The Crystal Mines

54 Rion

Tonight, we would all be attending the Temple of Death where Viatrix would be honored with gifts. I didn't believe in the gods and goddesses that the people of Tarsen flocked to. I thought it was a waste to consider there were beings powerful enough to control our fates and invoke magic during the four times of the year we celebrated. I thought that the solstices and equinoxes were so potent because the Fae in the world made it so, pouring magic into the air. There was no denying the effects regardless of how I felt about it.

Seeing Eliza at the market with a bag holding a dress she would reveal tomorrow night, made my pulse quicken. She was like the wind. Smooth on the skin, with the power to destroy in a storm, and take my breath away if she got too close. Fecking magic. I shook off the building feelings of irrational lust and continued preparing my gift to the obsidian statue.

It would be an insult not to bring a gift and I was not in the habit of getting on the bad side of authority. It was a wonder the king let my brothers and I stay in his castle let alone the vicinity of his city. We were the sons of a tyrant and logically, could not be trusted. King Hesper was weak. We all knew it. Callion and his guard, the name escaped me like most names, spent their free time trained the kings guards. The albino creature Nik brought had spent every waking moment since they got their master's marks training anyone who wanted to learn on strengthening their mental wall. With Erix as our father, we were well versed in protecting our minds.

Though our group did everything they could in help the king of Ashburn better his defenses, their skill could only grow as fast as their willingness. They had grown lazy as they relied on the mountains to protect them from the south. As soon as my father discovered that the city could be approached from the north, he would lay waste to the kingdom with ease. Once Ashburn fell, it was only a matter of time before he would make his way to the small wolf kingdom, Sieghild. Riveton was already under Salvare's control, though it was not widely known. That left Aegran in the southwest and Calume even further south.

There were reports solely based on hearsay of a kingdom beyond the Abandoned Mines but if it existed, getting there would be impossible with crossing a desert, mountains and then a foreign forest. Erix didn't bother with Aegran after capturing the heir. Of course, Ameer had been the heir the entire time. Loosing Sorin during their escape, would not give Erix any indication of his mistake, leaving the heir safe. For now.

Taury's father was helping the king with military tactics and gaining control of the slums again. While the rest of us trained with the guards and fought to save Dath. But it wouldn't be long before time ran out and we'd have to be on the move again. Part me dreaded and longed for that day. Sick of staying in a kingdom I knew nothing about and savoring every moment stealing glances at Eliza when she wasn't looking.

My gift for the stupid statue was complete and I wrapped it up in some twine. Alden worked on his still. It looked to be a mess of dried flowers and twigs and I couldn't make out anything tangible. My brother's creativity came with his magic. Able to create anything in the air out of an element of his choice and animate realistically. I didn't think of myself as an artist in the least, but I occasionally dabbled in woodcarving without magic. I favored the feel of a knife at my hand, revealing whatever the wood held inside. It wasn't a skill that I flaunted. My father would have shredded my back if he ever learned of such a ridiculous thing. But for tonight, I enjoyed the opportunity to create something, even if I knew nothing would come of it.

Our group met in the hall, waiting for the king to lead the procession through the city to the temple near the northern beach. I don't know when I began to think of Nik and her crew as my own, but the feeling of belonging somewhere was both pleasant and foreign. The way everyone stuck together was admirable. Each one of the original Cobalt team accepted ones like Eliza and Jakota as their own. A family in its on right. It was not something I understood firsthand, but I could recognize it when it was right in front of me.