Rivers of blood and sand

Mythic realm: Roman’s house in Lynx territory

Roman entered his study with a weary sigh, having just returned from a spirit animal transference ceremony. Another one of his summoners mated with someone from another clan and as a consequence, had to relinquish his spirit animal. Roman never bothered to hide his dislike of the barbaric ritual.

Titan lounged on Roman’s sofa in the left corner of the room, a book in hand. “Have fun?” He didn’t bother to look up from his book. His casual demeanor spoke of their friendship. Most royals barely spoke, much less spent time face to face. When they did, they were far from relaxed.

Roman tossed the translucent glowing crystal at Titan, who caught it without looking up from his book.

The crystal contained the soul of the spirit animal that had been discarded. Rather than letting the animal spirit be tossed out into the wilderness, where it would be forced to adapt and learn how to survive on its own, Roman captured the soul in a crystal. He would then have Titan release it into the animal soul rebirth pool so it could have a chance at being reborn to a summoner who would appreciate it this time. Unfortunately, he was the only Alpha to do this. Nearly all the other Alphas weren’t aware of what happened to the spirit animals. The knowledge had long since been buried and now only a handful of Mythics knew the truth.

Titan placed the soul in his pocket and would release the soul when he was home. “You’re on edge,” he noted, setting his book on the arm of the sofa. His whiskey-brown eyes followed Roman as he leaned back against his desk and gripped the edge, his forearms flexing with his tight grip.

Roman didn’t respond right away, not when they both felt Caspian enter the house. His energy was chaotic, like a storm brewing on the horizon. “I’m not the only one,” Roman murmured as Caspian’s footsteps neared the study.

Anger as destructive as the waters he controlled shadowed his face as he entered the office. The two other men immediately took note of his mood. Titan was on his feet within seconds, and Roman shoved off the desk.

“What is it?” Titan asked, a hint of worry seeping into his tone at seeing Caspian so unraveled. It usually took a lot to get Caspian to this point, and whatever had him like this was something they all should be worried about.

“Aren’t you coming from your weekly meeting with Alora? Is everything alright?” Roman asked, worry crossing his features as he took in Caspian’s appearance. Caspian’s dark hair was a little messy, most likely from him running his fingers through it. His expression was tight and his movements were agitated.

Caspian immediately headed to the table where Roman kept his alcohol, pouring a healthy amount into one of the glasses. “Alora revealed to me that the reason Starling no longer wears Allivrielle’s key is because it was stolen over four months ago.” He took a long pull from the glass, closing his eyes for a moment.

Roman and Titan shared a look as they waited for Caspian to continue. “And not by just anyone, but Emeria.” He spat out the youngest Cursed sister’s name before finishing off the rest of his drink and pouring more.

Understanding finally dawned on the others as they shared a knowing glance. There was only one woman who could unravel Caspian like this—and not in a good way. The elemental-cursed sister long ago made an enemy out of Caspian.

“What makes you think it was her? The sisters wouldn’t be able to hold onto the keys for long without drawing attention to the fact they’re still alive,” Titan said, ever the much-needed voice of reason.

“You know anyone else that can create and control walls of elemental water?” Tension still held his body in its thrall as he drained half of his drink. He leaned back against the table glancing between the two of them.

“She would’ve hidden the key soon after stealing it. Let’s hope, she chose well,” Titan said, sitting down and sprawling on the sofa. His arm rested along the back as he tapped his fingers on the textured cushion.

“If I’m being honest, I’m glad Starling no longer has the burden of the key,” Roman said after releasing a low sigh.

“I know you never wanted her to become a guardian, but at least when it was with her, it was safe,” Titan reasoned.

“Guarding the damn thing is the reason her parents were murdered,” Roman shot back.

“You’re focusing on the wrong part. I’m beginning to think it’s not just one of the sisters that is still alive, but all four of them.” Caspian ran a hand through his hair dislodging the strands. “There is a reason they were feared. They are ruthless and will kill anyone to get what they want. We need to figure out what they have planned.”

Titan rubbed his jaw after taking a long breath. “They most likely want the same as us, for the other three keys not to be used to open the rift. They have just as much to lose—if not more—if the rift is opened.”

“We can’t trust Emeria and you know it. There is no trusting or even working with someone who would kill their fated mate for power.” Caspian’s voice was hard as his fingers tightened around the glass.

Roman rubbed his forehead with a groan and he leaned back against his desk again. The sisters were a sore subject for them, and any discussions of them usually ended in a debate about morals or an argument.

“How are they still alive? Every story I’ve ever heard about their deaths has been definitive.” A crease formed between Titan’s eyebrows as he shifted on the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together.

“I imagine they’ve somehow found a way to cheat death and come back to make all of our lives difficult,” Caspian bitterly muttered, staring at his empty glass, spinning it between his hands.

“But then what have they been doing all this time? The sisters were never the type to be quiet, watching from the shadows.” Roman joined Caspian at the table, pouring a glass of alcohol for himself.

“There’s a chance that whatever they did to cheat death may have had some side effects. What if it has weakened their powers—at least temporarily?” Titan waved his hand and a bottle of dark red alcohol floated into the air, pouring into a glass so it was half full and floated to his awaiting hand.

“Good,” Caspian muttered.

They lapsed into silence, all of them lost in their thoughts, each having their own opinion about the elusive sisters.

At the same moment, on the moving bridge between the Crescent Moon district and the Convergence point, the rift they prevented from opening flared with a burst of dark blue light. It didn’t have the same amount of energy as it had before when the unknown entity was attempting to come through. A man stood before it, using the residual energy from the failed doorway to form a crack in the veil.

The being that pried its way through the crack was something entirely different than the other being they tried summoning. Its energy muted and therefore didn’t cause a wave of energy or anything that could alert any of the nearby Mythics. As soon as it crawled out, the man resealed the crack, as if it was never there in the first place, leaving the entire realm none the wiser about the new threat that had just been released.