Aftershocks

Chapter Nine

“I can’t believe you three called me back for this.” Once again in Tanselm, Arim glared at his nephews, wondering if he’d regret temporarily turning them into stone for a few days of relative peace.

“You’re kidding.” Darius’ red eyes blazed with anger. “No ‘thank you’? Hell, Arim, we just found Cadmus for you. Ellie Markham.” He shook his head. “I worked with her for months. Right under my nose. I never would have guessed.”

Arim sighed and knew he had only himself to blame. “Cadmus has been staying with Ellie Markham, a Djinn. What I don’t know is where he’ll be when I return. He said he’d be at Ellie’s, but I know that hunted look when I see it. And then there was that unexpected conversation with Ellie’s father.”

“Ethim il Ruethe.” Aerolus nodded. “Alandra filled me in yesterday.”

“We’re really going to have work on your communication skills,” Marcus said coolly. “That’s the second time you’ve been holding out on us, Aerolus.”

“Yeah,” Darius added, his mouth grim. “I think you’re taking yourself a little too seriously. All that mage crap is turning you into a sanctimonious know-it-all, a little too much like…” He paused as everyone glanced at Arim. “Never mind.”

“You know, Uncle, it wouldn’t hurt for you to tell us what you know. That way we wouldn’t be stepping on your toes so often,” Marcus offered, his gaze sharp. “You look tired, and we’ll need you at full strength to withstand the next Netharat onslaught. It’s been too long since their last attack. Though I haven’t found anything to worry about, I can almost feel them readying to battle.”

Arim rubbed his eyes. He’d felt the same, that ‘Sin Garu and his minions were biding their time, waiting. Unfortunately, Arim had a bad feeling their wait had to do with Cadmus. So, yes, Arim worried. He was tired and troubled that his magic didn’t thrive as it should. Almost as if Ethim had cursed him, since their conversation, each time Arim reached out to Tanselm, the land pushed him away, back towards the between.

Now when he used his magic he felt spots of nothingness where Light had always flourished. In the past years, the spotty condition had been hit or miss, and the frequency of such anomalies within him used to be low. Now, however, he could feel Tanselm draining of her effervescence with his every call to power. In a pending battle against true evil, weakness could not be tolerated. What the hell had that damned Sarqua done? He swore the next time he saw Ethim il Ruethe, heads would roll.

Furious he still had no answers, he mentally searched for Cadmus but couldn’t find him on the mundane plane. Hell, knowing his stubborn nephew, Cadmus could be anywhere right now. The sex-starved fool had grown obsessed with Ellie Markham, so much so that even a possible return to Tanselm didn’t faze him.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Aerolus asked, his eyes bright, his voice deep, echoing within the stone walls. A haze of Shadow filtered through the air between them, seeking truth as it tried to infiltrate Arim’s Light.

Astonished, Arim quickly thrust his nephew to the far corner of his room. “You would seek to breech my safeguards? In my own home?” He glared at Aerolus, his festering frustration and worry coalescing into rage, obliterating his infamous control.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Darius growled at a now wide-eyed Aerolus.

“Arim,” Marcus said calmly. “Do you think we could ignore Aerolus for a minute and focus on Cadmus?”

“No, Marcus, I don’t,” Arim said coldly. Reaching out a long-fingered hand, he hauled Aerolus to him with a magical yank that had all three brothers eyeing him warily. Aerolus finally looked worried, and he had reason to be. Gripping his nephew’s collar in a tight fist, Arim shook him to make sure he had his full attention.

“Now, Arim—”

“Now, Aerolus,” Arim mocked, his emotions seething. “I don’t have time for this. Keep your Shadowy parlour tricks out of my mind and out of the castle. We still don’t know how vulnerable your mother is to a Netharat threat, and any use of Dark magic within the keep could summon ‘Sin Garu, whether we want him here or not.

“I’m fine,” he added with a snarl at his nephews until they dropped their gazes to the floor, one by one. “More than powerful enough to feed you three to the Next if you don’t stop acting like children instead of the princes you should be. I have too much to worry about without stroking your precious egos. You found Cadmus, great. Next time have Darius send it to me telepathically, and save me the time and energy of a return trip. Focus on protecting your mother, your affai and Tanselm. I’ll worry about our last missing Storm Lord.”

He could tell the negative power washing off of him made the three princes uncomfortable, but Arim did nothing to stem his displeasure. Aerolus actually thought to infiltrate his private thoughts? His nephews thought him too weak to withstand the minor sacrifices a warrior made when approaching battle? Lack of sleep and rigourous 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 Arim’s magic weakened every time Tanselm rejected his aid.

“Arim,” Aerolus began, trying to break from his uncle’s grip. But before he could say more, his face crumpled in a mask of pain.

Stunned, Arim watched as Darius and Marcus soon fell to their knees gasping for breath.

“Cadmus,” Aerolus whispered, shaking at the pain. “He needs us, now.”

Arim threw out every last breath of energy in his body to overcome the Djinn magic masking his absent nephew’s presence. For a heartbeat, he clearly saw Cadmus 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 his grip. Gently lowering Aerolus to a nearby chair, Arim 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.”

“But what, by Light’s heart, could cause that kind of pain? And how the hell is it affecting us this hard?” Marcus wanted to know.

Arim grimaced, recalling all too well the wounds he’d once suffered at the hands of Dark Lords. His mind whirled at the possibilities, and the conclusions he drew made him sick with fear. That, coupled with Tanselm’s sudden need for him to leave her lands, told him more than he wanted to know.

“I’m going to find your brother. But I need the three of you to be strong here. Mark my words, ‘Sin Garu’s going to attack soon. He’s going to do it from within the grounds. I can feel it.”

“But how—” Marcus started.

“We’ll find the threat,” Darius promised, and Marcus slowly nodded.

Aerolus nodded as well, his gaze piercing as he stared at his uncle. “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 Arim’s susceptibilities. Aerolus’ marriage to Alandra had yielded far more than love and Shadow magic, but an incredible insight as well.

“I will, thanks,” he added sarcastically, his mood lightening a fraction at the knowledge that the Storm Lords were indeed well-armed, even without him. “Don’t call me again unless it’s an emergency.”

They hastily murmured their agreement. Then suddenly, as one, they tensed.

“Cadmus?” Arim spoke softly, silently raging with the need to protect his 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 humour on a worrisome situation.

“Little?” Aerolus grinned as their expressions eased. “The only thing little about Cadmus is his tolerance for you two.”

Arim 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 men to stare at each other with dread.

Recognising his sister, Arim prayed for Tanselm’s guidance as he readied to leave. “That’s my cue. Remember, don’t call me unless it’s a matter of life and death.”

His nephews nodded, and as the door opened, Arim teleported himself back to Ellie’s apartment.

“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 his mother. “My stomach is giving me fits.”

Aerolus frowned, staring thoughtfully at his mother as she joined them in Arim’s room. “Mother, I think you need to tell us about Arim’s connection to Lexa Van Nostren.”

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 come to the conclusion that Lexa has an important role to play in Tanselm’s future.” From what he now knew, he thought it probable Lexa had been the one responsible for saving his and Alandra’s lives after their battle on Aelle. Without her aid, he surely would have died.

But that meant Lexa had been in Tanselm. The land openly shuddered when evil touched its soil, such as it had when ‘Sin Garu and the Netharat first invaded. Tanselm rejected the presence of evil but obviously welcomed Lexa, since none of them had had an inkling she’d arrived. But if Lexa had saved Aerolus, a Storm Lord, why had she openly assisted the Dark Lords in Aelle? What exactly was her agenda in all this? And why did he have the feeling his uncle knew a hell of a lot more than he was saying?

Having no need to control his temper since he stood alone in Ellie Markham’s apartment, Arim let loose a mouthful of curses that literally peeled paint off the walls. Not that anyone would be able to differentiate peeled paint from the assorted chaos in the place.

Scorched leather and wood, broken dishes, torn books and overturned furniture littering the living room stank of Netharat destruction. Studying the scene with all of his senses, Arim watched as a transparent battle unfolded over the scattered remains of the room, the latent energy of the skirmish coming to life again.

Cadmus impressed him with his power and the way he used it. Though Arim knew his nephew would never admit it, being thrust into this mundane realm had been an excellent catalyst to unlocking much of his untapped elemental energy. Using the earth forces around him, his nephew had summoned shockwaves of power, ripping through wraiths with ease while smothering others in rich black soil.

Jonas, too, performed well, as Arim would have expected. The Djinn’s Dark magic was formidable, filtering through the evil wraiths with astonishing skill. Focused on Jonas, Arim almost missed the strange creature that suddenly appeared. He’d never before seen a wraith like this one and could feel its seething hatred as if it stood right here in the now. The creature opened its mouth, and Arim wondered if its attack had been the source of the manifested pain felt by his nephews.

But before the creature could hit Cadmus, Jonas flew through the air to intercept the blood-red blast. A Nocumat enveloped the Djinn, steadily tearing through the hasty walls Jonas tried to build. Astonished, Arim immediately began processing what he saw, knowing he and the Storm Lords would need help combating this new, more powerful threat. It was curiously similar to a wraith, with critical differences.

The wraith-like being carried a creature of Shadow within its Dark self, a combination of Dark energies that made the evil thing that much stronger than a typical wraith. Though Jonas, another creature of Dark, worked hard to combat the Nocumat, he couldn’t control or overcome the Shadren.

Tension filling him the longer he watched, Arim saw Cadmus frown in concentration and felt a communication spell reaching out to…Aerolus. Irritated Aerolus had failed to mention this incident earlier, Arim watched as Cadmus repeated the magical words to trap the Nocumat within itself. Alandra’s work, no doubt. The red glob flew back into the Dark creature and disappeared.

What happened next alarmed Arim almost more than the Netharat presence in the apartment. Jonas and Cadmus combined their strike against their opponent, instantly obliterating it. But their magic was nearly indistinguishable from one another. Both bands of energy were startlingly Dark with only thin threads of Light running through Cadmus’ magic—threads that should have illuminated his entire ray of energy.

Was this Darkness a result of the attacks, of Jonas’ presence, or, as Arim feared, something else?

Of all four princes, Cadmus had always appeared the most easygoing. Where Darius would rail, Marcus smirk and Aerolus steadily ignore everyone, Cadmus would joke and soothe any tension among them. But for all that, Arim had always sensed in Cadmus a darker intent, a mired knot of emotion just waiting to be let loose. As if his laughter masked a deeper being, Cadmus stared at the world with light brown eyes that could turn an unfathomable black when riled. At those times, he reminded Arim uncomfortably of himself.

Is that why I can’t stop worrying about the troublemaker? Is it because, despite the front Cadmus shows the world, another—Darker—side of him lingers just under his skin?

Wandering the small apartment, Arim muttered a small spell to put the place back to rights. As furniture and odds and ends restored themselves, he took a resolved step into Ellie’s bedroom. He had no need of sorcery to know what had occurred in here between Cadmus and Ellie. The looks the two had shared, the way she’d defended him without question upon first meeting Arim, the way Cadmus had mooned after the girl from the minute he’d assumed Darius’ place in that bar—all signs pointed to an emotion so much deeper than lust or even affection.

Whereas Arim had felt pleased, even joyous upon Darius and Marcus finding their affai, he’d been a little more reserved with Aerolus. But even then, despite Alandra’s ties to a mischievous, Shadowy race, the love she and Aerolus shared was its own source of Light. Cadmus flitted from woman to woman, on Tanselm and here in this plane. His fixation on Ellie had been disturbing, more so when Arim learned she was part Djinn. To learn her father was none other than Ethim il Ruethe, an ancient, powerful Djinn and leader of the Sarqua, Arim could no more ignore his fears than he could the reality of yet another tie between Light and Dark.

Ellie was no creature of Light or Shadow. Though she looked like a fantasy come to life, her big blue eyes a study of innocence laced with an overt sexuality any man would be hard-pressed to ignore, Ellie was a true Darkling. Even he had felt drawn upon meeting her in the flesh, much to his surprise and amusement at Cadmus’ jealous expense.

Arim shook his head as he gazed at her rumpled bed. The sex here had been incredibly passionate. Though he tried to mute the impressions, he couldn’t help sharing in the amazing lust between the two.

A sudden vision of a petite woman with flowing black hair and ice blue eyes laughed at him from his memories, and in the distance, he heard Tanselm’s echoing longing. Lust and love mixed before remembered pain shattered the sudden haze clouding his mind.

Stunned at the depth of feeling pulling him back towards Tanselm, he could only wonder what all this mingling of Light and Dark really meant. Ethim had mentioned that Tanselm needed her Dark as much as the land needed her Light. But how could that be? For hundreds of years, Arim’s people, the Light Bringers, had stood their ground, caring and nurturing Tanselm’s rich earth to make up for the damage the Dark Lords had long ago caused.

Tanselm rejected evil in all its forms. Whenever real malevolence walked in Tanselm, the trees trembled and the winds spoke of her pain. Yet the Shadowy race of the Aellei now populated the eastern kingdom, with their princess, Aerolus’s affai, standing by to be queen.

That Tanselm welcomed the Aellei clearly told him they couldn’t be evil. His mind had a hard time acknowledging what his heart knew. For years, the only people Arim truly trusted were his family. In the past few months, he’d added a few more to that list, namely Samantha, Tessa and Alandra, all Storm Lord brides. But to trust a member of the Dark? Who was Ellie really? Ellie Markham? Or Elliara al il Ruethe?

He needed to see her again, to delve into her being and figure out what to do about this situation. Cadmus’ feelings aside, Arim refused to let his nephew experience the pain of Dark betrayal. He knew too well the harm in loving a woman so very different from oneself.

Shaking free of his memories, Arim focused on Ellie. The remains of her energy were easy enough to see. Feminine hunger, power, pain and joy radiated like the tied bands of a dark rainbow, the muted colours of life shadowing the reality of Ellie’s Seattle apartment. He found the contrast odd, but not in the slightest corrupt.

Arim sighed, coming to a hard realisation that his perceptions might not be as just as he’d once thought. Confusion and a sense of disquiet filled him at thoughts of what the future might hold.

“Damn it. I need a drink.” He ran a hand through his hair and exited the doorway in search of Ellie’s small kitchen. But the Dark Lord waiting for him in the living room froze him in his tracks.

“Arim, so nice to see you again.” ‘Sin Garu held up clawed fingers stained with blood in a mockery of a wave. “It’s been too long. And I mean that.” He smiled through a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“I’m sure you do.” Arim felt no other presence in the room but tightened the shields around himself nonetheless. Staring at the Dark Lord, he couldn’t help looking for any likenesses to Lexa. He found none but the same smooth, white skin.

“You know, Arim, in my quest to save Tanselm from the scourge of Light Bringers, I may have been too hasty. It seems not all Light Bringers are without Darkness.” ‘Sin Garu rubbed his hands together, a hint of blue flame curling within his palms. “Aerolus, for example, is much Darker than I’d thought.” He waited a moment, then continued, “And Cadmus, the Earth Lord. Now that fine young man has potential.”

Arim remained silent, and ‘Sin Garu’s smile faded. “You’re about as much fun as your nephew Marcus. Now Darius, that one I liked. Full of fire and anger. He really knows how to broadcast his energy.”

“Is there a point to all this?”

“Such a lacking attempt at discourse. Pity your mother never taught you any manners. But then, Ilya didn’t have a whole lot of time to teach you anything, did she? She died when you were what, eight, nine?”

Wondering at this personal inquisition, Arim waited. The hair on the back of his neck rose at the Darkness pooling behind him, and he concentrated the bulk of his shield along his back.

“My own father passed when I was born, leaving my mother to raise three children alone. And you know what? She did a wonderful job, until a Light Bringer stole one of us right from under mother’s very nose.”

Arim’s interest stirred despite his desire to remain aloof. “Lexa.”

“Yes.” ‘Sin Garu sneered. “A pity your kind tainted her. She would have made the best of us, perhaps proven even greater than myself. You have no idea how long it’s taken me to return her to what life meant her to be.”

A sudden anger on Lexa’s behalf took Arim by surprise. “What? It wasn’t enough she was forced to endure Light Bringers for much of her youth? You had to punish her as well?”

“I must admit, when she returned to us, she was not at all the girl I’d expected.” The Dark Lord’s face cleared of all expression. “But that’s all in the past now, isn’t it?”

“You brought it up. And I have to wonder why.”

“Because the similarities here are just too strong to ignore.” ‘Sin Garu’s blue eyes darkened with malice. “Just like you and my sister once enjoyed a close relationship, so too do Cadmus and Ellie, Light Bringer and Dark Djinn. I can only hope your nephew is less sensitive than you were. Why, when Lexa told me how pitifully you cried, how you cheapened yourself for a dead whore and her family, I—”

The blast took Arim by surprise, and he’d been expecting an attack. Holding tight to his shield, the blue flame trying to sear him couldn’t penetrate his energy. The hatred coiling within him, however, needed an outlet. Shooting a ray of pure Light at ‘Sin Garu, he stared in shock as the Dark Lord absorbed the attack.

‘Sin Garu’s lips curled. “She was right. You’re an easy one to enrage. I look forward to our next meeting. And do bring your wits with you, then, hmm?”

In the blink of an eye, he vanished, making Arim wonder what the hell this altercation had really been about. Mention of Lexa and the past seemed no more than a cheap trick to make Arim lash out. But ‘Sin Garu’s attention to Cadmus and Ellie concerned him most. The Dark Lord knew Ellie was Djinn. It was only a matter of time before he invaded Foreia in his quest for domination. And no matter how strong Ethim and his Sarqua were, they were no match for the power of a Dark Lord so steeped in hatred that Arim’s emotions merely added to the mire within him.

‘Sin Garu’s insinuations made Arim take a closer look around him. Hell, the Dark Lord’s words rang true. Arim and Cadmus shared similarities too close to be ignored. The time for a deep conversation with the Earth Lord had come. And the time to see Ellie for who she was, and not who ‘Sin Garu or he wanted her to be, had definitely arrived.

One way or the other, Arim vowed to protect Cadmus—from himself, if need be.