Chapter 26 #2
The teddy bear bumped against her back as they embraced, and she eased away, staring at it, noticing the eye. “This is Ketheron’s favorite stuffed animal. What happened?”
“He got a little excited and that can sometimes result in him unleashing his strength without meaning to. The bear took the brunt of him reassembling his bed without wishing to use magic, and a pole tore out its eye. He’s searching for it now because he doesn’t want it fixed with magic either.”
“Of course not. This bear is a grounding influence to him, away from the complications of magic and power,” Velra stated.
Cassius beamed down at her. “Yes. It very much is.”
“When he finds the eye, I’ll sew it back into place,” Lazriel offered.
“You know how to sew?” Cassius asked.
“Yeah. I mean, not all of us grew up being able to fix things with a flick of our magical fingers. Until everything went to hell, I did grow up in a wolf pack environment where there was a lot of hands-on needed—fixing things with tools and a sewing kit.”
“Thank you, wild one.”
“After that, though, Lazriel needs to attend to his assignment,” I told them.
“I thought you’d been working on that all morning?” Velra queried. “Is it harder than you thought? Do you need help? I can—”
“No,” I cut in. “It’s a focus issue.” If she offered to help, he’d get distracted even more—in her.
“You have my readings to do for the next class,” Cassius told him. “To help you regain your focus, it could be helpful to concentrate on those, then move back to the assignment for Voxe’s class.”
Ketheron burst into the room, the floor reverberating with his heavy footsteps—something he applied when he was either excitable or upset.
“I can read the required text sections for you and provide a detailed summary to save you time,” he offered Lazriel.
“No,” I told Ketheron. “That’s really kind of you and very helpful, but this is something Lazriel needs to attend to himself.”
“Oh. Okay.” He winced at Lazriel. “Sorry, friend.”
Lazriel grunted at me, then smiled out at Ketheron. “Thanks, Keth. Do you have the bear’s eye? I can sew it back on for you.”
Ketheron’s eyes lit up. “That would be great. I was planning to absorb a book on sewing, but this will be better.” He tapped his chin. “Perhaps I will still add it to my list of skills to master, though, and commence readings later on regardless.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Cassius encouraged him.
Ketheron pulled the button eye from his charcoal hoodie pocket and handed it over to Lazriel.
Cassius made a move to toss the bear over.
“No!” Ketheron cried out.
Cassius started. “He will not be harmed, Ketheron. Lazriel also has miraculous reflexes so he will not hit the ground anyway.”
When Ketheron still looked uncomfortable despite the reassurances, Velra smiled and eased the bear from Cassius’ grip, then walked to Lazriel and handed it over carefully.
Cassius went to Ketheron and I heard him whispering apologies about the bear, with Ketheron nodding and smiling in acceptance, before he nuzzled against him for a moment.
Lazriel rose to his feet with the bear and the eye, telling us, “I have a sewing kit in my duffel bag upstairs. Be right back.”
“Wait,” Ketheron called.
Lazriel eyed him in question.
“I… I heard you talking about baby names. My bear… he’s never had a name. May I use one of yours—one you don’t intend to use for the baby?”
“Sure. Which one do you like the sound of?”
“Maximus. His visitors could call him Max for short.”
“Go for it,” Lazriel told him.
“Thank you,” he said, walking to Lazriel and stroking the bear’s golden head.
“Baby names?” Velra spoke. “I thought we agreed to do that together?”
I chuckled at the very real fear in her eyes of Lazriel being the sole one to settle on a baby name and get so attached to it that none of us would be able to take it back.
“Just throwing some out there,” Lazriel told her.
“Really?” she questioned. “Just?”
“Wouldn’t it be more pertinent to wait until the baby is birthed, before he’s assigned a name?” Cassius spoke.
He hadn’t been involved much in the baby name discussion and I’d been kicked out of it when I’d given a list of names that were considered “too aggressive”, many Latin-esque suggestions that had the meanings of “ruler” and “conqueror.” Sure, we were working toward living in a time of peace after this coming battle, but setting our son up with such a name served as somewhat of a deterrent.
Even in peace, the wise man carries a blade.
Cassius had been focused on the nursery with Velra, while Ketheron and I had been figuring out possible locations to move this Rifted Cradle to, as well as ways to maintain it eternally, because Rifted Cradles were usually short-lived creations.
But this, Glacialis Arx within it, was slated to be our eternal home.
And Lazriel had been working on a list of the baby items we would need.
He was also secretly working with Kai to design a magical research lab for me—not a creepy cave-like one that Kai had for himself, but something more modern and expansive that could also facilitate collaboration.
Because, yeah, I’d finally become the guy who wanted to collaborate.
Not just with my work with Arcanum Order, but now this too, and Requital.
I’d even heard him talking about making an area for me to resume my charcoal drawings within the lab itself.
I was letting Lazriel believe that his work with Kai was still a secret and unknown to me.
How could I ruin that? He was so excited about it. And it was undeniably so incredibly thoughtful of him.
“Very good point,” Velra told Cassius.
“Fine, but we still need names prepared,” Lazriel insisted, not willing to give it up.
Off Velra’s look, he winked at her, then went to seek out the sewing kit, moving to execute a burst of vampiric speed.
He’d just pushed off when he came to a jarring stop as a harsh wind ripped through the area, and then Remnant burst in front of him.
“Dad,” he choked.
And it wasn’t just the shock of him arriving in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Ancient Vampire speed.
It was the blood.
Dousing him.
Dripping down his metal face mask, all over his hood and his leather coat, drenching his pants and mixing with a whole lot of dirt and debris.
His hands were also tinged with gray—the sign of desiccation—albeit he was healing rapidly.
“Shit, what’s happened?” Lazriel rasped.
As I shot to my feet, Ketheron’s eyes narrowed through the living room door.
“An alarm has begun sounding,” he announced.
He was the only being who could hear beyond a Rifted Cradle or pocket dimension, due to his Polygenus Entity nature and abilities.
“Yes,” Remnant spoke. “I informed the abrasive sorcerer just beyond this forged plane in Solumira outside and he has spread word to Ryker Morgan.”
Abrasive sorcerer—most definitely Kai.
“Informed him of what?” Velra asked. “What’s happened?”
Lazriel scented his father. “Some of this blood is yours.”
It took a great deal to make Remnant bleed, to even come close to puncturing his skin.
Remnant reached out on pure instinct, it seemed, which said a fuck of a lot considering how logical and calculated he usually was. But his care for his son now trumped everything for him and put a strain on his former way of doing things.
He grasped Lazriel’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort and reassurance, then winced at the fact that he’d just spread his own blood—and a whole lot of others over Lazriel’s skin.
“It’s okay, Dad.”
“As am I.”
“If something’s made you bleed, though—”
“Myself and a unit of The Shadowed were decimating the last outlying Puritas cell and at the tail end, a force of Dark Fae arrived on scene. They were sent by Morien, not Gregor. And they were infused with his necromantic abilities like we first encountered at the CRS facility.”
“Shit, no,” Lazriel breathed.
Cassius, Ketheron, and I exchanged a look at the disastrous implications.
They captured my unit and I in Undead Domination.
” He grimaced. “That was when I was wounded. They tore the hearts from the chests of twenty of my agents. I was next in line until Undead Domination was shattered as they were ripped apart.” He looked out at us, before returning his gaze to Lazriel.
“By Vorzyr Titanus, Jaxon Silver and your mother. She’d led them there to assist as they were nearby scouting out resources for Vyrn Hollow when your mother felt my distress. ”
“Dad,” Lazriel rasped, grasping Remnant’s hand on him.
“Your mother is well.” He looked out at us. “Before my almost untimely death, Morien’s force delighted in telling me that Morien has located one of the hybrid sanctuaries. As Ryker had feared, a recent transfer of more seeking safety and care inadvertently drew attention and outed the location.”
A chill rolled down my spine.
At the same time, adrenaline surged like a motherfucker.
All eyes were on me in the next moment.
“This is Morien lashing out and panicking after what happened during your captivity,” Cassius spoke, nailing it completely.
“Those in a reckless state of mind are doomed to make catastrophic errors in judgment,” Ketheron said.
I smiled. “Absolutely.”
That’s right—smiled.
Because this was it. My father had made a serious mistake.
One that would shortly become a fatal mistake.
I snatched up my journal and tore out the page I needed. No time to test the theory I’d worked out here.
It was down to the wire now.
It was fucking time.
“I’ll head to Cornelius and Warlow to ready the hybrid group to draw out Gregor and the rest of Puritas,” Velra spoke.
She eyed Cassius. “Get Ketheron to Haven Initiative with Ariana and the children, then come to me so you can determine the energy signatures of each Puritas member using Celestial and black magic. We need to get them to the Celestial children as soon as possible for them to lock onto, so they can draw out the power.”
“I have already alerted Ambrose, who has made himself reachable now, fortunately,” Remnant spoke. “He will arrive at Haven Initiative within the next few minutes.”
“Perfect,” Velra said. She looked at me. “You’ll need to send the Dark Fae signatures from your end too for the Celestial children to draw on.”
Ketheron went to Cassius, and Cassius tucked him into his side.
Ketheron had the means to do this and to do it well, but it didn’t mean he was fond of this sort of thing. Fuck, all he wanted was peace, care, and belonging.
Soon he’d have it.
That was what this would bring into being. Through sheer force of will if needs be.
I focused back on what Velra was conveying and confirmed, “Will do. Luring that fool and his followers into a trap that will mean their demise will be due justice.”
Sort of.
They’d still be alive because the Guardian Movement wouldn’t kill if there was another option—like taking them down and de-powering them.
Remnant caught my eye as I spoke the words.
Because he knew me well at this point, having studied me deeply.
He knew that I would try my utmost to do it Velra’s way, the way that would be sanctioned by the Guardian Movement because it was transparent, and the plan of taking down Morien and Gregor and their followers had already been sanctioned—in that particular way.
But if I came up against complications, I would go another way if I had to.
I’d wipe them from the face of the fucking earth.
“A large portion of The Shadowed will bolster and provide protection to the other sanctuaries safeguarding hybrid beings,” Remnant announced.
“I, however, will accompany you in your task with a unit of my agents,” he told me.
He looked to Lazriel who was torn between going with Velra and Cassius or me.
“Son, you will fight alongside me. But, as before, you must fall in line and respect the chain of command.”
“Understood. No wild and reckless actions. No unilateral shit.” He gave me a pointed look. “Right, Sylas?”
“I’ll do what I must, but I won’t let that be at the expense of those I love.”
It was the best I could offer.
And they knew it.
Velra smiled out at me. I winked back at her.
“Let us make haste,” Remnant spoke.
I stared out at Velra, Lazriel, and Cassius, heavy looks passing between us.
But also more than that.
Recognition that this was the final hurdle.
It was almost over.
Then we’d be at peace.