Lack of sleep and rigorous physical exertion were at times necessary to properly prepare. Nothing about this coming bout with Sin Garu seemed out of the ordinary, or at least, it shouldn’t to the Storm Lords. They had no way of knowing my magic weakened every time Tanselm rejected my aid.
“Arim,” Aerolus began, trying to break from my grip. But before he could say more, my face crumpled in a mask of pain.
Stunned, I watched as Darius and Marcus soon fell to their knees, gasping for breath.
“Cadmus,” Aerolus whispered, shaking at the pain. “He needs us, now.”
I used every last breath of energy in my body to overcome the Djinn magic masking Cadmus’ whereabouts. For a heartbeat, I clearly saw him in the grip of extraordinary pain and under a Dark haze of power. Then the pain ceased as if it had never been.
Marcus and Darius shook off the hurt, and Aerolus sagged in my grip. Gently lowering Aerolus to a nearby chair, I tried again to fix on Cadmus but could not.
“He’s not dead,” Darius announced in a hoarse voice. “The pain’s gone, that’s all.”
“By the Light, what could cause that kind of pain? And how the hell is it affecting us this hard?” Marcus wanted to know.
I grimaced, recalling all too well the wounds I’d once suffered at the hands of Dark Lords. My mind whirled at the possibilities, and the conclusions I drew made me sick with fear. That, coupled with Tanselm’s sudden need for me to leave her lands, told me more than I wanted to know.
“I’m going to find your brother. But I need the three of you to be strong here. Hear me, Sin Garu’s going to attack soon. He’s going to do it from within the grounds. I can feel it.”
Marcus frowned. “But how —”
“We’ll find the threat,” Darius promised, and Marcus nodded.
Aerolus nodded as well, his gaze piercing as he stared at me. “Mother and Tanselm will remain safe, but for how long, we can’t promise. You need to return as soon as you’re able. And you need to fill in those holes,” he added cryptically.
To fill those vulnerable voids in my magic. Well, well. So the whelp did sense my susceptibilities. Aerolus’ marriage to Alandra had yielded far more than love and Shadow magic, but an incredible insight as well.
“I will, thanks,” I added sarcastically, my mood lightening a fraction at the knowledge the Storm Lords were indeed well-armed, even without me. “Don’t call me again unless it’s an emergency.”
They hastily murmured their agreement. Then suddenly, as one, they tensed.
“Cadmus?” I asked, silently raging with the need to protect my family, to punish those responsible for these attacks.
“Yes, but it’s not as bad as the last one. This feels like a physical beating.” Marcus shook his head.
“One that little asshole probably deserves.” Darius clenched his jaw, trying to breathe a bit of humor on a worrisome situation.
“Little?” Aerolus grinned as their expressions eased. “The only thing little about Cadmus is his tolerance for you two.”
I stared at the three of them, wishing they were four. At least Cadmus had faced this present danger and survived. But how much longer could he withstand that kind of hurt before fading into the Next?
“Arim, I know you’re in there.” A woman’s clear voice filtered through the door, causing all four of us to stare at each other with dread.
Recognizing my sister, I prayed for Tanselm’s guidance as I readied to leave. “That’s my cue. Remember, don’t call me unless it’s a matter of life and death.”
My nephews nodded, and as the door opened, I teleported myself back to Ellie’s apartment.
AEROLUS
“What the hell’s going on?” Darius growled. “I’ve never seen Arim so angry or so off his game.”
“And Cad—” Marcus stopped himself at a glance to our mother. “My stomach is giving me fits.”
I frowned, staring thoughtfully at my mother as she joined us in Uncle Arim’s room. “Mother, I think you need to tell us about Arim’s connection to Lexa Van Norsen.”
Ravyn stared, wide-eyed. “Lexa? I haven’t heard that name in over three hundred years.”
“Well, we need to hear it now. Alandra and I have been rehashing our time in Aelle, and we’ve both concluded that Lexa has an important role to play in Tanselm’s future.” From what I now knew, I thought it probable Lexa had been the one responsible for saving our lives after their battle on Aelle. Without her aid, I know I would have died.
