Divine Odyssey: Book one

Part 3

Koi hobbled back to the castle, his torn and blood-spattered shirt evidence of the battle he had endured. Though physically intact, he remained bewildered by the events of the night, especially the absence of Finley. All he knew for certain was that the sun was rising, signaling his need to return to the safety of the castle. Hints of fiery anger and rage still trickled on the ends of his mind, but the last thing Koi wanted was to face the aftermath of last evening.

As he made his way down the hallway toward his room, voices from nearby piqued his curiosity. Pressing his ear against the door, he eavesdropped on the conversation within.

"Where is my father?" demanded Finley.

"He's sleeping. I didn't want to disturb him," replied a woman's voice.

"What did you want to tell me?" Finley's tone was gruff.

"You're turning 19 in a couple of weeks," the woman informed him matter-of-factly. "Just thought you should know that a sorcerer is coming the day before, to... clean up the bloodline." Her last words were tinged with a disturbing eagerness.

"Fine. You could have informed me of that in the morning. Now I'm going back to sleep," Finley dismissed her with a hint of annoyance.

As footsteps approached the door, Koi quickly ducked behind a nearby plant, concealing himself from view. Once Finley had entered his room, the woman's voice resumed, "He's gone."

"Clean up the bloodline?" questioned a male voice.

"Finley's smart. He'll see right through that," the man replied, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"It was the best that I could do," the lady defended herself.

"How else was I supposed to say it? 'To kill you and your brother'?" she challenged.

Koi struggled to contain a gasp at the chilling revelation.

"The Sorceress won't lie. She will make it obvious," the man reassured her.

"What was her name anyway? Casy, Cany?" the woman inquired.

"Cassian," the man corrected.

This time, Koi couldn't stifle his reaction, gasping audibly.

"Who was that?" the lady questioned.

Sensing the danger of being discovered, Koi sprinted back to his room with silent urgency. Through the closed door, he heard the muffled voice of the man reassure the woman, "There's no one, Emerald. All three boys are asleep."

Koi stood in silence for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before quietly opening the door and stepping inside. He made his way over to Finley's room and knocked softly. Finley opened the door with a tired sigh. "Koi," he greeted, his expression inscrutable, though Koi couldn't help but notice the purple bags under his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone weary.

"I wanted to tell you something," Koi replied, his voice steady despite the nerves fluttering in his chest.

"You're telling me that my parents are inviting your mom to murder me?" Finley asked angrily. "That's exactly what I'm telling you!" Koi said back. "You were dreaming!" Finley said "How can I dream when I never slept?" Koi asked, gesturing at his arms. "What did you do?" Finley asked. "Doesn't matter! What matters is that I'm helping you kill my mom before she can kill you." Koi stated. "HELP ME? HELP ME?" Finley scoffed, "You're not going to HELP ME kill your own mother!" Koi scowled, "Do you think I want my mom to kill you?" Finley sighed. "Good night Koi."