or bravest. Many who fight against the nigh-unbeatable or the unbeatable are, in fact, doing so just for the experience. They see it as training ¨C or a badge of courage. To have fought against someone they know they have no chance against, yet still did their best against, is something they take pride in.

    "Tonight," he continued. "Eden faced off against eight mages. Of them, you were the only one not doing so knowing that they would lose. The other seven all knew they would lose against him, and in only seconds, too. The only person who has bested him in a match so far has been Cam."

    Jenna stared at the nerd. She hadn''t even considered the possibility that she was fighting people who knew they would lose. At first, she wanted to dismiss him, but his comment about Eden''s matches made her realize that people really did do that.

    It was the only explanation she could come up with for why people would fight against someone who had a reputation of losing only to a specific magician over several months of fighting. Over more than a thousand matches against hundreds of mages.

    "You still haven''t answered my question," she folded her arms across her chest. "Why would I fight you?"

    "If you defeat me," he said. "I''ll let you know how to contact Eden, if the person will put you into contact with him. I''m sure he will, though, depending on your reason. And if I defeat you, you will answer my questions."

 02-003

    Chapter Three.

    "What are the win conditions?" Jenna asked.

    She was confident she could beat the nerd in a match, and if she did, he would give her the way to contact Eden. She needed a strong mage and wasn''t going to pass up the chance to try to recruit one.

    "Knockout or yield," he answered, looking at the clerk behind the counter. "We''ll be using the arena. Let Adam know for me, please."

    "Will do," the clerk nodded.

    "Adam?" Jenna asked as the nerd made his way across the empty warehouse to the arena. It was just them, the referee, the bouncers, the healer, and the clerk he had spoken to. "Who''s that? The owner?"

    "Yes," the nerd answered, entering the arena ring and taking a spot. "Attack whenever you''re ready. In a real fight, you don''t wait for someone to call it. To give you a chance, I won''t attack until you do."

    Jenna snorted as she entered the arena, then assessed the boy. He was cocky, arrogant. There wasn''t a chance he could beat her, though ¨C she was a demigoddess and he possessed no divine aura. She didn''t, either, but she had an amulet from her father that concealed it without weakening her.

    Deciding to change her usual strategy from darting to the side using flaming strikes to propel herself, Jenna thrust her hands forward, summoning up fireballs and throwing them at the boy. He watched, his stance remaining cocky, as the fireballs soared at him.

    He''s not even bothering to dodge! She laughed mentally. My fireballs have broken through a nephilim''s shields before! Moron!

    Her fireballs passed through the boy, who faded away.

    "Oops," he said from the side, and she jumped, lashing out with a flaming whip at where he was, only to find it passing through him, though he didn''t fade away that time. "That''s better."

    Jenna charged at him, lashing out with a flaming foot, only to find it passing through him.

    "You''re really simple, you know that, right?"

    This time, the voice came from behind her, and she struck, only to find him standing there as well. Jenna looked between the two nerds. They were identical.

    "Illusions," she growled.

    "They''re my specialty," he responded. "The only chance you have is to hit my real body. Perhaps one of these is it, perhaps it''s hidden somewhere. But I promise it''s in the ring. I''m not a cheater."

    "What happened to not making a move until I did?"

    "Ah," he held up a finger. "I said I wouldn''t attack until you did. I never said anything about not making a move first. I created the illusion to conceal myself and to fool you into thinking I was still walking forward when I entered the arena. You don''t wait for the opponent to make the first move in a fight. That will cost you."

    A fist slammed into Jenna''s back, and she let out a gasp as she kicked backwards, only to find her foot passing through air. He was already gone.

    She summoned up her blazing aura once more to ensure he couldn''t draw close to her, then began shooting fireballs all over the arena. He wasn''t a demigod, which meant he couldn''t be older than he looked, maybe a couple of years older if he had good genes. There wasn''t a chance he could dodge all of her attacks.

    Several minutes passed, but none of her attacks connected. New illusions appeared, though she spared the images of the nerd only a fireball. Growling, Jenna summoned up a pair of thick whips of fire and spun around, letting them lash out across the arena as she moved around. The whips struck the ground, the air, and the walls of the arena, but never touched the boy.

    Jenna growled after several minutes of spinning. She was growing dizzy and needed to stop, so she did, thrusting her hands out. Fire blasted out, flames burning all around and filling the arena.

    "Good job," a voice said in her ear. "But you''ll need to do better than that to defeat me. You see, despite my skinny frame, I''m actually quite athletic. My dad insisted on gymnastics as I grew up, and under these baggy clothes is a lean body of athletic reflex. It wasn''t hard to evade your attacks."

    "My flames didn''t seem affected when they hit you," she growled. "There''s no way you evaded the projected flames."

    "Ah, yes," he chuckled. "That was fun to pass through. Quite hot, Jenna. But you see, you forgot that I''m an illusion mage. I simply made it seem like your projected fire was unbroken as it passed around me."

    "Where are you?" She scanned the arena despite knowing her gaze wouldn''t catch sight of him. "You can''t touch me as long as my blazing aura is active, and I can last a long time. Much longer than some illusion mage''s spell."

    "Are you sure about that?" His voice came from the right that time, and she lashed out with her whip, a fireball, and a projection of fire. "Nice try, but you missed again."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    This time, he was further right of there, causing Jenna to growl. He was moving as soon as he spoke.

    "Yes, I''m sure," she said. "There isn''t a chance your mana pool can compare to mine."

    "No," he said, his voice on the far side of the arena. "I meant about me not touching you."

    A foot connected with the side of her head, and Jenna blacked out.

    Kris snorted as he undid the illusion surrounding himself. He wasn''t just a light mage, but also touched into air magics, one of its neighboring schools. He used the power of wind to divert her flames around him while using an illusion to make it look like her fire was unbroken as well as to protect his foot and leg from her blazing aura.

    Admittedly, it had taken a lot of his immense mana pool to protect himself, but with his father being the son of a High God, he''d inherited a bit of that high amount of mana.

    Shaking himself, Kris sat on the ground and waited for the demigoddess to wake up. He knew what she was, even if she was concealing her aura. His father had taught him about those amulets, and Kris had seen it briefly a few nights before.

    Jenna didn''t take long to wake, and Kris smiled.

    "We had an agreement," he reminded her as she sat up. "Why don''t you answer my questions? Why are you looking for the strongest mages around?"

    "A friend of mine is in trouble," she told him. "I need strong mages to help me rescue him. Not weaklings like the fighters here, but people like you, me, and Eden. And Cam, if his reputation is what is claimed."

    "It is," Kris said. "Cam is the son of a god, and he has a lone school. That, alone, makes him powerful. And that''s before factoring in which god in particular is his father. Cam''s main weapon in combat is performing a mental ram against the opponent''s mind. Without any mental defenses, they will be knocked out immediately, unless they have a strong will. Then, they might manage a few moments."

    "Will you introduce me to the person who can contact Eden?" She asked.

    "No," he answered. "I don''t trust your story. Why should I believe you that a friend''s in danger? How do I know you aren''t trying to lure Eden into a trap? Or Cam? See, it''s Cam I''m concerned about. He''s powerful, and he''s sought after by god, angel, nephilim, hunter, and slaver alike."

    "But," he stood up. "If you come here on Monday night, I will let you know if Eden will consider talking with you about your supposed need. If I''m wearing a red shirt, he will approach you after the matches are over. If I''m wearing a blue shirt, forget it. If I''m wearing a green shirt, run as far away as you can."

    Kris brushed off his pants, then turned and left, wrapping an illusion around himself as he made his way home. He''d only lived there a couple of months, ever since his dad randomly announced they were moving there.

    His father had learned that he had a brother living in this town and had wanted to meet him, resulting in the sudden move. His father had a brother, not Kris.

    Kris had frowned when he''d found out who the brother was. Who his uncle was. He didn''t like the idea of his uncle being younger than him, but he was.

    It was a friend of his, too. Someone who had run away from foster care three years prior. Ambrosius Caldwell, now calling himself Cameron. Cam, for short.

    He was happy that Cam was doing well. His friend and uncle seemed to be having fun in the arenas, before he''d gone missing because of the Fairy Empress kidnapping him at the underground mage auction.

    Then there was the battle. Kris and his father had taken part in it, though his father didn''t have access to his divinity. He''d asked Ulrima to keep it bound, so that he could continue living a normal life.

    As normal of one as he had.

    The High God had respected that request, much to the surprise of his son.

    Despite that, Kris''s father had still fought hard, taking out six Fairy Lords and a Fairy Queen during the battle at the forest. Kris had managed to kill a Fairy Lord, too, though his sleep was still bothered by it.

    It had only been a week, after all, and he was only fourteen, even if he was nearly fifteen.

    Letting out a sigh, Kris let himself into his house as he wondered how Jenna was doing.

    She was pretty, he thought.

    And indeed, she was pretty ¨C pretty mad, that was.

    Jenna had lost not once but twice that night. It reminded of when her brother was taken. She had barely managed to flee and save herself, and had felt helpless against the people who had taken him. She had figured out who had taken him and where he''d been taken to, but was unable to infiltrate the place. That was why she needed help.

    Odds were, her brother wasn''t there anymore. But if they raided that place, they might find information on where he was moved to. The problem was that the government wouldn''t attack a place like that on the word of a girl, and she wasn''t powerful enough by herself to take it on.

    That was why she had begun fighting in the mage arenas. They were underground, and participated by people already under the law. Several of them had likely fought mage traffickers before, and many of them probably had reason to go up against them.

    But over the last few months, she had yet to find someone powerful enough who could truly be considered someone who could fight against the traffickers. Someone who could take them on with her.

    Jenna stood, then made her way to the apartment. She''d bullied the complex''s owner into letting her stay there indefinitely and covering the bills. He was a magic smuggler, and she had leverage on him.

    Jenna stripped off her hoodie and pulled the tie out of her hair, letting it fall across her shoulders as she threw herself onto her bed, tears streaming out of her eyes.

    "Wait a little bit longer, Ty," she cried. "Please wait a bit longer for me to come to you."

    She prayed to any god who would listen that the nerd would put her into contact with Eden, and that he and Cam would be willing to help her rescue her brother. When she initially prayed to him asking for help rescuing Tyler, he said that he didn''t care what happened to them, so if she wanted him back, she''d have to do it on her own.

    She then cursed the gods for their lack of care. Their father only cared about how much chaos and destruction they caused.

    Well, if it''s chaos and destruction he wants, then he''ll find it when I have allies who''ll help me take on those traffickers.

    Jenna sat up and rubbed her eyes. If the nerd came through for her, then it might be sooner. If the spatial mage and mind mage refused, she could always go to the vampire in the Blood. There were rumors he despised traffickers, especially if they went after children.

    That he''d killed or chased out every mage trafficker in his domain.

    If she went to him, she''d agree to whatever his price was for his help. As long as she got her other half back, she would be fine. They were a team, she and Tyler, and together was when they were the most powerful.

    In fire and ice, their enemies were destroyed. Their powers complimented, augmented, and amplified each other''s. They had thought they were unstoppable until that ambush a few months prior.

    Jenna burst into sobs again. She really wanted her brother back, and that night had reminded her of just how weak she really was.

 02-004

    Chapter Four.

    Kris hummed as he entered the Jules Arcade. It hadn''t taken him long to track down someone that matched what he thought Ambrosius ¨C Cameron ¨C probably looked like to that place. He hadn''t been there since the attacks, but Kris was confident his uncle would eventually show up.

    First, he made his way over to the snack center and ordered some nachos with extra cheese sauce and some meat in addition to a root beer float, then took his food and sat down, digging in.

    As usual the last few Saturday''s he''d been there ¨C and Sundays, too ¨C there was a fidgety boy who looked to be around sixteen or seventeen. He had dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a lean build, and was dressed in a dark green tee, black cargo pants, and a light jacket left partially unzipped.

    The teen, as usual, was fidgeting in his seat, constantly rearranging some napkins on the table. Some of the kids thought he was weird, especially since he wasn''t the first kid to fidget with napkins like that ¨C and every time one stopped showing up, the other started up again.

    That teen was connected to his uncle, Kris knew. According to the other kids, every single kid who fidgeted around like that had been seen playing games with Cameron there.

    Kris rolled his eyes. The others should''ve realized that it''s the same kid over and over. There was no way it wasn''t, and only kids with magic could enter the arcade. It was enchanted specifically so that only mages could notice it and enter without permission or guidance from someone else.

    Every single kid there was a magician, and he was pretty sure most of them knew about the lone schools. It was something most mages heard about early into their lives as mages. Being able to learn even a single spell in one of the lone schools automatically put someone above most others in terms of status.

    He wasn''t sure why the shift mage constantly changed his form, but he didn''t question it. What he did know was that the shift mage was talented, connected to his uncle in some way, and even more fidgety then than he had been in the past.

    Once Kris finished eating, he took care of his trash, and instead of going to a game to play something, he walked over to the shift mage''s table and stood across from him.

    "Can you put me into contact with Cameron?" He asked.

    "Who?" The shift mage asked, suspicion immediately filling his eyes and expression.

    Kris could tell the mage was ready to attack at a moment''s notice. It was confirmation that he knew the light mage''s uncle, and told Kris that there was a level of protectiveness there as well.

    "Cameron," he answered. "I know you''re connected to him. You''re a shift mage, and a good one. I don''t know why you keep changing your forms. But I know that you''re connected to Cameron. I wanted to talk with him about something."

    "Why do you think I''m a shift mage?"

    "The others might be oblivious," Kris gestured to the napkins. "But no matter which form you''re in, you have a tendency to constantly rearrange anywhere from eight to eighteen napkins on the table when you''re here. It''s kind of an obvious tell for someone with an attention for detail, and my father''s trained me to pay attention to detail. It helps with my illusions."

    The teen sighed, then opened his mouth to speak.

    "KRIS!"

    The light mage barely had time to register the squeal before something rammed into him, tackling him to the ground. When he twisted to look at the attacker, he found himself looking into the familiar dark blue gaze of Ambrosius.

    "Ambro!" He wrapped his arms around his uncle. "I heard someone with your description was hanging around this place, and I just knew it had to be you. Jeez, you''ve barely grown since I last saw you!"

    Kris immediately felt something strike against his mental barriers, then saw Cameron''s eyes widen.

    "You have mental shields!" He exclaimed. "Though they didn''t keep me from sensing your mind. How''d you learn to do that? The voices say your dad''s my brother. That makes me your uncle. What are you doing here? The voices said you live here now. No, I''m not-stop that! Jeez."

    "What?" Kris asked. "The voices?"

    "Yeah," Cameron''s face was crimson as he climbed off of Kris. "Don''t listen to them, they don''t know what they''re talking about and I was not in that position so I could look up her skirt, so stop suggesting that before I start screeching again."

    "Please don''t," the shift mage said as Cameron helped Kris to his feet.

    "I heard you go by Cameron now," Kris told Cameron.

    "Yeah," his uncle nodded. "But you can call me Cam, most people do now. Hush, no one asked you. Well, I don''t think Nathaniel''s a cool name, so I''m not going by it. It''s my middle name! I hate my real name. Yeah, well, she''s a bitch."

    "Is this¡­ normal?" Kris asked the shift mage.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "Yes," a voice responded, and Kris jumped, looking at the mage standing beside him.

    This mage was around his age, so around fifteen or so, with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a jacket, jeans, and sneakers, and something in his stance warned Kris not to mess with him.

    Kris might have been trained by a demigod, but whoever this person was, they were outright deadly and possessed an aura of badassary.

    "Cam, you''re talking to the voices in your head again," the mage said, and Cameron shrugged, then stuck his tongue out. "What was that for?"

    "I forgot they can''t see me?" Cam offered, causing the mage and the shift mage to laugh. "What? It''s true! Did you tie Callum up outside?"

    "I am not going to even try to tie him up," the mage shook his head as the shift mage laughed. "So who''s this? You said something about the voices saying he was your nephew?"

    "Yeah," Cam tilted his head at Kris, who felt uncomfortable as he noticed Cam''s right ear twitching. "According to the voices, his father''s my brother from my father. Once he heard that he had a brother here, he moved here to see if he could meet him. He''s not aware it''s me, though. Not unless Kris told him?"

    "No," Kris shook his head. "I told him that I heard rumors that you were in town, but that it was only because of someone matching your description was here. You''re a mind mage? I felt you attack my mind."

    "You''re a mind mage?" Cam asked. "It''s not normal for demigod''s children to inherit their specialty."

    "No," Kris shook his head. "I''m a light mage who specializes in illusions. I can also do some wind magic, mostly to create barriers to protect myself and make it sound like I''m talking somewhere within twenty feet of me. Dad''s trained me hard since I woke my magic up when I was, like, seven. The mind barrier comes from his training, too ¨C he didn''t want me to be prone to having my thoughts read or being compulsed in some form."

    "Good," Cam nodded. "We''ve been working on getting Eden protected against that."

    "Eden?" Kris looked at the mage standing protectively beside Cam. "Wait. Are you the Eden from the arenas?"

    "I knew you looked familiar," Eden snapped his fingers and pointed at Kris. "I''ve seen you at the arena the last few weeks."

    "I was hoping to see Cam," Kris nodded. "It''s been a few years since he ran away, and we were good friends before then. Where''d he go?"

    Kris looked around in confusion, realizing that Cam had disappeared at some point.

    "He''s getting food," the shift mage answered. "I suppose you know him, he doesn''t tackle just anyone. He seems to like you, too, judging by that squeal."

    Kris ignored that and looked for Cam, spotting him at the counter listing off a bunch of things he wanted.

    "I''m Adam," the shift mage said, and Kris looked at him, frowning. "The mage who owns the warehouse. I''m assuming that means something to you? I''ve seen you around a few times, too. I''m assuming you''re the one who sparred with her last night after everyone had gone?"

    "Yes," Kris admitted. "I didn''t like her attitude, and if Cam was Ambro, then I wanted to make sure he was protected. I don''t trust her."

    "I can read her mind, if you want."

    "She wants something with Cam?" Eden asked.

    Kris looked between the two of them, realizing that they had both tensed up when he mentioned Cam in the same sentence as her. They were both protective of his uncle.

    "She wants something with you, too," Kris told Eden. "She''s looking for strong mages for¡­ something. She said a friend was in trouble and she needed powerful mages to help. She''d been trying to get information about the strongest mages in the arena since she showed up after the battle."

    "I''ve already done some digging," Adam said as Cam returned to the table with a massive slushy, sitting down and shoving the napkins away. "She''s been to several other arenas over the last few months, looking for a new one every two or three weeks. She''s always nudged around for information about the strongest, and after fighting all of them there, moves on to the next."

    "Who?" Cam asked, then started drinking his slushy, sucking like there was no tomorrow and no worry of brainfreeze.

    "Stop that," Eden pulled the slushy away from Cam. "You''re going to get a brainfreeze again."

    "I like brainfreezes," Cam said. "Sometimes, I imagine it''s what it''s like to have my battering ram attacking me."

    "I can simulate it if you want," Adam told him.

    "No, thanks!" Cam quickly responded. "Callum said you''d probably just knock me out by accident."

    Kris wanted to ask who Callum was, but was pretty sure he wouldn''t receive an answer to that question. At first, he''d thought they were a dog, since Cam had mentioned tying him up, but then it sounded like Cam had actually spoken with Callum.

    And he doubted a dog would say something about knocking someone out.

    "So who are you talking about?" Cam asked.

    "A girl who showed up at the arena after the battle," Eden sat down, then looked at Kris, who did the same. "She''s a fire mage, and a pretty talented one. I fought her yesterday. She lasted the longest of my foes, though still fell. In the arena, you''re still the only one to best me."

    "She''s been asking about the strongest in the arena," Kris said. "And got interested in you two. She tried ambushing you at the counter for winnings, but you''d already collected them and left. I fought her last night."

    "How''d it go?" Cam asked. "I wanna fight you."

    "He won," Adam answered. "He mixed illusions and wind magic to protect himself against her and strike. He knocked her out with a precise blow, too. With your capabilities and his inability to conceal his mind so far, you''d probably still win, even if he used all of his power. The clerk said you''d agreed to contact Eden if she beat you. I''m assuming you meant by approaching me today?"

    "Yeah," Kris admitted. "I didn''t expect to meet Eden and Cam here. She lost, though, so I don''t have to do that. She had to answer my questions instead. All I got was that she wanted to help her friend, who was in trouble, and that she needed strong mages for that."

    "Callum can probably find out more," Cam offered.

    "No," Adam started arranging the napkins again. "Callum is meant to protect you, that''s why your father freed him from the prison. Other than training you two, I''m returning to the shadows to run the warehouse. The big battle and everything took a lot out of me. I''d rather just deal with my warehouse.

    "If someone''s poking around," he continued. "Looking for my strongest fighters, it''s my duty to check to see what''s going on. I''ll talk with her about things and see what she says."

    "Okay," Cam looked relieved to Kris, then looked at Kris as his order is placed on the table. "Once I finish eating, play a few games, and finish my training session with Adam today, want to go to the warehouse and spar?"

    "Cam," Eden said. "Are you sure you''re ready for that?"

    "I wanna see how I do against Kris," Cam looked nervous to Kris. "I can''t be scared forever. I need to be strong, like you. I-I need to stop being scared of fighting again. Maybe then the nightmares will go away."

    "Nightmares?" Kris asked.

 02-005

    Chapter Five.

    "You know he calls you ''violent chick'', right?" Greyson asked.

    The thirteen-year-old nephilim was glaring at his fourteen-year-old sister. Though they were related by blood, most people didn''t see the relation between them. Greyson had sandy-blond hair and brown eyes, while Kayla had dark brown hair and amber eyes. When comparing them next to each other, most failed to see any similarities.

    This more than likely stemmed from Greyson''s father, who was believed to be an Archangel named Refari. More often than not, nephilim took after their angelic parents more than their mortal ones.

    The differences in their personality were almost as obvious as the differences in their hair, too. Greyson had run away from home after their parents misunderstood something, and he patched up a werewolf most nights after the werewolf fought for money. Kayla, on the other hand, wandered the streets of Tejina, looking for even word of where Greyson was, beating up any criminal she found or any person who tried getting in her way.

    Up until Greyson found out and went after her to tell her to knock it off. He hadn''t planned on coming home at that time, but when Blake, the werewolf, died, he changed his mind.

    It was one of those incidents ¨C the one that caused Greyson to approach her ¨C that earned her the nickname ''violent chick'' by Cam, the very boy she had just asked Greyson if she could meet.

    "Please," Kayla asked. "I know you''ve got a way to contact him. I just want to make sure he''s alright."

    "You just want to try and ask him out on a date," Greyson jabbed the spoon he was eating with at her. "All you''ve done since I returned is pester me to let you talk with him and for information about him. Leave him alone. He just got back from being kidnapped by the Fairy Empress. He''s traumatized. Now shut up, I''m almost done with lunch, and Father said he was taking me to one of their mage training fields so that I can stretch my wings."

    Kayla sighed and Greyson returned to eating his lunch of honey nut Cheerios in chocolate milk. When he finished, he washed his dishes, then located his father in the study. Not his birth father, but the man he grew up knowing as his father, Lucas Tules.

    Greyson was still wary of his parents, as they had said some pretty harsh things about him when they thought he was gay and had raised him on a strict schedule and training program. He wasn''t gay, though, just curious what it was about. He was barely twelve at the time, and just interested because a friend had said he''d loved another of their male friends.

    That was the straw that broke the camel''s back for him, and he ran away, spending months on the streets. There, he''d learned to control his magics and met Blake and Cam, his two first real friends. Blake, the werewolf martial artist, and Cam, the demigod mind mage.

    All of that came crashing down when the fairies attacked the warehouse and Blake was killed. That launched into sequence a series of events resulting in the death of the Fairy Empress and Fairy Emperor, the unbinding of Cam''s divinity, and Greyson''s family learning he was a nephilim.

    Something he was proud of. He had wings, after all.

    "Father," Greyson entered his father''s home office. "You said we would go to the fields after I ate lunch."

    Lucas Tules sat at his desk, frowning at a report he was reading. His father was the head of the Anti-Fae Task Force section of the Department of Supernatural Services, and in the wake of the fight, he was largely uninvolved in events.

    Fairies couldn''t just open portals on their own, and so he had to wait until something happened. The department was still relevant until they confirmed that the fairy threat was neutralized, but there wasn''t much work for them to do.

    "Do you know a girl named Jessica Holmes?" Lucas asked his son. "She attends your school, and judging by the reddening of your cheeks, you do?"

    "Yeah," Greyson said. "She''s one of my friends."

    And his crush.

    "Why is she in one of your reports?" He asked.

    "It seems some traffickers went after her."

    "But she''s not a mage!" Greyson exclaimed.

    "Not mage traffickers," Lucas shook his head. "These ones work the sex trade. Going after her awakened her magic, though. It looks like her root spell is the force push from the force school of magic.

    "Two agents," Lucas continued. "Are currently watching her. She''s at a small restaurant, and seems to be flighty. We think she''s attempting to avoid being alone after being attacked."

    "What''s going to happen to her?" Greyson asked, worry filling his voice and face.

    "You said she''s one of your friends?" Lucas asked, and Greyson nodded. "Ask her if she wants to hang out. You have her number, yes?"

    "Yeah," Greyson nodded. "But I don''t want to trick her into a trap!"

    "We aren''t," Lucas said. "We want to help her. If she agrees to hang out, we can take her to the fields with us. Having a friend there might relax her with DoSS. We''ll see if she wishes to register that she''s a mage. There are already a pair of agents talking with her parents. According to the report, they took a few minutes to accept the truth of magic after it was demonstrated. Jessica is refusing to answer her phone, though."

    "Let me-let me try," Greyson fumbled in his pocket for his phone before managing to pull it out and call his friend.

    It rang for several seconds before the line picked up.

    "Greyson?" Jess asked quietly.

    "Jess," he said. "Wanna hang out? My parents aren''t so strict on stuff like that with me anymore, and we''ve never hung out before. And I wanna show you something, too."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "I don''t-I don''t know," she sounded scared to him. "These men came after me, Greyson. It''s not safe."

    "It''s okay," Greyson said, doing his best not to tell her right there what he knew. "I can fight. My parents taught me. And my dad works for the government, he''s always got a gun on him. And-and I like you, Jess. Can we?"

    His face heated up with his admission, and he knew he was probably redder than he had ever been before in his life.

    "Um," she hesitated. "Like me?"

    "Yeah," Greyson felt his cheeks flush. "I like you. Like I wanna be your girlfriend. I mean your boyfriend. I want you to be my girlfriend."

    Lucas watched in amusement as his son fumbled over his words. He must really like this girl, as the Greyson he knew was serious, composed, and took no nonsense, never fumbling his words or actions.

    "O-okay," Jess said. "But I''m scared, Greyson. You said your dad works for the government."

    "Yeah," Greyson nodded. "He can look for the bad guys for you if you want. You can tell him what happened."

    "I-thanks," she sniffled. "I''m scared, Greyson."

    "Where are you?" He asked. "We can come talk to you. Then we can hang out. There''s something I wanna show you."

    Jess gave him her location, and Greyson promised to be there soon, telling her to just wait there. Thirty minutes later, Greyson and his father entered the restaurant where Jess was shrunk back in her booth, watching everyone with wide, fear-filled eyes.

    "Hey, Jess," Greyson rushed over to her as soon as he spotted his friend. "You''re okay!"

    "Yeah," she pulled herself out of the booth and threw her arms around him. "I''m so scared, Greyson. So much happened, and-"

    "Shh," he rubbed her back. "It''s okay, Jess. You''re okay. Father and I are here, now. You''re going to be okay. Father said that he already talked with your parents, you can come hang out with me for a bit. We were going to go to some fields and do some training. I wanna show you something."

    "Martial arts?" She asked.

    "If you want," Greyson said, leading her out of the restaurant, his father following behind. "Come on, it''s going to be cool."

    Jess looked around nervously as Greyson led her to his father''s car, relaxing only once they were on the way. Greyson kept hold of one of her hands, squeezing it gently anytime she started sniffling. He didn''t like it when she was upset like that.

    An hour later, they were out of town and along a well-worn dirt road passing through some trees. Another half an hour after that, they were pulling into a field where a couple of men were waiting.

    Greyson noticed Jess beginning to turn scared again.

    "It''s okay," Greyson gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "They work for Father."

    "They work for a different department," Lucas told his son. "Trainers are under a different section."

    "You''re still a Department Head," Greyson rolled his eyes, then climbed out of the car and walked around to Jess''s side. "Come on, Jess. I wanna show you something cool. You''re going to love it, I promise."

    Jess gave him a hesitant look, but accepted his outstretched hand. They were already there, so if the meeting was a trap, it was too late to turn back. Greyson closed the door behind her, then walked towards the men, his father following behind.

    There was a table set up, Jess noticed, and a few training dummies that looked like they had seen better days. Holes, cuts, and burns, with several of them missing entire chunks.

    "Tr-training?" She asked.

    "Yeah," Greyson pulled his hoodie over his head and dropped it on the table. He hadn''t worn a shirt underneath, so this left him bare-chested, allowing Jess to see his densely-muscled torso, which she knew came from thirteen years of intense martial arts training. "You ready to see it?"

    "Aren''t you cold?" She shivered a little, pulling her jacket a little more tightly around her. "It''s freezing out here!"

    "Not really," Greyson shrugged. "I can regulate my body temperature by manipulating the blood within me. I''m perfectly fine. Do you want to see it now?"

    "See¡­ what?" She asked, and he grinned at her.

    It was the first real grin she had ever seen him show, and she barely had time to process it when a pair of magnificent, white-feathered wings stretched out of his back.

    Greyson felt his grin widened when he saw Jess''s awe-filled gaze. Nephilim wings were among the most beautiful things in existence when ignoring straight-up divine things and gods. Showing her his wings was definitely the way to go to impressing her, now that she knew about magic. It would also help relax her a lot more knowing that she had a friend she could confide in about her powers.

    He flapped his wings, flying straight up into the air. It wasn''t an easy thing to do, but an art he''d begun working on a few months prior. His wings had an innate magic to them that augmented his flight when he wanted it to, though he could also fly without that magic.

    For several minutes, he flew around, stretching his wings in comfort with the knowledge that the fields were magically protected from outside sight. No one would see him flying who wasn''t in the large clearing that was several hundred yards around.

    The teen loved the feeling of the wind on his face, even if it had an arctic bite to it. To him, there was nothing better than soaring through the sky, free as any bird.

    Other than hanging out with his real friends, anyway.

    Greyson flew back down to Jess, landing a few feet in front of her, his face red from the thrill and excitement of flying freely.

    "You-you-you have wings!" Jess exclaimed.

    "Yep!" He grinned as he tucked his wings against his back. "I''m a nephilim ¨C my birth father''s an angel. Father''s only my step-dad. But he''s still my father. Father works for the Department of Supernatural Services, they deal with magicians. Mages, you''re called."

    "I''m?" Jess asked, then felt her eyes widen. "You¡­ know?"

    "Yeah," he nodded. "There were a couple of agents keeping an eye on you while you were at the restaurant. That''s why Father had me call you. Your parents already know-"

    "They probably think I''m a freak!" Jess exclaimed in horror.

    "They''ve accepted it," Lucas stepped forward, and Jess gave him a hesitant look. "They agreed to us bringing you out here, even. Some agents already talked to them. Do you want to register yourself as a mage? You''ll be given access to government-assisted training, which is cheaper than finding a teacher for unregistered mages."

    Lucas gave his son a look at that. Greyson had a teacher for unregistered mages, and was unregistered, himself. It wasn''t legally-required to register, but generally recommended for anyone who didn''t intend on joining the underworld.

    Registration gave access to cheaper trainers, shops with cheaper magical supplies, and several other similar benefits. It was generally better in the long run.

    He wanted to pry and find out who his son''s trainer was, but for the moment, he was leaving it be. Doing such a thing would only result in losing some of the trust he''d built up after Greyson asked to come back home.

    "You don''t have to decide right now," Greyson told her. "But I''d recommend it. Their trainers are cheaper. A trainer for unregistered mages can cost a hundred or more an hour. A registered one might cost twenty to forty."

    "The report," Lucas cleared his throat. "Said that you performed a force push. A teacher for that would run around fifteen an hour, and most sessions don''t last more than an hour or two of basic practice."

    "After that," Greyson told her. "It''s mostly just practicing until the spell becomes natural to you. The more you practice, the less magic it''s going to cost to cast and the easier it''ll be. The more you''ll be able to do, too. The only downside to registration is that once you''re an adult, they''ll want you to do work for them when your services are needed, but they''d pay you for it, too."

    "Since you have a common spell," Lucas interjected. "You probably wouldn''t be called up on that often. We generally only do it if someone''s particular skills are needed. If you had a rare ability like my son''s friends do, then you''d probably find yourself called on more often. Which is probably why they refuse to register themselves."

    "Who has magic?" Jess asked Greyson. "We''re not the only ones?"

    "Of our friends?" Greyson asked, and she nodded. "He wasn''t referring to them. I have friends from while I wasn''t at school and stuff. One of them''s a spatial mage and one''s a mind mage. Those are called lone schools of magic, and they''re incredibly rare for anyone to possess, and they were born with them, which is even rarer."

    He grinned at her.

    "Wanna see me fly again?"

 02-006

    Chapter Six.

    "You''re all sweaty," Jess made a face as Greyson landed in front of her after his second flight.

    "Of course I am," he gave her a look that called her stupid. "Flying is the same as any other form of exercise. There are muscles in both the wings and my back that control my flight. It would be like practicing punches in martial arts."

    "It''s not magic?" Jess''s eyes widened. "But it''s freezing out!"

    "Yeah," Greyson rolled his eyes. "It''s freezing out. Because you can go for a half-hour run in the freezing temps and not end up sweaty. A workout is a workout. Just because it''s cold out doesn''t mean your body doesn''t warm up. And there''s some magic involved, but I mostly don''t use the natural flight magics. It feels cooler to fly without."

    Jess stared at his wings for several long moments.

    "They''re so beautiful," she breathed. "Can I touch them?"

    "Sure," Greyson tucked them behind himself.

    He stood stiff as he realized what he''d just said she could do, watching as Jess walked over and gently placed a hand on one of his rings. Immediately, he jumped, jerking away from her.

    "Sorry," he apologized. "I, uh, I''ve never had someone else touch them before, other than when they were broken, and that was to heal them. And, uh, yeah. They weren''t someone like you."

    "Someone like me?" Jess asked as Greyson''s face flushed.

    "Someone I like," he said. "I told you I liked you. You can touch them again."

    Jess gently reached out and touched Greyson''s wing again, and he stiffened up once more, acutely aware of her hand gently touching his feathers and the top of the wing, her hand sliding down and brushing his back for a moment. She apologized as she continued feeling his wing.

    "It feels amazing," she said after several minutes, stepping around so that she was in front of him. His face was redder than she had ever seen it before, and his body was tense. "Are you alright?"

    "Yeah," he said. "So, uh, did you want to register? The mages are here to help you learn the basics if you wanted to. I''m not actually registered, so they don''t teach me. Dad has to use his leverage within the department to allow me to fly around out here. He tells them that it''s that or have a nephilim stretching his wings with a risk of getting caught."

    "You''re unregistered?" She asked. "But your dad works for the government!"

    "It''s not required," Lucas informed her. "And he''s found himself a private magic tutor somewhere."

    "You don''t know?" She raised an eyebrow, looking at her classmate''s father.

    "Erm," Greyson said. "I wasn''t sick when I was gone. I''d run away from home. I found her while I was gone. My parents didn''t know I knew magic existed in reality until one of his agents saw me at an underground mage arena."

    "You do mage fighting?" Jess quickly turned her gaze to him, eyes wide with horror.

    "No!" He exclaimed. "I mean, I can, I learned how to use blood and water as a weapon, but I''ve never participated in the fights. My root magic, like most nephilim, is healing. For me, it''s specifically self-healing. I was healing a werewolf who fought in the brawling section of it up until-he doesn''t go there anymore. Now, I just watch."

    "Why doesn''t he go there anymore?" Jess asked.

    "So do you want to register?" Greyson asked. "They can help you learn how to use your magic properly."

    "Not if you aren''t registered," Jess answered, and Greyson sighed. "What?"

    "The only other thing," he said. "Is to try to learn on your own. There''s no way you''ll be able to learn how."

    "You can''t help me?" She asked.

    "No," Greyson shook his head. "I don''t know force magic. I know blood, water, and enchant magics."

    "Enchant?" Lucas asked, and Greyson realized he''d never told his father all of the magics he knew. "You know enchant magics, too?"

    "Yeah," Greyson admitted. "I use it to enhance my sense of smell. I can already smell blood pretty easily, but when I enhance it, I can detect traces of it in the air. More if someone''s injured. It''s easier for me to tell the difference between people by the smell of their blood when I enhance my sense of smell."

    "I think," Jess hesitated for a moment, and Greyson looked back at her. "I think I''m going to try to figure it out on my own. My parents wouldn''t be able to afford the lessons even if I did. I don''t want to register with the government, if it''s not required."

    "It''s not," Lucas informed her. "However, it''s already been recorded that you''re a magician, and once I give you the rules you need to remember, that will be recorded as well."

    "The rules?" She asked.

    "Primary one," Greyson said. "Don''t reveal it to the mundies ¨C the people who don''t know magic is real. Don''t try to be a superhero, either. The government tends to frown on that. Don''t use your magic to deal with a mundie problem unless it''s absolutely necessary and there''s no other way to save yourself. Basically, don''t do anything that can break the primary one. Other than that, standard laws apply."

    "So the mage arena," she said. "That doesn''t count as an illegal fight ring?"

    "It does," Lucas informed her. "But it''s run by an extremely powerful mage we''d rather not upset, and its main purpose is keeping those mages from fighting each other on the streets, so we let things like that slide as long as they aren''t a problem."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "How powerful?" She asked. "The guy who runs it, I mean."

    "Let''s put it this way," Greyson said. "Fairy Kings and Queens were among the most powerful magical creatures under things like dragons, phoenixes, and gods. There were four of them. He toyed with one of them and twenty Fairy Lords during the Fae Forest Fight a week ago. Toyed with one of them. And he helped to kill the Fairy Emperor, a godlike being. He''s one of the five most powerful mages on the planet."

    "Indeed," Lucas ruffled his son''s hair. "His name is Adam Leosvar, and he''s a natural shift mage ¨C he can change his form at will. It only takes him a few minutes to become a completely different person, and anytime his current identity is revealed, he takes on a new one. He runs the arena for the reason I mentioned before, though it also helps them train themselves and their abilities. Most of the arena''s regulars participated in the Battle of the Fae Forest, and had a large contribution in taking out the lesser fae around."

    Jess took that all in. She wasn''t sure how powerful that was overall, since she was new to the magical world, but the way they talked made her wonder just how powerful this mage really was.

    "Since I''m not registering," she decided to ask. "Am I allowed to be here?"

    "Just until we leave," Lucas answered. "Which should probably be soon, the slot I pulled for Greyson''s flight is almost up."

    He didn''t mention that Greyson would have had a lot more time had they not decided to approach her. Greyson had willingly sacrificed half an hour or more of flight time just to help Jess.

    Greyson nodded, then took off running, extending his wings and taking off into the sky to show off his flight abilities to Jess a little bit more. Once it was time to come down, he did so, unmanifesting his wings and pulling his hoodie back on.

    Lucas drove his son and his son''s friend to a restaurant for dinner, and while they were eating, Greyson told his father he was going to the arena that night, and if it was okay to bring Jess.

    "No," his father said. "There''s always the risk she''d get hurt there, and I''m not taking responsibility for that."

    "The fairies are dealt with," Greyson said. "And Adam''s always there. Plus, I''ll be there, and Eden, and Cam, and the new challenger who''s been kicking ass this last week. And all the other strong fighters. It''s literally one of the most secure places in all of Tejina, Father. At least, while the fights are going on. And Cam said that Adam enchanted the warehouse further to prevent something like the fairies'' attack from happening again. It''s pretty much a fortress, now."

    "Greyson-"

    "No, seriously," Greyson pulled out his phone to show his father the text. "He actually said ''the warehouse is a fortress now! It even has attack wards!'' See!"

    "I''m¡­ not sure how I feel about Leosvar putting attack wards on his warehouse," Lucas said.

    "What''s an attack ward?" Jess asked.

    "If someone attacks the warehouse," Greyson explained. "Like, the actual building itself, the wards will attack back. Cam said that the warehouse will also form a protective bubble if it comes under attack, to make it harder to get inside."

    "That sounds cool," she said.

    "Yeah," Greyson''s expression turned grim. "Adam hadn''t thought such protections were necessary, since only a moron would attack a place like that. Fairies weren''t exactly known for their brains, and they did. A lot of supernats died."

    "Supernats?"

    "The general term," Lucas explained. "For someone in the magical world. Mage, supernatural creature, person who knows but doesn''t have magic yet participates anyway ¨C anything like that. The three of us are supernats, since you and I are mages and Greyson''s a nephilim."

    "What kind of powers do you have?" Jess asked him.

    "I don''t reveal it to many," he answered, then looked at Greyson. "You said Cam was going to be there tonight? He hasn''t been since he was rescued, we thought he would be traumatized for a lot longer. Too much so to attend."

    "Yeah," Greyson nodded. "Apparently, he got reunited with a friend from before he ran away from home, and the friend turned out to be an illusion mage and has been since before Cam ran away. They went to the arena to spar against each other."

    "How often do you text Cam?" Lucas asked.

    "All the time," Greyson answered as his phone beeped. "I like to keep in touch with him."

    Greyson checked his phone, then looked at his father, his face and ears crimson.

    "According to Cam, he''ll only talk to me at the arena tonight if I bring Jess there as if we''re on a date."

    "A date?" Jess asked.

    "He probably figured out I liked you somehow?" Greyson asked. "I guess I have mentioned you a lot since we started texting? He just sent me another text. He said that I have to bring him mozzarella sticks, too."

    Lucas snorted, and reluctantly agreed to bring Jess there after checking to see if her parents were okay with it. They weren''t fond of their daughter attending a mage arena, but Lucas promised that he and one other agent would be present, and that several powerful mages regularly protected the place. After that, they agreed to it, so the trio left the restaurant after buying some mozzarella sticks and two drinks to-go.

    Half an hour later, Lucas pulled up to the warehouse, and watched as his son practically dragged Jess out to introduce her to his friends. He followed closely behind, carrying the food and drinks.

    "No outside refreshments," the bouncer at the door stopped him after letting Greyson and Jess inside.

    "DoSS," Adam flashed his badge at the bouncer. "You''re not stopping me from entering when my son''s in there."

    The bouncer eyed the badge, then let him inside. Lucas entered the arena and approached the ring, where a fourteen-year-old and two figures dressed in hoodies, gloves, and masks were talking with Greyson and Jess, who had charged over.

    "Adam?" Lucas asked the teen.

    "No," the shorter of the two masked figures, whose mask was a dark pink, looked at him.

    There were no eyeholes, which disturbed Lucas. They were enchanted masks, which allowed the wearers to see out of them. Almost illegal, but not quite. It was something Cam and Eden wore from their first fights.

    "This is Kris," the shorter mage said. "He''s my nephew."

    "Hello, Cam," Lucas held out the food, and the young mage took them and gave the sticks to his nephew. "You''re not going to eat them?"

    "Hard to do that with a mask on," came the annoyed response. "Why are you here? Greyson might have forgiven you, but I''m not so quick to forgive, and the voices say I shouldn''t forgive you for what you did to my friend, either."

    "He''s here to make sure Jess is fine," Greyson answered. "Are you fighting tonight? You''re wearing your mask."

    "We''re not fighting tonight," the taller masked figure, Eden, answered. "We''re just wearing the masks because Cam''s weird."

    Because he feels more comfortable wearing it right now when he''s around others, Lucas thought. Especially after what happened to him. Everyone will probably want to approach him about the fight and his accomplishment, and that will scare him. When he puts the mask on, it creates an extra layer of protection for him, mentally.

    Thinking about the fight reminded Lucas of Cam''s overwhelming divine aura, something he couldn''t sense a single trace of.

    "Cam?" He asked. "What happened to your divinity?"

    "I''m wearing an amulet that conceals it," Cam responded. "My uncle makes them. Callum, no peeing on the agent."

    Lucas turned and looked at the dog that had walked up to him. It looked like a German shepherd and chow mix, and had just begun to lift its leg up. The dog huffed, then walked over to Cam''s side, and the young teen placed his hand on the dog''s head.

    The agent only then remembered that the young mage had an ancient demigod cousin guarding him at all times. That warehouse probably was the safest place in the country at the moment.

    And the most dangerous.

    Please don''t let this be a long night.

 02-007

    Chapter Seven.

    Jenna entered the warehouse and made her way around the crowd, walking up towards the arena. As usual, other mages and supernats moved out of her way, a custom for the strongest fighters there.

    She turned her gaze past the vampire fighting the werewolf to focus on Eden, who was present again. Along with a shorter figure dressed the same as him, only in a dark pink mask and with his right hand scratching behind the ears of a dog. Kris was there as well, along with another boy and a girl, the five of them and the dog grouped together, a stern-looking man standing behind the unfamiliar boy.

    Cam, if that was the figure in the dark pink mask, had his gaze fixed on her. She couldn''t see them, but he was definitely staring at her. Jenna wondered if their presence with Kris meant that they had agreed to help her with the situation.

    She rubbed her temples as a headache came on. It felt like something was slowly squeezing her head. There was a massive crowd there, and a lot of magic in the warehouse itself, so it was likely it was just the intense magical pressure around her.

    The headache continued to worsen, and as she decided to step outside for some fresh air, Jenna blacked out, dropping to the ground like a rock. The supernats around her looked at her, one beginning to call for a medic just as Cam appeared beside her.

    The small mage lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder, then teleported back to Eden.

    "I didn''t realize how much magic it takes to teleport with someone," Cam projected to Eden. "Mind teleporting us to your apartment? You said you could do three people, and I think she needs some fresh air."

    "Couldn''t we just leave her here?" Eden asked. "I''m sure the medical mages here will be happy to take care of her."

    "No, no, let''s go back to your apartment."

    Eden sighed, then teleported Cam to his apartment.

    "Why are we kidnapping the girl who wants our help?" Eden asked. "I know you aren''t going to invade her mind for answers."

    "She clearly needs some help," Cam told Eden. "You can go back to the matches, we''ll be fine."

    Eden sighed, then returned to the arena and looked at Lucas Tules, who was staring at him with a questioning gaze.

    "I have no idea," he said. "But that''s the girl we were telling you about, who said her brother was kidnapped by some mage traffickers. Cam must have identified her by her thoughts ¨C she was probably thinking about us. I''m not sure why he knocked her out, though. Or how he did it so easily, he''s had issues controlling his strength ever since he unbound his divinity."

    "He slowly applied pressure to her mind," Callum projected to them. "Until she passed out. I''m returning to the apartment."

    Callum vanished, and Eden sighed.

    "I should probably go, too," he said. "Cam gave you his number, right, Kris?"

    "Yeah," Kris responded. "Thanks. And, uh, good luck."

    "Thanks," Eden teleported back to his apartment and froze.

    Cam had removed his mask and was on the couch, kneeling over Jenna and strangling her as Callum watched from the dog bed he''d acquired to sleep on.

    "-were you thinking, leaving me alone in the night like that?" Cam ranted. "I could have been killed! You''re lucky I had the voices around to guide me, or I''d have probably starved again! Where''s Tyler, so I can strangle him, too?"

    "Shouldn''t you stop him?" Eden asked Callum.

    "He''s not actually hurting her too badly," Callum huffed. "And it''s not my job to protect others from him, just him from others and teach him how to use his magic. Besides, I think his father would have my hide if I interfered in his son''s love life."

    Eden froze as he heard those words from Callum, slowly turning his gaze back to Jenna, who was wrestling Cam''s hands off her throat. Then he processed what Cam had said ¨C she''d disappeared on him during that night. And what little he''d gotten out of his roommate was that he and his crush had not parted on good terms.

    Was this the girl that Cam had a crush on?

    Jenna eventually managed to stop Cam from strangling her, though he continued to sit on her stomach, folding his arms across his chest and glaring down at her.

    "You go by Cam now?"

    "Yes," he answered. "Now where''s Ty so I can beat him up, too?"

    "That''s-" she started to sniffle. "Ty got kidnapped by some mage traffickers. I barely managed to escape, Jared. I''ve been looking for strong mages ever since to help me. I tried going to DoSS, but they wouldn''t take the word of a girl. It''s been a few months now, and I''m so scared. You''re said to be one of the strongest mages in that arena, Jared. And your two friends kicked my ass. Can you-can you get them to help me? Help us rescue him?"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Tyler was what?" Cam nearly went hysterical. "Where? How long ago? When? Why? Who?"

    "I don''t know," she answered. "I know the place they took him to, but he''s not there now. If I can just get enough powerful mages, we can get them to tell us where he is. We can rescue Ty. Please, Jared, please help me."

    "Alright," Cam said. "We''re going to rescue him. Eden, you''re helping. Callum, please help?"

    "But-" Eden began.

    "No," Cam climbed off of Jenna and went into the kitchen. "Ty and Jenna are twins. Their father is Lelmaris, the High God of chaos and destruction. Their powers work together. In a sense, they''re eternally linked. And they''re my friends. And one of them was kidnapped."

    "I thought they smelled like Lelmaris."

    "Did your dog just talk to us?" Jenna jumped up, staring at Callum.

    "He''s our cousin," Cam told her as he brought her a glass of water. "He''s really, really old. He knows lots of cool stories and songs. He doesn''t like singing, though, so don''t try to ask him to sing. He shifted into a dog ''cause he''s really insecure and doesn''t like attention being on him. He should''ve become a pigeon instead."

    "I prefer a dog form."

    "Your loss," Cam shrugged, then looked at Jenna. "Where do we need to go? We''ll need to figure out what to do to try and get them to talk. I''d rather avoid fighting, if possible, but Callum can rip the information out of their heads if needed. I''d rather avoid that, though."

    Cam hated the idea of forcing information out of people, especially after having a compulsion serum used on him a couple of months prior. It caused all of his voices to start talking, and there were fifty-four of them ¨C three for each school of magic, each there to teach a specific spell.

    Not that they did that, as only a couple had. The voices were Cam''s root magic, the basis for all of his spells. It enabled him to hear them at all times, even when they weren''t teaching him, and they often guided him places.

    One of them was obsessed with pencils, and the other was, at the moment, informing Cam that he should have taken the opportunity after he stopped strangling her to kiss her.

    His face quickly flushed a deep shade of crimson, and Jenna snorted. She could guess what had happened based on the blush and what she knew of the voices from when she had hung out with Cam before.

    "Sorry about abandoning you like that," she told Cam. "Ty and I wanted to go do something, and we knew you wouldn''t want to tag along for it, and it took us a couple of weeks. We''d only known you a couple of months and didn''t want to drag you into something dangerous."

    "And now Tyler''s been kidnapped," Cam sighed. "And in the mage slave trade, probably bound up and sold off to the highest bidder. I didn''t see him at the auction, though. There were a few ice boys, but he wasn''t among them. Do you know where he was taken?"

    "Yeah," she answered. "It''s a security warehouse over in the Lake Warehouse Sector. It''s a front for a mage trafficking circle run by a man named Derrick."

    "Some of his goons tried kidnapping me," Cam nodded. "Seph took care of them once we were in the Blood."

    "The vampire?" She asked. "You made a deal with him?"

    "I have a friend who relieved me of it," Cam answered. "That''s a huge relief. I didn''t like it. Feeding him blood and learning compulsion. No way, not for me!""

    "I know the warehouse," Eden shook his head. "That place is heavily guarded. There isn''t a chance in hell we''re getting in there. I mean, not unless we force our way in, Cam."

    "There might be a way," Callum took on his human form. "But we''ll have to go shopping."

    "Shopping?"

    "Yes," Callum nodded. "Shopping. Who are you calling?"

    Everyone looked at Cam, who had his phone pressed to his ear.

    "Hi, Adam," he said. "Can you summon your dad? I want to talk to him and I think he''s taken his island off of Earth again, his phone''s out of its service area. No, I want one of his universal keys for the mage slave collars. Well, then I''ll best you in that area! Yeah, well, I am a kid!"

    Cam blew a raspberry, causing Jenna and Eden to laugh.

    "Thanks, Adam. Let me know what he says," Cam said. "What? Oh. They kidnapped one of my friends and probably put him in a collar. I want the universal key so I can free him. Though maybe Callum could break them through brute force? But I''d rather just use the key and see them pop off. Thanks! Please do it soon, we''re raiding the place soon so we can find my friend. Well, sort of raiding. We''re not actually raiding. Gotta go, gotta get them to stop giving me funny looks."

    Cam hung up the phone and looked at the other three in the room.

    "What kind of shopping?" He asked. "Also, did you tell Greyson''s dad what was going on?"

    "No," Eden said. "I didn''t know, so I just left him there. He''s probably wondering it."

    Cam sighed, then texted Greyson to let him know what was going on. Back at the arena, Greyson checked the message, still at the warehouse, then looked at his father.

    "Cam said that Jenna''s an old friend of his," Greyson told his father. "And that he was pretty mad at her because she abandoned him on the street. He wanted to talk with her in private about what happened, and they''re at Eden''s apartment right now."

    "Okay," Lucas said. "Anything else?"

    "Yes," Greyson said. "He said that I should tell you to be ashamed of your department for not taking the word of a teen just because she''s a teen when she reported a security company kidnapping her brother. He also wants to know how big of an issue it would be if they blew up the security company''s office and wants you to warn your office that sometime in the next couple of weeks, to have a lot of cells ready for mage traffickers. More details to follow once they flesh out their battle plan. And yes, he said ''battle plan''. I guess he really liked this friend who was kidnapped. There''s also a lot of angry faces.""

    Lucas took his son''s phone and checked the messages. There were, indeed, a lot of angry faces in it ¨C one for every two words. Another message popped up as Lucas was reading them.

    "Greyson," Lucas snorted. "Cam''s asking where you''re taking Jess on your next date."

    "What?" Greyson''s face flushed as he snatched his phone back from his father. "Cam! No!"

    He furiously tapped away on his phone to reply as Lucas chuckled and Jess watched in confusion and amusement. When he finished, he slipped it into his pocket and slipped his hand back into Jess''s.

    "So," she whispered in his ear. "Are we¡­ are we dating?"

    "Do you want to?" He whispered back. "You''ll see another side of me if we do."

    "I want to," she whispered. "So where''s the next date?"

    "I know a good restaurant," he responded. "But, uh, it''s owned by Eden''s parents, so it might not be a good idea to go there."

    "The taller guy in the mask?" She asked. "His parents own a restaurant?"

    "His mom''s a famous chef," Greyson nodded as the ref called for another fighter. "I think the brawling matches are over. Wanna see a real mage fight, now?"

 02-008

    Chapter Eight.

    Elaine ran her fingers through her graying brown hair before tying it back into a tight ponytail. The student she had just finished training was a handful, and she was looking forward to the session with her favorite student the day next day.

    Making her way out of her apartment and downstairs to her shop, she opened business once more. Her student and coworker, Suzanne, was unavailable, so Elaine had to close up when it was time for a lesson.

    No sooner had Elaine returned behind her brand-new counter than someone entered the shop. Tall, with dark brown hair and dark green eyes, he moved with a lethal grace as he flipped the sign on the door and approached her counter. He looked to be around thirty years old, though Elaine knew he was much older than that.

    Elaine tapped a knot on the wooden wall behind her, activating privacy magics so thick, it would take someone with the power of a god to break through.

    "Derrick," she said tersely. "This is my territory, and I''ve caught your traffickers on it four times in the last week. Do I need to keep killing them?"

    "I''m moving into Tejina," Derrick said. "From what I''ve heard, there are plenty of young magicians ripe for the picking. Other than the Blood, we are taking over the city''s trafficking. That includes this area. If you want me to keep my men out of it, you need to meet my demands, when I make them."

    "I don''t work for others," she folded her arms across her chest.

    "No," he smiled. "You run your own trafficking circle, acting as if you''re a regular member of it. How many of your students have mysteriously vanished after one of your lessons, or once they stopped visiting you?"

    "Enough," Elaine responded.

    "In a couple of weeks," Derrick said. "We will be having a rather large slave auction. It will occur on the winter solstice, and it will take place in this area. I want you to provide five mages for it. Try to get at least two force mages. One is required. We''re running rather low on them lately."

    "And if I don''t have enough who are qualified for it?" She asked.

    "Then find some youths," he said. "And break them so their powers manifest. Do you have any prospective targets?"

    "Two," she stated. "Both youth, both on the streets. One is a blond-haired boy named Cameron, the other is a son of Refari named Greyson. Cameron isn''t a student of mine, but he''s a mind mage. Catching him will be difficult, though."

    "Cameron?" Derrick frowned. "Around twelve or thirteen, hears voices?"

    "You know of him?" She asked.

    "He''s a Thornton, leave him alone," Derrick stated. "Going after him isn''t the brightest idea, ever since he was rescued from Titania a week ago, he''s had the Hound of the Line guarding him."

    "The what?" She asked.

    Derrick stared at her in disbelief. Nearly the entire magical community ¨C at least, those who had any form of standing in any part of it ¨C knew about ''Cam'' and his power, and the arrival of the Hound of the Line whose sole duty seemed to be protecting the younger demigod.

    "An ancient and powerful demigod who fought in the War of the Line," he explained. "A single sneeze from him could level Tejina if he wanted it to. Leave Cameron alone, unless you want to anger a being none of us can stop."

    "Greyson, then," she said. "He''s a nephilim with decent healing magic abilities and knows a bit of combat as well."

    "Son of Refari, you said?" Derrick asked, and she nodded. "If you go after him, make sure you don''t leave any clues as to what happened. His biological father has been spotted in town several times lately, and his step-father, his mother''s husband, is the head of the Anti-Fae Task Force. We''ve had our eye on that boy the last few weeks. If you can grab him, we''ll consider him to be three of your required slaves."

    "Understood," she said. "I''ll make sure that there''s no trace of his kidnapping leading back to me. It''s been known he''s a nephilim ever since the fairies attacked that warehouse ¨C I''ll make it look like someone else went after him for nephilim parts."

    The organs, blood, wings, and feathers of a nephilim were powerful magical components, and due to the rarity of nephilim, they weren''t easy to obtain in the magical underworld. Leaving a young one unprotected wasn''t the brightest of ideas, and the trafficker was surprised that no one had made a move on Greyson yet.

    "Good," Derrick said. "If you don''t manage to catch him, that''s fine. You''re still required to grab five by the auction. If you have to take from other members of your organization, then do so. Meet that, and we''ll leave your area alone. Don''t, and we''ll continue to hunt in it. Leave the teleporter alone as well."

    "The one from the arena?" She asked, and he nodded. "Why?"

    "He''s evaded my people," Derrick said. "Fourteen of them have died trying to capture him. If you went after him, he''d likely slaughter your organization. Combined with Cameron, he took out a Fairy Lord."

    "Understood," Elaine nodded, surprised by the boy''s apparent skill for someone who claimed to have been ignorant of magical techniques when they met.

    "I must be going," Derrick said. "I have other business to attend to. Remember ¨C have them captured, collared, and ready by the solstice, or we''ll return to your area for the hunt."

    He turned and left the store, the privacy enchantments lifting, and the old mage made his way down the street. As he passed by an alley, he noticed a figure huddled on the ground, an old blanket wrapped over them as they pressed into the shadows.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    While homeless people weren''t ideal slaves, once they were broken and their magic awakened, they were useful in some regards. Derrick made his way over to the huddled figure and crouched down. The figure tilted their head down further, preventing the trafficker from seeing their face.

    "It''s rather chilly out," Derrick said. "Do you want a place to stay? It''s free of charge, and we''ll even give you some good food."

    "Oh, I don''t need that," a cold voice said, and the face lifted up.

    In that moment, Derrick''s entire body was paralyzed as he stared at the handsome, flawless face with a smile, fury in the brown eyes staring back at him. The figure stood, revealing his seven-foot height and lethal aura. His golden-blond hair was cut at a medium-short length and styled to the side. A pair of pure-white wings were tucked behind the figure, having previously been hidden by a manipulation of light and shadows.

    The angel was dressed in a pair of orange and black board shorts, showing off his muscular calves and torso. From around his neck hung a leather cord with twenty small beads on it, a series of woven bracelets on his wrists and around his ankles.

    "I heard you were investigating my daughter," the angel said, not a trace of his aura detectable to the mage. "I don''t like it when evil people look into my offspring."

    Derrick''s terror rose as he realized who he was facing, but it was too late to change the past. He wasn''t one of the few mages in the universe with such a power.

    His last moments were spent in agonizing pain as the shadows around him began to devour his flesh, the mage unable to utter a sound as his voice was consumed.

    With the endangered daughter of his protected from the slaver, the angel cracked his neck, then wrapped himself back in an illusion as he made his way down the street, passing by the young demigod he had heard so much about. He liked that demigod based off the rumors he had heard of him. The demigod''s bodyguard, the Hound of the Line, briefly glanced at him as they passed by each other.

    "That''s interesting."

    "What?" Cam looked up from the list in his hands to give his cousin an inquisitive look.

    "We just passed Refari."

    "We did?" Cam twisted around, scanning the street. "I don''t see him. And I can''t sense him with my mind. Did we really just pass Greyson''s birth dad?"

    "Yes," Callum said. "He''s cloaked himself in illusions."

    "Angels can do that?" Cam asked. "I thought they were healers?"

    "They are," Callum answered. "Though ancient or powerful ones can often wield light as well. Refari is an Angel King, however."

    "I thought angels only went up to archangels?"

    "Normally," Callum nodded. "An Angel King is rare, though. There are thousands of gods with archangels. There are only around twenty Angel Kings. An Angel King has ascended far past where an archangel can ordinarily reach. There are three of them in Tejina at the moment. Refari, Isulv, and Nekal."

    "Who?" Cam gave him a confused look.

    "I just told you," Callum answered. "Refari, Isulv, and Nekal. Don''t worry, none of them are hunting you. Your friends with one of Refari''s children ¨C he was a dozen or so of them in the area, and he has a strong paternal protective instinct. Isulv tends to stay out of wars, and usually only involves himself when he''s annoyed, typically only to the people who annoyed him directly. Nekal¡­ is a complicated matter. But he''s not your enemy, either."

    "Greyson has how many siblings?" Cam asked, and Callum snorted at the thing the younger demigod had fixated on.

    Not the fact that there were three powerful angels in the area during a war from the heavens over him, but that his friend had a lot of siblings.

    "Around a dozen or so in the area," the ancient demigod answered. "Many ancient beings, including angels and gods, have permanent residences here in Tejina. It''s a melting pot, as your people call it. Refari is one of them."

    "Oookay," Cam said. "So what else is different about Angel Kings?"

    "They often have powers unavailable to even archangels," Callum answered. "Force magic, which most archangels can use, but also each of the elements and an affinity for nature. Some, like Isulv, can also use necromancy and scourge magics. Refari, Isulv, and Nekal are all capable of manipulating space as well."

    "That sounds cool," Cam nodded, and Callum gave his cousin a curious glance.

    The boy seemed distracted by something, and his right ear was cocked.

    "What are the voices saying?"

    "While you''re out, you should really get Jenna a present."

    "Yeah, a nice dose of cyanide will teach her to abandon you again."

    "No, he should get her chocolate."

    "He''ll probably just eat it all."

    "Yeah, probably, he''s starting to unlock the taste for it that all of his father''s children has."

    "He should go meet his brother. Well, re-meet, since he technically already knew him."

    "Oh! That''s a good idea!"

    "Yeah, Cam, you should go meet up with him."

    "He''s probably dying to meet you."

    "Kris hasn''t told him who you are yet, either, just that he found you here."

    "The look on his face will be priceless!"

    "I still think getting a present for Jenna would be better."

    "Nothing," Cam answered with a poker face. "They''re being completely and absolutely silent right now."

    Callum snorted, letting his gaze and mind wander around the street. He was always on alert around his cousin, as he didn''t want to risk angering Ulrima, though the little demigod had grown on him over the last week.

    Being around so many people made him uneasy. There was always danger around, and he would rather take Cam somewhere quiet and remote. The boy had somehow convinced his father to kick the Department of Supernatural Services and the organizations from other worlds and realms out of the Fae Forest''s realm and put a few angels in it and a ward on it to protect it from outsiders.

    It was a powerful ward, too. Callum needed specific permission to enter, and was pretty sure that his uncle had personally crafted it.

    Cam''s personal realm would be a good place to protect the boy. No one there was his enemy, mostly because they all served his father.

    Yes, perhaps Ulrima wouldn''t be furious if he kidnapped the boy and kept him in the realm until he was older and more matured in his magic.

    "Here we are," Cam pulled Callum out of his thoughts, an irritated expression on his face. "I don''t like this place, but it''s the best one I know of for magical reagents. She probably has everything we need."

    Callum nodded, then followed his cousin into the mage shop. There were potions and enchanted items everywhere, and the shop even had anti-theft enchantments placed around it, in addition to potent privacy words. The shop was enchanted heavily enough that most mages and magical beings would have a different time discerning between the magics floating through the air.

    "Cameron?" Elaine gave the young demigod a nervous look. "I thought you didn''t like me?"

    "I don''t," Cam huffed. "But Callum wants to make a potion to help me sleep. I''ve been having nightmares ever since the fairies kidnapped me, and it''s hard to sleep when I do actually manage to try. So he wants to make a strong sleeping potion, something potent enough to take out a demigod and keep me from dealing with the nightmares. Adam was unavailable and Eden didn''t really know of a normal magic shop, and you''re the only one I really know of."

    "There are a few others on this street," she began.

    "Yeah, but you''re the only one I know," Cam huffed. "And as much as I don''t like you, I know you have lots of magical reagents. So here we are. And here''s the list of things Callum wants. Do you have everything?"

    "If something doesn''t exist or isn''t available in the area," Callum glared at Elaine as she took the paper Cam held out. "Let us know the alternatives. It''s been a long while since I was around, so I don''t know the actual supply availability."

 02-009

    Chapter Nine.

    "I brought a friend," Greyson said as he entered Elaine''s living room, plopping himself onto her couch and kicking his feet up onto her coffee table, crossing his ankles, his hands remaining firmly in his hoodie''s pocket. "You''re teaching her today. I''m paying."

    "It would count as a double lesson-" Elaine began as she eyed the girl her favorite student and brought with him.

    "No," Greyson interrupted. "I don''t have any talent with force magic and am sticking to the two schools I know currently. It will likely be a few years before I bother trying force magic. Her innate ability is force push. She''s here to learn how to control it. I''ll just practice some water manipulation while you train her."

    "I interview all potential students-"

    "You are not slipping her compulsion serum," Greyson stated. "She is my friend, and she just awakened her magic."

    He paused for a moment, then frowned.

    "And if you attempt to use her to find out who I am or where I''m from," he added. "You will regret it."

    "We''ve long since given up trying to locate you, Greyson," Elaine told him. "We learned months ago it was a futile task."

    "Doesn''t mean you wouldn''t take an opportunity," he stated. "Now teach her. Jess, this is Elaine, the mage teacher I told you about. She''ll teach you how to control the power of your pushes."

    Elaine sighed, then grabbed a pitcher and filled it with water, then a plate from the drying rack.

    "Come with me," she said. "We do the force training on the roof."

    The two teens followed Elaine out back and up the stairs leading to her roof. She promised that there was a protective shield around the roof that prevented magic from being perceived from outside the area. There were a couple of tables and two planter boxes with herbs, in addition to four training dummies.

    Greyson took the plate and pitcher from Elaine and sat down to practice as Elaine walked over to Jenna and began instructing her.

    "Have you used your magic since you awakened?" Elaine asked.

    "No," Jenna answered.

    "How long ago did you awaken it?" Elaine asked.

    "A few days ago," Jenna answered.

    "Alright," Elaine said. "Do you remember what it felt like, when you pushed with your force magic?"

    "Yes," Jenna nodded.

    "Focus on that feeling," Elaine instructed her. "Remember what it felt like to manipulate force, draw it up through you, and push it outwards. Show me what you can do. Aim at one of the dummies."

    Jenna nodded, then faced one of the dummies and took a few breaths, thinking back to what it felt like when she used her force magic when the traffickers had tried grabbing her. Feeling for that power, she lifted her hands up and pushed forward, willing that power outwards.

    The air rippled as the invisible power of force magic flowed forth in a wave four inches high and sixteen wide, nearly half an inch thick. The force traveled two feet before dissipating.

    "Decent job," Elaine nodded. "Yours takes on a more rectangular shape and has some decent thickness to it. Your specialty among force magic will likely be for brute force over fine touches. Summon this over and over until you can''t anymore. I want to see both how much magic you have and how quickly you recover."

    Greyson watched as Jenna began firing off force pushes. It took her nearly thirty seconds to cast each one, excluding a small break between to collect herself. She stopped after fourteen pushes and dropped to the ground, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily.

    He remembered when he first had to exert all of his magic. It wasn''t fun for him, and the feeling of exhaustion was horrible. He sympathized with Jenna on that.

    Jenna looked over at Greyson, and he gave her a small wave, frowning as she gave him a befuddled look.

    "What are you doing?" She asked.

    "Manipulating water," he answered as several more streams of it lifted up from the pitcher in front of him, joining with the others. "I can maintain up to four streams of it at once. Because of my talent with blood magic and intense training with manipulating blood, I have an easier time for doing it to water. Some things carry over. Both mediums are liquid, so once I got the hang of it, it became easier."

    "Another similarity," Elaine added. "Would be air and force. Much of what you can do with force magic, you can do with air magic as well. Greyson''s a prodigy among mages, so his rapid growth with the two similar spells isn''t normal. I''d say that if you practice your spell for the next five years, an hour every day, then branched into air magics, you could likely generate a similar blast of air as your current force spell in another year."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "Which is why," Greyson told Jenna. "Most mages stick to their natural school of magic, branching out within it. It''s always easier to learn and hone spells within your root school. For you, that''s force, and for me, it''s blood."

    "Indeed," Elaine nodded. "Spells more similar to your root magic, the first spell you ever cast, will always be easier as well. Cast the push again once you''ve recovered enough to. You should be able to feel your magic now."

    Jenna nodded, as she could. It wasn''t a strong feeling, but it was there.

    Greyson returned to manipulating the strands of water, twisting them around each other until he lost control, attempting to do too much at once. The water splashed down onto the plate and the nephilim sighed. Some of it had splashed onto the roof, enough that he''d need to pull from the pitcher once more.

    His goal was to be able to manipulate all four strands of water individually before moving on to attempting a fifth strand of water. Training like this would help him with the blood version of the skill immensely, as it was a spell in a school not his root. He could already do five strands with blood, and was nearing six.

    After an hour had passed, Greyson noticed Elaine switching Jenna to meditation. It was something most mages did.

    Meditating on one''s magic and looking inwards and familiarizing themselves with their inner tree granted them greater access to their magic, more control over it, and more familiarity with it. It could even raise one''s innate skill level with it, though prodigies like Greyson, Cam, and Eden would barely receive an increase in their skill or power.

    Greyson debated on meditating, but in the end, decided not to. He was already pretty intimate with his inner tree, having meditated on it at least an hour every day for almost a year. As a nephilim and a magical prodigy, his familiarity with it had grown rapidly.

    He was jealous of Cam, though, even though he knew he shouldn''t have been. The children of High Gods rarely needed more than two or three months of hour-a-day meditation and examination of their tree to form a nearly perfect connection to it, and Cam had spent a lot of time while he was kidnapped familiarizing himself with it. Nearly every waking moment.

    Because of that, Cam had pretty much solidified his connection in just a week or two.

    Sighing, Greyson went back to work on practicing the water stream manipulation. It was one of the most basic water spells there was, a branch off the most common root, the ability to draw water up from a source.

    When the two hours ended, Greyson paid Elaine the three hundred dollars for Jenna''s lesson, then the pair left. Greyson led Jenna to the restaurant he liked to visit after lessons. They sat down and were given menus by a waitress, who took their drink orders and left.

    "So," Jenna hesitated. "That was exhausting."

    "Very," Greyson nodded. "The more you do it, the more you''ll get used to it, the less magic it''ll take to cast each one, and the more magic you''ll build up. It''ll also take you less time to cast."

    "Oh," Jenna said, then noticed Greyson frowning. "What?"

    "She asked if you were coming back with me on Thursday."

    "I am, aren''t I?" She asked.

    "If you want," he nodded. "I was just surprised by that. Normally, she''d tell someone to practice that spell until they can perform it so many times in a row or something or other, then they''d be ready for the next lesson. That''s¡­ kind of suspicious."

    The waitress returned, and Greyson ordered burgers for both of them. After they ate, Jenna''s mother picked her up and Greyson climbed into his driver''s car and let the man drive him home. When he arrived, he made his way up to his father''s office and entered without knocking.

    "Greyson," Lucas sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Please knock before entering. I could have been on a phone call like the one that just happened."

    "What''s wrong?" Greyson asked. "Did fairies find their way back here? Are they remaking their forest?"

    "No," Lucas responded. "But Ulrima showed up earlier and kicked everyone back to their native realms, from what we can tell. More than a thousand people from a dozen different worlds and realms, all evicted. The spatial mages we contracted to create the gates into it reported they can''t create them anymore ¨C something''s blocking them."

    "Ulrima kicked everyone out?" Greyson gave him a confused look. "But why? Isn''t, like, the entire realm frozen from that spell?"

    "Yes," Lucas responded. "The elder Leosvar''s magic that you helped put into place completely froze the realm that housed the Fae Forest. Our agents ¨C and beings from other worlds ¨C were analyzing the realm and investigating caves and tunnel networks found in its mountains. Once we were able to unfreeze it, we were planning on harvesting fae stone, an agreement was being drafted up. Since it was our world that took out the fairies and the forest, we had conqueror''s rights. Why Ulrima decided to do that-"

    "Conqueror''s rights," Greyson snorted. "His son was the reason the realm was invaded and destroyed. His son was the reason Titania died. Dad, stop being a moron. You''re an adult who''s dealt with stuff before. Ulrima probably considers it his son''s realm. Lemme text Cam to see if he knows anything."

    Lucas nodded, contemplating Greyson''s words. The High God of love was protective of his children, if they passed his test. He also had a tendency to not like people taking that which belonged to his children. If he saw the realm as Cam''s, then his actions made sense, including the ward he seemed to put up to prevent others from entering.

    "Cam said he asked his father for the realm," Greyson told Lucas. "Since the only reason it was taken over and Titania killed was him getting kidnapped. There''s a dozen cookie emojis in here. Why did he-oh, he responded to that. He said they''re making cookies, and he wants to know if I wanted to try some? I''m going to my room and playing video games."

    Lucas rolled his eyes as his son left the office, then he turned his gaze back to the report he was reading. Derrick was spotted in Tejina that morning, which didn''t bode well. He was nearly a hundred years old, but easily one of the strongest mages on Earth and in the US. If he was expanding his territory into Tejina, then hunting the mage slave traffickers there was about to become a lot more difficult.

    Praying to any god that would listen, Lucas asked for a fairy to show up just so he could have something to do that fell within his comfort zone. Then, he got to work on typing up a report regarding what he found out about the Fae Forest Realm''s sudden and unexpected evacuation by a High God.

    His lips curled down as he thought about it. He had just entered the realm to check on something, only to be greeted by the god. There was no mistaking the divine presence, and the being had identified himself as Ulrima, the High God of love, promptly before flicking him. Lucas found himself in his bedroom immediately after that.

    That wasn''t what bothered him. Well, it did a little. What bothered ¨C or more accurately, confused ¨C the agent was that Cam had specifically requested the realm for himself. The boy''s nightmares stemmed from things that happened in that realm.

    Why did he want the place that traumatized him?

 02-010

    Chapter Ten.

    Nathaniel Thornton sighed as he hung up his phone, then dialed another number, his blue eyes filled with annoyance. First his daughter took her inheritance and cut off ties to the family, then he received news that one of his best mages died, the soul link severed rather violently by whatever killed him.

    "Becky," he said as soon as the call was answered. "Please inform the organization that Derrick has met his demise. We''ll no longer operate it from the shadows, he was only a puppet in the first place. I want you to take over his place, as you know the most outside of me. Continue as planned."

    He hung up without waiting for a response and slipped the phone into the pocket of his suit before running his fingers through his sandy-blond hair and fixing it. After checking himself in the mirror, he exited his car and made his way into the office as he skimmed the papers in front of him.

    "Hello," he smiled at the woman at the nearest desk to when he entered. "I was looking for an Abigail Sambar?"

    "Your name?" She asked.

    "Nathaniel Thornton," he responded. "I''m the grandfather of one of her cases, Ambrosius Nathaniel Caldwell. I have the paperwork with me to confirm it."

    "Give me just a minute," she told him. "You can sit over there."

    Nathaniel nodded and walked back to the entrance, where there were several chairs and two vending machines. A few minutes passed before he was approached by another woman. She was a woman in her forties with brown hair and eyes, dressed in black pants, a teal blouse, and a pair of flats.

    "Nathaniel Thornton?" She asked, and he nodded. "I''m Abigail Sambar, Ambrosius''s caseworker. Let''s go talk in my office."

    Nathaniel followed Abigail into her office, a room rather than one of the many cubicles in the main area. She had a desk, several shelves, and several filing cabinets.

    "Now," she said. "When his mother gave him up for adoption, she gave up all rights to him. I''m assuming you''re aware of this?"

    "I am," Nathaniel handed her the paperwork. "I was not aware that she had intended on giving up my grandson, or I would have talked her into giving me custody. I met him recently and could tell we were related. He goes by Cameron now, I believe?"

    "He does," Abigail looked through the paperwork confirming his identity and blood relation to her ''charge''. "Do you know the significance of his token?"

    "His token?" Nathaniel asked. "The gold coin he has?"

    "Yes," she nodded. "Cameron''s token, the object he''s had with him through the homes. According to the reports, he''s had it since he was born."

    "Yes," Nathaniel pulled out his wallet, then pulled his own crest out and handed it to her.

    A golden coin with magic runes on the back and a crown worn over a staff on the front.

    "It''s our family crest," Nathaniel responded. "Each member of our family has one. Victoria acquired one for Cameron before he was born, so that she could give it to him at birth ¨C it''s a family tradition of ours. Because of that, we didn''t expect her to give him up. Until then, we''d thought she would ¨C he was conceived through rape. I looked for him for years, but he was lost in the system. If I hadn''t seen him a few weeks ago, I might not have ever found him, I feel."

    "Maybe," she answered, handing the coin back. "It looks like Cameron''s."

    "I know you''ll need to go through the courts for full custody," Nathaniel told her. "But I''d like to acquire it, to bring my grandson back to the family. I''d be willing to do whatever it takes, if possible. My grandson shouldn''t be living on the streets, especially not when we''re able to care for and provide for him."

    "Indeed," Abigail pulled some papers out of a drawer and handed them to him. "Could you fill those out? It will help streamline the process if they''re filled out promptly and accurately."

    Nathaniel nodded, then filled out the paperwork. Abigail only had a couple of other questions for him, then he left, leaving her to read the papers with a frown.

    Abigail had already known who Nathaniel was, having already located the family and found information on them. The man certainly fit the image she''d been given of the family patriarch, though she hadn''t realized how much younger than his stated age he really looked. The records said he was no doubt nearly seventy, yet he didn''t appear even half of that.

    Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes as she filed the paperwork away. She returned to work sorting stuff out for another case as she waited for her next appointment, who arrived half an hour later.

    The blond-haired, blue-eyed Victoria Thornton, Cameron''s mother. She was twenty-six, according to the file Abigail had on her desk. The case worker had her suspicions about the real reason Cameron had been given up.

    She would have been only fourteen when she gave birth. The chances were high that she had been forced to by her parents.

    "Abigail?" Victoria asked hesitantly.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Victoria Thornton?" Abigail asked.

    "Yes," Victoria responded.

    "Come in, have a seat," Abigail said, noticing that Victoria looked hesitant to sit when she entered. "Please, have a seat."

    "Thank you for calling," Victoria took a seat. "I''ve been looking for Ambrosius for¡­ a long while."

    "I noticed," Abigail tapped the file in front of her. "Several attempts over the last eight years to locate him, met with a roadblock each time. Your first attempt was on your eighteenth birthday. Before we get into that, however, can you tell me about his birth? Who the father was, how you two met, and so on?"

    "Yes," Victoria nodded. "A little before my thirteenth birthday, I was going for a stroll through the gardens on one of our properties ¨C the family I come from is pretty wealthy, and I lived on a vast estate. There was a lot of security, but this man had somehow found his way onto it. I don''t know who he was, and he was gone before security ever arrived. We searched for awhile, but no one found him. A few weeks later, we discovered I was pregnant. It was pretty traumatic for me, and they were surprised I didn''t lose the baby over that.

    "My parents," she continued. "Attempted several times to convince me into an abortion, but, I don''t know, the fourteen-year-old me at the time felt a strong desire to keep the baby. I don''t know why, it was irrational ¨C I didn''t want the child, but something kept me from having an abortion. Some instinct in me screaming for it to not happen."

    Victoria didn''t mention that she now knew what that was. A child of Ulrima''s was not an easy thing to stop the birth of, he was a god of life, and his children possessed a survival aura during pregnancy, something that prevented the mothers from stopping their births.

    "When he was born," she continued. "My father, the family''s head, gave me a choice: either give him up for adoption, or be cast out onto the streets without a penny. I didn''t want to raise him without being able to support him, so I gave my son up, with the stipulation that I was the one who named him. I made sure he was given one of our family crests, so that once I was an adult, I could try to track him down. Even if he''d lost the crest, I was hopeful that I''d still be able to follow the trail."

    She didn''t mention that the crests couldn''t be forcefully stolen or removed from a Thornton ¨C only they could handle it without issue. Anyone else would eventually lose it, and it would eventually find its way back into its owner''s hands.

    "And that''s why you''ve attempted to find him again?" Abigail asked.

    "Yes," Victoria responded. "As soon as I turned eighteen, I began discreetly making inquiries, hoping my father wouldn''t find out before I was ready. I was storing away portions of my inheritance as well. After finding out he was here in Tejina a couple of weeks ago, I started looking into purchasing a property here. I''m in the process of negotiating a price on one at the moment, and am hoping to settle in the next few days. I could bring him back to where I grew up, but from what I''ve seen and heard, he''s made some friends here, and I''d rather not pull him away from that."

    "Alright," Abigail said. "I will start the paperwork on my end, Victoria, but you will also need to petition the courts. They''ll want you to have a place to stay permanently, and I''ll need to inspect it as well. So once you have the home purchased and are moved in, things can get moving.

    "I''m not making any promises," Abigail continued. "Cameron ¨C that''s what he calls himself right now ¨C is in a delicate situation. While I do trust you, I''ll need to perform another interview with you, and the court will want to have one as well. In the end, the decision will be theirs, though they will also take Cameron''s desire into account, especially if someone else lays claim to him."

    "Someone else?" Victoria asked.

    "If, say, his father showed up," Abigail said. "And wanted to lay claim to Cameron, then the courts would look at both of you. They would require both to be interviewed, and this includes asking both parties what happened that resulted in his birth. I know the family court judge who deals with the cases of foster kids and custody in my jurisdiction. She isn''t the kind who leans in favor of the mother simply because they''re the mother.

    "She looks at all of the presented information ¨C from the parents, from the case worker, from the child, from any psychologists the child has seen, and so on. Then, she makes her decision based on that. In the last twenty years, she has yet to side with the mother if the father was the better choice, and her rate of children ending up in a bad situation after a custody hearing due to the guardian is lower than most.

    "So if," Abigail said. "Someone else lays claim to him, or she determines based on any evidence provided that you lied, you may not receive custody of Cameron. My interest is in making him comfortable and putting him into a good home where he feels and is safe. I am not saying you will lose, but I do want you to be prepared, just in case it happens, okay?"

    "Okay," Victoria nodded. "I''ll answer any questions asked, ma''am. I want my son, and I''ll wait however long it takes for this to happen. Do you know if it''s possible for me to see him? I''d like to talk to him, but I don''t know where he is, just that he''s in the area and has some friends here."

    Abigail thought for a few moments, then nodded.

    "If you give me a week or two," she told Victoria. "I might be able to arrange a meeting with him. The last time I spoke with him, I did scare him off by accident, so it might take me a little bit. Is the number I used to contact you good for contacting you?"

    "No," Victoria shook her head. "Do you have something to write with? I left my family behind, and when I did, I left my phone as well. I have a new number."

    Abigail gave her a pen and a sheet of paper, and Victoria wrote down her number. The case worker wished her a good day, then Victoria left, and Abigail leaned back in her seat, looking at the two files on her desk.

    The mother and the grandfather both wanted custody of Cameron. She was inclined to believe the mother over the grandfather on what happened, at least as far as why he was given up for adoption. She wasn''t too sure, however, on how Abigail had gotten pregnant.

    Since she was thirteen at the time, it probably had been a rape, but the case worker doubted it was an unknown, especially with the mother''s comment about the property''s security. She didn''t see a reason to note that information. The woman had seemed odd when mentioning that part, as if she were hiding something.

    Was it a relative who had done it?

    Abigail sighed. She needed to figure out who the father was, in her opinion, and find out what had happened from him. If she did locate him, despite there being nothing at the moment to run a lead on with that, the whole custody ordeal could become a lot more complicated, especially if he wasn''t family of the Thorntons.

    She did not want to enter into another three-way custody battle. Those never ended well for anyone. And if the father was able to get onto that property, he was likely someone the family knew. Another wealthy party pressuring her and the courts to rule in their favor.

    Sometimes, Abigail wished her sister''s fanatic belief in magic was real and that she could just summon up a god and have everything sorted out.

    But alas, magic and gods weren''t real, so there would be no divine intervention declaring who had custody over the young boy she wanted to help.

 02-011

    Chapter Eleven.

    Cam adjusted the woggle around the neckerchief he was wearing, before fiddling with the beige scout uniform he was wearing. He gave it one more once-over to make sure it looked okay, then grabbed the handle of the wagon containing two large coolers and a few dozen boxes of cookies.

    He paused for a moment, then held up his phone and used its camera function to check his hair. They used temporary dye to make it dark brown, and he didn''t like it. Even though he''d spent years using dirt and mud to make his hair darker, now that he had it clean most of the time, he preferred its natural color.

    Shaking his head, he turned off the app, slipped the phone into his pocket, then began walking towards the security warehouse. The two guards standing out front gave him curious looks as he approached.

    "Want to buy some cookies?" Cam asked. "We''re raising money to help a puppy rescue center that had a fire."

    "It isn''t safe in this area," one of the guards reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. "What are you doing here?"

    "I heard from some friends that there was a security place out here," Cam answered. "It''s waaaay out here, though. You guys probably don''t get much out here. Do you guys have to bring your own food? It doesn''t seem like a food truck would come out here."

    "Yeah, we do," the guard chuckled. "How much for the cookies?"

    "There are a dozen in a box," Cam answered. "We''re selling them for five dollars a box. We have sugar cookies, sugar cookies shaped like puppies and decorated with royal icing, and oatmeal raisin cookies."

    "No chocolate chip?" The other guard asked.

    "No," Cam blushed. "Someone ate all the chocolate chips before we started working after school yesterday. They, uh, they''re making the chocolate chip ones while I''m out."

    He hadn''t meant to eat all of the chocolate chips. There was a six-pound bag of them, and it was just sitting there, tempting him. He promised himself one or two, and before he knew it, the entire bag was gone.

    "Can we have some of the puppy-shaped ones?" The guard pulled out a five-dollar bill.

    "Sure," Cam grabbed one off the stack and handed it to the guard, taking the money and placing it into a metal box resting in the wagon. "Thanks! Do you think I could go inside and try to sell some?"

    "We''ll need to check with our superiors," the guard nodded as he handed the box to his fellow guard. "Before we do, do you mind if I check everything? It''ll save us a step."

    "Sure," Cam said. "Just cookies, the money box, and ice cream. Oh, right! We''re doing ice cream, too. It''s a dollar a scoop. I have bowls and plastic spoons in one of the coolers."

    "What flavors?" The guard asked as Cam helped him move the boxes to open the coolers.

    "Erm, chocolate," Cam answered. "Someone let me get the ice cream. I, uh, forgot to get the other flavors. I was supposed to get vanilla and strawberry, too. We can''t get more of it until we sell a bit of what we''ve got, though. We blew through the budget we were given."

    "Alright," the guard chuckled.

    He finished checking things, then radioed in about the scout looking to sell cookies and ice cream to raise money for a dog shelter as Cam rearranged everything on his cart. A few minutes later, another guard came out to escort Cam through the building, buying a box of the oatmeal raisin cookies and two scoops of the ice cream.

    Twenty minutes later, Cam had a box stuffed with money and only a few boxes of cookies left, most of the ice cream purchased as well. He''d only seen guards so far, plus a few regular workers like the computer guys. He couldn''t remember the term for them, though the voices said they were I.T. or tech support.

    One voice called them computer geeks.

    Cam knew he''d only been shown around half of the warehouse, and was hoping the rest of it was where he''d find answers. Everything looked like what he imagined a security headquarters would look like.

    "And here we are," the guard slid his badge through a door''s lock, before punching in a series of numbers, then pressed his thumb to it. "The most secure portion of our headquarters here. The boss is back here and said she''d like to buy some cookies, too."

    This is it, Cam thought to himself. This is where they attempt to kidnap me, and they''ll deny they ever bought any cookies or ice cream from me if someone comes looking. At least, that''s their plan. But not mine.

    Cam followed the guard through the door, the wagon needing an extra tug to pass over the lip running over the floor in the doorframe. There were only a couple of rooms there, sectioned off from the larger space they had entered.

    He could see a few slaves already collared up in the cells, most of them youth, though a few younger adults were among them. His gaze traveled over to the lounge, which consisted of a kitchen, a table, a couch, and a T.V. with a complete entertainment center, where a few guards were playing a game.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The young mage''s eyes fixed on a woman typing away at a computer near the lounge, and his eyes widened. Blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a perfect complexion.

    "Auntie Tabby!" Cam exclaimed and took off before the guard could grab him, and the woman jumped, looking over just in time to find Cam running towards her. "Hiiii!"

    He tackled her into a hug as the guards stared, befuddled.

    "Ambrosius?" She asked, and he grinned up at her. "What are you doing here?"

    The last time she had seen him was briefly after the fight at the Battle of the Fae Forest, when he had declared himself off-limits. The only time she had seen him.

    "Looking for you!" Cam exclaimed. "I had to sneak my way in, though! I got a lot of money from your guards."

    Tabitha chuckled as she ruffled her nephew''s hair.

    "I thought you didn''t like our family?"

    "Oh, please," Cam rolled his eyes. "I had lots of time to think about it. It was my mom who abandoned me, right? Not the rest of you, though, right? And then I heard you were here, and decided to come visit you and see if we could hang out and talk! I wanna hear all about the family!"

    "Why is your hair brown?"

    "I thought your guards might know me immediately," Cam blushed. "So I dyed it to avoid detection. I wanted to surprise you! It''s a temporary dye, though, so it''ll wash it super-easy! Do you want some cookies or ice cream? They''re free for you, ''cause you''re my auntie! I can call you ''auntie'', right?"

    His aunt was pleased that her nephew had decided to show interest in the family. A demigod as powerful as him on their side would be a major boon, especially with the Hound of the Line as his personal bodyguard and minion. If he''d decided to give up the street life and join the family, then she would do her best to make him happy.

    "You may," Tabitha smiled. "Some cookies sound good to me."

    "Sweet!" Cam hustled back to his wagon and stuck his tongue out at the guard, before pulling the wagon to the table in the lounge. "Come on, auntie!"

    He watched as his aunt lifted a Thornton crest from the computer, wondering why she had it out instead of hidden. Then he gave a mental shrug before setting out the boxes and opening up the ice cream.

    "Those are some interesting rings you have," Tabitha said as she opened a box of shaped cookies. "And some nice cookie designs."

    "Thanks!" Cam said. "I drafted help from Eden. You know him, right? He''s the guy I''ve been staying with."

    "Yes," she smiled. "I do. I don''t remember you wearing rings before, though."

    "Oh, these?" He held up his right hand. On his little finger was a wooden ring with green and gold designs painted onto it, and on his thumb was a simple steel ring. "The steel ring just looks cool, but it''s too big for my other fingers. The wooden ring opens a gate to the realm with the former Fae Forest. My dad made it for me after evicting everyone from it. It''s my realm, now, and only those I let enter can! It''s where I''m storing all of my magical items like the stuff I looted from the Fairy Lord."

    Cam kept his aunt talking, delighted at finding one of the people behind the trafficking ring there. More guards showed up, snacking on his cookies or ice cream as he caught up with his aunt. They hadn''t expected her to be there, so that was a big development for him.

    Two hours after Cam arrived and started chatting with his aunt, he slipped his left hand into his pocket and felt for the smooth, cool stone item within it. He pushed a small amount of magic into it, and it immediately pulsed out a wave of magic.

    The wave of magic stretched a hundred yards in every direction, triggering a specific spell, a delay to the sleeping potion baked into the cookies and mixed into the ice cream. Immediately, every guard, tech agent, and other worker in the warehouse passed out, including Tabitha.

    Leaving only Cam and the slaves conscious.

    "Wow," he stretched as he stood as he pulled his empty hand out. The stone carving was used up. "Callum really knows his stuff!"

    He giggled, then opened up the two large coolers, emptying them completely. Cam closed the coolers, tapped on each in a certain pattern, then opened them again. The first one was filled with government-issue magical handcuffs.

    Eden provided those. They would bind the magic of any magician they were clapped onto. He quickly got to work, using his demigod speed to cuff every guard in and around the warehouse, dragging them all inside and lining them up against one of the walls in the large space where the warehouse''s true purpose was revealed.

    He nearly ran out of cuffs before getting to his aunt. He used four cuffs on her, one on each wrist and ankle, to strap her to the chair she was sitting in. They were more powerful cuffs, also government-issue, used for stronger mages. Unlike the others, they didn''t need to be clasped over both wrists or both ankles, only one and an inanimate object.

    He debated using the other four Eden had supplied him on her, then decided it was probably overkill.

    The second cooler was filled with cloaks of varying sizes, and Cam lifted it up and hauled it over to the cages with the prisoners, holding up the keys he''d looted from one of the guards who had been gaming.

    There were fifteen prisoners, and Cam frowned at their collars. He made a mental note to give them to Callum to destroy once they were freed.

    "Wait!" Cam said as several prisoners in the first cage came forward. "Almost forgot!"

    He slipped off the wooden ring and turned away from the cages, holding the ring out as he poured magic into it. The ring began to shimmer, then expand in size, the bottom edge of it disappearing into the concrete floor as it stretched to ten feet in diameter, revealing a tundra beyond, an arctic breeze flowing through the gate and into the warehouse.

    "So you have two options," Cam said as he turned back to the cage and unlocked it. "First one is to wait for DoSS to show up and let them sort you out and return you home. The second one is to grab a cloak and go into my forest, becoming my eternal minion. But don''t go anywhere once you leave your cages, I have a key for your collars."

    He unlocked the other four cages, then gathered the prisoners together, pulling a golden ball the size of a blueberry out of his pocket. It was etched with white and purple runes, and when he touched it to the collars, they unsealed, a line forming down the front and back, falling in two to the floor.

    "Also, you aren''t my slaves if you take up Option Two," Cam informed them. "You''re my minions. I''ve got some angels on the other side of the gate who will help you, they''ve already started building some huts there."

    He had to negotiate hard with his father to get the angels, too, though their real purpose was to protect Cam''s loot. But since there wasn''t much for them to do with Ulrima''s wards up, Cam figured he could have them do other stuff, too.

    "You''re a Thornton," one of the mages, a twenty-year-old woman, gave Cam a suspicious look. "How can we trust you?"

    "I have a universal key to the collars," Cam held up the little golden ball, before slipping it back into his pocket. "And a gate to another world. Please, if the Thorntons were my real family, this mess," he gestured to the fallen guards. "Would probably have never happened. So. Who wants to wait until I call DoSS and they arrive, and who wants to become my minions until their deaths?"

 02-012

    Chapter Twelve.

    "Hi, Auntie!" Cam cheerfully greeted his aunt when she opened her eyes. "Sorry about the headache, it''s an unfortunate side-effect of the potion. Callum could have gotten rid of that with a little bit more work, buuuuuuuuut we decided not to. You''re evil, after all. You traffickers. You know, we were not expecting one of the people behind Derrick''s organization to actually be here! That''s amazing!"

    "Ambrosius," Tabitha narrowed her gaze at her nephew. "You tricked me."

    "Aw," he made a mocking face at her. "Doesn''t feel good to be on the receiving end of deceit, does it? See, thing is, a friend of mine was kidnapped and brought here. That was months ago, though. So we decided to disrupt this location and find out where he was taken. I''m not a big fan of rooting around through someone''s mind, so I''d rather you just tell me everything."

    "You''ll have to rip it out of my head," she snorted. "And even then, you won''t be able to get access to the information you need."

    "I already figured that last part," Cam sighed, holding up a Thornton Crest. "I found the little impression on your computer over there, and realized that it needs a Thornton Crest to work. But it didn''t pull up the interface. Why?"

    "It''s locked to the owner of the crest," she informed him. "The crest can only be used by the one it''s bonded to."

    "Oh!" Cam''s face lit up as he pulled out his wallet, then his own Thornton Crest. "My father retrieved this for me after the forest froze it up!"

    Tabitha''s face fell the moment she saw her nephew pull that out. If the feds had someone with one of those on their side, and someone who could use it, then all of their information would be revealed.

    The Thornton Crest was the ultimate security measure, and allowed the user to link into the organization''s full database. Every hideout, every warehouse, every employee and slave ¨C everything was recorded. Customers, financial information, front businesses. Everything could be accessed as long as they had one of those crests, but they never worried about someone betraying them. No Thornton ever would.

    Everything would be lost.

    There had never before been a Thornton born who was an enemy of the family. Every last one who wasn''t turned into a tree was loyal to the end. It was in their blood. Their hateful, spiteful blood born from the mixing of dark gods and evil angels.

    "Thanks, Auntie!" Cam cheerfully hopped off his seat. "Time to find my friend!"

    "Wait!" Tabitha called. "If you give me his name, his abilities, his age, everything you can think of, I could easily find him for you. If I don''t, you''ll have to search, possibly for hours. How long will your potion last? There''s no doubt that the next guard change will-"

    "My cousin''s ensuring anyone who comes near here is taken out," Cam pressed the token into the indentation, and immediately, a screen of magic appeared before him. "This is so cool! Let''s see¡­"

    Tabitha continued to attempt to talk her nephew into letting her help, even promising to buy back his friend and give the boy to him. Anything she could think of to prevent him from continuing with his plan to ruin them.

    She could not let him grant access to anyone else.

    Unfortunately for her, Cam had tuned her out already as he focused on figuring out how to work their network. Jenna had already given him everything she could think of, and it only took him a few minutes to find the logs for the day of Tyler''s capture.

    There was only one boy of twelve or thirteen captured that day, and his image was Tyler, though looking older than he had when Cam met, of course. Demigods aged faster than regular humans, reaching puberty around seven or eight and finishing around fourteen or fifteen, being the equivalent of an eighteen-year-old human at that point.

    Cam pulled up the log on that ''slave'' to search for what happened, then pulled out his phone and opened up a note, typing in the information of the location he''d been moved to after that one, which looked like a larger holding place. From there, he was directly purchased, though the information was anonymous.

    It looked to Cam as if whoever had bought his friend did not want to be known, even to the sellers. Sighing, Cam removed his token, watching as the screen vanished.

    Then, he turned to his aunt and stuck his tongue out.

    "We''re gonna go raid another place! Enjoy dealing with DoSS!"

    He didn''t notice her sigh of relief as he grabbed his wagon and left, a sigh given because she realized that he had no interest in sharing access with an agent. The organization was safe, even if she had been captured and that location shut down.

    Cam skipped out of the warehouse, then pulled out his phone and made a call.

    "All done!" He exclaimed. "You can come out now, Callum!"

    A few seconds later, his cousin approached from between two more warehouses, and Cam informed him of the developments.

    "Tabitha is why you took so long to trigger the spell?" Callum asked.

    "Yep!" Cam said. "I had fun teasing her! She''s raging in there, though it looks like Eden''s magical cuffs really work. Oh! I gotta call Mr. Tules!"

    Cam dialed another number and pressed his phone back to his ear.

    "Cameron," Lucas said.

    "Hi, Mr. Tules!" Cam said. "A little birdie told me about a certain warehouse. I think you already know about it? Anyway, there''s a bunch of mage traffickers under the effects of a very potent sleeping potion. They''ll probably be out for another three hours. Tabitha Thornton is in there, as are four slaves I freed. Remember: you''re being given this information by the same person who ended the threat of the fae. It''s reliable. Don''t let the others tell you you can''t trust a kid. Got it? Good. I gotta go, I have an appointment to keep."

    Cam hung up without letting Lucas respond, and Callum sighed.

    "How much ice cream did you eat while waiting for your aunt to wake up?" Callum asked.

    "Like, all that was left," Cam rolled his eyes. "We already proved it didn''t work on me when I accidentally ate the entire gallon earlier, before you''d put the spell into them to delay the effects."

    Callum rolled his eyes again, then placed a hand on Cam and teleported them out, leaving the security warehouse behind, where Tabitha was attempting to free herself. She was still attempting to when DoSS agents arrived an hour later.

    The agents immediately began loading the traffickers into a van while a group of them interviewed the four remaining former slaves.

    "Let me get this straight," the agent in charge of talking to the four of them said after listening to their stories. "A thirteen-year-old boy came in here, drugged all of them with cookies and ice cream, set you free with what seemed to be a universal key to the collars, accepted most of you as his eternal minions, dumped the collars into a cooler that seemed to be a magical storage device, accessed the ring''s information system to locate a specific slave, and then left?"If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "That about sums it up."

    "Yep."

    "Pretty unbelievable, but it''s what happened."

    "I''m still trying to process it, myself."

    "You do realize that this sounds like something out of a fantasy story, right?"

    "Leave it," one of the other agents snorted. "We got the call from the kid, who directly called one of the directors. Apparently, it was the demigod who killed Titania."

    Tabitha grit her teeth at the reminder that her nephew had outplayed them. He put on such a mask of innocence and friendliness that he managed to drug all of them. With cookies and ice cream. With cookies and ice cream!

    Where did he even get that idea? The Hound of the Line must have suggested it to him. Her father had received information from the god who sired him to leave the boy alone because of the Hound of the Line.

    They weren''t sure what that meant, but they knew it was a reference to the boy''s bodyguard, the ancient demigod.

    She needed to get a message to the family, to let them know their prodigy was hunting the organization. If he continued like this, it was possible he''d completely destroy the organization in his search.

    The information he''d pulled up¡­ he didn''t know how to read it properly. She knew exactly who had the slave he was seeking. They weren''t an easy person to locate, and it was possible Cam would go after several more locations in his hunt for his friend.

    Resigning herself to being arrested for the time being, Tabitha allowed them to recuff her and lead her into a van just for her. She was strong enough to take on the agents around her, but only the ones immediately around. They were smart enough to keep her ankles cuffed when they released her arms from the chair, leaving her without magic during the recuffing.

    An hour later, Tabitha found herself in an interrogation room. As soon as her father found out what happened, he would be formulating a rescue plan. If DoSS started using compulsion serum on her for information, they might get something out of her before her nephilim body burned through it.

    Two hours later, she felt satisfaction when they failed to get a word out of her and moved her into a cell by herself, still cuffed, with the walls and bars enchanted to keep mages inside. She wasn''t strong enough to break out even if she weren''t cuffed.

    Tabitha sat on the metal bed on the back wall and stared at the bars, waiting. Either her father''s agents would come through the hall or they would break in through the wall behind her. One of the two.

    Footsteps caught her attention, and Tabitha smiled. They were moving with authority and power, not a trace of hesitation or meekness in their steps.

    The figure came into view, and Tabitha frowned. She didn''t recognize this agent. He looked to be in his mid twenties, with sandy-blond hair and dark blue eyes. A pair of majestic pink wings were tucked against his back, and he wore a crimson leather vest with black leather pants and boots.

    Someone who cares enough to have a vest made with little of the back covered, to allow for the wings, she thought to herself as she assessed him.

    "Who are you?" She asked.

    "None of your concern," he waved a hand, and the door to her cell opened.

    "Thank you," she stood.

    "I''m not here to free you," he stepped inside her cell, and the door closed, locking once more. "My father has asked me to kill you."

    "Kill me?" She frowned. "Who sent you?"

    "That is not your concern," the being stepped forward, and Tabitha threw up her hands to create a shield, only to remember that her magic was bound at the moment. "Foolish girl. Even if you did have that power, what could you do against me?"

    A moment later, he was standing directly in front of the nephilim, his right hand pressed against her chest, his dark blue gaze turning pink as he stared into Tabitha''s eyes. She attempted to look away, only to find herself entranced, her world shifting to focus only on him and the feeling of his hand against her.

    As Tabitha faded into the fantasy, she was rudely brought to alertness by the feeling of the demons around her and the heat of hell.

    The demigod stepped back as the nephilim dropped to the ground. There wasn''t a single person he used that on who could resist it. The tempting allure of love and lust mixed with the final power of death. They always woke up to find themselves in eternal damnation.

    Turning, the demigod left the cell, teleporting out of the DoSS prison and to his home. He stretched for a moment, then unmanifested his wings before changing back into jeans and a tee, leaving his feet bare as he made his way out of the room.

    His target was a room upstairs. A poster was hung on the door, with beams of light slicing through a monster, the words "KEEP OUT" in big, bold, black lettering above the beast. The demigod knocked on the door.

    "One moment!" His son''s voice called out as something thumped. The demigod snorted as he heard his son moving around in the room. "Come on in!"

    The demigod opened the door and looked around his son''s room, with clothes, games, movies, and magazines scattered across the floor.

    "Kris," he sighed as he looked at his son, who was pulling on the old anime tee he slept in. "You were supposed to be in bed an hour ago."

    "Yeah," Kris gave his father a sheepish look. "I have a good excuse, though! I was texting Ambro!"

    "Ambro?" Kris''s father asked. "You actually found him?"

    "Yep!" Kris grinned. "He''s here in town, just like I told you I heard! He goes by Cam now, by the way. He doesn''t like Ambrosius anymore, though he thinks it''s cool that it was Merlin''s last name. He''s weird as always. Can he come over? Not, like, now, but tomorrow or something."

    Kris''s father thought over that. He''d liked the little kid a year younger than his son, and could tell his son was being an honest. One benefit to being a natural mind mage over nine hundred years old: his son couldn''t lie to him and not be found out immediately.

    Ambrosius was a sweet kid, and he had considered looking into adoption. The two boys were fast friends when they met, and Michael knew that his son''s friend didn''t have anyone else at the time. Then the boy had run away while he was in the process of having the paperwork finalized to take custody of the boy.

    "Where''d you find him?" Michael asked.

    "I found this awesome arcade that''s spelled so that only mages can enter," Kris answered. "Was gaming and talking with some of the other kids, and one mentioned a kid who matched Ambro''s description. Did you know that Ambro barely looks older than he did three years ago? He looked twelve back then, remember? Even though he was only, like, ten? He looks thirteen, now, but he''s so skinny. Apparently, he didn''t eat much on the streets. When I poked him about that, he puffed out his chest and said ''I''m eating lots now, so I''m going to get big and strong!'' It was super funny. We sparred in the mage arena you don''t want me going to. Not during open hours, he''s actually friends with the owner and got us in hours before anyone else showed up. He''s badass! He''s the Cam from the arena I told you about, the mind mage who uses a mental battering ram to take out his opponents, and he''s apparently friends with with teleporter Eden and even, apparently, knew the fiery Jenna from his time on the streets. By the way ¨C he''s totally into her. Massive crush!"

    Michael chuckled at his son''s ramble.

    "Alright, Kris," he said. "Go to bed. You do have school tomorrow, and it''s already past midnight."

    "Yeah, yeah," Kris rolled his eyes, walking towards his father. "Let me brush my teeth first."

    "Alright," Michael said. "But then you''re going to bed, Kris. Don''t try to stay up any later."

    "If I do, you''ll know," Kris rolled his eyes again as he walked past his father, who bopped him on the head. "Hey!"

    "Hurry up," Michael said. "You''re not going to be late for school because you overslept."

    Kris rolled his eyes and Michael returned downstairs, running his fingers through his hair. Over the last nine hundred years, his father had called upon him many times to perform assassinations. His ability to teleport, send people into a fantasy that cast their soul directly into hell, and remain completely undetected was unparalled by most mages and demigods.

    Most of the time, he didn''t question it, though he did wonder why his father had suddenly told him to head to DoSS and kill one of their prisoners. She was a Thornton, too, which greatly interested him.

    He knew his son''s friend was a Thornton, and so the assassination made him wonder if Ambrosius had been in any danger because of her. The part that puzzled him was why his father would want him to protect his son''s friend.

    Letting out a sigh, Michael decided not to question it. Answers would either come with time or they wouldn''t. If he spoke with his son''s friend, he might figure it out.

    Unlike who his half-brother was. Suddenly being told ''you have a half-brother living in Tejina, move there and look for him'' was the extent of what his father would say. In fact, that was all he said. When Michael asked for more information, all he received was ''just do it, will you?'' in response.

    Perhaps Ambrosius might know of who my brother is, Michael thought to himself.

    His son''s friend seemed to have connections in the underworld. It was possible that he''d heard of a mind mage specializing in compulsion, especially since he himself was a mind mage, based on his son''s words.

    After grabbing a snack, Michael went to his room to get some rest. The morning would bring with it a continued hunt for his brother.

 02-013

    Chapter Thirteen.

    "Is he sleeping?" Eden asked when he teleported into his living room after a training session with Adam.

    Cam was curled up on the couch, using Jenna''s lap as a pillow as she watched T.V., his eyes closed and breathing rhythmic.

    "No," Jenna ran her fingers through Cam''s hair. "Just exhausted. He didn''t get much sleep last night, and his attempt to nap this morning didn''t work out so well. He was super moody a few minutes before you showed up, then curled up on my lap and went like this, refusing to speak."

    "Alright," Eden stretched. "I''m going to take a shower, where''s Callum?"

    "No clue," Jenna shrugged. "He put up some wards and told me to make sure Cam didn''t leave, then he just vanished."

    Eden grunted, then went to the bathroom to shower as Jenna poked Cam in the ribs. He fidgeted, slapping her hand away.

    "We''ll find him," she told Cam. "I know we will. You got us some good information, it''s only a matter of time before we find him."

    "I know," Cam sighed. "But we''re gonna have to fight. I''m done with fighting. I don''t want to fight anymore. But I''m going to have to, aren''t I? It''s the only way we''ll be able to find Ty. My trick with the security place won''t work everywhere. We''re going to have to fight."

    "You don''t have to fight if you don''t want to," Jenna told him. "You can just wait outside. You''re good at telling if someone''s lying, right?"

    "Yeah," he huffed. "But that doesn''t mean anything if they simply refuse to give the answers and are thinking about other stuff or have mental shields. I''d have to pry, then. And push. Hard. And I don''t want to do that."

    "Wouldn''t Callum do it for you?" She asked.

    "I don''t want to rely on him for everything," Cam sniffled. "I don''t want to be weak! I don''t want to always need a bodyguard! I want to be able to fight for me! But when I think about fighting, I get reminded-reminded of that night at the warehouse. When Blake died. He was so strong and cool. I wish I could be like that."

    "You can be," she said. "Just eat lots of food, train your body and magic, and you''ll be even stronger and cooler than him. I promise."

    "Yeah, I guess," Cam moped, then fell silent for a few minutes. "When I fled the prison ¨C the fairies'' prison ¨C I killed a lot of fairies, Jenna. I mean a lot of fairies. And then I killed Titania."

    He sighed.

    "I still have her corpse."

    "What?" Jenna exclaimed, and Cam giggled.

    "Fairy parts are extremely valuable in alchemy and magic rituals and stuff," he told her. "The more powerful the fairy, the more power the parts hold. I had to negotiate with Grandpa Alex her eyeball to get the universal key for slave collars. I dunno what he''s doing with it, though ¨C I didn''t ask. I could probably make billions off her body. Or trillions! Maybe even quadrillions!"

    Jenna stared at him, then chuckled.

    "Sit up, Cam," she said, and he did. "You''re going to be okay, Cam. I promise."

    "I know," he sighs. "It''s just a lot to take in. I''m going to have to kill again, and I don''t know if I like it. But that''s the life we live, isn''t it? As long as I''m part of the magical underground, there''s a high chance I''ll have to kill, isn''t there? Especially with all the wars going on over me. I''m a valuable prize. If they can collar me, they gain the most powerful slave in the world. The heavens are literally destroying themselves to get me. That''s been paused, but I don''t doubt that it''s going to start up again. Dad says that, too."

    "Dad?" Jenna stared at him. "You talk with your father?"

    "He regularly kidnaps me when I try to nap to attend one of his ridiculous parties," Cam nodded. "Sometimes, I get covered in champagne or punch. Yesterday, it was chocolate."

    "Is that why you keep taking a shower after your naps?"

    "I feel icky after the parties," Cam nodded. "Even when I don''t get covered in some random thing. But it makes my dad happy to have me at the parties, and I guess it keeps me from the nightmares. He said that I just have to come to terms with what happened and overcome it, and I''ll be fine again. I dunno."

    Jenna stared at Cam for a few moments, noting his shifting mood. Reaching forward, she pulled him into a hug, slipping her hands under his shirt, sliding them across his back until she reached his sides.

    Then, she started tickling, holding Cam against her as he struggled to break free. He was much too thin and suffering from three years of malnutrition too many to resist her, though, and was unable to break free, no matter how much he squirmed and twisted.

    Despite being weak from malnutrition, Cam was still the son of a High God, which meant his strength was still above a normal human''s. Enough so that his wrestling with Jenna, another child of a High God, was too much for the couch they were sitting on, and it broke with a loud crack.

    Jenna continued to tickle him as Cam squealed and giggled, stopping only when Eden ran out holding a towel around his waist, still soaked in water from the shower he''d jumped out of.

    "What is going on in here?" He exclaimed. "The couch!"Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "I''ll get Callum to fix it," Cam giggled. "Jenna and I were just sitting here and it just broke. All on its own. Nothing happened. We most definitely were not wrestling around on it, and Jenna most definitely was not using her bigger muscles to keep me in her grip as she tickled me."

    Eden sighed, then smiled at Cam. It was the first time he''d seen him giggling in¡­ well, forever. He was sure Cam had giggled at some point before, but he couldn''t remember hearing it.

    At least he seems to be a little happier, Eden thought.

    "I''m finishing my shower," Eden told them. "Please try not to break anymore furniture."

    Eden returned to his shower, and Cam looked at Jenna.

    "Thanks," he hugged her. "That was fun. Lots of fun. I promise, Jenna, I''m gonna do everything I can to find Ty for you. And not just because I like you."

    Cam''s face flushed as he realized what he admitted, and Jenna stared at him in shock at the confession.

    "You like me?" She asked, and he gave her a slow, hesitant nod. "Come here."

    She pulled him against her in a hug again, this time just hugging her.

    "I like you, too, Cam," she said. "Part of the reason we left was because I didn''t want to hurt you, I promise. Ty and I were constantly getting into fights, and it was scaring you, and I dunno, I didn''t like that I kept scaring you. I''m so sorry, Cam."

    "Woof."

    Jenna and Cam turned to face Soldier, Eden''s golden retriever, who was standing right beside them, wagging his tail.

    "Alright, alright," Cam reached out, pulling the dog into the hug. "You''re a good boy, aren''t you?"

    "Yes, please keep doing that to him," Callum said, and Cam grinned at his cousin, who had just returned. "Please, Cam. Don''t treat me like a dog."

    "Then don''t turn into one?" Cam offered, and Callum sighed. "Where''d you go?"

    "I was investigating something," Callum answered. "The location you found."

    "Without us?" Cam scrambled to his feet, pulling Jenna up with him. "But-"

    "No," Callum held up a hand. "I did this to help you, Cam. I was watching through Soldier''s eyes while I was gone. Do you want to overcome what you went through, Cam? Do you want to try to push it back and accept it, accepting that you have killed and will kill again, if it means protecting those dear to you?"

    Cam thought on that for several long moments. Did he want to kill again? No. Would he? More than likely. He knew that. He knew that fighting the traffickers would be the only way to do it. And they would send their agents after him trying to kill him. And their slaves.

    Then there were the angels and gods fighting over him. When they returned, he would need to fight again. He couldn''t rely on Callum forever ¨C he didn''t know how long his cousin would be around for. His father refused to answer.

    "Yeah," Cam nodded as he slipped a hand under his shirt to scratch a part of his back. "If it means not getting kidnapped again and being able to protect my friends, then I probably will."

    "Are you willing to stay short forever?" Callum asked.

    "Huh?" Cam gave him a befuddled look.

    "Just curious," Callum responded. "I know you hate being short. You''re the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old human, but are rather short for that."

    "Well, no, I don''t want to be short," Cam glared at his cousin. "Why would you even ask that?"

    "Why are you scratching your back?" Callum asked.

    "Huh?" Cam realized what he was doing and pulled his hand away. "I dunno, it just itches."

    "Better start eating a lot," Callum entered the kitchen. "You''ll probably hit your final growth spurt soon."

    "What are you, psychic?" Cam asked.

    "No," Callum answered as he started pulling out food. "But demigods finish puberty between the ages of thirteen and fifteen, when they become the equivalent of an eighteen-year-old human. You''re thirteen, so you''re in the right range. And you''re scratching your back. You probably only have three or four months left before your wings manifest. When that happens, you''ll stop aging, stuck forever in the body of an eighteen-year-old. So you need to eat lots of food and train your body. Get those last growth spurts in before you finish."

    "He''s only a week older than me," Jenna told Callum, who had begun preparing burgers. "Does this mean I''ll probably start soon?"

    Callum gave her a once-over, then shrugged.

    "Probably," he answered. "But you might have time. You look to be the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old human, so it''s probable you''re at the final stages as well. The last few years of aging take place in the span of about three or four months, and begins with the itching where the wings will manifest, once they come in. You look healthy enough to not need the extra food and exercise, but Cam''s growth was stunted by the years on the street without proper nutrition."

    "Maybe if I''d been more willing to fight sooner," Cam muttered. "And wasn''t such a coward back then."

    Jenna snorted, then hugged Cam again before he pulled away and sat at the counter to watch his cousin cook.

    "Burgers?" Cam asked.

    "Yes," Callum nodded. "They are something I discovered while you were missing. Quite delicious. Lots of meat, and we can even add some vegetables. I''ll make you four of them, Jenna two, and Eden¡­ I''ll make him one. He''s only mortal, even if a prodigy, and these are thick patties."

    "Is it me, or is he talking a lot?" Jenna asked Cam as she sat beside him.

    "He is," Cam confirmed. "I think he really cares for me."

    "Of course I do," Callum snorted. "You''re one of the kindest people I''ve met in my life, even for a son of your father''s. You have a more mischievous side than most of his children, too."

    "What does that mean?" Eden asked as he joined the other two teens, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless, his hair still wet from the shower he''d just finished. "That he''s more mischievous?"

    "Ulrima''s children tend to fall into one of three categories," Callum stated. "The first is the lover and lust-filled kind. The second is the cold-hearted-kind. The third is the mischievous kind. Cam falls into the third category, it''s why he tends to be playful."

    "Not because he''s a kid?" Eden asked.

    "That, too," Callum nodded. "But I''m sure he''ll stay playful and mischievous once his wings come in. Cam, stop scratching your back, all you''re going to do is rip it open."

    "I clip my nails short," Cam snorted. "It''s just rubbing with the tips of my fingers."

    "Wearing it down will do the same thing," Callum told him. "The itching will come in phases. Towards the end of your final growth cycle, it''ll become nearly unbearable."

    "Is there any way to stop that?" Cam asked. "Because it''s unbearable now."

    "Not that I''m aware of," Callum shrugged. "They may have invented something to ease the itching, though. Eden, Jenna ¨C do you want cheese on your burgers?"

    "What about me?" Cam asked as the other two teens gave an affirmative response.

    "You''re getting cheese," Callum said. "A growing demigod needs all the nutrients he can get."

    "No mustard or tomatoes!"

    "And after you finish lunch," Callum told him. "I''m taking you to where the slavers with any use are being held. If you want to overcome your trauma, you can practice on them."

    At the mention of Cam practicing on people, the young teen quieted down, losing much of the energy he''d just displayed. His cousin''s words made him realize his cousin had already dealt with the location he''s sought and had singled out the people who would have any information that they could use.

    Cam didn''t like the idea of using his powers to interrogate people, and found himself having lost his appetite at the thought of it.

    But it was to save a friend, so he resolved himself to do what he could.

 02-014

    Chapter Fourteen.

    "This man," Callum told Cam. "Is the one who was in charge of logging slaves at that location. He logged when they came in, who bought them, and where they were sent."

    Cam looked at the slaver. It was a man in his forties with gray hair and brown eyes. Callum had him cuffed to a metal chair in a warehouse the ancient demigod had purchased and enchanted that morning.

    No one would hear anything going on inside of it. Cam knew his cousin intended him to torture the information or rip it out of the slaver''s head, but he couldn''t bring himself to do that. There were several other slavers in a separate room in the warehouse, all bound, gagged, and put under a stasis spell of his cousin''s.

    All ready for interrogation.

    Cam sat on the chair in front of the slaver as he contemplated what to do. Using his empathy, he was able to tell if someone was lying. Using his telepathy, he could read their thoughts. Those were both things he was willing to do.

    The one he was hesitant towards was mental pressure. He could use a mental battering ram against the man, slowly wearing away his resolve. That still bothered him. There was that mental grip he used on Jenna. It was slower and gentler, and less likely to kill the man.

    But it was still a painful piece of torture.

    Sighing, Cam looked into the slaver''s eyes.

    "We''re looking for a specific slave," Cam told him. "Tell us what we need to know, and if it''s honest, we''ll be a lot nicer, okay?"

    "I''ll never answer your question," the slaver spit at him, the spit landing on a barrier Callum created to stop it.

    "That''s a clich¨¦ line," Cam said. "Do you think you''re a hero being interrogated by the villain? No. You''re the villain. You work to enslave mages and force them to do the bidding of others. I''m here to free a slave. I''m not a hero, either. I''d like to be one, but I think heroes have to be a bit more heroic than me. I''ll do what''s necessary, even if it means giving myself nightmares, in order to protect my friends.

    "So don''t be a clich¨¦," Cam told the slaver. "Because I really don''t like it. I just want to know where this one specific slave is. My cousin''s in favor of just entering your head and ripping the information out.

    "I don''t like that method," he said. "I hate it, actually. But if you refuse to give us answers, I''ll let him do it. Do you know why I don''t like it?"

    Cam stared at the slaver, who didn''t answer.

    "I don''t like it," Cam said. "Because it''s dangerous. If not done properly, it will leave your mind as mush. You''d likely never recover. I''m giving you a chance. Answer my questions, and things will be okay for you. Okay?"

    "You''ll never get it from me," the slaver snorted.

    Cam looked at Callum.

    "He truly believes that," Cam told his cousin, then looked back at the slaver. "Is that because you don''t know? Or believe you don''t know?"

    "I only just started here today," the slaver answered. "I don''t know anything about the logs there, and I can only enter the information in, I can''t access it."

    "Oh, don''t worry about that," Cam pulled out his wallet, then his Thornton Crest. "You see, I''m a Thornton by blood. That means that I can access those fancy magic computers'' databases. We already know the slave in question was brought to your location. From there, he was sold to an anonymous person. Eden?"

    Eden stepped forward and handed Cam a sheet of paper, and the teen held it up so that the slaver could see.

    "The information is that he was sold to an anonymous slaver," Cam said. "But Callum told me that it''s likely not completely true. You had to have had something to go off of, didn''t you? I need to know how to read this information and find out who bought my friend."

    "I''m not going to help you," the man spat again, his saliva hitting the barrier once more. "You might be a Thornton, but your family? They''re a lot scarier than you and this ragtag group of wannabe vigilantes."

    "Oh, we aren''t wannabes," Eden grinned. "You heard about the security warehouse front? Cam here," he placed a hand on Cam''s shoulder. "Is the one who caused it to fall apart. That''s where he got this information."

    "Now," Cam said. "How do I find out who bought my friend?"

    The man just spat at him again, and Cam sighed.

    "No, Callum," Cam looked at his cousin. "Let me handle this. I need to. For Ty. And for everyone else they''ve hurt. I can''t be a wimp forever."

    Cam turned his gaze back to the slaver, then took a deep breath before slowly letting it out, gathering up his magical power. Focusing that power, Cam lightened it, pushing his mind into the slaver''s.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The man began trembling at the sensation of a foreign mind invading his own. He could feel it moving around in there, searching, seeking. There were too many secrets he knew, too many embarrassing things he didn''t want anyone to know.

    He began spilling everything he knew. He didn''t know who bought the slave with that information, but he did know who would probably know. Within five minutes, he''d given all of the information he had on it, and Cam pulled his mind out.

    "Cam?" Eden gave the exhausted-looking demigod a horrified look. "I thought you said-"

    "I didn''t root through his mind," Cam said. "I, uh, thought of an alternative."

    "That was totally badass, Cam!"

    "I never thought about using the power like that before!"

    "That probably felt totally creepy to him, I kind of feel for the slaver."

    "Do it again!"

    "Yeah, do it to Eden!"

    "Guys, hush!" Cam hissed at the voices, then blushed as he realized he''d verbalized his annoyance at them once more.

    "What did you do?" Eden asked.

    "I, uh," Cam blushed deeper. "I pushed my mind against his and basically just¡­ moved around? It felt totally creepy. It was so hard not to pull out. I didn''t root through his mind, and I didn''t hurt him, either. I call that a win."

    He nodded. He found that to be a much better alternative, even if it did disturb the man. Cam supposed it was probably a form of torture, too, but at least the man wasn''t hurt and didn''t have his mind actually invaded.

    The demigod wasn''t sure it would work on someone who actually knew mind magic, since they''d be able to tell he was pretty much just brushing his mind against theirs, but for someone without a branch in the school of mind magic?

    It definitely had its uses.

    "Anyway," Cam looked at Callum, who looked deep in thought. "Callum? Caaallum? Calluuuuum? Callum!"

    "What?" Callum jumped at Cam jabbed a finger into his side.

    "The guy he said probably had the answers," Cam said. "Where''d you stick him? Also, can I have the gummy bears you stuck in your pocket? I''m hungry again."

    "I''ll get you a snack," Eden patted Cam''s head, only to have his hand swatted away. "Back in a few minutes."

    Callum knocked out the slaver and uncuffed him, then took him to the room where he was storing the other guards. He bound him and gagged him once more, then placed a stasis spell on him before scanning the room, his eyes landing on another slaver.

    This one looked to be in his late twenties, with blond hair, brown eyes, and a lean build. The demigod grabbed the man and pulled him out of the room, moving him to where the other slaver had previously sat.

    After cuffing the man and removing him from stasis, Callum turned himself back into a dog and sat beside his cousin. He didn''t like being in human form and was already doing more than he was comfortable with.

    The only reason he''d stepped in was because his job was to protect his cousin. But there wasn''t really a need to. Cam and his friends could definitely handle these slavers, even with Cam''s combat reluctance.

    It was an interesting group of youth, to be sure. A spatial mage, a mind mage demigod, a fire mage demigoddess with ice magic, an illusion and wind mage prodigy, and a blood mage nephilim with blood combat capabilities.

    A mage with voices that told him where danger lurked and guided him in battle to ensure his safety. A mage who could move around without regard for space, even warping it so that attacks failed to strike. A mage who used fire that could burn through most defenses. A mage who never fought where he could be seen, instead causing his foes to believe him elsewhere. A mage who healed his allies while gaining strength the more injuries were inflicted in battle.

    Those five teens, if they were to form up into a team, would immediately be among the most powerful teams on the entirety of the planet Earth, the ancient demigod was sure. He was confident the only reason the Leosvars would be able to stop them would be their spell to freeze time.

    Then add in the teen three of them were hunting for. A boy with ice that could freeze nearly any magic in its tracks. Combined with his sister''s fire, they could bring about a small, armageddon-class spell of complete destruction.

    If those five ¨C six ¨C mages trained well, then in the next three or four years, they would easily be the most powerful mages on Earth and a team that could only be stopped by divine powers.

    Callum sighed, then laid down. Back when he was younger, he was part of one such unit. It was how he''d earned the nickname the Hound of the Line. He wasn''t sure what had happened to the others, but-

    Something slammed into his mind with a panic, and the ancient demigod looked at his cousin, who had suddenly looked scared. He sat back up, and Cam''s hand returned to his head.

    Right, Callum thought. Cam''s using me as a steadying tool. I''m not sure how I feel about this. But it''s keeping him calm while in a situation that scares him, so I suppose I''ll endure this dog-like treatment. It does feel good, though.

    As Callum pondered over what it felt like to have someone scratch behind his ears, Cam continued his interrogation of the slaver, munching on the carrots that Eden had brought him. He was hoping for chocolate or gummies, but decided the carrots would do, too.

    Especially if they helped him grow up. He didn''t want to be a short adult.

    If only there was some ranch dressing to go with it.

    "Hey, Eden?" Cam interrupted his ''interrogation'' to look at the spatial mage. "Can you get me some ranch dressing to dip these in?"

    Eden snorted before teleporting out, and Cam looked at the slaver once more.

    "So the guy regularly buys mage slaves," Cam said. "And has them fight against each other in a secret, underground arena that requires an exclusive pass to enter?"

    "Correct," the slaver responded. "No one knows where it''s held, and those who hold the passes are sworn into a magical oath to not reveal they have it nor where it''s held nor anything else that could lead someone to it."

    "Do you know how I can qualify to earn one of those passes?" Cam asked. "There''s got to be some way to get their attention. I''m looking for a specific slave he has."

    "You have to catch the master''s attention," the slaver answered. "Unless you plan on going around destroying his various safe houses, bases, and so on, you won''t be able to, kid."

    "Destroying them?" Cam asked. "Do you know who you''re talking to? Two of my best friends participated in destroying the Fae Forest. I killed Titania with my cousin here. I''m friends with the violent twin sister of the slave I''m looking for. I know you were only answering my questions because you didn''t feel there was any danger from answering them. They were harmless, right? But now¡­ now I''m going to need you to tell me everything you can about this master and where I can find his properties. My friends and I are about to get his attention in a rather violent way."

    Well, my friends are, Cam thought to himself. I''ll just be there for moral support.

    Eden returned with a bowl of ranch dressing, and Cam promptly dunked a carrot into it before pushing his mind against the slaver''s.

 02-015

    Chapter Fifteen.

    "DAAAAAAAAAD!" Kris yelled when he entered the house. "WE''RE HOOOOOOOME!"

    Cam glared at his friend, his hands over his ears.

    "It''s been three years!" Cam exclaimed after lowering his hands, and Kris giggled. "You still do that?"

    "It''s fun," Kris slugged him on the arm. "Come on, let''s go find Dad. He''s probably doing something weird."

    "I''m right here," Michael said from the couch, and Kris giggled as his father stood and looked at Cam. "Hello, Ambrosius."

    "Hi, Mr. Kendall," Cam suddenly felt shy and half-hid behind his friend.

    "Before you run upstairs to play video games with Kris," Michael said. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a few minutes."

    "About me running away?" Cam asked.

    "Yes," Mr. Kendall said. "I''m not mad at you, Ambrosius. I heard about what the kids in your past homes and that one in particular were going through. I can understand what was probably going through your head. Kris, why don''t you head upstairs and get something ready?"

    Kris nodded, then made his way upstairs as Michael sat back down and gestured for Cam to do so. The teen hesitated, then took a seat on the recliner. He always felt safe around Mr. Kendall, and even now, in a time where he was stressed, jumpy, and scared of being kidnapped at every turn, there was just something comforting there. Even with the voices having gone completely silent, though he could sense they were musing over something.

    "You ran away," Michael said. "Because you were tired of being mistreated, underfed, and abused, right?"

    Cam nodded. He''d barely been allowed to hang out with Kris, and those were among the few times he''d ever eaten a full meal before he''d run away. And after, up until he started living with Greyson and Blake in the hotel.

    "I''m sorry you felt you had to do that," Michael told him. "Perhaps if I''d told you something, you wouldn''t have run away and toughed it out just a little bit longer. It was meant to be a surprise."

    "Told me something?" Cam asked. "A surprise?"

    "Yes," Michael nodded, then took a deep breath. "Ambrosius, when you ran away, I was in the middle of petitioning the courts for custody of you. I was talking with DCFS about it, and there was a court date a few days after you ran away for the hearing on whether or not I''d become your legal guardian. That was when we were going to inform you that I was trying. It had hurt me to see you in the situation you were, and you were good friends with Kris, even if barely able to hang out."

    "You-" Cam felt tears welling up in his eyes. "You wanted me?"

    "I still do," Michael nodded. "Because you ran away, the proceedings were put on hold. If you want, though, I can petition again. I moved down here for work, and Kris surprised me with the news that he''d found you here, Ambrosius. You''ll still be able to hang out with your new friends and everything, if I get custody of you. I''ll-"

    He cut off as Cam lunged at him with surprising speed. Michael nearly reacted with force out of instinct, only to catch Cam''s thoughts at the last moment. He was happy. Happy and sobbing as he wrapped his arms around him.

    Michael rubbed Cam''s back, aware that the boy was, for the first time ever, feeling wanted by someone other than a friend. For the first time ever, Cam knew that there was an adult out there who wanted to be his father and family. And it was someone Cam knew had genuine interest in him, someone he knew actually did want him.

    "I''m sorry I ruined things," Cam cried into Michael. "You were the only adult who was nice back then, and I just didn''t¡­ I couldn''t take it anymore, and I just wanted to get away! If I''d known-if I''d known, I''d have tried to stay! I missed you and Kris, Mr. Kendall! I''m so sorry I made you worry and ruined things! I''d love to be-to live with you!"

    Cam sniffled as he pulled away from the man, wiping his face on his sleeve.

    "But you can''t be my father," Cam sniffled again. "Sorry, Mr. Kendall."

    "Why not?" Michael asked. "All I need to do is-"

    "Because you''re my brother," Cam answered. "You, um¡­ would probably just be my guardian, right? Since you''re my brother?"

    "Brother?" Michael asked. "What are you-"

    "Kris told me that Dad sent you here to look for your half-brother," Cam projected into his mind, then giggled when Michael''s eyes widened. "We''re half-brothers, apparently! And I like you way more than I like my mom''s side of the family. They''re evil."

    "Ambrosius?" Michael said. "There are a lot of questions I have, and some things to say, but¡­ you shouldn''t call them evil."

    "Ever heard of the Thorntons?"

    Michael thought back to the previous night''s mission from his father, and he quickly realized what his son''s friend ¨C his brother ¨C was saying.

    "Your mother''s a Thornton?" He asked.

    "Yeah," Cam nodded. "See? They''re evil. Can I go play with Kris now?"

    "Have you spoken with our father yet?" Michael asked.

    "All the time," Cam groaned. "He keeps kidnapping me for his parties."

    Michael laughed at his brother''s exasperation.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "He did that to me a lot when I was younger, too," Michael told him. "Has he given you anything?"

    "This?" Cam pulled a necklace out from under his hoodie.

    Not the amulet that concealed his divinity, but the protective charm his father had given him. A red stone hanging from a pink chain, it was forged of the pure essence of Ulrima and shielded the wearer against any non-beneficial magic from any angelic or divine source.

    God, angel, demigod, and nephilim ¨C it didn''t matter which they were. If their magic would not benefit Cam, the stone would dispel it when it attempted to touch him.

    Michael nodded, pulling out a similar necklace from beneath his shirt and showing it to Cam.

    "So you''re a demigod, right?" Cam asked. "Does that mean you chose to look the age you do?"

    "I did," Michael nodded. "If I wanted, I could return to my natural appearance, which is around nineteen years of age."

    "Okay," Cam said. "So how old are you really?"

    "A little more than nine hundred," Michael chuckled at the boy''s widening eyes. "Haven''t met many older than me, have you? Outside of our father''s parties, anyway."

    "I''ve met Adam Leosvar, Alexander Leosvar, and my dog, who''s way older than the world we''re on."

    It was Cam''s turn to laugh as Michael''s eyes widened.

    "Imma go play with Kris!" Cam quickly bolted out of the living room and up the stairs.

    Using his empathy, he quickly located Kris in a room with a couch, a coffee table, and a gaming center set up. His friend was sitting on the couch, a controller in one hand and another sitting beside him.

    "Finally!" Kris exclaimed. "We''re gonna slaughter hordes of zombies, okay?"

    "Sure!" Cam grabbed the controller and plopped himself onto the couch. "Did you know?"

    "Know what?" Kris asked.

    "That your dad was trying to get custody of me when I ran away."

    Kris gave Cam a stunned look, which told the demigod all he needed to know. It was kept a secret from his friend, too, even after he''d run away.

    "Yeah," Cam said. "That''s what your dad wanted to talk to me about."

    "Did you tell him?" Kris asked.

    "Yep!" Cam grinned. "He was pretty shocked. Then I told him that just because he''s nine hundred years old, didn''t mean he was the oldest non-god I''d met!"

    Kris giggled at that, then pulled up the menu for the game and set the battle difficulty.

    "Come on," Kris said. "This is the third game in that series we used to play. Let''s see who can rack up more kills!"

    When Michael came up two hours later to inform the boys he''d ordered pizza, he found Cam sleeping peacefully on the couch, his head on a pillow that Kris had provided for him, a blanket tossed over him. Kris himself was sitting on the floor, continuing to kill zombies in the game, a set of headphones on his head to keep the sound from the game from waking Cam.

    "Shh," Kris immediately put a finger to his lips as he looked at his father. "Don''t be noisy, Ambro passed out, and he''s been having a hard time sleeping lately. He really needs the sleep."

    Michael nodded, then tapped his ears. Kris slipped the headphones back a little.

    "I ordered pizza," Michael informed him. "Estimated delivery time is around forty-five minutes. How long ago did he fall asleep?"

    "Around an hour and a half ago," Kris answered, glancing at Cam. "I''m surprised he hasn''t launched into nightmares, Eden mentioned they had to ward his room ''cause about five minutes into sleep, he''d get nightmares so bad he''d start using a sort of mind wave in his sleep."

    "A familiar, comforting environment can do wonders," Michael informed his son. "Even though we''re in a new home, we were Ambrosius''s grounding for two years. It was around us that he felt comfortable. The fact that he''s comfortable to sleep quickly and easily here even the first time he''s here after reuniting with us after three years, Kris, it shows how much he trusts us."

    Kris wasn''t too sure about that, but accepted his father''s explanation. Cam did trust them, and he did feel comfortable around them.

    "Let him rest until the pizza arrives," Michael told his son. "Then wake him up gently, okay? He''ll need to eat, and to sleep tonight, too."

    "But he''s-"

    "Kris," Michael used a stern tone. "Do it, okay?"

    "Okay," Kris sighed, then fixed his headphones and resumed playing as his father left.

    Nearly an hour later, he heard the doorbell ring, and turned to wake Cam, who was yawning as he sat up.

    "I fell asleep?" Cam asked, and Kris laughed, before grabbing the pillow and smacking Cam in the face with it. "Hey!"

    Cam tackled Kris, and the two wrestled for a few minutes until Michael hollered for them to quiet down and come downstairs for dinner.

    "I smell pizza!" Cam exclaimed, taking off out of the room.

    "Hey, wait up!" Kris scrambled to his feet, chasing after his friend.

    Damn, I forgot how fast Cam could be, he thought to himself, then froze halfway down the steps in realization. He''s a demigod! I forgot about his speed until now, but that definitely explains it! Dad always said demigods were fast!

    When Kris reached the kitchen, Cam was already piling a plate high with the meat lover''s pizza and hot wings, already chewing on something.

    "Save some for the rest of us!"

    "No!" Cam said without opening his mouth, and Kris rolled his eyes.

    Same old Ambrosius, Michael thought as he watched the two boys.

    Cam loved pizza and was often stuffing himself by the time Kris had reached the kitchen when they had it before he''d run away.

    "Let''s watch something together while we eat," Michael told them. "You can head back upstairs after you''re both finished."

    Cam said something through his mouth, and Michael gave him a look that said to not talk with his mouth full.

    "Sweet! Do you have any juice?"

    Michael snorted at the boy''s creative way of getting around that.

    "Alright, smartass," he said. "We have apple juice, orange juice, and grape juice."

    "Orange!"

    Michael walked over to the fridge as Kris stared in confusion.

    "What about you, Kris?"

    "Can I have soda?"

    "Not on school nights."

    "Pleeeeeeease?"

    "Not on school nights."

    "Fiiiiiiiine," Kris said. "I''ll have a beer."

    "You don''t drink beer," Michael rolled his eyes as he pulled the orange juice out. "Orange juice alright?"

    "Suuuuuuure," Kris faked a groan. "I suppose that''ll do."

    "Or you can do water," Michael told him.

    "Does it come with free-ow!"

    Cam giggled as he bolted to the couch, and Kris grabbed his plate and chased after him.

    "Come here, you brat!" Kris said.

    "No wrestling until after dinner!"

    "But he-"

    "That goes for both of you!"

    Cam giggled, then shoved a wing into his mouth.

    "You know there are bones on there, right?" Kris asked as he sat beside Cam.

    "Yep!" Cam responded. "Eden taught me a cool trick!"

    "You can talk telepathically?" Kris jumped up in surprise, causing Cam and Michael to laugh.

    "I thought I already told you?" Cam responded as he chewed. "Hold on a sec, Kris. Gonna show you this awesome trick."

    Cam chewed for a few more seconds, then pushed with his tongue, a bone, completely clean of meat, passing between his lips. He grabbed it and set it on his plate, then evicted more bones from his mouth.

    "Ta-da!" He said. "Eden taught me how to suck off all the meat from the bones! Gotta be able to pop the whole wing into your mouth, though, or it doesn''t work."

    "Eden is officially weird," Kris told Cam.

    "Eden is a badass," Cam responded. "He can afford to be weird. And literally, too. He''s a millionaire. That''s awesome! Now hurry up and finish eating, I wanna go back to killing zombies and catching up on everything that''s happened since I ran away!"

 02-016

    Chapter Sixteen.

    Steven Dunmar sighed, not for the first time that afternoon. He''d been stuck outside for nearly four hours, watching for possible intruders, and he really needed to pee. Every time he called in asking for someone to cover him for a few minutes, he was told to wait until shift change, which was two hours from then.

    He didn''t think he''d be able to hold it and was contemplating peeing in a cup. There was no one else out there, and he was dressed as a begger, his walkie concealed under his thick coats. His colleagues would probably laugh at him about it for a few weeks, but it was better than a bladder infection from holding it too long.

    Gritting his teeth, he began looking in the shopping cart filled with miscellaneous junk that helped his cover outside the tea shop. There were a few cups in there, and a bottle for a sports drink. That would do. All he''d need to do was step into the alley for a minute or two, and he''d be fine.

    It wasn''t like they received many customers in the first place, and no one would think much of a homeless man huddled up with his back to the street, as long as he was discreet enough.

    Steven turned to enter the alley and found a trio of teens standing there. Teens who hadn''t been there before. All three were grinning.

    "Your cover isn''t that good," the brown-eyed blond boy said.

    "Yeah," the amber-eyed blond boy added. "Your walkie''s actually pretty obvious. As is the stun baton hidden under your left jacket."

    "Now," the brown-haired girl said. "You can either give us the codes to access the back, or we can beat it out of you. The choice is yours."

    Steven reached for his walkie, only to find himself thrown forward by a kick to the back. A very hot kick that set his outer coat on fire. He twisted to catch himself, only to find the girl standing there, a cruel grin on her face.

    "Looks like it''s the hard way," she cracked her knuckles as he twisted to block a punch from the brown-eyed boy, only to find another punch coming from nowhere, this one landing square in his gut. "Nice job. Was that Eden or Kris?"

    "Kris," the brown-eyed boy''s voice said from above Steven just as a foot met the man''s tender spot.

    "Nice!" The amber-eyed boy''s voice exclaimed from somewhere further down the alley. "That was awesome, Jenna! You should''ve done it with some fire in that kick, though."

    "Hey, hey, I got an idea!" The girl''s voice said from right in front of Steven, who lunged forward, meeting nothing but air. "That was so funny, Kris! I''ve got to learn this voice trick of yours!"

    "Come back with some decent mastery of wind magics," the amber-eyed boy''s voice said as a foot crashed into Steven''s head. "And I''ll happily teach you."

    Steven felt another blow strike him as he attempted to locate the kids. They were moving too fast for him to track. His power wasn''t meant for combat, he was only a scout. His job was to look out for others who might be feds, not deal with three teens who know who they are.

    Even enhancing his sight as much as he could, he found himself befuddled. There was nothing going on. He couldn''t see a single trace of movement, not even when a fist connected with his jaw from the right. And he''d been looking in that direction.

    The illusionist was a good one.

    He cursed the heavy coats. While they padded the blows a bit, they hindered his movements, too. Same with the layers of pants he was wearing. He cursed his bosses for thinking it was acceptable to dress the lookouts like that.

    Steven turned his head to the street, wondering why no one had noticed his predicament. Even if few ever passed by there, there still should have been someone.

    "Hey, hey," the girl''s voice said from beside his ear. "If you tell us what we want to know, we might let you live."

    "Yeah," the brown-eyed boy''s voice said from beside Steven''s other ear. "See, Jenna and I? We''ve been killers for years. Kris is kind of new to this, so he wouldn''t be the one killing you, but he certainly knows how to put up a good barrier. We could torture it out of you."

    "I wish Cam''d come along," the girl said. "He could simply read your mind and get the information. Unfortunately, he has some issues with that, so he stayed at home to play with the dogs."

    "So why don''t you go ahead and tell us," the brown-eyed voice said. "What we want to know? All we want is to know what the codes are to the back room. We can already get to that door, we just can''t get through it."

    "You''ll need to torture me first," Steven said through grit teeth.

    That would require removing his coats. As soon as they did that, he''d have a lot more mobility.

    "Okay!" The brown-eyed boy cheerfully responded.

    A gunshot went off, and Steven yelled in pain as the bullet passed through his right calf.

    "What are the co-odes?" The brown-eyed boy sang.

    Steven resisted them as much as he could, but in the end, pain won out and he gave them the requested information. The three youth materialized in front of him, the brown-eyed boy holding a phone in his hands.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Did you catch that?" He asked into the phone, then nodded. "Cam says he was being honest, and that the next time we torture someone, to do it when he''s not trying to read their thoughts. He''s pretty mad we let him sense all that pain and said we have to make it up to him later. Cam, are you still in his head? Alright, get out, because I''m about to put a bullet through it."

    Steven''s eyes widened as the boy hung up and pointed his gun at the man. The boy pulled the trigger, and Steven''s lights went out.

    "He''s really pissed," Eden sighed. "Something about how we were supposed to call him before we started inflicting pain so he could pull out and not have to sense it."

    "We''ll make it up to him," Jenna said. "So the lookout was honest?"

    "Yep," Eden snorted. "They need to get their lookouts some mental barriers or something. We wouldn''t have known the begger was one if he hadn''t been thinking about his job when Cam was scanning everyone''s minds."

    "How many are inside?" Jenna asked. "And is Cam pulled out?"

    "Yeah," Eden nodded. "He doesn''t want to be in there when we start killing."

    "I''ll expand my barrier," Kris said as he started walking towards the street. "But I''m not going in there with you. Unlike you two, I don''t have the stomach for this stuff. Just beating that guy up makes me sick to my stomach a bit. I almost puked when you started torturing him."

    "That''s fine," Eden responded as he and Jenna walked towards the front door. "I hope these guys put up a good fight, the last time I dealt with some traffickers, they popped like balloons at a carnival."

    Jenna snorted at the analogy, then the two of them entered the tea shop.

    "Welcome!" The young man behind the counter greeted them. "Any particular tea you two are looking for?"

    "Yes," Eden said. "A fine rosemary blend with some chocolate in it?"

    "Do you have peaches and cream?" Jenna asked.

    "We sure do," the man responded. "Do you want the leaves or the tea?"

    "The tea," Eden responded. "Can I have a medium?"

    "I''d like a large," Jenna responded.

    "Let me get you rung up," the man said, stepping to the register and pressing a few buttons, then gave the two of them a nod. "Go ahead."

    "Excellent," Eden smiled. "Did you know that when you disable the lock on that door, it temporarily neutralizes the spatial block in this shop?"

    The man frowned for a moment, then saw the boy disappear. Eden appeared behind the man and delivered a swift punch to the back of his neck before slitting the man''s throat with a knife.

    "Cam said everyone in here''s guilty," Eden told Jenna, who was looking at the attack with horror. "Including the guy at the counter. Apparently, this guy enjoys watching the slaves get hurt and has considered buying one or two to suit his sadistic desires. Let''s go."

    Jenna walked to the door to the back and kicked it, her demigod strength breaking the reinforced hinges and latch. The door slammed inward, breaking through the wall beside it. Had it still been locked, it would have taken a lot more force to get through.

    "What''s up, assholes?" She asked as she entered the room, triggering her blazing aura in time to stop the bullets from touching her. "Aw, and here I thought we could be friends!"

    "Nah," Eden teleported behind one of the men, shooting him before teleporting again. "I think they''re destined for a short life."

    It only took him a few seconds seconds to kill the four men in the room, then he sat down and pulled out an external hard drive, plugging it into their computer and began copying the computer''s harddrive over.

    When he finished, he unplugged it, then gave a thumbs-up to Jenna.

    "Turn it to ash."

    Jenna let out a gleeful cackle as her flames swirled around, consuming the building as Eden teleported out, grabbing the lookout and teleporting him inside, then joined Kris across the street. It didn''t look like anything was different about the building, though he knew that as soon as Kris let the illusion go, the real damage would be shown.

    After a few minutes, Jenna joined them across the street.

    "I turned it to ash and rubble," she informed them. "Made sure my flames didn''t touch the building beside it, either. The flames are lower now."

    Kris nodded, then pulled a phone from his pocket. Eden assured him that it wouldn''t be traced back to him, so he dialed 911 and put the phone to his ear.

    "911, what''s your-"

    "Oh, my goodness!" He exclaimed as he released his barrier, the civilians able to view the destruction for the first time. "They''re crazy! There''s just fire everywhere, and blood, and they were just shooting people! And the girl was just throwing fireballs! It''s crazy! You gotta send someone! They''re just killing the-they killed the homeless guy! Did he just teleport? You gotta send someone, fast! I''m at the Holden Tea on-on Kennedy near Jackson, and-that kid just looked at the guy and he fell! This is crazy! What''s going on? She''s still throwing fire!"

    Kris continued for another three minutes, not letting the operator have a chance to say a word to him. As soon as Cam contacted him to let him know DoSS was approaching their street, Kris hung up and Eden placed his hands on his two allies and teleported them to his apartment.

    "What did you do with the harddrive?" Jenna asked Eden.

    "I left it in the alley," he answered. "DoSS will find it while they investigate the report of people throwing fireballs, teleporting, and knocking people out with a look."

    "They probably know it''s us," Jenna snorted. "Where was Cam hiding, anyway?"

    "I''m not sure?" Eden pulled out his phone and called Cam. "His phone''s busy. Let me try Callum."

    "Hello?" Callum responded.

    "Where''s Cam?"

    "Playing pinball," Callum responded, then hung up the phone and looked at Cam, who had his own cell wedged between his ear and his shoulder as he focused on the game.

    "-absolutely no clue what you''re talking about," Cam was saying. "I''m at an arcade, you can hear it in the background. I''ve been here for, like, two hours. Look, Mr. Tules, just because someone said they saw a kid fitting my description knocking people out with a look doesn''t make it me, even if they were supposedly with people fitting the descriptions of Eden and Jenna. No, Eden''s in the restroom, and Jenna is-I dunno where she went. She was just here. Hey, Zeke, did you see where Jenna went?"

    "No," Zeke responded from the Pac-Man game he was playing. "She left a bit ago. Want to do a rematch on the air hockey table?"

    "Sure!" Cam responded. "Gotta go, Mr. Tules ¨C Zeke wants a rematch. Imma try to beat him this time!"

    Cam hung up, leaving Lucas exasperated. The DoSS agent rubbed his temples, then dialed his boss.

    "I''m a bit busy, Lucas," George told him. "A trio of kids just attacked a place we suspected was a front, and-"

    "I know who it was," Lucas said. "Though chances are they won''t answer. Cam just claimed to have nothing to do with it, but the kid who made the initial police report described him, Eden, and the girl they were seen with recently perfectly fine, and we already know Cam''s attacked two other places linked to the slave trade while searching for someone."

    "Contact Leosvar," George instructed him. "See if he can contain the kids. Or at least talk with them. If this gets out of hand, we''ll be forced to put a bounty on them."

    "I know," Lucas responded. "I''ll pray to Cam''s father that does not happen."

 02-017

    Chapter Seventeen.

    "Curse it all!" Roger slammed his fist into the table. "Five places! Five different fronts those brats destroyed since they started yesterday! Five! What the hell do they want?"

    The two men standing by the door gave him nervous looks. Their heavyset boss was in one of his moods, and it was best to not say anything that could provoke him, just wait it out. Not unless he directly asked them a question.

    Then, it was a fifty-fifty chance on whether or not they''d survive after answering.

    "Two brats!" He exclaimed. "Two brats are destroying our business!"

    He swiped his hand across his desk, throwing papers, books, and a penholder across the room. Roger had barely received word about the tea shop that morning when the pair of teens struck their second target, a sweets shop. It wasn''t until the third, a beauty parlor, that they managed to get a look at the teens.

    Two of them. Two of them. A boy and a girl, both around fifteen. The boy could teleport, while the girl wielded flames. It was only because of a contractor-type mage that they found that out ¨C the teens were somehow cloaking the fronts with a powerful barrier, preventing anyone from entering or observing what was happening.

    The contractor had a bond with a cat that was in the beauty parlor, though she was at home. The girl killed the cat with her fire as the boy teleported and shot bullets. Then, they burned the parlor to the ground, just like their previous two targets.

    The barrier concerned Roger, and he slammed his fist into the table again. There was clearly a third mage working with them, someone powerful enough to construct such a barrier, but unless they only showed up after the cat was killed, then they remained a noncombatant. They were there purely for the barrier.

    Why did they kill the cat? Where those kids truly heartless? The only other reason the smuggler could think of for killing the cat would be if they knew she was bound to a nature mage, but that wasn''t possible ¨C only a handful of people knew about the nature mage having contractor abilities.

    "You two!" Roger snarled at the guards. "Go out and fetch me the other heads! We need to have a meeting to discuss what to do! If these brats don''t let up, we''ll go bankrupt!"

    The men nodded and left, glad to be out of his immediate area, and Roger stomped around his office, muttering to himself. If he strengthened the number of guards at a few of the fronts, just for a few days, they''d likely be able to stop the kids. The question was how many guards, how many fronts, and how to determine where to put them?

    Okay, questions.

    "What do those kids want?"

    "We wanted your location."

    Roger spun to face the teens who''d been reported to be there. They were accompanied by a third figure this time. This figure was a little bit shorter than the others, and was dressed in a black cloak that completely concealed his body, the hood pulled up and face partially-hidden by the deep cowl. What little of the face he could see was hidden by a mask.

    Not a bit of skin showed, and just looking at the little figure made his skin crawl. A pressure set in on Roger, suffocating his mind ever-so-slightly.

    "Found you," the teen boy said. "Roger Verdaris. Enchant-type mage who specializes in enhancing his physical defense and his physical strength. You''re actually rather minor ¨C you can''t do any spells other than those two, and you can''t make yourself all that powerful. You''re a magical goods smuggler who deals in black market things using mundane businesses as fronts."

    "However," the girl said. "You have information we want. Information we need. And so we hunted your men until we got it. Give it to us, and we''ll stop attacking your businesses."

    "There are more than a hundred mages here," Roger told her as he increased his physical durability. "More than a hundred combat mages."

    "Only a hundred?" She laughed. "Hey, Eden, what do you think the odds are of us against them?"

    "Five minutes?" The teen, Eden, looked at her. "Maybe six? That depends. If he decided to involve himself, we could probably win in under a minute. But that''s not why we''re here."

    "No," the girl said, then returned her gaze to Roger. "We''re here because we know that you have access to an underground slave arena. What we want, specifically, is for our friend here," she put a hand on the cloaked figure''s shoulder. "To get in. Not to fight, to watch. And you have a pass to the arena. Are you able to take guests with you?"

    "What do you children want with the arena?" Roger asked.

    "Answer the question," Eden pointed a gun at Roger, who laughed. "You think you can stop these bullets? They''re made of magilar, a magic-piercing metal. Forged by dwarfs. Specifically, the Tulmit Clan. Your body''s enhancements are worthless against these bullets. You''ll need to go a lot higher than twenty percent of your maximum enhancement to stop them. You can only triple your resistance, so that''s not that big of a difference. Not to these bullets."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Roger froze. The kid knew he''d raised his defenses, even though he looked no different than before. He quickly raised them up to eighty percent of what he could manage.

    "Eighty percent?" Eden laughed, looking at Jenna. "Seriously? These are Tulmit-forged bullets! They''re enchanted heavily and made of a magic-piercing metal! Does he seriously think he could stop them! He''s not a powerful enough mage for that! I don''t even know how he managed to get a pass into the arena."

    "You are making a very big mistake," Roger told him. "I-"

    "No," Jenna said. "We didn''t make a mistake, Roger. Now. Our friend wants to watch the fights for a few days. You will take him with you. And you will not hurt him, and nor will you attempt to enslave or trap him. Doing so will not end well for you."

    "Despite how powerful we are," Eden said. "It would take him less than a second to kill you. In fact, he could kill everyone in this building before a single one of them could manage to hit him with a spell."

    Roger stared at the shorter figure. The boy had referenced dwarfs. Purchasing dwarf-made weapons was difficult on Earth, as one needed to know a spatial mage who could open a gate to another world in order to purchase dwarf-made goods. And there were only three spatial mages on Earth who could do such a thing, as far as he knew.

    Even then, they were using enchantments made with their spatial magic, not opening the gates directly with their own power.

    The shorter figure was the right height for a dwarf, though they seemed a bit skinnier than the smuggler had heard dwarfs were. Perhaps they were a runt? Or one on a diet?

    Dwarfs were notorious for specializing in the enchant school. To a dwarf, you weren''t a dwarf if your roots weren''t in the enchant school. It didn''t matter what their actual roots were, dwarfs claimed their roots were enchant magic.

    Hardy, tough, and powerful. Piercing the skin of a dwarf was a lot more difficult than piercing the mithril armor they made.

    As Roger thought that, everything made sense. This was likely an outcast among the dwarfs, and he''d traded the bullets to Eden as payment for finding a way into the arena, to watch it. Why? Roger didn''t care.

    The dwarf was the mage who created the barrier during their attacks.

    "And if I refuse?" Roger asked, his focus on the dwarf.

    "We put a bullet in your chest," Eden answered. "Burn down this building, and move on to the next person we know has a pass into the arena and convince them to take our friend along."

    Roger snorted. There wasn''t a chance they knew anyone else. At least, not nearby. Only Frank Smoln and John Kals lived in the area from the others he knew, and while he didn''t know how the teens found out about him, odds of them finding out about those two were even slimmer.

    "And if you don''t believe us," Jenna said. "Frank Smoln and John Kals. In that order. Frank has a casino just a few blocks from here, doesn''t he? I wonder what DoSS would think if it burned down after you died and your base was incinerated."

    "You have men coming," Eden said. "When they enter, order them to back off."

    Roger was confused for a moment, before remembering his past orders to bring the heads of his organization to him. Some of them must have shown up.

    "If I accept, what happens?" He asked.

    "Then we stop attacking your organization," Jenna answered. "And you take our friend here to the arena each night until he''s satisfied. Then, we''ll pay you with the heart of a Fairy Lord. I''m sure you''ll appreciate our compensation."

    Roger''s eyes widened at the thought of a Fairy Lord''s heart, his thoughts returning to the auction a month prior. There was the heart of a Fairy Lord sold there. They were extremely valuable in the magical world, and with most known fairies and Fairy Lords slain, their prices had skyrocketed across the universe.

    Just accepting it would make up for the losses they''d delivered unto him, and then pay for more.

    It was too good of a deal to pass up if they genuinely had a Fairy Lord''s heart. The teens stop attacking and he''d earn millions. The kids were clearly talented. They''d managed to enter his office without detection, and they''d already killed six combat mages with apparent ease.

    The door to his office opened, and the woman and two men who entered froze, staring at the three figures facing Roger.

    "We have a deal," Roger told the trio, glancing at the newcomers for only a moment. "I want some sort of proof up front that you''ll deliver on your promise."

    Eden vanished, and Roger''s eyes widened. There was a spatial block on the building, which meant that the teen shouldn''t have been able to teleport. A few moments passed, and Eden reappeared, holding an enchanted box in his hands along with a paper.

    "This is a magical contract," Eden held the paper to Roger. "Place a drop of blood on it to complete it. Once it''s accepted, then if either of us break it, then we die. Only the violator. It binds me into giving you the heart of the Fairy Lord, if you follow through with your end of the deal. It also binds me into no longer attacking your organization. As you''ll note, Jenna here is bound into the contract as well."

    "And your friend?"

    "He didn''t like the idea of being bound into a contract," Eden opened up the box, revealing a heart within it. "Contained within a stasis spell so long as the box is closed, we have the heart of Fairy Lord Abiira. She used to work with the Thorntons, up until she found herself slain in the Battle of the Fae Forest."

    Roger examined the heart, confirming it to be a fairy''s heart based on a few subtle differences between theirs and a human''s, then he lowered his physical resistance and pricked his finger, allowing a drop of blood to appear in the paper, which vanished.

    "And the contract is sealed," Eden closed the box, tucking it under one arm. "Without further business here, we''ll be off. Treat our friend right, or he may just show you why he''s the scariest motherfucker around."

    Eden placed a hand on Jenna, held up two fingers in a V to Roger, then the pair of teens vanished, leaving their companion behind.

    "I found out who had been attacking our fronts," Roger informed his agents. "We''ll be having a guest for a few days. Do you have a name?"

    The figure stared at him in response.

    "Something to call you?"

    The figure continued to stare.

    "Anything?"

    The figure stared some more.

    "Colton, prepare a room for our guest," Roger looked at the three heads who''d entered during the discussion. "An actual room, not a special one. Once the other heads get here, I need you to consolidate our front businesses. Less locations, more guards. Those two teens were the assailants, and they''ve promised not to attack anymore in exchange for a favor and a Fairy Lord''s heart. Meet in one of the conference rooms, and don''t allow anyone to enter my office for the next five hours."

 02-018

    Chapter Eighteen.

    Roger tapped his fingers on his desk out of nerves as he waited for the dwarf to show up. It was the sixth day the dwarf had been around, and he''d never taken off his cloak or mask, never reached out from beneath it.

    He''d yet to see the dwarf''s clothes under the cloak, his hands, his neck, his face all concealed as well, and it unnerved the man. But the attacks on his business had stopped, so he counted that as a small bonus. If only the dwarf could be satisfied soon so that he could get his hands on that heart. Selling it would take some time, but it would do wonders for helping them move things around.

    The office door opened, and the dwarf entered, staring at Roger once again. No one knew when the dwarf ate or drank, nor when he used the bathroom. They''d never caught him doing so. He often disappeared for hours as well.

    His men were pretty sure the dwarf was pulling pranks on them. Some were waking up with things drawn on their faces, others were finding their food covered in sprinkles. One of the toilet tanks was filled with Jello. Chocolate had a habit of disappearing around the office as well, only for the wrappers to reappear where it had been stolen from.

    Just the wrappers, the chocolate itself gone, likely consumed. The dwarf was adept at picking locks, he''d even managed to steal Roger''s entire stash from his safe. Fourteen different numbers had to be ticked on the dial, and the dwarf had figured it out, took the chocolate, ate it, then returned the wrappers.

    Roger greeted the dwarf, glancing to see if the one-pound block of chocolate was on his desk. It was still there, just as planned. It was completely concealed by papers ¨C the dwarf wouldn''t know it was there.

    But it was still a test of the dwarf. Roger was sure he had some way to sniff out chocolate.

    "Are you ready?" He asked, and the dwarf stared. "Let''s go, then."

    The smuggler stood and made his way to the door to his office, pulling a golden key from his pocket and pressing it to the knob. He pushed magic into the key, and it sank into the knob. Roger twisted the key clockwise, and then pulled the knob, revealing a stone hallway.

    "Tonight''s bouts start in just a few minutes," he looked at the dwarf, noting that the papers that had hidden the chocolate were considerably lower on his desk. "We should hurry if we want to catch them."

    How did he know? And when did he grab it?

    The dwarf walked towards the hall, following behind Roger. The door swung shut behind them as Roger pocketed his key, and they exited the hall into the seating area.

    The arena was shaped like the Coliseum, much like the auction house, though it had wide steps that acted as the seating rather than individual pulpits or rooms. The dirt floor of the arena was packed, burned, and scarred by the thousands of battles that had taken place there. Powerful barrier enchantments prevented any magic, attacks, or slaves from exiting the arena, save through one of the two large gates facing each other.

    The stands were packed as Roger and the dwarf took their seats, and they waited only a minute before the gates lifted up, the slaves for the first match entering. One was a woman in her early twenties, the other was a boy around ten.

    Many of the spectators laughed at the matchup. That wasn''t the first time the boy was sent out there, and he''d lost every fight. He was covered in cuts, bruises, and burns from it. He could barely summon a breeze, much less fight.

    But there he was, forced into it night after night for amusement. The match ended when he was knocked out by the enchant mage''s punch. They knew that he''d either grow stronger to fight back or die from the fights.

    The next match consisted of a werewolf that tore through the woman, and the match after that found the werewolf facing off against a nature mage who sprouted vines from the ground. He tore through those as well before killing her, only to be put down by a fire mage in the next round.

    A scourge mage came out next, filling the arena with a toxic poison. The fire mage burned it away with her magic, then incinerated him.

    Roger frowned. There were too many deaths that night, and most of the matches were occurring quickly. They moved too fast, putting the enchant mage against the breeze boy. They should have pulled out weaker slaves first, built up an increase to the stronger fights. And pit people against more evenly-matched foes.

    The next slave to exit was a boy with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes with flawless skin. He looked around fifteen, and Roger sighed when he came out.

    No one had bested this boy. He''d been there for several months, and everyone who fought him failed. It didn''t matter how powerful or versatile they were, his ice magic was simply too powerful.

    The smuggler realized what was going on. Someone realized things were moving too fast and sent him out. They''d pull him back in after and restart the matches with more evenly-matched mages once he killed the fire mage.

    The fire mage summoned up her fireballs and launched them at the teen, and a frosty aura surrounded him. The moment her fireballs touched, they faded away, the cold of his aura too great for any heat to pierce.

    He lifted up a hand, and spikes of ice burst out of the grown, piercing the fire mage''s body. Then, he lowered his hand and turned to leave. As normal.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    What happened next was anything but normal.

    The dwarf suddenly jumped off the seat, teleporting himself directly into the arena.

    So that''s how he''s been stealing everything! Roger realized. Wait! How did he get through the barriers? What''s he doing?

    The frost mage turned and waved a hand, a whip of ice floating out. The dwarf teleported again, appearing behind the ice mage with his hands held up. He teleported several times to avoid attacks, remaining with his hands held up, and Roger stared, just as befuddled as everyone else.

    "Who are you?" The slave asked. "Why did you come in here? Why aren''t you attacking me?"

    The spectators watched with bated breath, waiting for the answer that took several long seconds to come.

    Instead of speaking, the small figure pushed back the hood of his cloak, revealing a head of white-blond hair. Then, he removed his mask, revealing the young face of a blue-eyed human boy.

    "Hello, Ty!" He said with a grin, holding up a gloved hand with a small, golden ball. "Guess what? I''ve got a universal key! All I gotta do is this-"

    He touched the ball to the collar, and the collar split in two, dropping to the ground.

    "-and you''re free!" The boy said. "Just like that! No more slavery for my friends! And now¡­ IT''S TIME, GUYS!"

    The crowd was already in motion as guards were rushing into the arena, having begun to move when the boy held up the key. Everyone froze at the boy''s words, for it didn''t just reach their ears, but entered directly into their minds.

    A moment later, a pair of teens showed up.

    "Later!" The blond boy waved to the crowd as one of the teens placed a hand on his shoulder.

    "Was that-" The former slave began to ask Jenna.

    "Yep," she placed a hand in his. "Let''s raze this place to the ground, Ty."

    "Alright," he grinned. "I''ve wanted to do this for awhile, but that damn collar kept me from doing so."

    The twins raised their linked hands as spells flew, and their auras formed around them, shielding them as they merged together.

    "From the chaos," they said in unison as spell after spell, bullet after bullet was rendered ineffective by their joined aura. "Comes absolute destruction. And in absolute destruction, there is nothing left but chaos."

    Their magics linked for the first time in months, the twins felt absolutely powerful. Their aura expanded, burning ice filling the air around them as mages began to scream, running as the barriers meant to protect the arena were incinerated, the enchantments frozen.

    The only reason the slavers had managed to catch Tyler was because while the twins had no issues with killing, they wanted to avoid involving civilians. The Chaos of Destruction spell was not something that was picky about who or what it destroyed. It simply froze and burned everything until there wasn''t even ash left behind.

    They had several similar spells, but all were massive, powerful area spells like Chaos of Destruction. And they were attacked around more than fifty homeless mundies. People who didn''t have magic awakened with them.

    People who weren''t present at the moment.

    When the twins finished their spell, they looked around at the destruction they''d caused. Jenna had been very careful not to extend the aura too far, and Tyler had sensed this, keeping it reigned in as well.

    "That''s a lot of damage," Tyler snorted. "We went nearly to the-what is that?"

    There were only remnants of the building, the stone walls that made up its borders with three dozen doors set around the edges. Beyond that, and above them, was nothing but darkness.

    "We''re in a reality marble," Jenna answered. "Cam ¨C that''s what Jared goes by now ¨C has been here for a few days, trying to confirm your presence. Apparently, the place you guys were kept wasn''t exactly easy for his mind to breach, so he ended up having to watch the fights until you showed up."

    "So he''s a mind mage and a spatial mage?" Tyler asked.

    "Yep," she grinned. "Though he can''t do much beyond short-range teleports at the moment."

    "Come on," Eden appeared. "Cam said that Callum''s about to dismantle the reality marble."

    "What about the other slaves?" Tyler asked. "We only destroyed everything from this floor up, but we''re just going to let the reality marble collapse on them?"

    "Cam evacuated them into his personal realm," Eden snorted. "He keeps doing that to slaves we free. He lets whoever wants to go home do so, telling the rest they''ll be his eternal minions."

    "How many slaves were here?" Jenna asked.

    "Around two hundred and seventy," Eden and Tyler responded together.

    "And he freed them all that fast?" Jenna asked.

    "He had Callum freeze time," Eden scratched the back of his neck. "I don''t know why Callum decided to get involved, but I''m not going to bother answering. He was in dog form, which meant he wasn''t exactly willing to talk."

    Jenna noticed her brother giving them a confused look, then said they''d explain once they were out.

    "Yeah," Eden placed a hand on the twins'' shoulders. "We really need to go, Cam''s going off on me saying we''re being suicidal."

    He teleported them outside, and the twins found themselves standing in an alley. Tyler looked at Cam, the large dog sitting beside him, and the other boy who was standing there.

    "Are you two brothers?" Tyler asked Cam and the other boy.

    "He''s my nephew," Cam said as the building beside them began crumbling. "According to Callum, this building here was the entire anchor point for the reality marble. He''s dismantling it properly, that way, we don''t end up with a black hole."

    As Tyler decided to ask about his old friend about suddenly having family when he hadn''t a few years prior, Cam looked down at the dog, then snorted.

    "Yeah, I know you could make the marble with something a lot smaller, you don''t need to show off."

    "Is he talking to the dog?" Tyler asked Jenna.

    "As I said," she snorted. "We have a lot to catch up on. But yes, he''s talking to the dog. And if you''re lucky, the dog will talk back. He''s using shift magic to make himself a dog. In reality, he''s an ancient cousin of Cam''s who''s been sent by Cam''s father to teach him magic and protect him against evil."

    Tyler groaned as he realized just how much he needed to catch up on.

    "I am not considering sharing the chocolate with Jenna!" Cam suddenly blurt out. "It''s mine! I stole it, and he''s dead, so he doesn''t need it anymore! Well, I don''t care! It''s my chocolate! If she wants it, she can get her own! No, I don''t think she''d look cute in a dress! Well, that''s your opinion. She''s more a jeans or cargo pants kind of girl, and I think she just looks just fine in them."

    "Yep," Tyler snorted. "That''s Jared alright. Or, well, Cam."

    "Or Ambrosius," the other boy said as the building finished collapsing. "Depends on who you are and how long you''ve known him. Guys, can we please go? I might be good at sound barriers and illusions, but I also had to keep the dust and rubble from hitting us, and am still shielding us from the dust. We can chat about how much we know Ambro later."

 02-019

    Chapter Nineteen.

    "George," Lucas looked at his boss in confusion. "What brings you out to our office?"

    "Their endgame," George answered, sitting across from Lucas, who gave him a questioning look. "Cam and his friends. We discovered their endgame last night."

    "They have been silent for a few days," Lucas nodded. "Just as we were getting ready to put the bounty on them last week. Do we still need to?"

    "I''m not sure," George responded. "We should, just because of policy and precedent, but at the same time, those kids delivered one hell of a blow to the mage slave trade."

    "What did they do?" Lucas asked. "The guy they were going after was just a magic smuggler ¨C he had a couple of slaves, but that was it."

    "He wasn''t their goal," George responded. "He was their ticket. The Division of Magical Enslavement has been tracking slave dealings for more than two decades. Around a decade ago, they caught wind of an underground supernat slave arena."

    "Let me guess," Lucas said. "They''re forced to fight to the death?"

    "We weren''t sure," George answered. "Just finding out that much was difficult. Six months ago, one of DoME''s undercover agents was approached by his ''boss'' and offered to visit something. Found out that night it was the arena, and he''s been there twice a week collecting information on who he saw the slaves that were there. The bouts ended when one of the slaves was either slain or knocked unconscious."

    "How come I haven''t heard about this before?" Lucas asked. "And what does this have to do with Cam''s crew?"

    "We''ve kept it under wraps," George answered. "On the chance that a mole found out. The undercover agent, his direct supervisor, and myself were the only ones aware that we had an in for the arena. Only a handful of other agents were given information about it. The mages running it went to great lengths to ensure word hadn''t gone out, so we''d gotten lucky, and we didn''t want them to know we were on to it.

    "The last three nights," George continued. "A mysterious figure assumed to be a skinny dwarf showed up. He was cloaked, never spoke, and wore a mask to hide his face. He was with the smuggler Cam''s crew were attacking."

    "They befriended a dwarf?" Lucas asked.

    "No," George leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Last night, he removed the mask and pushed the hood back. It was Cameron. He seemed to know one of the slaves ¨C an ice mage our agent had reported as likely being the strongest slave there. Shortly after, the fire mage showed up with Eden, who then teleported Cameron out of there."

    Lucas realized immediately what happened. Cam was looking for the ice mage, and it happened after the fire mage showed up. Those two were related to each other.

    "Siblings?"

    "Twins, we''re guessing," George answered. "Our mage fled as soon as he took the pictures and confirmed they were about to destroy the place. More than two thousand mages from across the world were in there last night when the attack began, and we''re estimating that one, maybe two hundred were able to escape the attack.

    "Shortly after," George continued. "A building crumbled only a few blocks from here."

    "I heard about that," Lucas said. "Do you mean it''s related?"

    "Our mages so far," George nodded. "Have determined that it was the primary basis for a reality marble. The anchor point. If Cameron had Adam or Callum helping him, they likely dismantled the marble, which would have caused the building anchoring it to collapse. It was an abandoned building, and no one was inside. It seems wards were put up to prevent intruders."

    Lucas tapped his chin in thought. If they were looking for the ice mage, then it was probable they were done with their attacks. The traffickers they''d managed to get information out of did mention that he was looking for a specific person.

    A boy, one had said. A specific slave who had been captured a few months prior.

    "Do you want me to call him to confirm?"

    "If you would," George answered.

    Lucas dialed Cam on his office phone, using speakerphone so that both men could listen in.

    "Hello?" A girl''s voice picked up.

    "I presume this is Jenna?" Lucas responded.

    "You''re the agent that was with Cam''s friend the other day," she said. "The number''s assigned to his name."

    "Yes," Lucas said. "I''m Lucas Tules, Greyson''s father and the Director of the Anti-Fae Division of the Department of Supernatural Services."

    "Does that come with a plaque?" She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

    "It does, actually," his response caused George to smile. "Now that you''ve been reunited with your brother, we were wondering if this little war you all were waging was over."

    "Cam''ll get pissed if we don''t stop," Jenna said. "He wasn''t happy that Ty and I killed all those assholes last night. And no offense, Director, but I''m a lot more scared of him and his bodyguard than I am of your entire organization."

    You aren''t the only one, he thought.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "May I speak with Cameron, please?" Lucas asked.

    "He''s sleeping," she answered. "He doesn''t do much of that lately, it tends to be nightmares for him. After all, your people let him get kidnapped."

    "We don''t exactly have much we can do when he goes outside the law," Lucas told her. "Especially not when the Fairy Empress and the Fairy Emperor themselves showed up. If Cam''s having nightmares, then maybe waking him would be for the best."

    He could hear several people laughing in the background.

    "Nah," she said. "See, when Cam has nightmares¡­ he tends to use something they call ''mind wave''. No clue what that is, but-"

    "We know what that is," Lucas said. "Yeah, it''s probably best to leave him alone. Please let him know I want to talk with him, Jenna, and for you ¨C please stop causing destruction, or we''ll be placing a bounty on you."

    "Try your best!" She told him. "But as I said, Cam''s gonna be mad if we don''t stop this. We''ll hang around for a bit longer to catch up with him more, then we''re outta here. Don''t worry about our chaos, we''ll just go back to what we were before. And yeah, I''ll let him know."

    The call ended, and Lucas looked at George.

    "Callum had to have done some sort of shielding, if this is the first we''re hearing of Cam using mind wave during nightmares."

    "Definitely," George responded. "Him having an ancient demigod bodyguard is a definite plus in some respects. That sleeping potion they used on the first target was likely his creation as well."

    "Speaking of that," Lucas rubbed his temples. "Did you hear what happened?"

    "To Tabitha?" George asked, and Lucas nodded. "Do we know how they got in?"

    "No," Lucas answered. "They disabled the cameras in the cells, and none of the other prisoners remembered seeing someone. In addition to that, there''s nothing to show how she died."

    "An angel of death?" George asked.

    "No," Lucas stood and walked over to his filing cabinets.

    He looked through several folders in one before pulling out one of them, opening to a certain page and handing the whole thing to George, who looked at the page.

    "The magical signature of whoever it was?" George asked.

    "It permeated her entire body," Lucas said. "It was the only place we could trace it at all."

    "This isn''t angelic magic," George said. "This is divine magic. A god?"

    "Or a demigod," Lucas shrugged. "Tabitha''s father is one, and so is her nephew and her own son. One of them could have shown up to kill her."

    "I''m doubting it," George shook his head. "Why kill her instead of break her out? That leaves an uncomfortable possibility."

    "The ancient assassin?" Lucas guessed, and George nodded. "Everything fits. No surveillance detected them, no one remembered noticing them, and they killed without leaving a trace. This is the first time we''ve had a read on their magic, though."

    "This is the first time we had our hands on one of their victims," George corrected, then checked his watch. "Leave the investigating of those things to the appropriate parties. See if you can get information out of Cam ¨C he might know more than they left on those harddrives. Try to impress upon him the importance of not doing stuff like this again."

    "Will do," Lucas responded. "You''re leaving?"

    "I''m heading to the site of the collapse," George stood. "Give Greyson my best wishes, will you?"

    "Will do, sir," Lucas said, then checked his watch. "It''s around time for him to be at his magic lessons, I think."

    "Still don''t know who they are?" George asked.

    "He doesn''t trust me that much," Lucas sighed. "We pushed him and Kayla too hard. She still goes with our training and follows our rules, but have you tried disciplining a moody teen nephilim before? I''d rather not break out the magic just because he''s wandering off or badmouthing me."

    "I wouldn''t, either," George snorted. "Good luck, Lucas. And I hope you find out who his mentor is soon, so you can at least have some peace of mind."

    "Thanks," Lucas said. "I''m going to call Greyson now, have a good day, sir."

    George left, and Lucas grabbed his cell, calling his son.

    "What?" Greyson answered the call.

    "Hey, Greyson," Lucas said. "Is Jenna going to the lesson with you again?"

    "Yeah."

    "Are you two going for dinner again after?"

    "Yeah."

    "It looks like I''ll be out of work earlier today than usual," Lucas responded. "I can drive you home after dinner, if you want. Just chat and such."

    Greyson didn''t respond.

    "Greyson?" Lucas said.

    "Sure," his son responded. "I wanted to talk to you about something. I need to go, we''re almost there. I''ll text you the restaurant when we''re ready for dessert. See you."

    "See you," Lucas said.

    Greyson hung up the call and sighed, then looked at Jess.

    "Going to tell him?" She asked.

    "Yeah," he said. "We decided to try, and I might as well make sure he knows he''s not going to have control over it."

    "Cool," she kissed him on the cheek. "Let''s just hope my parents are fine with us dating, too. They''ve been a bit weird after I told them you were half-angel."

    Greyson snorted, then pushed open the door to Elaine''s shop.

    "Suzanne still gone?" He asked when he noticed Elaine at the counter.

    "Yes," Elaine responded. "Get the sign, would you?"

    Greyson flipped the sign, then followed Elaine up to the roof. Elaine had Jess sit down and meditate for the first hour in an attempt to access and strengthen familiarity with her inner tree. As Jess did that, Greyson practiced with his magic as quietly as he could.

    "Greyson," Elaine walked over to him. "You''ve been attempting to work your way up to five strands, but you don''t let them move very far from you, and never allow them to become too long. I know you can do this and generate liquid ''blades'' to cut through things, though those are quite small.

    "Why don''t you," she suggested. "Focus on controlling your threads of liquid while they''re longer? Push yourself to your limits. You''re already familiarizing yourself with the spell, doing this will help you with both that and your control."

    Greyson nodded, then got to work doing that as Elaine returned to Jess. After meditating for an hour, Jess was instructed to push herself as hard as she could with shaping her force pushes. By the time the two hours were up, both teens were exhausted.

    After paying for Jess''s lesson with Elaine, the teens left and began walking down the street. Both were ravenous and mentally and magically exhausted.

    Had they not been, Greyson might have noticed early enough that they were in danger. He might have been able to put up a fight as they were dragged into an alley. Instead, he was knocked out in an instant, the attack unnoticed to the common person on the street through the assailant''s use of illusion magic.

    A collar was snapped around his neck as another was snapped around Jess''s, who had also been rendered unconscious.

    "We got them," one of the traffickers said as he lifted Greyson and slung him over his shoulder. "Let''s get moving, the barrier won''t last much longer."

    "Is he really a nephilim?" One of the other four attackers asked as they all began walking down the alley to their van. "He went down pretty fast."

    "He is," the first one responded. "We caught him by surprise, but he''ll probably wake soon. We''ll need to make sure he''s bound before that happens."

    They tossed the two teens into the back of the van and got to work tying them up as one of them climbed into the driver''s seat and drove off. Only a few minutes later did someone else appear.

    A tall, intimidating angel with a frown on his face as he scanned the alley. Only a few seconds passed before he swore in an ancient tongue, the shadows of the alley suddenly consuming everything within it.

 02-020

    Chapter Twenty.

    Lucas tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. He knew the general time Greyson would likely be finished with his dinner, but he was still ready to drive, even though the lesson itself had ended only ten minutes prior.

    There were some things he wanted to discuss with his son, and he didn''t want to wait. But he had to, in order to earn back his son''s trust.

    His cell ringing startled the agent, who checked the call. A number was listed, but the name wasn''t one he knew.

    "Elijah Camden?" Lucas said as he answered the phone. "Who are you, and how did you get my number?"

    "That''s just the mortal name I used when registering the phone," a voice said. "I am Refari, and our son has been kidnapped. Unfortunately, they used a potent spell to mask their retreat and I am unable to track them."

    Lucas stared straight ahead at both the voice and the news. He''d never heard Refari''s voice, but if it was him, and he was being honest, then something happened to Greyson.

    "Where?" Lucas started his car. "I''m on my way."

    "Magic Alley," Refari answered. "You''ll see me standing at the entrance to alley where he was taken."

    The call ended, and Lucas sighed. Magic Alley was two city blocks. The agent began driving as he called his boss.

    "What is it, Lucas?" George answered.

    "Refari just called me."

    Several seconds passed.

    "Shit," George said. "Why is he calling you?"

    "I raised his son, don''t forget," Lucas answered as he turned on his lights and siren and sped up as cars began moving out of his way. "I''m heading to Magic Alley, according to him, Greyson was kidnapped there. He said he can''t trace the tracks ¨C that they used a powerful spell to conceal it. Send a unit out. It could be mortals, but the timing of it ¨C if Greyson''s had the same routine for months, it''s possible someone figured it out and waited out for this moment. Kidnapping a nephilim takes a lot of work and planning, and doing it right after he finished exhausting himself in a magic lesson is one way to try."

    "We''ll send two," George responded. "Did he say where in Magic Alley?"

    "Just that I''ll see him standing at the entrance to the actual alley he was kidnapped in," Lucas answered. "There are only two possible reasons I can think of for kidnapping him, George. The first is to collar him. The second is to use as a bargaining chip against Refari or myself."

    "Let''s pray it''s the latter and not the former," George told him. "Else we may never find him."

    "Yeah," Lucas responded as he tried not to think about his son being forced into magical slavery. "I''m hanging up now, I''ll update you when I know more."

    Lucas ended the call and pressed the accelerator even harder. The drive to Magic Alley seemed to take forever to him, and he drove up and down its streets for almost ten minutes before spotting the angel standing at the entrance to an alley between a false psychic''s shop and an herb store.

    He pulled up to the curb and stepped out, leaving his lights on but not the siren, so that the units would be able to find him easier.

    "What happened?" Lucas asked.

    "He was knocked out from behind," Refari answered. "Five men, all mages. They used an item to scramble magical signatures and disrupt space. As powerful as I may be, I do not possess the power to track through that."

    "How did you know he was attacked?" Lucas asked.

    "They broke the tracker I had in him."

    Lucas stared at Refari.

    "You had a tracker in Greyson?"

    "Yes," Refari answered. "In one of his teeth. I put it in when it came in, then replaced it when that tooth fell out. When they struck him, something hit him in the cheek ¨C likely the ground or a building ¨C and it broke the tracker. The force needed for that would have to be powerful enough to break a tooth. Luckily, nephilim heal teeth quite nicely. That said, it''s not lucky that he was attacked."

    "Why did you have a tracker in him?" Lucas asked.

    "I put trackers in all of my children," Refari answered. "They''re magical, and they''re potent enough to be traced through realms. Much more effective than those necklaces you gave your children and those tracking chips made of technology."

    "You keep tabs on your children?" Lucas asked.

    "I am not a fan of it when they are in danger," Refari responded. "The trackers allow me to view anything around them if they are struck by hostile magic. Since his broke, I am unable to see what happened, specifically, though I can smell the amount of attackers. Five. It also means I cannot locate him. Not promptly, at any rate."

    "You can fix it?"

    "It will repair itself over time," Refari answered. "While it is doing so, it will drain Greyson''s magic to fuel the repair. Once the proper portion of the spell mends, I will be able to locate him once more. However, based on the damage I sensed to it when it broke, that could be one or two months. The spell is powerful, even if fragile, and requires quite the large amount of magic to create. It will leave him enough magic for his self-healing to work, and that is it."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Lucas rubbed his temples. Obviously, he and Refari didn''t want to wait that long to find Greyson, but it looked as if something had cleaned out the alley, which meant the only clues would be the spell Refari mentioned was used. Tracking something like that down might take a couple of weeks.

    "Hopefully," Refari said. "The Hound of the Line will be able to locate him."

    Lucas stiffened at those words.

    "Are you referring to Cameron''s bodyguard?"

    "I am referring to Ambrosius''s bodyguard," Refari responded. "I believe he calls himself ''Callum'' in this age. I was surprised to have seen him out, Ulrima was quite angry with him when he cast him into that prison. Though I suppose he would free the Hound of the Line if it meant his son had a protector and bodyguard, especially after his kidnapping at the hands of the fae. They should be here shortly."

    "We''re here," a voice said.

    Lucas turned to find Cam, Eden, the twins, and Callum standing there. Cam was holding a bowl with chocolate ice cream coated in chocolate sprinkles and chocolate syrup.

    "Why did everyone come?" Lucas asked.

    "There''s one more to our crew," Cam put a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. "And I wasn''t letting Callum investigate Greyson''s disappearance without me."

    "I came because Greyson is Cam''s friend," Eden said. "And if Cam is worried, then I feel obligated to help him."

    "We came," Jenna cracked her knuckles. "Because no one fucks with our friends. Who''s the angel?"

    "Refari," Callum dipped his head.

    "Hello, Callum," Refari said. "It has been a long time."

    "Indeed," Callum said. "Can we hurry? I''d rather not be out here too long."

    "As shy as always," Refari smiled. "I devoured the alley in my fury. You will find the magic is still there, however."

    Callum nodded, then entered the alley as Lucas looked at the quartet of teens, then at Cam''s bowl.

    "Eating?" He asked.

    "I''m trying to prompt a growth spurt," Cam''s face and ears turned red. "I wanna get tall before I stop growing. Or at least, average. Right now, I''m¡­ not there yet. Callum and Eden and the twins say that eating chocolate won''t help, but I''m eating dairy, too. Better than that salad Eden tried convincing me to eat earlier."

    "It tasted nasty because of how much ranch you put on it," Eden snorted as Callum returned. "Anything?"

    "The spell was made by a god," Callum responded, and Refari nodded.

    "I suspected as much," he said. "Unfortunately, there''s too much magical activity in Tejina to track down any traces of a god-summoning ritual. Leosvar''s done four in the last two months, then there''s Isulv, who went on a bit of a rampage the last two months and summoned eighteen-"

    "Why did he summon so many?" Cam asked, and Refari gave him an odd look. "What? Callum said that Isulv tries to stay out of things."

    "He does," Callum snorted. "But the war for you affected him. Several times. God or angel, he doesn''t care. I didn''t realize so many factions affected him."

    "I can think of at least two hundred god summons in the last month alone," Refari said. "And those are just the ones I was able to sense. It''s likely there were double them ¨C and the spell could have been forged a long time ago, making it impossible to track. Thank you, Hound of the Line."

    "Don''t forget the favor you promised," Callum snorted, turning himself into a dog and walking to Cam''s side. The young demigod placed a hand on his cousin''s head as he handed the empty ice cream bowl to Eden. "I would try a member of the La-Vulis faction."

    Callum looked at his cousin, ignoring the stares from the people around him. Only Refari and Cam had known he could talk just fine in that form.

    "What is it, Cam?"

    "The voices just gave me an idea," Cam said, sighing. "I already knew I was going to have to get involved again. Greyson''s my friend, too."

    Everyone knew that last part was directed at the voices, based on the distant look in his eyes and the slight downward curve to his lips.

    "Cam, please don''t go breaking any laws," Lucas said.

    "I''m breaking them all the time," Cam snorted. "Let''s go, guys. The feds and Refari will do their own investigation. There''s something I want to check out."

    "What?" Eden asked as Cam started walking.

    "I don''t like having compulsion serum used on me, and I know someone who''s used that and has the resources to summon a god."

    Lucas watched as the group of teens and ancient demigod left, then he looked at Refari.

    "Should we follow them?"

    "The children of three High Gods?" Refari scoffed. "That''s asking to be bitten. If they find out a clue, I''m sure the fates will align so that we know. I will check out the La-Vulis faction of gods. The Hound of the Line is rarely wrong. Maybe your agents will find something I missed."

    The angel turned and left, leaving Lucas behind just as several DoSS vans and trucks pulled up to the street. He turned his gaze to his son''s friend, whose back was disappearing around a corner.

    "Oh, good," Cam sighed once they rounded the corner. "He''s not following us. I didn''t want him to."

    "Why not?" Jenna asked.

    "Because I hate this chick," Cam grumbled as he made his way to the hated store and entered, his group following behind.

    "Welcome back, Cameron," Elaine greeted him with a smile, then frowned. "Why do you look so down?"

    "Just having some troubles," Cam said. "We need more of the stuff for the sleeping potion. It takes a lot to knock me out. I don''t have the list on me, though. Do you remember the stuff we got last time?"

    "Sure do," she said. "We keep a log of all purchases, just let me pull it up."

    Elaine opened up her computer and started looking for the information as the twins started looking at some of the trinkets in her shop.

    "This is an actual mage shop?" Tyler asked as he inspected an amulet.

    "Yeah," Eden said. "She''s got some pretty useful stuff here. Personally, I prefer Sabrina''s Herbs and Trinkets over on Kerry. It''s where I got that salve I used on your lip yesterday."

    "Yeah," Tyler rubbed his jaw as he remembered their sparring session the day before. "You throw a wicked punch, Eden."

    "Here it is," Elaine printed out the list. "These are the ingredients you purchased here. Beyond that, I can''t help you."

    "That''s fine," Cam said. "While you''re getting those, can you get us the stuff needed to summon a god? We''re looking specifically for a god of combat, so we can try to get some awesome combat training it."

    "Sure," she answered. "But I''d be careful if I were you, summoning a god is a tricky affair, and a risky one. The first impression you make matters. Try to pick a god you''re sure will help you and not curse you, then work your way up to their trust."

    "Will do," Cam said.

    "I''d recommend waiting, though," she said. "There''s a lot going on in this city right now. Plenty of gods and angels are warring over a mysterious demigod named Ambrosius, and you might get them involved. A god of combat or war could cause even larger issues for this city."

    "I know," Cam sighed. "But see, my friend Greyson got kidnapped just a little bit ago, and we really need the fighting power. Well, not really, since we''ve got it in us ourselves. And I know that you know what happened to him, Elaine.

    "There are a lot of things I don''t like," Cam sighed as Elaine masked her confusion at how he knew it was her. "But you hurt someone close to me. Greyson was the first friend I made here in Tejina, and he helped me out a lot. If it weren''t for him, I''d still be on the streets. That, or captured and put into a collar.

    "So," his expression darkened. "You''re going to answer our questions. And don''t even think about lying, lady, because I''m still pissed about your compulsion serum, and then you went and had my friend kidnapped for the mage slave trade, and you lack any mind magic at all, meaning that reading your mind is very easy."

 02-021

    Chapter Twenty-One.

    "Where''s your assistant?" Cam asked Elaine as fire began to swirl around Jenna. "I don''t sense her around."

    "She''s out of town on an extended leave," Elaine answered, aware that she had to tread cautiously.

    She knew he was a mind mage after they met, and a powerful one, but she wasn''t aware he could read minds. He''d grown rapidly in the last few months.

    "Stress and life-or-death pressure does that," Cam told her. "Yes, lady, I''m in your mind. I already told you that. And you see, I''m the Ambrosius the heavens are warring for, even if it''s calmed ever since I unbound my divinity. And my two friends here are demigods as well. So''s my dog.

    "So answer my question," Cam told her. "And answer all of them. Because you''re not leaving here until you do."

    Elaine cleared her mind to make it more difficult for Cam to know what she was doing. Instead, she moved purely on instinct, telling her body she was in danger.

    The force spell she threw out slammed into an invisible barrier as a vice surrounded her mind, locking her down, forcing the mage to her knees.

    "Did you forget that the first spell you experienced me use was a mental attack?" Cam growled. "I want to know where my friend is!"

    "You can do force magic?" Elaine gasped as he released his hold on her mind.

    "That was my dog!" He laughed. "As I said, stress and life-or-death pressure makes it easier to learn a needed spell. I can''t do barriers ''cause I suck at force magic. I''ve got one spell, and it''s mixed with my mind magic. Now answer my questions."

    "Your dog?"

    "My guard dog," Cam nodded. "He''s here to protect me. So of course, when there''s an attack aimed at me, he''s going to stop it. Callum, I can''t interrogate her properly, and I don''t want to be in her mind if Jenna and Ty torture her. Why don''t you take her upstairs and do it? Eden and I will loot this place. Jenna and Ty will protect me, and if I''m in danger, I know your mind."

    Callum snorted, then took on his human form, teleported to Elaine, then teleported with her. Jenna released her blazing aura.

    "He''s upstairs," Cam cracked his knuckles. "Let''s steal all her goods. She won''t be needing them."

    "You guys start packing it up," Eden snorted. "I''ll go make some room in my storage."

    Eden disappeared, and the three demigods began working on packing up the goods. As they worked, Jenna noticed Cam''s right ear twitch, the tell that he was listening to the voices.

    "Oh, right!" He exclaimed, then ran to the door and locked it, flipping the sign over before he started pulling the shades down. "Gotta make sure no one sees us looting her place."

    "So why is it that you don''t like hurting people," Jenna said. "But stealing is just fine?"

    "Because we''re not hurting someone when we steal?" Cam asked. "Stealing kept me alive on the streets. It''s how I got food, the rare few times I had some that wasn''t the rare occasion of someone actually letting dirty me into their restaurant or shop. And Elaine used compulsion on me, then she had my friend kidnapped, and stop that, Callum."

    The twins gave him a funny look, but went back to work, moving in and out of the back to pack things into boxes and crates. Eden showed up after an hour and informed them that there was room made in his storage, and that he''d start taking things there, but that they weren''t invited.

    He needed some secrets.

    "Here''s some magic-binding cuffs," Eden tossed them to Cam. "They should be enough to keep her under control."

    "Thanks," Cam sighed. "Apparently, Callum wants me to interrogate her. I''m going to go try, since he didn''t even ask her a question. Hopefully, she''ll cooperate."

    Cam disappeared, teleporting up to Elaine''s living room, where Callum was sitting on her, back in his dog form.

    "Eden gave me these," Cam shoved his cousin off of Elaine, then quickly cuffed her as Callum stared at her, daring her to resist. "Now get up and sit in your chair."

    Elaine obeyed, watching as Callum disappeared.

    "Cameron," she said. "I''m sorry about using that on you, but as I told you, it''s simply normal. I had to make sure you weren''t DoSS or-"

    "Because you''re a slave trafficker," Cam said. "Couldn''t have one of them around, right? I''m not interested in your apologies. I''m interested in where my friend is. So tell me everything. I really don''t want to invade your mind and hurt you, but I will if it means finding Greyson."

    "Now that I know you''re reading my mind," Elaine told him. "I can resist you, even without mind magic."

    "We''ll see about that," Cam''s expression darkened as he locked gazes with Elaine. "Because I have something you can''t ignore."

    "What was that?" Jenna jumped as an unholy screech sounded from above their heads.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "Cam," Callum answered, and the trio of teens looked at him.

    "But he doesn''t like hurting people?" Eden said. "That sounded like someone was in a lot of pain."

    Callum snorted.

    "That was him screeching," Callum said. "Much like the twins'' father''s children possess an innate ability to join their magics and minds together, Ulrima''s children possess a certain innate magic as well. Much like a demigod''s ability to control their aging, and even reverse it, these are not things that appear on your inner tree as branches, leaves, fruit, roots, or whatever.

    "For Ulrima''s children," Callum said. "It''s called the Song of Sound. Rough translation into this language. When they unleash it, they can still the minds of anyone who hears it. I shrouded the three of you from its effects, so you only heard the shriek, not had your minds stilled."

    "How does stilling the minds of those who hear it do anything?" Jenna asked. "We heard him threaten the voices in his head with a shriek a couple of times when we were traveling together."

    "I''ve heard him say that as well," Eden said.

    Callum walked around in a circle, his tail flicking from side to side a few times before he sat on his haunches and looked at the trio.

    "The Song of Sound is an inhuman noise," he said. "And an inherent power to the child of a High God. The twins'' own power is greater than that of something that simply stills minds. It has a larger effect. Cam figured out that it could cause the aether voices to fall silent when he used it shortly after he unlocked his magic. As with all children of High Gods, he knew the innate spell instinctively."

    "That still doesn''t clear up our confusion," Jenna said as another shriek was unleashed.

    "Cam is using it to disrupt her thoughts," Callum told them. "It means that she will have a hard time clearing her head and responding on instinct to prevent him from getting a read on her honesty. Another effect to the spell¡­ is that those who hear it, when their mind is freed from its temporary halt, are unable to hide their true thoughts and emotions, and cannot recreate any mental barriers, for a short time."

    "Why do the children of a god of sex have a spell like that innate to them?" Tyler asked.

    "Simple," Callum responded. "Ulrima is a god of life. He is also the god of love, lust, sex, beauty, and more. The most crucial aspect of his, however, is none of those.

    "No," he shook his head as another shriek pierced the air. "Ulrima''s truest aspect is as a god of truth. And to his children, all truths are laid bare. It''s why Cam was able to learn how to read if someone was honest quickly."

    "But that''s not his root spell?" Jenna said. "It''s just something in his root school. Why would that have priority?"

    "Because he''s a demigod," Callum answered. "Much like you and your brother were able to learn destructive spells a lot more easily than defensive and mending spells, Cam will learn spells relating to his father''s domain much easier than those not.

    "Back to the Song of Sound," Callum tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps ''Song of Truth'' would be a better name for it, even though that''s not how it translates? We''ll call it that anyway. The Song of Truth lays bare the truth to the children of Ulrima. It is not compulsion, so Cam has no issue using it. All he needs to do is wait for the mind blank to fade, then ask a question, and he''ll hear the answer in her thoughts."

    Another shriek let out.

    "I was hoping he''d used compulsion or just root through her mind," Callum sighed, lying down and resting his head on his paws. "But no, he continues to try to be human."

    "What does that mean?" Eden asked.

    "Have you not noticed his conflicting actions?" Callum asked the teen. "Cam tries hard to fight against such things, yet has no issues allowing others to do it to achieve the necessary results. Why does he approve of that?"

    "Because it''s him doing it that he has an issue with," Eden answered as another shriek was unleashed. "Jeez, he can shriek."

    "Not quite," Callum said. "Cam is a demigod. He inherits some of the inherent nature of the gods. Just like elves are arrogant, fae are vain, dwarfs are arrogant, and humans are¡­ humans, gods, too, have something common among them depending on the type of god.

    "To a demigod," Callum turned his gaze to the twins. "Mortal lives are insignificant. They are willing to hurt and harm them. However, beings such as nephilim and demigods, angels and gods, are seen as equals in the way that creatures of a set species would typically see each other. That''s why Cam easily befriended the twins and Greyson."

    "But I''m not-"

    "No, you aren''t," Callum nodded and at Eden again. "Your parents are nephilim, but you, yourself are not, so that shouldn''t matter. That said, there are exceptions to every case. Cam sees you as a rival, which is why he is your friend and accepts you. If he ever stopped seeing you as a rival¡­ then he would likely view you much in the way he views others."

    The ancient demigod sighed.

    "He fights this nature of his," Callum said. "He tries to deny it. One day, he will accept it. When he does, he will be just as powerful and dangerous as Jenna and Tyler here. He needs to cast aside this idea that he is human so that he can accept himself. Once he does that, his nightmares will fade."

    "But his nightmares are because he was kidnapped!" Eden protested.

    "Are they?" Callum rose to his feet and padded over to the teen, looking up into his eyes as another shriek filled the air. "Or did Cam lie about that, as he does many things? You have experienced for yourself how smooth and effective he is at lying. He can come up with a suitable lie on the spot, one that could fool nigh anyone.

    "Cam''s nightmares aren''t because he was kidnapped," Callum said. "Not anymore. He''s already gotten past those. No, his nightmares now are because he''s scared. Scared that he''s going to become a monster. He so easily and effortlessly killed after his escape, and that scares him.

    "He dreams of killing them again," Callum continued, returning to where he had laid, then turned and faced them before sitting once more. "Only in more cruel and vicious ways. Of torturing them to death. He dreams that it is he who killed the ones whose minds he was in when the three of you killed."

    Callum laid back down and rested his head on his paws once more, allowing them to digest his news.

    Cam wasn''t human, and he was scared of becoming a monster because of the nature he found himself having. The ancient demigod wondered what his friends would think if they found out that there had never been any human in his ancestry to start with.

    The Thorntons were started by a god mating with a dragon, then an angel mating with the offspring, then a god mating with that offspring, entering into a dangerous cycle that lasted for more than one hundred generations.

    The dragon bloodline had long since been rendered inert, but it was still there. Still evident, even, in some ways. Cam displayed the greed and desire to hoard items. Most of Ulrima''s children displayed high envy and lust, not greed. At least, not the kind of greed Cam displayed.

    Callum only found out about Cam''s lack of human heritage recently. He''d asked his uncle directly about Cam''s odd greed for a child of his, and the High God had informed him it likely stemmed from having a dragon in his ancestral tree.

    It meant that trying to pretend to be human was pointless. The sooner that Cam accepted he was a demigod and the inherent nature of his kind, and the sooner he''d actually be able to mask himself as a human.

    One can''t change their nature when fighting against it, only when working with it.

 02-022

    Chapter Twenty-Two.

    "Ambrosius," Michael greeted his brother as the teen entered his house. "Are you alright?"

    Cam had bags under his eyes, and his only response was a yawn, which he covered with a hand. He had not gotten much sleep the night before. After interrogating Elaine, they left her for DoSS to collect, along with all of the information he''d managed to get out of her.

    Despite how exhausting using the Song of Truth was when combined with reading minds, Cam had found himself unable to sleep well. They even tried making an extra-potent sleep potion. Unfortunately, not only was he a demigod, but a son of the High God of life. His recovery rate, once his divinity was unbound, had gone beyond astronomical.

    It didn''t let him sleep right through the nightmares, so he suffered through them all night. He didn''t even have the relief of his father kidnapping him for another party because they had spent too long reviewing Elaine''s given information and Ulrima was ''busy''.

    Elaine didn''t know directly where Greyson and Jenna were, but she did know who transported them. Four of them were traffickers from her own organization, while the other was from Derrick''s. As it turned out, it was the same organization that Cam''s family ran, and Derrick had mysteriously died several days prior and the Thorntons took a more obvious role, with one of them moving into the leadership position Derrick had.

    After sorting through that information and giving it to his friends, Cam attempted to catch some sleep, and when morning came, went for a walk, later meeting up with Adam for another magic training session.

    To end the day, he found himself at his half-brother''s. Partly because Kris invited him over, partly because Michael had wanted to talk with him again.

    "Kris is up in the game room," Michael informed Cam as he closed the door. "Before you head up to talk with him, I wanted to say something and ask you something."

    "Okay," Cam shifted, unsure. "What?"

    "First," Michael said. "I found out who your case worker was ¨C someone down here had it transferred to them a month or so ago. Her name is-"

    "Abigail," Cam nodded. "I''ve seen her a few times."

    "Alright," Michael said. "I talked to her about reopening the proceedings to adopt you, and she mentioned that she had only just been notified about me having attempted previously. There may be a slight problem."

    "What?" Cam felt scared.

    "Your mother and your grandfather are both petitioning for custody," Michael answered.

    "No!" Cam exclaimed. "I don''t want to live with them! They''re evil!"

    "Hold on, Ambrosius," Michael said. "Abigail said that since I already attempted to gain custody of you through adoption in the past, which was put on pause due to you running away, and that your mother had given up all legal rights to you when you were born ¨C which she couldn''t have done without her father knowing, despite him claiming he wasn''t aware of it ¨C there''s still a chance. The judge might favor the blood family rather than someone who you knew and trusted and had already started proceedings."

    "But-"

    "We''re blood-related," Michael nodded, noting Cam reaching behind himself and scratching his back. "Abigail has declared that all interested parties must have a DNA test done. She''ll have the comparisons made to you to show whether or not someone is related by blood for each of the three of us. Since you''re thirteen, there''s a chance that, depending on the judge, they''ll ask for your input on who you want to live with."

    "You!" Cam exclaimed. "If I had to pick, I''d want you! Not those evil people!"

    "Alright," Michael said. "Are you okay, Ambrosius? You''re scratching your back. I have some lotion that can help if you have a rash."

    "Huh?" Cam asked, then blushed as he pulled his hand away. "Callum said I''m getting my wings in three or four months."

    "Already?" Michael asked. "I was fifteen when mine came in. Most of Ulrima''s children don''t until they''re around fourteen or fifteen. You''re an early bloomer."

    "That''s why I need to eat lots," Cam nodded. "So I can get those last growth spurts in."

    "Would you like to go on a trip this weekend?" Michael asked.

    "A trip?" Cam asked.

    "Yeah," Michael placed a hand on his brother''s head, then pulled off his shirt, revealing a black leather vest beneath it, the two flaps of the front held together with leather cord laced through it. "A trip. I know a tailor who makes vests for demigods and nephilim."

    Michael turned around so that his brother could see that on his shoulder blade and a little below, there was no material there, the back of the vest only reaching halfway up all the way around, then narrowing as it stretched up to his shoulders, where it spread back out to meet up with the flaps that made up the front.

    "It allows us to manifest our wings while still having a top on," Michael manifested his wings, allowing Cam to see that they connected to his back where it was bare. "They''re enchanted, too, so they clean themselves. You never need to take it off, if you don''t want to."

    "But when I hit my growth spurts," Cam said as his brother turned back around. "Then I''ll outgrow the vests."

    "Maybe," Michael said. "But this tailor can make accurate predictions about your full-grown height based on your current body. I''m not sure how he does it, but I do know it involves a little blood magic. It''s completely safe. Once he finishes the vest or vests, we can have them brought to you."

    Cam wasn''t sure if he liked the idea of someone knowing how short he was going to be before he knew. He also wasn''t sure how that person could know something that was affected by so many factors, and guessed that the tailor had some sort of time magic ability as well.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Alright!" Cam said. "I''ll have to ask Callum about the trip, but we should probably be fine. He''ll want to come along to make sure I''m okay. Dad kind of yells at him every time he leaves me alone."

    "Where is he?"

    "Peeing on the tree in your backyard."

    Michael snorted as he unmanifested his wings.

    "If we leave in the next hour," Michael said. "We can likely reach a hotel around nine or ten tonight, then visit him tomorrow."

    "It takes five hours to get there?" Cam asked.

    "It does," Michael nodded. "We''re driving, not teleporting."

    "Why not?" Cam asked.

    "Because then it wouldn''t be a road trip," Michael told him.

    "Oooh!"

    "Also," Michael said. "We can buy some lotion to deal with the itchiness from your wings coming in, though you probably won''t be able to rub it in yourself."

    "I''ll ask Jenna to do it," Cam promptly told him.

    "Jenna?"

    "Yeah," Cam blushed. "She''s a, uh, friend. We met a couple of years ago. She''s helping find my friend Greyson."

    "What happened to him?" Michael asked.

    "He got kidnapped by some mage traffickers," Cam answered. "His father, Refari, is looking into it, and we are, too. But I''m staying out for a few days anyway, ''cause they''re gonna be hurting a lot of people. Callum said he''s going to contact Eden and tell him to pack some clothes for me. Does the lotion really help?"

    "A lot," Michael nodded. "It was invented around six hundred years ago, and it''s only improved since then. Why don''t you let Kris know to pack some clothes for a couple of nights?"

    "Alright!" Cam said, then took off up the stairs. "Kris!"

    "What?" Kris jumped as Cam nearly flew into the gaming room, he was running so fast. "How much sugar have you had today?"

    "That''s not important!" Cam exclaimed, mostly because he''d eaten a gallon of ice cream and three pounds of gummy bears after lunch. "Pack some clothes! Your dad''s taking us on a road trip for the weekend! We''re leaving in probably an hour. Maybe less!"

    "Where are we going?" Kris paused his game.

    "I dunno," Cam shrugged. "Mr. Kendall just said that it''ll take about five hours or so to get there, and we''re leaving soon. It''s so we can get me some vests to wear under my clothes for when my wings come in. I''m gonna be so happy to not have to go shirtless just to manifest my wings. The only time I wanna be shirtless is if I''m changing, showering, or swimming. And once I get some muscle on me, I wouldn''t mind around Jenna. But only if she does agree to date me! She''s still undecided."

    Cam was confident she would come around, though. He could tell that she liked him just as much as Eden and Tyler liked each other.

    Those two were so obvious to the teen, he wasn''t sure how others didn''t know. Callum said it was only obvious to a child of Ulrima, but Cam was doubtful on that. Tyler even spent the night! Callum said that was because he and Jenna were too tired to return to Jenna''s apartment, but Cam didn''t believe that for one moment.

    He ignored his cousin when the ancient demigod pointed out that Tyler slept on the couch in the living room. That was only so that no one would suspect.

    "What are you thinking about?" Kris snapped in front of Cam''s face, and his uncle jumped.

    "Huh? What?" Cam asked.

    "Ambro," Kris chuckled. "You spaced out on me."

    "I am attempting to figure out how to convince a girl that likes me to go out with me and how to get two guys who like each other and are very obviously secretly meeting up to stop doing it secretly."

    "Ambro?" Kris said as his friend''s words reminded him of something.

    "Yeah?"

    "Would you mind hanging out with me in front of my school Monday morning?"

    "Why?" Cam asked.

    "Erm," Kris hesitated for a moment as he debated on answering, then remembered that his friend could probably just read his mind anyway if he was curious enough. "I wanna know if this girl likes me?"

    "Why do you want me to be there?" Cam asked.

    "Because," Kris said. "Wait, you didn''t know?"

    "Know what?" Cam asked.

    "Uh," Kris snorted. "Ambro, children of Ulrima can tell if people like each other when the people are near. Or if they''ve ever seen them. Dad refuses to tell me if she does, saying I should just go up and ask her and get accepted or rejected for myself."

    "I think your dad was bulling you," Cam said. "I can''t just tell if someone''s attracted to someone else."

    "I think you can," Kris said. "Test it on Monday, before school."

    Cam rolled his eyes, then reminded Kris they needed to get ready to go. They went into Kris''s room, and Cam made a sound of disgust.

    "You still leave it like this?" He asked as he started cleaning it up.

    "Hey!" Kris protested. "What''s the point in putting something away if I''m just going to grab it again later?"

    "Uh-huh," Cam held up a shirt. "And how long has this been sitting here? It reeks!"

    "Oh," Kris said. "I probably need to do laundry, huh?"

    "You think?" Cam tossed the shirt into Kris''s hamper. "You know, it''d be way easier to get your laundry done if it''s all together rather than scattered around the room."

    "Yeah, yeah," Kris rolled his eyes as he opened his closet. "You said two days?"

    "I think?" Cam answered. "Your dad said for a couple of nights."

    "Alright," Kris pulled out a couple of anime tees. "What about these?"

    "Do you have any shirts that aren''t anime tees?" Cam asked. "Seriously? I thought I talked you into buying, like, a dozen shirts that weren''t."

    "Four years ago," Kris reminded Cam. "I outgrew those, dummy."

    "Oh, right," Cam opened up a ball of paper. "This is homework."

    "What?" Kris looked at it. "Oh, I already turned that in. She thought I didn''t do it, so she made me do it again. When I went to give it to her, she told me she found it. I think she hates me."

    "Probably," Cam shrugged. "I don''t understand any of this."

    "You haven''t been in school in three years," Kris bopped him on the top of his head. "Of course you don''t. You always hated it, so I doubt you did any extra studying outside of it."

    "I have so!" Cam exclaimed.

    "Let me guess," Kris grinned. "Ever since you started living with Eden?"

    "Yeah," Cam grumbled as he picked up more trash. "He makes me sit down and do my homework, or he hides the chocolate. And he teleports. I need a trash bag. You finish packing. Make sure to get a toothbrush and your toothpaste, too. And mouthwash and floss."

    Cam hurried downstairs to grab a trash bag, then returned to Kris''s room to continue his cleaning spree. He didn''t understand why Kris left his room a mess if he wanted to impress a girl. Did he want to date a slob?

    After half an hour, Michael called the boys downstairs, then told them to use the bathroom before they left.

    When the boys climbed into the car, Kris in the front, Cam in the back, they found Callum lying on his dog bed on the back seat.

    "We''ll be stopping at a drive-thru," Michael pulled out of the driveway as Cam checked to make sure his hygiene things were packed in the bag Callum brought. "For dinner in a couple of hours. If you''re hungry before then, there are some snacks in the bag-"

    Michael cut off as he heard the plastic grocery bag rustling behind him. Cam was already getting into it. He started to tell the teen to stop, but decided against it. The boy was eating a lot according to the texts he''d been sending Kris, and the older demigod suspected that it was partly because he was hungry, and partly because the teen wasn''t sure if he''d still have food at the next meal.

    After living on the streets for three years, he was probably prepared to leave at any time.

    Hopefully, the court proceedings would go in their favor, and his younger brother would never need to worry about such things again.

 02-023

    Chapter Twenty-Three.

    "I''m glad Cam''s gone for a couple of days," Eden stretched as he stood, his chair sliding back a few inches.

    "Same," Jenna tapped a piece of paper. "Are you going here first?"

    "Yeah," Eden answered. "Based on the information we received, there''s no spatial blocks there and no one particularly strong, so I should be just fine on my own. Hopefully by the time Cam returns from his trip, we''ll have Greyson back, safe and sound."

    "Hopefully," Jenna shifted the sheet to the side and examined the map. "This building looks pretty complicated, are you sure you can take it alone?"

    "We don''t want to destroy it," Eden nodded. "And that''s pretty much what you two will do if you come with me. I''m a lot more flexible on my own, too. I''ve fought against traffickers and fae for the last few years and am used to fighting like this. I''ll probably strike at them in a little bit, since it''s after hours for them."

    "Now on to some more serious business," Eden said. "Jenna, how long are you going to leave Cam wondering if you like him or not?"

    Jenna sighed at Eden''s question. It was something her brother had been pestering her about as well.

    "Do you have any idea what it''s like to consider dating a telepath?" She asked Eden. "Cam''s cool and all, but I can''t stomach the idea of dating someone who can read my mind. Can you imagine wanting to date someone who might be in your head at any given moment?"

    "Yes," Eden answered. "I can, actually. You forget, Jenna ¨C I live with Cam. And he usually keeps it pulled in close when in the house."

    "And how close is that?" Jenna asked. "Because if we''re snuggling-"

    "Afraid he''ll hear your dirty thoughts?" Tyler teased, causing Jenna to blush.

    "Cam has to actively want to be in your head," Eden told her. "It''s only his empathy and the voices that are always active, and I think he''s figured out how to shut off the former."

    "It still bothers me," Jenna told him as his cell phone start ringing. "Learning mind magic isn''t easy for anyone but a mind mage. I''m still amazed you managed to learn it as easily as you did. And even then, he''d probably still figure out how to get past any barrier I put up without me knowing."

    "I think you''re just being paranoid," Eden pulled his cell out and answered it. "Hey, Nick."

    He listened for few seconds, then nodded.

    "Sure thing, bud. Be there in a minute," he hung up the phone and looked at the twins. "My brother needs me, I''ll visit him, then head to the office. You two make sure to get your job done as well."

    "Got it," Jenna said.

    Eden teleported to his brother, who was sitting on his bed, fiddling with his fingers and avoiding looking at Eden. Nick was a younger version of Eden who loved anime. At thirteen, he was almost as much of a prodigy with magic as his brother was, and he had only awakened his magic, rooted in fire, a few months prior.

    "What''s up?" He asked.

    "That, um," Nick told him. "That blacksmith you had me learning under? Yeah, he, uh, doesn''t like me anymore."

    "Why not?" Eden asked. "You said lessons were going well with him."

    "They were," Nick told Eden. "But I, um, ruined something he was working on. It was an accident, I swear! My fire was a lot hotter than I realized! They were the same as they''d always been! He''d never told me they were extra-hot before! And it''s not like they were blue or white¡­"

    Nick looked depressed and ready to cry. He placed a hand on his brother''s shoulder.

    "It''ll be okay," Eden told him. "I''ve got some stuff to do, but I''ll talk with him about the incident. That seems like an overreaction on his part if it was just an accident, I''ll ask him if he''d ever mentioned to you how hot your flames were."

    "Thanks," Nick said. "What are you doing?"

    "Just some fun stuff," Eden squeezed Nick''s shoulder, then walked over to his brother''s desk and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, jotting down an address and a phone number. "This is a warehouse that does underground mage battles. The number belongs to the owner of the warehouse, tell him that you''re my brother and you have Demon Fire."

    "Demon Fire?" Nick looked scared.

    "I noticed it a few weeks ago," Eden nodded. "It''s why your flames are hotter without being a different color. It''s not as sinister as the name sounds, don''t be scared, Nick. It just means they''re hotter than normal flames of their kind. Adam might know someone who can teach you."

    Or be willing to teach you, himself, Eden thought, but didn''t say.

    Adam was willing to continue teaching him and Cam, but he wasn''t sure how the ancient mage would feel about taking on another, more normal student. But the Demon Flames might override the usual distance Adam placed between himself and others.

    "Thanks," Nick said.

    "I''ve got to go," Eden told him. "I''ll see you tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow?" Nick gave him a confused look.

    "Yep," Eden grinned. "Regardless of what Adam says, I''m taking you to the warehouse tomorrow night to watch some mage battles."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Will I get to see you fight?" Nick asked.

    "No," Eden shook his head. "I only fight on Tuesdays, and if Cam''s there, Fridays."

    "Why?" Nick asked.

    "Because," Eden grinned. "Your big brother''s powerful enough that most best are on him. Only Cam''s bested me in the arena so far."

    "Whoa," Nick said in awe, then grinned. "I want to see you prove that boast!"

    Eden laughed, then ruffled his brother''s hair.

    "I''ve got to get going," Eden told him. "I''m looking for a friend and am in a bit of a hurry. I''ll talk with the smith later to smooth things over, though he might still not want you back if you have Demon Fire."

    "Alright," Nick gave his brother a hug. "Thanks!"

    "You''re welcome!" Eden pushed his brother off. "See you tomorrow, Nick."

    Eden teleported away without bothering to wait for the response that surely would have come immediately. He found himself standing on a seven-story building, looking at a ten-story building of glass and steel. The windows were tinted against sunlight, but also against outside observation. Despite how dark it was outside, night having already fallen, Eden was unable to see into the building.

    That didn''t bother him, though. They''d done some ''research'' that day and already knew the general power of everyone in the building, who would be there, and where what he wanted would be. His goal wasn''t to kill this time, and he''d only do that if someone got in his way.

    No, this time, he was there to access a computer.

    Eden checked his watch, then sat down and waited. Based on the information they''d acquired, he still had seven minutes and eighteen seconds. That gave him a few minutes to try something.

    Keeping his hand under the short wall surrounding the top of the building he was on, Eden focused on his hand. It was something he''d been attempting ever since his brother had awakened fire magics.

    As his magical roots were in the school of space magic, learning any other school of magic was extremely tough. He had managed to learn silkspeech after a couple of years, and he''d never admit to Cam how much he had practiced to obtain that. It was something he felt he needed, to keep himself safe.

    And to keep nosy cops from bothering him too much.

    However, once Eden acquired a regular, linked school of magic, learning the other linked ones would be easier, even if marginally due to his roots being in the school of space magic.

    Several minutes passed as Eden failed to generate a flame above his palm, and he sighed, then looked at the other building. It was almost time, so he crouched, checking his watch and counting down as his gaze turned to the front doors.

    Six people ¨C three men and three women ¨C exited right as his countdown reached zero. He began counting down again, turning his gaze to the alley on the side of the building. When he reached zero, two women left.

    Eden nodded, everything was on-schedule. The company had shown up around a year and a half prior, and his informant assured him that their schedule was the exact same every day of the week. The Friday schedule was in effect, and it was Friday.

    He checked his watch again, waiting until it was time, then he focused on the windows on the fourth floor, concentrating hard. He could make out the outlines of a few things through the windows as his gaze skimmed over them.

    The ones he could see through were, no doubt, the rooms with lights on. Focusing on one in particular, Eden took in every outline he could make out, before visualizing the room. He should have done that sooner, but the risk of being seen at that time was too great.

    Pulling from memory the paint swatch he had been shown and the carpet sample he was given, Eden teleported himself into the mentally-constructed room, the first time he had ever felt his power work for a space he had yet to be in or have actually seen with his own eyes.

    Closing his eyes and praying to the gods that he succeeded, Eden opened his eyes. He was in an office, with a desk, two bookshelves, four filing cabinets, two potted plants, and the same wall color and carpeting he had been told were used in the offices of the building.

    Letting out a sigh of relief, Eden opened the office door a crack and peeked out. There was no one around, so he quickly made his way down, checking the offices for one without the light on. It didn''t matter which computer he was at, as long as it was connected to the building''s private network.

    The fourth one down led him to success, and Eden slipped inside, leaving the light off. He sat at the desk, glancing at the windows. According to his informant, they''d been replaced when this company moved in, though no reason was given, nor the manufacturer. The informant wasn''t sure who that was. It was a strange thing, but there was no use wondering about it. He had a mission to do.

    Booting up the computer, Eden searched around using his phone until he found what he was looking for: a slip of paper with a password. It was stuck to the bottom of the desk. Using the password, Eden found himself logged into the computer and got to work hacking his way through their network.

    Just as he found the information he was looking for, a tingle went down Eden''s spine. It was a familiar tingle.

    One that told him spatial magic was rendered inert. Frowning, he attempted to teleport back to the roof of the other building as he grabbed his phone and sent a message.

    His surroundings failed to change. His apartment. Nothing. Soldier. Nothing.

    Nick.

    Nothing.

    Shooting to his feet, the chair sliding back, Eden quickly went to the door and opened it a crack, only to find himself looking at three dozen men in black mage armor.

    Shit! He thought to himself. What''s going on? My intel said there were fewer people here and no spatial blocks!

    As he looked around, he realized that the guards were convening on the office he was in. How did they know which one he was in?

    Looking around, Eden quietly closed the door, then walked over to the desk, grabbing the chair and throwing it at the window. It bounced off, and he cussed.

    Reinforced windows. He tried again and heard laughing outside the office as the chair bounced again.

    The office door opened, and Eden swiftly drew both of his guns and shot at the man entering, only to find his bullets bouncing off a quickly-erected barrier in front of the man in a suit who had entered, a platinum slave collar in his hands.

    "Hello, Eden," the man smiled. "You''ve been causing a lot of problems for us these last few years. It''s time that came to an end."

    Eden continued to shoot as he tried to teleport out. If these men were traffickers, he wouldn''t be able to use silkspeech on them ¨C they''d not want to do anything he''d say. Maybe.

    "And don''t think about using silkspeech, either," the man told Eden, whose eyes widened. "Yes, we know what you can do. You''re a slippery little brat. I''m wearing earplugs that prevent the sound of your voice from reaching me. All of my men are. And we''re quite happy that you finally fell into our trap."

    Eden dropped a gun and reached into his back pocket. It was a last-resort item, but he pulled out a black crystal etched with red and purple lines.

    Something he''d purchased after Cam was kidnapped by the Fairy Empress, just in case. A suicide crystal. It would blow up everything around it once a small bit of magic was pushed into it. It didn''t matter what kind of magic, either.

    And the spell formation within it would trigger and bypass nearly all magical defenses. Only a natural force mage specializing in barriers with the blood of a god in them or something just as strong as someone like that would be able to stop its power.

    Better to die than to be a tree ¨C or to have a platinum collar. Those were impossible to release, and he doubted even the universal key could free him ¨C it was only golden, after all. At least he''d gotten the information out and would be taking out a number of their agents as well.

    "Sorry, Cam," Eden muttered. "Looks like I failed to make it out of this one. Take care of Soldier for me."

    Eden smiled, looking at the man.

    "Sucks to be you," Eden held up the crystal, watching as the eyes of the guards who had entered, aiming their guns at him, widened. "I''ve already given the information I came here for to the necessary parties. I''m not needed anymore."

    He pushed magic into the crystal.

 02-024

    Chapter Twenty-Four.

    "Director," a voice said, and the agent looked over to the figure standing beside him, someone who wasn''t one of the agents who''d arrived to investigate.

    The newcomer looked to be in his late teens, with dirty blond hair and dark green eyes. He was dressed in black and grays, his hands slipped into the pockets of the faded black skinny jeans he wore, his long black coat pushed back at the front by his arms.

    "Noah," Lucas frowned as he took a step back. "What are you doing here?"

    "I could ask you the same thing, Director," Noah responded. "This wasn''t a fae attack."

    "No," Lucas looked at the building, which had the entire street-side portion collapse after four of its floor were blown out.

    An explosion that extended around twenty-five feet in all directions, a perfect sphere of fire and magic. No eyewitnesses reported survivors from the blast itself, but Lucas had a feeling that there was something more to the explosion than just magic.

    "This is government business," Lucas told the mage. "What brings you here?"

    "This building belonged to slavers," Noah looked at the building. "Someone managed to infiltrate it."

    "Yes," Lucas frowned. "We''ve been trying to get intel on them for months after a suspected connection to the slavers, according to the Director over that division. And to answer your question, I was passing near here on my way home after dropping my daughter off at her school, we don''t live far from here. The explosion happened, so I came over to investigate."

    "She attends night classes?" Noah asked.

    "It''s her school''s winter dance," Lucas told him. "What brings you to the site, Noah? I can''t say this is coincidence, considering you were halfway across the country yesterday."

    "A friend called me here," Noah looked at the building and frowned a little. "I owe him my life, and he asked for a favor."

    Lucas frowned at that comment. The twenty-one-year-old time mage wasn''t an easy person to kill. All mages with their root spell in a lone school had a ''quirk'' relating to their school. If one knew what to look for and encountered them, it was possible to locate lone school mages before they even awakened their magics.

    For space mages, they had a tendency to dislike any form of transportation that wasn''t their feet or teleporation, and between the two, they preferred the later. Mind mages, they had a tendency to want to pair people who liked each other together. Lucas had observed both of those things in Eden and Cam, respectively.

    With a time mage, they ''lived'' in a separate rate of time as a normal person. Their minds were accelerated, even if they often seemed slower than others. It led to them being quieter most of the time as well, but that mostly dealt with them taking in far more than most.

    To kill a time mage, even before they awakened their magics, was a difficult feat because of this ''quirk'' of theirs. Noah was only twenty-one ¨C well, nearly, as his birthday was Christmas ¨C but he was a fine example of the power of the lone schools.

    In the sixteen years since his magic had awakened at gunpoint, Noah had learned how to slow time for others, speed time for himself ¨C at least, that was the best explanation that Lucas got for the spell ¨C halt time, review up to a couple of hours into the past, and even reverse time for non-living objects to restore them to a state within the last half hour or so.

    Killing him was nearly impossible. He wasn''t registered with the government, though they did contract him out from time to time.

    How someone could save his life was a question Lucas wanted answered, but knew he''d likely never receive one.

    "A favor?" Lucas decided to settle on what resulted from his life being saved.

    "Yes," Noah responded, his green gaze still fixed on the building. "Jason asked me to keep an eye on someone, one Eden Portman, an unregistered space mage."

    Lucas frowned once more. They thought they knew everyone in Eden''s life. Who was Jason, and where did he fit into things?

    Before he could attempt to ask questions, Lucas realized the time mage was already moving towards the building. A few agents were moving to stop him.

    "Let him through!" Lucas called out, hurrying to the mage''s side. "He''s investigating."

    Is it possible Eden''s connected? Lucas wondered as Noah began climbing the rubble. He was looking into slavers, and we know he has a lot of contraband magic items. Could he have somehow created the explosion?

    "What is he doing?" An agent asked, and Lucas glanced at him. "That''s not safe."

    "He''ll be fine," Lucas told the agent, turning his gaze back to the time mage. "Noah''s been in many situations far more dangerous than this. I''ve seen a building taller than this one collapse on him, and the kid walked away unharmed."

    The agent''s jaw dropped at that. Barriers could only do so much unless someone was particularly powerful, and the mage didn''t look to be that old.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Do you have anything?"

    "Yes," the agent responded. "Judging by our initial readings, it looks like a type of suicide spell crystal was used. We think we know the type of it, based on the fact that nothing was thrown about. The spell destroyed everything it came into contact with, and the rest of the building''s front collapsed after that."

    Lucas nodded, watching as the time mage jumped down and walked over to him.

    "Eden was here," Noah informed Lucas. "He triggered a Nairix Death Crystal after being cornered and almost collared with a platinum slave collar. Unfortunately, the mage he was facing was able to create a barrier around the crystal. He knocked Eden out, collared him, and they left. As soon the barrier was released, the spell''s destruction was unleashed. It looks like it was weakened due to having been contained for a few seconds."

    Lucas swore under his breath. Platinum slave collars were rare, and they were impossible to release. There was no key. They forced absolute obedience onto the wearer and even allowed the master to control how much magic the mage had access to. Due to the enchantments placed on them, they were impossible to damage or forcibly remove as well. Not unless someone knew a void mage with a natural talent for voids.

    Noah walked around to the side of the building and Lucas pulled out his phone. Eden being collared was considered an emergency situation, and not just because he was a prodigy among the lone schools.

    Two of Cam''s close friends were turned into mage slaves, and while he had been quiet ever since Greyson''s kidnapping, there wasn''t a doubt in the agent''s mind that he was already formulating a plan. And now that Eden was gone, it was very likely Cam would become destructive again.

    "I heard you''re on-site," George said when he answered the phone.

    "We have a Code Death God," Lucas told him.

    "What do you mean?" George asked. "That kind of-"

    "Eden''s been collared with a platinum collar," Lucas said. "The two people we know of for sure who have earned Cam''s trust and friendship have just been kidnapped and turned into slaves. If he had his friends go on that rampage just to look for that girl''s brother-"

    "Shit!" George swore. "We do not need a demigod going on a rampage! How accurate is this information?"

    "Noah Tempo showed up," Lucas frowned at the alley the time mage had disappeared down, likely to Review something else. "He performed a Review on the site of explosion. Eden triggered a Nairix Death Crystal in the building. He was looking for something, probably related to Greyson''s whereabouts. They cornered him, and whoever he faced was able to contain the crystal''s power. It was released after they left with him in the collar."

    "What is Noah doing there?" George asked.

    "Responding to a favor," Lucas frowned. "I''m assuming he didn''t finish the job he was on?"

    "No," George responded. "He just disappeared this morning after¡­ receiving a phone call. The favor?"

    "To keep an eye on Eden," Lucas answered. "Someone he owes his life to named ''Jason''. I want to meet this mage, and find out just how powerful they are if he''s able to save a time mage''s life. But our priority is the Code Death God. If Cam goes on a rampage because Eden was kidnapped as well, there could be a lot of bodies and a stronger Veil required."

    "I''ll contact the angels," George told him. "Let them know we''re under that."

    "Thanks," Lucas said. "Anything else?"

    "No," George responded. "Keep an eye on things. Lucas ¨C I know this case is close to you, but try not to get in over your head."

    "I won''t," Lucas promised. "I''m making sure everything is by the book on my end."

    "Good," George said. "I''ll make the call and let Jestin know."

    The call ended, and Lucas hung up just in time to watch as the building fixed itself. He sighed. It had been almost forty minutes since the explosion, which meant that Noah''s powers had grown even more since the agent had seen them a year prior.

    Having the building fix itself like that was going to create some uncomfortable questions by the normals.

    Lucas ordered the agents to stay outside for the moment and to continue investigating around the building.

    Around thirty minutes later, Noah exited the building through the front doors, a piece of paper in his hand. He approached Lucas and handed the paper to the director, who realized it was covered in tiny text ¨C he would need a magnifying glass to read the writing.

    "The license plates of the people who collared Eden," Noah informed Lucas. "As well as the security codes to most of the building and passwords to most of the computers. It also contains the names of most of the people who were present, including the man in charge of the operation. I''m going to follow the van they loaded Eden into."

    Noah slipped his hands back into his pockets and left, seemingly moving at a rapid pace. In reality, he used his magic to alter his personal time, making it feel, to him, like the world itself had slowed down.

    As he moved, he used Review to keep track of where the van had gone, eventually catching up to the vehicle as it pulled into a warehouse. The mage slipped inside, moved behind some crates, and released his altered time as the traffickers left their vehicles.

    Two dozen mage guards, he thought to himself as the various guards began moving around. Plus the ten who were already here. Thirty-four guards total, all equipped with mage combat armor.

    He watched for a few minutes, curious about why they hadn''t pulled Eden out yet. Shouldn''t they be doing that to move him into another vehicle?

    "Are they sure we were followed?" A guard asked as the doors to the warehouse opened, allowing in more vans.

    "Yes," one of the guards responded. "They''re bringing in another hundred guards. We''ll ambush the agents here."

    "That was risky," the first guard said. "Teleporting the slave out of there while we were moving. What if they''d messed up?"

    Noah sighed. They had teleported Eden out. He held hope that the guards there would be willing to answer his questions. Even if they weren''t aware of where the teen was taken, they''d likely give the necessary information for him to find it.

    Thirty guards or a hundred and thirty didn''t matter to him, as long as none of them held lone school spells. Even then, only a natural could truly stand a chance against him.

    So he waited. The more who were there, the higher the odds that he''d find the information necessary for locating Eden. Protecting the teen from the traffickers was his main priority, and he already arrived too late to do that.

    But Noah owed his life to Jason, and so he would do whatever it took to rescue the boy. Even if the collar was impossible to remove, it was still able to be neutralized by the master, allowing Eden to live a normal life. If Noah obtained ownership, then passed it on to Jason, then Eden would likely be fine.

    Once Noah heard the guards mention everyone was there and started ordering people to positions to wait for the agents, he slipped out from behind the crates, hands in his pockets.

    One hundred, forty-seven, he thought to himself. All mages, all in mage combat gear. This will be boring.

    "Hey, you!" A guard spotted him. "How did you get in here?"

 02-025

    Chapter Twenty-Five.

    Instead of answering the guard''s question, Noah continued moving forward. Several spells shot at him, most of them either force or air magic. He altered time for the world around him to slow it down, allowing him to easily move around them. It produced almost the same effect as the spell to alter his personal time, but cost him less magic to perform.

    Noah quickly reached a force bolt-slinging guard and kicked his neck before ducking beneath a fireball. He swept the guard''s feet out from under him before running to the fire mage who threw the fireball, delivering a swift kick to the guard''s crotch before delivering another one to their chest, jumping back to avoid a wind spike, which pierced into the guard''s chest, the armor weakened by Noah''s time magic.

    The time mage heard the sound of gunfire and glanced over, noting the guards shooting at him. He snorted, then took a few steps away, kicking another guard into the path of the bullets, which cut through him and two others.

    With a roll of his eyes, Noah jumped into the air, kicking another guard in the back of the head. With his power over time, the guards were unable to touch him. He continued easily avoiding spells and bullets, throwing guards into the attack paths or taking them down with a kick or two. By the time most guards had aimed at where he was, he had already moved on from the spot, their spells missing by a wide margin.

    It only took the time mage ten minutes to take down the guards, though for the time that passed around him, it had felt much faster. Only a minute of real time had passed from the moment he began his assault to the end.

    He gave them credit for their abilities. In sixty seconds, the guards had managed to fling off an average of ten spells, for the ones who made it to the end of the fight.

    With all of the guards down, Noah rolled his head around, then stretched his back before glancing at the front of the building as he allowed time to return to its natural state.

    Noah looked around for a still-conscious guard to begin his interrogation with, only to feel a tingle down his spine. He altered his personal time so that he could process everything faster. Almost a minute passed for Noah before the front of the warehouse formed two holes and a pair of black orbs of the void flew through it.

    Nothing was left in their paths, as was the nature of the void. It consumed everything, devoured all, and made no discrimination as to what it affected. Only an opposing void of greater power could stop it in most cases.

    The orbs of the void disappeared after passing Noah, a third one passing through the center of the warehouse''s front, moving straight towards the time mage. He walked out of the way. Based on his estimates, there would''ve been no avoiding them had he been in normal time.

    Noah stepped around several more orbs of the void as he walked out of the warehouse and towards the mage flinging the massive, all-consuming spheres. She looked around his age and had caramel-colored skin, black hair, and brown eyes. She wore sneakers, black skinny jeans, and a dark green top.

    The closer he was to her, the harder it was to avoid the orbs she was aiming at him, but he still managed until he was twenty feet away. Then, one nearly touched him, and he halted time for all but himself.

    It wasn''t something he liked doing, as it was draining and he could only sustain the spell for around a minute of his own time, but it was necessary. He''d not heard of a void mage with her description, but she was clearly rooted in it.

    If the traffickers had her on their side without a collar, he needed to take her out. Not only that, but if anyone there would know what happened to the spatial mage, it would be here. Someone with her level of power was bound to be high in their ranks.

    Noah walked forward. He couldn''t run while sustaining frozen time, but the distance wasn''t far enough he would have issue. Instead of stopping in front of the other mage, Noah walked around her, then released his frozen time, altering his own time for a moment to strike at the back of her neck and the back of her right knee, forcing her to the ground.

    As she dropped, he held onto her right shoulder to keep her from face-planting, his hand quickly releasing as she reached for it.

    Damn, I didn''t strike hard enough, he realized, kicking her in the side as he returned to his state of altered time.

    "Where is he, asshole?" She asked, spinning around and flinging a small orb of the void as his leg.

    Noah lifted his leg up to avoid being struck as he narrowed his gaze at her.

    Where is he was the question? Was she looking for him, too?

    "Answer me!" She flung another orb at his legs, and he jumped to the side. "You can''t do that forever, jackass! Now tell me where he is!"

    "Are you looking for Eden?" Noah asked as he dodged another orb, releasing his altered time.

    "Who else?" She summoned up another pair with her hands, holding them ready. "Now tell me where he is! I don''t know how they acquired a time mage, but-"

    "I thought you worked for them," Noah told her. "Why are you looking for him?"

    "I don''t work with those assholes," she said. "I-wait, you thought-how can I trust you actually thought that?"

    "I was contacted to keep an eye on him by a friend of mine," Noah said. "I arrived too late, followed them here. He''s not here. You?"

    "Same," she said. "Cody was his name."

    "Jason was my friend''s," Noah told her. "Looks like different people are interested in keeping an eye on him. My friend was worried about him being kidnapped while investigating some traffickers."

    "Same," she said. "I still don''t trust you."

    "I still don''t trust you," Noah echoed her words back to her.

    "What were you doing in there?" She asked.

    "Taking out the guards," he answered. "Many of whom you devoured with your void magic. I was about to start interrogating the conscious ones for his location."

    "You followed them here," she said. "Thinking they knew?"

    "They did," Noah stated. "I followed the van they put him in. They teleported him out. If you really want to help, help me interrogate those guys."

    "Temporary truce," she banished her orbs. "I''m Jade."

    As soon as she gave the name, Noah realized who it was he had faced. He''d never heard a description for her before, and had thought she was older than that.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    "Jade Night?" Noah asked.

    "So you''ve heard of me," she smiled. "What''s your name?"

    "Noah."

    "Tempo?" She asked, and he nodded. "Looks like two famous mages are here. If you really are Tempo, then I doubt you''re working with them. Let''s interrogate these fuckers."

    The two mages entered the warehouse, ignoring the holes in the walls, floors and some of the traffickers who survived the voids thrown at them. They rounded up the guards and mages and began interrogating them.

    "It''s strange," Jade looked at Noah. "I would''ve thought someone would''ve reported the sound of the fight."

    "It''s empty around here," Noah explained. "One of the guards told me they own this warehouse and several of the surrounding ones. In addition, the gunshots were muffled by the enchantments on this building. You owe Cody?"

    "No," she dropped the man she had been grilling. "I tried taking him under my wing during the summer of last year, teach him a bit about combat and help him train his power. He hadn''t been awakened long. Kind of scared him off, I think he thought I intended on using him. Didn''t realize he still knew my number. You owe Jason?"

    "He saved my life," Noah nodded.

    "Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Aren''t time mages notorious for being hard to kill? I mean, you managed to evade every single one of my voids, and that''s saying something."

    "If you''re mortal, you can die," Noah stated.

    "So what happened?" Jade asked.

    "I nearly died, he saved me."

    "You''re not going to say anything else?"

    "No," Noah looked at the man he''d been asking. The last one to be interrogated, and he yielded nothing he hadn''t already heard. "Did you get anything?"

    "Other than that he''s being sold at an auction on the upcoming solstice?" Jade asked as Noah knocked the guard out. "No, I didn''t. Since you''re here because you owe Jason your life, I take it you''re not a registered mage? Or are you registered and just ignoring DoSS?"

    "Unregistered, sometimes help DoSS," Jason stated. "I got much of the same, though one of the guards mentioned a location for a holding place for mage slaves waiting for sale. He doesn''t know if Eden''s there, but he might be."

    "Cool," Jade said. "So how''d Jason save your life?"

    "By saving it," Noah answered.

    "You''re not a talkative person, are you?"

    "I still don''t trust you," Noah told her. "But if we''re under a temporary truce, then we''ll work together to locate the mage. Let''s go. Want to move in accelerated time?"

    "I thought you slowed time?" She asked.

    "I can do that as well," he nodded. "Changing my own time is my root, so I can do it with someone else easier. Keep up with me, though. You''ll need to touch me for it."

    "Alright," Jade linked her arm into his as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "So how does this work?"

    "We''re already adjusted," Noah told her and began walking. "You''ll notice it once we''re around others. Do know that your watch will be on the wrong time once we''re out of this if it''s not synced to a satellite."

    "Got it," she said.

    They walked down the street, and Jade looked around once they were around others. Everyone was moving abnormally slow to her, and she asked Noah what they would look like to others.

    "Normally," he said. "We would be a blur. However, we won''t be noticed at all. Angels and gods strengthened the Veil in Tejina back in October when a lot of fae attacked, and have left it buffed due to issues arising due to the same person at the focus of the fae''s attack."

    "Which is what?" Jade asked.

    "A child of a High God," Noah answered. "And not the twins of destruction and chaos. This one seems to be a child of the High God of sex and has potent mind magics, a mage by the name of Ambrosius."

    "The one who killed Titania?"

    "According to the rumors," Noah nodded as he turned down a street. "They also say that he wiped out dozens of fae and a Fairy Lord by himself. Rumors say he can knock out an enemy with a thought, breaking through strong mind magic barriers in an instant."

    "You seem to know a lot about him," Jade commented.

    "I try to keep tabs of who all the powerful mages are," Noah told her. "If I can, what they look like, too. You and him are among the few strong mages in the world I don''t ¨C didn''t for you, since I do now ¨C know what they look like."

    "Leosvar?"

    "Adam, I don''t," Noah answered. "As he''s a shift mage who constantly changes his appearance. His cousin and grandfather, I know the appearances of. Now that I know your face, there are only four mages I know of at a high level of power whose faces I don''t know. We''re almost there."

    They walked past two more streets before Jason turned down an alley.

    "Leading a lady into an alley?" Jade asked. "If I didn''t know better-"

    "Loading docks."

    Jade glanced at the loading docks, noting the workers standing near the entrance, chatting. They were dressed in black shoes, brown pants, and green polos, both with a walkie talkie clipped to their belts.

    The parking lot sloped down towards the building, something she knew was normal for places that relieved deliveries by trucks. It made it so that they could just walk right into the trailers to grab the deliveries and pull pallets out, only this slope wasn''t that deep.

    "Private shipping," Noah told her. "According to the guy who told me about this place, they store some of the slaves here until either they''re bought or they''re moved to where they''re being bought. Or they''re moved to a larger holding place."

    "Where?" Jade asked.

    "In the basement," he answered before they reached the guards and undid his spell, using his left hand to grab Jade''s left arm, which was still looped through his right arm. "My girlfriend and I heard you had some goods we could examine. We were looking for something fun?"

    "We only sell packaging things here," one of the men told him. "And you have to go around to the front to buy them."

    "We heard you sold packages, too," Noah told him. "But that it was only through the back door. Something about a Christmas Special going on?"

    "Let me see if we have any in stock," the employee pulled the walkie off his belt and raised it to his mouth, pressing the button. "John, we''ve a couple of college kids here looking for the Christmas Special?"

    "Be there in a sec," a voice responded.

    "Wait here," the employee told the two mages, and they waited.

    It only took a minute before a man in his forties exited, "JOHN'' and "MANAGER" on the nametag clipped onto his green polo.

    "You two were looking for the Christmas Special?" He gave the two of them a curious look.

    "Yes," Noah smiled. "We heard about it and wanted to see if we could buy one of the packages? We were looking for a little bit more fun in our lives."

    "Come in," John told them, and they followed him inside, the heavy metal door closing and locking. "Don''t mind the lock, it''s only from the outside, so you can still leave. Did you walk here?"

    "We walk everywhere," Noah looked around, noting the packages piled up in the room, waiting to be picked up by the customer or delivered somewhere. "Don''t worry about us being seen with the package when we leave, we''re able to perform some tricks that make things difficult to see."

    "Alright," John said. "We''ll need to get some ID, make sure you aren''t feds."

    "We aren''t," Noah said. "And I don''t keep identification on me. Jade? Sweetie, do you have something?"

    "Jade?" John looked Jade up and down, frowning a little. "Jade Night?"

    "Yes," Jade smiled. "I''m Jade Night."

    "Mind demonstrating proof of that?" He asked.

    Jade lifted a hand, an orb of the void forming. She flicked her wrist, sending it a few inches into the concrete floor. The orb then faded, leaving a cylindrical hole behind.

    "Impressive," he said. "So you''re looking for special packages, now?"

    "We want some fun in our lives," Noah said. "Being as special as we are, we need some amusement."

    "Alright," John said, walking over to a metal hatch in the ground and opening it. "Down this way."

    He accepted that fast, Noah thought. Though he also looks a bit scared. Is he nervous of what she''ll do if he refuses to let us check out the goods? She does have a nasty reputation of attacking first and deciding whether or not she cares later.

    They walked down the steps, Noah noting that it led them under the building beside the shipping store. With concrete walls for the basement, and half of the room separated off by metal bars, it looked like a prison. There was a concrete wall halfway through the bars, separating the collared slaves by sex, with the males on one side, females on another. The slaves were all sitting obediently on the floor in the backs of their cells.

    Another concrete room revealed a shower and toilet for the slaves to use, and only one guard waited down there. Since the slaves all had collars on, there was no need for extra precautions. If they were given orders to stay and not fight back, then they wouldn''t, even when let out to use the bathroom.

    "Thirty-four packages to choose from," John told them. "Twenty-one white, thirteen red. Any particular age you were looking for? We can have your preferences move forward."

    "We were looking for one slave in particular," Jade smiled at him as she fired off a pair of orbs of the void, destroying the walkies on both traffickers before they could react. "Taken a little bit ago, placed in a platinum collar. You wouldn''t happen to know where we could find him, would you?"

 02-026

    Chapter Twenty-Six.

    Eden sat in the chair, waiting patiently. Well, not quite patiently, but obediently. He wasn''t sure where he was or what was going on, other than that the people around him seemed to want to sell him. The only reason he even knew his name was because they had called him by it a few times.

    Something happened that removed his memories, from what he understood. He knew some things, like how to walk, talk, and such. But he didn''t remember anything.

    The only thing that seemed to stem from his past was one thought burned into his mind.

    Help will come.

    He wasn''t sure why he thought that, but it was an absolute thought that failed to fade from his mind. Anytime he started to wonder if the people who had absolute control over his actions were the good guys, that thought would return.

    Help will come.

    The men and women who ''owned'' him seemed to be frustrated by his lack of memories. They even brought in a mind mage to read his mind, and the mage was the one who said that his memories had been removed. Simply cut out of his head, it seemed.

    They seemed to want to know where someone else was. Someone they called ''Cam'', who seemed to be the ''big prize'' for them. They wanted to know where Eden lived, but he couldn''t even answer that.

    One of them even struck him, after another response of "I don''t know" from him. His cheek still stung from that, but it was the truth. He simply did not know.

    Help will come.

    The door to Eden''s ''room'' opened, and Eden''s gaze flicked to the man who entered. Tall, intimidating. This was the one who owned his key.

    "Get up," the man told Eden, who stood without thinking. The collar made him obey anything the man said. "We''re leaving. This place has been compromised."

    What does that mean? Eden wondered.

    Help will come.

    "Follow," the man ordered, and Eden began following him, his gaze firmly on the man''s shoes. They were sneakers, not the fancy dress shoes of most of the people there. More comfortable for running in. Eden was wearing sneakers. They''d given him his shoes back when they gave him white pants and a white shirt to put on. They made him strip down so they could make sure he had nothing hidden on him or in him. His phone was apparently destroyed in an explosion before they realized it wasn''t on him.

    At least that can''t help them find Cam, Eden thought. But why do they want him?

    Help will come.

    The man led Eden through several rooms, then out into a car, telling the teen to sit in the back seat. He did, and the man buckled him in before entering the driver''s seat and buckling up.

    "It seems some people are looking for you," the man told Eden as he turned on the car and backed out. "But they won''t find you. There''s no one staying behind, so no one will give any information."

    Eden looked at the tall building they were fleeing. An apartment building of some sort, he thought. He wasn''t sure how he knew that, just something he knew. The building seemed familiar to him. All of the ones around him did.

    For three hours, the man drove, several other cars staying with them. For most of the trip, Eden kept his gaze forward, his eyes never wandering around. He was ordered to, after looking out the window every few seconds, taking in the things around him, almost as if he might be able to find a way out.

    He had been ordered not to use any magic and not to attempt to escape, but they couldn''t control his thoughts. It still seemed to make his owner nervous when he looked around and took everything in.

    They arrived at an office building hours later, most people having long-since gone to bed by that point. The man ordered Eden to follow him, so the teen did. He didn''t want to, but the collar around his neck forced him into obedience.

    The man led Eden into an elevator, traveling to the sixth floor. When they arrived, a pair of people in their early twenties were waiting. A male and a female, the female''s arm looped into the man''s, who had his hands casually slipped into his front pockets. The man who owned Eden began to react, but the next thing Eden knew, the other man was standing in front of them, looking tired.

    "No more," the new man said, his fist a blur as it struck Eden''s owner in the gut.

    Then, he grabbed Eden''s owner''s head and brought it down as he lifted up a knee. The two connected, and Eden''s owner dropped to the ground.

    "Jade," the young man said. "Destroy the collar. It''s platinum."

    Eden frowned. He wasn''t able to talk, or he''d tell them that such a thing was impossible. His owner had informed him of that. Not even the key for it could release it.

    The woman approached Eden, cupping his chin and tilting his head so that he was looking into her brown eyes.

    "Eden," she said. "I need you to remain absolutely still. Fail to do so, and I may accidentally give you a serious injury. Blink three times in a row if you understand me."

    Eden blinked three times. He would rather not receive a serious injury, though he wasn''t sure how she would inflict it if he wasn''t standing completely still.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Jade moved her hands down, and he felt her gripping the collar as the elevator doors closed. After a few moments, he gasped as the collar began to burn his neck. Then the sensation stopped, and she pulled her hands away, the collar dropping to the ground. There were two holes in it, Eden noticed, almost as if a cylinder of it was removed from the sides, with the barest tip of the rounded portion on the side of the collar against his neck.

    "Sorry about the pain," she told him. "One of the many things to deter someone from trying to remove them. Thankfully, I was able to destroy that portion of the enchantment before it got too bad. The hold over you is gone, how do you feel?"

    "Who are you?" Eden frowned, confirming the command to not speak after his last ''interrogation'' no longer restrained him.

    "I am Jade," she answered. "And this is Noah. We''ve been asked by different people to keep an eye on you. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to save you."

    "Why?"

    "We don''t know," Jade answered. "Your friends seem to care about you, though."

    "My friends?" Eden asked, then shook his head. "Sorry, but I don''t remember anything past being in their van. My memories are¡­ gone."

    "Hm," Jade thought. "Did they erase them?"

    "No," he answered. "They wanted information out of me. I could not provide it."

    "It''s probably intentional," Noah said, pressing the button for the elevator to take them down to the first floor. "You must have done something that erased your memories. I don''t know of anything that could erase all of them, but there are definitely a few things that can erase memories up to a certain point. It would take a particularly powerful mind mage to restore them. It would also not be pleasant, either. For either of you."

    "Done it before?" Jade asked him as they reached the first floor.

    "No," Noah answered as they exited the elevator. "But I know someone who has and was there when their memories were returned to them. They only had a month''s worth. Odds are, you did it to protect someone, Eden."

    Eden pondered on that as they exited the building, entering a metallic red car. He wasn''t comfortable in cars, but they promised that they''d be out of it soon after noticing his discomfort at it.

    Did he erase his own memories? How? Was it to protect this ''Cam''? Why? And why is this Cam so important?

    "Who is Cam?"

    The two older mages turned and looked at Eden, who asked that question after buckling himself into the backseat.

    "How do you know that name?" They asked in unison.

    "It is who they wanted information on."

    The two older mages looked at each other, then back to Eden.

    "Cam," Jade said as Noah turned back around and started driving. "Is also called Ambrosius. He''s highly-sought after right now by many parties. He''s an extremely powerful mind mage whose father is a High God. You know what magic is?"

    "Yes," Eden nodded. "They said I use spatial magic. Teleportation."

    "That explains your hesitation at the car," she said. "Mind magic, space magic, void magic, shift magic, time magic ¨C these are the five lone schools of magic. Learning them without an affinity for them is difficult to the point that of the millions of mages in the world, less than a thousand know a lone school of magic. Far, far fewer even possess an affinity for it.

    "These are the five most powerful schools of magic," she continued. "You use space magic. This enables teleportation, spatial rending, dimensional creation, and many other potent things that can decimate a legion of mages. I use void magic, a magic that consumes anything it comes into contact with ¨C it''s how I broke your collar and why you needed to be absolutely still. If you weren''t, I might have accidentally touched you with it, and it would''ve simply eaten whatever part of you entered it."

    "I use time magic," Noah informed him. "I can slow down the area around me, or I can speed up my own time. Both have a similar effect, though the latter is a limited range. It enables me to evade nigh any spell. I can even freeze time, temporarily, which is how I arrived in front of you in the elevator."

    "And mind magic?" Eden asked.

    "Just as devastating," Jade answered. "You probably don''t remember, but you were there when Ambrosius used one of its most potent spells, a mind wave, a ripple of mind magic that flowed out, bypassing walls and barriers and pressing directly into people''s minds. It knocked them out in an instant. He can also go through minds, alter or erase memories, forcibly find someone''s deepest secrets, and so on."

    "The final lone school," Noah said. "Doesn''t sound as exciting: shift. It lets you shift the properties or form of yourself or something you''re in contact with. Not that exciting, right? Wrong. Skin that''s harder than anything, the ability to turn into any animal or change your appearance, the ability to alter other matter. Imagine wielding an iron sword that''s suddenly a sharper, mithril blade. Or turning bullets into foam."

    "The five lone schools are truly terrifying," Jade said. "And normal mages don''t stand a chance. We can even take on demigods, the children of gods."

    "And that," Noah said. "Is where Ambrosius comes in. You were there when he used the attack, though it seems you knew him more than just as a fellow fighter in that underground mage arena."

    "Ambrosius has killed a demigod?" Eden asked.

    "No," Jade answered. "Ambrosius is a demigod. And the more powerful the godly parent, the more powerful the demigod is naturally."

    "And Ambrosius''s father is one of the oldest and most powerful of all the gods," Noah told Eden as he pulled into a hotel parking lot. "When he first awakened his divinity, the force of his aura brought several gods to their knees."

    "If someone can put a platinum collar on him," Jade said. "They would have what amounts to the most powerful weapon in the world. Only a few mages would be able to contest him, and even then, it would be a stretch. It would require a High God like his father to counter him for guaranteed victory."

    Noah told them he was going to see if they could get a room for the night, then exited the car, and Eden thought over what he was told. The people who captured him seemed to have been planning to want him ¨C they mentioned to him that they had the trap in planning for two years.

    So when did he meet Cam ¨C Ambrosius ¨C and what was their relationship? How did they know each other, and for how long? It seemed like it was known they were connected, even if these two mages weren''t aware of that.

    And if Ambroisus really was that powerful¡­

    "If he''s that powerful, why are they going after him?"

    "Because he''s only thirteen," Jade turned and looked at him again. "And isn''t fully-trained in his powers, even if that means he''s almost an adult in demigod years. From what little we were able to pick up while looking for you, it seems he''s hesitant to use offensive magic ever since he was rescued from his last kidnapping. If they can grab him before he loses that reluctance, then it would be worth all the effort and trouble they go through to capture him."

    "And people think I know where he is?" Eden asked.

    "From the people we interrogated while looking for you," Jade told him. "You''ve been seen with him at the arena a number of times, and even have a set sparring schedule that works around and with each other''s. Here comes Noah."

    Noah returned and informed them he''d managed to rent a single room for them, handing Jade a key card. They entered through a side entrance and made their way up to the fifth floor, where Jade and Noah then argued about who was sleeping on the floor. There were two beds, and both agreed that Eden was sleeping on one of them.

    The teen was unsure, but stepped out of his shoes and climbed onto the bed, quickly passing out as the two continued arguing.

    "I just don''t see why you couldn''t rent two rooms!"

    "Because it''s my money," Noah told Jade. "You want your own room, go rent one yourself."

    "I told you, I forgot my wallet at-"

    "Not my problem," Noah climbed onto the other bed. "I rented the room, I get a bed. Good night."

 02-027

    Chapter Twenty-Seven.

    Cam yawned as he sat up on the hotel bed. He and Kris had one room, while Michael had the room connected to it by two doors. They were told to leave the one on their side unlocked so he could come over in an instant, even though the man could teleport.

    As was his usual practice after waking, Cam began expanding his empathic range. First, he sensed Kris sleeping peacefully on the other bed, then the people in the rooms beside theirs and beneath. Michael was already awake, brushing his teeth, and gave the teen a mental ''good morning'' when their minds brushed.

    When Cam''s range reached the fourth floor, it was wide enough for him to notice something on the fifth floor, just inside of the spherical range of his power. A trio of minds, one of which felt very familiar to him.

    He scrambled off his bed and quickly changed into jeans and a tee, then yanked on his socks as Kris woke.

    "What''s going on?" Kris muttered, looking at Cam.

    "Gotta go check something," Cam told him as he pulled on his sneakers and began tying them. "Go back to sleep. Tell Mr. Kendall I''ll be back in a few."

    "What''s wrong?" Kris asked.

    "Boys, time to wake up," Michael knocked on the door to their room.

    "We''re up!" Kris responded. "Cam''s leaving!"

    Michael opened the door and looked at Cam.

    "Eden''s here for some reason," Cam told him. "With a couple of others. They''re all sleeping. I don''t recognize their minds."

    "I''m coming with you," Michael immediately told him.

    "Fine, but stay back," Cam told him. "Eden''s my friend, and Callum''s being hard to wake up."

    Cam poked at his cousin''s mind again, still too scared to use too much power in case he hurt someone, even though he knew it was unreasonable. Callum''s mind was too well-shielded, so a full-power thrust with his own mind would likely only serve as a knock to the ancient demigod''s.

    Kris threw on some clothes as Cam hurried out of the room, and the three of them made their way down to the fifth floor, to the room where Cam sensed Eden''s mind. The younger teen immediately began knocking rapidly, even after two of the minds woke up, both immediately alert and ready for combat.

    Cam only stopped the assault on the door when it was opened by a man in his early twenties.

    "Jason?" The man gave him an incredulous look.

    "Wait," the woman said. "That''s Jason? That''s Cody."

    "Hi, Noah, Jade," Cam pushed his way past them and over to Eden, vigorously shaking his friend awake. "I said to keep an eye on him, not kidnap him. Eden! Wake up!"

    "How many names have you gone by?" Kris asked.

    "A lot," Cam shook Eden again, and the older teen finally woke up. "Your mind''s all confused. What''s wrong?"

    "Who are you?" Eden asked.

    "You ate the mint, didn''t you?"

    "The mint?" He asked.

    "Yeah," Cam said. "When you said you were getting into some dangerous stuff to look for Greyson, Callum cooked up a mint that would erase all of your memories for you to eat, just in case someone started asking about me, ''cause he wants to be lazy in his protection. I told him to make it chocolate, but you wanted it to be mint-flavored. Something about how I''d probably eat it by accident because it was chocolate. Admittedly, that does happen a lot. Blame my dad."

    "Wait," Noah and Jade said. "You''re Cam?"

    "Yeah," Cam looked at them. "I''m Cam. Why?"

    "You''re the powerful demigod everyone''s after?"

    "Why did you two kidnap my friend?" Cam asked. "I only asked you to keep an eye on him."

    "We didn''t kidnap your friend," Noah said. "We rescued him from traffickers, who had placed a platinum collar on him."

    Everyone except for Michael took several steps back as Cam''s eyes turned the same shade of pink as the chain of the necklace his father gave him, a look of total fury filling the teen''s face.

    "Ambrosius," Michael held up his hands. "Take a few deep breaths, and-"

    "No!" Cam nearly yelled, and Michael snapped his fingers.

    The boy froze in place, entirely still.

    "Did you just¡­ freeze him in time?" Noah asked.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    "Yes," Michael frowned. "Ambrosius seems to be a bit on edge. It seems finding out his friend being put into a platinum collar has pushed him past the edge. I don''t see it, how did you remove it?"

    "There are ways," Jade held up a hand, a void appearing. "Who are you?"

    "My current name is Michael Kendall," Michael answered. "I am a brother of Ambroisus''s, and you may have heard of my reputation for being able to kill anyone, anywhere. We came to town to buy something for Ambrosius, we weren''t expecting to run into Eden here."

    Michael looked at Eden, appraising the spatial mage his brother had become close friends with. He had an entire file on the teen''s exploits and had found himself impressed. By himself, he managed to deal with traffickers and fae and build up a veritable arsenal of magic weapons and gear.

    "So we finally meet," Michael said. "Though you have no memories. I possess the ability to restore your memories, though it might be painful for you."

    "Cam should be capable of doing it with minimal pain," Callum said, and everyone turned to face the dog, who was sitting on the bed Noah had slept on. "I designed the spell for the mint to work with Cam''s power. Unbind my cousin, Michael, or I will see it as a threat to him under Ulrima''s very detailed list. I''m only giving you grace because Cam like syou."

    Deciding not to agitate the Hound of the Line further, Michael snapped, and Cam unfroze, immediately going into the rant he had been prevented from beginning.

    "Greyson was probably put into a platinum collar, and even if Jade removed Eden, he was put into one, too! Someone out there is going after my friends, and not just any friends, but ones who made a huge difference for me these last few months! If it weren''t for Greyson and Eden, I''d still be on the streets, a pathetic weakling! And now Eden''s lost his past, and I know you guys want me to be the one to try and restore his memories, even though I hate doing that kind of magic!

    "This is going to hurt!" Cam whirled around, tears in his eyes, and pushed Eden down as he sat on top of the spatial mage. "Try not to resist, Eden. I have to do this to bring your memories back. Anyone else, and it would be too painful for you. I''m sorry. I''m so sorry I have to hurt you. Please forgive me."

    Without waiting for a response, Cam put his hands on Eden''s head, gripping it tightly as his pink eyes stared past the body and into the mind of the spatial mage. Immediately, the older teen began to squirm and twitch, groaning. As his groans turned to yells of pain, the elder mages in the room hastily erected soundproofing spells around the room.

    When Cam finished with Eden, his eyes remained pink, his jaw tight as he glared into the distance. Then, without warning, he disappeared from the hotel room, his fist connecting into a jaw the moment he appeared somewhere else.

    "WHERE IS MY FRIEND?" He roared as his mind magic assaulted the ancient demigod.

    Nathaniel dropped to his knees under the pressure of his grandson''s magic, and when he erected mental barriers, he found a force slamming into it with all the might of an enraged dragon. Struggling to resist, he found his mind failing, losing himself as Cam continued to batter away at him.

    When Cam finished, he continued to glare, his pink gaze unforgiving. He stood taller than before, his chin held high with a new light in his eyes.

    "I am Ambrosius," he said, his voice echoing out through the mansion, stopping every guard and Thornton who had begun to move toward the source of unfamiliar power that invaded their home. "Son of High God Ulrima, one of the First Gods. I am a demigod of the highest order, and no one touches my friends."

    Ambrosius removed the amulet that shielded his divine power and placed it into a pocket, his aura overwhelming the estate. With a cold rage, he clamped his own mind around every last one in the mansion and squeezed, blinking out every last life present.

    When he pulled the amulet back on and returned to Eden, everyone in the hotel room knew that the small, malnourished teen was no longer afraid of himself, that he had accepted his true self as a demigod.

    Cam looked at Michael as his eyes returned to their natural blue.

    "I think I''m going to have nightmares for awhile," he said. "I just killed one hundred and thirty-seven people."

    Then, he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

    "So¡­" Kris looked at Eden. "You''ve recovered a bit from¡­ whatever that was. Any idea where he might''ve gone?"

    "Yeah," Eden climbed off the bed and picked up Cam, gently setting him onto the bed. "I saw his grandfather while my memories were out. He probably saw that while going through my memories to unseal them from that spell. I don''t really remember what he said to me, but just seeing him there probably upset Cam. Will he be okay, Callum?"

    "Yes," Callum answered as Michael pulled out his phone and disappeared. "Don''t expect him to be a cold-blooded killer just because he''s accepted himself. It just means he''ll be far less hesitant to use the powers that scared him before. Now that he''s accepted himself as a demigod and for who and what he is, he should be able to take on the personality he wants to have, rather than force it and act, suffering from defying his nature. I wouldn''t expect you or Kris to understand such things, as it''s a demigod thing."

    "He looks so peaceful," Kris poked Cam in the side. "I want to draw on his face."

    "So he goes by Jason, Cody, Cam, and Ambrosius?" Jade asked.

    "No," Kris looked at her as he climbed onto the bed and sat by Cam. "His real name is Ambrosius."

    "When he met me on the streets," Eden said. "He went by ''Cameron'', but started getting called ''Cam'' due to the mage arena and using that as his name there. I guess he was ''Cody'' and ''Jason'' to you two. What was it the twins called him?"

    "I dunno," Kris shrugged. "I forgot."

    "Yeah, he goes by a lot of names," Eden said, then snapped. "Jared! They knew him as Jared. I''m sure he knows a lot of¡­ wait, you two are a time and void mage. I thought he didn''t know magicians before he came to Tejina? How did you two meet him?"

    "I found him summer of last year," Jade answered. "Tried taking him under my wing to help him learn how to use his mind magics. He got scared and thought I was going to use him and ran off."

    "He saved my life," Noah answered.

    "Hold up," Eden said as Callum gave the time mage an amused look. "A terrified, jumpy, shy preteen mind mage with voices in his head who may or may not have had empathy when you met saved your life? Aren''t time mages notoriously hard to kill? How in the hell did that happen?"

    "What I''m curious about," Kris said when Noah didn''t answer. "Is how many lone school mages Ambro knows. If they''re a void and time mage, as you guys are suggesting ¨C by the way, you''re still holding up a void," Jade released it and dropped her hand back to her side. "And you''re a spatial mage, Eden, and he knows Adam Leosvar, a shift mage, then did he also know a natural mind mage from the streets?"

    "Technically," Cam moaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. "I''m still on the streets. And Eden and Adam don''t count ''cause I technically met them after finding actual places to stay long-term."

    "So it was just them?" Kris asked.

    "No," Cam answered. "I also know a mind mage who specializes in reading thoughts and a spatial mage who can make small dimensional spaces, which he usually uses to store things, and a shift mage who transmutes inanimate objects into other objects."

    "How did you save Noah''s life?" Eden asked.

    "I saved your life?" Cam asked Noah, stunned. "When did I do that?"

 02-028

    Chapter Twenty-Eight.

    Greyson pulled Jess closer to him as she trembled again. He was grateful they hadn''t separated the pair of them yet, but knew it was only a matter of time. While they had stuck a platinum collar on him, they only stuck a silver on her, so he had hope that at least she could be freed, even if the commands given prevented him from trying.

    Watching their captors, Greyson listened for even the slightest hint, the slightest clue he could use to get Jess out of there safely. At the moment, the two of them were in the basement of a house enchanted against all types of spatial magic, which explained to Greyson why Eden hadn''t come yet, though he also heard something about Eden being captured as well.

    He wanted to reassure Jess with his words, but the person with the key to his collar ordered him to not speak, which made it impossible for him to say a single thing. All he could do was hug her and rub her back, make sure she knew he was there, protecting her.

    Jess''s hand slipped under his hoodie and felt his bare back, something he knew she had begun doing to reassure herself that he was there and real. The feel of warm skin was far more reassuring than the feel of fabric.

    Anything, Greyson prayed and pleaded once more. Anything, gods, please, give me something or anything. Please let me get her out of there. Please open a path for her out, please, gods. Please let nothing bad happen to her. Please let-

    BANG!

    Everyone in the basement jumped as the basement door slammed open, turning to face the man who had run downstairs in a hurry. It was the man who had Greyson''s key, and he looked in a frenzy. From what Greyson knew, he had left the house to go do something that would last most of the day only a few hours prior, so something must have happened. Based on the panicked look on his face, it was something massive.

    "We need to get the slaves out!" He said nearly breathless from his haste. "The entire Thornton estate was wiped out less than an hour ago with nearly all other Thorntons wiped out over the last half-hour, and it''s believed all locations have been compromised. Everyone''s been ordered to scramble, and that we''ll be contacted once things settled down."

    The Thorntons were attacked? Greyson wondered. Who has enough power to actually challenge them and wipe them out?

    "You," he pointed at Greyson. "Follow us. Obey our instructions. Do not attempt to escape. Do not speak. Do not attempt to use your powers. We are leaving immediately."

    Greyson obediently stood off the cot and followed them upstairs, freezing with his master at the sight that awaited them in the living room.

    "Hello," Cam smiled, his pink eyes filled with fury. "I believe you have my friend."

    "You-" the slaver in charge began, only to fall to the ground. Greyson jumped in shock, looking at the man with wide eyes.

    A hole was in his chest, and the other slavers there all suffered the same fate.

    "Thank you, Jade," Cam smiled at the woman standing behind Greyson, who took a step back. "Can you remove his collar? Grandpa Alex''s key doesn''t work on platinum collars, they''re permanent. Usually."

    Usually? Greyson looked at her. How can she remove them?

    "Stand absolutely still," the woman approached Greyson. "It''s going to burn a little, so you''ll be tempted to squirm."

    Greyson looked at Jess, who Cam was poking in the side before pulling out a universal key and unlocking the collar to.

    "Also," he held up the collar. "Destroy this when you''re done."

    "Don''t move," the woman told Greyson once more. "It''s for the best."

    Greyson stood still, doing his best to resist squirming as the collar heated up under her touch, then he looked in amazement as it fell apart when her hands pulled away.

    "You''re a void mage!" He exclaimed, realizing in hindsight that her power should have been obvious when the slavers died with holes in their chests that came out of nowhere.

    "I am," she smiled. "Your friend of many names is quite protective of you."

    "Have you two kissed yet?" Cam asked Greyson, whose face heated up in sync with Jess''s. "Guess not properly. Your dad''s really worried about you. He asked me to try to refrain from blowing up a city."

    "From¡­ doing what?" Greyson asked as Jess pulled closer to him. "Jess, this is Cam, he''s one of my friends. I''m not sure about her."

    "She''s one of mine," Cam nodded. "Yeah, your dad''s worried the twins and I were going to blow up a city after I got mad and killed my family."

    "You what?" Greyson asked.

    "At least I''m better?" Cam asked. "Callum said I was obviously in need of venting some pent-up stress and frustration. He also said that now that I''ve accepted myself for being a demigod and what that means about me not being human and all, I should have an easier time molding myself into the person I want to be."

    "Speaking of Callum," Greyson said slowly as he looked around. "Where is he?"

    "He likes being in dog form because it means he can pee in a yard and not get funny looks."

    As Cam said that, the front door opened seemingly on its own and Callum, in dog form, entered and looked at them.

    "I missed the fun," he sighed. "I told you to wait."

    "I sensed Greyson''s mind," Cam said. "It''s not my fault you randomly had to pee. I wasn''t going to let him wear that collar any longer. Can we go out for ice cream to celebrate them getting freed?"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "It''s seven in the morning," Callum said. "You need breakfast."

    "Waffles and ice cream?" Cam suggested, and the dog sighed, then took on human form, clothes forming around him. "I wish I could do that."

    "One day," Callum said. "Let''s go get breakfast, Cam. Your brother told me to bring you to some place he called a ''breakfast diner''."

    "I bet they serve ice cream this early in the morning," Cam muttered, earning laughs from his friends and bodyguard, and a confused look from Jess.

    "This is Cameron," Greyson clarified to Jess.

    "Ooh," she realized. "Greyson talks nonstop about you sometimes, Cameron."

    "I go by ''Cam'' now," he said, then blinked a few times. "Are my eyes still pink?"

    "Yes," Greyson answered. "Why are they pink?"

    "Mr. Kendall said that the eyes of children of Ulrima tend to turn pink when their emotional state is heightened," Cam answered. "I''m pretty angry right now. And hungry. That''s probably enough. Jade said my eyes turned pink when I sensed you in there."

    Cam took several deep breaths as they went outside to the car that Callum had rented. Cam wasn''t sure how the demigod managed to do that, or how he learned to drive, but his only concern was staying alive while riding. So he made sure to buckle himself, close his eyes, and pray to his father that Callum didn''t push the accelerator as much as possible.

    Once everyone was buckled, Jade in the front passenger, Greyson and Jess sitting beside Cam in the back, and Callum in the driver''s seat, the ancient demigod took off, causing Greyson and Jess to yell in fright.

    "Please let us survive this trip as well," Cam muttered. "Please let us survive this trip as well. Please let us survive this trip as well."

    Over and over, he repeated that until Callum stopped in the parking lot of the restaurant. Without bothering to unbuckle, Cam teleported out of the car and made haste inside, where Michael, Noah, Kris, Eden, Jenna, and Tyler were waiting.

    "I''m with people," he said as the hostess went to greet him. "More are coming."

    With that said, he made a beeline for the table of his family and friends.

    "Please don''t ever put me in car with Callum as a driver ever again," Cam told Michael as he sat in the empty seat to the right of Jenna. "He''s frightening and doesn''t obey any of the laws. I think he''s teaching himself how to drive. How did he even rent the car? Are you paying or am I?"

    "I''m paying," Michael answered. "Order as much as you''d like."

    "Okay," Cam said. "Where''s the waitress? I''m hungry and thirsty."

    "She''s bringing us our drinks now," Michael answered. "We haven''t placed our food orders yet, we were waiting for the rest of you to arrive. Where are the others?"

    "Coming," Cam answered. "My eyes are blue again, right? It was hard to take deep breaths and calm down with Callum''s driving."

    "They''re blue again," Michael chuckled as the waitress returned. "The rest of our party is here, though Cam left them behind, so they''ll probably be joining us in just a minute."

    "Do you have chocolate ice cream?" Cam asked as he looked through a menu. "If so, can I get it in a root beer float? And maybe in five or six bowls?"

    "Eat some proper food," Jenna whispered to him. "Have some pancakes."

    "Okay," Cam grumbled. "Ooh! Strawberry banana! I want a stack of that and a stack of chocolate chip. Jenna, wanna share the chocolate chip ones? If it''s you, I wouldn''t mind? Maybe get two stacks, so I can have one and we can share the other. I bet Eden would like to eat the mozzarella sticks. Mr. Kendall didn''t say he was returning home to pick you up, Jenna. Do you like hash browns, sausage patties, or sausage links? We could do eggs, but I''m not a big fan of them. Eden tried making an egg salad, and I didn''t like. Now, I''m turned off to just eggs."

    "I told you," Eden''s face reddened. "I put in too much mustard and mayo by accident, Cam."

    "It still made me retch at the flavor."

    "Thanks for that image, Cam," Greyson smacked him in the back of the head. "We''re about to eat."

    "You smell," Cam told Greyson. "You definitely need a shower before we do anything after breakfast."

    "You know why I smell," Greyson muttered, his face flushing as he gave Jess a shy glance.

    "You can shower when we get to the hotel," Cam told him. "Sit over by Noah. There are two empty seats there, you can sit by Jess."

    There were also two empty seats by Cam, but no one mentioned that. Once everyone was seated, the waitress took their drink orders and food orders, then left.

    "Did you notice," Cam whispered to Jenna, unaware it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "That Eden and Tyler sat by each other? They really want to claim they''re not dating behind our backs, but they''re so obvious."

    "We aren''t!" Eden and Tyler protested at the same time with red faces.

    "Uh-huh," Cam said, then looked at Michael. "They''re obvious, aren''t they?"

    "Cam," Michael said. "As children of Ulrima, we can tell when people are in love with each other when they''re near each other, even when they themselves won''t admit it. That''s why you''re able to tell that Jenna likes you."

    "She''s said she does," Cam told him. "She just won''t date me. I don''t understand it. It''s because I''m small, isn''t it?"

    "It has nothing to do with your height," Jenna told him. "Cam, if I were to date you, then that would mean staying in one place for awhile. You know Tyler and me, we don''t stick to one place. We rarely stay somewhere more than a month or two. Once Ty finishes recovering, we''re moving on again."

    "But if you dated me," Cam said. "Then you''d have a reason to stay in one place for longer. Ty and Eden are secretly meeting behind our backs, even if everyone wants to deny it. And you like me. You both have reasons to stay here. Please date me?"

    "They aren''t dating behind our backs," Jenna sighed. "Cam, give that up, you''re wrong there. And I don''t want to stay in one place, and neither does Ty. The longer we''re somewhere, the greater the chance of us getting hurt. Ty''s already been kidnapped, forced into a collar, and made to battle it out in an arena day after day, week after week, for several months."

    "Maybe," Cam said. "But have you ever had friends before? Have you ever had other badbutts on your side before? You''ll have me, Eden, Kris, Callum-"

    "Don''t bring me into this."

    "Mr. Kendall, and all the others," Cam said. "So the chances of you getting hurt are slim. Plus, Callum and Mr. Kendall just went and did a lot of stuff to traffickers, even if it was because my dad told them to, and you''ve even helped deal a big blow to them. DoSS will probably take care of a lot of stuff, so that''ll make it easier. Because my friends killed the Fairy Emperor and Callum and I killed the Fairy Empress, you won''t have to worry about fairies coming after you. Then there''s the fact that you''d be dating the guy who killed the Fairy Empress and scared off a bunch of gods and drove them to their knees. That''s a very important fact to remember, Jenna. Only a moron would mess with you then. Like the morons who kidnapped Eden and Greyson. Yay! Root beer float!"

    The others began laughing as Cam quickly took the drink from the waitress and stuck his straw into it.

    "Don''t forget to drink the milk and orange juice, Ambrosius," Michael said, and Cam waved a hand at him as if to say go away. "I''m not going away, Ambrosius."

    "Were you guys talking about a game?" The waitress asked. "My boyfriend and I were looking for a new one, and that sounded pretty interesting."

    "Not the kind of game you could play," Cam said. "Not unless you want to risk your life. Your real life. It''s a dangerous game with lots of real-world elements factored into it. We''re the biggest, most badbutt team around."

    "Cam," Eden snorted. "I think you''re the only person who calls it ''badbutt'' instead of ''badass''."

    "I don''t swear," Cam said. "And she''s not wearing a skirt! Jenna, never wear a skirt while we''re dating, or he won''t shut up!"

    The waitress gave him a confused look.

    "He''s talking about the voices in his head," the rest of the table explained, then exploded into laughter.

    "It''s not funny!" Cam blushed furiously. "You''re paying for my breakfast!"

    "I already agreed to do that," Michael reminded him, causing Cam''s face to turn even redder. "And Jenna still never agreed to date you."

 02-029

    Chapter Twenty-Nine.

    Lucas rubbed his temples as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. While Cam did give him a lot of information regarding mage slave traffickers, he somehow also wiped out dozens of locations in half an hour.

    DoSS kept an eye on every Thornton, and all of those not at the main estate died within an hour of the massacre there, which Cam claimed no responsibility for. They were confident that Cam had somehow acquired contact with the mysterious assassin and somehow convinced him to help.

    Cam and his mother were the only living Thorntons left.

    Shutting off his SUV, Lucas exited and made his way inside and up to the room that Cam had texted him they were in. Before he could knock on the door, Cam was answering it.

    "Hi, Mr. Tules," he said. "I still don''t like you."

    "That''s nice," Lucas smiled, looking past Cam and to his son and Jess. "May I come in, Cam? Or am I not allowed to?"

    "You can come in," Cam teleported back to the bed where he was watching the game of cards between Kris, Eden, and the twins.

    "Father!" Greyson hopped off the bed when he realized his father was there.

    He rushed to his father and wrapped his arms around him, sobbing. Lucas wrapped his arms around his son and patted the teen''s back as he took in the figures in the room. There was enough magical power in there to destroy a city, and that was before factoring in Callum and the intense aura of the mystery man.

    "That''s my brother, Mr. Kendall," Cam said without looking away from the cards, a slight frown on his face. "That was a stupid move, Eden. He''s on my father''s side. My birth father, Ulrima, not my imaginary father. He helped me sort things out. We''re in town here to get some vests made that will fit me once my wings come in. Ooh! We could get some for Greyson now! Hey, if you stick around a little while longer, you can probably get Greyson some vests to wear while he''s got his wings out. Mr. Kendall said they''re made-to-fit and are enchanted to be self-cleaning, so he wouldn''t even have to take them off. I think that means they''d clean his skin underneath as well. If you got them, then he wouldn''t need to go shirtless whenever he manifested his wings."

    Cam gave Greyson a sly grin, even though the teen was still hugging his father, even if his sobs has quieted down.

    "Unless he likes being shirtless around Je-hey!" Cam protested as Eden and Jenna grabbed pillows from the bed and smacked him.

    "He''s been like this ever since we got back to the hotel," Greyson''s voice was muffled by his father''s coat. "Can we please go home? Please?"

    "Yes," Lucas said, then looked at Jess. "Why don''t you come, too? I can get things sorted out. We''ll need you and Greyson to talk to a couple of people first, but then I can take you to your parents. Cameron, Jenna, Tyler, Eden, you four are getting dangerously close to having a bounty placed on you for your actions. The various department directions of DoSS are currently trying to decide if your actions this morning were justified or not."

    "Uh, don''t blame us," Jenna put her hands up. "Cam took out his family''s estate, and that''s all we know about what happened. Eden appeared to us and teleported us to wait for Mr. Kendall here."

    "That was right after my shower," Eden said. "After Cam rescued me. I have no idea what anyone else did while I was showering or getting those two. Cam told me he wanted to eat breakfast with them with everyone here."

    "Noah and Jade were getting to know each other better in their hotel room," Cam said. "And Dad doesn''t really like it if Callum''s more than a few yards away from me."

    "I was here when Cam went after his family," Michael said. "He accepted who he was as a demigod and went into a bit of a rage over finding out they were responsible for Greyson''s kidnapping and Eden''s kidnapping. He came back right after that."

    "And you are?" Lucas asked.

    "He''s my half-brother," Cam said. "I already told you that. Oh, and this is Kris, he''s my nephew. I knew them before I ran away from home a few years ago, but none of us knew we were related until not too long ago. His dad''s trying to get custody of me, aren''t you, Mr. Kendall?"

    "That means," Lucas looked at Michael. "You would be responsible if he acted out. You are aware of this, yes?"

    "You are aware that I''m a nine-century-old demigod, yes?" Michael responded. "There isn''t much you could do to me."

    "Dad said you''re nine hundred and seventy-one," Cam''s right ear twitched. "The voices agree."

    "I assure you," Michael said. "As long as people don''t come after Ambrosius or his friends, he won''t be causing problems anymore."

    "You shouldn''t make promises you don''t know if you can handle," Lucas said. "I don''t care how old you are, the last few months have taught me-"

    "Uncle Ulrima," Callum said. "Has made Cam to promise that. You just missed him."

    "That actually true," Greyson looked up and met his father''s gaze. "Ulrima was just here. Like, just here. You probably missed him by about thirty seconds. He probably sensed you and left."

    "He had a party he was going to be late for if he didn''t leave then," Cam, Callum, and Michael said in unison.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "If Dad''s late for a party," Cam said. "Someone is probably dying somewhere. Kris, that was a silly move."

    "What are you guys playing?" Lucas asked.

    "Rummy," Jenna quickly pulled three cards from the discard. "Kris, that really was a silly move."

    "We really just had a High God in here?" Lucas asked in shock.

    "You do realize that most High Gods have a home in or near Tejina, right?" Michael asked, causing the teens to laugh at Lucas''s stunned expression. "And that they actually live there, not just visit?"

    "Beings older than anything," Lucas muttered under his breath. "And they decide to take up residence on Earth. Don''t they have anything better to do, like wars to cause, blessings to give, and other random stuff?"

    "They mostly just throw parties," Michael said. "It''s the phase they''re in at the moment. Their phases usually last a few thousand years. From what I heard, the last one was¡­ quite dangerous for anyone who lived on the world they lived on at the time."

    "So is Greyson going to get those vests?" Cam asked.

    "Back to that," Michael held out a hand, a piece of paper forming. He handed it to Lucas. "That''s the address for the person I use, if you ever want to get Greyson some vests which accommodate his wings. He makes them in both winter and summer varieties."

    "What about spring and fall?" Cam asked as Greyson finally released his father and grabbed Jess''s hand.

    "He has a transitional season style as well," Michael said. "I think Mr. Tules wants to be going now."

    "Alright," Cam said, then looked at Greyson and Jess. "See you guys later. That was a silly move, Eden."

    "You weren''t even looking!"

    "I''m reading your surface thoughts," Cam looked at him. "I can hear you think the cards you''re putting down."

    "You''re counting cards, aren''t you?" Jenna asked.

    "No."

    "Then how do you know that''s a silly move?"

    "Because he could''ve used it with other cards in his hand," Cam responded. "By, Mr. Tules. See you later, Greyson and Jess. Oh, and Mr. Tules, you should talk to Greyson. He wants to talk with you about stuff. I think it''s about wanting to actually date Jess. Like, seriously date her."

    "Cam!" Greyson''s face reddened as Jess blushed with him.

    Cam giggled, then waved goodbye to them, and once they had left, he sighed and looked at Eden.

    "I guess you guys are going now, too," Cam said.

    "Yeah," Eden scooped up the cards and sorted them into a neat pile, before sliding them into their box. "You''ve got your stuff to do, and I need to talk with someone and get ready for tonight. I promised my brother I''d take him to the arena tonight."

    "I''m coming, too," Cam nodded. "I wanna see you fight Jenna and Ty together."

    "Please don''t-"

    "And I''m definitely telling Adam about it so that he can spread the word and make sure people know to bet on how long the match will last in addition to who the winner will be."

    "-do exactly that."

    The twins chuckled, and Eden placed his hands on them before teleporting them with him, leaving Cam, Kris, Michael, Noah, and Jade alone in the hotel room.

    "Well!" Cam hopped off the bed and looked at Michael. "Let''s go get that bye-bye itchy cream and have those vests made!"

    "Cam?" Michael asked.

    "Yes?" Cam responded.

    "You snuck sugar when we weren''t looking, weren''t you?"

    "No."

    "Not in its raw form," Callum rolled his eyes. "Cam, I saw you with that pack of gummy bears."

    "Maybe I had some treats, so what?" Cam asked. "It''s not like you guys have let me eat since breakfast! It''s lunchtime!"

    "We can get lunch," Michael told him. "Then we''ll run our errands and head back down to Tejina, I know you want to see that match."

    "Yes!" Cam exclaimed. "Another road trip!"

    "We''re technically still on it," Kris smacked Cam in the back of the head as he climbed off the bed and pulled on his sneakers.

    "Hey," Cam looked at Noah. "If you aren''t going to tell me how I saved your life, then the least you could do is let Jade know you reciprocate the feelings you''re both having and explore each other again before you go back to looking after Eden. You agreed to do it until the solstice. Let''s go get lunch."

    Cam hurried out the door, followed by Michael and Kris. Two hours later, they were at the shop where Michael had his vests made, Cam bare-chested while looking at himself in the mirror as the tailor, a man in his fifties, measured his torso. The teen wasn''t sure about the next part, but Michael assured him that it was something done for all of them.

    "I don''t see why it''s necessary," Cam complained.

    "It''s just plaster."

    "Yeah, just plaster. It''s not like he''s encasing you in stone."

    "Ooh! That would be so cool. Other than the part where you couldn''t move. Or breathe."

    "Don''t scare the boy, he''s already upset as it is."

    "I bet he''ll start screeching if you push it."

    "I will," Cam muttered, and the voices decided to stop.

    "Make sure to breath slowly and evenly," the tailor reminded Cam as he began to wet strips of newspaper and place them over the boy''s torso.

    Once Cam''s entire torso was covered, from his shoulders to his waist, the tailor began placing strips of wet plaster on him, smoothing it over as he worked. When he finished, he had Cam stand still, breathing slowly and evenly, until the plaster fully set. Then, he dragged a finger along each shoulder and down Cam''s sides, splitting the plaster into two halves.

    "Why didn''t you do it directly on me?" Cam asked.

    "That''s next," the tailor told Cam, who groaned. "Stay still, I need to wipe you down again."

    The tailor grabbed a wet cloth and began wiping the bits of plaster and newspaper still on Cam off, then he used a dry towel to dry him. After finishing that, he began kneading a clay-like material in his hands. When it grew soft enough, he pressed it against Cam''s back and spread it. It took the tailor nearly twenty minutes to cover the boy''s torso in the material, and when he finished, he placed his hands on Cam''s shoulders and closed his eyes.

    Cam felt a tingle of power, and the material set, turning hard as rock. The tailor split it into two halves, then carefully set them on the table beside the plaster mold.

    "And we are done," he told Cam, who was inspecting his bellybutton. "This one should have separated fully, and I didn''t press any into there."

    "So do your molds tell you how big I''m going to be?" Cam looked at the molds. "Because right now, I''m scrawny and still going through growth spurts."

    "Not right away," the tailor told him. "I need to assess them with my magic. This will take around two weeks, should all go well. You can expect your vests by the end of January at the latest."

    "And it really works?" Cam asked. "They''ll be however big I''ll be when I''m finished growing?"

    "Yes," the tailor answered.

    "And they''ll really let me stretch out my wings without problem?"

    "Once your wings come in, yes," the tailor answered.

    Cam stuck his tongue out at Kris.

    "What''s that for?" Kris asked.

    "Because I''ll have wings and you won''t!"

    "Cam," Michael said. "While you''re shirt''s off, let me put the cream on, I saw your hands repeatedly going to your back, then stopping when you remembered about the cast."

    "Fiiine," Cam said. "Then we''re heading back home. I wanna nap on the way so that I can watch the fights just fine. I''m betting Eden''ll only last twenty seconds, at most, against the two of them combined."

 02-030

    Chapter Thirty.

    "Father," Greyson said as his father drove, the teen deciding to break the silence.

    He and Jess were sitting in the back seat, holding hands, and since Cam had already outed him¡­ he thought it best to just talk to his dad then, rather than waiting until they got home.

    "Is this about what your friend said?" Lucas asked.

    "Yeah," Greyson nodded. "Cam''s right, Father. I¡­ I want to date Jess, even more after everything that happened."

    When he finished, Greyson held his breath, unaware that he was doing so. He still remembered his parents'' strict days. While they had loosened up since his return from the streets, the fear of it returning was still there for him, and they had a rule about dating.

    He had to be at least sixteen and have a car before he could date. His sister, Kayla, had to be sixteen and have a car before she could date, too. Well, and they needed their drivers'' licenses, too, of course.

    So he knew there was a chance that the rule would still apply, and thinking about that increased his anxiety over the past. His father''s silence only made things worse, too.

    "If you don''t exhale, you''ll pass out," Lucas finally broke the silence, and Greyson released the breath he had been holding. "Greyson, I know you''re worried about the rule, and about things returning to how they were before you ran away."

    "I like Jess," Greyson said firmly.

    "I can see that," Lucas responded. "And hear it in your voice. While I know some people start dating younger than you and end up married and happy ¨C I even know a few who have ¨C I still think you''re too young."

    "I''m not too young to know what love is!" Greyson protested. "You just think that because you''re an adult and think you know everything!"

    "That''s not what I meant," Lucas cleared his throat. "Greyson, I said that I think you''re too young, referring to dating, not being in love."

    "I want to date Jess," Greyson said firmly.

    "I know you do," Lucas said. "At the moment, I think you''re both crushing on each other, and after what happened, this may have drawn you closer together, especially with Jess only recently discovering magic and all that. It would be best if you two waited before trying for a relationship to see how you feel in a few months. This way, you give yourselves time to adjust to what happened and Jess''s new life circumstances. Then, if you both still want to date, then you can. Okay?"

    "But-"

    "Okay?" Lucas repeated, and Greyson knew he wouldn''t win.

    His father repeating ''okay'' or ''understand'' always meant that was the end of discussion.

    "Okay," Greyson deflated. "That doesn''t mean Jess and I won''t say we''re dating, though. We like each other. And we''ll kiss each other, and hold hands, and still hang out."

    "Try not to push your luck," Lucas said, though there was the hint of a smile on his lips.

    The rest of the ride was in silence, apart from when Lucas stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch and took the teens'' orders. After that, he drove the rest of the way to his office, where the teens were placed in separate interview rooms to talk about what happened to them.

    It was a formality more than anything, as the mysterious assassin killed every last person in the trafficking ring that wasn''t at the mansion when Cam lost to his temper. A demigod''s temper. There wasn''t much for them to do other than close everything down.

    After the teens revealed no new information, Lucas took Jess home, then Greyson to their own home. Then teen boy entered and looked around, inhaling the scent of his mother''s baking. Chocolate chip cookies.

    Greyson made his way into the kitchen and walked over to his mother, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she rinsed and put into the dishwasher the dishes she had used for making the cookie dough.

    "Welcome back," she told him. "I''d hug you, but it''s hard to do when you''re hugging from behind."

    "That''s okay," he responded, his voice muffled against her back.

    "The cookies will come out in just a minute," she told him. "Why don''t you get yourself a glass of milk?"

    Greyson released her and began to walk away, only to get pulled into his mother''s arms as she lifted him off the ground, holding him tightly.

    "Moooooom!" He complained, causing her to laugh.

    "I''m just glad you''re safe," she said. "I''d hate to think what would have happened if you were never found, or if you were forced to fight in a slave arena."

    "They wanted to make me battle," he said. "Since¡­ since I helped kill the Fairy Emperor, they wanted to make me fight. But they wanted to wait until the big auction. I guess it''s not happening, now."

    His mother set him down, and Greyson pulled a glass out of the cabinet and walked to the fridge.

    "Greyson," Lucas said. "There was something they didn''t ask you, but how were you caught?"

    "It was after training," Greyson answered. "Jess and I were exhausted from it. The teacher we go to had pushed us really hard. I guess¡­ I guess I let my guard down. That''s not normal, and it won''t happen again."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Who is your secret teacher?" Lucas asked. "I know I''ve avoided making you tell me, Greyson, but the timing of it, if they pushed you harder than normal, maybe they were in on it."

    "Maybe?" Greyson shrugged. "I don''t think she would be, though. She was just trying to push me harder than she had been later, get me to push my limits, since I was already trying to and she''s spent more time focusing on Jess than me. And Jess is always exhausted after. I''ve been that exhausted before."

    "Who was she?" Lucas asked. "I want to know, Greyson, and you need to tell me, or I''ll put an end to your lessons with her."

    "Her name is Elaine Sambar," Greyson answered. "The worst thing she ever did was use a truth potion on me, but she does that on everyone she interviews for lessons, to make sure they aren''t government. It didn''t work, because of my root spell and passive healing."

    Lucas rubbed his temples.

    "Greyson," he said. "Elaine was a trafficking queen. She would find magicians who hadn''t been discovered yet and didn''t have much to lose, then after building up their trust, she kidnapped them and sold them."

    "Are you sure?" Greyson asked. "And you said ''was''."

    "We have evidence of it," Lucas told his son. "And she''s no longer in the picture. Your friend got to her, and she committed suicide after he left. He completely cleaned out her shop, too."

    Greyson frowned, but pulled out his phone and called Cam.

    "Yo!"

    "Hey, Cameron," Greyson said. "Um¡­ you attacked Elaine?"

    "She had you kidnapped," Cam said. "So yes, the twins, Eden, Callum, and I took care of her. I dunno what the feds did after we handed her over. We tied her up nice and tight and dropped her in their office. Well, Eden did. I didn''t know he could teleport in there, and he won''t tell me why he''s been there. I think they''ve arrested him be-no, I wanted the burger. The BURGER. Yeah, that one. That was a sandwich-fore, which is why he''d be able to get in there."

    Greyson stared into space incredulously. Cam didn''t just resume what he was saying, he resumed the word he had been saying.

    How did he even do that? Greyson wondered.

    "So¡­ Elaine really sold me?"

    "Yep," Cam responded. "She said that when my former family''s operation moved into the area, they told her she needed to produce five slaves for the big auction on the solstice, but that you''d count for something like three if she were somehow able to catch you. Hey, I gotta go. Bye!"

    The call ended, and Greyson pocketed his phone.

    "I¡­ can''t go to her for training anymore."

    "No, you can''t," Lucas walked over and placed a hand on his son''s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "I know you don''t want to be registered, Greyson, but they wouldn''t call on you for assistance until you were an adult, at minimum, and I can use my pull to-"

    The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversation.

    "I''LL GET IT!" Kayla, Greyson''s sister, shouted, and they heard her running across the foyer to the door.

    "Are you expecting someone?" Lucas asked his wife, both of the adults with looks of annoyance at Kayla''s run through the house.

    "No," she responded. "Think Kayla was? That was a fast response."

    Greyson began filling his glass with milk from the fridge as his father went to investigate, and when he turned around, he found himself looking at a tall man with golden-blond hair and brown eyes. Pure-black wings with orange flecks were tucked against the man''s back, his muscular torso bare, like most angels.

    Kayla was checking out the angel, as the teens'' father was staring at him in a way that told Greyson the he was uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the angel''s power.

    That was something Greyson could sense, too, but only once the angel had drawn near him. As a nephilim of a certain type, he could sense even masked angelic auras in angels as long as they were nearby.

    And the angel before him had an aura almost as overwhelming as Cam''s divinity.

    "Hello, Greyson," the angel spoke.

    "Who are you?" Greyson was on guard. "And why does my father seem wary of you?"

    "Greyson," Lucas cleared his throat. "This is Refari, your father. Your birth father, I mean."

    "You''re Refari?" Greyson asked suspiciously.

    "Yes," Refari nodded, and in just a couple of smooth steps, he was beside the young nephilim, gently grabbing the boy''s jaw. "Give me just a few moments, and I''ll have the tracker repaired."

    "Tracker?" Greyson asked as the angel tilted his head up and poked a finger into the boy''s mouth.

    "Don''t bite or try to talk," Refari said as he touched his finger to the tooth with the tracking spell. "I''ll heal, but I still feel pain. I put trackers in all of my children, and yours got damaged when you were hit in the head by those kidnappers. I wish Callum told me you were found immediately, not after getting back."

    The angel pulled his finger out of the boy''s mouth, then looked down at him, a father''s love in his eyes.

    "Only by a stroke of luck were they able to succeed," he said. "Had they not broken the enchantment, I would have been able to rescue you immediately."

    Greyson took in everything as he and the angel stared at each other.

    "So you''re my birth father?" Greyson asked, and the angel nodded. "Why is your aura so intense?"

    "You can sense angelic auras?" Lucas asked in shock. "The ones that are suppressed, anyway?"

    He looked at Refari.

    "You''re an Angel King?"

    "Yes," Refari frowned. "And I would appreciate it if you didn''t spread that. My status isn''t that well-known, and the god I serve is largely inactive."

    "We won''t," Lucas knew better without the request than to reveal the angel''s status.

    "How did you know what he was?" Greyson frowned.

    "Children of Angel Kings," Lucas informed his son. "Can sense the auras of angels, even if they''re suppressed or concealed."

    "Oh," Greyson said.

    "Normally," Refari told Greyson. "I approach my children once they''re sixteen, but circumstances are a little different for you. I wanted to fix the tracker rather than wait for it to do so on its own, and to confirm in-person that you were okay. Now that we''ve met, I''ve an offer to make."

    "I''m not leaving Father," Greyson took a step back, bumping into the fridge.

    "I wasn''t going to suggest that," Refari told him. "I know you are not registered, Greyson. I keep tabs on all of my children. I also know several angels, demigods, nephilim, mages, and other supernats who would be willing to train you, free of charge. Specialists in various blood, water, and enchant magics. I also have a space where you can stretch your wings and fly without worry. There is no need to register, nor worry about being forced into any form of service. This is simply a gift I give to all my children."

    Hope welled up in Greyson. He''d heard stories about Refari''s power, and how he was largely disinterested in the world''s affairs. That he was largely disinterested in even the heavens'' affairs. If his biological father was offering such a thing, then he knew he could probably trust it.

    Which meant that he could probably trust his trainer or trainers. And they were specialists, too, not just general trainers. That meant he could expect a specialized training from them.

    "Okay," he nodded, a grin spreading on his face. "That sounds like it would be fun."

    "Okay," Refari told him. "I''ll have one of them contact you in the next few days, to see how you would like to set your training schedule. Goodbye, Greyson."

    Refari put his hand on his son''s head before leaving, and Greyson just stood there for a few moments, before taking a drink of the milk he''d nearly forgotten. Then, he looked at his mom, his grin still present.

    "Can I have one of the cookies, now?" He asked, indicated the tray she had pulled out while he and the angel were talking.

 02-031

    Chapter Thirty-One.

    Eden ruffled his brother''s hair, startling the younger boy, who jumped back and took up a fighting stance before realizing who was there.

    "Eden!" Nick exclaimed. "What''s up, man? Did you hear? Did you hear? Did you hear?"

    "Hear what?" Eden chuckled.

    "So I was reading the supernatural sites," Nick told him. "And guess what? The largest mage slave trafficking ring in the world just suddenly vanished. It''s gone. Everyone died. No official report on how it happened yet."

    "They kidnapped the wrong mages," Eden told Nick. "And pissed off one hell of a demigod, whose godly father than ordered at least one or two separate magicians to kill everyone still alive."

    "Huh?" Nick gave him a confused look.

    Eden walked over to his brother, then wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug as he did his best not to cry. Even if he hadn''t remembered anything until Cam showed up, the fact that he had come so close to becoming a mage slave for life ¨C and had even had a platinum collar placed on him ¨C had frightened him.

    He had come close to losing ever being with his brother again, or continuing to begin to talk with his family once more. Though he wouldn''t admit it to anyone, he was glad his parents had begun to resume communications with him. That they had begun to talk to him again and accept that he was a mage.

    "What''s wrong, Eden?" Nick asked.

    "Sorry," Eden whispered. "After we talked yesterday¡­ I got put into a platinum slave collar."

    Nick''s hands shot up to Eden''s neck, feeling for the missing collar.

    "I don''t feel one," Nick said with concern in his voice. "And they''re inescapable, from what I read. Are you feeling okay?"

    "I know people," Eden stepped back, smiling with tears in his eyes. "People who know people who can destroy them. Void magic works on them, as long as it''s applied right. I''ve told you about Cam?"

    "Yeah," Nick nodded.

    "He knows a void mage," Eden told him. "And has asked her to keep an eye on me. She showed up too late to prevent me from being kidnapped¡­ but she used her magic of voids to destroy the collar. If I hadn''t, by a stroke of luck, met Cam those few months ago¡­ I''d be a permanent slave."

    "So¡­" Nick said. "Cam''s the demigod you were referring to? Right?"

    "Yeah," Eden nodded. "That was the first time I had ever seen him truly enraged."

    And it made Eden realize just how big the gap between them was. He was a lone school mage, so it was only natural he was powerful and dangerous. But Cam, who was also a lone school mage, was far, far more powerful.

    That was the difference between him and a demigod.

    Sure, he could best one of the twins in a duel, even with their father being a High God, like Cam''s, but he knew he could only beat one of them, and only if he acted fast. Having a lone school and talent in it put him as an equal to those who had normal schools of magic while being born of the most powerful of the gods. A child of the most powerful of the gods with a lone school¡­

    It was like putting Nick against Jenna.

    Sure, Eden and Cam had dueled before, and they had come close to a draw a few times, but Cam was also inexperienced and subconsciously holding himself back. Eden had a few years of training.

    Realizing this gap, and seeing the power of two other lone school mages in action, Eden''s determination to grow as a mage had become even stronger.

    He knew that even if he and Cam were friends, the facts were that Cam was at the top, and Eden knew how that felt. After all, until Cam came along, he had been at the top, and it was a lonely place, indeed.

    To ensure the gap had even a marginally slower increase, Eden was determined to become as powerful as he could, and that meant a lot more training than before.

    "Nick," Eden said. "I''m going for a training session in a minute. I already got permission from Mom and Dad for you to come with me. My mentor''s agreed to see about training you, and if he won''t, he''s agreed to find someone to train you."

    Eden had tried convincing Jenna to teach his brother, but she refused, saying she wasn''t suited for teaching magic. He knew that she was really trying to figure out if she should stay, despite her and her brother not wanting to be in one place for long. He had hoped that having additional reasons to stay, like teaching someone magic, would have helped her make that decision to stay. For Cam.

    It was so obvious how in love he was with her, and she did love him back. He couldn''t understand why she''d refuse to get with someone she obviously loved and cared for. Why that wasn''t enough of an excuse to put down roots at last and be with epic warriors and mages who would have her back, no matter what.

    Her crush was essentially a god with a lot of connections. A lot of powerful connections. One who had performed massive feats, including the Fairy Empress. If being with him wasn''t safe, what could be?

    "They won''t teach you how to be a badass warrior," Eden told his brother. "At least, not at first, but they''ll teach you how to control your power and harness it."

    "Sure," Nick grinned. "Let me get my shoes and jacket. Are we teleporting there?"

    "We are," Eden smiled. "After, we''ll get dinner, then you''ll get to see a real mage arena fight."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Do Mom and Dad know?" Nick gave him a suspicious look.

    "Yes," Eden chuckled. "I told them I was going to take you, and I promised you yesterday, anyway. Remember? Hurry up, if you want time."

    Nick nodded, then stepped into his shoes and quickly laced them, before grabbing his jacket. Before he could pull it on, his brother touched him, and they were suddenly elsewhere.

    "This," Eden gestured to the empty warehouse. "Is the underground mage arena I fight in. For the most part, it''s impossible to teleport directly in here, so you have to go through one of the bouncers."

    "But you teleported in here," Nick frowned.

    "He said ''for the most part''," a voice chuckled, and the pair of brothers turned to face the figure standing behind them.

    A boy who looked around thirteen, with golden-blond hair, warm brown eyes, and a lean build. He was dressed in designer clothes, and showed no signs of the awkward stages of puberty, his body perfectly proportioned.

    Nick was jealous.

    "Your brother," the teen said. "Has permission to teleport into and out of here, and is keyed into the enchantments so that he can. Originally, he couldn''t, but I keyed him in later so that he could come and go more easily. I trust him not to betray my trust."

    "Who are you?" Nick frowned.

    "This is Adam Leosvar," Eden answered. "And be forewarned, he changes his appearance frequently, to help prevent people from realizing it''s him. He''s one of the oldest, most powerful mages on Earth."

    "This does," Adam said. "Exclude other supernatural species. Demigods, nephilim, and gods are plentiful. If you were to include them, I would only be in the top thousand supernaturals on Earth."

    "Where are you at?" Nick asked.

    He was confused as to how someone only thirteen could be so powerful. Or change his appearance in ways that no one could recognize.

    "Excluding his father," Eden said as Adam smiled. "Who recently turned out to be a demigod, Adam here is the most powerful mage on Earth. And don''t let his looks fool you, he''s a natural shift mage. He can shift his body so that it''s younger. In actuality, he''s ancient. Thousands of years old. He even knew Merlin."

    Nick''s jaw dropped.

    "Come on," Adam smiled. "Let''s see what your magic can do, Nick, then I can decide if I want to teach you or not."

    Nick nodded, and Adam set a candle on the floor. The flame mage sat down and showed Adam what he could do with it as Eden began performing various exercises with his spatial magic.

    The spatial mage watched his brother''s show as he distorted space and moved around it. Nick wasn''t doing much, just the stuff that he could do, like making the wick light, and the flame grow and shrink.

    In the end, Adam did decide to train him, mostly because of the Demon Flames.

    "It will be hard to find," Adam said. "A mage willing to teach a novice who uses them. They aren''t evil, they''re simply hotter than they appear. By a lot. And this means they''re more dangerous until you get a feel for how strong they are and how to adjust that temperature."

    "But aren''t they just flames?" Nick asked, holding his hand close to the candle''s small flame, which was currently unaffected by his magic. "It feels like normal fire to me."

    "The moment you begin manipulating it with your magic," Adam told him. "It becomes Demon Flames, returning to normal only once you stop. You yourself are immune to your own flames as well, it''s an inherent trait of fire magic. Only by foolishness can you burn yourself through your own magic. Now, let''s get to work."

    Eden returned his focus back to training. His biggest advantage in a fight wasn''t his teleportation, even if it might seem capable of doing so. It was excellent for escaping, but in a closed arena, against mages like Jenna and Tyler, it could be problematic.

    Since they could simply blanket the entire area in their magic.

    Instead, distorting space and distance worked better. Magic didn''t travel through all space equally, and distorted space was one such case. His preferred variation on it was to distort distance specifically, as it allowed him to reach them quickly.

    However, he could also distort the space itself directly, which would result in most magic either fading away or weakening enough that he could easily avoid it. Against monstrous mages like the twins, that was important for a duel.

    Even if he would just teleport right out of the range in a real fight. Better to go for a guaranteed escape than not. There were cases where that wouldn''t be possible, though. Like when fighting Silvar and at the facility, but both of those had blocks on spatial magic that prevented him from distorting distance as well, so it wouldn''t have mattered.

    When the brothers finished their training session, Eden finished it off by teaching Nick a few martial arts moves, then by teleporting him to the Jules Arcade, where the twins were in the middle of an air hockey game against each other.

    "Is Cam back in town yet?" Eden asked.

    "I think," Jenna answered, failing to block the plastic puck. "Damn. You win, Ty."

    The table turned off, and the twins faced Nick.

    "You must be Nick," Jenna smiled. "I''m Jenna, and that''s my brother, Tyler."

    "So?" Tyler asked.

    "Adam agreed to teach him," Eden nodded. "It''s not too late, Jenna."

    "I know," she said. "But I''d rather not take on a student. I''m not suited for it. Want to play me?"

    "Think you''ll finally find someone you can beat at this?" Eden asked.

    "I can beat most people," she rolled her eyes. "I''d rather play against someone who might actually be a challenge."

    "Try Cam," Eden told her. "He''s got good reflexes and enjoys this game, and does it without using magic."

    The three of them knew that some of the kids could use enchant magics and enhance themselves, increasing their ability to play or react to certain games, including at the level of young demigods in three particular cases.

    "Um," Nick looked around nervously.

    "Only mages can find this place," Eden told him. "It''s a sort of haven for young mages in Tejina. No one really knows who owns the place, it sort of simply exists. Every kid you see here is a mage of some sort."

    "Really?" Nick looked around with wide eyes. There were at least fifty kids in the arcade. "All of them?"

    "Yep," Eden grinned. "Every last one. We got introduced to it by Cam, though we''re not sure how he found it. I suspect Adam was the one who introduced him to this place. But to the people on the street? This place isn''t noticeable, not unless a mage led them to it. The guy at the food counter? He''s a former kid who played here."

    "I don''t see any adults," Nick frowned. "Other than him."

    "The only adults you''ll usually see here," Eden told him. "Are the workers, probably. The enchantment is set to let youth with magic awakened find it. It''s meant to be a hangout place for kid supernats."

    "Oh," Nick said. "So I can meet other young mages, here?"

    "Chances are high," Eden nodded.

    "Speaking of mages," Jenna said. "Did you ask Adam?"

    "Yeah," Eden smiled. "He told Cam that he''d have to ask me before officially saying there would be a match with me taking on two people. Apparently, Cam wasn''t happy, but decided that I could decide if I wanted to fight against two demigods or not."

    The twins laughed at that.

    "Come on," Eden told his brother and the twins. "Let''s eat before watching the matches tonight."

    "Are you going to fight?" Nick asked as they made their way to the dining area.

    "No," Eden shook his head. "As much as Cam wants me to duel the twins, it''s not happening. I fight on Mondays, and if Cam and I duel, it''s on Fridays, though those duels might be ending."

    "Why?" Nick asked.

    "Because Cam," Eden said. "Has the ability to knock out nearly anyone in an instant. And now that he doesn''t subconsciously hold himself back¡­ he can probably do it to me, through my mental barrier, immediately. Fights against people with lone schools aren''t exactly fair, even among those with the lone schools, and some are inherently better than others depending on the spells known."

    "Oh," Nick said.

    "Order whatever," Eden told him. "It''s on me."

 02-032

    Chapter Thirty-Two.

    "All passengers leaving for New York City through St. Louis, your bus is ready," a voice went over the intercom of the bus station. "Please move to your assigned gate numbers and prepare for boarding."

    Jenna and Tyler stood up from the cold metal bench they had been waiting on, pulled on their backpacks, and walked over to Line 1. They were fourth and fifth in line, and it was the first to board. As soon as they gave their tickets to the lady checking them, their stubs were ripped off and the rest was returned, then they exited through the door. Since they had no bags for the workers to load, they went straight to the doors of the bus.

    "He''s going to be mad," Tyler commented as he and Jenna stepped onto the bus. Making it into line early meant they were able to find almost any seat they wanted. "You know he was excited to see us after getting back from seeing if Kris''s crush liked him back."

    "I know," Jenna told her brother as they made their way to the back. "But it''s better this way. If we stayed until after Jared returned from Kris''s school tomorrow to say goodbye to him-"

    "-then you might find it hard to leave," Tyler sighed. "I know. Jared''s allure to you is just that strong that his goodbye might change your ability to resist staying."

    "It''s stronger because I like him," Jenna sat, and her brother slid in beside her, the pair of them setting their backpacks on their laps. "And now that he''s unbound his divinity, it''s even more potent than it was when we first met. Staying won''t benefit us, other than in that way. The longer we''re in an area, the worse things will get. We''ve escaped quite a few times, and you finally got caught. I almost did. The only reason you weren''t platinum''d was because they didn''t realize what you were."

    "I know," Tyler said.

    Jenna looked out the window. Cam was at Kris''s house, something that would probably become a habit of his. He deserved to be happy, but a relationship with her, a child of chaos and destruction, could never be a happy one.

    It was a curse all her father''s children bore.

    She had done her best to keep her feelings hidden, her plan to leave hidden, until after Cam had left, but she knew the chance was high he knew. Especially when he hugged her and told her to be safe. Cam was a good actor, after all, and his ''see you tomorrow'' that sounded so genuine might not have been.

    It might have been him hoping he would. Hoping that she would change her mind and stay behind. But neither of them had said anything concrete about her leaving, even though she knew she was and he probably did, too.

    Jenna looked at Tyler. He probably wasn''t handling the leave too well, either. It was the first time they''d really made friends, and he and Eden had a lot of fun training against each other. It was the first time she and her brother had friends their age, and she knew it was affecting him more than her, when ignoring her feelings for Cam.

    As far as Eden knew, they were heading back to the apartment they were hiding out at. Everyone would realize they were gone the next day, when Eden went to pick them up to take them to his place, but by then, they would be hundreds of miles away.

    "Where are we going now?" Tyler asked. "Because I don''t believe for a moment you have intent on staying on all the way the ticket says."

    "We''re not going to New York," she confirmed. "We''ll get off at St. Louis''s stop, then head for Dallas. From there, Atlanta. I''ve always wanted to visit Stone Mountain."

    "Same," Tyler said as the last passengers began to take their seats. "What about after that? I know we probably won''t stay in either of those places long, especially you said ''visit'' and ''from there''."

    "Florida," Jenna told him. "We have a sister down there. She''ll let us stay with her for a little bit."

    They went silent for a little bit. Tyler knew she was having a hard time with leaving Tejina. Unlike him, who barely knew Eden, they had met Cam before, and Cam was easy to get to know, even with how guarded he was.

    He was easy to let in, something inherent to children of Ulrima. If they wanted into someone''s life, it was next-to-impossible to force them out. Leaving him and traveling across the country would cut into his sister, carve a wound so deep, it would take months or years to recover.

    And their friend didn''t even know he''d done it.

    "Have you heard from Father?" Tyler asked.

    Neither of them had ever truly heard from their father. The few times they had any form of communication with him, it was through his angels, but it wasn''t ever much. They still had hope that one day, they would hear from him.

    "No," Jenna answered, looking at Tyler with tears in her eyes. "I hate Jared for making me feel this way. We shouldn''t ever come back, Tyler. If we do, I might not be able to leave again."

    "It isn''t too late to turn back," a voice said, and the pair turned to face the sole person sitting in the seat in front of the bus''s bathroom, which they were seated beside. "The bus hasn''t left yet, you know. If you want to stay, do so."

    The twins took in the man. He was a little on the tall side, with jet-black hair and rich, blue eyes that spoke of an ancient wisdom. Despite that, he didn''t look older than his early twenties. The man was dressed in black, reds, and blues, in an outfit that didn''t clash, but fit.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "We can''t," Jenna shook her head.

    "It sounded like you''re in love," the man said. "If you are, stay for it. What reason do you have for leaving?"

    "Those near us are bound to get hurt," Jenna told him. "It''s not safe for us to stay in one place, much less get attached. Please, sir, mind your own business."

    "I would," he said. "But time appears to have frozen and left the three of us out of the loop."

    Jenna and Tyler quickly stood and looked over the bus, only then realizing that time had, indeed, frozen. There were seven others seated, and four were standing. Two were walking down the aisle, while the other two were putting their carry-on bags into the overheads. All of them frozen with time.

    When the twins looked out the windows on the other side of the bus from them, which faced the bus station, they saw that everyone out there had also been frozen in time.

    "Time is a finicky thing," the man told them. "It isn''t always fluid. Sometimes, it decides to halt without warning or reason, leaving only a select few out of it. Perhaps it forgot us? Or perhaps it was fate?

    "Whatever it is," he pointed at the twins. "It left the two of you out in addition to me. Perhaps it was at someone''s design? Or perhaps it was simply chance. Whatever it is, the three of us are exempt. I estimate we''ve got plenty of frozen time, children.

    "You both seem to be fine young youth," he said. "And from what I heard, you''re doing something you don''t want to. Why not give in to your desires and do what you wish instead?"

    "Who are you?" Tyler demanded.

    "Simply a man caught outside of time," the man answered. "With a pair of young siblings who seem troubled. I bear you no ill intent, do not worry. If you want to stay, why don''t you?"

    "You obviously know about magic," Jenna said. "And the supernatural. My brother and I are chased quite often. The longer we''re in a town, the more likely this is and the more likely someone is to catch us by surprise and capture us. It gives them time to plan around the surroundings."

    "Yet you stayed long enough to make friends?" He asked.

    "I didn''t have a choice," she said. "My brother was captured, and I needed help rescuing him. We came across someone we used to know, and he helped."

    "Jared?" The man asked, and she nodded. "This Jared¡­ he helped you alone?"

    "No," Tyler answered. "He and his friends came to my rescue."

    "So then why leave?" The man asked. "If your friend gathered his to rescue you, it sounds like you have a good friend, there. And one who would protect you."

    "He might want to," Jenna told the man. "But in the end, danger is everywhere. Even those close to him aren''t safe from it. Even he isn''t safe from it."

    "Who is truly safe?" The man asked. "The tiniest event can spiral into chaos, leading to injury, death, and destruction. Even an ordinary, plain person can find themselves launched into a world of magic because they were held up at gunpoint during a bank robbery, causing them to manifest the ability to teleport. Or they could find their life gone, because a sinkhole formed in the road as they drove, or the bridge they were driving on suddenly collapsed because it hadn''t been properly maintained.

    "Tell me," he said. "Does this friend of yours, the one you''re in love with, does he fear danger?"

    "Yes," Jenna nodded, only realizing after that he was having an effect on her.

    She was too guarded to just talk like this, to just answer someone''s questions. She and Tyler both knew better, and they both had mental barriers up at all times. Yet this man was bypassing them without either twin being aware of it.

    He was using some sort of compulsion on them to get them to talk, and was powerful enough and skilled enough to slip past their shields undetected. Deciding to see where he would go before using her power on him, she waited.

    The moment she felt him trying to make them doing something they didn''t want to do, she would use her flames¡­ in her mind. They would leave her unscathed, of course, but any foreign minds in it would feel the fires of chaos and destruction for their intrusion.

    "Has he faced danger?" The man asked.

    "Yes," Jenna nodded. "A lot. I don''t want to put him in anymore just because of being close to me."

    "Did you ask him how he felt about it?" The man asked.

    "No," Jenna answered. "But we know how he feels. He wants me around, no matter what. He wants to date me, and he doesn''t care about the danger it would bring."

    "Perhaps you should listen to that," the man said. "Perhaps it''s not that he doesn''t care, but that he''ll simply face it when it comes. After all, he''s rescued your brother for you. It sounds like his friends would help keep you safe, too."

    "He''d do anything for friends," Jenna shook her head. "He doesn''t think about his own safety. And his friends¡­ yeah, we made friends with some of them, but that''s different. If we didn''t hang out with Jared, we''d probably lose our connection to being ''friends'' with the others. It''s all through him."

    "Do you like him?" The man asked.

    "That doesn''t matter," Jenna shook her head. "My brother and I are¡­ special. We''re doomed to never find a fulfilling relationship. A relationship that lasts. It''s always doomed to end in disaster and chaos. In heartbreak. It''s a form of curse we''re bound to. So we have to leave, to prevent that."

    "Did you tell him that?" The man asked.

    "No," Jenna answered. "Of course I wouldn''t tell Jared that a relationship between us would end in disaster and chaos! He''d only say I was making it up, even though his power would let him know I was telling the truth! He''d refuse to accept it and say I was just trying to find excuses to deny my feelings!"

    "Perhaps he''s right," the man slid out of the seat and stood upright. "And not all are doomed to disaster and chaos. Sometimes, there are those who can overwhelm such things. A child of Ulrima, King of the Gods, is a child of love and romance. It can overpower any curse regarding love and romance, and not just for themselves, but for their closest friends, too."

    Jenna and Tyler froze up. They had specifically referred to Cam as ''Jared'', the name they knew him by before they reunited with him there in Tejina, yet the man seemed to know exactly who they were talking about.

    Neither of them believed for a moment it was coincidence he had brought up Ulrima.

    "I''d say," the man brushed imaginary dust off his pants and the lower part of his shirt. "That you have around ten more minutes of frozen time. You''ll have until then to decide if you truly will leave love behind. Ten minutes to decide if you want to continue running and hiding from organizations after you, or if you want to stay behind, build a life up with your friends and romances, and damn the consequences that may, ultimately, fail to affect you. Ten minutes, Jenna and Tyler."

    As the twins tried to figure out who the man was, he disappeared. No warning, no sense of magic, nothing of the sort. They blinked, and when the blink had finished, the man was no longer there, as if he had never been.

    All that was left were the ten minutes of frozen time they had to decide if they wanted to listen to the mysterious man''s advice and stay behind, or if they would continue with their plan and travel far, far away from there.

    Ten minutes to decide if they wanted to stay on the run forever, or if they wanted to finally settle down and need to occasionally deal with issues they currently dealt with only if they couldn''t avoid doing so.

 02-033

    Chapter Thirty-Three.

    Cam covered his mouth as he yawned.

    "Do I have to be here?" He asked.

    "You agreed," Kris told him. "It''s not my fault you were up late last night playing video games."

    "It is, too!" Cam protested. "You were playing them with me!"

    Kris chuckled, then returned to looking at his classmates, who were arriving at school. He and Cam were sitting on a bench near the school''s front entrance. School began in fifteen minutes, and while Cam didn''t go anymore due to living on the streets and absolutely refusing to attend unless his brother forced him to once he had custody of him, Kris still had to go every day it was in session.

    So there they were, waiting for the girl Kris liked to show up. Cam kept looking at another girl, which Kris felt a little annoyed by. He knew that Cam was head-over-heels for Jenna, but it seemed like Cam was checking out someone else, too.

    "There she is," Kris tugged on Cam''s sleeve, drawing the demigod''s gaze away from the girl. "Margaret Addison, she''s the girl in the pink and blue coat chatting with two other girls."

    "Hm," Cam looked at her just as she looked at Kris, her expression turning a little blank. "She doesn''t like you. She thinks you''re a jerk for not getting the door for her whenever you two reach it at the same time since she''s a girl and you''re a boy. That''s an incredibly sexist viewpoint. Whoever gets to it first should open it, regardless of their sex.

    "By the way," Cam looked at the girl Kris had caught him checking out. "That girl over there likes you. She thinks you''re cute and was wondering if I''m related to you, since we look like we might be cousins or something. She also likes video games and puppies, and-"

    "Was wondering?" Kris asked Cam as he looked at her.

    "What?" Cam asked. "Oh, yeah, I told her I was your uncle, that your dad was my big brother."

    "Wait, when did you do that?"

    "If you didn''t interrupt me," Cam said with mild irritation. "You would''ve heard that the next part is that she''s a natural telepath. We''ve been talking the last few minutes. I told her you''re single and was crushing on the jerk lady too much to notice anyone else. She agrees that the jerk lady is a jerk. According to her, the jerk lady hides her nastiness, but is incredibly spiteful. She''s being honest, by the way. Your last day of school before break is Thursday, right? Yeah, she just confirmed that. Okay, you two are going on a date after school on Thursday. She said she''s not going to be a sexist female and expect the male to pay for everything, and that she''ll cover her own stuff."

    "How did you find out she''s a natural telepath?"

    "I''ve played air hockey against her at the Jules Arcade."

    "Oh."

    "She''s really good, you two are going on a date there."

    "What?" Kris looked at him in shock.

    "Your dad''s calling me, I gotta go!" Cam hopped off the bench and took off, making his way to Michael''s car. "Hey, Mr. Kendall, why did you want me to hurry up?"

    "Abigail called," he answered. "She''s coming by my house to do an inspection."

    "Why?" Cam asked. "Did someone make a report about you to CPS?"

    "No," he answered. "It seems your mother has decided to not seek custody of you. I may have spoken with her yesterday, and I promise you, Ambrosius, that I did not threaten her, so don''t give me that suspicious look. I simply informed her that as it was, you didn''t want anything to do with the Thorntons. When you take that into consideration and combine it with the fact that the Thorntons were a pretty nasty family, she''s decided to wait until you''ve recovered and instead work with DoSS regarding the family''s illegal activities, now that she''s the head."

    "What does that have to do with Abigail and doing an inspection of your home?"

    "With your grandfather dead," Michael said. "And your biological mother not wanting to push for custody, and no ''knowledge'' of your father, that leaves the custody of you up to either the state or the relative who had been actively seeking adoption for you before your escape three years ago. To place you in my custody, she needs to do a home inspection to make sure the house is adequate and that you''ll have your own room."

    "Oh," Cam said, then his face lit up with excitement. "Ooooh!"

    He buckled up, and Michael pulled out of the parking lot and drove to his house. When they exited the car, another pulled up, Abigail stepping out.

    "Oh," she blinked a few times. "Hello, Cam."

    "Hello, Abigail," he said. "No Rufus?"

    "Not for an inspection," she smiled. "I wasn''t expecting to see you here."

    "I sometimes spend the night," Cam told her. "Like last night. Kris and I stayed up late playing video-oops."

    He shrank a little under Michael''s gaze.

    "It was Kris''s idea."

    "Uh-huh," Michael said.

    "It was!" Cam protested. "I was sneaking ice cream, and when I came back into the room, Kris was up and said ''hey, wanna play some video games?'' So we played some video games."

    "That didn''t help your case," Michael said, then looked at Abigail. "Shall we start?"

    Cam followed the two adults through the house as they inspected it, sensing that something was going on with Abigail. He did his best not to pry into her mind, resisting his curiosity at her unhappy state.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "Whoa," Cam said when they entered the basement. "I''ve never been down here before. Are those weapons?"

    A variety of bows, arrows, guns, swords, staffs, knives, and whips were resting on racks and tables, along with boxes of ammunition. Half of the room had been converted into a training area, with mats covering the floor and several training dummies set up.

    "Oh, hey!" Cam picked up one of the knives, which had a pure-white blade and a diamond set into the crosspiece and pommel of the crimson grip. "Dad gave me a knife like this!"

    "Please put that down," Michael said tensely as Callum, in his dog form, wandered into the basement.

    "Why?" Cam asked. "It''s not like I''m going to stab someone with it. Callum, look! Michael has one of these, too!"

    "We generally require," Abigail said. "All weapons to be locked and out of access to the youth when looking into custody placements."

    "Nunchucks!" Cam picked up a pair. "Eden was teaching me how to use these. His were lighter, though. I guess that''s cause he''s weaker than you. What are they made out of, adamant?"

    "Yes," Michael answered as Cam began testing them. "Cam, play with them over on the mats."

    "Okay!" Cam ran over to the mats and began playing with the nunchucks.

    "I can assure you," Michael told Abigail. "The weapons won''t be an issue. I''ve raised my son to know how to use them, and will teach Cam to be responsible with them as well. Callum, stop drooling on that sword."

    Callum closed his mouth and gave Michael a pleading look.

    "Not while you''re in dog form!" Michael told him telepathically. "You can play with them once you turn back and Abigail is gone! But don''t drool on them again!"

    "That''s a very well-behaved dog," Abigail said. "To stop drooling on command. I seem to find dogs anywhere Cam goes," she shook her head. "I''m still not sure about the weapons, though."

    "You do know," Cam said as he set the nunchucks down. "That I use weapons, like, every day? Eden''s teaching me how to use a gun, and Adam teaches me martial arts, staff fighting, knife fighting, and sword fighting. Eden also does some of that, but not with a sword. He seems to have some weird prejudice against them. I''ve also been shot at, kidnapped, nearly killed, and so on. I think me having access to weapons is perfectly reasonable. How else am I supposed to gut the next person who tries to sell me off?"

    "You were kidnapped?" Abigail asked in shock.

    "Yeah," Cam said. "Don''t worry, she won''t come after me. She and her husband and armies are all dead. Speaking of kidnappers, did you know that your sister was one?"

    "Y-yes," Abigail answered. "I just found that out after she got arrested. How did you know?"

    "Kidnapping a friend of mine is why she got arrested," his expression darkened as his grip tightened on the knife he''d picked up without realizing it, his eyes turning pink. "That lady messed with the wrong kids."

    "Did his eyes just¡­ turn pink?" Abigail covered her mouth in shock.

    "Hm?" Cam asked, then took a few deep breaths to calm down so that his his eyes would return to normal. "Oh. I guess you''re the only normie I really interact with."

    "Normie?"

    "Mundie?" He said. "Mundane? Person who isn''t part of the supernatural community? You know your sister was a witch, right? A really evil one. She used truth serum on me and it made the voices in my head all talk at once, even ones I didn''t even know existed."

    "Wh-what?" Abigail asked.

    "Magic," Cam said. "It''s real. The voices in my head are one of my magical powers. I can''t turn them off, they''re always there, even when they go quiet. Sometimes, something blocks them from being able to communicate with me, and that disturbs me, ''cause I''m used to them."

    "Does he normally joke like this when he''s relaxed?" Abigail asked Michael.

    "He''s not joking," Michael unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, before manifesting his wings, causing Abigail to stumble back a few feet in shock. "It''s quite real. The only reason you can see the wings right now is because my house is warded against the Veil, which obscures the sight of those who do not know the truth or do not possess awakened magical abilities."

    "You-you-you-you''re an angel?" She asked.

    "Demigod, actually," Cam corrected her. "He can manifest and unmanifest his wings at will. All demigods and nephilim who have wings can. I can''t yet, since I''m still a kid, but once I''m an adult, which will probably be in the next few months, I''ll be able to. Angels can''t manifest or unmanifest their wings at will, so they''re always shirtless. The Veil prevents you normies from seeing their wings, though. They have, like, their own personal little Veils."

    Cam stopped as he realized that Abigail still needed to process things, and gave her a few minutes.

    "By the way," Cam said. "My father and Mr. Kendall''s father are the same person. He''s a god of life. The high god of life. He''s also one of the oldest gods. The person who kidnapped me was an ancient immortal fairy, their empress. Eden is a spatial mage, my friend Greyson is a nephilim, and my biggest crush is the daughter of the High God of chaos and destruction. Oh, and my dog isn''t actually a dog, but an ancient demigod who fought in the biggest war to ever occur in the entire universe. Callum, speak!"

    "Don''t treat me like a dog," Callum responded, and Cam giggled as Abigail''s shocked stare.

    "He''s just grumpy," Cam told Abigail as he scratched behind Callum''s ears. "Look how much he enjoys this. His face and tail betray him. Don''t they? Yes they do, you enjoy this so much, don''t you, boy?"

    "Stop treating me like a dog," Callum grumbled.

    "We¡­ can¡­ overlook the weapons," Abigail slowly said.

    "It''s not like not doing that would change anything," Cam told her. "Since even if you don''t give him custody of me, I''ll still be here half the time, anyway."

    "Let''s¡­ go check the bedrooms," Abigail said.

    Michael led her upstairs and showed her the game room, Kris''s bedroom, and the room that he assigned to Cam, which looked mostly-unused.

    "Cam''s actually a neat freak," Michael informed Abigail. "His bed is almost always made within a minute of him getting off of it. Tidiness is an inherent trait of the children of our father, though Cam takes it to a little bit more of an extreme. He''s probably the most organized thirteen-year-old I know."

    Michael paused for a moment, then shrugged.

    "Since you''re now no longer a mundane," he said. "I should warn you that Cam is likely about to age very quickly. Demigods age faster than humans, reaching the equivalent of an eighteen-year-old human by the time they are fifteen, but can be as early as thirteen. Since we know his wings are coming in sometime in the next few months, you''re about to see that change. The only reason Cam looks as young as he does is the malnutrition of the last few years. He''s been pigging out since finding out he''s going to finish aging soon, so that should help to cover what he''s missing and let him grow a bit more by the end. Think of him, right now, as a hyperactive, goofy fifteen-year-old."

    Abigail thought for a few minutes, then nodded.

    "I can see that."

    "Who''s also been kidnapped for weeks and killed a bunch of people out of anger," Michael said, and she stared at him in shock. "He''s the one who killed his grandfather. As a demigod, he doesn''t have the same inhibitions that humans do and rules are a little different. That doesn''t mean he doesn''t suffer from nightmares over what he''s done, though, which is why he ends up in either my room or Kris''s at night."

    "I''m taking Callum for a walk," Cam told Michael, and the two adults looked at him. "Dad may or may not kidnap me for another party while we''re out, so if I don''t return for a few hours, that''s probably what happened."

    "I probably shouldn''t," Abigail muttered as Cam walked over to the desk and opened it. "But all things considered, what else can I do? Alright. I''m going to award temporary custody to you, Mr. Kendall, and the rest will be up to the courts to decide. I don''t know what to think anymore."

    As she tried to sort out what to do, Cam pulled out a dark blue leash and walked over to Callum, then looked at Abigail.

    "That the world is a lot cooler of a place than it was before," Cam told her as he clipped the leash to Callum''s collar. "Come on boy, let''s go. When we get back, we''re celebrating how awesome life just got!"

 ETA and Whats Going On (Book 3 is Still Coming!)

    Wow. It''s been a year (and a few hours short of a day as of this posting) since the end of Book 2 was posted. A lot of you have probably assumed the story is dropped, and I''m here to promise you that it isn''t.

    I''ve attempted to work on Book 3 multiple times this year, but several things have caused me problems. The first of those is that I''m struggling to properly introduce the main conflict. This is a pretty important thing, so I want to make sure I do it right. Then I had plans to work on it over the summer, but my work began piling more and more on me, giving me almost no time to write - I was only able to focus on the story/stories that I was releasing to Patreon first, and even that was pushing my limits. I''ve also had health problems pop up from time to time this year as well (though I haven''t caught Covid-19, thank goodness).

    Once I have the time, I plan on really tackling this problem I''m having with introducing the main conflict. In fact, I plan on doing this before working on another new story, partly because I have been asked a few times over the last few months if I''m returning, and not working on this story has been bothering me. I want to get back to working with the goobers and telling Cam''s tale.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    In fact, I will not be working on another new story until I have written the rest of Tree of Magic - this means both remaining books. So much like with Books 1 and 2, when I begin releasing Book 3, it will be immediately followed by Book 4 once it finishes. This way, there will not be another break in posting between books. To help make sure there''s no break, I plan on finishing writing both remaining books before I begin posting Book 3.

    By my estimates of when my job will stop dropping stuff on me, therefore allowing me to write, and my estimates of how long it will take me to edit the first two books and then write the rest of Book 3 and all of Book 4, I should be able to resume posting no later than the end of March, but possibly by the start of March.

    Yes, you read that right: I plan on making spelling/grammatical edits to the first two books, as well as making the scene transitions smoother, to make the story easier to read.

    I apologize for this delay, everyone, but as these stories are being posted for free, I have to prioritize my job and my income first. Once the end-of-year rush for my job settles down, though, I should have more time to devote to writing. Thank you, everyone who has stayed with me so far. If you want updates for my progress once it begins, you can always join my Discord server, the link is in the author''s note below. Once I begin doing the edits, I''ll post updates there, and I sign in regularly, so if you join, feel free to talk or ask questions.