The first week of October finally went by, and the galaxy felt quiet. It wasn't calm because of the tension in the air, but it was quiet. Tension lingered on three fronts: around Starlight as they waited for the next attack, around Tasia as she waited for her father to appear again, and around Chance as—like a cornered rabbit—he tried his best to avoid LeAnn entirely.
Only the last was amusing, Shanae thought as she sat at her window and stared out over the gardens below. She could see Delphinium thanks to it being between twenty-one and twenty-two hours, and the gardens glowed softly in the other world's light. She smiled as she thought about her daughter. LeAnn seemed quite cheerful about how things were progressing and had let him avoid her for the last week. She had looked so smug and pleased with herself when she had returned from the picnic that Shanae had almost doubled with laughter.
It felt a little surreal and uplifting alike that in perhaps less than a year, she would pass on the crown of High Queen. She had worn it for ten thousand years, sometimes invisibly but always felt. Even before the kingdoms had been resurrected at the beginning of the Era, she had worn it and felt its weight on her head. She had no regrets. Protea and Blossom Field alike would be safe in LeAnn's hands, and Chance's as well. He would make a fine High King.
She glanced down into the gardens and spotted a flash of familiar silver hair. Someone looked like they needed an ear to listen, so she left the window and got dressed as quietly as she could. She didn't want to wake Robert where he was still sleeping in their bed. Then again . . . little woke him up at all. He had literally slept through an attack once. She would never forget the hilarity of watching Sabin haul him half-dressed down the hall.
As she reached for the doorknob, she heard him murmur, "Tash."
The sound of their secret name made her look back, and her heart flipped up and over itself as she saw him propped up in their bed with the sheets around his waist and his bare chest gloriously shown. He had bucked the plumpness of his Delphinian magical heritage by training hard and long across all his lives to be her Caretaker, but he still retained wonderful softness to his body. Sexy. The man was so ridiculously sexy and sultry, and LeAnn had inherited it. Proof of their ancestral connection to the Guardian of Desire, perhaps. She walked over and leaned down to tease his lips with hers. "You make me tempted to take advantage of you," she told him huskily.
He just smiled and tangled his fingers in her long hair. The fine black mass hung straight as a pin to her ankles. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. He watched her hips swing lightly beneath the denims she wore and felt his blood rate pick up rhythm. Across two lives and ten thousand years, he had never stopped wanting her. Never stopped loving her. She burned immortally inside him as he burned inside her, and he would have it no other way. He had become addicted to the sunlight of her Nature Flower Element as wholly as he had the comfort of her Dark Flower Element. LeAnn did not have Dark—in all of existence, only Tasia had it other than Shanae—but she did have Nature, and Robert looked forward to seeing Chance finally realize the sun could be as comforting as his shadows.
Shanae walked into the gardens and found Starlight's path. She held up her hand and a black protea appeared in her grip. All Ruler Cultivators—Activated or Deactivated—could call to hand the flower of their world. Some flowers had special effects all their own, such as Aria's black poppy inducing rest, that not only presented itself in a called flower but often in the Ruler's own personal scent. Rodi had gotten used to the Cultivators of his generation falling asleep on his shoulder, thankfully. He didn't mind. They affectionately called him a Gardener since he ran herd on the entire team as much as he was a Caretaker to Tasia.
Shanae stepped up behind where Starlight was seated on a bench and leaned forward to hold the protea out. "Change for your thoughts?"
Starlight jumped slightly and whirled in surprise. She hadn't even sensed Shanae's approach, let alone heard her. She smiled shakily and took the flower. "You scared me half to death," she said on a little laugh. "You move so quietly."
"Old habits." Shanae sat down on the bench next to her and braced her hands around her hips. "What brought you out into the gardens? Needed some thinking time?"
"Mmm. It's so lovely and peaceful here that I couldn't resist. Your gardens are incredible, Shanae." Starlight looked at the older woman with a smile. "Proof of your Nature Flower Element specifically and Protea's possession of it as a whole, I think. Even among others of Nature, you and Protea feel very different." She laughed. "Though I suppose I'm not one to really talk, as your sun is so different from ours, so your nature looks odd to me. I think I'm adjusting though."
"Yeah, Rodi had some nature-shock for a bit coming from Aria—which you still share a sun with—but he also adjusted fast. But, even among same-type sun Nature worlds, we're still different." She laughed. "That's why the flowers here bloom all year, even when they shouldn't. We can't make them not grow. We've actually tried. It didn't work. The plants got snippy at us and took over the greenhouse."
Starlight studied her in the light of the lamps and tried to put her finger on what was so very different about this other Dual Cultivator. Starlight had heard that Shanae had not worn her Mask in several decades—she faced the same future herself someday—but she did not think Shanae had ever stopped being a Defender, really. As calming and comforting and regal as her presence felt, something in her eyes felt equally daring and courageous. Something that even deeper lurked as if to say she had been through literal hell. She had eyes not unlike Tasia's, and thinking it, Starlight's own eyes widened in understanding. "You . . ." she said slowly, "are like a Lead Defender."
"Strictly and literally speaking, I actually am one." Shanae smiled. "Veronica is Lead for our generation, but by nature of my being the strongest—and some events requiring me to have those special skills—I am technically a Lead. She and I banged heads for millennia over it, but we never regretted it. As frustrating as we were to each other, we understood each other. Neither of us has had to evacuate a team member to safety in a very long time now, thankfully." She shook her head. "As we had told you when you arrived, I am the Apex of Dark. I am the embodiment of all that is physical in existence, and I control the arcane force of the Dark Flower Element. Tasia uses it in her arcanistry, as she does Light, but she does not control either. She has no need."
"So you are, truly, a born and natural warrior," Starlight said on a smile.
"I'm just an extreme example. Proteans are always born and natural warriors." She heard a sound and looked over with a smile as she saw LeAnn peeking at them from around a tree. "And speaking of! There's one who's not any better thanks to her father."
Starlight looked in surprise and blinked as she realized she hadn't sensed LeAnn either. "Oh. Hello there, LeAnn. What are you doing out here?"
LeAnn walked forward and held out her hand where a black protea appeared in her fingers. She offered it on a smile. "I heard you." She sat down on Starlight's other side. "You're in my garden."
"Yours?"
She grinned a bit. "I've been tending it since I was fourteen. I was bickering with the landscapers so much over design and upkeep that Mom and Dad just decided to put me in charge." She quirked a brow. "You're surrounded now, so you might as well tell us what is weighing on your mind."
Starlight twirled the flowers between her fingers as she looked at mother and daughter. They were such a dangerous combination! Both wore casual denims and tank tops, but LeAnn's didn't cover her stomach and allowed her low riding denims to reveal the small belly button hoop she wore. Both had black hair and pink eyes and golden skin . . . and both may have been royal, but they were deadly. In the nighttime, whatever sunlight they had absorbed before now came out of their bodies as a soft echo of pure darkness. It was more potent in Shanae of course, who actually exuded darkness all day alongside sunlight, but LeAnn ran her fairly decent competition. The anchor of Light inside her kept her from being closer. Such a curious individual the High Princess was. It was hard to tell what parts she had gotten from her mother and which had come from her father. If ever there had been a better example of opposites meeting, attracting, and producing offspring, Starlight hadn't yet heard of it.
They were waiting patiently, and she closed her eyes with a smile. "To be honest, I was remembering my first kiss."
"Hopefully it is worth remembering," Shanae said gravely. She sighed gustily. "Mine is."
"Do tell," her daughter said dryly.
Shanae snorted. "I thought you knew this story."
"Depends on which life we're discussing."
"First one."
"Nope, don't know it."
"Shame on me for not telling sooner." Shanae grinned. "In case that confused Starlight, to clarify, I've lived two lives, so I'm lucky enough to have two memories. The most memorable has to be the first. The night of my twenty-fifth birthday—arguably the morning after—Robert tricked his way into my room and fed me a bullshit line about why he should be my first kiss."
"He did not!" LeAnn laughed.
"Yes he did!" Shanae had to laugh, and so did Starlight. "I'm afraid you get that 'damn the cannons' tendency from him, honey." She grinned. "And I would think that probably ties in to your first kiss tale. Dish, Leslie Ann. I've been waiting to hear what happened on that picnic."
LeAnn held up a finger. "Confirmed for first kiss, which he probably doesn't realize was my first kiss because I've had suitors for long enough now. I'm saving that information for leverage later." She sighed contentedly. "It goes on the Worth Remembering list. He's really good at it for a guy who has never done much practicing in his long life."
Shanae leaned over and told her in a sotto voice, "Much? Kid, that was his first kiss too. You didn't hear it from me though. Blame your Uncle Diego if you blab that you know." She sat back again and grinned at Starlight. "Your turn. What's your, hopefully, torrid tale?"
Starlight had to laugh. Surrounded by their easy companionship and their shared memories, she was able to look into her own past with wistfulness instead of heart-wrenching pain. "Mine was on the night of my twenty-first birthday."
"She beats us," LeAnn told her mother.
"Agreed." Shanae nudged Starlight with her elbow and got a smile in return. "Details, woman."
"Well, of course, I am the Ruler Cultivator of Aluria, which means I am of the biggest kingdom which controls the world as a whole. Aluria is, hmm, I want to say about thrice the size of Protea? I was looking at your maps. I think our size helped lend to how we got into the other dimension, as well as why we have so many elements and Defenders. Anyway, across our world are smaller kingdoms. Sort of like your overseeing cities on landmasses, but much more official and formal. One of those smaller kingdoms was known as Rosewood. It had a prince."
LeAnn fluttered her lashes. "A handsome prince?"
"Hmm, no, not really. He is appealing, to be sure, but a little too rough to be handsome. He always reminded me of a gemstone in the raw. Beauty hidden inside a perhaps deceptive exterior. He is five years elder than I and my sisters, but he was always spending time with us. We never thought of it as odd that the four of us were inseparable." She looked down with a smile. "My sister, Sunlight, had taken a big clue that I hadn't, so on our twenty-first birthday, she sent Raven out to find me in the gardens."
"Our?" Shanae lifted a brow.
"Oh, sorry. I and my sisters are triplets. I'm eldest, then Moonlight, then Sunlight. Our parents," she added dryly, "had a peculiar sense of humor. Anyway, she sent Raven to find me." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "I was standing near a fountain and trying to figure out why Moonlight had asked me to meet her there. When Raven showed up, we got to talking like we always did, and then he said something about how I was as beautiful as my namesake and then he kissed me."
"I give it an eight," LeAnn decided.
"No, that's every bit a nine," her mother argued. "A ten would be with an edelweiss to tuck behind her ear. An eight would be a meaningful silence and no fancy words."
"Ah. I stand corrected."
"I sit correcting. Go ahead, Starlight."
"You two are horrible." Starlight was still smiling. "I think . . . that was when I fell in love with him. As the next years passed, and I just wanted him more and more . . . I knew for sure even before I turned twenty-five and became an adult that he had to be my soul mate. We made such a sound match, politically as well. We began making wedding plans. Then . . . things turned sour." Her hands clenched in her lap. "King Cashlin made a formal offer for the hand of one of us princesses, and we refused. In retaliation, knowing that the Rosewood Kingdom would stand by us, he sent his brother, Minstrel, in to get rid of Raven. They'd been rivals forever, and this lit the match.
"He did terrible things and got Raven to be labeled a traitor and disowned by the kingdom. I didn't care; I still would have married him, but he didn't want me to endure that sort of stigma. He left on the vow to clear his name." Tears slid down her cheeks slowly. "Five years ago, he and Minstrel fought bitterly. It was almost too late when I and my sisters arrived. We barely got him to Jeo, our healer of the Defenders, before it was too late. Only that emergency healing saved Raven's life, but he's been in a magical sleep ever since. And Minstrel . . . well, he escaped only because we were busy saving Raven. Sunlight wasn't able to kill him. She tried."
"So you're almost thirty-two now, and you were twenty-six then?" LeAnn asked curiously. "Has he aged at all while in the sleep?"
"Well, yes. The coffin he's in doesn't stop time for him; it just keeps him from dying. He has matured at the same rate as the rest of us. Nearly finished doing so, I may add, as he is closer to forty than not." Her eyes softened. "I hadn't seen him since the accident because it was too painful, but I went to look in on him before the battle. It surprised me how much had changed and yet had not. Still has black hair, though it is longer, and his eyes would still be black. Brown skin. Only a little taller than Shanae. Normally very powerful, but a little weaker now."
Shanae grinned. "If we can get him here, Stormy and Juli will be happy to fatten him up. Those of Gladiolus show love and nurture others by feeding them. A fact that none of their friends or family have ever complained about! Especially those who lack cooking skill." She suddenly broke off and looked up sharply.
LeAnn had the same look on her face, and Starlight felt a chill. "What?" she whispered.
"Someone rippled the wards," Shanae said low. "An intruder has breached our wall. How very gutsy of them. And proof that we have done well to block knowledge of Defender/Ruler crossover. They would not dare if they knew more than Rulers slept in this castle." She got to her feet and stepped in front of Starlight defensively even as LeAnn stepped behind her. The two Protea Defenders listened intently to the night around them. Even as two soldiers sprang out of the surrounding foliage and attacked, Shanae rushed forward to engage her enemy, and her body moved with the sort of natural grace that came from years of battle.
LeAnn lithely stepped to the side and brought her knee up into her attacker's stomach. She had been training since she was a child. She was not as skilled as her mother or twin—no one was—but she could give them a good workout. That sort of skill made her more than a match for any enemy, with or without armor.
The man staggered to his feet again and seemed to realize she was dangerous. He turned and ran. She gave immediate chase, but he had a head start and exited the protea garden first. She heard the sound of fists and realized there was someone else in the area. Not certain if it was an enemy or not, she braced for battle as she exited the garden near the hedges circling the area. A hard hand closed over her mouth as another went around her waist. She went on full attack, and her hands and feet struck backward to do as much damage as possible.
"Damn it," came Chance's familiar growl in her ear, "settle down, you wildcat!" When she went limp with relief, he put her down swiftly. He swung her around, and his face looked livid with anger. "What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night, and why the hell are you chasing an intruder?"
"He attacked me, and therefore he's mine to deal with!" was her hot retort. She felt just as pissed. How dare he get in her way and scare her half to death? "I didn't ask for your help, so kindly get out of my way!"
He opened his mouth but saw the fallen warrior lurch to his feet and lunge toward her unprotected back with a dagger. Instinct kicked in. He grabbed her wrist on a snarl and jerked her up against his chest as he called for his sword with his other hand. She grabbed his shirt for balance and turned her head just as he felled the attacker more permanently. "I'm not a helpless Ruler in need of rescue!" she snarled. "You've never seemed to understand that!"
He dropped his sword and gave her a shake. "If I hadn't grabbed you," he shouted, "then that dagger might have pierced your stubborn hide!" A frustrating blend of fury, fear, and uncontrollable desire cracked his control, and he dragged her onto her toes for a fierce kiss that carried the force of his need. He needed her to make him feel alive.
Her temper flashed into greedy hunger and joy as she threw her arms around his neck and pressed as close as she could. She barely managed a protesting moan as he broke the kiss, yet he did not release her entirely. His mouth moved hotly to the curve of her neck and she let her head fall back. She felt drunk on his power. That magic inside him that made him perfect as a Caretaker. That Dark Shadow Flower Element that made him perfect as her Caretaker.
He suddenly jerked his head up and stared at her with unsteady blue eyes. "What the hell am I doing?" he asked roughly.
"I don't know, but don't stop." She found her arms yanked from around his neck and held firmly against her sides. "Damn you, Rubeo," she managed to say. From her soul to her body to her heart, she wanted him with a power that made everything hurt. "Who are you trying to protect? Me, or you? You're nothing but a coward!"
He released her sharply and grabbed his sword from where it had fallen between them. He sent it away to where he carried it in magic and then turned his back toward her. If he kept looking at her, he would touch her again and he wasn't certain he had the control to stop a second time. Who would have thought that little ring she wore on her stomach would tempt him to put his lips there? "This is your last warning, Leslie Ann. Find someone else to play games with. I'm not interested."
"The hell you're not," was her retort. "I'm not that naïve, Captain. And who said I was playing games?" she added to herself as he stalked away from the scene. She wrapped her arms around herself as she slowly sank down to the grass. Tears burned her eyes. "I'm serious. I'm so serious it hurts."
"Are you alright?" came Shanae's soft voice behind her. When LeAnn looked at her with the heartbreak on her face, Shanae just sighed and knelt down to gather her close and rock gently. Some lessons, she thought as her eyes met Starlight's sympathetic ones, had to be learned on their own. Those were usually the most painful ones, unfortunately.
* * * * *
Glacia kneeled before Cashlin's throne with a look of disgust on his face. It galled him to realize that the High Queen and High Princess of the Protea Kingdom almost did not need Defenders at all because of their own deadly skill. He had sent his two best warriors and one had been killed by the Captain and the princess, and the queen had single-handedly wiped out the other. "My soldiers failed. We encountered . . . unexpected resistance."
"What kind?" Cashlin frowned thoughtfully.
"It would seem that Queen Shanae and Princess LeAnn are equally powerful warriors. When I lived there before, people talked about how Protean Rulers tended to be the most natural of combatants in the universe, but I never really credited it." He sighed. "I'm crediting it now."
"Rise, Glacia. You did not fail me. We'll just consider this a learning experience." Cashlin drummed his fingers on the armrest of the throne. "We'll just have to be more careful in our pursuit of Starlight. I received word that it's possible one of Starlight's personal Defenders has found a way to follow her."
Glacia grimaced. "Please tell me it wasn't Phoenix."
"It's not certain, but likely." Cashlin waved a hand dismissively. "Thank you for the report. Return to Protea now, Glacia."
Glacia bowed lightly and turned on his heel to leave the throne room. The last thing he wanted was Phoenix hanging around Starlight, but if he was then Glacia would handle it. Phoenix was Starlight's own twin soul, and the bond between them was of course fierce. Glacia rubbed his forehead lightly as he walked down the hall. Defender Cultivators just seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. He had thought he remembered that the Elder generation of Lower Rulers were in fact Duals, but when he had done some research to confirm it, he had discovered he must surely remember wrong because Blossom had never had Duals before. He had instead decided to ask around Protea City, and he had smacked into a solid wall of resistance. If anyone knew the identities of the Blossom Defenders across both generations, they would not share. He had apparently alienated the entire galaxy and not just his family.
"Maybe I should go instead of you," a mocking male voice asked behind him.
His skin crawled. "Maybe you should get eaten by piranhas," he suggested evenly. The cool and measured tone would have done his daughter credit, he thought to himself in amusement. She had more of him than Olivia than she would probably like to admit. "Leave me be, Minstrel. I have Resurrection Defenders to kill."
Minstrel watched him walk off down the hall and then whistled a cheerful tune to himself as he went down the hall the other way. "I know something you don't know," he sang softly. "I know something you don't know. How sad, so bad, don't know whatcha got until it's gone, Glacia."
* * * * *
It was always a spectator sport to watch Tasia and Rodi spar. Certainly, watching them made one of LeAnn's favorite pastimes. She was more than happy to sit to the side of her twin's combat school and bounce Daelan on her lap while she watched. Anna was lying on the floor and cheerfully drawing a picture with Raine's help, and the other Resurrection Cultivators had scattered around the room.
Beth and Theo went over the financial accounts behind the counter. Ryan and Emily trained with Reagan and took turns beating on a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Storm worked on restacking a pile of equipment, and Racine patiently taught Percival and Relisha different kicks. The studio was as full as if it was open to the public, but it had very specifically closed just for the team.
LeAnn's eyes pulled back to the fight as she watched Tasia flip Rodi over her head and sit on him to keep him down. "YAY!" she cheered, and she clapped Daelan's hands to make him giggle.
Tasia looked up from her grumbling husband and laughed as she saw the applause. "You act like it's that hard to take him to the floor."
"In sparring or elsewhere?" Theo wiggled his brows.
"Either," Rodi retorted dryly and made everyone break down in giggles and snickers. He twisted and flipped to dislodge Tasia, but he caught her safely in his arms before she hit the ground. "I'd like to say it's just as easy to take her down, but not only do I only manage it when she lets me, she likes to make me work for it either way."
She grinned up at him. "You'd be bored with me if I didn't."
She got to her feet nimbly and held out a hand to help him up as well. Both were sweating profusely, and they stripped off their shirts. She was left in a gray workout bra, and he was left shirtless. Every Cultivator promptly started whistling and catcalling at him. He just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why," he asked no one in particular, "did I have to get pulled into this crazy garden of weirdness?"
"Because Tasia made it entirely worthwhile since you get to be hands on in multiple means with a sorceress?" Beth asked politely, but grinning.
He grinned wickedly. "Probably." As if to prove it, he snatched his wife into his arms and kissed her hotly. The room broke into applause and cheers. "Yep," he decided when he lifted his head. "That's probably it." Her grin was tempting so he started to kiss her again when the bell over the door chimed as someone entered. He glanced up automatically and then his eyes narrowed sharply. He straightened and held Tasia closer protectively. "Well. Look what the cat dragged in."
Beth looked over sharply as well when she realized that she could sense hostility in Rodi and a blend of anger and pain inside Tasia. "We're closed," she started to say, but the words died as she realized he looked damned familiar. She and Tasia had been friends since barely over a year in age. "Holy crap," she managed.
Anna frowned as she looked at the man and then got to her feet and ran over to hide behind her mother and father. She didn't like the man's presence, and she didn't like how upset he made her parents. Tasia didn't say anything to her, but her hand settled gently on her head and smoothed her hair.
Arthur realized he was recipient of many hostile glares but didn't look at anyone except his daughter. He had done a bit of investigative work, and though there were some obvious holes in her background, he had learned quite a bit. He knew she was a world-famous authoress, had petitioned and opened her own combat training school at age twenty, and that she had turned out to be in possession of a Seed herself and therefore was a Ruler Cultivator. She stood as Crown Princess and heir to the throne of Iris, for Lower Queen Yvette Iris and her husband, Dane, had adopted her. There was something more about that position as heir that he couldn't seem to peg, unfortunately. No one would tell him. At least she wasn't a Defender Cultivator as well. He did not think he could handle that. As a Ruler, she would be safe. He had no interest in the Rulers of Blossom at all. "Can we talk alone?" he asked.
"You can speak in front of my friends as well as you can in front of me," she countered coolly.
"He's your father?" Emily asked curiously.
"No, he fathered her," Storm said quietly. "Uncle Dane is her father. And Dad is hers as well. There's a big difference." His eyes unnerved Arthur if only because the older man could see he was a pattern master. "I don't really remember you," Storm said politely, "since I was only about two years old and had only known Tasia a few months when you walked out. I'm noticing something now I hadn't known. She gets her power from you too. You carry Liena's blood." At Arthur's lifted brow, he offered, "I can feel the lineage in you after having been around Tasia and Mom so long."
Arthur inclined his head slightly. "Yes, I do. I come from the line carried by the third child of Jean Kinsley and Byron Rancul." He shifted his eyes and held his daughter's gaze. "I don't expect you to forgive me." He ignored her derisive snort. "But I do expect you to give me the benefit of the doubt."
"Benefit of the doubt?" Tasia repeated incredulously. "You've got to be kidding! You up and left us one day, not a word of apology or an explanation, and now you expect me to just jump in your arms with forgiveness? Screw you." She drew a deep breath. "Get out of here. You taint the air."
He hesitated just long enough for LeAnn and Raine to stand and take offensive positions. Others around the room shifted their weight aggressively. He had already learned not to underestimate Rulers—especially LeAnn—and the fact that all had been training at the school just underscored that. He made a slight bow. "I will eventually get you to listen to me, Tasia." He turned and walked over the door with dignity, and the bell chimed softly in his wake.
LeAnn walked over to Tasia and just held her tightly. Tasia let out a little sigh and held her back on a wry smile. "Who's defending who around here?" she asked dryly. A little shiver ran down her back suddenly, and she looked at Theo who was staring at the door. "A premonition."
"A crumbling glacier," Theo murmured. "I wonder what it means." He broke off as he felt something else entirely, and he watched Tasia tense as well. "Evil. It moves." He reached out with his divination and got a glimpse of evil moving in the port again. "Seems he likes that port. I think Glacia's back."
Ryan took a sharp breath. "Mom and Dad were there. They might be in trouble if they can't get away so Mom can put on her Mask."
"Then we're putting on Masks here and then transporting there to save time," Tasia said curtly. "Rodi, you need to stay here with the kids."
He nodded. "Be careful." He watched the team don Masks and transport out and then looked down at his daughter with a sigh. "So what were you drawing? Going to give Raine competition?" His mind was already moving quickly. He needed to have Olivia watch the kids instead so he could take care of something as well.
The battle did not seem to be going well. Ulyen had his bow and did his best to keep the monster at range—safe enough to do as he was a known Commander—but Delilah looked a little bloody from the initial attack and not being able to put on her Mask and call armor for fear of the enemy seeing her—or use her Defender magic for the same reason. She spotted the younger team arriving and let out a breath of relief.
Raine immediately ran over to Delilah to heal her, and Theo and Beth moved to put a shield around Ulyen and Delilah alike. The eerie and disturbing monster that looked like it had been made of scrap body parts did not like having its easy target removed and went lunging for the others. Ryan, a little peeved at his parents in danger, released a ridiculously large and powerful ball of Water magic that smashed into the monster's chest and hurled into the ocean. Storm looked, saw no potential collateral, and dropped a huge lightning bolt on the monster before it recovered. Thanks to the water, the monster first got electrocuted and then exploded.
Everyone hurried over to the two Elder Orchid royals and found Raine had finished mending both. "What happened?" Ryan demanded. "How did you get into the middle of that?"
"It's alright, Ry," Delilah soothed him. She stood the same height as her son so gently reached out to hug him. "You won't lose us so easily or so soon. Yes, we're at the stage where it is all too likely our generation will die," she said calmly, "but there are always certain . . . signs of such a thing coming. All generations have always been removed at the same time. Until a battle comes that needs all twenty of us, we are safe."
His shoulders slumped. He did not like any of that, but he knew it to be true. He was a historian; he knew the endless pattern of life. "I know. I just don't want to lose you because I only recently found you."
"What did happen?" Reagan asked.
"I think it was an accident," Ulyen admitted. "That monster looked as surprised to see us as we were to see it! It may have been looking for Ryan—or rather, a Defender Cultivator of Orchid. This port has usually been under Orchid's protection for as long as we've been installed at Protea Kingdom until ours is finished being rebuilt. If the enemy is working on old knowledge, he would know that Orchid is connected here but not realize the duties have been split. He has much chance of getting an Elder Defender as he does a younger."
"Sucks for them," Theo said succinctly. "Let's get back to the castle before more things go wrong!" He broke off suddenly and clenched a hand to his heart as he felt a premonition so strong it hurt. He blindly flung out a hand, and Ryan grabbed his wrist to pull the pain away. It eased, and he was able to draw a deep breath. He slowly looked at an equally pale Tasia. "Someone's going to die soon," he whispered softly. "By the Realm, someone you love is going to die, Tasi."
"I know." She ignored the rising protests and closed her eyes to focus through her gifts. She already knew who it would be, and her Pattern Mastery was all too willing to show her the reasons why. Show her the little clues she had wanted to ignore yet could not. A deeper pain welled inside her soul as she accepted that she had not killed her feelings for him after all. "Damn it," she whispered softly. "Damn it to hell and back."
* * * * *
The message had been short and to the point. Arthur not only found it incredibly fascinating to receive, but he also found great respect for the man who had written it. It was why he even bothered to show up at the listed location. He wanted to know more about this man his daughter had chosen for her apparent Caretaker. His information had mentioned that the last name of 'Aria' was no coincidence; Rodi had been the Ruler Cultivator of that world but Deactivated himself to marry Tasia. Arthur had to respect that.
Rodi was already there and leaning against a communications pole, and the clouds in the sky took turns revealing and concealing him in shadow. An interesting feat when his dark coloring made it hard for him to hide. Arthur stopped a few feet away and said calmly, "I did not expect you to ask to speak to me. You have made it clear how you feel. Are you looking to challenge me to a fight?"
Rodi straightened to face the older man, and his black eyes reflected no light in his cold expression. Only magenta shadows seethed warningly. "It was not a challenge for a fight. I would win too easily, and it would hurt Anastasia too deeply."
Arthur's brows lifted, but he didn't refute the words. "Then what did you want?"
"To tell you to leave her the hell alone," was the blunt response. "You are tearing at her soul, and she's suffered too damn much from others trying to do the same. She does not need you. I can't make it any plainer. She has Dane Iris and Tosh Peacer, and they have been fathers to her in a way you will never emulate." Rodi watched the flicker of pain in Arthur's eyes and knew that, despite it all, despite his reasons for leaving, Arthur still loved his daughter. In a way, it only pissed Rodi off more. He would never leave his children. Ever. Only death could make him leave their side. "Go near my Cultivator again and I will make you regret coming back." He held up a hand and gold majik swirled around his fingers. "I'm no average witch, old man. No one but my mate is more powerful. You would do well to remember it." He turned and walked away into the afternoon, and he disappeared into the shadows within a few steps.
Arthur watched him leave and then smiled a little to himself. His daughter had certainly chosen a mate strong enough to walk by her side, and one who would protect her fiercely while accepting and respecting her own great strength. In another time and place, he and Rodi would have gotten along. Too bad there were many other extenuating circumstances.
There was just something about Tasia's attitude and her collection of friends that felt familiar though he could not place what or why, and he got the feeling the information might be very, very crucial to his survival. Oh well. There were other things to do in the meantime. He would give the Resurrection Cultivators some time to rest from the last fight and then he would see how they did against him personally.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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