Eris watched Selene enter the Grand Chamber. She walked in as always, casually with vacant eyes. She almost looked unsuspecting. But now he didn’t know whether or not to trust that face. Eris couldn’t trust her at all, not now.

“Welcome back, little sister. How was your trip?”

Selene shrugged. “It was refreshing. All that business with the Roamer had me unnerved. I needed a break.”

Eris leaned against his makeshift throne. It wasn’t grand like her Hunter’s chair, but it had a sort of charm he could admire in the simplicity. “That’s understandable considering the Garrison made matters worse for you.”

“Not that much worse. They simply added to my annoyance of putting me under a microscope.”

“Well, just as long as you’re okay, I’m okay.” Eris smiled at her, pulling her close in a warm embrace. Her body was slightly stiff, and he could barely feel her hug him back.

“How are things here? The way Jeanette tells it, you needed me quite urgently.”

Eris looked at Jeanette, who stared at him vehemently with blood red eyes. She stood behind Selene, sideways, with her arms crossed, her blond hair draped over her shoulder in a loose braid. The hatred in her eyes had never subsided; he didn’t expect it to now.

Next to her stood Blake, his body facing Eris, his arms crossed as well. The look in his eyes was unmistakable, but they retained their honey-like color.

“Oh no, what have I done now to inspire such hateful looks?” He grinned, mocking them both.

“You—argh!” Jeanette stormed off, leaving Blake to follow after. The pair of them was beginning to bore him.

“How was your trip?” asked Nivette, getting up from her seat to embrace Selene.

“Relaxing. I didn’t have a care in the world. I forgot what that felt like.”

“I’m glad. I was beginning to see the stress of things on your face. It must have been a long journey back. You should get some sleep.”

“Oh no—”

“I insist, Selene.” Eris watched Selene shut her mouth, confused, sparing a single glance at him before she nodded and walked off. The moment the door closed behind her, Nivette, in her skinny and sharp high heels, stepped in front of him. Her shoes clicked against the marble and granite flooring.

“Yes, dear?”

“Oh shut it, what are you up to?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid. You’ve been acting differently, and I don’t like it. Selene looks at you with fear. She’s your sister!”

“Nivette, enough. Selene has no reason to fear me. I love, and I will do everything and anything I can to protect her.” Eris made his way around her, sick of her chastising.

“Is that why you killed all those people? To protect her?” Eris stopped in his tracks, his blood running cold. Slowly, he turned around to face her. He couldn’t move, not as she took a step toward him, her heels scraping against the floor, her lip curled on the left. On her face, she carried a look of triumph and despair. There was no light in her eyes, only sadness.

“How?”

Nivette scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m older than you, and I’m your consort; I know when you’re acting off and when you’re up to something. I’ve been watching you and your Shadowling whore.”

Her words stung like no others did. Eris saw her eyes water, but she did not falter; her breathing remained constant, her body still. Eris felt guiltier about hurting her than he did about killing those people.

“Nivette—”

“Save it. I stopped caring about what you do and who you are a long time ago. I do, however, care about how it affects her. If what you’re doing hurts her, believe me, she will find out and she will hate you for eternity.” Nivette shoved past him, making him stumble. What she added, in a tone barely above a whisper, made his breathing stop. “And eternity is a very long time, Eris.” The door slammed shut behind her, and he fought the urge to stand tall and not crumble to his knees.

“Are you having second thoughts?” came Shira’s sultry voice. Her hand wrapped around him, and her head lay on his back.

“Go away, Shira.”

“Why should I?”

“I said, go away!” He spun around, shoving her back with such force that she landed on the ground, making a crack in the flooring.

“You care about that Vampyre—”

“Shut up. Don’t speak of her, never speak of her. Everything you say is vile.”

“Then why do you care about me?” she asked, standing straight, hands on her hips, defiant. Her voice carried a mocking tone.

“How should I know! I just do.” He turned to walk off, but Shira stopped him, materializing in front of him. Eris wished he wasn’t drawn to her, wished that some part of him, the darker part of his soul, wasn’t strangely in love with her. He wished it sickened him, but it didn’t.

“What do you want?”

“Oh! That’s right! I have an update, that is, of course, if you want to know about dear Jason.”

“Just tell me.”

“I can’t enter his house; something is blocking my entry. At first, I thought that it was either Ettore or Vega blocking me, but I don’t feel any Shadowling tricks.”

“She knows,” he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose stressfully. Of course she would figure it out, you idiot, he scolded himself. Selene has always been too damn brilliant.

“Selene?”

“Yes. But—”

“Futuo,” she cursed

Eris eyed her angrily and anxiously. “What? What do you know?”

“Miranda. Evida brought her to me through the Shadow realm. Void saw her—”

“And you thought to say nothing!” Eris allowed himself to relish in the fear in her eyes. But Shira was one of the originals and first of the Shadowlings. It took her several moments, but she quickly recovered her regal arrogance.

“He said he would stay out of it. It appears as though he favors Selene more than Evida.”

“Evida is different from the way she once was.”

Smiling, she said, “And how would you know that?”

“I just do.” Gathering his nerves, shoving his anger and fear back into the far pits of his mind, he pinched the bridge of his nose, nonetheless frustrated. “Take me to his apartment.”

“His apartment is not the only one like that. His friends’ places are like that as well, as is his home.” She stopped talking, taken aback by Eris’s sudden burst of laughter. All she could do was stare at him, confused.

“Decoys! Selene is brilliant! She set up decoys to keep us at bay. Any one of those places could be where he is! And you’ll never find out. Oh my, I sometimes forget how brilliant my dear darling little sister is.” Eris took a moment to calm himself from his insanity.

“Are you done yet?”

“For now,” he said, wiping a stray tear away, a tear brought forth by his sister’s brilliance and deceit. “Tell me, how many Shadowlings are loyal to you?”

“How many do I need?”

Eris made a quick count. “Seven, including Evida. I want you to have one person monitoring all the locations, then I want Ettore, Vega, and Void to be followed. I want you to stay idle, but try to keep them with you. I want to know where Jason is. Now.”

***

Eris sat on the edge of Telos, alone. He loved how his homeland had flourished. He wondered if Selene and he had been the reason for it. Either way, he loved it. He loved how the stars twinkled and lit up the sky. He loved how the light from the two moons made the buildings of stone and glass shimmer. His home was beautiful. Even the Darkling District wasn’t displeasing to look at. It lacked the hums of light, making it more akin to his Telos. It was nostalgic. His home was beautiful above and below ground. It was this that made him almost regret wanting to tear it to pieces in search of Jason. Almost.

Eris shut his eyes. Deep within himself, he found himself thinking of Azelia. He remembered her smile and honey gold wings. He remembered her big, wide eyes. He wished that she were here now; he wished he could have saved her.

Clutching his fist tightly at the memory, his nails dug into the flesh of his palms, letting cold blood slip away from him. Senid. He wished the death of the Shadowling made him feel better, but it only made him feel worse. Senid’s death had not brought Azelia back. Her soul would be Reborn, he had known that even then. The question was when and how he would know. Evida had told him to look for him. Evida, who was only a fraction of herself. He opened his eyes and stared back into the night sky.

Over the centuries, he had woken up in tears. Nivette would hug him despite his rages at her, the blame he put on her for not letting him die. He cared for Nivette, could claim to love her, and meant it. Except, he also loved Shira, despite her dark soul. Despite his feelings for both, though, his heart belonged to Azelia, the one person who wasn’t with him.

“Eris, I have news.” Eris tilted his head to his side and stared at Shira as she approached.

“Then talk.”

“I think I found the true location of Jason, but the magic surrounding it is more powerful, and I cannot perform magic.”

Eris wanted to curse Selene’s brilliance. “Take me to it.”

Shira bowed her head and opened a dark portal. “Step through and watch your step.” Eris walked to roll his eyes, but he knew to listen to her. Eris knew her well enough to know that she didn’t waste words.

Eris stepped onto a downward-sloping roof. Below him was a house with thick magic humming around it.

“What am I looking at?”

“The home of Jason’s parents. Some of my colleagues have seen Jason’s friends here. But they also see them leave their homes. We believe they are spelled together to try to deter us. Your sister is quite the clever minx.”

“Get on with it.”

“The blocking spell is more powerful here.”

Eris chuckled. “Oh, the irony.”

“What?”

“I need to do a Sensory Web. Selene just so happens to excel at those. It tells us how many spells are going on in one place. It also says if more than one person is working the spell. Selene can narrow it down to a particular type of spell or area. I’ve never been that good.”

“Well, you need to be.”

“Maybe not.” Eris pondered for a moment. “I need you to get someone for me.”

“Who?”

“Her name is Lilith. Find her and bring her here. Oh, and be discreet.”

“Of course.” She fell into darkness, leaving him alone to stare into the house. He watched the people through the window, trying to force his sight into the shadows within to see inside. But, as expected, he was unable to. Selene had even blocked the fireplace. She never ceased to amaze him. A glittering blue wing caught his sight, and he soon found himself watching Uriel set a table. He was Jason’s father.

“Well, that’s just swell,” he muttered to himself. “So you knew too, huh? I didn’t even think to give me a warning years ago. Damn you, Uriel.”

“Eris?” Eris turned around, almost losing his footing. Behind him stood Shira alongside Lilith. Eris remembered the first time he had met her. She had been dying from the poison rune on her neck. When he had bitten her, he had had to spit out her blood. Turning her had been difficult, and the aftereffects of her rune had been unnerving. The white of her eyes was a sickly yellow, highlighted by her unnatural green eyes. She could not feed on humans. After the first time, it was discovered that the thin coat on her fangs was pure poison, rather than the typical Vampire trait, now dubbed “virus” by the scientific community. Her nails were a pale red, as though stained by blood. She had joined with the rune that had been killing her and was deadly, almost as deadly as Selene, almost as powerful. Selene never did like her, for one reason alone: she was a Dark Witch.

“Thank you for coming, Lilith.”

Lilith bowed her head slightly. “You sent for me, so I came.”

“Obedient, isn’t she?” muttered Shira, eyebrows arched.

“Enough, Shira. Lilith, I need you to do a Sensor Web on this house.”

“Why not ask Selene?”

Eris clenched his fist. “Selene was involved in the spell casting.”

He watched Lilith’s eyes widen, lips curve ever so slightly into a sinister smile. “Very well. I need some Diamond Dust.”

“I’ll be right back,” muttered Shira, rolling her eyes. She scattered into the shadows, letting Lilith approach him, cautiously.

“Eris, not to be out of place, but why are you trying to find out how many people cast the spell?”

Eris eyed her carefully. Her short curly blond hair looked pale white in the moonlight. “Can I trust you?”

“Of course. I owe you my life.”

“Selene is hiding someone from me. He may be in this house. I need to get him.”

“Very well then,” she said, nodding.

Eying her again, he chose his words carefully. “Lilith, how many Vampyres are loyal to you?”

“Versus what? Selene?”

“Yes.”

A little sparkle went off in her eye. “There are ten people, all of whom are Dark Witches. You know how much she dislikes Darklings.”

“I’m not quite fond of you guys either. No offense.”

She shrugged. “None taken, you’re still gracious enough to us.”

“Someone has to be.” Besides, I’m not that innocent anymore, he said to himself, looking away from her.

“That’s very generous of you,” she said. She remained silent, still like a statue staring off.

Looking into the house, wondering what was taking Shira so long, he wondered who was looking after this place. With every thought of who was betraying him, his fists clenched tighter and tighter, his heart constricted, and his nostrils flared. Everyone he knew had lied to him, had hidden the truth. Did they all really believe him that far gone into darkness?

“Eris?” Eris jerked his head to the sound of Shira’s voice. “Is something the matter?” It was strange, looking at her at that moment. She looked almost human. There was something genuine in the concern in her voice. For that, he wanted to be cruel to her.

“I’m fine,” he said hotly, looking away.

“Very well.” Shira tossed a bottle of Diamond Dust to Lilith, who caught it daintily. Eris could feel Shira’s attention on him. “Evida found something.”

“What?”

“An apartment, sealed like this one, only the spells around it are more powerful than even this place.”

“Who does the apartment belong to?”

“No one, it seems.”

“Another decoy.”

“That place?”

“No, this place. I know my sister’s head, I know how she thinks. She thinks, since everyone else is here, that I will assume he’s here. But I know her, I know how she thinks.” Eris smiled, his lips curling upward in a menacing grin that showed off his fangs. “She can be so predictable.”

“So now what?” she asked, picking at her black nails.

“Let’s wait and see how many people worked this spell first, then take us to that apartment so that Lilith can spell it. I want to know what she did.”

“Of course.” There was no more talk of it. They all remained silent, allowing Lilith to concentrate on the Webbing spell, watching it unfold. He watched a white line start at one point and connect to three other points. Then he saw various other lines, of different colors, connecting to other points. Soon, a web formed. He counted the colors, but Lilith answered anyway.

“Eight. The white line is the most powerful, probably Selene.” Lilith waved her hand, making the spell crackle and vanish in the wind. Eris watched the Diamond Dust blow through the wind. It looked like a small rainbow in the moonlight. “It’s a powerful spell, connecting to every room in the house. No one Vampyre can undo it.”

Destroy…came a gentle voice in the back of Eris’s head. He shoved it away, making his head hurt. “You have loyalties, correct?”

“Yes?”

“Good. I need all of your loyalties to undo this spell when I say so. Understood?”

Her red lips circled into a small smile that could have passed for innocence if not for the malevolence in her reddening eyes. “Of course.”

“Good. Shira, take us to the apartment.”