Chapter 23: Arcturus

“That will be twenty credits.”

The woman shuffled through her bag before dropping the money into Arcturus’ palm. He handed her the two glass vials she ordered and received a brief smile before she turned for the exit. The door banged against the frame a moment later as he stored the credits away. Letting out a sigh, Arcturus leaned against the counter, glancing behind him.

Mr. Zelione bustled around the room, one of his cauldrons filled with a boiling tonic. Various vials and bottles were cradled in his arms.

Coretro, Mountain Seed, and…Rebecin? More Fever Remedy. He quickly scanned the shelves next to him. Looks like we’re running low again.

“Do you need any assistance?” he called out, desperate to stay busy.

“No, I’m all right, Arcturus.” Mr. Zelione looked up at his apprentice. “You can take a break, if you’d like.”

Arcturus dropped his head. There wasn’t any need for him to take a break. And besides, he didn’t have any motivation for it anyway. Working was a good distraction from other grave thoughts occupying his mind.

Snippets of the conversation between the Ash guards replayed in his head. He had a suspicion the Ash Court was involved in the raid, and that encounter only confirmed it. What other “attack” could they possibly have been talking about? But there were still many uncertainties. What was this “Ember Legion”? It seemed every time he thought he would get some answers, he was met with more lingering questions instead.

To make matters worse, he and Cassiopeia hadn’t gotten anywhere in their research of the mysterious locket. In fact, they were starting to doubt any book even knew of its existence.

The jingling bell of the door opening interrupted his thoughts, and Arcturus immediately turned to greet the customer.

The man approached the counter, his hands in his pockets. He studied the array of shelves, his eyes drifting over them in slight fascination. At the sight of the man, Mr. Zelione came down from the ladder and stepped forward to meet him.

“Why, if it isn't Rydek? How may I help you today?” he said with his usual, friendly smile.

“Zelione, my old friend!” the man exclaimed, returning his grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. How have you been holding up?”

“Very well. Business is moderate as usual.”

“How is your son? His family?”

“Still over in Vloham, faring well I suppose. All I have to judge is a few occasional letters, just one every few months. Sometimes I even wonder if they’ve forgotten me.” He let out a deep breath. “No matter, what is it that I can do for you?”

Rydek leaned on the countertop. “Just need one bottle of Omedazole.”

“Of course. Arcturus, could you fetch me a Pidra Bud?”

Arcturus nodded and shuffled over to the ladder, slightly struggling to lift it off the ground. Catching his balance, he carefully maneuvered with it until he reached the center of the wall. He sat the ladder down, leaning it against the shelves, and climbed up to the fourth row. The Pidra Buds were just within his grasp, and he reached his arm out, careful not to knock into any other shelved items.

“The raid a couple days back took out a good portion of the marketplace,” Rydek said. “It seems every store has been hit to some extent. You can’t go down a street without seeing at least one building completely burned down. I’m glad your apothecary didn’t suffer too much damage.”

“Thank the stars,” said Mr. Zelione. “It’s a miracle Arcturus and I weren’t injured at all. Although, I cannot say the same for others. It’s tragic, to have to lose so many in a time meant for celebration.”

“Yes, I know, tragic. I wasn’t in the market when it happened, still tending to my crops back in the fields, but I was talking to Baxter Ridley the other day. He almost died there, said one of the raiders attacked him when he was trying to fend them off from his store. Apparently his Gift didn’t work, otherwise he could have easily defended himself with that Forcefield of his.”

“Ah, yes. Silmorite, they call it.”

Rydek nodded. “Ridley was sure they used it on him. He’s got a patched up hole to prove it too. They got him right through the chest—it’s going to leave a nasty scar.”

Arcturus stepped down from the ladder, the delicate Pidra Bud clutched in his palms. He gulped uneasily, his mind trying to erase the memory of Saros’ hands being cut. He took in a shaky breath, his stomach starting to drop.

It’s fine. It’s fine. Just don’t think about it.

With trembling fingers, he handed the bud to Mr. Zelione, setting an arm down on the counter. Mr. Zelione started to peel the leaves off the plant, digging through the bud for its center.

“That Silmorite stuff is scary, my friend,” Rydek said as he watched the apothecary. “Did you hear about the Terris Court?”

“What part of it? It seems every branch of it is in some sort of disarray.”

Rydek chuckled. “You aren’t wrong there, Zel. No, it seems our own guards are turning on us when it comes to Silmorite.”

Mr. Zelione frowned as the mixture began to warm. He must have already poured the inactive Omedazole into the cauldron while Arcturus was fetching the bud.

“Whatever do you mean?” he asked.

“A couple of villagers around here told me that there’s a rogue Terris Court Guard on the loose. He apparently had some in his possession.”

Arcturus’ eyes widened, silently cleaning some empty vials. He knew the Ash Court guards were involved in this, but a Terris guard too? How did this fit?

“Are you serious, Rydek? How in the stars did he manage to get a hold of it?”

“No one knows. And the boy seems to be important enough to have been chased by the Terris captain himself!”

Mr. Zelione shook his head, dropping the Pidra Bud into the bubbling elixir before removing it from the flames to let it cool. The bud had to be added just before use, otherwise the remedy could not be stored for long.

“I pray it isn’t true,” said Mr. Zelione. “Ophelia is already tilting on a dangerous edge, we don’t need our own protectors making the wrong decisions.”

It’s more than just on edge, thought Arcturus, a sick feeling filling his stomach.

“I hope you’re right, Zelione. I don’t want any of that stuff near me.”

“Hand me a medium vial, please,” said Mr. Zelione, dipping a spoon into the mixture. Arcturus passed over an empty one, and Mr. Zelione returned it filled with the completed Omedazole. Arcturus pushed a cork into the bottle until it was snug, and the old apothecary gently nudged it forward along the counter.

“Here you are, Rydek. One vial of Omedazole. That’ll be nine credits.”

Rydek nodded as he dug through his pocket, his hand shuffling through his shirt’s layers of fabric. The coins rattled against the wooden counter as he dropped them from his hand, not bothering to count them. Mr. Zelione pulled them out of the pile one by one, straining to count nine of them individually.

“Does that cover it?” Rydek asked, adjusting his shirt back into place.

“Yes, that just about does it.” The apothecary scooped the money off the top and placed it into Arcturus’ hands. Arcturus cupped it in his fingers, careful not to drop them, and slowly crouched down beneath the counter. He stored the money away within the bottom shelves, right with all the other profit they made.

Rydek grabbed the excess coins off the counter, dropping them into his pocket. He swiped the remedy with a grateful smile and turned on his heel, heading for the door.

“Remember to use it within the month!” Mr. Zelione called. “That Pidra Bud won’t stay active forever!”

“Yes, yes. Thank you, old friend!” He replied from the end of the room. Just as Rydek stepped out, Arcturus noticed a spot of spilled Olumric Dust by his foot. He must have dropped it when he was bringing it over for the Savisine they made earlier. Glancing around for a broom, he swiftly grabbed one leaning in the corner and began sweeping the dust into a pan before Mr. Zelione could scold him.

The bristles brushed against the wooden planks, gently pulling the dust out of view, as a gruntled sound came from the entrance. Arcturus looked up towards the front and caught Rydek walking away, a familiar face taking his place in the shop.

“Arcturus!” exclaimed Taryn, his arms stretched wide as he joyfully stepped in. “Fancy seeing you here, what are the odds?”

Arcturus rolled his eyes. “What a coincidence,” he replied, playing along.

His eldest brother approached the counter, his brown medical outfit peeking out from underneath his vest. Taryn’s short, dark hair was slicked back, some of the locks flying out of place. His beard was neatly trimmed as usual, though Arcturus could see a faint, healing scratch where Taryn had cut himself on his cheek. Towering over Arcturus, they matched in their eyes and hair, but his brother took more to their father’s looks. Taryn wore a wide grin as he entered the shop, strutting through the room like a wealthy king.

“Greetings to you as well, Mr. Zelione,” said Taryn, waving to the old man standing at his cauldron. Mr. Zelione briefly waved back as he focused on spooning out the rest of the Omedazole.

Arcturus continued to sweep as his brother looked him over with a smirk.

“Why, Arcturus. I thought you were learning some valuable skills here. I didn’t know he hired you to be a maid.”

Arcturus turned red as he faced him. “What are you doing here, Taryn?”

“Huh. I thought you would be happy to see me.”

“I am, it’s just…” he trailed off.

Taryn chuckled. “I’m just messing with you, Arc. We need to restock again. The raid depleted our resources. A lot.”

Arcturus paused, his hands faltering as he poured the Olumric Dust into the disposal. Looking back over the counter, he met with his brother’s dark eyes, his lips pressed hard together. Although he tried to halt them, the memories kept flashing back, each one painful and sudden. He felt himself start to tremble again, and he struggled to push away the thoughts.

“Hey,” said Taryn softly, noticing his heavy eyes. “It’s okay. I know it’s hard, but you’re going to be okay.”

Arcturus nodded quickly, letting out a heavy breath. “Thanks. So, what do you need?”

“Hmm, I know Ceretorol and Tegyr Ointment for sure—let me check the list our head medic gave me.” Taryn reached into his pocket, pulling out a crisp piece of folded paper. Opening it up, his eyes drifted down the list, taking in each of the items.

“Yup, and add Pilomide to that list. Just a few vials of each. Those are our main remedies.”

Arcturus nodded, immediately turning around to the shelves.

“You can grab a crate and fill it with Tegyr Ointment and Pilomide,” Mr. Zelione suggested, brushing his hands on his apron. “I don’t think we have enough Ceretorol. I’ll quickly make some more.”

As the old man grabbed the few ingredients for the mixture, Arcturus strode to the back of the shop, finding one of the big crates with levels to hold bottles. He set the container on the ground and searched the shelves in front of him, locating the Tegyr Ointment and Pilomide among the long rows of stored remedies. He was glad he and his master had made big batches of them a few days ago. Carefully grabbing a few containers in each hand, Arcturus began to set each vial and bottle in rows along the crate.

The smell of Ija Root began to fill the large shop, Mr. Zelione already halfway through crafting the Ceretorol. Arcturus set a thin wooden plank atop the filled crate and continued to load vials in the new layer of the box.

“Do you need help back there, Arc?” called Taryn.

“No, I’m all right, don’t worry. Is it…is it really that full at the medic’s?”

“Not as much as it was a day ago, thankfully. Most of the people who were…affected by the Silmorite fully recovered and got control of their Gifts again. It seems it takes a bit of time for the body to expel the element completely. The patients we have now are the ones who were wounded by swords and burned badly by fires, but they seem to be doing better each day.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” muttered Mr. Zelione. Arcturus glanced at the old man, who was frowning down into the cauldron as he stirred.

“We did get a fresh new wave of patients though. About twenty people, all pretty high aristocrats.”

Arcturus stuck his hand to reach the back of the shelf, pulling more bottles of Tegyr Ointment forward. “Really? Why?”

“One of the big Ash Court parties apparently went terribly wrong.”

A pause. “What do you mean?”

“Some delinquents broke into the Soleil home and caused the guests to flee. Not to mention what happened to Soleil’s daughter.”

Vials knocked violently into each other as Arcturus dropped the one from his hand into the crate. He stuck his head out from the doorway and stared at Taryn, then exchanged an uneasy look with Zelione.

“Ecli—Soleil’s daughter? What do you mean, Taryn?” Arcturus stammered.

“Well, from what the head medic tells me, the girl staged a bit of an…‘outburst’…and not soon after, one of the Ash Court councilmen was attacked by some speedy Runner and his friend. There was all sorts of chaos and running and fighting, so you can imagine people got hurt in the brawl. And now the councilman’s daughter is missing with no trace of the kids who broke in.” Taryn shook his head. “One new thing after another, good stars.”

Arcturus continued to stare at his brother, forgetting about the crate at his feet.

Eclipse is missing? After an Ash Court official was attacked? Did she run away, or did they capture her? What happened?

“Are you all right, Arc?” said Taryn, confusion in his expression as he looked at Arcturus.

The list of the dead Court officials was rolling fast in Arcturus’ mind, and his head was already trying to figure out the implications of this.

The villagers, the raid, the guards, the Silmorite, a councilman attacked, and now she’s missing?

“Arcturus!” called Mr. Zelione, snapping him from his daze. “This batch is almost ready, have you finished gathering the Tegyr Ointment and Pilomide?”

“Right, yes, I’m almost done.”

Hastily lining up the bottles in the crate, Arcturus placed another wooden plank atop the vials. He heaved the container by its handles and carried it to the middle of the shop, where Mr. Zelione was corking the last of the Ceretorol. Arcturus numbly took the glass bottles and set them on the top layer of the crate, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Not a coincidence, it can’t be a coincidence. She was hosting the biggest Ash Court gathering after the raid. Those suspicious Ash guards had to be there, and now she’s missing.

A vial slipped from his fingertips and smashed against the floor, breaking into miniscule, sharp pieces. Stepping back in surprise, Arcturus bumped into Mr. Zelione, who placed a firm hand on his shoulder to steady him. He stared at the broken pieces, not fully registering his mistake.

“You go to the front and get the money from Taryn, all right?” Mr. Zelione said with a knowing look. “I’ll finish loading up.”

Dazed, Arcturus walked to the front of the store, brushing his hands against his stained apron. He stood behind the counter, his brows furrowed in concentration as his thoughts continued to race.

“That’s fifty credits, right?” asked Taryn.

“What? Oh, right, yes.”

Does this have something to do with that Ember Legion? Could…could she have something to do with the Ember Legion?

Taryn dropped a thick pouch filled with coins on the counter. Grabbing it, Arcturus didn’t even bother to count them before dropping the pile beneath the counter. He rested his elbows on the rough top, finally meeting his brother’s eyes.

“So…did you hear anything else about what happened?” he asked as nonchalantly as he could.

His brother raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”

“Nothing specific. I’m just curious as to what could rile up a whole house filled with high aristocrats.”

“Oh really?” said Taryn sarcastically. “You’re definitely not asking about the daughter of Soleil?”

Arcturus’ eyes widened. “What? No, not at all! I barely even know her.”

“You are an awful liar, baby brother. You stumbled like a newborn at the mention of her. How do you even know of her?”

“Well…she comes here often for some medicine.”

“I’m sure you dazzle her with your fine brewing skills.”

Arcturus smiled weakly as the thought of being covered in purple flakes rushed back to his mind. Yet, he couldn’t get rid of the possibly sinister undertones to the whole situation. His brother had no idea of the meaning behind the attack or her disappearance. Arcturus would just have to play along to his whims.

“Aw, don’t worry, Arc. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. She probably ran away after embarrassing herself at the party. All the things you young people like to do are usually foolish and impulsive, and you realize how stupid you were later. She’ll definitely be back, and then you can woo her all you want.”

“Taryn!”

His brother shot him a teasing smile as Mr. Zelione came up to the counter, setting the heavy crate down with a puff of air.

“Here you are, my boy. Are you sure you can carry all of this?”

“Don’t I always Mr. Zelione? And thank you for the fresh batch of Ceretorol.”

“Of course, of course. Now we have a good stock of it thanks to you. I wish your patients well.”

Taryn rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the crate, pressing it against his stomach as he took a step back towards the door.

“I’ll see you back home, Arc,” he called out before stepping out into the warm sunlight, letting a small breeze sneak into the shop.

Arcturus opened his mouth to respond, but the door swung shut before he could say anything. He let out a sigh and looked over his shoulder to his master.

A Runner attacking an Ash Councilman? Could he have been sent by the Terris Court? How does this fit?

Mr. Zelione was shuffling around the shop, placing ingredients back in their place. He glanced over at Arcturus, his eyebrows raised.

“You wasted a perfectly good vial of Pilomide, son.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Zelione, I don’t know how it slipped.”

“Well then, enough daydreaming and come help me put the extra bottles of it away.”

Arcturus straightened and opened his mouth in surprise. His master gave him a small smile before turning back to the shelf. “You’re going to catch flies with that open mouth of yours, Arcturus,” he called over his shoulder.

Quickly shutting his mouth and turning a light pink, Arcturus went over to the table filled with leftover bottles and grabbed a few in his hands. He found the shelf for the mixture and began to fill it, before an uncomfortable silence between him and his master filled the shop.

“Sir?” he said grimly. “Do you think she’s all right?”

Mr. Zelione continued to work, his eyes still focused and unwavering. “Yes, she’s a resourceful girl. I’m sure she can handle herself, no matter what her situation may be.”

Arcturus narrowed his eyes. “Do you think she was captured?”

His master took in a deep breath, his eyes drifting to Arcturus. “I pray to the stars she wasn’t. We can only hope it was out of her own volition.”

Mr. Zelione gave him a hopeful smile, and went back to shelving the bottles. A peaceful silence started to drift over them again as Arcturus organized and straightened the vials in rows. Yet in the easy quiet, Arcturus’ thoughts seemed louder than they had before.

What is happening to Ophelia?

✦✦✦

“You have a three, Arc, correct?” Hesperos said as he placed a card on the table.

Arcturus gritted his teeth. “Sorry… ”

He put down a seven, laying it on the pile of cards sprawled in the middle. Taryn let out a small chuckle as he studied his hand. He leaned in to the center, his arm stretching with a playing card.

“Only one left,” taunted Taryn. “Let’s see if you two can stop me.”

The three brothers sat huddled around a table, a dim candle their only source of light. The blackened night sky peered through the open windows of Arcturus’ house. Distant crickets chirped through the quiet night, and a soft wind blew through the window, threatening to put out the small candle. Their parents were just about to go to bed, exhausted from a demanding day of work. Though, despite their own workload, Arcturus’ brothers were wide awake, and had insisted they played a game of Atekhi before bed.

“You got anything, Arc? Anything at all? We can’t let him win!”

Arcturus studied his own hand. Only two cards were left: a five and an eight, both purple. He didn’t know what color Taryn’s card was, but he hoped it wasn’t the current green. He glanced at his eldest brother, Taryn smirking at him with a victorious look.

Arcturus sighed. “He’s won. Just give it up.”

Hesperos let out a defeated breath, and pulled out a card from his abundant stack. He laid it down on the table, eyeing Arcturus with a hopeful glance.

Arcturus peered at the card. A five. An idea instantly ran through his head. He pushed his cards together, subtly masking them behind his fingers. He grabbed the purple five from his hand and brought it over to the middle. With that move, he had just changed the color.

“Atekhi,” he announced, as was the rule of the game. But he did so quietly, careful not to attract too much attention to himself. Hesperos was still focused on Taryn and somehow didn’t seem to notice Arcturus holding his last card.

Taryn's expression was unreadable, and Arcturus straightened himself in his chair, nervously waiting for his brother's next move.

Taryn looked at his card, and hid it back in his hand, his face flushing with disappointment. He reached and grabbed a card from the stack at the side, adding the new card to his hand. Hesperos and Arcturus watched him with eager eyes.

“You got me,” he muttered.

“Nice move, Arcturus,” Hesperos said with pride. Arcturus nodded back, trying to hold back a laugh.

He has no idea what I’m planning.

With one clandestine card, Arcturus watched as Hesperos laid down a nine, still keeping the color the same.

Perfect.

His face placid, Arcturus reached his arm over and dropped down his last card, the shining eight covering the nine completely.

“Ha ha! I win!” he exclaimed. His brothers stared at the card, glancing at Arcturus’ empty hands.

“You betrayed me!” Hesperos said, slamming his cards on the table. “I thought you were helping me stop Taryn from winning!”

“I was! He didn’t win, did he?” Arcturus shrugged, Taryn chuckling at Hesperos’ bewilderment. Hesperos sank in his seat, his arms folded as he glared at them both.

“Besides, I called ‘Atekhi.’ Didn’t you hear me?”

Hesperos flung his arm out, pointing a finger at Taryn across from him. “I was a little preoccupied with the fact that Taryn was about to win!”

“Boys, quiet down,” a gentle voice called from behind them. Arcturus peeked over his shoulder, his mother leaning at the wall. Her long, dark hair hung down in her face in soft curls, and her eyes struggled to remain open. She let out a small yawn before she gave them a lazy smile.

“You’ll wake the entire village with your clamoring.”

Taryn bit his lip. “Sorry, Mother. We’ll try to be quiet.”

She looked at him warmly, before her eyes drifted across the table. “What happened to Hesperos?” she asked, taking in his sour expression.

“He’s just mad that he didn’t win,” Taryn answered, Arcturus stifling a laugh.

Hesperos rolled his eyes. “That’s not it. I am disappointed that my younger brother betrayed me.”

Arcturus sighed. “All right, how about a rematch? You’ll have a chance to win this next one, Hes.”

Hesperos let out a deep breath. “Fine.”

Taryn nodded and reached for the scattered cards in the center, pulling them together. He gathered them back into a neat stack, his brothers waiting.

“Well, don’t stay up too late. And don’t squabble, for stars’ sake,” their mother said as she turned away. “Goodnight, my loves.”

“Goodnight, Mother,” the three said in partial unison as she left the room. Taryn finished distributing the cards, and Arcturus scooped up the ones given to him.

Taryn set down a card to start with. A yellow nine. “You start, Arc.”

Arcturus peered at his own cards. Several purples, greens, and reds, but not one yellow.

Damn it. The one color I need.

He reached for the stack of extras, picking out the one at the top. “Pass,” he said as he peeked at the card. Another red. Great.

Taryn added a seven to the pile. Hesperos dropped in a three, still keeping the same color. Arcturus glanced at the numbers he had and spotted a green three. He quickly slid it in, changing the color to green—he knew he had plenty of those to spare.

Taryn easily threw in a two, and Arcturus felt slightly more confident. He held a green card in his fingers, ready to set it in at his turn, but Hesperos slid in his card first—a Flux.

Stars. You’ve got to be kidding.

“Draw two, Arc,” he shrugged. “I don’t make the rules.”

Arcturus reached for the stack of cards, a look of annoyance marking his face. He gathered the new cards along with his old ones, a long array of them resting in his hands.

Taryn went ahead again, tossing in an eight. Arcturus glanced at Hesperos, eager to see what he would play.

Please don’t change the color. Please don’t change the color.

Hesperos shot him a mischievous grin. He slowly placed down a card, his eyes locked with Arcturus’, before revealing his move for the table to see.

Arcturus glanced at the card, before Taryn broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

“Again?” Arcturus pouted as Hesperos chuckled under his breath. Another Flux sat in the center of the table, waiting for Arcturus to draw two cards again.

“This is payback for betraying me,” Hesperos said through his laughs, struggling to stay quiet.

Arcturus stretched out an arm for the stack. “Well, I suppose I deserve it.” The abundance of cards started to feel heavy in his hand. At this rate, his brothers would throw down all of their cards before he even had a chance to use one.

He studied his new additions. Just a few new numbers, nothing special.

A Verso would be useful right about now. Then I could give Hesperos a taste of his own medicine.

Taryn did his turn again, setting down an Alterer card. It didn’t really matter what color he chose to change it to—Arcturus had an abundance of each one of them at this point.

“Purple,” Taryn proclaimed, and turned a watchful eye to Hesperos.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got a Flux in purple too…” Arcturus groaned.

Hesperos only smirked, the same devious grin he had seen before.

“Oh, no. I’ve got something much better… ”

He slid in his card, Arcturus bracing himself. With a deep breath, he peeked at the center of the pile, instantly regretting it.

“You know what Hesperos? F—”

“Woah, woah! No need for vulgarity,” Taryn interrupted.

“I wasn’t actually going to say it,” Arcturus replied, already reaching for the stack. “But to be fair, it is a valid response.”

“Valid, yes. But vulgar…”

Arcturus leaned back in his seat, his arms folded.

“How many cards you got now, Arc?” Hesperos jeered.

Taryn chuckled. “Probably more than the deck itself.”

Arcturus rolled his eyes. Of all the cards to play, why did it have to be a Ryver? I don’t need four more cards, as if I don’t have enough already!

Hesperos and Taryn fell into a fit of laughter as Arcturus pulled out four additional cards.

“Will you quiet down, you buffoons? You’re going to wake Mother and Father.”

He shot a glance at his chortling brothers, too indulged in their mocking to pay any attention to him. Suddenly, an idea sprang into his head.

He let go of the cards, subtly slipping them back into the stack.

Maybe they won’t notice…

Holding back a smile, he slid back into his seat, silently trying to avoid suspicion.

“Your turn, Taryn,” he piped as his brothers’ laughter slowly started to die out.

Taryn glanced at the center. “What's the color, Hes?”

“Red.”

Taryn clicked his tongue and reached for the stack, signaling that he had nothing to play. Hesperos threw down a six, Arcturus taking a grateful sigh as he set down a two.

“One down, Arcturus. I’m proud of you,” Taryn said as he dropped a yellow two.

Hesperos let out a snort as he glanced at his hand. “Only a few left, Arcturus. You’ll need to get rid of much more than one to catch up.” He threw in a four.

Arcturus placed down one of his many yellows, not paying attention to the number. Hesperos was right—if he wanted to catch up, he would need a quick way of disposal.

As Taryn sorted through his cards, Arcturus nervously glanced at his brothers, taking in their focused stares. Both of them were too preoccupied with their own strategies to pay any attention to him.

So as he prepared to set down one of his yellows, he slipped another card just beneath it, aligning the edges so that they appeared as one. With a careful hand, he snuck them both into the pile, his brothers suspecting nothing.

A few rounds went by, and Arcturus was finally able to put down some of his cards. He had one for every color, it seemed, and had no need to pass at any turn. He had too many cards to get rid of to pick up another one. At each turn, he continued to slide two cards in together, taking nervous glances around him each time.

Hesperos picked up a card. “Pass.”

Arcturus threw down one of his. “Atekhi.”

His brothers instantly whipped their heads to him, confusion sprawled across their faces.

“You’re joking.”

Arcturus slid his card forward, facing down to hide its contents. He shrugged, trying to keep a confident stature.

“There’s no way. He had a bucket load of cards before.”

Taryn eyed him suspiciously, stroking his stubbled chin. Arcturus stared right into him with wide eyes, desperately trying not to break.

“Have you been cheating, baby brother?”

Arcturus laughed nervously. “No, no, no. Of course not! Why would you think that?”

“Hmmm…” Taryn scooted closer, his face just inches away from Arcturus’. Arcturus leaned back, almost sliding off his chair.

Just before either of them could speak, Hesperos reached over for the center pile, pulling the cards apart.

Shit…

What should have been an organized order was interrupted by occasional outliers. Cards that didn’t match the color, ones that shouldn’t have been played.

“What is this?” Hesperos questioned.

“Hehehe…How did those get there?” Arcturus chuckled nervously.

“So you have been cheating!”

Taryn let out a laugh. “He got so desperate that he resorted to the lowest of the low. This only requires the highest of punishments.”

His brothers exchanged a knowing glance, matching smirks forming on their faces.

“What are you thinking? Don’t make those faces, I was only playing!” said Arcturus, his voice pitching higher.

“Get him!” yelled Hesperos. He launched himself at Arcturus, both of them tumbling to the floor. Before he could react, Taryn followed suit and knocked into them both, his large body covering the brothers. Within seconds, Arcturus was gasping for air, Hesperos and Taryn sitting on top of him. Beneath their hair and limbs, he felt his thin body crack in some joints, pressing against the floor painfully.

“I…can’t…breath!” he wheezed from below.

His brothers quickly picked themselves off of him, dusting off their clothes with suppressed laughter. Arcturus stood up, taking in rapid breaths.

“I guess I deserved that,” he said, sitting back down in his chair.

Taryn laughed as he ruffled Arcturus’ hair. “Don’t underestimate this kid,” he said to Hesperos. “He may be an innocent child, but not when it comes to Atekhi.”

Giving his brothers a tight smile, Arcturus set his head back against his seat, staring at the dark ceiling as he let out a sigh. Although they could sometimes be a pain, he loved his brothers, and he knew they loved him. And even though they teased him relentlessly, it was still fun spending time with them.

But then he felt his excitement starting to wane as the thoughts of the day slowly flooded back to him. His mind wandered around the raid, around the Ash Court Guards he and Cass had seen, and around Eclipse’s disappearance, his brain trying desperately to thread connections between the three.

And the Ember Legion…Who are they going to target next? What if it’s my family? None of us are in the Ash Court.

Taryn glanced up at Arcturus as he straightened the cards on the table. Setting them aside, he exchanged glances with Hesperos before leaning an elbow on the small table.

“Are you all right, Arc?” he asked.

“I didn’t think we were that heavy,” said Hesperos, running his hand through his long, dark hair.

“Compared to Arc, you’re enormous, Hes,” said Taryn, taking the candle with him as he got on his feet.

“I’m fine,” Arcturus said, facing his brothers. “Just tired.”

Arcturus rose to follow them, half smiling at their hushed squabble as they walked to their room.

He glanced behind him into the darkened kitchen, the feeling of growing dread hanging over him like a cloud, threatening to pour at any second.