Page 32

Chapter thirty-two

I woke in a warm hut. My head was spinning. A large animal hide was draped over my body. I was still naked underneath and covered in sweat I pulled back the blanket, looking down at my wound. Small green veins of what I presumed was poison sprouted from the opening. A patch of herbs sat on top of the slit. I winced, laying my head back against the pillow.

Footsteps approached and Eren’s face appeared. He sat down on the stool next to me with a small smile on his face, pushing the hair from my sticky forehead.

“Poison?” I asked in a raspy voice.

He nodded, bringing a cup of water to my lips. I took small sips until I began choking. He sat me up, sliding another pillow under my head. I looked around the quiet wooden hut. The fresh breeze flapped against the curtains that hung in the open windows. Fresh herbs and greenery hung from the ceiling, and small flames flickered from candles placed along the wall.

“They upgraded my lodging arrangements, I see,” I said.

Eren laughed. “Yes, they’ve suddenly changed their opinions of us. Looks like we’ll be staying in comfort from now on.”

I nodded. “How long was I out?”

“Only ten hours. Not your longest.”

“How many saw?” I asked, afraid to know the answer.

He licked his lips, placing his elbows on his knees. “Only our family. I made sure of it.”

I exhaled.

“They have questions, Ev,” he said softly.

“I’m sure they do.” I ran my hand over the soft animal fur. “Is Levos okay?”

Eren scoffed, shaking his head. “I want to make it perfectly clear that I value your life over his. The next time that idiot goes and gets himself kidnapped, you do not risk your life. Yours is worth ten times over his.”

I waited for a moment, chewing on the bottom of my lip. “Well … I disagree.”

He chuckled. “Of course, you do. The light prick is fine. He owes you a life debt.”

“He kept my secret; I saved his life. I think we’re even.”

“More than even,” Eren said, taking a glass of whiskey from the nightstand and sipping it. “By the way, you were a complete badass today. You tore through at least a hundred of those things all on your own. Probably more. There were so many random body parts floating in the lake we couldn’t tell which ones they belong to. Needless to say, I don’t think the nymphs will be bathing in that lake anytime soon.”

I laughed, and the pain in my abdomen stabbed at me. I grabbed at the wound and hissed.

Eren lunged forward, placing a hand on me. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, it just hurts. How long till I heal?”

“We’re unsure. We got it to stop spreading, but their healer has never seen this type of poison before. Time will tell.”

“Fantastic. Can you get me my clothes please?” I asked.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Well, I would like to not remain naked, for one. But two, I want to get the questioning out of the way from everyone who saw. I just want to be done with it and move on.”

“There’s no rush. They will understand that you need time.”

“I know, but I just want it over. Now please, will you stop arguing and do one thing I ask?”

“Bossy,” he hissed.

“Pain,” I replied.

He placed a thin green dress on the bed and then took his leave. I managed to pull the dress over my shoulders, even though my wound protested and stung the entire time. Once I was finished, I sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for my family. A few minutes later they all entered, assessing me one-by-one.

For the better part of two centuries, I had kept this from them. They had shared some of their deepest and darkest parts of themselves, and I had chosen to hide who I truly was.

Gen was nowhere to be found. Levos came in last, leaning against the wall as the door shut behind him. I stared at them … my family … five pairs of eyes staring back at me. I didn’t know where to begin. I began to fiddle with my fingers.

“I … I’m sorry I—” I managed to get out, before Leenia came crashing into me. She wrapped her arms around my bruised form.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” said Leenia. “You had us worried.”

“Uh,” piped in Voz. “Can we talk about all the bodies she left in her murderous wake? Awesome!”

“Imagine,” added Oz, “if we had a whole army of Evinees. We would bring this world to its knees.”

I laughed as tears streamed down my face. “You guys aren’t … aren’t mad at me?”

“Why would we be?” asked Doria.

“Eren explained everything,” said Zerrial. “At least, the part about you wanting to lessen our load of harbored secrets.”

“But, as I have explained many times before,” said Eren, “we are the masters of secrets. What’s one more?” He shrugged, winking at me.

“You can always tell us anything,” reassured Leenia, stroking my hair. “Biology doesn’t define you. If that was the case, we’d all be royally fucked. No pun intended, Lyklor.” They all began laughing, nodding in agreement.

“Thank you all for understanding,” I whispered.

Zerrial came and knelt next to me. He took my hand and kissed the side of my cheek. “No more secrets,” he said.

I nodded in agreement. My family formed a circle, wrapping their arms around each other.

“Now that we have all the mushy shit out of the way,” said Oz, “can we talk about those glorious teeth of yours?”

“And the spikes,” added Voz. “Magnificent.”

“The singing,” Oz gasped. “We must hear the singing.”

I laughed, wiping the tears from my face.

“She is not something to experiment on, Telgarie brothers,” snapped Eren, always the protector.

“Of course,” nodded Oz, bowing dramatically towards Eren.

Voz followed. “Whatever you say, my liege. Please, accept our humble apology.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, winking at them. “I’ll sing for you sometime. I’ll make you both fall in love with me.”

Voz dropped to his knees with a flourish, placing his hands over his heart. “Aren’t we already?” he said passionately.

Doria pushed him over. “Shut up, idiot,” she said, shaking her head.

“We should let you get some rest,” Leenia said, ushering the others towards the door. “We’ll see you in the morning, since it looks like we’ll be staying a few more nights.”

I looked to Eren. “Why?” I asked. “We need to be getting to the mountain.”

“We will get there,” Eren explained, “but right now, we need to focus on getting you better. We’ve also agreed to stay for their summer solstice celebration tomorrow evening. Look at it as a trust-building exercise.”

Doria huffed. “Right. More like them groveling because they would all be dead without us.”

“Now Doria,” said Eren, “try looking on the positive side of things. Aren’t you supposed to be a radiating ball of joy with your impending nuptials on the horizon?”

“Eren,” she snapped back. “Do you really think ‘radiating ball of joy’ fits my personality?”

He laughed. “It does when Hashen is in the room.”

Lightning cracked outside the hut as Doria’s fists clenched.

“Funny,” Voz commented. “I didn’t think it was going to rain.”

“Nor I, brother,” added Oz.

“Oh, would the two of you shut up!” said Doria.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” demanded Zerrial. “All of you out.”

Leenia squeeze my hand one more time before taking her leave.

I looked towards Eren. “Does Gen have questions?” I asked.

He shrugged. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, you focus on resting.” He bent down and kissed my head. Eren nodded at Levos, who was still posted at the door, then hesitated. I could tell he was debating if he should leave us alone. He looked back at me, his hand on the doorknob and gave me a small smile before taking his leave.

Levos finally pulled away from the door, walking casually to me. He took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Well,” he started, “if I didn’t think you were amazing before … damn, talk about exceeding expectations.”

I laughed, covering my face. “That wasn’t exactly how I wanted you seeing me in that form for the first time.”

“What was missing? A home-cooked meal and a romantic place setting?”

“Well,” I replied dryly, “you were the one who had to go and get themselves kidnapped in the middle of the night.”

“I am telling you: these creatures can’t keep their hands off me.”

I chuckled, aware of my aching stomach. I felt his knuckles along the side of my cheek. I closed my eyes, leaning into the contact. He took my chin between his fingers, turning my face towards him.

“I owe you my life,” he said seriously. “Thank you Evinee … truly.”

I smiled, not knowing what to say. He dropped his hands from my face, standing from the bed. He offered his arm for support while I inched myself back into the mattress. He covered me with the blanket and fluffed my pillows.

“Need anything before I go?” he asked, moving a piece of hair from my face.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

He nodded, moving towards the door. “Oh,” he said, “tomorrow, we’re telling Eren and Gen about your idea with the rift. After watching how the nymphs fought today, you were right. We need warriors, or we’re all dead.”

“Glad you see it my way,” I said playfully.

He smirked, opening the door slowly. “Good night, my little minnow .”

My eyes bore into him. “Do not. Call. Me. That,” I demanded.

He chuckled. “I kind of like it. It’s cute, don’t you think?”

“No.”

“Whatever you say … minnow.”

I threw Eren’s whiskey glass so hard, my wound burned from the action. Levos shut the door just in time, causing the glass to shatter on the surface. I could hear his deep laugh even with the door between us. I let out a frustrated sigh before dropping my head back down on the pillow.

A burning sensation from the poison pulled me from sleep. I managed to swing my legs over the edge of the bed, planting my feet firmly on the ground. I stood slowly, feeling a little lightheaded. I walked to the mirror, pulling my dress up to my wound and removed the bandage. The green veins were receding, but the skin around the area remained raised. The injury was healing, just at a slower rate than normal.

I soaked myself in the stone bathtub in the washroom, removing the smells of the lake from my body and hair. From the wardrobe I took out a short flimsy white dress. I stared at the thin piece of clothing, detesting the lack of color. I wasn’t sure I had ever worn white before. It had a low neck and cuffed sleeves that hung off my shoulders. Assorted fragrances were spread across the dresser in the corner. I found one that smelled like sage and fresh rain and placed a few droplets under my jawline and on either wrist.

I let my hair dry naturally, soft waves forming around my face. My purple streaks were still visible. I ran my hands over my figure, feeling the hunger inside of me grow. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate a full meal. The transformation yesterday had taken a lot out of me. If I didn’t replenish, I would begin to lose hold on my magic and this healthy appearance I portrayed.

The door clicked open behind me. I turned, surprised to see Gen standing in the doorway. “May I come in?” she asked.

“Of course, princess,” I said, turning to face her.

She closed the door, trailing her eyes across me slowly before moving further into the room. “You look well,” she added.

“I’m feeling better. Minor pain from the wound, but it is fading.”

“Good,” she said, moving closer towards me. She examined my face, taking her time. “A siren, huh? A half-breed.”

I nodded.

“My other half is just a lowly human,” she said, approaching the table and two chairs that were to the side of the room. I followed her. “At least your other half is something interesting.”

I let a small laugh escape. “I wouldn’t go that far. More like a liability,” I replied.

She smiled as we sat. “A liability? You think so?”

I shrugged. “If I lose control, yes.”

“And how often do you lose control? Was the situation back at the fairy court between you and Levos the outcome of you ‘losing control’?”

I paused. “What are you getting at, princess?” I asked.

She exhaled, leaning towards me. “Regardless of what Eren says, Levos is a good male. An honest male. He deserves happiness and security. Someone who is … stable. Those are things you cannot give him. You said so yourself, you are a liability. I need you to stay away from him. I need him to remain safe.”

“And what makes you think I would ever hurt Levos?” I asked.

“I spend a lot of time reading. Something Levos and I have in common. I don’t presume to know much about your kind, but I do know that the other races viewed your species enough of a threat that they worked together to eradicate your ancestors. That tells me you are a risk. To get to the point: I don’t want you involved with my friend.”

My breath quickened with anger. “What are you trying to say, princess? That I should be put down because I am a threat? Something you can’t control?”

She sat back in her chair calmly, keeping her eyes on me. Dark flames began to twirl around her fingers.

“I’m saying, if you give me a reason to question or doubt your ability to control your wilder side, I won’t hesitate to protect those that I love. And for the record, everything is controllable. You just have to find the right leash.”

My vision narrowed and my teeth and nails elongated. I jumped to my feet, knocking the table across the room, shattering it against the wall. She rose, readying to attack.

“Those who you love?” I sneered. “How dare you come into my family and threaten me! Acting as if you know what is in their best interest.”

“You are unpredictable and a danger to everyone you come in contact with,” she barked.

I took a step forward, ready to remove her head from her shoulders when the door flew open. Levos barged in, followed by Eren. Both males froze, staring at the two of us.

“What in the hell is going on?” asked Levos.

Gen and I didn’t take our eyes from one another. Eren placed a hand on each of our shoulders.

“I don’t know what has transpired, but we all need to take a breath before one of us does something we’re going to regret,” he said.

“You want to know what happened, Eren?” I said, still grinding my teeth. “Your wife threatened to put me down like some wild animal if I stepped out of line.”

Eren turned to Gen. “You did what?” he asked.

She took a step back. “She doesn’t have control over her siren half. She is a danger to everyone around her,” she stated.

Levos walked over to the three of us, eyes locked onto Gen. “Please tell me,” Levos started, “you did not just threaten to kill the female who saved my life and the nymph territories a few hours ago. Who risked her own life for an alfar male who serves the opposing court. Who acted selflessly without a single regard for her own well-being.”

Gen rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on Levos. You’re under her spell,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “For all we know, she could have seduced you and sung her little song and now you’re defending her because you’ve lost all control.”

Levos huffed, taking a moment. “I’ve never been more disappointed to call you my friend than I am right now, Genevieve. You are completely out of line and blinded by your own insecurities.”

“This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with—“ Gen started to say, but Levos cut her off.

“The fact that you don’t realize where this hatred is coming from speaks volumes,” Levos spat. “How do you expect to run a kingdom when you can’t even separate your personal feelings from the truth in a situation? Do you plan to rule like Queen Daealla?” He paused, letting the words sink in.

“I was just looking out for you,” she replied in a softer tone.

“For the last time, I do not need, nor do I want, your help,” Levos said, reaching for my hand, pulling us from the room.

We headed down the stairs and into a small dining area. Attendants went from table to table taking orders. I could smell fresh soup and warm tea. My mouth watered from the overload of senses as we took a seat against an open window. I could tell Levos was still fuming as he sat across from me, not making eye contact.

A waitress stopped by. I ordered myself tea and some food. Levos didn’t say a word. I ordered him the same. I didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t usually in the business of meddling in other people’s relationships, but I was the cause of this mess, and I didn’t know how to act.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked.

He wrapped his hands around his warm cup of tea, leaning back into his chair. “I don’t know if the power has gone to her head, or she did indeed come back different, but the Gen I knew would never have threatened someone’s life based off of assumptions about their biology.”

“I think there’s more to it than that, Levos. I think there’s an element of jealousy about Eren and I, and she obviously can’t stand the thought of you and me,” I replied.

“There is no you and me,” he answered.

“Yes, but even a friendship. She sees me as competition. Eren and I had a relationship long before her, and now you and I are forming one. I am encroaching on the two most important males in her life.”

“I still can’t believe she actually threatened to put you down.”

“She basically told me the sirens deserved what they got. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t obviously alive when the genocide happened, but from what I’ve been told, the sirens kept to themselves. They just wanted to be left alone.”

“Where did you get your information?” he asked.

“When my father died, I helped the other creatures in his lab escape. There was a mermaid that shared a tank with my mother. She told me about her and what she was like. She also gave me a small purple gem I keep hidden back in the dark court. It is the only thing I have of my mother’s.”

Levos reached across the table, taking my hand. “I’m sorry you never got to know her.”

I smiled. “Thank you.” The food arrived: a large bowl of vegetable soup with a loaf of bread. My stomach growled with anticipation as I dug in. Levos sat across the table, staring at me. I paused, wiping my mouth. “Is there something wrong with yours?” I asked.

“Not at all. I just think this is the first time I’ve seen you eat all week.”

“The transitioning. It takes a lot out of me. If I don’t get my strength up, I lose control of my power and my real—” I stopped, swallowing the food in my mouth, diverting my eyes.

“Your real what?” he asked, leaning towards me.

I didn’t answer.

“More secrets, huh?”

I ignored him, turning my attention back to my food. “So … are you going to go talk to Gen?” I asked, changing the subject.

He shook his head. “I think I’ll let Lyklor take care of her. I can’t imagine he’s very happy with her threatening his closest friend.”

I shrugged, taking another spoonful of soup. As if they heard us calling, Eren and Gen appeared in the doorway of the café. I straightened, locking my eyes on them. Levos turned, spotting them and then grunted in aggravation. They walked over to us. Eren took two chairs from another table and slid them over to the edge of ours. I scooted around closer to Levos while they took their seats. Levos stared at Gen, not taking his eyes off her. I looked to Eren for guidance. He gave me a small smile and winked.

“I think the four of us need to talk,” started Eren. “Since we don’t need to traumatize the nymphs any more than they already are, I would suggest everyone keep their tempers and gifts in check. Can we all do that?”

I nodded and so did Levos and Gen.

“Good. Now, I am just going to pull the thorn out here and dive right in, so we can all have a merry summer solstice.” Eren paused, looking from me to Gen. “You two are the most important females in my life. I care about you both. I love you both. Gen is my wife, and she will always come first. But, princess,” he said, turning towards her, “when I feel you are out of line or heading down the wrong path, I will always challenge you, because that is how we grow stronger, together and separately.”

Eren paused, shifting his focus to me. “Evinee,” he said, “you and I have been through hell and back at least a dozen times during our life together. I trust no one more than I trust you. I feel protective over you, as I know you do me. I will always be there for you, no matter what. With that being said, we are all aware of your and my past relations. I am sorry if I have ever caused you pain, but from conversations you and I have had, I also know that you understand where my heart is, and I know you want me to be happy, just as I do you.”

Eren shifted his focus to Levos. He stared at him, narrowing his eyes before he spoke. “I am not blind,” Eren said. “I know there is something between the two of you. Whatever it is, I want you to know right now, you do not deserve her. But if she chooses to trust you or continue the relationship, that is her choice, and hers alone. I won’t stand in the way of her happiness. Both females seem to trust you. I do not. But I will do a better job of trying to understand you and not base my opinion off who your relatives are. But I promise you, if you ever take our secrets or our court’s information and weaponize it against us, I will not hesitate to kill you. Are we clear?”

“Perfectly,” Levos said without hesitation.

Eren nodded, patting Levos on the back. “Now,” Eren said, standing to his feet. “I think we should let the females talk for a bit. Join me for a drink, will you?”

Levos stood, looking between the two of us. “I’ll be right outside,” Levos whispered nodding to me. I smiled, bring the tea up to my lips.

Gen sat across the table, staring out the window past me. Once they left, I placed my teacup down, readying for a fight.

“Now that our keeper is gone, what other threats would you like to toss my way?” I asked.

Her jaw tightened as she turned her eyes to me. “I’m sorry for threatening to kill you,” she replied.

“Ha, like you could,” I mumbled, bringing the tea back up to my lips.

“Evinee, I’m … I’m insecure at times, about Eren and I,” she admitted.

I didn’t say a word.

“I wasn’t raised like the rest of you,” she continued. “I still can’t understand how monogamy is not important to you.”

“Hasn’t Eren already promised you monogamy?” I asked.

“Yes, but … but what happens in one hundred years when he gets bored, or wants something different? I am worried that I won’t be enough for the extent of our lives together. And then there’s you. Not only are you drop dead gorgeous, and you have this ability to flirt the pants off anyone you come in contact with, you’re a freaking siren. Some extinct, mythological creature, whose sole purpose is to seduce men.”

I shrugged, “I mean, that’s not my sole purpose but—”

“And on top of that, the fact that you and Eren have been intimate just throws me. He still cares so much about you and the two of you are so much alike. Gods, if I was him, I would have chosen you,” she exhaled, sitting back in the chair.

“Gen,” I said softly, leaning towards her, “there was never a choice. He fell in love with you. Real love. A kind of love I didn’t know existed. And yes, we are a lot alike, but we probably would have ended up killing each other along the way. He needed someone like you. With feelings and with a heart. Someone who can combat the darkness inside of him. In the end, all I care about is that he is happy and safe. If you do that for him, then you and I have no qualm.”

She processed the information for a few moments. “What about Levos?” she asked. “How does he fit into your life?”

“I like him,” I admitted, “more than I thought I was capable of. He is kind and trustworthy. But I would never put him in danger. I am in control of my powers for the most part, but if I am physical with someone, it gets harder not to kill them. The animal inside me wants to take over and do what I was designed to do. Believe it or not, most of the men who have claimed to have visited my bed haven’t. It’s all an illusion. A mask I wear, just like Eren’s.”

She chuckled. “You all are full of surprises,” she said.

“Coming from the half-breed who came back from death,” I pointed out.

We laughed together for the first time.

“I am sorry,” she said, “for all those hateful things I said.”

“Let’s start over,” I suggested. “You keep Eren happy and alive, and I will make sure I don’t kill little Levos. Deal?” I extended my hand to her, and she took it as we shook in agreement.

“Now,” she said, standing from her chair, “I am ready for a fae summer solstice party. Tomorrow officially marks a year I’ve been in these lands. Crazy to think how so much has changed in that short amount of time.”

I stood, heading towards the door. “Tell me about it.” I paused, looking at her.

She furrowed her brow. “What is it?”

“On the grounds of our new friendship, I need your support with something that Eren isn’t going to like,” I confessed.

“Eren, it’s a good idea and you know it,” I said.

Eren paused, looking from me to Gen while he paced in front of the table where we sat in the tree house.

“And you’re in agreement? The two of you are best friends all of the sudden?” he snapped.

“I’m not saying it is going to be an easy task,” Gen answered. “But this is a good idea. Even with the entire force of the fae continent, we don’t stand a chance against Alaric and his forces. We do not know for sure if we’ll be able to free Narella in time to help. Evinee is more than capable to lead this mission. We will gather a team that will assist her through the rift.”

“I’m going,” Eren demanded. “If you insist on marching yourself into a death trap, I’m going with you.”

“Eren, you can’t,” I said. “You’re going to be our future king. You’re needed here, to run this side of the war. Your life matters.”

“So does yours,” he replied in a low voice.

“Hey,” I said, standing and making my way over to him. “Are you really doubting my abilities to sway someone to our side? After all these years of watching me master my craft, you still doubt me?”

He huffed. “No, I don’t doubt you, but I’m … I’m frightened for you. We don’t know what is on the other side of those rifts. No one has ever traveled across from our world.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll do my best to come back in one piece. And hopefully I will come back with more reinforcements.”

Eren ran his hand through his hair. “You’re taking Leenia,” he demanded. “She’s the best warrior we have.”

I nodded in agreement. “I was thinking Voz and Oz as well, if you could spare them. I am sure they will be excited to explore different worlds and creatures. Plus, they could assist with getting back home.”

“Of course,” Eren said.

Gen stood and walked to us, taking both our hands. “This is going to work,” she said, looking hopeful. “Everyone is going to come home.”

Eren’s eyes were heavy with worry. He pulled both of us in, holding onto us tight.

“Go get the others, Evinee,” Eren said, letting me go. “We will inform them of the plan.”

I nodded, leaving the small hut to gather our family.

“Hell yes!” yelled Voz and Oz in unison.

“Why didn’t we think of this?” asked Voz.

“Right,” replied Oz. “Evinee is catching up to us in the brains department. We must up our game.”

“Would you two stop it?” snapped Doria. “This is not a joking matter. This is a suicide mission. I do not agree. My vote is no.”

I looked back at Levos sitting in the corner of the room, trying to stay out of the way.

“I agree,” added Zerrial. “This is too much of a risk. And we aren’t even sure if you’ll able to recruit anything, let alone get home.”

“Oh, we’ve got that handled,” Voz said, looking to his brother.

“Yes, perfectly under control,” added Oz.

“What are you two getting at?” asked Eren.

The twins giggled, moving into the center of our circle. “We’ve been studying the rifts ever since Gen’s mad uncle found a way to open it himself,” said Voz.

“Yes,” added Oz. “We’ve been obsessed with it for months. But we couldn’t find a way to open the damn things without the blood sacrifice the recipe calls for.”

“But thanks to Ambassador Levos,” Voz said, nodding in his direction. “We’ve solved the last piece of the puzzle.” Levos nodded back with a small smile.

“How?” asked Gen.

“We’ve created a machine,” started Oz, “that works as an anchor between worlds.”

“We took the fueling concept from our dark weapons design, thanks to Ambassador Levos’s keen observations,” continued Voz. “We used our blood and the ambassador’s blood to create a fueling system that pulls the magic from both, opening a small, door-sized portal into different realms.”

“But how can you be certain which realm you will be opening the door to?” Gen asked.

“That is our only unknown variable,” Voz said with a wince.

“But no matter what world the portal sends us to,” added Oz, “we will be able to get home, thanks to our signal beacons.”

“We will travel with one,” explained Voz, “and we will keep the other safe within the kingdom.”

“When we are ready to come home,” said Oz, “the beacon here will act as a bridge to ours, creating a direct anchor for the portal to attach to.”

“You two are brilliant,” Gen said, in awe.

They shrugged. “We can’t take credit for this one,” said Voz.

“Besides the dark magic fueling system,” added Oz, “the rest of the system was the ambassador’s idea.”

We all turned to look at Levos. He acted as if he didn’t notice.

“This is still too unpredictable,” Doria said.

“Family vote it is,” Eren said. “All in favor of going into the rift in search of recruits, say aye.”

“Aye,” said Voz, Oz, Gen, Leenia, and myself.

“All opposed, say nay,” Eren said.

“Nay,” said Doria and Zerrial.

“Looks like the four of you are going into the rift,” said Eren.

“The five of us, you mean,” added Levos, standing to his feet.

“No,” I said plainly.

He strolled next to me with a hurt look on his face. “What, you can risk your life to save our world, but I can’t? Plus, the light king and queen insist I attend. The data we would collect from this little trip is priceless.”

I felt him graze his knuckles down the length of my back without anyone noticing. I elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to grunt. I smiled to myself with satisfaction.

“Well, it’s settled,” said Eren. “The five of you will leave tomorrow after the festivities this evening. Tonight, we will spend together.”

“Hopefully, it won’t be the last,” added Doria, her voice laced with worry.

We all stood in silence, looking at each other. The room felt heavy.

“It won’t be. It can’t,” whispered Leenia.

“We’ve been through too much together this past century for this to be the end,” I added.

Voz laughed. “Like the time we robbed the crown’s coffers,” he said. We all began to laugh at the memory. “Sorry, princess.”

“No need to apologize to me,” she replied, smiling.

“Or the time we let the draugr into Icici’s birthday celebration she had been planning for a year,” said Oz.

“She was so pissed,” Doria, giggled.

“Her face was priceless,” Zerrial added.

Another moment passed as we all settled down.

“Remember when Eren became ambassador?” asked Leenia.

We all nodded, remembering the emotions of that moment. The pride each of us felt. Through his success, we had all elevated ourselves.

“That’s when everything changed,” I said, looking to Eren. “For the better.”

“We all made that happen,” Eren whispered.

“Without each other,” Leenia pointed out, “who knows where we all would have ended up?”

“Probably dead,” said Voz.

“Definitely dead,” said Zerrial.

“Without a doubt,” added Doria.

“This isn’t the end,” I said, taking a more serious tone. “We will be successful in this mission. And when we return, we will have a party that will outshine any other we’ve had to date.”

“Promise,” Doria said. “Promise you all are coming home.”

The four of us nodded.

Doria turned her attention to Levos. “You too, ambassador of the light. Against my better judgment, you’ve grown on me.”

He smiled at her, bowing slightly. “I will do my best to return in one piece. Though, with my current track record, I can’t promise something isn’t going to try and eat me along the way.”

We roared.

“Pyra wasn’t to your liking?” asked Gen.

“I can still feel her teeth, even though the wound has healed for the most part,” answered Levos. “I don’t know if I’ll ever recovery fully.”

“Alright,” interrupted Eren. “Enough talk about eating little Atros. I’m going to be sick.”

“Alright, alright,” I said. “If I remember correctly, the nymphs promised us free food, alcohol, and entertainment. After almost dying twenty-four hours ago, I am ready to live.”

“And this is why you’re my favorite,” Voz said, heading towards the door.

“Always have been, always will be,” Oz added, following him out.

I turned for the door as Levos placed his arm around me, leaning down to whisper. “Looks like we’re going on a little adventure together, minnow,” he said.

I threw his hand off my shoulder. “I should have let you drown,” I replied.

He laughed. “Don’t lie to yourself. You and I both know you’d have missed me.”

I rolled my eyes as we all headed to the party.