I can feel it in the core of my being that these monsters are excited to see their brother, and they want to be reunited. Amyrah is a bored chaperon, and hardly a threat.
Bastian tenses one last time before relaxing his stance, and retracting his wings. He steps forward, then hides me behind him as he takes one step closer to Apollo.
He raises his closed hand. “I will give you a fist bump.”
Apollo laughs, then disappears in a puff of blue mist. When he reappears, his arms are wrapped around Bastian’s shoulders. Bastian staggers back, bumping me, and I giggle.
“Get off me, fool!” Bastian roars as he shoves Apollo away.
The blue demon only grins brighter. “It’s so good to see you, I couldn’t help myself!”
Rhazan takes a step forward and offers his closed fist. Bastian glares at him, expecting foul-play, but Rhazan waits patiently, hisface placid and unreadable. Finally, Bastian raises his hand again and they knock knuckles. Rhazan’s lip twitches in what might be a smile for the stoic demon.
“It is good to see you, brother. Too many centuries have passed.”
“Yes, well, you were always the hero in the arena, and I the custodian in the stacks,” Bastian says. “Not much time for us to interact then, either.”
“Shénme?” Jade barks.
Rhazan shrinks a measure. “There was a brief period—”
“Thirteen years,” Bastian interjects.
“A thirteen-year period where we both lived in Egypt. He for the Library of Alexandria, and I for the tournaments that tutored young militants in the ways of unarmed combat.”
“Why didn’t this ever come up?” I ask, marching around in front of him.
Bastian looks like Oscar when I’ve caught him kicking litter all over the bathroom.
“Well?” I prompt again.
“We both have many stories yet untold to one another…”
I purse my lips. “I think a, heads-up I have two brothers, would’ve been something you should’ve mentioned before.”
“There’s far more than two of us,” Apollo says.
I raise an eyebrow, my glare growing sterner. “How many siblings do you have?”
Bastian shrugs a shoulder. “At least twelve…”
“Fifteen,” Rhazan corrects.
“After you departed, our creator made three more,” Apollo says.
My jaw drops. “Fifteen.”
“And perhaps more,” Apollo offers. “While Rhazan and I were the last to leave the embrace of the creator, it does not mean we were the last of their children.”
Amyrah clears her throat and I start. “This is all very interesting, but I have received Bastian’s threat assessment.”
I grab his hand. “What is it?”
Amyrah projects her magic in front of her. The report lights up the room and she scrolls through it quickly, then bats the air to flip it toward us.
“Mid-level threat with high chaos and low obedience,” Amyrah says.
“High chaos, low obedience! Me too!” Jade cheers, offering Bastian a high-five.
