Chapter Two

Sibling Rivalry

I tilted my head back so that I wasn’t staring at the Adinvyr’s collarbone any longer. ‘Where’s Djialkan when I need him? I shouldn’t say anything…well…should say something…but can’t! Was he always this damned tall?’

As with before, the Devillian deity wore elegant white robes with shimmering embroidery of moons, stars, and dragons. However, this set revealed his throat along with most of his muscular chest and abdomen. Platinum jewelry hung from his pointed ears, throat, and wrists. Similar-colored plates of engraved armor were sewn onto portions of his garments. Now that we were away from X’shmir, the hum of magic from both him and the blue topaz in his attire hummed with strong and unmistakable energy.

His skin was just dark enough to contrast with his long, layered, white hair. Platinum trinkets held the hair by his temples in place and several more were entwined with the braid that was draped over his shoulder.

The Adinvyr’s eyes, however, were what struck me most. They were the most incredible shade of frosty ice blue I had ever seen. Around his slit pupils, the irises gradated to a rich shade of blue that reminded me of the sky above the Gal’edean Ocean. The warm smile he’d fixated on me seemed to reach his eyes. I wasn’t quite sure how to react to that expression. Not at all.

‘Tch, his Brands really do mirror mine.’ I watched the Adinvyr’s eyes narrow slightly as he prodded at my barriers with his magic. ‘Oh…? He still can’t hear me even though we’re away from the Mists? That’s interesting. What’s changed since Limbo? Hmmm…his frustrated expression is kind of cute too.

‘Shit! I’ve been staring haven’t I? What was it he asked—ah right. Darius. Slippery little brat.’

“The prince is…a little excitable.” I braced myself for the searing reprimand for speaking, but it didn’t come. “If you’ll excuse me…”

“Here, this will be much quicker. Pardon me.” He spoke with a grin that flashed his full set of fangs. Before I could question him, he scooped me up with startling ease and then leapt onto a nearby rooftop. A set of black feathered wings aided his leap but disappeared as quick as they’d come, leaving me wondering if they were magic or something else.

“Your Highness, you know that girl?”

“Isn’t she the Lyur’zi from X’shmir?”

“Rely’ric, it’s been so long since you’ve come by the shop; you should come in and take a look!”

“The prince is obviously busy; you can pester him some other time!”

“Mmm…you really are quite tiny.” The deity remarked with a chuckle as he stepped over to the edge of another roof. “Well now…he didn’t get very far now did he?”

Before I could think of a retort, the pesky Adinvyr dropped from the roof and into the street below. My brat of a brother seemed oblivious to our presence. The giant of a man set me down with care but had a mischievous smirk on his face now. His long tail swayed behind him in a way that reminded me of a cat ready to pounce on a toy.

My cheeks burned with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. I felt a strong urge to pull my hood completely over my face to hide, but I settled for tugging at it instead while waiting for Darius to notice us. Thankfully, it didn’t take much. Another movement from the Devillian deity was enough to startle my airheaded twin, causing Darius to whirl around with wide eyes.

“Whoa!” Darius yelped and took a few steps back from the much larger Devillian. After a moment he noticed me as well and began glancing between us like he’d been caught doing something bad. “U-uhm, I… Ari—”

‘At least I was able to get away with speaking. Briefly.’ I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip and looked from Darius to the Adinvyr and back a few times. ‘I doubt ignoring a deity would have gone over well, and I get the feeling he noticed me staring. He doesn’t seem to have any difficulty discerning where my eyes are, despite my mask. What a pain.’

“You shouldn’t run away from your Umbral Mage like that, Darius-zir.” The Adinvyr sounded amused as he crossed his arms over his chest. His magic probed the edges of the barrier that I maintained around my brother, and after a few seconds I caught the glance the Adinvyr shot in my direction. The mixture of intrigue and distrust I sensed from him made me bristle.

“My—?” Darius glanced at me and then at the Adinvyr before stomping his foot in indignation. “She’s my sister, Nalithor!”

‘You still ran off.’ I watched Darius’s face grow redder and redder by the second as he examined the deity. Clearly I wasn’t the only one that found Nalithor…alluring.

“You really are his sister then?” Nalithor smiled when I turned my attention toward him. Looking satisfied with himself, Nalithor bowed and offered me one of his hands. “I hope you will forgive my manners once more, Your Highness. I am Nalithor Vraelimir; I serve as a General in the Vorpmasian Imperial Military.”

I stayed silent and shot Darius a filthy look from behind my mask. Luckily, although he couldn’t see my expression, Darius seemed to get the hint. Nalithor, on the other hand, seemed to pick up my slight shift in attention. His frosty eyes flicked toward my brother in a questioning way. ‘Perhaps that is what clued Darius in?’

“Oh, right, woops!” Darius exclaimed. “Sorry, Ari. Of course you’re allowed to speak to Nalithor!”

‘For now,’ Darius added, causing the corner of my eye to twitch.

“I’m… Arianna Jade Black.” I offered after a moment as I accepted Nalithor’s hand. My face grew warm again when he brought my gloved hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it, holding my hand a little longer than appropriate. “I apologize if I seemed rude, Rely’ric. X’shmiran laws are troublesome and—”

I cut myself off and snatched Darius by the back of his robes with my free hand. Darius wriggled in my grip and tried to slip away even as I turned to glower at him. Though, as usual, my brother seemed immune. He just shot me a sheepish grin and tugged at my wrist in a childlike instead of acting apologetic.

“Come on, Ari!” Darius whined. “I want to explore the city some more! And find some food! And—!”

I just stared at my brother in disbelief for a moment, watching him bounce on the balls of his feet. With each bounce he tugged at my wrist again. My idiot brother was acting like a child in front of a god of all people. On our first day in foreign lands to boot!

“Mrirtec,” I growled in irritation, aware of the slight frown that tugged on Nalithor’s face. “You should be studying. Furthermore, you put us both in danger by running off without me. Kindly control yourself.”

“You are required to refer to your brother as ‘Mrirtec’?” Nalithor looked contemplative. “I didn’t think any X’shmirans aside from you knew words in the Draemiran tongue.”

“They don’t.” I released my grip on Darius’s robes as my brother’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Djialkan believed it best that I use Draemiran honorifics while in Vorpmasia. The titles I am required to use in our native language have an entirely different connotation here.”

I fell silent again and tried not to fidget while Nalithor examined me again. A curious expression had settled onto his handsome face again. Earning something other than a hate-filled gaze was already strange enough to me, yet Nalithor’s strangely penetrating stare made me more on-edge than those types of looks did. I didn’t detect any ill will from him—not yet, at least—but it was still…strange.

“Ari, why did you call him that?” Darius tugged my sleeve again, this time causing me to let out a heavy sigh as I brought my fingers to my temples. “Isn’t that honorific only for—?”

“What gave me away as a deity, Arianna-jiss?” Nalithor’s purring, playful tone made me cut my eyes to the side at him and ignore Darius’ startled yelp.

“I hope you don’t meant to say you were trying to hide that fact?” I murmured, bringing a knuckle to my lips as I examined Nalithor once more. “Hmmm, to answer your question…

“I’m an instinctual creature at best. Your Brands of Divinity are brighter than any of the mere demigods we have met so far. In addition to that, your presence is many times more potent than anyone else in this city.”

A small, self-satisfied smirk surfaced on Nalithor’s face and his tail swung playfully again. There was still a glimmer of curiosity in his expression, but it was almost drowned out by that smug playfulness.

“His ‘presence’?” Darius questioned, frowning.

“Mrirtec, did you block off your senses again?” I chastised Darius, rounding on him.

“Humph, what do you mean my senses?” Darius pouted and crossed his arms, a look of confusion on his face. “I mean, sure he’s powerful. A lot of people here are.”

I bit back a grimace and shook my head at Darius. As frustrating as it was, I knew there was no way to force him to understand his senses; nor could I make him learn how to sort through individual presences properly. It was infuriating but, putting my displeasure with the situation aside, there was something else nagging at me.

“Ah…” I murmured, nibbling on one of my knuckles in thought for a moment before lifting my gaze so I could look up at Nalithor; who seemed terribly intrigued by my mask and jewelry now. “I’m unfamiliar with the proper way of addressing deities, seeing as we have had no contact with such individuals in X’shmir. How would you like me to address you?”

“Ahhh, so you are the polite sibling.” Nalithor chuckled and tugged my hood over my face with a playful grin. “Arianna-jiss, you should continue referring to me—and any other deities you might meet—as Rely’ric unless then specify otherwise.

“You, Darius-zir, should do the same. It is considered terribly inappropriate for you to refer to someone so casually when you have only met them briefly.”

“Ral-yeer-eek?” Darius grimaced when he failed to pronounce the title. “Why do I have to?”

“Rehl-eeh-rick.” Nalithor pronounced it slower this time and then shot me a brief smirk when he caught me pawing my hood back into place, “Rely’ric translates loosely to ‘my lord’ in the common tongue; except it has broader usage. It can be used to address nobility, royalty, or deities.

“There are also more casual uses for it but perhaps that is a lesson for another day.”

I gnawed on my lip to stifle my snickering when Darius pouted; he must have been miffed that Nalithor ignored his question entirely. If I knew my brother, a combination of princely and Astral Mage arrogance kept him from understanding.

“Ari, how come you can say it so easy?!” Darius whined after several more failed attempts. I tilted my head and glanced toward Nalithor briefly before responding; he looked amused. Nalithor really was much like a cat.

“Do you really think that Djialkan or the Devillians in Sihix would let me get away with botching the pronunciation of anything?” I pointed out as I finally shifted my attention back to my twin, only to find myself distracted by Nalithor’s rumbling laughter.

“Djialkan has always been quite strict.” Nalithor laughed, revealing his fangs again when he grinned in my direction.

“Such matters aside,” I shook my head and then rounded on Darius once more, “it’s rehl-eeh-rick, Darius! You don’t have to roll your r’s, you know. In fact, at this rate, I would prefer if you didn’t even try—”

“Ari! I’m hungry!” Darius declared, causing me to sigh in exasperation while Nalithor simply chuckled.

“Darius-zir, you will have plenty of time to explore the city without an escort once you’ve completed your tests.” Nalithor reprimanded my twin before making a vague motion in the direction of the districts above us. “However, if you’re hungry, the both of you are welcome to join me at the little place I own between the Nobles’ and Sapphire Districts.

“I was hoping for a chance to speak with you before your tests anyway.”

“Oh, of course!” Darius exclaimed a little too eagerly. “We’d love to—right, Ari?”

“I’m afraid I must decline,” I replied quietly. I linked my hands behind my back as Nalithor shot me a displeased look, so I continued, “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to join you; and we have yet to purchase groceries to stock the house with.”

“Surely that can wait.” Nalithor smiled as he turned to me fully and reached for my face, but I turned my head away from his hand with unease; just his mere presence was making my heart beat faster. This man—rather, this god—made me nervous. I didn’t like it.

“I apologize, Rely’ric.” I shook my head and took a step away from Nalithor and toward my brother. “Mrirtec, I will finish the shopping while you dine.”

‘Ari? What’s wrong?’ Darius frowned at me even as he searched his pockets for the crystal-thing he’d been purchasing items with. ‘Sure he seems powerful, but I’ve never known you to be skittish. You’ve fought beasts scarier than him. Hells, you’ve fought people scarier than him.’

‘I’m pretty sure gods are people too,’ I commented dryly. ‘You didn’t lose the damned thing did you?’

Darius finally procured the engraved crystal from one of his deep pockets and handed it to me. The suspicious look on Nalithor’s face as I turned away from my brother was almost enough to make me break down into tears. However, I had many years of experience with holding back tears and emotions alike. I simply bowed to the both of them before moving to take my leave, but Nalithor caught my wrist and shot me such a warm smile I almost couldn’t stand it.

“I insist that you both join me,” Nalithor spoke firmly but his expression was soft as he looked down at me. “You deserve a break and a good meal after your fight against the beasts, Arianna-jiss. Word that you saved Eyrian’s men has already begun to spread through the city; I doubt you wish to deal with citizens challenging your strength at every turn quite yet.”

His comment startled me and, for a moment, I just looked up at him in surprise. I had thought the Chaos Beasts on the plateau to be a rather easy kill. Yet, I supposedly saved Eyrian’s men? It was a strange notion at best. Stranger to me still was the concept that I should be rewarded for my work. ‘There’s something else he’s not saying. What’s he trying to hide from us?’

‘He’s right, Ari,’ Darius added cheerfully when I hesitated. ‘It would be more inappropriate for you to decline an invitation from a deity, right?’

“Very well then, Rely’ric, if you insist.” I attempted to keep the defeat from my voice as I spoke. ‘Damn it. Why did Darius choose now of all times to make sense?’

The triumphant Adinvyr released my wrist and shot me a boyish grin before beckoning for us to follow him. I fell into step a few paces behind Nalithor and Darius, but I caught the questioning glance the deity shot me. He looked like he was trying to be sneaky about it, but he failed miserably if that was the case. At any rate, his expression said that he didn’t approve—but I wasn’t quite sure what he found so displeasing.

‘He seemed rather adamant that I join them, so I don’t think he’s displeased that I’m accompanying them.’ I shelved my mixed feelings of sadness and confusion for the time being as I walked. ‘Bah! Why is this damned Adinvyr—god, whatever—making me so damned nervous? His power doesn’t feel threatening; I’m pretty sure I could fight against him just fine.

‘Hells, he can’t even break through my shields on myself or on Darius. Is he not a very high ranking deity?’

As we made our way through the city streets I noticed a trend among the citizens that bowed to Nalithor; they all addressed him differently. General, prince, archmagus, and professor were just a few of the titles I heard thrown in his direction. None of them seemed concerned or intrigued by his bi-colored Brands, and I didn’t hear anyone refer to him as Rely’ric despite the fact he was a god.

“So, Na—Rely’ric—you’re really a deity?” Darius asked.

I glanced between the two in silence as the handsome Adinvyr chuckled. He didn’t seem bothered by Darius’ slip up, and my brother’s pronunciation was a little better this time at least.

‘This is bothersome. Handsome? I can’t be thinking like that.’ I bit the inside of my cheek hard. ‘Just stop, Ari.’

“Your brother doubts your abilities, Your Highness?” Nalithor stopped walking and motioned toward me as he continued. “Even when your power radiates from you so clearly?”

“Please don’t call me ‘Your Highness’. I dislike formalities,” I muttered as he fell into step with me, much to my brother’s displeasure. “In X’shmir we’re both required to keep all of our power tucked neatly away behind barriers so that we don’t disturb the citizens or attract extra beasts to the city.

“Mrirtec probably isn’t even aware that it’s my power he’s feeling, Rely’ric.”

In truth, Darius was just too ignorant in the matters of the arcane and power. However, I wasn’t going to just come out and say that in front of my twin. At least not around someone that was effectively a new acquaintance. Despite Darius’ arrogance I knew he was at least a little aware of his own shortcomings. I didn’t want to rub it in.

“I’m sure you will learn to sort through different auras in time, Darius-zir,” Nalithor remarked, contemplative, before directing his attention down at me and speaking in Draemiran. “I get the impression that your brother does not follow Fraelfnir or Djialkan’s teachings in the slightest.”

“You are correct.” I responded after a moment of hesitation, watching a self-satisfied smirk settle across the Adinvyr’s masculine features. “My brother values X’shmiran teachings over those of our companions. I hope he has not said anything offensive.”

“Ari, you’re doing that thing again!” Darius balled his fists and stomped his foot heatedly. “Am I going to have forbid you from speaking in other languages?”

“Before he has a complete conniption fit,” I began dryly as my brother let out an indignant shriek, “I would like to thank you again for the headphones. They have proved to be a welcome distraction and source of entertainment.”

“You are quite welcome,” Nalithor replied with a warm smile. “There are actually some other matters I wish to discuss with you…but it would seem that must wait. Your brother is quite the impatient one.”

“Mrirtec, don’t you think you’re being overly rude?” I offered innocently in the common tongue as Darius opened his mouth to tell me off. “It’s only polite for me to respond in the language I’m addressed in, now isn’t it?”

Darius opened and closed his mouth several times, his eyes wide as he attempted to think of a response. After a moment his shoulders slumped and he let out a heavy sigh. Nalithor chuckled and shot me a knowing look. My brother clearly wanted the Adinvyr’s attention all to himself but he was failing and finding a way to obtain it. Perhaps if Darius wasn’t so rude it would have been cute.

I shifted my attention away from both of them and examined our surroundings. It was now that I realized we were moving at an enhanced pace along the crystalline roads despite the fact we were only walking, and we weren’t growing winded.

‘Are the roads enchanted somehow?’ I glanced down at the translucent material below me and watched the shifting colors and small flecks of light held in stasis within the road’s surface. ‘With someone as powerful as Nalithor so close… Hmmm. Switching my vision to see magic is probably a bad idea. His power alone should be blinding.’

“Even here you’re required to wear that mask and veil?” Nalithor reached up, tugged lightly on the front of my hood. He chuckled when I flushed and pulled away from him. “That’s a shame. I thought we would have been able to convince the Royal Family to amend their restrictions.”

“She’s allowed to wear lighter attire while here…and reveal her face to her partner if necessary. That’s it.” Darius drew Nalithor’s attention once more. “Ah! That reminds me, Ari. You’re allowed to follow Vorpmasian traditions in regard to clothing here as long as you wear your mask, veil, and a hood.”

‘Partner? What does he mean by partner? Djialkan said something about that as well.’ I frowned. ‘I can wear less heavy attire? That could be a problem with my Brands. I still don’t feel comfortable displaying them.’

That displeased but inquisitive look crossed Nalithor’s face again but he chose not to comment. Instead, his expression shifted to a more pleasant one as he motioned us toward a cute little cafe and informed us that we’d arrived. He opened the door for us and waited patiently for Darius to stop gawking at the exterior.

Pale blue and white flowers that resembled roses covered much of the building’s exterior. Many more flowers climbed along trellises and the wrought iron fence that surrounded the brick building. A simple but elegant sign above the dual doors read ‘The Little Orchid’.

Nalithor cast me a surprisingly sultry look as I passed him but, thankfully, it had more of an effect on my brother than it did on me. I, for one, didn’t want to do any more blushing for the day. Sure I wasn’t used to attention from…anyone…but I wasn’t a school girl anymore either.

Despite the mingling scents of tea, coffee, and all sorts of delicious food baking, his scent was still the strongest aroma that my senses could pick out. It nearly overwhelmed everything else. In some strange way he smelled even better than any of the food did.

‘Stop it, Ari. Stop, stop, stop it.’ I told myself. ‘It doesn’t matter that he smells like dessert—people aren’t food.’

The interior of The Little Orchid was quite posh, sporting tufted leather chairs, barstools, and booths. Blue, white, and cream seemed to be a recurring theme inside the establishment, with occasional splashes of pale pink, lilac, and spring green. There were fresh-cut flowers all across the cafe on tables and on the corners of the large bar that stood at the back of the restaurant. All of the waiters and waitresses were dressed quite formally in attire that seemed themed on maids and butlers, though their attire matched the decor.

“Wow, it’s so cute!” Darius exclaimed, oblivious to the questioning glances the other patrons shot our way. It took him a while to realize Nalithor was still walking but, when he did, Darius was fast to follow the Adinvyr toward a rather plush booth at the back of the establishment. “Hey, Nali… Rely’ric, are you going to be administering our tests?”

“Unless more pressing matters arise I’m sitting in, yes.” Nalithor nodded, his tail swaying back and forth as he cast a curious look towards me yet again. “You are taking the tests after all, Your—Arianna?

“In Eyrian’s report he implied that you didn’t need to take them.”

“Yes I am.” I nodded, crossing my arms within my sleeves. “As X’shmir is without the resources to measure power, they will want me to take the tests so they can confirm once and for all how useless they believe me to be.”

Nalithor’s expression shifted from intrigue to immense displeasure as I spoke. I watched as he sighed faintly and shook his head. His movements had been subtle enough to slip by Darius unnoticed by the look of things. My brother seemed completely unaware of Nalithor’s distaste for the X’shmiran king, queen, and their ways. Even for Darius this was a new level of thick.

To my eyes the Adinvyr looked incredibly unhappy with my statement. His tail’s swishing had slowed to a faint sway and he had an inexplicably sad look in his eyes as he watched me. It was nowhere near as bad as the expression he had on his face when he’d “broken” as a child…yet it still made me want to reach out and comfort him.

Instead, I resigned myself to taking a seat and clutching my gloved hands together in my lap. I refocused my gaze down at the table in front of me so that I wouldn’t have to look at them.

There wasn’t anything I could do.

If he knew who I was—or who I might be—I was certain it would only serve to put us both in more pain. Two hundred years had passed since that event. There was no denying that even if I hadn’t lost my memories we were both very different people now. After all, we were only children back then.

‘Assuming those were even my memories to begin with.’ I grit my teeth. ‘It’s…still hard for me to accept.’

“I told you all that she doesn’t need to take the tests or classes!” Darius let out a disgruntled huff, though his expression cheered up when Nalithor opted to sit beside him.

I looked between them briefly, watching as Darius pondered scooting closer to the deity beside him. Despite what I kept telling myself, and my desire to avoid contact with the people here, I felt terribly jealous that Nalithor chose to sit beside my brother instead of me. Perhaps I really should have denied his request for me to join them. Jealousy was an unpleasant thing and I was angry with myself for feeling it.

“What is this you were saying about partners, Dari—… Mrirtec?” I asked.

Darius’ face turned bright red and a sheepish look sprawled across his face. He looked as if he’d realized he’d completely forgotten to tell me something; something important, no doubt.

“Since Vorpmasia, Beshulthien, Suthsul, X’shmir, and several outlying countries are attempting to form a better relationship,” Nalithor began as he cast an entertained look at my sulking brother, “it was decided that individuals of similar power, and preferably from different nations, would be paired with each other. According to Vorpmasians traditions. Whether it’s for classes and training at the academies, work in the field, or more scholarly pursuits, everyone is required to have a partner they can work with.”

“But I wanna work with Ari!” Darius whined, earning a brief but displeased look from Nalithor.

“Do you pair Lyur’zi and Chrot’zi together, or…?” I trailed off when Nalithor shook his head with a small smile.

“We’re pairing mages of the same classification with each other. Astral with astral, flame with flame… You get the idea.” Nalithor stated, his smile widening when my lips parted in surprise. “You were startled by my white uniform before, yes? Vorpmasia and Beshulthien embrace a more in-depth approach to the concept of Astral and Umbral Mages than most nations do.”

“I see,” I murmured as Nalithor watched me with an inquisitive expression. “Let me see if I have this right.

“The style of armor and embroidery indicates whether or not an individual is an Astral Mage or an Umbral one, whereas the color of the plate, cloth, or leather indicates whether their masteries are more destruction or healing oriented?”

“You’re correct.” Nalithor sounded pleased as he tilted his head to the side and gave me another thorough looking-over. “In my case, I’m well-versed in both destructive and healing magics—as well as armed and unarmed combat. I have robes and uniforms in both colors. However, white seems to put the peoples’ minds at ease better than black.”

“Nalithor-zir, it’s unusual for you to bring guests!” A younger male voice with an accent similar to Nalithor’s remarked. I glanced to the side to see one of the waiters approaching us, but he stopped to look at me with a startled expression and exclaimed, “By the gods, those lips! How have you not kissed her already?”

I felt my face burn almost as scarlet as my lipstick and Darius erupted into a fit of laughter. Digging my fingers into my forearms didn’t seem to help me beat down my blushing, though it did at least help me hold back the slew of sarcastic comments I wanted to make. The look Nalithor shot in my direction was not helping. Something about his expression made me feel like food.

‘Besides, I definitely don’t think I could keep it together if he k-kissed…’ I shoved the thought from my mind as my face grew hotter. ‘Fucking hells! I should have stayed in Sihix.’

“Marius, please,” Nalithor began with a laugh, “our X’shmiran friends here have only been in the city for a couple of hours at most. You’d have to give me a few days, at least, to charm her that thoroughly.”

“Just a few days?” I arched an eyebrow behind my mask and turned my attention back toward Nalithor. That playful demeanor was back yet again and his tail was twitching back and forth like a feline stalking prey. I couldn’t hold back a quip this time. “I’m rather certain it would take more than a ‘few days’ to prove to me that you’re worth my interest; let alone ‘charm’ me.”

“Ari, please!” Darius rolled his eyes and pointed at me. “Nalithor is a general, an archmagus, an Adinvyr, and a fucking god! He’s got loads more field experience than you!”

“Titles don’t—” I started.

“—mean anything, right?” Nalithor finished with a knowing smile. “You may be Human but it would appear that you think more like one of us.”

“Just another reason our parents want her gone…” Darius muttered before turning to Marius so he could order from the menu the rusty-haired Devillian had offered him.

I decided to ignore Nalithor’s curious glances for now and ordered some dinner and tea before settling back in my seat once more. While listening to the two men in front of me converse I realized that Darius was so giddy that it made it hard for me to think of my twin as a “man” and not as a “boy”. Even so, I was content to just sink back into the corner of my half of the booth and pretend I wasn’t there.

I’d underestimated how much attention my unusual attire would draw from the Vorpmasian citizens. People that still followed the “Old Ways” appeared to be quite the novelty. For all the attention they were giving me, nothing made me as nervous as the amount of attention the white-haired deity before me seemed eager to bestow.

“So, you took out a Dux-class beast?” Nalithor inquired shortly after my brother excused himself to the restroom.

“Dux-class?” I watched a faint expression of surprise cross Nalithor’s face. “Beasts are beasts to me, Rely’ric. If I happen to sense or smell one…I go kill it.

“Alas, Darius exaggerates. General Il’thar helped. A little bit.”

“A little bit?” Nalithor shifted in his seat and motioned vaguely with one clawed hand. “That one isn’t exactly known to hold back.”

“A little bit.” I nodded. “I had him toss me up into the air above the beast’s severed head so that I could rain down magic through the wound and rip the beast apart. Flying magic isn’t my forte but I’m capable of floating myself; so I just needed assistance to get above the damned thing.

“I’ve heard the Vorpmasians refer to the beasts as ‘Dux-class’ before but I don’t know what, exactly, that means.”

“It usually takes a group of demigods to take down a Dux. None of our men have reported encountering anything other than a Dux while in X’shmir.” Nalithor paused as his mouth curled into an amused smile again, and then laughed. “Marius was right; you do have quite lovely lips. Quite expressive too despite that mask of yours.”

“Tch. This seems to be quite the point of interest Below.” I grumbled, pointing with one finger at my veiled mask and then hood in turn. “Why—?”

“Our people are concerned that if X’shmir follows this part of the Old Ways,” Nalithor motioned at my attire before settling his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together, and leaning forward to examine me, “that it means they may follow the Old Ways in full.

“If you give it a few days our people should shelve their unease regarding your attire. The descendants of the Humans and Elves who used to follow the Old Ways in outlying lands might cause you some trouble…but I would think them to be sympathetic.”

“You specified Humans and Elves,” I shifted to cross one leg over the other. “Do you mean to say that Devillians never practiced the Old Wars?”

“We have not.” Nalithor shook his head before studying me once more. “Perhaps a hundred and fifty years ago, Vorpmasia began conquering a handful of countries that we discovered were practicing what we now call the ‘Old Ways’. I think I was about the equivalent of a Human thirteen year old at the time and Eyrian would have been eleven or so.

“Draemir, Dauthrmir, and Gron’kial house the majority of the Umbral and Astral Mages that the Vorpmasian forces rescued.”

“Yet you didn’t conquer X’shmir.” I pointed out a little more harshly than I intended, but Nalithor just smiled.

“We have no proof to show to what extent X’shmir follows the Old Ways.” Nalithor’s eyes drifted down from my mask to my lips again before flicking back upwards. “Despite my role as a deity… There are still laws I must abide by. I’m not permitted to go around poking in peoples’ heads for that kind of information.”

“So all you know is that I’m required to wear this?” I tugged at my veiled mask for emphasis.

“I, for one, wish we could get X’shmir to drop that law of theirs.” Nalithor smiled as I shifted again, then glanced to the side at my returning twin. “Which one of you two is the elder sibling, hmmm? I’m disinclined to believe it is you, Darius-zir.”

“Oh… Did I forget to mention that as well?” Darius mumbled distractedly, his face flushing under the Adinvyr’s gaze. “Arianna and I are twins. She’s older than me by an hour if you want to be really technical about it.”

“Twins…?” Nalithor glanced curiously at me as he trailed off, then returned his gaze to my brother. “You’re the heir because you’re male, or because you’re an Astral Mage?”

“Because I’m an Umbral Mage,” I offered when it was clear Darius didn’t know how to reply. “X’shmir has strict laws when it comes to an Umbral Mage’s place in society. We may only serve as a bodyguard to our assigned Astral Mage, assist in military matters and, if necessary, carry out judgment on unlawful citizens.

“Once my power as an Umbral Mage was discovered I lost all my value as far as the Royal Family is concerned.”

“That is why they didn’t attempt to marry you off at any point in the negotiations?” Nalithor sat back in his seat, his tone contemplative. “Humans are notorious for attempting to form political marriages. We were rather surprised, and wary, when the X’shmirans did not attempt as such.”

“X’shmirans believe that offering an Umbral Mage’s hand in marriage is the equivalent of declaring war,” Darius spoke with clear disdain. “Rely’ric, you saw how insistent they were when it came to making you and the other visiting Umbral Mages follow our laws. It had nothing to do with your foreign origins and everything to do with what type of mages you all were.”

“Mrirtec, I just had an interesting thought.” I shifted to look at my brother and crossed my arms, “Since our parents forced the Vorpmasian Umbral Mages to abide by our rules… Why didn’t you suggest the same in return?”

“He hasn’t…?” Nalithor sighed heavily and then rounded on my brother, his expression firm. “Were you so excited to leave that rock behind that you left your brain somewhere on it?”

Nalithor’s blunt question startled me, causing me to bite my cheek in an attempt to contain my laughter. Both of them seemed oblivious for the moment and my eyes had teared up because I bit myself too hard. I was quite certain that, if it wasn’t for my veiled mask, my expression would’ve been questionable at best.

“I-I just didn’t think of that, okay?!” Darius raised his hands in surrender. “I can send word back to them and suggest it. However, it would hold more weight if the Emperor—or at least the Vorpmasian Royal Families—make formal requests. The X’shmirans are still struggling to believe that gods exist.”

Nalithor pursed his lips and his jaw tensed as he thought. After a few moments he gave my brother a slight nod. Nalithor seemed as though he held strong dislike for the Old Ways. Yet, for some reason, he was incredibly curious about me. I wasn’t sure why he kept casting such fascinated glances at me but I found it more than a little unnerving. I couldn’t tell if he was suspicious about who I was, or if he was just intrigued because I was capable of fighting beasts.

All I knew was that it was very strange to receive attention, let alone so much of it, from anyone. But attention from a male? Unheard of.

Soon enough dinner came and saved me from the need to converse. I maintained silence as I ate and settled on listening to Nalithor and Darius discuss a rather narrow range of topics. Darius seemed utterly delighted to have someone to talk with about politics, and yet I got the distinct impression that Nalithor wasn’t interested in the slightest when it came to the subject. Nevertheless, he politely indulged my brother and shared some of his knowledge on Vorpmasian politics. It didn’t take long for me to grow bored and tune them out.

Nalithor’s voice was just as hypnotic as his scent. I found myself having to focus a little harder than usual to keep my barriers tight in their place around my thoughts and around Darius’. To some extent my desire to flee had subsided, but I wasn’t sure if the new feeling was any better. Staying around Nalithor seemed just as dangerous as returning to X’shmir without my brother.

“When are the two of you expected to take your tests?” Nalithor inquired some time later, causing me to glance up from my slice of pie; finally, something other than politics.

“This weekend.” Darius summoned a stack of papers from one of his shrizar and rifled through them. “However, Ari’s presence has been formally requested at tomorrow’s strategy meeting since you’re all so eager to pick her brain about the beasts.

“After that we’re free until next weekend’s tests—though I’ve been advised that beast activity could put them on hold.”

‘Oh joy. A meeting my brother neglected to inform me of.’ I hid my scowl in a bite of pie.

“Dariu—Mrirtec.” I failed to keep the irritated growl from my voice as I pointed my fork at Darius, earning a crooked grin from the Adinvyr beside him. “You and Djialkan meddle more than Oracles do. You could have at least told me about—!”

“I’m rather interested in hearing your observations, Arianna.” Nalithor shot me an earnest smile when I turned to look at him in surprise. “We were quite startled by your brother’s tales of you single-handedly protecting X’shmir from beasts after all.”

“They’re not tales!” Darius protested, though I just smiled when the deity arched an eyebrow. “Ari’s been fighting them since she was five! Or was it six? Djialkan always watched over her to make she didn’t bite off more than she could chew, of course, but—”

“He’s got the ‘adoring little brother’ act down quite well doesn’t he?” I offered with an amused smirk. “I’m happy to lend whatever assistance I can when it comes to dealing with the beasts. The foul-smelling abominations need to die. Their continued existence is wearing on my patience.”

I dug my nails into my thigh the best I could through my gloves and raced to rein in my bloodlust. ‘Even after killing so many beasts by the ships…it wasn’t enough?’

“If you’re truly as familiar with fighting the beasts as Darius claims, then I question the need for you to take classes at the academy.” Nalithor stroked his chin in thought, somehow managing not to slice his skin with his claws. “If either of you have questions about the tests; now would be a good time to ask. Before I’m officially on duty as an Archmagus.”

“I have one question,” Darius perked up, his expression and voice filled with confusion as he pulled a single sheet of paper from his stack. “I understand the purpose of most of the tests we’ve been assigned, but I don’t understand this one at all. What is a ‘DSO Exam’?”

Nalithor’s deep laugh sent a shiver down my spine. This man was going to be truly difficult to deal with. He was nice to look at, of course. But his scent, power, and voice were all…intoxicating. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the Adinvyrs’ natural magnetism, or if it was his power as a god. Nevertheless, I was starting to understand why my twin seemed so drawn to him. It was difficult not to stare.

‘Perhaps I can get away with it since I’m wearing a mask?’ I wondered, letting my gaze trail down Nalithor’s muscular chest. ‘Ugh, what is it with the Devillians here and their exposed skin? Do they want people to stare?’

“I wasn’t aware we had added this one to the line-up of exams for foreigners.” Nalithor sounded highly amused and a smirk still sat on his lips as he skimmed the sheet. “This one requires a bit more elaboration. ‘DSO’ stands for ‘Dominant, Submissive, or Other’. We pair off our mages and soldiers based on their personality traits, and some other factors, so that we can keep conflicts of personality to a minimum.

“As you’ll soon see for yourself, the theme of dominants and submissives is rather prevalent in our society.”

“Oh, so Ari is totally going to test as a dominant,” Darius spoke slyly. I bit back a grimace when Nalithor cast me his millionth curious glance of the night.

“You think that you will both be assigned all of the same tests?” Nalithor frowned. “Most of Darius’ tests are quite…beginner level.”

“Yes.” I nudged one of the charms on my hood out of view so I could see better. “As I stated earlier, X’shmir lacks the ability to gauge power and aptitude; our dear parents wish to prove once and for all that I’m useless.”

“It strikes me as strange that they would want to rid themselves of the one person protecting them from the beasts.” Nalithor’s frown deepened as he studied me. “I hope you’ll forgive me for my endless inquiries. Human mages aren’t something we thought we’d ever see again and, compared to the Human mages of old, you two are on an entirely different level.”

“I’m sure your curiosity about us doesn’t compare to this one’s curiosity about all of you,” I countered dryly, motioning at Darius. “Besides, it’s refreshing. Since you’ve been to X’shmir yourself I’m sure you can understand at least some fraction of the type of attention I’m used to receiving. You did chase me for quite some time after all.

“That said, I’m sure Darius and I have already imposed on too much of your time.”

“Ari, if you’re tired you can go to the house ahead of me,” Darius offered, causing me to look at him with unease. “I want to speak with Nali some more about our tests. You’ll breeze them easily, but I’m worried about how I’ll do…

“Er… I mean ‘Rely’ric’.”

“It’s quite alright, Arianna-jiss, I assure you.” Nalithor smiled when I opened my mouth to protest. “Darius is likely to be one of my students if his tests go the way I believe they will. I’m happy to answer his questions, and you are more than welcome to stay if you like.

“If not, I can see him home in your stead.”

“I would be a poor excuse for an Umbral Mage if I left my brother on his own here, now wouldn’t I?” I countered slyly, glancing to my brother and then back at Nalithor. “If we’re truly not imposing, then far be it from me to interfere with my brother’s attempts at making friends.”

“Oh? You make it sound as though you don’t want to make friends as well.” Nalithor purred mischievously, a playful glint in his eyes as he directed a roll of immense power at me.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” I waggled a finger at the Adinvyr. “I do hope you don’t think to gain my interest with displays of power alone! Plenty of people in this city are already trying such simple methods.

“Granted, in tight quarters such as these, I can’t test your worthiness properly, now can I?”

I motioned loosely to my sides, smirked at the playful Adinvyr, and watched as he grinned in response to my question. He looked positively delighted by my challenge.

“Ari! He’s a general! G-e-n-e-r-a-l!” Darius smacked his hands on the table and leaned over it to glare at me. “He—!”

“I’m a general as well; so what’s your point?” I countered, crossing one of my legs over the other and then leaned forward slightly. “Titles are given, Darius. They aren’t always earned. If I’m going to share knowledge of beasts with the Vorpmasians, and potentially fight alongside them, I reserve the right to challenge their abilities in battle.”

“The point of battle is to fight enemies, Ari! Not your friends!” Darius argued while Nalithor just chuckled at us; the Adinvyr had that mischievous glint in his eyes again.

“I can’t be friends with people who don’t share my common interests,” I countered once more, watching the corner of Darius’ eye twitch. “Nor do I think fighters weaker than myself would be worth my time. If they’re weaker than me, they won’t be able to put my knowledge to use anyway.

“General Vraelimir looks like he desires to get a word in edgewise, Mrirtec.”

“I agree with General Black,” Nalithor mirrored my sarcasm and shot me a strangely approving look before turning to my brother. “When it comes to comrades—soldiers or mages—it’s important that they’re close in strength to each other. They spend most of their time together and often share housing.

“By nature most Devillians are uninterested in those who are significantly weaker than they are. This is especially true of Adinvyr and Draekin.”

‘I can’t deny that I approve of their beliefs and methods.’ I watched Darius mouth a few times as he tried to think of a retort. ‘Pairing two strong fighters—or a strong fighter and a healer—makes much more sense than pairing two people of varying strengths. I, for one, would not want to be paired with someone weaker than me.

‘Having to worry about saving their ass instead of killing our target would just serve to piss me off.’

“Bah! What about your title, then!” Darius demanded of the Adinvyr and sat back down with a huff. “It couldn’t possibly be acceptable for her to challenge your rank so flippantly.”

“She wasn’t flippant; she was actually quite serious.” Nalithor shook his head at my brother and then turned to look at me with an intense but playful expression. “However, I am surprised that you seem to disregard your title so readily, Arianna.”

“Can you honestly tell me that you think there’s someone in X’shmir who has the experience necessary to receive such a rank?” I asked him and, after a moment of consideration, he shook his head and smiled. “While I do oversee the X’shmiran military’s training and organization—when my ‘services’ are ‘required’—I was given the title based solely on the fact that I’m an Umbral Mage. I was eleven at the time.

“Titles hold very little weight with me, and I prefer to determine the strength of others by my own hand.”

“But if you were given a title, then you earned—” Darius argued, causing me to raise my fingertips to my temples.

“Darius, you treat titles like they’re some divine gift upon the world.” I withdrew my hand from my hood and pointed at Darius, my tone flat. “Titles just establish the pecking order in society. That’s it.

“Ahhh… Speaking of titles, I seem to have slipped, Mrirtec.”

Before Darius could respond I sensed a wave of power from my right. I made a small motion with my hand and lifted the source of the power by his throat into the air and dangled him several feet off the floor. I turned in my seat and watched the weak Adinvyr’s legs swing in the air as he struggled to free himself. ‘What possessed him to approach us like that?’

“I-I-I’m sorry! I just wanted to c-c-c-challenge you!” The young Adinvyr male yelped, dropping his sword carelessly to the floor as he clawed at the shadows around his throat. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you, I swear!”

For a moment I considered taking out my frustration on the young man by shreding him, quartering him, or perhaps bleeding him dry with his own sword. ‘Ah… But, no. That won’t do.’

“Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to challenge someone in tight confines,” I began dryly as the Adinvyr kicked at the air desperately even though my shadows weren’t choking him, “let alone on someone else’s property? I don’t know about you but I, for one, am quite destructive.

“If you want to challenge me, be a good boy and challenge me in a suitable setting. I’ll be in the Sapphire Quarter all week after all.”

I released the Adinvyr and watched as he hurriedly reclaimed his weapon and darted out of the cafe. Nalithor was laughing openly with an impish expression on his face, but Darius just looked confused.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that one coming back to challenge you,” Nalithor teased.

“Oh, Nali, I have a question. Er, I mean, Rely’ric.” Darius began abruptly, causing me to glance at him when I sensed a faint hint of jealousy coming from him. “If Ari’s going to the meeting tomorrow, what am I supposed to do? I’m not supposed to leave her side until we’ve been assigned partners.”

“Some of my men have been assigned to guard you in her stead during the meeting.” Nalithor shifted to look at my twin. “However, it would seem that we’ve wandered rather far off-track of our original discussion.

“You wanted to speak with me more about your tests did you not?”

I nestled back in my seat and examined the pair in silence. Darius seemed interested in the Adinvyr and was overly eager to draw his attention away from me. Such behavior was unusual for my brother, but at least he appeared to be enjoying himself. Nalithor was quite proficient at dodging some of my brother’s questions, much to my relief. The Adinvyr appeared at least a little aware that my brother was a novice in the arcane; much too novice to be asking about the types of magics he kept bringing up, at any rate.

“Mrirtec, you’re worried that the tests are something that will be overly strenuous and potentially dangerous, right?” I finally spoke up quite after the umpteenth dodged question. Darius nodded his head in quick succession and his face flushed, so I turned to look at Nalithor. “Rely’ric, we could sit here for the next week and nothing either of us says in that time would put my brother’s mind at ease. He would understand better if he could see for himself what the tests are; if spectators are allowed.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Nalithor tilted his head in thought and crossed his arms. “There are several groups of mages taking tests tomorrow. I can instruct my men to escort you to the palace so that you may view them if you wish, Darius.”

“Please!” Darius had a bright grin on his face before shooting me a pointed look. “Speaking of tomorrow; Ari, don’t you have to be up early?”

‘Hmmm… He’s trying to get rid of me again.’ I clenched my jaw in response to the sinking feeling in my chest. ‘You want me gone that badly?’

Nalithor seemed to pause slightly as he reached for his tea, and I caught the furrowing of his brow when he nudged at my barriers. Clearly he’d sensed the telepathic reverberations, but it seemed that he still couldn’t actually hear what I had said. After a moment he appeared to grow frustrated and cast me a suspicious, almost pouting, look.

‘Don’t say it like that, Ari!’ Darius whined. I felt the corner of my eye twitch as Nalithor’s gaze snapped to the side at my brother; he could certainly hear Darius. My barriers had slipped more than I thought, but Darius was oblivious and continued, ‘Nali is hot, and I have more of a chance with him than you do since you’re an Umbral Mage. His curiosity about your mask is distracting him from me too much!’

As usual my brother had no tact and I wished that he could see the filthy glare I shot him from behind my mask. Nalithor looked amused at first; until my brother’s comment about me being an Umbral Mage, that is. Now he just looked like he was trying to hide his distaste for my brother.

“Very well,” I began coolly as I slid out of my seat, “I’ll go see if your things have arrived, and then I will get some rest.”

“Arianna,” Nalithor called as I started to move away from the table, so I turned slightly to acknowledge I’d heard him. “I’ll meet you at the palace gates in the morning and show you the rest of the way to our meeting.”

I nodded once in response and then left the cafe.

Taking a deep breath of air I closed my eyes for a few seconds to calm my rage and then sighed heavily. Darius really knew just what to say to piss me off, but I would have to save venting my frustration for later. For now, I needed to find my way to our lodgings. After Darius’ comment, all I wanted to do was go sulk in a warm bath and then sleep.

I swept along the crystalline roads in silence and made my way through the Nobles’ District. Under other circumstances I probably would have taken a more leisurely pace so that I could examine the landscaped estates and the foreign architecture of the mansions themselves. My mood was too foul to appreciate it, and I had little interest in absorbing my surroundings when angered.

A grimace crossed my face as I pulled the map Eyrian gave me from my pocket. By the looks of things we’d been assigned our own house somewhere in the Sapphire Quarter instead of rooms in one of the dormitories. Judging by the map, and the occasional glance upwards above my head, the Sapphire Quarter was one of the largest districts in the city. Unfortunately my map didn’t outline the locations of the training areas; I would have to pester someone for that information later.

“Where is Darius?” Djialkan inquired as I approached the cozy-looking two-story house I’d be living in for the foreseeable future. The fae-dragon himself was curled up on the front steps like a scaly cat.

“He’s with General Vraelimir, pelting him with questions.” I shrugged and then glanced at the numerous boxes lining the porch. “Darius made it rather clear my presence wasn’t welcome. As such, I decided to come deal with all of this and then sleep.

“I have some questions for you, but I guess they can wait until I’ve moved all of this inside.”

Djialkan released a displeased snarl before flying up to land on my shoulder. I fumbled with a set of keys to open the warm-colored wooden doors to the house and then nudged then open. After locating a series of orbs embedded into one of the walls, I touched them to turn the interior and porch Magelights on so that I could see what I was doing.

Alala warbled happily from somewhere down the hallway and then perched on top of a small table in the foyer to observe us.

“You didn’t run into any challengers?” Djialkan asked as I lifted a box off the porch.

“One person tried,” I murmured, carrying the box into the house and then setting it down in a large living room. “What is the appropriate way to challenge someone to a fight in Vorpmasian culture?”

“You already found someone you wish to test yourself against?” Djialkan laughed and nuzzled my cheek. “Ideally you would do it without interrupting their current activity. Voice your desire to spar them, and then permit them to choose whether or not they accept.”

“Of course I already found someone to challenge,” I grumbled at the laughing dragon. “Ugh. Darius bought so much stuff.”

“As we predicted, he forgot about food and drink entirely.” Djialkan rubbed his head against my hand when I reached up to scratch his scales. “Fraelfnir, Alala, and I managed to charm some grocers. They should have started a tab for us.”

I nodded and stifled a yawn. Once I’d finished carrying the boxes into the house I looked toward the academy’s clock tower and grimaced. It was already one in the morning. ‘Did we really spent that much time with Nalithor at his cafe?’

“Djialkan, I’m going to take a bath.” I shut the door to the house and then locked it. “Do you know what time my morning meeting is? Darius neglected to inform me.”

“One of Eyrian’s men came by earlier to inform you that it begins at eight, and Eyrian has already secured access to the academy libraries for you.” Djialkan swirled through the air beside me and then floated towards the stairs. “I will wake you at six.

“Keep in mind that this house has Draemiran-style baths. The second floor is all yours. Darius is on the main floor; as ins your shared study.”

I picked Alala off her perch and ruffled the fur on top of her head before making my way up the nearby stairs.

“Draemiran-style?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“Draemirans oft utilize public baths.” Djialkan took on a lecturing tone and flew ahead of me as I opened one of the two doors on the second floor. “The people of Draemir value a sense of community, and they do not view sexuality in the same way Humans do. They do not try to hide their bodies or their desires.

“Their baths are large enough to swim in and they often treat the water with cleansing oils or herbs. Were you and Darius raised in Vorpmasia, using the same bath would be of no issue.”

“So, Darius freaked out and requested lodgings that would keep us separated from each other and from others?” I mused while filling the closets and dressers of my new rooms with clothes and trinkets. “A huge bath all to myself? I can’t really complain about that. It could be fun; and much more comfortable than swimming around in X’shmir’s lake.”

“It is the only other thing on this floor aside from your rooms.” Djialkan perched on the stack of blankets I’d set in the corner, and Alala scampered over to join him, “The door you saw at the end of the hall leads to it. I recommend that you make haste so that you get decent sleep.”

I smiled at the fae-dragon, nodded, and then finished storing my things in my new rooms. The suite was very small in comparison to my rooms back in the X’shmiran castle, but I didn’t mind. A bed, closets, and a washroom were sufficient for me.

‘Ugh, can’t stop yawning.’ I strode down the hallway towards the bath. ‘Better make it as fast as possible, don’t want to fall sleep in the bath; let alone one this large…’

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