“Maybe we should go to the temple early,” I said at last when she rubbed her neck, looking strained.
She shook her head, her face taking on a mulish expression.
“It is better if we do it during the full moon. I rather we wait an extra week for it,” she said in an imperious tone.
“You may not last that long, my love,” I said carefully.
“But what if we go too early and fail?” she challenged.
“Then we will at least have a few more days to try again until we succeed,” I replied, having toyed with that idea for a while now.
“And what if each attempt weakens me or builds some sort of resistance to the ritual?” Eleni argued.
I pursed my lips. That possibility had also plagued me. Some rituals indeed built-up resistance against a specific Arcanist or Summoner the more failed attempts they racked up. We couldn’t say for certain if it was a form of self-sabotage caused byincreased doubt and built-up lack of confidence, or a true form of magical barrier accumulated by failed residual magic.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Morrech entering the living area interrupted me.
“Master, you have guests,” Morrech said. “Your brother and his mate request an audience.”
My brow shot up. “Pharos and Kali? Of course, invite them in,” I said, rising to my feet from the couch I’d been sitting on.
“No, Master. It is your other brother, Asheron, and his mate Ronika,” Morrech corrected.
This time, my jaw dropped. I’d had few interactions with him. There was a time, he and I could have been close. Sadly, it would have been in the era of his total madness as a Wraith, which wouldn’t have been too conducive of fraternal bonding. However, since his mate had allowed him to find peace again, he had regained too many of his angelic traits. Or rather, of his angelic personality. The curse that had been inflicted upon him had stripped him of his true divine light. But he still had a kind heart, eager to help and support others.
As someone prone to violence and mischief, I always felt awkward in his and Pharos’s presence. I hid my acute sense of inferiority compared to them behind a snarky and provocative attitude.
Eleni also made to rise from her seat, but I gestured for her not to. There was no reason for her to strain herself in any way, least of all for my siblings. Even though they were all demigods like me, they had none of that sense of entitlement and superiority that some of our peers displayed. Her remaining seated would not offend them. To the contrary, finding her standing over made-up rules of etiquette would upset them in light of her current predicament.
My mate’s eyes widened when the couple entered the room. Asheron was indeed intimidating in his natural form. He hadpale greyish skin with a hint of off-white, covered in bone scales around the arms and shoulders, the sides of his legs, and along his nose bridge and part of his forehead. They spread into his long set of horns, which sat majestically over his full head of chest-length, obsidian hair. His eyes boasted the same red irises as mine, except that he had round pupils instead of vertical ones like me.
His mate, Ronika, was a stunning woman. Of Hispanic descent, she had a beautiful sun-kissed complexion, eyes the colors of desert sand, and the most unusual midnight blue hair which shifted into a light purple at the tips. Born human, the hedge witch had evolved into something far greater once she mated with my brother. The sacrifices she had been willing to make to save his life told me everything I needed to know about her character.
“Asheron, Ronika,” I said in a warm but cautious greeting. “What an unexpected pleasure. Or should I worry about this impromptu visit?”
“Nothing to worry about, Brother,” Asheron said reassuringly.
I quickly made the introductions, intrigued more than ever as to the reason for their presence. However, it was the intensity with which Ronika stared at my woman that retained my attention.
“We have heard about your predicament,” Ronika said carefully, addressing Eleni directly.
My mate stiffened, a hint of outrage settling over her features.
“Please, do not be angry,” Ronika said, raising her palms in an appeasing gesture. “Kali contacted me, asking if there was any way I or my Warden Tree could help.”
That comment stunned both Eleni and me. As one of the greatest healers of the realm, Ronika drew people from everycorner of the world in search of cures everyone else deemed impossible. But it never entered my mind to approach her as my woman’s condition was not a physical ailment. However, her Warden Tree possessed unbelievable powers. Those giant trees were ancient beings, almost deities with infinite wisdom. They would attach themselves to a specific bloodline and not only act as their protectors but also as magic enhancers for everyone in the family.
In fact, Vigil—Ronika’s Warden Tree—had played a pivotal role in saving Asheron’s life when we believed all was lost.
“Can Vigil help her?” I asked, my voice filling with hope, quickly crushed.
She shook her head apologetically. “Vigil cannot handle matters of the soul like yours. Had it been purely physical, then he gladly would have assisted. I’m only here to bring you a few things to help you get to the full moon as strong as possible.”
“How?” Eleni asked warily.
She waved at the bag Asheron was carrying. I had assumed it contained herbs and other reagents they had gathered in the Shadow Realms for use in Ronika’s healer and apothecary shop.
“I have brought you some tonics that should do wonders for your mental clarity and energy levels. If you would allow it, I would also like to perform a healing on you. It will build a protective shield that will slow down the decaying of your soul.”
