It was a week into November before anything happened following Arthur's death and the Resurrection Cultivators' sudden personal involvement in the entire situation. The team had somewhat expected to see Tasia retreat into herself the way she had after Mark Lambert—Anna's birth father—had died, but she had not. She had become stronger since then, and she had not needed to shatter her soul. She could heal without it. She had not spoken of the sparks inside her blood though most who touched her could feel it as a sizzle or tingle against their skin. Like Shanae, they found it wonderfully soothing. Perhaps she would soon reach whatever evolution had begun during that last shattering during Mark's death. Haeth had said it would be beautiful, and certainly Tasia's new sparkling felt so. She had also said getting there would be terrible, and Tasia needed to endure the violent and volatile nature of her own emotions in order to bloom. There could be no denying that that had happened either.
There appeared a bright side in the terrible events, too: her real fathers had shown their true colors. Dane and Tosh alike, more than ever, were always there for her, always quick to catch her if she stumbled, and they dropped everything if they thought their daughter needed them. Their complete focus and love helped heal Tasia only more. She could not mourn what she had lost when what she had been left with was so much more.
Starlight still felt a little concerned, and a little guilty, so she went looking for Tasia early one morning on Saturday. She found the Lead Defender in the garden training space and leaning against a statue to watch Gail and Silas spar with Emily and Ryan. The Cultivators were winning. Tasia glanced over as Starlight joined her and offered a smile to show she was welcome. The match was still raging, so as to not disturb it, the two women headed away from the area and deeper into another part of the gardens where trees almost became a small forest. The gardens of the Protea palace grounds encompassed fifty acres and had all manner of landscape from trees to sculpted gardens to more than one small pond used for swimming on the hottest days.
The late fall, early winter atmosphere had the sunlight dappling thinly through the bare branches overhead, and the last of the autumn leaves slowly fluttered down through the air. Starlight glanced at Tasia once, then again, and realized she wasn't imagining things. There was indeed a tiny baby dragon sleeping inside her bra, just visible around the edge of her slightly unbuttoned shirt. She had seen Anira before, but never there. "Ah. Interesting fashion accessory." She was only mostly joking; she had learned quickly that Tasia had absolutely no fashion style and could often look haphazardly dressed, yet always managed to still look good somehow.
Tasia glanced down, then smiled. "Oh her. She's done that since she was born. Comforts both of us." She glanced up overhead as they walked and watched as Striker flew through the trees slowly where the light glinted on his scales. "Three is a sacred number to witches, so I suppose no surprise I would have three familiars." Haeth was flying along behind them and nodded her head firmly in agreement.
Testing the ground, Starlight said, "Haeth feels . . . almost more like a parent as much as a sister to you."
Idly Tasia said, "You don't need to tiptoe around the subject, Starlight. I'm not going to break into pieces. I never had many memories of my father. I didn't know him that well. It may be callous of me to say, but I grieve for the lost opportunities to know one another rather than the man he was. We were strangers, and he made us enemies through his selfish choices. We loved each other because we were father and daughter, but we never truly got to like one another because we simply did not know one another. He cheated us both out of that, and that is what hurts."
Starlight listened in fascination. She had never met anyone like this priestess before. She could truly see now why she was the High Priestess. A bone-deep calm existed inside her that came from tearing herself to shreds and then reforming herself whole. It existed inside Shanae as well. The two who had been driven to a point no other Cultivator—Ruler or Defender or Dual—had ever been driven. She almost did not want to know why. "But you do still grieve."
"Naturally. I just won't shatter myself anew." She glanced slightly to the side at her companion. "I assume you heard someone singing two weeks ago. That was me. Singing for a Mystic is like an extended crying jag. It heals my soul and brings me past the pains so I can move on. I don't normally cry at all. I may tear up now and then, but not actually cry. Perhaps a bit ironically, the two times I have ever truly cried because my music alone is not enough was when my father left and when he died. My music is all I need most of the time, and is truly a more automatic reaction than tears. Gouge me to my soul too hard and fast, and I wouldn't be able to stop myself from singing then and there. Some people burst into tears. I burst into song. My life is a musical theatrical sometimes. Irony at its best."
Starlight thought of the incredibly powerful voice she had heard singing into the night sky and felt awe prickle along her skin in response. It seemed like every time she turned around, Tasia demonstrated a new ability like a gemstone reflected a new facet. "Exactly what are you?" she asked curiously.
Tasia grinned slightly. "What aren't I?" she countered. She shook her head. "Chaotic is a word for it. To break down the classifications—though they are all tightly linked—I am a Mystic Sorceress Summoner. Among the levels of witchcraft, I've reached the highest. I can use all elements save one and I possess all majik-related gifts in max strength—though some I rarely use unless absolutely needed because it gives my friends something to do and me a breather. Being a summoner on top of it means I can summon the rawest force of a Flower Element to aid me in or out of battle. And, as a Mystic, I am a songstress of the highest caliber. My soul is made of music and majik and everything good in the universe. I can bend reality with my voice alone. Of course, I'm also a Lead Defender of both Blossom Field and Aria, so my magic crosses between offense and defense in both the Ice and Shadow Flower Elements. There's a reason we just sum up everything I do with 'arcanistry' because there are other powers I have we just can't classify, like Sayena and Shanae. Hence their arcanery, both terms relating to the arcane forces we utilize."
Starlight became aware of a multihued bird flying behind them, but ignored it; the palace grounds had all manner of animals walking or flying on them, and all were friendly and approachable despite being wild. "Your friends must think you can walk on water." She heard a slight snort of laughter, but a quick look assured her there was no one else there.
Tasia laughed. "Actually, I can. That's the Water Flower Element majik though." She glanced over her shoulder with an amused smile. "Do you think I walk on water, chameleon girl?"
There was a sigh, and then with a quick flash the bird became Emily who fell into step beside them with her hands in her pockets. She ignored Starlight's open-mouthed expression and eyed her leader. "I think that you're a pain in the ass, but really cool sometimes."
"There you go!" Tasia said to Starlight. "Why'd you want to talk to me anyway? Did you just want to hear me pour out my troubles, or did you want to sympathize?"
Starlight flushed a little. "Well, I wanted to do a little of both. I lost my parents too, you know." She laced her hands tightly in front of herself and stared intently into the distance. "About two years ago, there was an accident while they were out riding. Neither survived."
"I'm sorry," Emily said softly.
"So am I, but I'm glad they were together." She smiled. "Neither would have wanted to live without the other. You'd understand that, right? Both of you have soul mates."
"Agreed," Tasia admitted with a wry smile. "Though Rodi and I have often thought we can't live without each other, literally, and we're honestly fine with that."
"Personally, I think Silas'll die first," Emily disagreed, "because sure as hell he'll provoke me into killing him. He's a pain in the ass, and always ordering me around! He drags me off like I was a bag of groceries, and doesn't even apologize for it! He's cocky, impulsive, hot-tempered . . .!"
Starlight and Tasia shared a smile. "And handsome as sin, with a body almost literally designed by gods to be perfect?" Starlight offered.
Emily could only sigh. "Yes, damn it. And his heart and soul are just as beautiful." In a complaining voice she added, "He knows it, too! It's not fair!"
"Want to turn the tables?" Tasia murmured. She grinned when Emily lifted a brow. "Buy something skimpy and seductive and then let him get the rest of your clothes off you. He'll be so busy picking his jaw up that you can have him at your mercy in ten seconds, flat. Five if you wear some perfume."
Emily burst into laughter, and Starlight began to giggle softly. Tasia nearly started to say more when she suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence near them. She instinctively stepped in front of Starlight, and Emily moved to be behind her as soon as she saw the gesture. Tasia's narrowed eyes swept the area. She did not strictly sense danger—whoever was near had gotten past the shields without disturbing them, and that meant they were an ally—but the presence was still new.
A man stepped forward from the trees, and revealed himself as only few inches taller than Tasia with a face not necessarily handsome but one still appealing. Glossy back hair past his shoulders, black eyes light enough to show his pupils, and skin nearly the same color as Tasia's hair. Powerfully built, but perhaps a little thinner than normal. Tasia's eyes narrowed a bit more as she evaluated him and realized she could sense the Nature Flower Element inside him along with actual magic.
"Who are you?" Emily demanded. "And why are you on Protea palace grounds?"
Starlight eased a little to the side and looked around Tasia's arm. Her heart took three flying jumps up into her throat and then she was running forward before she even was consciously aware of it. "Raven!" she shouted. She stumbled but caught herself in time to leap into his arms. At they closed around her, she began to cry as she clung onto him. "Damn you! Damn you!" she sobbed into his shoulder. She had thought the holes inside her soul would never close.
Raven Rosewood just held her all the tighter and sank down onto the ground before his trembling legs dumped them over. He still didn't have all his strength back, and it had taken all his energy to even make the attempt to follow her across dimensions. If it weren't for the song he had heard . . . he would never have succeeded at all. "Star," he said, his voice a rough rumble in her ear. "Gods, Star."
Tasia and Emily lifted their brows at each other and then walked forward to kneel beside the couple. Raven looked very in need of some good food and possibly some additional healing magic, but otherwise intact overall. Proof perhaps of his good heart, a scar that curved down his cheek added to his appeal rather than take away despite its alarming scale. Whatever had done it must have hurt. "So you're Raven," Tasia murmured.
He looked at her oddly as her voice resonated in his soul. "You're the songstress I heard."
"Oh shit." She dropped her face in her hands. "By the Realm, don't tell me I managed to sing across dimensions this time!" She pulled her hands down and narrowed a sharp look at a snickering Emily. "Shut up, Em, or you'll be howling at the night sky by my power, and not yours."
"Yes'm." Emily still couldn't stop the grin. Rather than risk getting turned into something four-legged and furry, she turned to study Raven intently. "So you're Starlight's Caretaker? Tasia's song called you?"
Raven nodded and held Starlight closer and smiled as she held him just as tightly. Five damned years lost, and he could never get them back. "The last thing I remember before waking was fighting an enemy and then hearing our friend Jeo say he would make me sleep until I healed. The next memory is hearing Starlight's voice, which gave me the strength to wake and get free." He sighed. "I had no idea where to go or what to do, and had no way of contacting the Defenders. But recently this voice started singing and it activated our Leylines. I knew Phoenix had used them to transport himself to Star, so I thought I could attempt the same. Believe it or not, my one magical gift as a Caretaker is a transport."
"That's a useful one!" Emily told him dryly. "And I know Caretakers who would envy you."
Tasia critically eyed the empty sword sheath around Raven's waist. "Swordsmen without swords are rather pointless. Broadsword right? Uncle Navi uses them too; we'll borrow one for you. Let's get you to the castle and have everyone else meet you."
Raven blinked at Starlight. "Is she in charge around here?"
"She kind of is," she agreed cheerfully. "Her name is Anastasia Aria, but she goes by Tasia. She's the Lead Defender of the Resurrection Cultivators team here in Blossom Field. The other woman is Emily Hyacinth, a Defender of the same team. Both are Duals, as is their whole team, so they're the future Rulers of their worlds as well. Also, Tasia is the High Priestess. All of the team are witches except her because she's a sorceress. I will cover everything later, I promise. It's very complicated." She held tighter to Raven's arm. "Your return is both good and bad, my love."
"Oh? How so?" Emily asked.
"Good because I get Raven back, but bad because now Minstrel will now take a personal interest in everything. He hates Raven with a passion."
"The feeling is mutual," Raven said under his breath. He sighed and shook his head a bit wryly. "It'll be dealt with eventually. In the meantime, going and meeting the resident Rulers would probably be a good idea. I get the feeling we'll be here a while."
Chance was on his patrol again when he saw LeAnn wandering through the gardens ahead of him. She was quite clearly not paying attention to her surroundings, and the urge to sneak up and surprise her was both strong and stunning. He had never wanted to be playful with anyone. He had not known he could be.
He loved her. By the Realm, he loved her more than he loved anyone else. The scene in the training spot had forced him to confront the truth, and he knew now that she was buried so deeply into his heart and soul that removing her would be like cutting him to shreds. His confusion knew no ends. He had been so convinced he did not have a soul mate, yet he could see now that LeAnn had burrowed into his soul. It had to be a fluke. Some aberration. They could not be soul mates. Destiny would never have given LeAnn someone like him.
She sensed him suddenly, which only made him realize they were more closely connected than he had assumed. Her head turned, and her hair swung lightly around her shoulders. The thick locks had been left loose to allow for a glimmering net to rest over them, and the white streaks shimmered like sunshine. She looked at him with only vague surprise and then her lips curved into a slow and welcoming smile. "Hello, Rubeo."
He grabbed his control with both hands and walked down the path to join her. "Hello, Leslie Ann." He looked at the Ruler gown she wore, and his lips curved against his will. "Going somewhere special?" Ruler outfits tended to only be donned for special occasions or business reasons, rather than be normal daywear. A sort of casual formality otherwise hung over the kingdoms as a whole, in varying levels. The Resurrection Era Lower Princesses and Princes tended to be very casual, while LeAnn and Reagan had to be a bit more reserved due to being High Princesses. The Elder Cultivators had determined that the younger could continue to enjoy their normal lives until absolutely required otherwise, which had proven to help stress levels of both generations. As Shanae had said, letting the 'kids' run around in denims all they liked now would lessen the impact later when they had to all but give them up.
"Mom said that she had a feeling we'd have visitors, so I decided it time to look like a proper Protea Ruler Cultivator." She turned in a slow circle and made the petals of her skirt swirl around her legs, tempting him with glimpses of her skin. "I even put on extra makeup. What do you think?" She moved closer and looked up at him from under her lashes. There were circles under his eyes from restless nights, and she couldn't have been happier. At least they suffered equally.
He fought the urge to back up. "I think," he told her shortly, "that you're still looking for trouble in all the wrong places."
"Technically, there's no such thing as looking for trouble in the right places." She moved even closer to him until her skirts touched the material of his slacks. She could smell the familiar scent of his skin and literally feel the shadows in him. It was a dangerously seductive combination. "I'm not looking for trouble, Rubeo."
"You're looking for a husband." His eyes narrowed. "I am not husband material, nor am I at all suitable for being a High King. I'll say this only once more, princess: let me be. Find someone else to marry."
She didn't take offense. The pain of his words was well hidden. It often seemed that pain was as much a part of her as her love for him. She had known this would be hard, but she had not realized just how terribly painful it could be to claw at the brick wall of a powerful Dark core's stubborn blindness. Even the bit of Light inside him that made him Dark Shadow did not help in this case. He literally could not see or understand that he was her soul mate for he just did not understand love as a whole. He would probably have to be shocked deep enough to rattle past his fear and make his heart cause him to act without thinking. "I see. So you would not care at all if I gave up and reinstated my list and looked for another suitor? You wouldn't care that I'd be letting someone else kiss me, touch me, and hold me in the same way you did?" She moved closer so that their bodies nearly touched and watched the darkening of his blue eyes that was desire and jealousy both. "You really wouldn't care, Rubeo?"
"No." The word sounded taut with the emotions gripping him, and they both knew it to be a lie. It was the first lie he had ever told to her, and it cut them both equally. She lowered her lashes and turned away. The pain in the line of her face made him feel as if his soul had been gutted. He had never wanted to hurt her. He wanted to keep her away so that he didn't hurt her! "Leslie Ann." He lifted a hand toward her but she turned her back on him entirely. He slowly lowered his hand. "I'm sorry."
It was just as well her back was turned. He could not see the smile suddenly tugging at her lips. She kept her voice deliberately neutral. "Don't pity me, Rubeo. I'm a grown woman who makes her own choices." She shrugged one shoulder casually. "I suppose I've done all I can. Sometimes soul mates just can't be together. I will inform my parents that I am accepting suitors again, and I will make an effort to find someone else to marry. I will have to see if I can find someone that I can be happy with even a bit. I am a witch, after all. I should be able to produce a child with someone not my soul mate." It might not be a lie, but she believed it a lie, and it balanced for the one he told. Truly, she fought as much for the future of her world as she did her own happiness, but she would never tell him so. She wanted his love, not his guilt.
"We are not soul mates." The strain in his voice could not be missed. "You will find who is, and you will forget about me entirely."
"Of course." She heard his soft and violent curse and smiled to herself. He still had no idea that he was firmly caught in her plans. She had hoped it would not reach this point though she had prepared for it. She would indeed accept suitors, and she would closely look for one that would be willing to help her with her next stage in the plan.
Softly, across her mind, she heard her twin's murmur, Dare I ask what you are up to?
LeAnn was not telepathic with anyone except her twin, and even then, she could not actually read Tasia's mind unless Tasia opened it to her. The bond had formed during Aria when LeAnn had nearly lost her twin and clung on harder after getting her back. She glanced to the side and saw Tasia and Emily approaching with Starlight and an unfamiliar man that had to Starlight's soul mate; he just looked like he should be.
But . . . only Cultivators or other Caretakers might peg that. Someone who was, say, blind to entire concept of how soul mates worked might not see it at all. I need a favor, she told Tasia briskly. I'm assuming that's Raven, Starlight's mate. Can you ask him to pretend he isn't and flirt with me? A lot. I'll be flirting back, and I need him to offer to court me. He can absolutely know it's not serious for me. Tell him I'm trying to land my own mate who is an idiot.
Tasia bit her lip before she laughed. "Raven, I'll explain everything later, but for now, can I ask you and Star a big favor? I need you to pretend to be just friends. Princess LeAnn has been struggling to reel in her soul mate, and I think she's at the point of playing the jealousy card. She needs someone to flirt with her and ask to court her, and she'll be flirting back. Raven is a prime candidate for being new and in possession of all Caretakers traits—imagine that."
Starlight glanced ahead to the gardens and giggled softly. She immediately changed her grip on Raven's arm to be more sisterly and grinned up at him. "This will be fun, I promise. And I don't expect it to take long. Captain Chance is a man on the verge of completely losing his self-control."
"Which is long overdue," Emily groused.
Raven followed their gazes and saw the elegant Ruler Cultivator and redheaded Captain stood with body language that almost looked a bit as if they were at war. His experienced eye pegged LeAnn as a Defender Cultivator as well, and that meant he was more than willing to help. Cultivators needed their soul mates, especially Duals, and if she couldn't land hers alone, he would damned well give her a hand. "Alright. I can do this. I think I remember how to be charming."
Emily snorted in amusement and prepared to enjoy watching Rubeo Chance turn green. She had been enjoying the entire plan and this would be fabulous. "Hey, LeAnn!" she called. "Oh, hi, Chance! Both of you need to come meet Starlight's best friend! His name is Raven Rosewood. He's a prince from her home world, and they grew up together." To Raven she said, "LeAnn is actually High Princess LeAnn Protea, the heir to the throne of Protea."
LeAnn offered a hand when they were close, and she lifted a brow as Raven brought her fingers to his lips with a bow. "What a very different greeting. And very dashing." She watched him from under her lashes and was pleased by the amusement in his eyes. She would definitely like him. "Star, you did not mention how very appealing he is."
"She also did not mention," he countered smoothly, "that Protea chose to make its princess as beautiful as the flower it holds in its Core. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess LeAnn."
Starlight snorted very softly. "You've always been such a flirty creature, Raven."
Chance's eyes narrowed sharply as he watched Raven and LeAnn. It took all his willpower not to jerk their hands apart since neither had let go. Boiling jealousy seemed to simply sear his heart and mind until he nearly choked on it.
"Raven," Tasia drawled softly, "we'd also like you meet Captain Rubeo Chance. He heads the Royal Knights that protect Protea as a whole."
Her eyes met Chance's coolly, and he knew she had seen his reaction. Well, her eyes seemed to say, you didn't want her yourself, did you? Furious, he looked away.
"A pleasure," Raven said, but without lifting his eyes from LeAnn's face. He smoothly tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted her gallantly along with him as they all began to head toward the castle where the others would be waiting. "Such a lovely name, LeAnn. Is it short for anything?"
"Leslie Ann." She smiled and almost fluttered her lashes. "You're welcome to call me either. May I call you Raven? It's such an unusual name, and very fitting to you. I have a fondness for animals of all kinds, given my Nature Flower Element."
"I'd be honored if you did." He opened the door for the Cultivators to walk in ahead of him but left Chance to catch the door before it shut in his face. Chance's back teeth grit together as his blue eyes edged toward black in their fury.
That was the very first thing Shanae and Robert noticed as the troupe walked into the throne room. Chance looked a man visibly on the edge of losing all control, and it was wonderful. The newcomer seemed aware of it yet merely appeared amused, Tasia looked neutral yet her caramel eyes sparkled, Emily and Starlight were snickering, and LeAnn looked like the cat that had gotten the canary cage open.
"Oh, god," Shanae murmured. "She planned this, too, didn't she?"
Robert leaned over slightly and whispered, "Count our blessings that she's not a pattern master."
She bit back a grin as she crossed the room. The skirt and petals of her formal Ruler gown—of course identical to her daughter's—swirled merrily around her legs as she walked. "I had wondered when you might arrive," she said warmly to Raven. "Starlight speaks so highly of you, I knew she loved you a great deal."
Raven bowed gracefully over her offered hand and was sure he would like the tall warrior queen. "She's always been one of my dearest friends." He straightened and smiled. "I see now where LeAnn got her stunning beauty. It is quite an honor, Your Majesty."
She was definitely going to like him! Her pink eyes twinkled. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Prince Raven. I am High Queen Shanae Protea. This is my husband, Robert. He is a Ruler Cultivator of Delphinium, so there is magic and a Seed inside him as well. His sister is High Queen Sayena Delphinium, and she married my brother. Blossom Field loves alliances and friends, so we are happy to welcome you, Raven. I do hope you do not mind that you suddenly speak a new language. Our High Priestess sought to make life easier for all involved with this dimension crossing."
"I do not at all mind. It is wonderfully convenient. I admit, I had my concerns coming here." He deliberately paused, glanced down at LeAnn, and then back. "I suppose it is forward of me on such a short meeting, but I wonder if LeAnn is accepting suitors."
Robert bit back a smile as murder lit Chance's eyes and turned them wholly black. "Yes, she is. However, only she can choose whether to accept a suitor or not. Her mother and I merely offer our guidance or second approval as needed. Last I knew, she had chosen to forgo her list in order to court another."
"Actually," LeAnn spoke up casually, "as that has fallen through, I will accept suitors again." She smiled up at Raven. "Are you offering?"
"I am," he said sincerely. "I am quite taken with you. It is not every day one meets such a charming and lovely princess." He barely batted a lash as they all heard the throne room door slam shut very loudly behind Chance as he left. "Was that too much?" he asked blandly.
Tasia and Emily burst into laughter and had to hold each other up. Starlight would have helped, but she was laughing just as hard. Robert grinned wickedly as Shanae gave their daughter a high five. "No, I'd say that was spot on," he said dryly.
LeAnn danced away a step and then whirled around happily. "That was so perfect! And the timing was beautiful! He'd just finished telling me he wanted me to look for another suitor." She turned to Raven with a smile. "Thank you, Raven. You're a good man and Starlight's very lucky."
"Yes, I am." Starlight wiped her eyes with the edge of Raven's sleeve. "Goddess, that was so funny! I've never seen that man looking at such a loss. When Raven kissed your hand, I thought he was going to blow his top! I think this will work just fine, LeAnn."
"Do you mind playing along for a few days?" LeAnn asked Raven curiously. "Just long enough to force him into making some sort of move? All you have to do is play the part of the adoring suitor, and I'll flirt a lot. Kind of like when you first courted Starlight probably."
He grinned. "With the exception that we both know what we're doing and will only say something ridiculous on purpose. Star and I had a bit of a learning curve."
"The things he said," his mate told the others gravely. "It's a wonder we survived." She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as he pulled her close. The throne room doors opened, and she looked over to see Ryan, Racine, and Raine. All three looked deeply amused. "What happened now?"
"Why is Chance looking for something to kill?" Racine asked dryly.
LeAnn muffled a laugh. "Well . . ." She explained quickly and then introduced the Cultivators to Raven so that he knew all their names. When she was done, she added innocently, "Can I help it if I decided to listen to Rubeo for once and do as he said and find someone else?"
"A surefire method of making him realize what he really wants," Shanae agreed, "is to give him what he thinks he wants." She hugged her daughter with a smile. "I'm so proud of you." She broke off and lifted her head sharply as she felt a chill.
Tasia felt her blood boil in warning, and also lifted her head fast. Starlight and Raven had never seen that reaction before, but it did walk close to how Sunlight looked when she sensed evil moving. Confirming it, Ryan grabbed his PCA hastily. "Theodore Richards!" As soon as the call connected, he said, "Paging the Aster divining rod! What and where?"
A pause, then, "Near the river where it crosses through Protea. Best I've got because it's already happening and not happening in the future. Tasi, what can you See?"
Tasia seemed to stare at nothing as all as she reached out and then her eyes narrowed. "A man with a Reparation monster. However, the monster is not doing all of the damage. The man seems to be doing that personally."
"Minstrel."
The low word was more a curse than a name, and Raine looked at Raven sharply as she sensed his Dark core. It came as no real shock; Starlight was a Light core and opposites did indeed attract. It just felt a bit surprising inside Raven since he did not feel wholly like a Dark core. Perhaps he had a hue of another element like LeAnn did. She filed it for later review and looked at her sister. "Should we call the others or handle this by ourselves?"
"Call them to meet us there." Tasia grabbed her Mask from her bracelet. "Raven, you and Starlight come with us as well. You know this Minstrel best and we need that advantage." She twirled her Mask on a finger and smiled as Anira flew out of her shirt to hover in the air. "You'll get used to me," she promised Raven as she saw his odd expression.
"Yeah right," Emily muttered. "We're not used to you yet ourselves!"
The Reparation somewhat methodically kept tearing up the shore of the river where all the recreation equipment and furniture had been left for public use. A handsome, and surprisingly young, man with fair hair only a shade darker than Cashlin's sat on one of the loungers with what looked like a specialty fruit drink complete with little umbrella in his hand. He hummed a cheerful tune as he watched the destruction. He truly did not look much older than twenty or so, which seemed somehow odd.
LeAnn looked at Storm, and they both smirked. They fired off their attacks at the same moment, and while lightning struck the monster and sent it flying into the lake, vines shot up from under Minstrel's chair and sent him flying into the air. He caught himself and flipped around so that he landed gracefully on his feet.
He watched curiously as the team shortly destroyed the monster with another well-placed attack. It had only been a half-hearted beast at best anyway. He smiled quite cheerfully as they all turned to face him. "We meet at last!" He walked slowly toward Tasia who stepped in front of her princess defensively. The proof of them being twin souls got coolly filed away. "I wish to offer my condolences on the death of your father," he told her very gravely.
If anything, her eyes narrowed more. "I'm sure you do."
"No, no!" he assured her as he held up his hands quickly. "I really do regret Glacia's death. I mean, it was so much fun to watch him when he wasn't aware. Sometimes I'd mess with his mind and throw my voice so he thought I was somewhere else. It's such fun seeing people in terror," he said wistfully. "The stronger the personality, the more fun it is." His eyes met Tasia's, and though he smiled, the expression never reached his cold eyes. "I wonder what you're afraid of."
"I don't need to wonder what you're afraid of." She did not flinch from his gaze. Her lips curved, but her smile didn't reach her eyes either. "We found something that you tried to get rid of. It belongs to us now too." She lifted a hand and pointed over Minstrel's shoulder, and he turned with a grace that underscored his highly trained body. "The Raven and The Dove meet again."
"I didn't tell her that," Starlight muttered. "I know I didn't. How did she know that?"
"We've stopped asking," Theo told her. "It's healthier not to know."
Minstrel narrowed his eyes sharply as he watched Raven straighten from where he had been negligently leaning against a tree. It had been five years, and Minstrel had finally been starting to think he had gotten rid of his rival once and for all. Yet here he stood, strong as ever and twice as dangerous as before. And . . .
Minstrel's face clouded with fury as he beheld the mark on Raven's face. "Damn you! Damn you, Raven! We were supposed to match! Mirrors of one another, and now you've gone and gotten that scar! You broke the mirror!"
"Get one of your own," Raven retorted. His eyes narrowed as Minstrel yanked a dagger out of his boot. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Fixing the problem!" He lifted the dagger and slashed it down his own face, cutting the skin open from just below his left eye to his chin. It made a mimicry of the mark on Raven, and on the mirroring cheek. Blood flowed down his face and dripped onto his clothes and the ground.
It shouldn't have surprised Raven, but somehow this signal of Minstrel's unbalance was still a shock. "You're a fool." He jerked to the side when Minstrel lunged at him, and the mad poet stumbled. Raven felt a sudden lack of a weapon as Minstrel drew a sword and came at him again, but before he could move, a sword hilt fell into his hand, and he instinctively blocked the blade flying for his head.
Minstrel's eyes narrowed and madness gleamed within the depths with a sort of glazed quality all the more terrifying for the genius within it. The muscles of Raven's arms bunched as he slowly forced the swords away from his face. He gave a sudden burst of strength that sent Minstrel stumbling backward so hard he fell into the river. The resounding splash had water spraying everywhere, and Minstrel sat up quickly. With a disgusted look on his face, he pulled a fish out of his shirt.
LeAnn watched as Minstrel got to his feet and glanced at the lake water where his blood had stained it red. It was frightening to think someone could do that to himself. More frightening still to realize his very unpredictability made him the most dangerous enemy they had ever encountered. The pattern masters would have to work hard to make sense of anything.
Raven and Minstrel stared at each other for long moments and then Minstrel smiled cheerfully. "Well, we'll have some fun now, won't we, Raven?" He glanced to where Phoenix and Starlight stood and doffed his hat to them regally. "I hope we get to play someday. It's been a long time since I broke a strong person." His eyes locked onto Starlight's, and he smiled nearly gently. "You belong to Raven. You'll have to die, I'm afraid. I need him to suffer."
Phoenix stepped in front of Starlight defensively. "Over my dead body," he snapped.
"Well, of course," Minstrel agreed. He began to laugh as he turned to walk away, and he disappeared mid-step as he did so.
Ryan walked over to the river without a word and knelt down to purify the water of the blood that was there. Likewise, LeAnn moved to where the blood had split on the ground, and she grimaced at the blackened marks it had made. Madness destroyed, never created. She then glanced at Raven and the green and gray sword in his hand. It looked familiar. "Where'd that come from?"
"I have no idea." He blinked and let go of the sword as it floated up out of his hands and suddenly began to glow before turning into a green seed pod. When the pod disappeared, it left behind a fae who gave him an impish grin and then flew over to where a man leaned against a tree in the shadows. The man wore heavy armor of his own, but no mask. "What the hell?"
Allister grinned at him. "You needed a sword. Melina volunteered."
"Your sword is a fae?" Raven asked.
"No, my fae is a sword. Slight difference." He put an arm around Racine's waist as she walked over to where he was and leaned against him. He had been watching from the sidelines without feeling a need to interfere; the Defenders had been handling things well enough so far. When he had noticed that Raven was unarmed, Melina had cheerfully agreed to let Raven use her since she could get to him undetected by Minstrel. "We need to get you a sword."
"I have one," Raven sighed. "Just not here. And like yours, it's attuned specifically to me. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it since the duel. I have no idea where it is right now, although it's likely in the same place where we fought. Minstrel wouldn't be able to touch it."
"He's . . . he's very disturbing," Beth finally said. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she shivered. "I couldn't even read his emotions. It was like . . . like he didn't have any. There was . . . emptiness inside him. I don't think he even has a soul," she whispered.
"He knows more than he should," Tasia added quietly. "He knew much more than he should. Be on your toes, everyone. There's no telling what he may throw at us next." Her eyes lifted and met Raven's. "Until you get your sword, you can borrow one."
He didn't argue. He knew full well that she was right; he needed a weapon. They all needed to be as ready as possible for whatever Minstrel threw their way next. Insanity was the worst sort of enemy because there was no pattern to it. Not even the two pattern masters could quite put their fingers down on what made Minstrel tick. Should they ever find it, they would have the key to his destruction.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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