The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 7. Chapter 7

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter VII

By X

 

 

“What in the hell are you talking about?!”

I must admit, even I heard the panic in my voice. It was as if they had just found Kyrios and announced that The Sanctum was sending a death squad to hunt him down that day. That wasn’t the case, but I couldn’t help but wonder. Should I be concerned by my reaction? Should they?

I looked between the three of them. “How’s that even possible?” I asked, purposely toning down the tenor of my voice. “No one knows who Kyrios is. I never learned his identity, and we lived under the same roof.”

“Wait, what?” Sunny rolled over on his side and stared me down.

Fuck me!

“Are you saying Kyrios is currently living at KU?” he inquired, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Why didn’t you share that until now?”

Was he accusing me of something? Like purposely hiding information from The Sanctum, perhaps? Or was I simply in my head again?

“Excuse me?” I said a bit more defensively than I intended. “I’ve had a lot going on in my life over the last few hours. Kyrios’ identity and current location were the furthest things from my mind, Sunny. I’m just trying to acclimate. That’s all.” That was the truth. I wasn’t trying to keep anything from anyone, but I found the idea that they may think differently annoying.

“Does it really matter right now?” Zac placed his pillow on Sunny’s side to prop his head up and get a better view of the burning ring on the floor. “Can we keep going with the PowerPoint presentation?”

With a glance at Liam, Sunny nodded and dropped the subject. Still, I wondered what he would do with this information. What would any of them do? Was it that important? Despite being curious, I did not push for an answer or try to clear up any assumptions they may have of me. I wanted the matter forgotten, but things seldom work out the way you want.

Liam brought our attention back to the paused image within the ring.

“You’re right, Jacob.” Liam continued; his voice was soft, almost comforting. “As far as I’m aware, no one knows the identity of Kyrios, but that wasn’t always the case.” His eyes moved from the still image and captured me in his gaze. “The decision to keep our leaders hidden was born from the events of that night.”

“I see,” I acknowledged, stunned by this new revelation. “So, does that mean the leader of the Skai is also a mystery?”

“Yes, and no,” Elijah answered, giving Sunny a stern look.

“What do you want from me?” Sunny glared back at him while gesturing toward me. “Jacob chose not to link, and I haven’t had a chance to go over our entire history and way of life in the last twenty-four hours. Sue me!”

“I didn’t say anything,” Elijah protested.

“Yeah, but that little look of yours said it all.”

“Sunny’s right,” I interjected, “this is on me, not him. I decided not to link, and because of that, I’m not up to speed on things. I will have many questions until I’m caught up. I’m sorry.”

“See? Not my fault.”

“I wasn’t coming at you, Sunny!”

Sunny rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was giving Elijah shit more than anything else.

“What does ‘yes and no’ mean?” I asked to get us back on track.

“Unlike the Naverian King, our King survived the Great Calamity, so we kept our system of governance from the days of Asevaya. Well, actually, with some minor adjustments like….”

“Hold on,” Liam interrupted Sunny and pointed at the fiery circle. “Maybe we start here and come back to that at the end. I think it will make more sense that way.”

Sunny nodded. “You’re right. Take it away, Maestro!”

“Finally!” Zac exclaimed and slapped Sunny on the stomach in his excitement.

“As I said before,” Liam began, “this is Rome over two thousand years ago. The people in this villa celebrated The Vulcanalia as many Romans did across the empire.”

Elijah must have noticed my confusion because he smirked and answered my question before I could ask. “It’s a festival honoring the Roman God Vulcan.”

“Exactly what Lijah said.”

As Liam spoke, the images began to “play” as if I was watching a silent movie on the big screen. The picture zoomed into the villa, and I saw a group gathered around a table eating, drinking, and generally having a good time.

“This was Kyrios’ family,” Liam continued and then pointed at a young man sitting next to an older man at the head of the table. “And that is Kyrios.”

Unsurprisingly, the young man was breathtakingly handsome. A mess of golden curls covered his head, and his eyes were as bright and blue as gemstones. And his smile? Forget about it. At a time before modern dentistry, flashing a perfect set of pearly whites like his had to captivate those around him. Surely, he used it to his advantage on more than one occasion. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years old. Despite his flawless appearance, nothing about him screamed Kyrios to me. But then again, what does a Kyrios look like anyway?

“So, I'm guessing this wasn’t an original Nave from Aquaiia?” I inquired. “He was a human who joined The Brotherhood, received the Gift at some point, and eventually rose the ranks to become Kyrios?” Feeling pretty proud of myself for figuring it out, I looked around at the others for validation.

“Not quite,” Liam responded.

“That’s kind of wild, actually,” I mused. “I just assumed that Kyrios was always a Naverian from Aquaiia.” And then it hit me. “Wait. What do you mean not quite?”

“He’s human, Jacob,” Elijah answered, nodding toward the ring so I would look closer.

“What?” I damn near shouted and immediately leaned over the bed to get a closer look at the guy. “He’s human? They allow that?” I leaned forward and nearly fell off the bed, trying to look closer at Kyrios. “I had no idea!”

“One of the things we have in common with the Nave is our human brothers are equal in all things, and that means they can hold positions of power while still mortal.” Sunny locked his eyes on Kyrios as he spoke, but then he turned his attention to the couple sitting across from him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but he was, as far as we know, the first human to hold the title of Kyrios.”

“As far as we know, yes,” Liam nodded. “His name was Valerius.”

“Valerius,” I whispered to myself for some reason.

“This is where things get interesting,” Liam said.

“More like messy,” Elijah insisted while resting his chin on Liam’s shoulder. “You see the brown-haired guy sitting next to Valerius? That’s Amadeus.”

“Wait,” I interrupted while holding up a finger. “Amadeus? Isn’t that Kaylec’s lover or whatever?”

“Yes,” the boyfriends said in unison.

“They were cousins,” Liam clarified with wide eyes.

“Holy fuck!”

“Messy….” Elijah added with the same wide eyes on his boyfriend.

My mind was blown. “Someone, please make it make sense,” I implored.

With a chuckle, Liam continued, “At this point, Valerius had no idea his cousin was Skai, and neither did his two guards. On the other hand, Amadeus discovered Valerius was Nave and, more importantly, Kyrios about a month before this gathering.”

“I asked for clarity. This isn’t it.”

“Trust me, Jacob, it will make sense. You see, Kaylec fell head over heels in love with a very human Amadeus a couple of years before all this happened. He had no idea who Amadeus’ cousin was and wouldn’t have cared anyway. These two families lived in different cities and, like most families, only got together during celebrations like The Vulcanalia festival or important matters of state. Shit like that. We can only assume Valerius’ Nave guards became accustomed to Amadeus’ presence during these times and didn’t consider him a threat. Why would they? He was his human cousin, after all.”

Elijah continued where his man left off. “I’ll even give them credit and say they probably did their due diligence by scanning his mind the first few visits. Nothing too deep to avoid causing serious damage, but just enough to know if he posed any threat. And, of course, he didn’t because Amadeus had no idea what an El’odian was at that time.” Elijah paused and tapped Liam on the shoulder as if he were passing the baton, allowing him to pick up the narrative.

“Fast forward about a year and a half after their initial meeting, and Kaylec, with the blessing of The Sanctum, revealed his proper form to Amadeus. A couple of months later, Amadeus accepted Kaylec’s Umbra to become one of us. And remember, back then, the leader of The Brotherhood was known to us, for our leaders had met on several occasions to discuss important matters and settle disputes while under the watchful eye of The Great Mother.”

Liam stopped, and they both looked at me and then I felt Sunny’s eyes on me as well. They were waiting for me to have an “aha moment,” and it finally clicked.

“And he linked with Kaylec,” I said softly; every word was thoughtful and deliberate as I thought it through. “So, as the memories of our people unfolded in his mind, he realized his cousin Valerius was also Kyrios.”

“Exactly!” Liam nearly jumped out of Elijah’s arms like a proud father watching his son score the winning touchdown. “The news sent shockwaves across The Sanctum. There were many discussions about how to use this information to our advantage. Think about it. For the first time, we would know with almost a hundred percent certainty where Kyrios would be and thanks to his family gatherings. On top of that, he had very little protection with him as opposed to being surrounded by Nave when meeting with our leaders. That was huge.”

Even though I still missed many of the puzzle pieces, I had enough to go on, and I didn’t like the final picture.

“We formulated a plan to inflict a devasting blow to The Brotherhood and presented it to our King for his approval. After many heated debates, he ultimately gave his blessing, and the mission was finalized.”

“What was the mission?”

Zac’s innocence came through in his question, for I already knew the answer. Still, I needed to hear them say it, mostly because I hoped I was wrong.

Liam looked at Zac for a while without answering. I can’t be sure of the reason for Liam’s hesitation, but his eyes told the story of a Skai who didn’t want to shatter the innocence of the boy staring back at him, eagerly awaiting an answer. Perhaps he feared bringing disillusion to the boy who held his brothers in such high esteem and regarded them as honorable beings.

Sunny stepped in to rescue Liam from delivering the news. He draped his free arm across Zac’s back and massaged the back of his head as he spoke. “The order was to assassinate Kyrios.”

“Assassinate him?” His wide eyes and high-pitched voice denoted his shock perfectly. “But why? Did he do something to us?”

“It’s not about what he did or didn’t do, Zac.” Sunny was careful with his words, but at the same time, I could tell he didn’t want to lie to Zac or paint a rosy picture for him. “He was the leader of our greatest enemy. Our only enemy. We saw an opportunity, and we took it. It’s as simple as that.”

Interestingly, they used “we” when describing events that happened thousands and sometimes millions of years ago as if they were actually present. It reminded me of sports fans and how they are adamant that “we” scored a touchdown or “we” whiffed on that three-pointer.

“That’s just stupid,” Zac said plainly. “If they left us alone, why didn’t we just do the same?”

“It’s not that simple, Zac,” Sunny assured him while gently shaking his head.

“Actually, it is. You don’t see me going around poking bears, do you?”

“I’m not debating this with you right now. When you’re older and become a Skai, you’ll understand.”

“I don’t think I will,” Zac said.

“What are you saying?” Sunny looked troubled suddenly. “You don’t want to be Skai?”

“No, not that, dummy! You better believe I want the Gift. Clearly, you guys need more people with common sense like me in your ranks. I’m saying, I don’t think I will ever understand killing someone who hasn’t done anything bad just because we’re enemies or whatever.”

I looked down at the mattress and smiled. I agreed with Zac that both sides needed more people with common sense, but I also understood Sunny. It’s childish to think things are ever that easy, especially when it comes to a blood feud that’s existed for millions of years.

“But please, continue with the story,” Zac said, gesturing to Liam to hurry along.

“The trap was set for The Vulcanalia. As you can see,” Liam pointed to the circle, “Amadeus and his family joined the festivities unmolested as expected. At this point, the Naverian guards trusted Amadeus, and he could move about the villa without notice or concern. The signal was simple. After the feast, he would lead Valerius upstairs and onto the terrace. It became a tradition for them to head out there and doggedly debate the day's politics.”

As Liam recounted the tale, the events played out just as he described within the ring of fire. It was fascinating to witness these events “in real time” instead of trying to picture them all in your mind. It made it more personal and real and brought a whole new meaning to the concept of storytelling, that’s for sure.

“A group of twelve Skai led by Kaylec looked on from a distance, waiting for the signal. Once Valerius and Amadeus stepped out on the terrace, the trap was sprung. There was no going back….” Liam’s words trailed into a whisper as he allowed the ring to showcase what happened next.

We looked on in silence.

Twelve Skai descended onto the villa from all directions, invading thru the window and crashing thru walls as if they were made of paper. The first to fall was the older man who sat at the head of the table while they ate. Valerius’ father? I never asked. The two Naverian guards quickly took up arms against the Skai intruders, but they were immediately overwhelmed. Kaylec killed one guard mere seconds after he summoned his weapons; the other guard struggled to fight off two Skai at once. They appeared to be toying with the guard, for they obviously had the upper hand. That

Valerius’ family was cut down like animals as they tried to flee. Terrorized at the sight of winged beings walking among them, I’m sure they thought vengeful Gods had descended to punish them. It’s what I would have felt had I been in their shoes. There must have been nearly a hundred people at this feast. And while there was a ruthless massacre in the works, it was clear some had the favor of the Skai.

“Why are those people not running for their lives?” I pointed to several of the guests who stood around watching the blood bath unfold. And then it hit me. “They’re Amadeus’ family, aren’t they?”

Liam nodded.

“Is it just me, or do they look happy?” Zac looked around the room for someone to agree with him. “Why do they look happy? Or am I crazy?”

“You’re not crazy,” Elijah assured him. “Despite the family gatherings and all the pleasantries, Amadeus’ family envied them for the prestige, wealth, and power they wielded throughout the empire. They believed annihilating Valerius’ family would elevate their stature.”

“Okay….” Zac’s sarcastic tone was unmistakable and amusing. “But there are still a bunch of gray-skinned, black-winged creatures running around. Why aren’t they freaking out over that?”

Liam shrugged and said, “we could only assume Amadeus prepared them for what was to come.”

“How can you….”

Sunny was quick to cover Zac’s mouth. “Just watch and listen.”

Amidst the mayhem, Valerius came rushing down to the dining hall to see what was happening. The look on his face said it all. He knew what they were. He knew they were there for him. As Kaylec approached him, Valerius turned to his cousin and appeared to yell at Amadeus to run back up the stairs as he pointed at the staircase behind them. I could literally see the color drain from Valerius’ face as Amadeus turned into a Skai right before his eyes. He stumbled backward into Kaylec, who pushed him forward into his cousin’s grasp. Amadeus lifted Valerius into the air by the neck. He watched as his cousin struggled, punching and kicking, as he gasped for air. Amadeus remained unphased, merely tilting his head from side to side as he squeezed the life out of Valerius until the body went limp. He held him in the air for a moment longer before the dark fire erupted. It consumed Valerius until nothing was left but falling embers.

“And then it happened….” Liam spoke in a hushed voice as if saying it louder would make it worse.

I watched in awe as a whirlwind of light and fury crashed through the villa’s ceiling. When the brightness dissipated, I saw Q standing over the impaled bodies of two of my brethren.

“Qua’quelle literally crashed the party with a company of his men,” Liam continued. “Setesh, the Twin brothers, Remus, and two other Nave we didn’t know at the time. Someone may have tipped him off about our plans, but that’s highly doubtful. It’s more likely that they already had plans to visit Valerius, and it was pure coincidence. We don’t know. Regardless, it didn’t matter. They were there, and we were overwhelmed.”

“How do you mean?” Zac began counting the El’odians caught up in the melee. “Even with two down, we still had the advantage. I’m counting eleven to seven. How are we overwhelmed?”

“Qua’quelle,” Sunny said matter-of-factly, shaking his head dejectedly. “You can take those numbers and throw them in the trash. They mean nothing. Setesh and Remus alone are formidable warriors from the days before the Great Calamity. You throw in Qua’quelle, and it’s….” He broke off suddenly, unable to formulate the words to describe the hopelessness he was trying to convey. “He’s something else entirely. A force of nature.”

“And we just killed Kyrios,” Elijah added.

Sunny wasn’t wrong. As I looked on, I saw a fire in Q’s eyes I’d never seen before. No, it wasn’t fire. It was pure hatred, and it did not discriminate. No one was safe. Not only did Skylarians fall to his blade, but the humans, who moments ago were looking on in glee, were mowed down like weeds. To watch him cut down a mother and her young child right before my eyes was troubling, to say the least, and yet, I could not fault him for seeking vengeance.

Would I do any less, I wondered? Would any of us? Or am I just making excuses for Q because I love him? I don’t know anymore. I watched Soullen kill four men, and it barely registered as a significant event In my life. Sure, they were terrible people, but as a human, the trauma of being drenched in their blood would have required me to seek some sort of therapy, right? As it stands, I was just annoyed that I was caught naked in the alley.

Not even twenty-four hours have passed, and I’m already changing.

Q’s onslaught was relentless. I watched as my brothers looked at each other in confusion, perhaps hoping someone had a plan as they desperately tried to survive his attacks. Kaylec, locked in battle with Seth, looked on in horror from across the room as a third Skai fell to Q’s blade. The reality of the Skai’s situation appeared to be setting in; I could see that much in his eyes.

“Kaylec called for a retreat.” Liam’s voice felt heavy as he spoke, and the pain on his face was undeniable. Their pain was his pain; that much was evident to me now. Is that what it meant to link with The Sanctum? “It was at this moment that Amadeus saw his chance. He managed to kill one Nave, so maybe he was riding high because of it. It’s the only explanation I can think of as to why he did this.”

I never looked up from the pool of fire as Liam spoke. I saw Amadeus run his blade thru a Nave after a fierce fight, and as the body of his enemy crumbled into what sand, he locked his eyes on Q, who had his hands full with two of my brothers. More accurately, they had their hands full with him. Grasping his blade’s hilt tightly, Amadeus charged at Q, who remained locked in battle with his back turned.

“He saw an easy kill and went for the death blow.” Elijah’s tone betrayed his words. There was nothing easy about that kill, and we all knew it. As if preparing for the movie’s climax, he wrapped his arms around Liam and held him close as he looked over his shoulder. “Even Kaylec saw the error of his thinking.”

As Seth pushed Kaylec further back and away from his beloved, he realized what Amadeus planned to do and called out to him. I couldn’t hear Kaylec’s words, but I could only imagine it was a warning to stop, turn around, run, or do anything else but continue that charge. Consumed by the fog of war, his pleas fell on deaf ears. Amadeus raised his sword to land the killing blow and sever Q’s head from his shoulders. In a masterful display of his swordsmanship, Q twirled one of his swords around to thrust it behind him while parrying the blades of the two Skai before him. He never turned around to see his attacker, yet easily impaled Amadeus in the chest.

Kaylec cried out, watching helplessly as Amadeus stumbled backward with Q’s sword protruding from his chest cavity. The eiyrlin blade inundated his body with Anavi as it surged and webbed out from the wound. Then, Q spun around and grabbed his sword, pulling it from Amadeus as he disintegrated like a sandcastle blown away by the wind.

Kaylec cried out, and I could see the dark tears falling from his eyes. The death of Amadeus empowered him as he began pushing Seth back toward the center of the room, toward Q. His blows came faster than I could see. Seth was on the defensive now, deflecting Kaylec’s swords as best he could, but he could not contend with the wrath of a grief-stricken lover. From what I saw, I’m confident Kaylec would’ve taken his head if it wasn’t for one of the Twins parrying the blow. Still, Kaylec’s dark blade managed to lick Seth’s face from his chin to his temple, leaving behind a dark wound pulsating with Askyli and finally allowing Kaylec to push past him.

Q would have taken the head of one of the Skai he was fighting had it not been for a third coming and tackling the two away from him. Q moved toward the trio, but luckily for them, Kaylec must’ve called him out because he spun around suddenly to face him. Kaylec, now wreathed in fire and consumed with rage, stood defiantly with his sword turned toward Q. The pair exchanged words. I couldn’t say what, but most of the talking came, from Kaylec. All I can say is that Q appeared unimpressed by his words and raised his swords to do battle. Like his lover before him, Kaylec charged at Q, leaving behind a trail of fire. Suddenly a dark portal appeared before him, and Kaylec ran right into it and disappeared. In quick succession, additional portals appeared near the other Skai, giving them a means of escape.

As the last Skai exited, the fiery ring on the floor vanished. In the end, only five Skai made it out alive.

“Wait!” Zac protested while pointing down at the floor. “Bring it back! I want to know what happens next.”

“In the villa?” Liam asked.

“Yes! You can’t just turn it off now.”

“This isn’t a TV show you’re watching, Zac. They’re memories, and no one was left in the villa to witness what happened next.”

“Okay, that’s a fair point.” Zac pointed at Liam. “But what about the portals? Who opened the portals and got them out of there?”

“Zenial,” Elijah answered, and he appeared grateful suddenly. “I doubt we’d have any survivors without those portals.”

Now I was confused. “If Zenial was there, why didn’t he help out?”

“He got there at the tail end of the fight.” Elijah nodded as if to confirm Liam’s answer. “Zenial wasn’t part of the plot. He’d been gone for days trying to track down a newly awakened Skai when they formulated the plan. When he heard what we were planning, he got a few Skai together and went to stop Kaylec and Amadeus.”

“Without consulting our King, mind you,” Elijah added and looked as surprised as I did.

“Really?”

Elijah looked at me and nodded again. “He was vehemently against this plan the minute he learned of it. And once he got our brothers safely home, he did not shy away from sharing his feelings with all involved. He called it a “fool’s errand” and assured everyone we just ignited a fire we may never extinguish.”

“Oh, so Zenial was team Zac, huh?” The boy couldn’t look or sound any prouder. His toothy smile threatened to envelop the whole room. “Team don’t poke the bear.”

Liam continued with his tale without acknowledging Zac in the least. “He got a lot of pushback. Most called him an alarmist. Yes, we suffered losses and mourned our fallen brothers. But they were honored by all Skylarians as heroes. Many viewed the attack as a success, for we did inflict a crippling blow to the Naverians. We killed their leader, and neither side had ever accomplished that before. Yes, leaders can be replaced, but it messes with your head on some level, right? And maybe we knocked them down a peg or two and proved to the Naverians that we would be the dominant force in this new world.”

“That was our hubris.” Sunny’s voice was soft like an echo. He fell back onto the bed and placed both hands behind his head. Zac quickly adjusted his pillow to be positioned across Sunny’s torso and rested his head comfortably. “Our hubris….” He said again, his echo changing to barely a whisper.

“Zenial was right.” Unable to deny the wisdom of his words any longer, Liam looked over at the young boy, and they locked eyes. “We didn’t poke a bear, Zac; we poked a sleeping dragon in the form of Qua’quelle.”

There was no youthful excitement in Zac’s eyes for being right. He listened on somberly, knowing whatever Liam said next would not be cause for celebration.

“You see, killing Kyrios did not break the Naverians. They didn’t shrink from the world in fear. Quite the opposite, they launched a campaign against us that made some of the battles from the old days seem like child’s play, and Qua’quelle led the charge. He was….” Suddenly he broke off, turning his gaze to me, unsure if he should continue.

Zac looked at Liam and then at me before turning back to Liam. “He was what?”

“What Liam is trying to say,” Sunny chimed in, his eyes fixed on a point on the ceiling, “is Qua’quelle was brutal in his determination.” He paused for a moment, and I wondered if he was taking my feelings into account or just gathering his thoughts. “It started with Amadeus’s family. He killed them all. And I’m not just talking about those unlucky enough to be at the villa that night. He hunted down and killed every….single….living member of his family. If you were a third cousin twice removed, you weren’t safe. He wanted that bloodline erased from existence, and he thoroughly succeeded.”

“You can almost admire such efficiency,” Elijah mumbled darkly, averting his eyes when I looked over at him.

“And then he set his sights on all Skai, igniting a war that lasted more than six decades,” Sunny continued. “Qua’quelle was everywhere, it seemed. If we sent out scouting parties to find new lands to expand our territory, he was there with his men., If we went looking for a newly awakened brother, he was there. If you just went out for an evening stroll, he might find your ass.”

I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was sit there quietly and listen to my brothers recount those days as if they were their own. I mostly stared down at the bed, fidgeting with a loose strand from the bedsheets, trying and failing to imagine the horror they were describing. This wasn’t my Q. It couldn’t be.

“So many of our brothers, human and Skai alike, met their demise at the end of his blade.” Sunny never looked at me. Whatever was on the ceiling held him captivated. Honestly, I was glad he didn’t. “Don’t get it twisted; we killed many Naverians in kind, which was heading both sides towards disaster. Whatever gains either side made rebuilding our respective societies was quickly being flushed down the toilet.”

“Did no one try to end this war?” I finally mustered the courage to speak, but I’m sure I didn’t come across as brave as I’d hoped. “There had….”

“We did!” Sunny snapped angrily, finally turning to look at me. “Twice!” His eyes were wide and a little crazy looking. “Twice, we sent our envoys to discuss a truce, and both times he killed them. The first time was several months after all this started, so yeah, bad move on our part. The death of Kyrios was still too fresh in their minds to move forward with any sort of peace talks. The second time was twenty years into the conflict.”

“The murder of Kyrios,” Zac offered bluntly.

“What?” Sunny sounded surprised as he looked down his chest at Zac. I was happy to have someone else be the target of his ire. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying, Kyrios didn’t die of a heart attack. We killed him.”

“You be quiet!” Sunny playfully bonked him on the forehead. “The point is, there was no reasoning with Qua’quelle. Hell, we didn’t even know if he was now the leader of the Nave or if they had chosen a new Kyrios yet, but he certainly appeared to be running things at the time, and he would not listen. Not even The Great Mother could rein him in.”

“Really?” Zac’s voice went up an octave. “I thought everyone listened to The GM?”

“We do and don’t call her that. It’s disrespectful.”

“Sorry,” Zac said sheepishly and looked away from Sunny, embarrassed.

“We went to The Great Mother, hoping she could help end the conflict. Not to take our side in the matter, but in her neutrality, help broker a resolution both sides would find favorable. She told us Qua’quelle’s grief put him beyond her reach.”

“Weird, right?” Elijah pondered. “It makes me wonder if there wasn’t something more between Kyrios and Qua’quelle. Maybe they were lovers or something?”

Suddenly, all of them turned their heads in my direction as if I might be offended by the idea. Like he’s not allowed to have a past before me. Idiots.

“Then again, how would we react if they killed our King?” Liam asked no one in particular. “Or Razual, for that matter?”

“Or Eolaeis?” Zac added his two cents. “Or Zenial? Or….”

“Yes, we get it,” Sunny laughed and covered Zac’s mouth. “Point being, if The Great Mother had no hope of talking Qua’quelle down, then the war would never end. Not until both sides wiped each other out, and it seemed we were headed in that direction, until one decision changed everything.”

A stillness permeated the room. The trio of storytellers looked at each other, silently deciding who would continue the tale. No one was eager to take up the call. Whatever came next weighed heavy on them like an iron curtain draped over their shoulders. I was curious, certainly, but I did not push for them to continue. Especially since I could have linked and received the knowledge without making them relive these uncomfortable events. Not even Zac tried to hurry them along this time. Perhaps he already knew this part of the story, or maybe, like me, he felt the unease in the air. Ultimately, they decided to continue, and Elijah spoke first.

“In his wisdom, our King….King Diminuous….challenged Qua’quelle to a duel to the death so the war would die along with the one slain. He issued the challenge without consulting his court, which infuriated everyone, but he realized it was the only way to bring peace to his people. He knew this would quench Qua’quelle’s thirst for vengeance. If our King were to fall, the debt would be paid - a leader for a leader.

“Well, as you can imagine, our halls exploded with debate. Many believed we should continue fighting and destroy the Nave once and for all. Some thought the best way to end the war was to find a way to kill Qua’quelle. After all, he was the tip of the spear, and their lines would surely crumble with his death.”

“Because that worked out so well with Kyrios.”

“Our King would have agreed with you, Zac,” Liam declared. “In fact, he said as much, just a bit more eloquently. But the challenge was made and accepted. There was no going back, which made further discussions moot. Everyone stepped up and asked the King to allow them to fight in his name. Eolaeis was the first to volunteer, but he was quickly shot down. The King would fight this battle on behalf of all Skylarians.”

“But it wasn’t a fight,” Sunny interrupted bitterly. “It was a sacrifice, and everyone knew it. Don’t get me wrong; our King was a great warrior in his own right. He won many victories over the Nave. And we knew he would put up one hell of a fight, but….and I fucking hate saying this….he was no match for Qua’quelle. Yet, he met him in battle all the same. On the battlefield, with The Great Mother bearing witness, both sides agreed, win or lose, the war would end that day. An El’odian would fall, and a truce would be declared.

Realizing Sunny was unable or unwilling to continue, Liam spoke, “The duel was….Our King….” Elijah kissed Liam on the back of the head as he struggled to find the words. With a deep breath, he continued, “They stood opposite each other some fifty feet apart. The call to begin the duel went out. Our King was dead seconds later. Qua’quelle, moving so fast it seemed he was in two places at once, appeared behind our King, landing the killing blow before he had a chance to raise his sword. Qua’quelle’s swords vanished as he turned and caught our king in his arms as he stumbled backward. To our shock, Qua’quelle pressed his forehead to our King’s and whispered something before gently and respectfully laying him on the ground. As he stood and faced the throng of pissed-off Skai, Qua’quelle’s eyes, for the first time since this all began, lost the white fire that burned so brightly with hatred for sixty years and returned to normal. He and the rest of his brethren vanished moments after.”

“What did he whisper?” Zac asked.

“We don’t know,” the couple answered.

“What I do know is our King should’ve let Eolaeis or Zenial fight him,” Elijah insisted angrily.

“Or Aulus, Thon’tas,” Liam added with as much bitterness as his boyfriend. “Anyone of them would’ve kicked his ass!”

They weren’t concerned with my feelings anymore. They were angry, and I’m clear-headed enough to say, rightfully so, for those memories are now very much a part of who they are despite not being there at the time. I don’t know who those two Skylarians are that they mentioned or if Zenial or Eolaeis could stand toe to toe with Q, but I’m glad it didn’t go down that way.

I don’t celebrate the death of our King at Q’s hands.

I do celebrate Q’s life.

I don’t know what that makes me.

“That’s how it all went down, Jacob,” Sunny said. “A few months later, both sides sat down with The Great Mother and hammered out the peace agreement that we still live by today. During these talks, it was agreed that our human brothers would be off-limits unless they got directly involved in a conflict. Lines of communication were formed, and future envoys would be safe so long as they came in peace.”

“If there’s a peace agreement, why do we still have conflicts?” I asked.

“Because we can’t help our very nature,” Liam offered bluntly. “The purpose of the peace agreement wasn’t to stop all the fighting. That’s a herculean task that not even The Great Mother has been able to accomplish. The purpose is to prevent an all-out war that would doom us to extinction. We agreed to sit down and talk it out to find a resolution before igniting the flames of war again.”

“But we all know what’s really happening,” Sunny interrupted. “We play the game until one side grows strong enough to destroy the other. It’s the dirty little secret no one says out loud.”

“And on that depressing note,” Liam declared, “I think it’s time we head out, right babe?”

Elijah nodded and kissed him.

“Thanks for letting us hang out, Jacob,” Liam’s words were as sincere as his smile. “I hope we get together again soon.”

“Are you kidding me? Thank you for the history lesson! It was….insightful. And my door is always open to you guys, so don’t hesitate to stop by anytime.”

Liam pointed to the right wall. “Our room is four doors down on the left. Use it.”

I offered a smile and a thumbs-up. “Wait a second. You guys never explained what you meant by our King’s identity is a secret but not really.”

They laughed and looked over at Sunny.

“I got this. You guys can take off if you want.”

“Sweet.” Liam gestured toward Zac and smiled. “Looks like Little Man fell asleep on you, Sunny.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. He’s been too quiet.”

We laughed but softly so as not to wake Zac.

Elijah and Liam said their final goodbyes, and I expected them to get up and walk out like ordinary people, but I should’ve known better. Instead, they sank deeper into the dark cloud as it began folding in on itself. Suddenly, they all vanished. Liam, Elijah, and the cloud. Just like that.

“Okay, I guess that’s one way to make an exit,” I said, looking over at Sunny in amazement. He barely raised a brow. One thing was solidified in my mind, however. I was getting myself one of those cloud chairs! “Those guys were great. Really down-to-earth and nice. Not exactly what I expected, considering the whole shower situation.”

“Yeah, don’t hold that against them. Kaylec got in their heads.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not,” I assured him. I did enjoy hanging out with Liam and Elijah. They were sweet together. And if I’m being honest, they reminded me of Q and me. I would love to sit on a cloud with his arms wrapped around me. Okay, maybe I was a little jealous too.

“Hey….” Sunny’s soft voice brought me back to the present. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you before.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

“No, I mean it. I know you had a thing with Qua’quelle, and I don’t want you to think I’m holding that against you in any way.”

“I never thought that,” I lied.

“Really?” He called me on my bullshit.

“Okay, maybe I thought it for like a hot second,” I confessed. “But I get where your anger came from, and I know it wasn’t directed toward me.” I looked away from Sunny and started fidgeting with the loose thread again, curling it around my finger and pulling it on, but not so hard that it would tear off. Suddenly, I could hear Sunny snapping at me again as he told the tale of our slain brothers. “You really hate him, don’t you? Qua’quelle, I mean.”

I could feel Sunny’s eyes on me despite not looking at him. He never answered me. Instead, he allowed the silence to linger until it reached uncomfortable levels.

“You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

I tore out the loose thread.

That was not the response I was expecting, but since Sunny didn’t feel the need to answer my question, I felt no obligation to answer his. “Are you going to tell me about our King or what?” I brushed my hands together as if I were playing with sand and looked over at him. “Or did you want to call it a night?”

“No, I’m good.” Turning his head away, he stared at the ceiling again; a crooked smile appeared on his lips, acknowledging what we had both just done there. “Our King Diminuous is known and not known simultaneously.”

“That clears everything up,” I quipped while rolling my eyes. “And wait, Diminuous? I thought….”

“Slow your horses, Sparky. It will make sense when I’m done.”

Thinking of Arsen, I smiled.

“I’m not sure how much El’odian history you know, but there was a time our King had a son before the Great Calamity.”

“Prince Juyx,” I offered, trying to come off somewhat in the know.

“That’s right!” He looked at me excitedly as you would a dog performing a trick for his master. I could’ve punched him. “The crown prince was the future of Asevaya until the Nave killed him.”

“Whoa! Whoa! Killed? From my understanding, no one really knows what happened to Juyx and Sol, or do you have some information I’m missing?”

Looking at me quizzically, Sunny narrowed his eyes and said, “He went missing, Jacob. Upped and disappeared just like that.” He snapped his fingers loudly. “What other information do you need?”

I gave him the same look back. “So, as I said, no one knows what really happened to the two princes, right?”

“Jacob, everything was fine until….” Cutting himself off, Sunny shook his head and cleared his throat. “You know what? Let’s move on because that’s a topic we can get into some other time. The point being, with the deat….disappearance….of the Crown Prince, our people were left without an heir. That was until, after the Great Calamity and we began waking up. The King eventually had a second son, Iythaeryn, and our people had a new Prince. Still, his identity was kept hidden and never revealed to anyone outside The Sanctum except for The Great Mother.”

“But we had human brothers at the time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Couldn’t a Nave read their mind and discover his identity? I get that we can’t go too deep into someone’s thoughts without causing serious damage, but even just surface level, wouldn’t the information be there?”

Carefully, Sunny began fishing around Zac’s neck, and when he stirred, Sunny froze so as not to wake him up. Confident Zac was dead to the world, he raised the necklace Zac wore into the air. “This protects our human brothers.” The dark pendant gleamed under the light, but the black gem set in the center appeared to ward off all light giving it a dull appearance. “The Nave have something similar in their rings. You must have seen them.”

I nodded, absently rubbing my ring finger and realizing for the first time that I no longer had it on. It never crossed my mind when I left Q and flew out to meet my brothers. Now I was left wondering what happened to it. Was it destroyed when I turned into a Skai that night? Did Q slip it off my finger without me noticing?

“Same concept, different style,” Sunny continued. “With his father’s death, Iythaeryn became King, but we didn’t disclose his identity to the Nave. When the time came to sit down and figure out this peace agreement, Zenial represented his Majesty in the negotiations, but we made it clear that Diminuous’ son now ruled our people; we just didn’t name him. We wanted to send the message that Diminuous’ lineage was not broken. His line continued. Likewise, Qua’quelle represented Kyrios, confirming they had a new leader. Both sides would go to great lengths to protect the identity of their leaders.”

“Understandable, considering.”

“Yep,” Sunny agreed and sucked his teeth. “That lasted all of three hundred years until Iythaeryn decided he was done hiding in the shadows and came out like a gay boy at Pride.”

He paused to allow the image to percolate through my mind, and it did. Suddenly I was picturing a guy in a rainbow speedo dancing on a float to Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out. It was a whole thing in my head for a minute.

“But luckily, he had a plan,” Sunny smirked, knowing damn well what he put in my head. “During those first three centuries, he created the Council of Nine and hand-picked the nine Princes of The Sanctum who would help lead our people.”

“Ah, it makes sense now!” I interrupted.

“Zenial, right?” Sunny offered.

“Yes! When you guys called him a prince, I just assumed he had to be the son of a king.”

“You see how it’s all coming together?” he asked proudly, circling his finger in the air.

“Oh, shut up!”

“Anyway, Iythaeryn decreed that no king should rule for more than three hundred consecutive years, and so he commanded The Council to vote in one of The Nine to be crowned king. In honor of his father, all future kings would take the name Diminuous during their reign, and with that, a new system of governesses was born. The Council of Nine crowns a new king amongst their ranks every three hundred years.”

“But….”

Raising his finger, Sunny continued uninterrupted, “The identity of our King is only known to The Nine, so it doesn’t matter if the Nave know Iythaeryn’s identity because he may or may not be King.”

“So, you don’t even know who the actual King is right now?”

“Nope,” he said simply. “I just know that he’s out there, and when The Council speaks, we know it does so with the authority of our King.”

“Okay, hold up a second. We have a Council of Nine Princes with a ruling King, right?”

He nodded.

“And I’m assuming you know the nine princes, right?”

Again, he nodded, but this time with a grin.

“Then how do you not know who the king is if you know who the nine princes are?” I was getting serious Kyrios flashbacks. If it were possible, I think I’d be developing a headache by now. “Unless….”

“Unless….” Sunny tried to coax the answer out of me. “C’mon, you got this…”

“Unless the nine princes are really ten to everyone outside the council.”

“Meaning?”

“They all go by ‘Prince’ even though one is really the King.”

“Bingo! I knew you would figure it out.”

“So, when I meet with Zenial tomorrow, I could be meeting with our King?”

“Could be,” Sunny shrugged.

“That’s not helpful!”

“What do you want me to say? Besides, what difference does it make? He’s a leader of the Skai. Do you see yourself treating Zenial differently if he was a Prince versus a King? Really?”

I didn’t need time to think it over. “Shut up!”

“I thought so!” He declared proudly. “So, relax already.”

I watched as Sunny wormed his way out from under Zac, cradling the pillow so his head wouldn’t come crashing down onto the bed. Like a loving father tucking in his child, Sunny gently repositioned Zac until he lay comfortably on the bed and pulled the sheet up to his chest. Standing next to the bed, he tilted his head to the right and left as he looked over Zac. “It’s cold in here, right?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “It’s hard to tell anymore.”

“I know.” Sunny paused for a moment. “I think it’s cold in here.” Waving his hand in the air, Sunny made a thicker blanket appear over Zac’s thin frame. Instinctively, Zac grabbed the warmer covering and tucked it under his chin. With Sunny’s help, his glasses disappeared from his face and reappeared on the nightstand.

“Here’s a question,” I said. “Why don’t you cure Zac’s sight so he doesn’t need to wear glasses anymore?”

“Oh, we did a long time ago.” Suddenly, Sunny sounded flustered as he rolled his eyes. “Those are not prescription glasses. Zac wears them because he thinks it makes him look cute.”

“Of course,” I snickered. “Hey, you don’t have to leave. You can crash here tonight if you’d like.”

“Aw, look at you being the cute one now.” Turning around, Sunny ruffed my hair. “I wasn’t going anywhere. I was just fixing his sleeping situation so he’d be more comfortable.”

“Oh, cool. Can we keep talking then?”

“No,” he said sternly, like an overbearing parent. “You should get to bed. It’s late, and you have school in the morning, don’t you?” He couldn’t hide his disdain for the idea even if he tried.

“We’re immortal, Sunny. Why would we sleep?”

“Because, like eating and jerking off, sleeping is awesome.” Sitting down on the bed, he pulled his hair back into a ponytail and leaned forward. “Tell me, Jacob, can you describe the last dream you had as a human?” Sunny paused for an answer that never came. “Do you even remember what it was about? Even a little?”

I stared at him blankly.

“Exactly my point. Dreaming is different for us, Jacob. It’s not a collection of random memories and ideas where one minute you’re driving down the street and the next you’re running naked thru the halls of your middle school being chased by a talking tooth that wants to cut your nut sack off.”

“That sounds oddly specific,” I grimaced, jerking my head back slightly.

“I don’t like talking about it,” he said with a dismissive wave. “For us, dreaming is controlled, detailed, vivid, like walking into a painting. It’s like we get transported to a different world and get to live out a second life.”

I nodded as I was beginning to understand. I thought back to when Q took me back in time to one of his memories, where I witnessed the birth of a Nave child. Everything about that moment seemed real to me. I still remember the freshness of the air, clean and untainted by the exploits of the modern world. I could still feel the tingling sensation on my fingertips when I touched the feathery cocoon. It’s an experience I cherish and carry with me to this day. Is this what it means for an El’odian to dream?

“It’s essential to us newbies who never got to see the glory of Asevaya. We have millions of years of memories unfolding in our minds, and the best way to understand them is in our dreams. I close my eyes at night and pick a specific moment I want to explore, and there I am, walking thru someone else’s memory. The world is alive….” Sunny’s words trailed off as he lost himself in borrowed memories. A smile played on his lips, and I wondered what happy memory occupied his thoughts. “Asevaya is alive.” Laying on the bed, he placed his hands behind his head again. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m not making any sense. It’s hard to explain.”

“No, I get it, Sunny. I’m pretty sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Then you get why we dream.”

I nodded and got up to turn off the light, but Sunny used his powers to flip the switch before I took two steps. “Thanks.”

“No problem, bud. Have a good night and….sweet dreams.”

Sweet dreams? I don’t know if I was ready for that. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to return to a memory with Q, but what if I found something more? What if the dam holding back eons of memories burst and flooded my psyche? Who would I be tomorrow? Would I even remember the old Jacob? No. As tempting as it was, I couldn’t dare risk it. I would not lose myself in my dreams.

Instead, I lay there staring at the dark ceiling, not dreaming but wondering what tomorrow might bring.