Summer Garden

Luna

Luna glanced over at her sister as she devoured a bowl of flowers hungrily. She was concerned. Since Summer had come back, so many things were different about her, and she hadn't explained why she had yet. The queen had been more than ready to sacrifice her life, but had arrived just in time to finish the second resurrection of Trei... And had come back with more power than she'd left with.

Summer paused, picking a rose thorn out of her teeth, "Were your thoughts always that loud, Luna?"

She blushed in embarrassment, and then stared, "You can hear thoughts, now?"

"Temporary." Summer said, and nodded over to the small Fae lying upright in a swirl of blankets on the couch. "I'm connected to Astrian at the moment. Hungry little thing is still feeding off me, even now."

Luna winced, tracing the flow of magic, "She's bleeding your life. That's... Weird. And kinda scary."

Summer shrugged, "But... To answer you... Yio came to tease me. The Fates decided I wasn't supposed to die just yet, which I guess is kinda fair enough. We don't really know what would happen if Sumner's soul was destroyed. She let me know she'd lied to Trei, claimed he was part-Fate. Also let me know she'd turned up naked."

Luna clenched her fists, "Then what the hell was she doing here?"

"Attempting to kill Trei." Summer hissed, her wings flaring, "When she couldn't get him to commit suicide, she resorted to using Janus, and attempting to trap me so I couldn't interfere."

The Shadow Knight looked at the hatred burning in her sister's eyes and swallowed, not knowing if she wanted the answer to her next question. "Where is Yio, now?"

"Dead." Summer growled.

Luna looked away, trying to hide her fear, trying to stop from shaking. Her sister had killed a celestial. Not only was that a show of force that Luna hadn't even imagined her sister was even capable of, but it was also something that might upset the fundamental balance of the realms. The will of the celestials is what made existence continue to exist. With one now gone... What would happen?

Summer rubbed her temples, "How do you two deal with listening to people's thoughts all day? Seriously, I can't block you out. Yio is dead, so her power rejoins the rest of the celestials. We each got a share. Doesn't do me much good, what with having a physical shell that'll just burn out, but it lets everyone know what happened. That Yio stepped over the line, and paid the price. The treaty stands."

Luna winced, and then looked up, "Wait. If Yio is gone, then who let Janus know when to attack? Did he just trace Trei after we summoned him?"

"No." Summer shook her head, "In fact, I think Janus thought you'd killed Trei. If Vastras wasn't part of it, then you would have. She found a way to take an unravelled soul and reform it again. As to how a mortal queen knows how to do that... I'm not sure I want the answer."

Luna glanced over at her bodyguard, watching from the doorway, "Any suggestions?"

Rendi shrugged, placing his hands behind his back, "My lady. That the Arbiter came to retrieve Trei personally is out of character. He has always utilised his networks. I have never, in all my lifetimes, witnessed him become directly involved in any events, especially not when doing so would upset any of his machinations, such as those he was preparing for the wedding. Something fundamental must have shifted to cause him to break so far from his previous ways."

Summer shredded a rose petal, "Tyr was here. Right before Trei was taken."

Luna felt her heart twist inside out, and she looked down, ashamed.

Astrian yawned and snuggled deeper into her cocoon, and the other three looked at her, smiling. At least there was one small ray of sunlight in this whole business. Children had a way of doing that. Taking the hardest and darkest hearts and reigniting them. It helped that Astrian really was an adorable little bundle.

"Tyr came to witness it." Luna whispered, "Then it means that it was defining point in history. One of the fixed events that can let him draw closer to our reality. So this was always going to happen."

She stood up, "Rendi, you're on babysitter duty. Protect Astrian, above and beyond myself."

Summer raised an eyebrow, "What are you going to do?"

"Raise the knights." Luna sighed, "Or have you forgotten that you have declared war on the Arbiter?"

Her sister looked as if Luna had sworn at her for a moment, and then sighed, "I'd rather not drag anyone else into this."

Luna put a hand on her hip, "You don't get a choice, queen. My realms, and my people, were created to serve a purpose. We will protect the Evening Realms. I am mobilising our forces, and will prepare for whatever is coming. I am the Shadow Knight. Your Shadow Knight. I do not exist to serve your whims, sister. I exist to protect your life. To safeguard the Scion of Sumner. I will not neglect my duty."

Summer nodded sadly, "I know. I just wish..."

"Yeah." Luna interrupted angrily, "We all wish we could just run away with Trei. Unfortunately, life happens."