We had tried over and over to reach The Reaper when we were both Phoenixes. It made sense for us to ask the King of Death to take away our problem: Donalt. But it was impossible to see him. We were supernatural beings, whereas he only entertained humans—and that was only if you could find your way to him. Rumor had it that his home was backed up to The Fall, but we’d never come across it. We’d even joked that we were standing in it and just couldn’t see it.
“I haven’t,” Phoenix said in a thick tone, one that I knew was crippled with grief. This has something to do with keeping his girl safe, letting her rise to do what she was born to do.
“All right, so we stop the explosions. That or use the energy of them to help you rather than hurt you. Didn’t you say you needed a push of energy?”
“Not this much energy, mate. Not this much loss of life.”
“Who else is in danger?” I asked Marc and Chrispin.
Marc was always here with Stella, the now resident seer, and Chrispin had been assigned to oversee all of Drake’s royal guard. The two of them now were only second in command to their brother Drake. Internally, I had to smirk. In a way, Chara, my bloodline, was already ruling this dark place; now we just had to go through the formalities of it all.
Marc shot me a knowing glance as he flapped his shirt in front of the fire. His intent was clear: he wanted me home for the ceremony.
Marc shifted his stare to Brady, who only shook his head once as he poured himself another drink. Brady was always the leader of our little gang. He was the oldest, the one that knew how to talk to our fathers and understand us at the same time. He was telling Marc not to push me, and when he did Marc cursed under his breath and flapped his shirt once more in front of the flames.
“You’re positive that this will happen near the rampart? You know for sure Donalt is not putting false info out there?”
“Madison is,” Marc said gruffly.
On the regular, I made it a point not to use my new insight to ‘see,’ but I used it with Marc and saw him pulling Madison out of the pool around the looking glass. I knew if I looked deeper, I could more than likely see what Madison saw or how she knew what she knew, but I wasn’t openly willing to fight the dizzy sensation that would invoke. Instead, I locked stares with Draven. He could see fast and deep into any soul. He’d already found the solid confirmation he needed and was sure this was all going to go down.
Draven layered two more maps over the one I was already looking at; one was of the Veil, the other was of the world I knew all too well, my and Drake’s playground.
“What we were going to do would have caused that land to be consumed by the Veil, but it would not have hurt the physical barriers to your world. We even reasoned it might fortify it.”
Draven meant we could fight the dead with a thought, we could see and feel them coming through those borders before they even decided to. It wasn’t that far off from what we had been doing for years. I would have easily agreed to let them stretch the Veil across that land, might have even insisted if I knew exactly what they were contending with. Dead was all I knew. Releasing the dead.
“And now?” I asked with a raised brow, looking between Phoenix and Draven, feeling the piercing stares of the others. They were keeping their distance but making damn sure their intent was slamming into me.
“We not only have to worry about the dead, mate, but the energy these idiots are going to put off with these explosions, how deep in the land they have set these devices. That energy will no doubt slide the two dimensions closer—back-to-back. You and I already know the dimensions have been drifting closer for years, and this is the one push that could make that a reality, leaving you nose-to-nose with your enemy and us with nowhere to let the Veil expand. Haunts and men will walk side by side in reality. That alone will lead to a culture shock, a sway in beliefs, the promise of the end of times. Hell.”
It was all about the people, what they believed, where they sent their thoughts. Right now, we had to find a way for Chara’s belief system to remain, which was my issue. And we had to ensure that Esterious, which was already letting their thoughts linger on the end of time, not move any closer to the edge. That was Drake’s problem. He was going to have to give them something to hope for.
Then there was the dead, and the dead have varying layers, erratic beliefs. Without a doubt, if their release were not controlled, those that were purposely imprisoned in death for the malice they caused would be released first. It appeared that was Draven’s problem. The supernatural dead, those that had been taken from the front lines, that were jailed by the lords of death to stop the progress of balance, those souls, freeing them, that was Phoenix’s issue.
Right now, the way this was set to go down, the only way I could see to solve this was by sticking to the original plan, taking care of the people that chose to follow us—and to do that, we had to embrace the soul we were made of.
“It’s not going to matter if he is nose-to-nose; he will be a Flame by then,” Chrispin said as he casually leaned back in his seat and raised his hand to trace his brow nonchalantly, as if he’d just stated what positions we were going to play in football.
Maybe it was the suit, or his recent status, but my playful cousin had vanished. He was older than me, but you would have never known it with all the wonder he’d carried in his eyes.
The deal was that, yes, Chara had known for centuries that with all the little energy games Donalt had in play, our dimensions were moving closer. The storms backed up that theory, meaning those storms that I hindered months ago had been pulling us closer at a rapid speed. Of course, Chara was not worried about that because Guardian and Aliyanna were going to return and save the day—or so the lore said. I smirked at myself. I liked it better when it was lore, and not my life.
By saying that, all Chrispin did was back up my fear of Chara crumbling. If Willow and I did not rise, if our own minds held us back, that was going to crumble our world. Even though we are the originals, it would appear that we were false. The world would fall apart with its belief system.
Phoenix raised his head to question if that were true, if I had openly conceded to this ceremony. It wasn’t a matter of me agreeing or not; the lore I’d read said the marks would pull us, that it would call all those home to witness the union. Souls had been flooding into Chara for days now—people who had not been home in decades were returning.
“Is that right, mate? Everything all peachy now?”
I heard someone clear his throat. “I know I was not summoned to this meeting to watch all of you force feed Landen a prophecy made by man.”
All eyes moved to the doorway, where Drake was now standing, dressed in a regal suit, clearly coming from some formal occasion.
Phoenix nodded his head to allow him through the flames. I knew if Drake could hear us through that barrier, it was not strong enough for my comfort. I extended my energy around the room, as did Drake and Draven. The library now had light blue flames with a mix of red and lavender running through it. The air rippled and popped with power.
Drake kept his stance just inside the doorway, casually leaning there as he reached to undo his tie.
“No,” I stated evenly. “We are here because apparently your dimension is about to be bombed, from within. Three marks, it seems.”
Drake didn’t even bother to look concerned about this; a true mark of a king. His gaze met mine. He wasn’t going to entertain this idea until he saw that I was concerned with this.
“And this impacts you?” Drake asked, moving his stare to Draven.
Draven offered a solemn nod.
“And a few cliffs and deep pools of water,” I said to Drake. That got his attention. He knew exactly what place I was talking about.
Drake’s stare slowly raked over me. “You look a little tan. Did you go for a swim today?” he asked me with a sinful smirk.
“Several.”
That was how our friendship worked. I didn’t have to lay it all out for him, and
neither did he. He knew with that one word that I had come clean with Willow about knowing him before all this. I felt his relief swim in his soul. He had every reason to think Willow would be just as angry with him, and apparently his intent was to set a lot of things straight with a lot of people right now.
“Swimming,” Brady muttered as he twirled his drink in his hand. He’d picked up on the private conversation and was in some way proud of me. Of course, he thought I’d come clean with Willow to help prepare her for the ceremony; he had no idea she was plagued with fear right now and that was the only way I could think to help her face that.
“All of this?” Drake said with a twist of his hand, “is happening at once, I assume.”
“Apparently.”
“I can’t figure out what they know that we don’t,” Marc seethed from the fireplace. “Where are their maps, their rule book? Are they that bored? Can they not just fight one war at a time?”
“They’re spreading us thin,” Chrispin offered. “They know we will be divided, that we will be weaker.”
Drake’s eyes shifted between his brothers, trying to understand that offhand remark. He had not decided if he could fully trust his brothers, at least trust them to stand by his side when they had to choose between him and me. They were about to break his heart, and I had to step in to stop that.
“If this occurs when the ceremony is taking place, Chrispin and Marc will be pulled to Chara, as well as their mates. For all I know, you will be, too. We will be caught up in that while the rest of this is going down. They have no choice in the matter. They will only be able to breathe in Chara. The power calls all souls home, or so lore says.”
“I asked Dad about it,” Brady cut in. “Born-on-the-soil souls will be called home. Preston and Drake were not. He doesn’t think they will be called; in fact, he’s pretty damn sure about that. August even backed him up.”
“So Drake has no protection? Is that what you are saying?” Draven asked, clearly trying to figure out how to be in two places at once now.
“None that I would trust,” I said, catching Drake’s stare. He knew I was not too keen on Alamos right now. Alamos had scared Madison. When I was looking for Justus this morning, I ran into her, saw what she had been through. That didn’t sit well with me at all. Something was off about Alamos right now. First the plotting, then the terrorizing; those kinds of things could not be explained away. I didn’t know what it was, but I’d sensed Drake’s intent. He was planning to take care of that issue as soon as he left here.
“The time is the issue?” Drake asked, tilting his head down and looking up at us.
I smirked. Brilliant.
“We stop it,” I said, glancing to the others.
“How can you stop time if you are going to be barely conscious?” Marc all but yelled at me. Brady raised his hand to tell him to shut it. Wise move. I was not in the mood.
“Your time trick will not work in the Veil,” Phoenix said impatiently.
“It will work here, though. If Drake stops it in this dimension, that will give you time to do what you need to do. Hell, it might even allow the two of you to come back here and help him if I can’t.”
Draven and Phoenix both nodded as if that would work. “That would give us room for more,” Draven said to him.
I wasn’t clear on what was happening with them, but I knew if they managed to make the Veil thick as hell, the dimensions of Esterious and Chara would not slide together.
“When do you stop it?” Phoenix asked me.
“First explosion?” I said to Drake.
Drake nodded once. He was only halfway in this conversation, clearly trying to figure out how to protect the people around those explosion points, as well as ensure that Madison was safe here. The lack of Chrispin and Marc had him bothered. He would be truly standing alone in this dimension as this all went down.
“You sure about this?” Drake asked me. It was a loaded question. I knew he was not talking about the battle plan, but the ceremony that I was facing.
Brady and Chrispin leaned forward in their seats, seeing that as a challenge over Willow’s heart, but it wasn’t. Drake just knew how it felt to be told to rise when you were not ready or whole.
“Brother,” Marc said in a hollow tone. “If he is a Flame, you will have the fiercest army in creation as an ally. It has been long predicted.”
Drake didn’t bother to glance at him. He and I had had this conversation as kids, the rules and prophecies that surrounded our worlds. We called B.S. on it then, and that was before either of us considered that we would be a part of it all.
“It’s not going to be my call,” I finally answered Drake.
Marc and Chrispin let out a silent curse as Brady just stared disbelievingly at me. They knew that meant it would be up to Willow on both a conscious and unconscious level.
The ones that understood that instantly and let me know that with a subtle nod were Phoenix, Draven, and Drake. How odd. You’d think it would be the other way around.
“We have another issue, mate,” Phoenix said as he moved loose papers around in the book of shadows. “If I line all this up, everything that we are facing—I think there are going to be five sacrifices.”
Draven’s eyes shot to him so quickly that you would have thought he called his name. That number meant something to him. “Sacrifices, or deaths?” Draven asked.
I got it now. Draven somehow was aware of the seven. He knew that those seven would have to strike five escorts of power, the last two were the First and the sovereign, then the new sovereign would rise. Now, how he knew that, I had no idea.
Phoenix shook his head once at me to say he had not been spreading secrets, or rather theories, around.
“Sacrifices. In a way, they may already be dead.” He pointed to the text. “It says five will rise from clasping chains. Near Esterious, it says father, mother, and child.” Phoenix glanced at Drake, looking for a response; he didn’t give one. “Around Chara, it says lovers.”
Drake and I locked gazes, both tense. I had no doubt who the lovers were, and who the family happened to be was a mystery. I suppose the biggest mystery of it all was why Phoenix said the sacrifices may not even be alive. I still had breath in my lungs, so did Willow and Drake, so for now I was going to discard this warning.
Drake moved to the table. He was now standing at the opposite end of Phoenix. One of his hands settled on the table, and he leaned forward. Right then, something wicked happened.
Static electricity spider webbed across the table, touching my hands, as well as Phoenix and Draven’s. The air between us snapped and crackled as an unexpected sense of brotherhood drowned my soul. It was coming from all of them.
If I had any doubt we were all on the same path before this moment, it was now squashed.
Around each of us, I clearly felt a magnified emotion. Mine was fear, even though I was nowhere near that emotion. Draven’s was shock, which did fit the moment. Phoenix’s was grief, and that matched, too. Drake’s, his was obsession.
We all glanced at the table, thinking that was where it was coming from, but it was clear that was not the case. The energy was moving between our hands. The table was only a conductor.
I don’t know who thought to do it or even why the instinct was there, but the four of us put yet another sphere of energy around us, blocking out Marc, Brady, and Chrispin.
The crackling energy never stopped. I was almost sure it was empowering each of us as we stood there. We were only touching the same table. I could only imagine how magnified this would be if we were shoulder-to-shoulder.
“We are missing three kings from this table,” I stated evenly.
Even though I had only openly discussed this myth of the seven with Phoenix, both Drake and Draven seemed to agree with me when they offered a reverent glance in response. All of us were in awe and humbled by this current of power we felt around us. It was stronger than any supernatural sensation I’d been endowed with.
We neede
d to discover who the other kings were, what queens they had at their side, what emotions they were destined to rule, to appease.
I was too electrified by this energy to take the gravity of this revelation. How vastly different this course was from where I had always seen my life leading. There would be no going home if this transformation came to be. Our home would be on another plane. I couldn’t completely swallow that right now.
This energy link around us was doing more than empowering us; it was sharing our wars with each other, our knowledge of the seven. It was clear that none of us knew as much as we wanted. Even with our combined knowledge, the how and why were missing from this life plan.
“This can’t be real,” Phoenix said as he balled his fists on the table, refusing to remove them and break the connection. His hope of going home, to the bright reality, was shattered at that moment.
I glanced at him. I didn’t say a word, but I thought of the home his Genevieve had brought to this reality, the home I was raised in when I was a Falcon, the home that the Falcon name was fortified within. I thought of her; home was here. He clenched his jaw and nodded as if he’d heard and seen my every thought.
Drake’s stoic stare moved to me. He couldn’t figure out why I was set to kill Donalt, the past ruler of his dimension, why I was not in his place—and where the hell the sovereign he was supposed to take down was.
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out,” I promised him. The others nodded along with him. It was so odd. We didn’t even have to explain ourselves. We had somehow linked our knowledge. What little Phoenix and I knew of this lore, along with what Draven and Drake had picked up, was passed among us as easily as a breeze.
I was starting to doubt we even needed words at this point.
“Whoever they are, they are bound to have surfaced,” Phoenix said to answer Drake as well. “Under your nose, mate. They have to be.” Phoenix was speaking from experience. The sovereign of grief he was hunting had been all too close to him and his girl. Draven and I had the opposite problem: we knew exactly who we were after, but we were engaged in a war of wit and twisted spells, doing our best not to cross into a war that didn’t have our name on it.