Negal called for a meeting with the First Born’s. The table had two empty seats that made her heartache. Her brother and her husband. Both were gone, and they weren’t coming back. She looked around at her companions. Vega, as always, was calm and resolute, filled with so much sadness about her life. Her brother, Void, was as stoic-looking as ever. Sometimes, Negal worried about him. Evida and Ettore sat together, back to back, always at odds.

And then she came, Shira, taking the seat opposite of herself. Her long black hair was loosely braided, exposing her bruised neck. Her eyes glowed a bright red, coupled with a curled smile that betrayed the thoughts circling within her mind. Negal knew. She saw the victorious malevolence in her eyes; she knew they were tied to those bite marks on her neck. Negal’s fears were beginning to pass.

“I called this meeting to swear a pact. What we discuss today does not leave this room. Not now, not ever.” Negal placed one of her shadow blades on the table; everyone followed suit, even Shira. “Repeat. By those of darkness, our mother and father, by the shadows of my being, I bind myself to this pact to never divulge what goes on today, for the punishment is death by Their holy fire.” The shadows of her blade flickered and sought out the others. As everyone else repeated the pact, their shadows attached to hers. Even Shira repeated the oath without hesitation.

“By our shadows, I bind us.” The shadows attached to one another, growing, glowing with a dark purple light, weaving into an intricate web. As if alive, the web imprinted onto each of the blades before winking out of existence.

“A Touched Born has been Reborn, but he does not know it,” she said, sheathing her blade and crossing her arms.

“Like him?” asked Evida.

“Yes, but different. He is an abnormality. His birth in the beginning was brought upon by those of Darkness. Now it is one of Light.”

“Why?” asked Shira hotly.

“For love, Shira. This one is named Jason. We knew him as Pietro, the beloved of Selene Sintas, Eris’s sister.”

“What concern is this?” asked Evida. “He is Reborn, so what?” Evida’s eyes were blank as usual; there was no emotion within her.

“Eris cannot find out.” Negal eyes Shira, who stared back at her defiantly. “Nor can he be allowed to find him. Those of the Dark are trying to repeat history. I cannot allow it.”

“Why not?” demanded Shira.

“Because Selene is more deserving of love than you.”

“He belongs here, with us! We are his blood, his kin!”

Negal slammed her hand against the table, rattling the room and shutting up the defiant Shira. “And innocent lives have been caught in the crossfire. I will not allow it to happen again.”

Shira glared at her. “You sicken me.”

“And you sicken me. I want Jason protected, and Eris watched. I do not want him to fall back into darkness more than he already has. This meeting is over.”

 

Shira watched Negal vanish. She saw Vega and Ettore share a look before vanishing together. Only Evida and Void were left.

“Leave me out of whatever you are planning, Shira,” Void stood up, looking at her steadily.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I mean, I won’t choose sides. I want to be left out of it. So say nothing to me. I’d rather not know whatever you’re planning.” He left without another word, turning his back on them. Shira looked at Evida, who looked unsettled and confused as she stood. This was the most emotion she had shown in centuries.

“What are you planning and why? It’s over and done with Shira. There is no getting Nuri back.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Besides, he’s slowly slipping towards the darkness already; this meeting confirms it. Her fears, Negal’s fears, they are coming into play.” Her voice was wild, frantic, captured within a whisper.

“She’ll never trust you.”

“No, but she might trust you.”

Like a bird with a blank stare, she cocked her head. “Explain.”

“I will divulge everything to you, and you will tell Negal all of it. Then you are going to ‘spy’ on me, and we are going to help Eris with everything.”

What if she doesn’t believe me?”

“She will. She’s too desperate not to. The darling girl is still broken from my brother’s death.”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Because that was Eris’ first step to darkness and my brother’s only chance at peace. Now go!” Evida dissolved into her surroundings, leaving Shira alone with her thoughts.

Her memories began to swarm her thoughts, and suddenly, she was back in her room with her brother. They were fighting, or at least she was fighting him. Eris had just been turned.

“Senid! Will you listen to reason? You don’t have to fight him!”

“He’s coming for me, so yes, I do.”

“He can kill you! Besides, he’s a Vampyre, he’s already partly in the dark—”

“His soul is not Shira.” His voice had been calm, resolute. Senid turned his back to her and began to leave. But no, she wouldn’t let him go, not like this, in such a calm fashion.

“No!” she exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm. “Senid, don’t! You might kill him! He might kill you. Please! You’re my brother. I can’t risk you too!”

“Shira,” he began cupping her face. “I won’t kill him. I wanted to. I’ve thought about it so many times over the centuries. When I killed his father, I wanted to kill him. I’ve hated him for the longest time, and it wasn’t because he left us. It was because he gets to live in silence, in peace. Most of all, he gets to die.” Senid sighed, his black eyes expressing his sadness. “I’m tired. I’m tired of hating him. I’m tired of living. And I’m sick and tired of the goddess’s whispers in my head. I’m going to let him kill me. That will be his first true step into darkness.”

“Senid,” she whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Shh. You’ll regain him, of that I am sure.” He bent his head down to her, touching his forehead to hers. “She will whisper to you, Shira, and you will pick up where I leave off.”

“Please, brother, don’t.”

Senid kissed her forehead and hugged and hugged her tightly. “Forever, sister.” He left her standing there. That was the last time she saw him.

Shira opened her eyes and wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks. She pulled out her brother’s blade from her boot and fingered it gently. The shadows flickered on the blade, recognizing her presence. “I miss you too, Senid.”

***

Negal watched Evida enter her room with a bow. “Haven’t you heard of knocking?”

“Forgive me, Negal, but I think there is something you should know.”

“What?”

“Shira, she is helping Eris. He’s—he’s been having her kill those humans that are on the news. He’s already searching for Jason, and they have begun having an affair. I—I do not like this. Shira lives too long in the past. Eris does not yet know Selene’s friendship with him, and I fear Shira may find a loophole in our pact. That mother will let her destroy everything. I fear she may be obsessed. I do not like this, and I know Ettore and Vega are keeping an eye on Jason, and I would like to request that I join Shira, watch her and Eris, and report—”

“Done.” Negal’s long black nails dug into the arms of her chair. “Go, now. I want to know everything.”

Evida bowed. “Of course, Negal.” Evida left the room, seeping out the door’s cracks and feeling pleased. Shira was waiting for her in her room, staring at her with coal-black eyes.

“Well?”

“It worked. Now what?”

Shira smiled. “Now we go see Eris.”