

## The Magic Within

## and

## The Tale of the Two Queens

Copyright 2016 S.C. Banhete

Published by S.C. Banhete at Smashwords

### Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter I - Now and Then

Chapter II - New Beginnings

Chapter III - Weird Things

Chapter IV - Cohabitation

Chapter V - Revelations

Chapter VI - Some more News

Chapter VII - Sweet and Sour

Chapter VIII - The First Show

Chapter IX - The Kitten Dies

Chapter X - The Lion Rises

Chapter XI - Change of Perspective

Chapter XII - Everything Changes

Chapter XIII - Darcy

Chapter XIV \- Ups and Downs

Chapter XV - Starting Point

Chapter XVI - To the Queen

Chapter XVII - Layung

Chapter XVIII - Secrets

Chapter XIX - Frustration

Chapter XX - New Tricks

Chapter XXI - Alone

Chapter XXII - The Overwhelming Truth

Chapter XXIII - Fighting Back

Chapter XXIV - Cause and Consequence

Chapter XXV - This is Only the Beginning

Chapter XXVI - A Royal Wedding

Bonus Story - The Tale of the Two Queens

Thank You!

About the Author

Other Titles by S.C. Banhete

Talk to Me!

# Chapter I – Now and Then

Evander was once a warrior. A very powerful warrior. He was the one who led the rebel's finest troops into the dungeons underneath the castle the Dark Queen had taken to free the Shifters from captivity. He was the one who led the troops to victory.

Now, four hundred years had passed, his kingdom was a different place and he was a different person. Now he was just an artist, pleasing the masses with one of his many hidden talents: his angelic voice.

Gone were the days of swordfights, fireballs flying over his head and desperate cries of hopeless people.

The world was at peace now. Although not everything was quite alright. The Shifters had disappeared from sight and sometimes he couldn't help but feel like all that he had done in the past amounted to nothing.

"I lost a fucking leg that day!" he says to his best friend, Aliz "I lost men in that battle. Good men with families and lives of their own! All because of them! They just disappeared! Without a word!"

"I understand what you're feeling Ev, but Shifters were never a kind to fight for anything. You know that. Besides, you can't sum up all that you did in The Last War to that one day! You saved our kingdom, our people!"

Evander lets a sad sigh escape his lips, while running a hand through his dark hair.

"I know, sorry for venting on you. But this mystery makes me so frustrated... And my leg hurts."

"Talk about phantom limb syndrome!" She jokes "It's been almost four centuries."

"My leg always hurts when something is about to happen. Something serious." he says, somber.

"I know. And you know you can count on me for whatever you need, don't you?"

"Yes, of course. I thank the Providence every day for choosing you to be born with Magic." Evander says, hugging Aliz really tight.

It's time for his show and his fans are waiting, so Evander takes a deep breath, smoothing out wrinkles in his costume, the wine colored vintage suit with a white frilled shirt and tight brown trousers with knee length boots.

"You look amazing, as always." Aliz says pushing him out of the dressing room.

As soon as he leaves, she closes the door behind her and goes to sit on one of the comfortable couches. She ought to be prepared when Evander's phantom leg hurts, for soon she will see what he feels is coming.

Soon enough the vision takes form behind her eyelids. It's a little indistinct, as all visions happen to be, but it's nothing bad. At least for now.

An hour later, when Aliz has already reestablished from the draining vision, Evander goes back to the dressing room, with a startled look in his eyes.

"Is Pete alright?" She asks right away.

"He's not dead, which is great in itself, but he won't be able to come on tour with us. His leg is broken in three places. New went to the hospital with him."

"Who would have guessed that a move he pulls every single night would turn out so wrong..."

"Can't you fix his leg?" Evander asks, hopefully.

"Well, I could. If he knew about me and if it wasn't going to interfere with the plans of the Providence.

"Oh! That's why my leg's hurting then..." He settles beside her, taking his top hat off. "What else did you see?"

"You're supposed to get a new bass player."

"No?!" He mocks "Really?"

Aliz glares at him for a long minute until Evander apologizes "A young blond man will come and he's important."

"Important how?"

"I don't know." She shrugs. "I only know that he is and that you're supposed to protect him."

"Ok... That's more than the Providence has never shown us before. What's his name?"

"I don't work with names Evander, you know that. It took me an entire year at the Academy to figure out it was you who I was supposed to become joined at the hips, remember?!"

"Depths if I don't!" The singer laughs remembering those good old days of his infancy when he and Aliz had become part of each other's lives.

Everything was easier then. Not easy only in the way childhood usually is, but easy in the way that no one feared Magic and the ones who are born with it. People with Magic ruled the land because they were entitled to it by the Providence and there was no poverty or famish. There wasn't a single person in need.

Evander and Aliz, together with half a dozen other kids, were trusted to the Mage Academy by their families to become what they were meant to be. He was an innate warrior and her, a powerful healer and seer.

Together, they studied and later, when the Dark Queen took the land by storm ravishing the peaceful balance and destroying everything in the kingdom, they fought against her side by side. They lost friends in that war, and although they won, the wound would never heal completely, even four hundred years later. And that was why, every once in awhile, Evander would feel a need to talk about those days.

He had been summoned by the Red Queen, the most powerful sorceress to born in a thousand years.

"My dearest Evander! I'm yet to thank you for saving my life yesterday." She said, once he kneeled before her, inside her chambers in the secluded castle to where she was forced to flee.

"Assuring your safety is my sacred duty, Your Majesty."

"My gratitude is yours, anyway. Rise now, my brave warrior, for I have yet another quest for you."

"My life is yours, M'lady."

"I must ask for you to once again venture into the dungeons of the fallen castle, for the usurper has an entire kind of our people in captivity."

"The Shifter People. I've heard that she has them. May I ask why the usurper wants them?"

"I don't know, brave warrior, but no good can come from it. I count on you and your troops to free them."

Evander bowed again and left, promising a victory to his queen.

And a victory he gave her.

It was an ugly, violent battle once the Dark Queen's army noticed their invasion. Evander's troops were close to leading the prisoners back to freedom when the soldiers made of stone surrounded them.

In a desperate attempt to lead the Shifters to safety and away from the battle, Evander had cast a spell to freeze time around him, so Aliz could flee with them. The stone golems were stronger than the warrior had anticipated, though and not all of them were affected by his Magic, and that was when Evander lost his left leg to a sharp curved blade.

No one had trained him for when his Magic fails and panic threatened to overtake him, but somehow he managed to hide in a corner for enough time to make his leg stop bleeding with a healing spell and using a broken spear to support himself, he went back to the battle, assuring their victory.

As soon as the last soldier fell at his feet, Evander collapsed, losing his senses. When he woke up, Aliz was hovering over his body, a concerned look in her beautiful green eyes.

"Oh, you're awake! Thank Goodness!" She said, squeezing his hand. "How are you feeling, dearest?"

"Feels like my head is stuffed with cotton... What happened?" He tried to sit, but she kept him lying with a firm hand on his chest. "We lost?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly, but..." Aliz exhaled a long breath and took a seat beside his bed. "The Shifters are gone and... You lost your leg..."

"They are gone? How? Why?"

"I don't know why... As soon as we reached the woods, they shifted and disappeared among the trees. And they are impossible to track, so..."

"My men, are they alright?"

A shadow covered Aliz's eyes and Evander knew something was wrong.

"We lost... Sam, Taylor and Sasha." Her voice was broken and a thick jade colored tear ran across her face.

"Damned be the usurper and her thirst for power!" Evander was crying as well, while sitting up to take his friend in his arms. "We'll avenge them! I swear to you, Aliz! Our friends' deaths won't be in vain!"

"I know. We'll take her down and give our land back to the Red Queen, as it should be. They will be avenged when peace rules our kingdom again!"

"From your lips, my brave warriors!" They turned their heads to see the Queen entering the room. She was a beautiful woman, even in her sorrow and the serenity in her features never failed to bring peace to the ones around her. "How are you feeling my dearest Evander?"

"Ready for battle, M'Lady." He assured. "What are your orders?"

"For now, rest and heal, Evander. The Shifters' flight frustrated my plans, so now I need to rethink everything."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

The Queen left and Aliz turned back to Evander. "What were you thinking, offering yourself for battle? You lost a damn leg, Evander!"

"Can't you make it grow back?"

"I've tried!" She said, exasperatedly, sitting back in the chair. "And our queen has tried too. We even tried it together! But there's something blocking the Magic... I don't know... I... I'm sorry, Evander."

"Don't be sad! Hey, look at me Aliz!" Evander reached for her chin, tilting her head up. "It's fine. I'll get used to it. I can even transform my sword into a crutch..." He joked, smiling as brightly as he could at that moment.

"That won't be necessary my Lord Warrior!" A happy voice said behind them.

They turned around once again to see a small, puny man with a bald head and big nose entering the room.

"Master Goldsmith, what can we do for you?" Aliz asked, wiping away her tears.

"It's more what I can do for you, my Lady Healer." The old man said, with a smile. "Better saying, what I can do for our most valorous warrior."

"Can you make my leg grow back?" Evander mocked.

"That, unfortunately, I cannot do. But I can give you a new one." Ignoring the astonished looks on the two warriors' faces, the goldsmith continued: "One that you'll be able to link with the rest of your body, my lord. It will be like nothing ever happened."

"Great! Get on with it then!"

With a broad smile on his face, the goldsmith opened his huge suitcase, laid on a table and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. "First of all, I'll have to take your measurements. If you'll excuse us, milady..."

Aliz looked back at Evander, with her brows raised and an amused smile.

"There's no need for her to leave."

The goldsmith shrugged and requested Evander to remove his bottoms so he could measure the width of what was left of his thigh, the length of the healthy leg and the size of his foot.

To look at the stump his leg had become, both terrified and amazed Evander. It had been a clean, even cut and his skin showed dark spiral marks.

Soon enough, the goldsmith declared his job done and left to go to his workshop.

"Were those marks caused by the blade that cut my leg off?" He asked Aliz, as soon as they were alone again.

"I think it was. My guess is that that sword was meant for your heart or head and it was enchanted with a blocking spell, so we couldn't revive you, that's why I can't make your leg grow again."

"Someone put a lot of thought in killing me and keeping me dead..." he muttered to himself.

"Well, of course. You will be the demise of the Dark Queen and she knows that."

"I wouldn't do anything by myself, Aliz. I need you by my side and my men..."

"You're our head and our heart, Evander. We wouldn't be anything without you."

"Well, thank the Providence we won't need to prove that point anytime soon."

It would have been easier if the troops could have counted on the help of the Shifters and their Nature bending Magic, but the Red Queen's troops defeated the usurper's henchmen for good and Evander felt pride in taking the Dark Queen's head to his sovereign.

The Red Queen was restored to her rightful place and together with what was left of her people; she began the slow task of rebuilding the kingdom.

Only then did Evander and Aliz let themselves mourn their fallen friends, creating a huge monument at the central square of the Red Castle where their names would shine forever, as would their souls among the stars in the dark night sky.

# Chapter II – New Beginnings

Surprisingly enough, Tommy's not nervous about his audition. Normally he would be, but when he woke up that very morning, he felt a relaxing confidence. A feeling that everything would be alright.

He needs this gig, of course, he would be dead in a month if he stayed in that dead end job riding a desk through a sea of paperwork, but somehow, he knows he will get it.

Tommy had seen photos of the star that was looking for a new bass player. He was tall, dark haired; with a muscled body and expressive eyes and something in those eyes makes Tommy feel they could be great friends.

So, he's smiling as he climbs the few steps to the building, his bass in a case over his shoulder.

There were quite a few candidates, all of them looking rather nervous. Tommy smiles broadly and takes a seat at the end of the line.

Not five minutes later a beautiful woman with long, curly golden hair and expressive eyes opens a door and smiles to the various people in the room. Tommy notices that she's taking her time to make eye contact with every one of them and so, he also notices that her eyes were of a bright green that turned even brighter when they met with his.

"Good morning everyone and thank you for coming. The auditions will start in a few minutes. You'll be playing the National Anthem for our evaluation. Anyone need sheet music for that?"

No one says a thing, so she claps her hands once. "Great. I'll be calling you in application order, so let me see..." She flicks her eyes through a piece of paper on her clipboard. "Caleb Saunders, Charity Thompson and Tommy Sabberton." Tommy raises his hand along with the others. "Do you need time to rehearse a little?"

The other two say yes and smile gratefully to the woman, but Tommy shakes his head. "I'm good. Can I come in?"

Her big smile becomes even bigger and she nods. "Come with me, please. My name is Aliz, by the way."

"I know. You're Evander's best friend and tour manager. Which means, you call the shots."

"I like you already. C'mon in!"

He follows her through a short hallway and then into a large room with musical instruments scattered all around. There were three chairs and a little amp at the center. "Sit down and get ready. Evander will be here soon."

"Shouldn't he be here already?" He asks, playfully.

"Yeah, he should. But Evander can't get anywhere on time, not even if his life depended on it."

"And trust me, it already did."

Tommy turns to the voice then and it's like all planets have aligned and the angels descended from the Plains bringing the moon and the sun. His cool attitude vanishes and he feels a lump in his throat.

"Which one of them are you?" Evander asks him, reaching forward to shake his hand.

And it's with utter horror that Tommy hears himself say "I'm the right one."

Evander's brows shot up, as Aliz's do and the two friends exchange glances. "Is that so? Alright then. And what's your name, beautiful?" Evander says.

"Tommy, sir. My name is Tommy."

Evander wasn't planning to be late for the auditions, but he's glad he was, because he had the opportunity to observe the young man Aliz brought with her, without being noticed. He's small and thin, with a perfectly combed blond fringe falling over his eyes that, surprisingly, were heavily made up. His voice was strong, but not too low and his smile was charming, but above all, he transpired confidence.

Evander likes that instantly and prays to the Providence for this guy to be the one he's destined to protect.

"Shouldn't he be here already?" The singer hears the other ask. He has sass too!

Amused, he enters the room while Aliz says "Yeah, he should. But Evander can't get anywhere on time, not even if his life depended on it."

"And trust me, it already did." He interrupts laughing, but then his eyes lock into the brown ones of the musician and he's sure. This is the young blond man in his destiny. He's looking back at Evander with widened eyes and arched eyebrows; it's adorable and not very different from when he meets one of his fans, but somehow, it is. He knows. The sparkle of recognition is there, but not the understanding... What does he know?

"Which one of them are you?" Evander asks, shaking his hand.

"I'm the right one." The blond says without a spare thought and seems as confused as Evander.

The singer exchanges glances with his friend and then looks back at the bass player, who doesn't look that confident anymore. "Is that so?" Evander says. "Alright then. And what's your name, beautiful?"

"Tommy, sir. My name is Tommy."

"Tommy... Cute name. Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable. I would like to ask a few questions while you prepare to play, if you don't mind."

"Shoot." He says, with a shy smile.

Evander takes his time to observe him get his bass out of its case and sit down to plug into the amp.

"So, where are you from?"

"I live in Holls, but was born up north."

"Near the Old Capital?"

"Right behind the old Red Castle, actually." Tommy says, with a nostalgic smile. "My mom and sister still live there."

"I'm sure it's in your application form but, how old are you?"

"Just turned 30, sir."

"Cut this sir thing out, ok? I'm Evander." Tommy smiles brightly at him then. "But, if you're going to lie about your age, I suggest 25. You wouldn't pass for 30 years old in a million years."

"Says the guy who claims to be 529 years old." Tommy retorts, cheeky.

"You did your research. Bravo." Evander applauds sarcastically "That's my character, since I'm supposed to be a bard from the past and all that. And it was a compliment."

Tommy rises his head up from his bass and blinks stupidly to the singer. "I... ah... thank you, Evander. And I'm sorry."

"That's ok. I appreciate someone who can keep up with me in a sarcastic conversation. Now, if you don't mind, Aliz and I would like to hear you play."

"Now you remember I'm here?" she snarls, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead, Tommy."

As he plays, Tommy gets more and more relaxed, going back to the calming confidence from earlier. He knows the song by heart since that is what's expected of true citizens, but most of all, he loves their National Anthem, that speaks of the glories of the past and plans for a bright future.

"I think that's enough" Aliz says and he can hear a smile in her voice. Evander just hums beside her.

"I can play something else if you're not convinced... Anything you want."

"That won't..." She starts saying, but Evander interrupts her.

"Can you play one of my songs?"

Tommy shifts his gaze to the singer, measuring forces with him. He wasn't expecting that audition to be easy, Evander is one of the most successful artists of their time after all, but something was wrong. Tommy's getting the feeling that Evander wants him to fail. Well, he thinks, challenge accepted pretty boy. You'll have to find someone better than me if you don't want me around.

"Which one?" He says, after a short silence and with a grin on his face.

"Whichever you want. Surprise me." The singer shrugs. By his side, Aliz's looking at him dumbfounded.

"As you wish."

He starts then with one of Evander's first hits, that's one of Tommy's favorite songs ever and speaks of a land of Magic and peace from a long time ago. Before he notices, he'd engaged in a complex medley of almost all of Evander's songs.

Suddenly, his concentration is disturbed by the sound of laughter. A loud, cracking, satisfied laugh. He looks up to see Evander on his feet, clapping and laughing; Aliz's still seated, looking at him with a very pleased look, almost as if she knew what was going to happen.

"That's definitely enough!" Evander says, with a wide smile on his face "You've more than surprised me! Ally, do you think we need to see the others?"

"Need? No. But we must." She says, standing up too.

Evander seems a little annoyed by that if the way his mouth curves in a snarl is any indication.

"What does that mean?" Tommy risks asking, his voice hopeful, but uncertain.

"It means you got the job, dear," Aliz says, smiling at him.

"If you decide to take it, of course. I can be a pain in the ass to work with and am very demanding of my musicians" Evander adds, his strong, tattooed arms crossed over the broad chest.

"I think I can deal with that." Tommy shots back and reaches down to unplug his bass. "When do I start?"

"Soon. We're starting the tour in the central territory in two weeks and although apparently you don't need to learn my songs, you must get comfortable with everyone. It makes all the travel easier, you know?" Tommy nods "And we need to know if you can play with the rest of the band."

"I'm pretty easy going. Just don't ask me too many questions in the morning and everything will be fine."

"My kind of person," Aliz mutters under her breath and then smiles. "I'll call you with the details then. Probably tomorrow."

"Perfect. I'll wait." Tommy shakes Aliz's hand and turns to Evander. "See you soon, boss!" He says and winks, before turning around and disappearing through the door.

"This one is something else..." He hears Evander say and wishes he knew what that meant.

The travel back home is long and tiring on the old intercity bus. His head is pounding with the smell of cigarettes inside the bus, making him wonder why that's permitted. He looks through his window to see the profusion of poor, ill-constructed houses along the road. There were so many things wrong in his country! Tommy just wishes he could do something about them. He wishes he could make a difference.

"Help one person at a time and you'll make the difference in their lives." It's almost like he can hear his mother's voice in his head and that's why, when he gets off the bus in Holls' Central Station, he pays for the whole bucket of silk flowers that a young, too skinny girl, is selling. The gratitude in her eyes causes a lump to form in his throat.

When he gets home, his phone is ringing and he runs through his tiny apartment to pick it up.

"Hi baby! I've been calling you for hours!"

"Hey mom! Sorry, I just got home."

"I figured, but I couldn't wait. How did it go, then?"

Tommy feels a dumb smile curving his lips.

"I got the job!" He shouts, falling heavily on his couch.

"Oh thank Goodness! Blessed! Blessed be this man!"

"Who? Evander? Mom, I know you're a fan, but..."

"I know. I know. You deserve it for your own talents but I just... I'm just so happy that you'll be with him and his friends! You'll be safe now..."

"Safe? Mom, what're you talking about?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all" She rushes to say and Tommy can't help but think how odd his mom's statement was. "Don't mind me. I'm really happy for you, baby. Diane will be too."

"She's not home, yet?" Tommy looks at the clock in the wall. There's a time difference of one hour between Holls and the Old Capital and Diane should be home by now. "It must be almost nine o'clock up there."

"No. Things are a little complicated around here. We were robbed at the bakery last week and..."

"Wait! What? You got robbed? Mom, are you alright? Why didn't you tell me?" Furious, Tommy gets up from the couch and starts pacing around his small living room.

"I didn't want you to worry about us, dear. We're fine. They only took some money, no harm done."

"Only... Fuck, mom!"

"Language, Thomas!"

"Sorry mom... But..."

"See, that's why I didn't tell you! There's no need for you to get so upset, baby... What's done, is done."

"I don't want you two living alone up there anymore! Come live with me in Holls, please!"

"Is it so much better than the Old Capital?" His mother questions and for a moment, Tommy doesn't know what to say. Of course, it's not better. It's the same shit that the entire country is becoming. Crimes, violence, hopelessness...

"At least I would be able to take care of you..." he says weakly.

"You're such a good soul, my boy! Don't worry about us, though. We have the bakery and our neighbors. Everything's going to be just fine. Plus, you'll be traveling around the five territories in no time and we would be alone in a strange city."

He can't argue with that, so Tommy says nothing for awhile.

"Don't stress yourself with the things you can't change, baby. Just focus on your life from now on and when the band comes up here, come pay us a visit, alright?"

"Of course, mom. I'll get you and Diane a private meeting with Evander."

"You better bring him home so I can cook for him!"

"Of course!" He laughs fondly and runs a hand through his hair. "I need to go now, mom. I'm really tired."

"Yes, yes. Go to bed, baby. Call me soon, ok? Love you."

"Love you too mom."

Tommy has one foot out of the shower stall when his phone starts ringing again. Wrapping a towel around his tiny waist, he runs back to the living room, frowning at the clock. Who would call him at this hour?

"Hello?"

"Why in the Depths don't you have a cell phone?"

"Evander?"

"Yes, it's me..."

Tommy's heart skips a beat then, already waiting for the news that Evander found a better bass player.

"Is everything alright?" He forces himself to ask "It's late and I..."

"Oh! Damn it! I'm sorry! Did I wake you up?"

"No, no. I was in the shower... I... What can I do for you, boss? Or you're calling me to say that you've found someone else?"

"What? No! No, no, no, no..." Evander blurts out, making Tommy laugh. "We just finished the auditions and I couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell you that it's official. You work for me now."

"Oh! That's great! Thank you, Evander. I know it will be great to work with you."

"I have no doubt about this, but there's one little issue."

"What? What!!"

"We'll start rehearsing tomorrow. There will be long work hours for at least two weeks and Holls is just too far away for you to come and go every day."

"You want me to move to the Capital?"

"That would be good, yes."

"I'm sorry Evander but I barely make enough money to keep my studio here in Holls, I couldn't afford even a shoebox in the Capital..."

"That's no problem at all. You'll move in with me."

"What? No! That's not..."

"Tommy, listen to me! I want you in my band and for that, I need you nearby. I have a big house with more space than I can use so, what's the problem?"

"But that would be weird... I mean, we barely know each other."

"Something that won't be a problem for much longer, you moving in or not."

After a few moments of silence, Tommy releases a loud breath and says: "I guess you're right... Ok, but I'll pay you rent. You can deduct it from my paycheck." Evander tries to counter but Tommy cuts him off. "Evander, please! I really want this job, but what is right is right. Nothing else will do for me."

"Bloody Depths, you're really stubborn, aren't you?"

"I've heard that before, yes."

"Ok. The moving crew will be there first thing tomorrow."

"Alright. See you then."

# Chapter III – Weird Things

It's barely eight in the morning when Tommy hears an insistent knock on his door. He risks a look at the clock on his bedside table and grunts. He had spent all night packing his clothes and had just gone to bed.

He's inclined to ignore the knocks, but they're getting louder and his neighbors aren't the peaceful type.

Like a zombie, he gets up and pushes his feet to the door, completely absent of the fact that he's wearing nothing but tiny sky-blue briefs.

"What the fuck do you want?" Tommy shouts as he opens the door.

"You said you weren't a morning person, but that's a bit off, isn't it?"

"Evander?" Tommy blinks and rubs the hills of his hands over his eyes. "What the fuck?! It's eight in the morning!"

"I told you I was coming with the moving crew..."

"Not at this profane hour of the morning, damn it! I spent the night packing my stuff and didn't finish it yet."

"Oh dear! Don't you know what a moving crew is for?"

"Well, fuck me! I'm an idiot!" Tommy says, an astonished second later.

"Is that an invitation, love?" Evander teases with a devilish grin on his face, his eyes running over Tommy's almost naked body.

"Yes... No! Damn, I need coffee!"

"Get dressed. I'll take you out for breakfast while my crew is working their magic." Evander says, with an amused smile.

"You? Walking around in Holls? In this neighborhood? Thanks, boss but I'm not in the mood to be kidnapped for money."

"Don't be silly! We need to let them work. Go change, I'll wait here, in your doorway... Where you left me..."

"Bloody Depths! Sorry. C'mon in. I'll be right back."

While Tommy's in his bedroom, Evander calls the group of five men waiting at the bottom of the stairs. They were members of his band and crew, and his friends for... well, forever. Three of them had been his colleagues at the Mage Academy and the other two had fought under his command during The Last War. They were a nice group of fellows, wise and with strong Magic in them, great musicians and engineers too.

"Ok, we can go. But I still think it's a bad idea." Tommy says getting back in the room, dressed in skin tight black jeans and a loose t-shirt, his eyes made up with a perfect line of black eyeliner.

"C'mon, trust me a little, ok?" Evander says with a smile while letting his men pass him and into the apartment.

"Where do we begin, Evander?"

"Tommy, is there anything you don't want to take with you?"

"Hmm... The furniture belongs to my landlord." Tommy replies, a little worried, as the five men start to pile his things over the coffee table. "Please, be careful with my records and guitars!"

"Don't worry, buddy. We got this." The biggest of the guys smiles at him warmly and for whatever reason, Tommy feels calmer and smiles back at him.

"Ok, then. We'll be back soon to help you."

A short laugh escapes one of the men, who gets a poke in the ribs from a nearby elbow.

Tommy shrugs and heads to the door, with Evander right behind him.

Standing on the sidewalk, the blond looks to both sides of his street, contemplating the worn out, tarred buildings, garbage spread on the ground and sinister people walking by. With a sigh, he grabs Evander by his elbow and starts walking fast down the street.

"What's the rush?" The singer questions, striding effortlessly beside Tommy.

"I don't want to give people the chance to recognize you."

"Oh, C'mon! It can't be that bad..." As on cue, Evander bumps into a short man with a scar through his entire face. The man gives him a vicious look.

"Sorry, sir!" Tommy rushes "Sorry." Walking even faster, he pulls Evander along until they bend a corner and face a seedy excuse for a dinner. "C'mon, hurry up!" He rushes Evander across the street and into the restaurant.

"Tommy baby!" A cheerful voice says, as soon as the bell on the door rings. "Good to see you! Who's your... E... Evander Vikram..."

"Shh, Sally!" He puts his hand over her red lips and looks around. There's no one else inside, so he sighs in relief. "Sorry. It's good to see you too. Yes, this is Evander. I'm in his band now."

"Really? That's amazing baby! I'm so happy for you and nice to meet you, Evander! I'm a big fan!"

"Thank you! It's Sally, right? Nice to meet you too!"

"What can I get you today?" Sally asks, grabbing her small notebook.

"The usual for me, dear. And Evander...?"

"Just a black coffee, please. No sugar."

"Right away. You can get one of the booths in the back. I'll be right there."

Once settled, Evander with his back to the door and Tommy on the opposite side of the table, the singer says: "Can I ask you something?" Tommy nods, so he continues "You obviously don't like it, so why do you still live here?"

"Not all of us can afford a mansion in the Capital, Mr. Superstar."

"True, but there must be better places to live that are not that expensive."

"The truth is I barely can afford my food. I merely survive from paycheck to paycheck, like most people who live here. That's why I auditioned for your band. I want to get out of here and I want to be a professional musician."

"That's why you left your mother's home? To be a professional musician?"

Tommy nods again and sighs. "It's a little more difficult than I expected, though. I discovered that real quick. And then I got stuck here and now you're taking me out..."

"You're welcome."

He smiles dryly but Evander can see a hint of true gratitude in his eyes.

They hear a tinkling and soon, Sally is placing various plates on their table along with Evander's coffee cup.

"There you go, baby. Have a good meal!" She shoots him a kiss and winks at Evander before disappearing around the corner.

"So, what's the story with Sally? Is she your girlfriend?"

Tommy scoffs and grabs a pancake from a nearby plate. "No! She's my neighbor. I carried her groceries upstairs a few times. She's nice and makes great pancakes! Want some?"

"Nah, but I'll take a bacon strip."

"Be my guest."

Evander chews carefully while watching Tommy eat. "But she cares about you... I can see that. I think she would like it if you asked her out."

"She's pretty, but not really my type." Tommy answers, eyeing Evander's face with a hint of a smile.

"And what is your type?" The singer risks, not knowing exactly why he's insisting on that topic.

"Is that your twisted, poorly veiled way to ask me if I'm straight?" Tommy retorts while getting up from his seat, a sly smile on his face.

Evander feels the blood rushing to his face. "Are you?"

"Yeah, but I bend easily." With a wink, he walks away and disappears inside the washroom.

And Evander remains there, watching the swinging door shut slowly.

"Evander, can I talk to you for a second?" He looks to his right to see Sally approaching, her colorful hair shining with a streak of sunlight. He nods and she sits in Tommy's place.

"I can't express how glad I am that you found him! He'll be safe now and everything will be alright..."

"Wait. What? Who are you?"

"I was sent to Holls to keep an eye on Tommy until the time came when your paths would cross and he would fulfill his destiny."

"Are you a Mage? Shouldn't I know you?"

"I'm not a Mage, no. But I was once a subject of the Red Queen and vowed to serve her as long as I live. She commanded me to come and take care of him."

"You spoke with the Queen? When? Where? Where is she?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. She sends me messages through a red cardinal from time to time."

"She's alive! Thank the Providence! I knew she ought to be, but after all those years my hopes were dying."

"Our Queen is alive and well and she knows that the time of her return is coming, but for that, she needs you and your men to keep Tommy safe, for he is of great importance to the Providence. He must fulfill his destiny!

"What destiny? Who is he?"

"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry. Not even he knows who he is or what he's supposed to do. You must help him with that too."

"So I can tell him about the Magic and the truth about the past four hundred years?"

"When he's ready, yes."

"That'll make things easier. Thank you, Sally."

Was he really flirting so shamelessly with his new boss? Tommy looks at his reflection in the broken mirror and shakes his head. "What kind of person does it make me?" He's gorgeous, of course, he is. And he seems to be funny, and a good guy. His talent is undeniable too...

It's been a while since Tommy had a warm body in his bed, but that's not an excuse to have an affair with his boss! Evander was his passport out of this dumpster they call a city and he could very easily see himself back where he is right now if he would risk letting something happen between them.

Tommy splashes some water on his face, trying to clear his thoughts. Even if he never thought of being with a man before, he can't ignore the fact that something is bound to happen between them since they will live together. After all, Evander is hot as fuck and Tommy is not dead! "I just can't let myself get hurt. If I don't fall for him, I should be ok."

He finally comes out of the washroom and sees Evander staring at the ceiling, a modern cell phone against his ear. Tommy can't help but notice how thick his neck is and how tan his skin looks.

"Yes, we'll be back soon. Thanks for the tips Ally. Bye." Looking down, Evander smiles at him and puts the phone away. "You ready? We need to get going."

"Yeah, sure. I'll just ask Sally for the check."

"I already did that. She's waiting for us in the front."

Only then Tommy looks at the table to see that it's clean and free of plates.

"Wow. Ok. Let's go then."

After a tearful goodbye from Sally, they walk back to the street, this time, Evander has a hand on the small of Tommy's back, guiding him quickly along the sidewalk.

The musician is wondering what made his new boss lose his chilled out attitude when they bend the corner that leads to his building and are faced with a scary looking mob.

"Oh shit!" He mutters. "Evander, maybe we should..."

" Tommy, relax. I can take care of that."

"I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation. Those guys are no good..."

"Shh, baby. Just let me talk."

Moving his hand from Tommy's back to around his waist, Evander walks them closer to the men ahead, smiling at them. When it becomes clear that they will not move to let the couple pass, Evander's smile broadens and he says: "Good morning, gentlemen. Is there a problem?"

"That will depend on you, mister." The short man that Evander had bumped into earlier says. "If you and the pretty boy come with us peacefully..."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, kind sir. Please excuse us..."

"I don't think you understand, mister. If you don't come with us, we'll be forced to kill you both."

"Evander..." Tommy mumbles, his hand gripping at the singer's coat.

"Don't worry, baby." He says and Tommy looks up at his face, to see a bright smile curve the lips that are dotted with freckles.

What a strange moment to notice that! He thinks before Evander starts talking again, the grip on Tommy's waist tighter and his other hand stretched forward.

"I think you should let us pass, sir," Evander says, his voice a tiny bit stronger and serious than before. "and, I think you should be engaged elsewhere... Say... at number 14, Boom Street."

To Tommy's utter surprise, all the heads in front of him are nodding and then, the group is walking away.

Before he notices it, Evander's guiding him forward again.

"What? How did that happen?" Tommy says, looking around dumbstruck.

"Never underestimate the power of a good conversation and a calm attitude."

Tommy scoffs at that: "No way would a good conversation drive those men away! Not to mention that you directed them straight to the police station and didn't get beaten up. You must be a sorcerer or something..."

Evander stiffens visibly but just for a second and manages to smile at him "What if I am? Would that be a problem?"

"No! That would be awesome! Too bad that there's no such thing as Magic."

"Every time someone says something like that, a fairy drops dead somewhere."

Evander's voice is so serious that Tommy looks up to his face. His eyes are gloomy and the corners of his mouth are tilted down. "It's almost like you believe it..." He says, sticking his hands in his tight jeans' pockets.

"That's because I do. We're here. Let's get inside and retrieve your bags. The guys must be about ready to leave too."

Tommy climbs the set of stairs to his floor two steps at the time saying: "You're really crazy! No way would they be ready... Bloody fucking shit!"

Staring back at him are the bare walls and shelves of his apartment and five grinning men, each of them holding a cardboard box where it's written "Tommy's."

"What... How... What the fuck?!"

"They are specialists in packing and unpacking, Tommy." Evander says behind him, with amusement in his voice "They are used to dismantling and boxing huge sets of stage lights and sound equipment in the shortest time possible. Your tiny studio is nothing for them."

Tommy arches one eyebrow and looks from the men to his boss and then to the empty room. He's not buying it, but he'll play along. For now.

"Ok, then. Thanks, guys."

"Let's get going. We have been spotted and they won't leave us alone for much longer."

The five men nod in unison and Tommy thinks that they look like a well-trained troop and that Evander is their captain.

Back outside, they cross the street to put the remaining boxes inside a small box truck that definitely wasn't there three minutes ago. Parked ahead of the truck is an extremely flashy white sports car with gold and black stripes from the hood to the rear bumper.

While the blond is staring at the car stupidly, Evander reaches for his keys and turns off the alarm, making Tommy jump with the blip sound.

Laughing, Evander pulls the door open and says: "Care to join me, Tommy? Or would you prefer to go in the truck with the boys?"

Tommy suppresses his urge to flip his boss off, but just barely, while walking around the expensive car to get in the passenger seat.

"This is amazing!" He whispers, more to himself when the roar of the engines ricochets in the buildings around them. "How fast does it go?"

"Pretty fast, so put your seatbelt on."

"Oh, C'mon..." Evander shoots him a warning look and Tommy immediately stops talking. "Ok, ok."

"We'll be home in an hour and a half, so you can get some sleep if you want."

"No way will I sleep while riding this beauty. Can I drive it sometime?"

"I don't like you that much!" Evander darts out, making the engines roar once again before getting back in the street. He notices Tommy's smile disappear into a frown, so he says "Yet..." bringing that cute, hopeful smile back.

Faithful to his word, Tommy doesn't give any sign that he'll fall asleep anytime soon, riddling Evander with questions about the car, about the house and the people whom he'll be working with. The singer is happy to answer and their chatter fills the car.

Some time later, when there is only grass and bushes along the road, a big dark shadow passes above them, abnormally low in the blue cloudless sky.

"What the fuck..." Tommy is saying when Evander's phone starts to ring.

"Sirus." He says, looking at his rearview mirror.

"What the fuck was that, man?"

"No clue... Do you think it's..."

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came through the phone, making Evander pull the object away from his ear.

"It's a golem, Evander!" Comes Sirus shocked voice. "It's a fucking wind golem!"

"No way! It can't be..."

"It's trying to get us off the road!"

"Hold on Sirus!"

Tossing his phone aside, Evander turns the steering wheel abruptly in a maneuver to change their direction.

"What the fuck is happening?" Tommy shouts, gripping his seat with white knuckles.

"Damn it!" Evander puts the car in full stop and looks at his new bassist. "Tommy, look at me! Don't look outside, look at me!"

It's too late, though. Tommy's eyes are glued to the huge monster made of dust pounding on the truck's cockpit.

"E... Evander, what's that thing?"

"Fuck! Fucking fuck! I didn't want to do this and I apologize for the headache you'll have afterward..."

"What...?" Tommy starts but stops talking when he sees Evander's mouth getting closer and closer to his face.

The singer puts one of his hands on Tommy's left temple and the other over his eyes, whispering old, powerful words into his ear. He feels the weight of Tommy's slump body against him immediately. Then, Evander gets out of the car, stopping only to put a protective spell around it, so Tommy would be safe.

The golem is almost opening a crack in the cockpit, which rushes the singer into action. He raises his arms and releases a wave of power towards the truck, getting the golem's attention.

It immediately turns back, charging against Evander, who braces himself for the attack.

The shock wave is strong but he's able to repel it. His men are around him in seconds, trying everything they can to destroy the creature, but how does one destroy a monster made of air? They had never come across something like that.

"Kadmus! Put a barrier around it!" Evander shouts to the huge, gold-skinned man at his right. With a nod, the man raises his hands, isolating the golem, which furiously pounds into the Magic barrier.

"I'm not gonna last! What do we do?" Kadmus shouts; every hit the golem lands in its lockup is like a hit on the soldier's body.

"We can't defeat it. Not right now, at least..." Sirus reasons, looking at the monster.

They think for a few seconds until Sirus lets out an annoyed sigh and Bhanks, Evander's second in command and exquisite guitar player shouts: "Let's blow it away! As far as we can. That must get us some time."

"That might actually work!" Evander says, patting Bhanks on the back. Warriors aligned!" in seconds, the five men are standing beside him. "K, keep the barrier up as long as you can."

"Aye, commander!"

"At my command! Now!"

The power released is so strong that it bursts the windshield of the truck into pieces as it hits everything around them and the golem, still pounding into its magical cell disappears in the horizon.

"Damn it! That was close!" Sirus says, running a hand through his thick red hair.

"Too close." Evander then turns to his defense specialist and drummer. "Kadmus, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few hours of sleep and I'll be as good as new."

"Great. Let's repair the truck and get going."

Sprinting back to his car, Evander sees that Tommy's still fast asleep and lets a tired sigh escape his lips.

"Tommy..." A soft, angelic voice cuts into the layers of sleep and Tommy waves his hand in the air, trying to make it stop. "Tommy, we're home. Wake up or I'll carry you inside!"

"No mom! I don't have school today..."

A soft laugh and warm hands end up bringing him back from his slumber just in time for Tommy to see Evander's face getting closer. Or maybe it's his body that's moving...

"What are you doing?!" He shouts, thrashing in Evander's arms.

"I told you I was going to carry you inside."

"I'm very much awake now, thank you! Put me down!"

"Ok, Kitten. No need to get angry!"

"I'm not angry! And I'm not a kitten!"

Evander laughs and ruffles his blond fringe. "You're so cute! C'mon in!"

And it's only now that Tommy turns his head to see where they are. And that is at the foot of a huge three-story, stone and wood mansion in an old style of building, complete with big square windows, a porch above the front door, a turret with a pointy roof and lots of chimneys.

"This is where you live, huh? Pretty impressive!"

"I'm glad you like it."

Evander opens the front door, letting him go inside first and the bassist is sure that his new boss is having a fucking good time looking at his mesmerized face but he doesn't care. He has never seen a place as beautiful as this house.

The front door is faced by a big staircase made of dark wood, with a gentle curve leading to the second floor following the opposite wall. The walls are of a pale yellow and the arches of the doorways are made of the same beautifully polished wood as the stairs. On the floor, a smooth, colorful carpet is the perfect frame for an old looking round table adorned by a big vase with fresh flowers right in front of a pair of imposing chairs.

"Do you live here by yourself?" He asks looking around every few seconds as Evander leads him upstairs and through a hallway with doors in regular intervals.

"Of course not. I would die of solitude." Evander smiles at him and opens a door on his right. "This will be your room. It's yours to decorate and modify however you like."

Tommy takes two steps inside the room and whistles unceremoniously. The bedroom is big. Bigger than his entire apartment back in Holls and it's decorated in dark tones. The bed, facing a window with heavy curtains is huge, the carved headboard almost reaching the ceiling. Black wallpaper with silver paisleys makes the room feel smaller, but not oppressive since the big windows let the sunlight shine in freely.

"Damn..." Tommy mutters. There is a set of sofa and chairs in front of a real fireplace too!

"Don't you like it? Like I said, you can change anything you want..."

"Evander, shut up! It's... It's pretty amazing! Thank you."

"Oh! Ok then. You're welcome." The smile on Evander's face makes Tommy feel all warm inside. "Your stuff will be here soon, so I'll let you rest a bit more and come to fetch you for lunch in half an hour. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, it will take me a while to learn how to navigate this place."

"Don't worry, you won't get lost. The house is always full of people."

"Oh, right! You were telling me who lives here with you."

"My whole band and crew live here. The five men you met this morning, plus Aliz and her husband, who happens to be our personal trainer."

"What about your family?" Tommy asks, testing his new sofa. It's soft and comfortable.

Evander follows him. "My team is my family. And Aliz."

"No, I mean your mom and dad... siblings..."

"Relatives, you mean? I don't have any."

Tommy's eyes widen and he forces a lump down his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are they dead or..."

"What? No!" Evander laughs "No need to walk on eggshells about this, Tommy. I never met them."

"You didn't? Why?"

"That's how it was done back then. I grew up in a... I think you can call it a boarding school, with Aliz and some of the others."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that... I mean... I can't imagine growing up without my mom and sister, with only teachers and other kids around."

"I never felt deprived of anything, actually. The staff at the Academy was very warm and caring."

Tommy still feels bad for him but tries not to let it show.

"I'm happy that you didn't have a bad childhood, but I just don't understand why a mother would give her baby away to grow up with strangers..."

"Because that's what was supposed to happen. For them and for me and I'm quite happy with my faith, to be honest."

"You believe in the Providence, then?"

"Yes, of course. Don't you?"

"I don't know... All those stories about Destiny, Higher Plains, and Depths make me a little confused. I never had anyone to talk to about this, to teach me."

"I can do that if you're interested."

"I kind of am, actually... I'm not sure why, but I always thought that my life would be easier if I understood all that."

"Everybody's life would be easier if they understood how the Providence works."

"And you do?" Skeptical, Tommy crosses his arms over his chest, looking at Evander.

"I like to think I do." The singer shrugs "At least I never questioned why things happened in a certain way."

"That's probably because nothing bad has ever happened to you."

Evander scoffs then and laughs. "Do you think so?"

His eyes are attentive on him and Tommy feels a little uncomfortable like he's being unfair with Evander, so he decides that honesty is the best course of action. "Obviously, I can't say for sure, we haven't known each other for a long time, but there's just something about you... I don't know. I look at you, the things you say and do, and that makes me think of one of those sunlight beams that poke through a dark storm cloud...

A moment of amused/self-conscious silence weights over them before Evander decides to break it "What are you trying to say, Tommy?"

"I... ah... I don't know... I think I'm just more tired than I thought..."

"Right... Right! I was going to let you rest, wasn't I?" Evander gets up from the couch and straightens his button up shirt. "I'll go see if Ally needs help in the kitchen, then. See you at lunchtime."

"Ok. Oh, wait! Where's the air conditioning dial?"

"There isn't any. The house adjusts its temperatures on its own; just don't open the windows, ok?"

"Huh? Why can't I open the windows?"

"Because it affects the temperature balance."

"Oh!" Evander smiles and turns around, leaving. Tommy watches the door click shut and the only thing he can think of is "Weird."

In hindsight, this entire morning was just plain weird. First Evander himself shows up at his door, then he dismisses a whole gang without raising his voice, let alone his fists, and then they want him to believe that five guys packed all his stuff in less than half an hour? Ok, his apartment wasn't huge and he didn't have that many objects to be packed, but still... Half an hour? "No fucking way!" He mutters while pacing around the room.

And there's the weird dream he had. The monstrous creature flying above them, the shock in Evander's voice, and... And Evander's face getting closer and closer, like he was going to kiss Tommy's lips. He remembers perfectly the warmth of Evander's hands on his face and his breath gushing over his skin, the sensation of falling asleep in his arms. It felt good and right... Weird. So fucking weird!

# Chapter IV - Cohabitation

"So, how's our golden boy?" Aliz asks as soon as Evander enters the kitchen.

"I'm fine, thank you." He says, biting on an apple. Aliz rolls her eyes and turns to stir the food in the big stewpot.

"Dork!" The singer laughs, sitting in one of the counters. "Take your butt off my counter, Evander! There're plenty of chairs in this damn kitchen!"

"Sorry..." he says raising his hands in a defeat gesture "Tommy is fine. Surprisingly fine, actually."

"What do you mean?" She asks, her green eyes looking attentively to the boiling stew before her.

"I put a sleeping spell on him while we were dealing with the golem and you know that gives the subject a pesky headache..." She nods and he continues. "But he seems fine. Like... not even a trace of pain."

"Well, we know that he has Magic in him. He wouldn't be that important if he didn't."

"Yes but... even you got a headache when I used that spell on you..."

"True..." Still mixing the stew in her pan, Aliz let her mind wander. "It seems to me," She says after a few minutes "that his body is compatible with the signature of your Magic."

"Is it a thing?"

"Yes it is." She laughs, before licking the wooden spoon. "Hum... Try it for me please... I think it's a little too salty."

Instead of taking the spoon from her hand, Evander grabs a big chunk of freshly baked bread and dips into the stew, shoving it in his mouth.

"I wish we had had etiquette lessons back in the Academy!" She sighs exaggeratedly. "You're a pig!"

"It's delicious!" Evander says, with his mouth still half full.

"You're forgiven! Go set the table for me, please. The boys will be here in five minutes."

With a kiss on her cheek, he turns to the cupboard. "I think I want them golden today. It's a welcome party after all."

"That will be lovely! Just don't change the color of the glasses, it gives the wine a weird taste."

"You're the only one that notices that!" He says, over his shoulder.

"I'm the only one who has the nerve to tell you. Get on with it, the boys are here and they're starving."

"You said five minutes."

"I'm a seer, not a chronometer!" She shouts, while Evander leaves the kitchen with nine plates, wine glasses and sets of cutlery floating around him.

While he's setting the table, the soldiers walk in the dining room.

"Any other events on your way back?" he asks.

"No. Everything was pretty normal, actually." Bhanks replies.

"Strange. I wonder where that thing came from." Aliz says, the pot with the stew floating behind her.

"And I wonder why you didn't warn us about it, Ally." Sirus says, crossing his powerful arms.

"Oh, I knew you would be fine." She shots him her most blinding smile and sets the pot on the table. The six men hum with the delicious smell. "Everything is set? Can I go fetch the new boy?"

"Actually, there's something I need to discuss with you. Take a seat please."

Evander then tells them about the girl at the dinner and what she said about their Queen. A shocked silence falls over them until they all start talking at the same time.

"Where is she?"

"Why didn't she contact us in all these years?"

"Should we go look for her again?"

"Aliz, did you know about it?" At this, everyone stops talking, looking from Evander to Aliz to Darius, who voiced the question.

"No, I did not." She says, with false calm. "I knew our Queen was alive, yes, but in the same way we all knew. In my heart she could never be dead."

"You want us to believe that the most powerful seer born in the last 500 years didn't know that the Red Queen was alive and planning her return?" Darius says again.

"Darius! You're getting out of line!" Evander warns him.

"That's ok Evander." Aliz says, staring back at the light engineer. "May I remind you that I detain this title only because no other seer has been born since my birth?" She vents "I never claimed to be an all powerful seer. I see what the Providence wants me to."

"And that is entirely beside the point!" Newton says, waving his hand as to dismiss the heavy atmosphere. "The point here is that the Queen will return and that Tommy is the key to that. Ally, do you think we can have hopes that everything will be like it used to when Our Majesty returns?"

"I think things will be better, New, but not the same as it was before. People are different now. We are different..." Aliz sighs and pushes her bright blond hair behind her shoulders. "I really wish I knew what's going to happen, but I don't. I only know that we must protect Tommy and teach him about the Magic in this world."

"Well, there's no need for us to worry about this now. Things will happen the way they are supposed to." Evander says, finishing the discussion. "Can we please eat now?"

Meanwhile two floors above, Tommy pokes his head through his bedroom door, looking down the hallway. His stomach is making noises and he can smell the food downstairs, but no one came to take him to the dining area, so he's prepared to find it on his own or to die trying.

As soon as he closes the door behind him, Tommy hears footsteps coming his way.

"You must be Tommy, right?" The man says. He's by far the smaller man in Evander's crew and the most normal looking too. Short but muscled, with a dirty-blond hair cut short, he's wearing a blue polo shirt and denim shorts. "I'm Stephen, Aliz's husband."

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Stephen!"

"Were you heading to the dining room?"

"I was gonna try, at least. Evander said he would come get me, but I've been smelling food for almost an hour and no one has come."

"Ha! They must be sidetracked by something. It happens a lot."

"Weird house, weird residents." Tommy mutters, more to himself.

"Yes, exactly! You'll get used to them, though. They're a nice lot." Tommy shrugs but smiles "Let's go. I smell Ally's stew!"

When they reach the dining room, Tommy can see the five men from that morning and Aliz chatting loudly around a huge mahogany table set with golden plates and cutlery and crystal glasses. At the same time, Evander is entering the room from the opposite side, with a tray full of freshly baked cornbread in his hands.

"Stephen, you found our new boy! Come on in Tommy, let me introduce you to the crew! Properly, I mean."

The singer places the tray on the table, slapping away a hand that tries to reach for a steaming loaf, shooting a playful stern look to its owner.

"Where are your manners, guys? Get up to meet our new friend." Five chairs screech on the floor and they come closer, forming a wall before Tommy. Evander points to the bigger one, with long straight black hair and arms as large as Tommy's torso: "This is Kadmus Khan, our drummer. The tower beside him is Bhanks Tunner, he plays the guitar." Bhanks has a slightly friendlier face and is taller than the others, he's not as muscled too. His wild brown hair looks like a mane. "Then we have Newton on keys."

Newton smiles warmly at him and says "If you need anything, just ask me, I'll be happy to help you."

Tommy smiles back at him, taking in the beautiful features of his face, the soft gray eyes framed by the round lenses of his spectacles and the long blond hair kept in a braid over his shoulder. Newton is thin like him, but taller. Tommy likes him instantly.

"And last but not least, our engineers: Darius, for lights and Sirus takes care of the sound."

"Are you twins?" Tommy asks, looking from one to the other. Their resemblance is striking. They have the same thick red hair and strong facial features, solid body structure too.

"Who would've guessed?! He's not just looks, he got brains too!" Darius mocks. Tommy decides that he doesn't quite like this one.

"Darius! Manners!" Sirus scolds him. "Yes, we're twins. Welcome to the family, Tommy."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet all of you."

"Now's my turn!" Aliz says, getting closer and wrapping Tommy in her arms. "Welcome home dear! You'll be very happy here!"

Tommy smiles, hiding his face in her hair, he wants to believe her. He really does.

"Let's eat then!" Evander claps his hands and Aliz releases him from her grip.

"I hope you like meat stew, Tommy." She says.

"I like to eat." He states, taking a seat next to her, "I'm sure it's delicious."

"He's smart indeed!" Bhanks says at the other side of the table and winks at Tommy. "If you get into her heart, you'll be safe."

"Safe from what?" he asks, alarmed.

"From us." Darius opens a sinister grin that makes Tommy shiver.

"No need to get nervous, Tommy," Stephen says, over his wife's shoulders. "They like to play tricks on each other, that's all."

Something tells Tommy that "tricks" are a euphemism, but that he can handle. Playing pranks is way better than open hostility or, which is even worst, veiled hostility.

Tommy observes and listens more than actually talks for the next hour, absorbing the atmosphere of the house when everybody is there and the way they interact.

They mock, play and joke around and even Stephen, who looks as misplaced among them as Tommy, seems entirely comfortable. Evander is the worst of them, cracking bad jokes and making silly voices and faces but somehow, the feeling Tommy had earlier, that this is a group of well trained soldiers with Evander as their commander, won't fade, but gets stronger. They know what they are here for and they know Evander is their leader. Even Aliz, who emanates her own aura of unquestionable power, sometimes looks at the singer with reverence in her eyes.

"What? Where did that come from?" Tommy whispers, shaking his head.

"You said something, love?" Aliz turns to him, smiling and Tommy can't help but smile back.

"Can you pass me the wine please?" The bottle comes to his hands and he pours some in his glass, taking a moment to admire the label. "I never heard of this vineyard... Is it new?"

All of them laugh and look at Evander, who says "No. On the contrary, it's very old. It doesn't exist anymore."

"Sadly," Darius says, emptying the bottle in his glass.

"It's really good! The china is beautiful too..." He stops then and looks around to the faces around him, some are amused, some condescending, and he changes what he was going to say. "Are you trying to impress me, Evander?"

"Depends. Is it working?"

"Not really. I don't care much for the bling, you know?"

"I'll have to think of something else, then." The singer returns, winking at him.

Their eyes remain locked on each other until the others start to whistle and cheer.

"Get a room, you two!" Sirus shouts, laughing and Tommy looks away, blushing.

"Dessert, anyone?" Aliz interrupts the awkward moment.

"I'll help you gather the plates, Ally," Tommy says, grateful.

With a pile of plates in his arms, Tommy follows the only woman in the house back to the kitchen. Behind them, one of the guys burps loudly.

"Darius, you're not getting any chocolate for a week," Aliz shouts over her shoulder.

"What?" the engineer gasps, incredulous.

"You heard me! Bad manners revoke privileges!"

"What am I? A child? I'm a fucking war..."

"You're a twat! That's what you are!" Kadmus interrupts him. "Shut up!"

Aliz then turns to Tommy, who was following the conversation with wide eyes.

"Sorry about that, honey. Darius can be very obnoxious at times."

"That's ok. It must be difficult to be the only woman among a bunch of beefy, noisy guys."

"It is indeed! I must keep them in line. This house would be a piggery if I wasn't here."

"We can hear you!" Evander shouts from the dining room, making her and Tommy laugh. "Just put those in the sink, dear and grab some dessert plates in the cabinet."

When Tommy gets back to the dining room, he could swear he sees a new wine bottle floating from Evander's glass to Newton's. Floating! He shakes his head and looks again to see the bottle settled on the table.

They eat dessert calmly, chatting among each other with Darius munching miserably his chocolate-less bowl of fruit.

It is Kadmus' day to clean the kitchen, so everybody is chased away from the room. Tommy wants to help, but he needs to sort through his things to see what he wants in his room and what's going to the attic, so he spares an hour and a half seated on his bedroom floor surrounded by cardboard boxes, clothes, and trinkets.

Later, they sail off to the studio, for their first rehearsal session for the new tour. Tommy's excited and maybe a little bit nervous. Above all, he's happy that the sinister twins, as he decided to call them in his mind, are not actually in the band so he won't need to interact much with them.

It's nice to see the skepticism on their faces when Tommy says that he can't read a score, turn into admiration when they notice that he already knows all the notes and riffs of Evander's latest songs. The bassist has no clue on why or how he knows it, but he's not telling them that.

They're nice, he decides midway through the rehearsal. Kadmus is loud and insanely good with the drumsticks. Newton is the quiet one but when he speaks, everyone listens. He seems to have a glow around him too... Almost like an aura. Tommy wants to know more about him. And Evander is... well, he's Evander. Not much different in rehearsals than he is while performing, from what Tommy could see on the internet. Demanding, attentive, firm, although always polite with the staff and so utterly talented that it's almost inhuman.

But what surprises the bassist the most is his connection with Bhanks, the guitarist. They would look at each other and instantly know what to do next with the melody of the song. At some point, they had Evander stop singing and look at them. That freaks him out a little. Well, maybe more than just a little.

All in all, it was a good day. From the moment Tommy decided to accept the fact that they were a strange lot, everything was good.

"It was a good day!" Evander exclaims on their way back home "A very good day indeed!"

"Are you relieved that I can actually play your songs?" Tommy says, sagging in his seat right next to Evander in the flashy black minivan.

"No. That I knew. I'm relieved that you guys can actually play together. Especially you and Bhanks."

Tommy opens a huge smile and the guitarist ruffles his hair.

"The kid is talented, no doubt about that."

"Thanks, but I'm not a kid! I'm 30 years old..."

"Like I said, a kid." Bhanks jokes, laughing.

Everybody is laughing at that and only the strong voice of Sirus interrupts them from the driver's seat: "E, I'm gonna stop at that burger place. Not in the mood to cook tonight."

"As long as you pay for everybody's dinner, Sirus..." Evander says, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"I know. I know. Pen your orders, please."

Later that night, finally alone in his room, Evander is staring at the dark sky and thinking.

So many revelations in one day! He can't even begin to imagine how it is for Aliz, who faces important and irrelevant revelations every waking moment... And still, the most important thing remains in the dark. Who is Tommy? What is he? Is he a Mage? Most likely an untrained sorcerer... He has to be... He could be a Shifter if that kind hadn't disappeared so many centuries ago; besides he ought to be very powerful but Evander had never heard about an exceptionally powerful Shifter.

He wishes the Providence would tell them everything already.

A soft knock interrupts his thoughts. "Come in!"

"Hey love!" Aliz says softly. "I can hear you thinking from downstairs."

Evander laughs lightly and opens room for her to lie down beside him on his bed. "You must stop worrying! Or better saying, stop wandering. It doesn't matter what or who Tommy is. He's precisely where he needs to be, and so are we. Things will fall into place soon."

"Have you seen what's going to happen?"

"I saw something. Not all."

"It must be very frustrating..."

"It was." She shrugs "In the beginning. Now I just take what the Providence gives me and try to work around it."

"How was your day off?" Evander asks changing the subject.

"Good. Stephen and I spent the day walking naked around the house..."

Evander laughs loudly pinning his elbow on the mattress to support his head. "You didn't have sex on the dining table again, did you?"

"No! Of course not!" A few seconds later, she adds joyfully "The kitchen counters this time."

"Ew! Gross!!!" He shouts "I'll have to cast a cleansing spell in the entire kitchen!"

Aliz burst into laughter until jade colored tears run through her cheeks. Evander reaches forward and captures two in his fingers, which turn immediately into jade beads. He turns then to grab a small flask in his nightstand that is almost full of the same small gems.

"Here's another." She says, passing him another tear from her other eye. Evander stores it with the others. "Speaking of... well, all of this... How do you plan to tell Tommy about us?"

"I'm not really sure... We must do it soon, though. The guys won't endure acting like humans for long. And life is a lot easier when you don't have to fake it."

"And he needs to know. He needs to prepare."

"He told me he doesn't believe in Magic, though..."

"Like everybody else. He must see things that will make him question that and then you can tell him."

Evander groans. He sees the wisdom in her words. It's easier for a questioning mind to accept new concepts, but he doesn't want to wait! He wants to call Tommy to his room and tell and show him everything.

"You can do that too, but it will be unnecessarily traumatic for him."

"Since when do you read minds?" He asks, turning to face her again.

"I don't. But I've known you since we were toddlers, remember? You're the one who doesn't have a potion license because you can't make yourself wait for the damn thing to cook properly and almost set the Academy on fire."

"And you must remind me of my only failure every time."

"Of course, I do." She pinches his cheek and gets up. "I'll inform the guys about our plans. They're downstairs playing pool."

"What about Tommy?"

"Already sleeping. He had a busy day." Aliz smiles and Evander can see that she's already very fond of their new bassist.

And so the seven Mages begin the slow but very entertaining task of confusing poor Tommy's mind. They would change the colors of the walls, and curtains, have floating objects in his peripheral vision and even turn the wine in his glass into water. And even when the pranks weren't on him, Tommy would find himself wondering what the fuck happened to Kadmus to show up for breakfast with his hair bleached a perfect blond with purple polka dots and then, five minutes before they leave for the studio, it would be black again.

In the course of two weeks, Tommy saw himself looking over his shoulders for the next oddity. It was all very tiring.

# Chapter V - Revelations

"Ok, that's enough!" Tommy shouts as a pool ball spins around his head before landing on the table and sliding dutifully to a pocket. "What the fuck is happening here?"

"I think he's ready," Bhanks says, propping his pool cue on his shoe and his chin on its tip. "What do you think guys?"

A chorus of "Damn yes!" and "About fucking time!" echoes on the walls of the entertainment center.

"Ready for what? I just wanna know if I'm going mad or if I fell into a loony bin!"

"He's definitely ready," Aliz says at the doorway. "Tommy dear, go upstairs and talk to Evander. He has some things to tell you."

"I bet he does. Upstairs where, exactly? This fucking house is endless."

Aliz laughs and says: "Follow the hallway opposite of your bedroom until the end, when you find the wall, knock and Evander will open it for you."

"Knock on the wall?"

"It's a secret passage, blondie." Darius scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"I'll show you who's the blondie, you big pile of..."

"Hey, hey! Enough!" Bhanks intervenes. "Tommy, upstairs. Darius, I think it's time for you to drop that glass."

With one last nasty look at the red-haired mountain of a man, Tommy leaves, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.

"It's about fucking time someone explains to me what's happening!" He mutters, looking around. This entire floor is decorated with white wooden panels, ornate lamp holders, and paintings.

But the wall at the end of the hallway is just that: a wall. There's no lamp holders or paintings... not even a handle. Just a plain white wall.

Tommy looks over his shoulder, waiting for the guys to jump from nowhere, laughing because he believed that he should knock on a wall, but there was no sign of them. Tommy had somehow learned to sense their presence around him. With a relieved sigh, he faces the wall again and raises his hand curled into a fist, ready to knock when it opens slowly by itself, revealing a spiral staircase made of cast iron.

"C'mon up, Tommy!" He hears Evander's voice.

He climbs the stairs carefully, paying attention to his feet on the narrow steps. When he finally reaches the top, his jaw drops open.

The room isn't huge, but it's very roomy. The octagonal walls are covered with bookshelves and the natural light comes from a glass dome that takes virtually the entire ceiling. The furniture is made of heavy, light colored wood and every single surface seems to be covered in books and sheets of paper.

"Hello there!" Evander says, drawing his attention back to the floor.

"Nice crib!" Tommy exclaims, moving two steps away from the stairs.

"Thanks."

For a second, or maybe more, Tommy gets distracted by Evander. It has been happening for a while now. He finds himself looking at the singer, admiring him more often than not. Tonight he's wearing an all-white outfit, a long golden chain with a locket dangling around his neck and no shoes. His hair is clean and loose over his forehead and his eyes are bluer than ever.

"Ah... Aliz said you have some things you need to tell me?"

"Yes! And thank Goodness you're ready to hear them! Take a seat, please." Tommy sits in a huge dark blue bean bag, crossing his legs, his eyes never leaving Evander's face. "So, the day you moved in, you told me you don't believe in Magic... Do you still fell that way?"

The bassist says nothing for a while, trying to gather his thoughts in a coherent sentence. What an odd question! He thinks.

"I honestly don't know... I've seen things these past few days... or I think I saw things. You're a strange lot, you know? And I... I want to like you and I feel at home here, I feel safe, but I can't help the feeling that you're trying to scare me off from here..."

"No! No, no, no! That's not it. That's not it at all!" Evander sags more deeply in his bean bag chair and runs a hand through his hair "Let's try it again... You grew up in the Old Capital, right?" Tommy nods "So you learned about the Last War and the Magic that used to rule the kingdom, in school."

"Well... yes. I used to go to bed and wonder why things are not that way anymore. Now I know it's just fairy tales."

"No, they are not stories Tommy, its History."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"That it's all real. Magic exists and there was a time it ruled our country and life was good and simple for everyone."

"You're crazy! You all are..."

"You're so fucking stubborn!" Evander mutters. "I thought that letting you see bits of it would make you more accepting, but you're the incredulous type."

"Well, excuse me if I don't believe in fairy tales anymore!"

Evander sighs. It's sad to see, that he prefers to think they are crazy than to accept the truth about their world. "You need proof, then?"

"That would be good, yes," Tommy says and the sarcasm in his voice makes Evander sigh again.

"What do you want to see then? Ask and I'll do it."

"Are you a sorcerer?"

"I'm a Mage Warrior, but that's another story. C'mon, try me."

A few more minutes pass and Evander can almost see gears working inside his bassist's brain.

"Fire." Tommy finally says, crossing his arms defiantly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want to see fire. Make something burn spontaneously for me."

"I won't burn my things for your entertainment, Tommy!" Evander retorts with a frown "However, if you want fire, fire you'll have." The singer then opens his hand to reveal a little wickless flame hovering over his palm. The little flame quickly grows into a fireball.

"What the fuck?" Tommy says under his breath, provoking a smile on Evander's face.

"Do you need any more proof?" The other says, playing with the flame, tossing it from one hand to the other and around his hand like a juggling ball.

"I... no... Can you tell me the whole story, please? I'm confused."

"Of course you are," Evander smiles and extinguishes the flame. "Let's see... Until four hundred years ago, Magic was a powerful force in our lives. People born with it were the designated rulers of the kingdom and under the command of the Red Queen, we lived happy and at peace. She..."

"Wait a second! We? You mean you and the others were alive back then?"

"Yes, we were."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not kidding, Tommy. I'm indeed 529 years old. The others are about the same age."

"Who are you people?"

"We are exactly what you saw: musicians and engineers and a brilliant tour manager. The question you want answered is 'Who were we.'"

"And that would be..."

"Warriors. Ally, the guys in the band and I grew up together in the Mage Academy, the boarding school I told you about. We grew up there to learn how to control and use our Magic and to become what we were supposed to be. Later, when we were about 130 years old, we assumed our places in the Red Castle, to serve the Red Queen along with the twins. When The Last War came, we did what the Queen needed us to do and became soldiers." At that Tommy lets a small laugh escape his plumped lips "You don't believe me..."

"The funny thing is I do! The first impression I had of the guys was that they looked like a troop of well-trained soldiers and that you were their commander."

"You had the right impression." Evander says and he seems amused by that "I was trained at the academy to be a Warrior, that's why I'm their leader. Aliz is a powerful Healer and Seer and the guys have different abilities. Bhanks is my second in command, he knows everything I know and we have a mental link."

"Does it mean you can see inside each other's minds?"

"Yes, exactly. Kadmus and Sirus are specialists in defensive and attacking spells respectively, Darius can project visions in people's minds and Newton is an Alchemist."

"What about Stephen?"

"Stephen is Human; we couldn't detect any Magic in him."

"He's like me, then."

"I'm not so sure about that..."

"What do you mean?"

"That's the hardest part to explain because I don't actually know either." Tommy raises one perfect eyebrow but lets Evander continue. "Ally had a vision with you. She saw that you were joining the band because we must protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"I don't know. All we know is that you're important for our future and that the Red Queen will return to take her rightful place."

"Is she still alive?"

"We are; why wouldn't she?"

"Fair enough... So you think I have Magic in me?"

"We're almost certain of that. We know you're supposed to have a key role in very important events."

"Which you don't actually know what they will be...?"

"More or less, yes. We know that it has something to do with our Queen's return, but that's all."

"If I have Magic, why didn't I know about it? Doesn't it manifest at an early age or something?"

"Not if it's not stimulated. That's why we all went to the Academy."

"How did your parents know you had Magic? For what I gathered you were separated from them when you were still a baby."

"That's right. There were some signs. The labor is painless to the mother and occasionally, when the Magic of that soul is too strong, the moment of the birth would turn day into night or vice versa."

"That's awfully specific!" Tommy exclaims.

"Indeed." The singer laughs and that make Tommy's heart skip a beat.

"How often does this day into night thing happen?"

"Not often... It happened for me, Ally and our Queen."

"So... Should I bow to you or something?"

"No, of course not! As I told you before, I'm just a singer now. Nothing more.

"How do you plan to make that Magic, you think I have, surface?"

"I'm not sure yet. But now that you know about it, we can begin with putting you in direct contact with our abilities, to see if your Magic gets interested."

"You say it like it's another person living inside of me..."

"I'm sorry, there's no need to be scared. Your Magic is a part of you that for now isn't connected with your conscious mind. Once it is, you won't even remember a time you lived without it."

"Well, pardon me if I get a little anxious."

"Of course." Evander has a benign smile on his face, which calms Tommy a little. "Life is easier when you have Magic. You can create anything you need and could possibly want."

"Anything? Like anything?"

"Well, to be completely honest with you, it depends on the kind of Magic you have. I, for example can't create things that are alive, like plants or animals. I can summon them and give them instructions, but I can't conjure a butterfly, for instance."

At that moment, they hear an insistent knock on the glass. Tommy looks up to the dome window, to see a beautifully colored bird pecking at the glass.

With a smile, Evander waves two fingers in circles and the window opens, letting the bird in. It flies to a perch Tommy hadn't noticed before.

The bird is big, about the size of a cockatoo, and colorful like a golden pheasant.

"Hello there mate!" Evander says, getting up and grabbing a biscuit from a plate over a nearby table. "Long time no see!"

The bird makes a pleased sound but ignores the biscuit in favor of looking at Tommy attentively with his big golden eyes. All of the sudden, it takes flight again to land on Tommy's thigh.

"I think he likes you!" Evander says, mesmerized.

"He's beautiful! What's his name?"

"I don't know, I never asked." The singer jokes.

"How impolite of you, Evander!" Tommy says, mockingly. "So, beautiful bird, what's your name?"

The bird looks at him for a moment and then makes that pleased sound again.

"Maynard?" Again the sound and the bird takes two steps closer to Tommy's face "Harold Maynard."

"Couldn't you make up something better?" Evander scoffs.

"I didn't! He told me that." The bassist looks again at the bird and then back to Evander "And he's offended that you mocked his name."

As in reinforcement, the bird caws angrily at Evander.

"I'm sorry! Harold is a great name." The singer comes close and sits in front of Tommy again, offering the biscuit to the bird. "Are you really talking to him?"

"To who are you asking that? Me or Harry?" Tommy jokes, caressing the top of Harold's head while the bird eats his treat.

"Both... I'm sincerely mind-boggled." Tommy can see that Evander is confused, but he's also very pleased. "How does it work for you? You hear his voice in your head? Is it easy to talk to him?"

"Not exactly... I see blurred words in my mind. It's like static and I feel a little dizzy."

"Interesting... Maybe it will get better with practice. Harry could help you with a lot of other things, too."

"He says he didn't give you permission to call him Harry," Tommy says with a barely suppressed laugh.

"Well, pardon me, Mr. Maynard!" Evander mocks "Will your Excellency stay here with us on a regular basis now?"

Tommy concentrates for a while and then says: "No. He must depart soon, but he'll return and then he'll stay."

"Where is he going?"

"Back to your Queen."

"What?! Mr. Maynard, are you an emissary of the Red Queen?"

"He says that he was sent here to wait for my arrival, to assure the Queen I was safe under your care. Now he must return to give her the good news."

With that, the colorful bird takes flight, circling their heads once, before heading to the window that Evander opens for him again.

"That was... interesting." Tommy says as the bird disappears from sight. "How long have you known him?"

"He comes and goes sporadically since we moved here five years ago. I never thought he could be anything more than a Higher Plains Bird."

"I wonder why he never talked to any of you."

"None of us have abilities with Nature. That's a very specific kind of Magic, not a very common, either."

"Of course, it isn't. Nothing about me is common, is it?"

"Apparently not. So do you have more questions?"

"After the telepathic bird that just flew off my lap? I don't think I can handle anything else. I'm actually waiting for the moment I'll wake up in my lumpy bed back in Holls to discover that the last two weeks were just a dream."

"Do you wish it was all a dream?"

"Can I answer that tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course. We won't go to rehearsal in the morning, so sleep as long as you like."

"Thank you. I think I'll need that." Tommy gets up then and tries to smile at his boss.

"Don't feel shy to ask whatever you want to anyone of us, okay Tommy?"

The bassist nods and heads to the stairs. "Goodnight Evander."

"Goodnight Tommy."

While Tommy tosses and turns in his bed, trying to cope with the truth he just discovered, Evander and his troop are in the library, discussing the news about the Higher Planes bird called Harold Maynard.

"Who is this bird?" Sirus asks. "Is he really just a bird?"

"Are you saying he might be a Shifter?" Newton asks, a frown bringing his perfect eyebrows together.

"I think it's the most probable. Evander told us that Tommy sees words in his mind. Animals communicate with images, not words."

"But we haven't heard from them since The Last War..." Bhanks says, fiddling with a small satchel hanging from a leather strap around his neck.

"Which doesn't mean a thing," Aliz says. "The truth is we don't have a clue about what happened to them, as far as I know they could still be around without us knowing, besides, his name sounds familiar..."

"The important thing here is: Is he trustworthy? Why has he never tried to communicate with us?" Darius argues.

"None of us has the ability to talk to him; there was no way for us to know." Evander responds "But he was sent by our Queen, he ought to be reliable."

"Was he? What proof do we have?" The engineer says. "Beside the translation provided by the new boy."

"Who else could have sent him?"

"Whoever summoned the wind golem..."

Silence strikes the room then, each warrior looking from one another to their commander.

"Ally, do you see danger coming?" Evander asks after a while.

"No. I see nothing, to be honest. After Tommy came, I only see things related to the tour."

"That's weird..." Newton exclaims.

"Indeed." The Alchemist looks at their Seer and she has her brows frowned. "That happened before, though... The day we released the Shifters from the dungeons, I didn't see them disappearing in the woods. I saw the moment Evander lost his leg and our victory, but not their flight."

"We ought to be careful, of course," The alchemist says "but even if he's a spy or something like it, he's been listening to us talk and plan things for the past few years and nothing happened, so..." He shrugs "Maybe he was indeed sent here by our Queen. Maybe he will help Tommy to reach his Magic."

"There's no reason for us to doubt what Harold said..." The singer cuts in.

"Nor for us to trust him." Darius cuts in, getting a stern look from Evander.

"Nor for us to trust him." He repeats and then continues "He's gone anyway, so we'll have to wait and see."

"Moving on to more pleasant matters," Aliz says, grabbing Evander's muscled arm: "Who will start with Tommy's lessons?"

"I don't think it really matters... Anyone want to go first?"

"I'll take him," Bhanks says "I can show him a bit of everything and we can discuss our stage mapping too."

"Perfect."

"Since we'll be leaving home in a few days, I think it would be a good idea for him to spend some time with me since I won't have access to my equipment on the road." Newton adds.

"I won't play nanny for the boy," Darius says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Everyone in the room goes silent, looking from the illusions specialist to Evander, who has a sinister look in his eyes.

"Perfect idea, Newton." He says, not averting his gaze. "Now, Darius and I have something to discuss, the rest of you can go."

Silently, the warriors leave the library, Sirus sending a worried look to his brother.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Evander says:

"Do we have a problem, Darius?"

"No." The other utters, looking away.

"I'll ask just one more time: Do we have a problem, soldier?"

Darius finally looks back at Evander's face. He knows that tone of voice. It's not his friend standing in front of him anymore, it's his commander.

"I don't like him." He says at last.

"I figured that. Why?"

"I don't know for sure... I think he's hiding something from us. I mean, how can someone get to his age and not know one has Magic?"

"He never knew such things existed, he wouldn't know he had to look for it."

"I never looked for it either, nor did Sirus. The Magic was just there."

"But you lived in an environment saturated with Magic, you knew it was a possibility! Tommy didn't. We must help him catch up."

"Why? My brother and I never had that. No one helped us to discover our abilities..."

A long moment of silence passed, where Evander was trying to absorb what Darius had just said.

"I never knew that..."

"No one did. People assumed that we went to the Mage Academy in another province of the kingdom, and we didn't correct them. It was just easier that way."

"You had parents, then?" Evander motions for Darius to sit down and does the same, their knees touching.

"No. We were abandoned in the south woods. You know how people down there saw twin siblings back then..."

"How... How did you survive?"

"I'm not sure. I have some memories of a deep, sweet voice talking to us, but never a face. It would bring us food and keep a fire lit close by... Sirus doesn't remember much either."

"Whoever this was, I have to thank them, because you and Sirus are indispensable to me," Evander smiles then and squeezes Darius' arm lightly. "I'm sorry you didn't have the help you needed back then, but that's no reason for you to doubt Tommy's story. Nor to envy him."

"I don't..." Darius starts, but Evander raises his hand.

"I know you better than you think, Darius. Please, help us with him. You'll see the good that it will do to yourself!"

"Ok, I'll teach the blondie. But I'll do it for you, for the times you saved my life, for the shelter and the family you gave my brother and me."

"It's a start. He'll get into you."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." With a sigh, Darius gets up, straightening imaginary wrinkles in his fancy clothes. "Is there anything else you need, my Lord Warrior?"

Evander sighs too and puts his right hand on Darius' left shoulder, in the old gesture of salutation and respect.

"No, soldier. You may go now."

As Darius leaves, Evander sits back on the couch, running a hand through his dark hair. He called him Lord Warrior...

Back in the days, his heart would fill with pride and joy after hearing those words directed to him. It meant that he fulfilled his obligations and was respected. But now...

He pulls the leg of his cotton pants up to massage the stump of his leg, his eyes distracted by the glow of the gold and jewels decorating the fake leg the goldsmith made for him.

Now he hopes to never hear those words directed to him ever again, though he has the feeling he will, and very soon.

With a sigh, Evander looks at the clock over the fireplace to see that it's late. He should go to bed.

He gets up, letting the fabric fall back into place and heads to the stairs.

For some reason, instead of turning left to his hallway, he takes the right one, stopping in front of Tommy's room. He knocks but gets no answer.

"What am I doing?" The singer whispers "He needs to rest!"

He turns around to leave but then, hears grunting and a small cry. His hand flies to the doorknob. The door isn't locked so Evander goes in the room. The moon is shining over Tommy's bed through the open curtains and the bassist is tossing over the covers, mumbling and whimpering.

Evander knows the moonlight can be unsettling for some people with Magic, so he closes the curtains with a quick movement of his hand, in the other he creates a small flame to illuminate his way to the bed.

Tommy seems settled now, his bare chest moving serenely up and down.

He's so gorgeous! And it's more than his facial features and thin body. His soul transpires through it. How can Darius not see it? Tommy is a pure soul, a kind spirit meant for great deeds. And great pain.

The revelation strikes Evander with such force that he gasps out loud, waking Tommy up.

"Evander? Is everything alright?"

Quickly recovering from the shock, the singer smiles at Tommy, now sitting straight up in the middle of the huge bed.

"Yes... Yes! I... I was going to my room when I heard you whimpering and got worried. It was only the moon, though. You're ok."

"The moon?"

"Yes. Its light can affect people with Magic in a negative way. Especially during the full phase."

"Oh! That explains a lot! I never liked the full moon."

"There you go..." With a cramped smile, Evander clears his throat and says: "I'll let you go back to sleep now. Sorry, I woke you up."

He turns around and gets two steps away before Tommy calls him. When Evander turns back, the bassist has a weird look in his almond eyes. A bit of shame mixed with fear and caution.

"Could you... Ah... Could you stay with me until I fall asleep again? I'm feeling a little antsy."

Evander takes a second to absorb the concept that Tommy thinks his presence will make things better before he smiles and gets back to the bedside.

"I'll get a chair..."

"You can sit on the mattress; I'll only bite you if you ask me to."

The singer suffocates a raspy laugh and sits on the edge of the bed, his back against the headboard.

"Thank you," Tommy says with a deep intake of air, his breath brushing over Evander's thigh on its way out. With a sleepy smile, he pulls Evander's hand closer and blows out the little flame on it, turning the room dark.

A few minutes later, Evander hears his breathing getting even, the long fingers still entwined with his shorter ones.

# Chapter VI – Some More News

Tommy wakes up the next day with a long lost sensation of peace on his mind and an achingly hard morning wood.

He opens his eyes to see white fabric pressed against his face and inhales the strong scent of a masculine body that's too close for comfort. He knows that scent. He shouldn't, but he does.

Tommy remembers quite well the embarrassing moment when he asked the singer to stay with him like a child afraid of nightmares, but that doesn't explain why his head is in his lap! "Damn!"

"Are you awake, Kitten?" Comes Evander's sweet voice, still a little raspy with sleep.

"I'm not a kitten!" Tommy mumbles, rolling off of Evander's lap and over his stomach, so he doesn't notice his hard on.

"No, but you sure as the Depths sounds like one when you sleep. It's quite cute, really."

"Shut up!" He says, his voice muffled by the sheets.

Evander laughs, getting out the bed and Tommy knows he's stretching his muscles and can't help the image that his mind is creating. "I need a shower..."

"You smell nice." The bassist hears himself say before he can help it. "Sorry, that's inappropriate."

"That's ok. I was thinking the same thing."

Tommy feels his cheeks burning but turns his head to look at his boss.

"Well... anyway, I should go... Bhanks will spend some time with you today and we have a workout session with Stephen afterward, so I'll see you later."

"Ok... Ah, Evander?"

"Yes, Tommy?"

"Thank you... for staying with me."

"No problem!" He says joyfully, looking over his shoulder "Just don't touch yourself thinking about me, ok? That would be awkward."

And then he's gone, leaving Tommy behind with his face so red, he can feel it tingling.

"Where in the Depths did it come from?" He says to his empty room.

Tommy gets up and goes into his private bathroom; his reflection on the huge gold framed mirror catches his attention. His hair is a mess and his face is still red.

"I need a cold shower! The last thing I need right now is sexual tension with my boss!"

But he's more than only his boss, isn't he? Evander's supposed to protect him and teach him how to use Magic. There's no time or space for a relationship mess!

"I don't have time for this!" He says to his reflection but takes a cold shower just in case.

Evander's nowhere to be seen at lunch, which is probably a good thing, but Tommy misses him instantly. Spending so much time with him has its effects.

The time he spends with Bhanks is interesting, to say the least. The guitar player shows him a plethora of tricks and simple spells, from moving things with his mind to changing the color of inanimate objects.

To Tommy's immense surprise, he's actually able to replicate some of the tricks.

"I can't believe it!" he says, looking at the red tea cup in his hand that was white just a few minutes ago.

"I would if I was you." Bhanks says with a pleased smile "You have potential, even though this isn't your area of expertise."

"And what's my area of expertise then?"

"Bite me. We'll have to discover it together. It will be fun! I haven't gotten to follow this process since my days at the Academy."

"Can you tell me more about it? Evander said you grew up together there."

"That's right. We were a very close group. We used to spend 24 hours a day together; studying, practicing or just having fun."

"None of you knew your families?"

"No. The teachers and staff of the Academy were our families and we had each other too. It was a good life, the one we had there."

"That's something I can't understand: Why did your parents have to give you up. Why couldn't you at least meet them while growing up?"

"The Main Council thought it was better this way. You know, back then people with Magic were meant to rule the land, as kings and queens, members of the Council or like Evander, leading the army in battles to defend our people, so they wanted to make sure that there were no influences on us or from us."

"I'm not sure I get it..."

"Do you know what nepotism is? Or self-dealing?"

"Yes... I think I see your point now. But everybody else in the world grew up with or knows their families; some of them are better people because of it... I don't think that having your mother's love and care would be that bad if you're a good person... And if you aren't, then it wouldn't matter either way."

"You're right, but the members of the Council didn't want to risk and there's the other side of it," Bhanks says, waiting to see if Tommy gets to the right conclusion by himself. "They wanted to avoid threats to our families."

"I kind of see your point, but I still think it's a bit too much..."

"Maybe you're right. We'll never know. The Mages at the Academy did everything in their powers to make sure every one of us were good and fair leaders for the people."

"Did the Academy accept everyone born with Magic?" Bhanks nods "And there was never a bad person amongst those people?"

"There was, once. The Master Mages had faith she would change for the good, but that never happened..."

"What happened to her?"

"She rebelled against our Masters and became the usurper. It was because of her that the balance was broken and everything fell apart. She was the beginning of the downfall of our civilization as it was."

"The Dark Queen." Tommy murmurs clutching a pillow against his chest while Bhanks sits by his side on the living room couch.

"Yes exactly. Did Evander tell you about her?"

"No... I'm not sure how I know about that."

"Hum... Interesting. Do you have any more questions?"

"How are you and the others are still alive? Are you immortals?"

"No, but we do live longer than regular people. Not that much though and not without aging."

"Then how..."

"That's a question for you to ask Newton tomorrow. He'd love to explain this to you."

Tommy's not excited about the workout session. At all! He doesn't even own workout clothes.

"Do I really need to?" He asks Aliz, with pleading kitten like eyes.

"Well no, if you really don't want to..." She says, handing him a pair of shorts and a tank top anyway "But touring is exhausting, and a good physical condition helps a lot. Besides... Sometimes using your Magic can be very draining. When I was in the Academy, I used to sleep three days straight after a minor vision. It was very frustrating, but as I got older and stronger it became easier."

"That's why you married Stephen, then?" Tommy jokes as they walk in the roomy gym in the back of the house. Evander and his crew are already doing stretch ups alongside the huge weight machines placed neatly around the room. Aliz's husband is at the center, observing them; his strong built up figure is an imposing presence.

"Yes. That's why." She retorts with a mischievous smile.

"By the Plains Kitten, you look frightened!" Evander says pulling his tattooed arm above his head with the other one." It's just a little workout!"

"Stop calling me that!" Tommy shouts before he notices it. Evander laughs and the rest follow him, so Tommy knows the pet name will stick. "And I'm not frightened, I'm sedentary. I don't want to wake up tomorrow aching all over because of it."

"Yeah, I can think of better reasons to wake up aching all over," Evander says and winks at him.

Tommy can hear Aliz muffling a laugh by his side and he knows his face is red.

"That's enough," Stephen says stopping at Tommy's other side, his hands on his narrow hips. "You ogres can start your routine as usual. Tommy, go get dressed and we'll start with some cardio."

Tommy nods and disappears inside the locker room. When he gets out, he makes sure his bangs are covering his scarlet face. The black shorts are too tight and short for his taste and the deep green tank top shows his puny figure too much for his comfort.

"Come along Tommy! We'll start easy on you and see how you feel. 20 minutes on the treadmill as a warm up, ok?"

The bassist passes through the weight machines as quickly as he can, trying not to look around and avoiding eye contact but of course, the others notice him, whistling and catcalling.

He flips them off without looking and jumps on the treadmill.

"Don't mind them," Stephen says while setting the speed and time. "And don't compare yourself to them. Like I said, they are ogres. You'll never have muscles like Kadmus' or Evander's, but you have a sturdy, lean body. I bet you're agile and fast."

"I am, and very flexible too."

"I bet you are, Kitten!" Darius shouts from his dumbbells. Tommy wishes he knew how to do the tricks Bhanks did that afternoon, just to make the engineer's weights roll all over his feet.

"Great. You'll be better than them in a lot of ways. Now breathe through your nose, long, deep breaths. That's right. I'll be back in 20 minutes."

While striding, Tommy lets his eyes wander around, contemplating the huge mirrors on two of the walls and occasionally, Evander's reflection on them. He's wearing black sweatpants and tank top. His muscles stretching and contracting, the tattooed skin undulating every time he flexes his arms... It's hypnotizing, really. He's smiling too like he enjoys his time at the gym. When the singer starts to do sit-ups on an inclined board, Tommy almost loses his pace and trips over the treadmill. Luckily for him, his time is over.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Stephen asks.

"Good. That's good." While getting off of the treadmill Tommy notices a thick rope attached to the ceiling at the other side of the room, where Aliz is training something like kick-box in a sandbag. "Can I climb that?" he says, eyes fixed on the rope.

"Have you done it before?" Stephen asks and Tommy shakes his head. "It's not easy, especially for an untrained person. Are you sure?"

"Yeah... I wanna try it. I like heights."

At that, everyone stops their exercises, looking back at the bassist.

"Tommy, please don't!" Evander starts "I can't let you hurt yourself..."

"I won't! I can do this. I wanna climb up there!"

"But..."

"Let him." It's Aliz talking. Her voice is low and raspy like it gets just after she has a vision. "Let him climb."

"Ok, but don't try to go too high. And here, put these on." Stephen gives him a pair of workout gloves. Tommy puts them on and grabs the rope with a big smile on his face.

He knows everyone in the room is holding their breath and his smile broadens with that. Taking a deep breath, he looks up to where the rope is firmly tied to a hook in the ceiling and grabs it with both hands, gathering momentum from his feet and with a strong pull, he's dangling from the rope and climbing it with surprising agility.

Whispers of "What the fuck?!" "Bloody Depths!" and "I can't believe it!" fill the room.

"Ok show off, we got it. Now get back down here before you fall and break your fucking neck!" Evander shouts, half laughing, half really worried. Tommy laughs loudly and starts to descend.

And is with utter horror that the musicians watch as the bassist loses his grip on the rope and starts falling head first towards the not soft at all tatami.

It happens so fast that no one has time to jump into action while Tommy squirms his thin body in a free fall and... lands on his own two feet!

"Bloody fucking shit!" Darius shouts. "What are you? A fucking cat?"

Tommy seems as surprised as the others and doesn't answer the light engineer.

"Are you alright, Tommy?" Evander comes closer and grabs the bassist's shoulders. Tommy nods and gets pulled against a solid wall of sweaty muscles.

"Evander, let me go! I'm fine." He says, pushing the singer away gently.

"Sorry, but you nearly killed me!"

"He nearly killed himself!" Sirus grumbles beside them.

"No, I didn't. I landed on my feet, remember?"

"Yeah... I just wonder how..." The other says, a brow arched.

"That doesn't matter. He did something amazing here." Stephen interrupts them. "Now, get back to your weights! Tommy, I think you should train with Aliz. Pan, can you take care of him?"

"Sure baby! C'mon Tommy, let's punch something!"

"Pan?" Tommy asks while changing the workout gloves for the boxing ones.

"It's from the word panacea. Stephen calls me that since Newton showed it to him."

"And what's that?"

"A remedy for everything that is ill." She explains with a sweet smile and her gaze on her husband.

"Oh! That's really sweet and romantic!"

"And accurate, since I'm a Healer."

"Can you cure everything, like wounds and diseases? Can you bring the dead back to life?"

"Almost every wound and disease, and I can bring the dead back to life under certain circumstances."

"That's so cool! I wish I could do that!"

"Maybe you can, we don't know yet."

"Can you show me how you do it?"

"Sure. When is my turn to have you all to myself." She says winking at him and Tommy can't help but think why these people like their sexual innuendos so much. "Now, training! Put your arms up, like this. Punch forward one arm at the time... That's it. Bend your knees a little..."

At the other side of the gym, Evander stops his series to look at Tommy and Aliz. He looks relaxed with her and happy, which makes a knot of jealousy to form in the singer's stomach.

"A penny for your thoughts," Newton says, putting down a pair of dumbbells in their place at a stand.

"Nothing much." He says, smiling at the beautiful blond man. "I went to visit Pete today."

"How's he?"

"Better. His leg will be as good as new in six months. He sends his regards and asked me to tell you that he didn't forget that chess match he owes you."

At that Newton opens a sweet nostalgic smile. Evander knows that their former bass player had more than a little crush on his friend and wishes they could be together right now.

"Good to know! So, tomorrow is my turn with our little kitten?"

"Yeah, but don't call him that if you want to finish the day with your balls in their rightful places."

Newton laughs and wipes his forehead with a towel "I have a good feeling about tomorrow. Something big will happen."

"Are you drinking that bloody clairvoyance elixir again, New?"

"No! Of course not! Once was enough for me, thank you very much. I just have a feeling. My plants are excited."

"Excited plants... That's new!"

"If you had the smallest connection with our Mother Nature, dear Evander, you would know what I'm talking about." Newton quips with false disdain.

"Yeah... I failed that class too. It was the same teacher as Potions."

At that Newton laughs again, tossing his impossibly long braid over his shoulders.

"I think I'm done for today, see you tomorrow. Little kitten, I'll wait for you at the breakfast table." The alchemist shouts while marching out of the gym, distracting Tommy, who gets hit on the back of his knee by Aliz's perfect kick.

Tommy wakes up the next morning with a streak of sunlight warming his face. He takes a few seconds to account for the damage to his beaten up body. Because of course, Aliz beat the shit out of him the night before. Not that she intended to, but as Tommy said very clearly before his torture begun, he's a sedentary man with no physical stamina whatsoever.

As he predicted, his entire body aches; from his toes to his scalp. Even blinking seems to demand a humongous effort.

"Fucking Depths!" Tommy mutters against his pillow. He's inclined to ignore the world and stay in bed, but then he remembers that Newton is waiting for him and he likes Newton.

So he gathers what is left of his forces and pushes one foot at a time to the bathroom to wash his face, then down the hall, and the staircase to the dining room.

And as sure as the sun shining outside, there's Newton seated at the table, reading the newspaper, a steaming cup at his right and a croissant on his plate. Tommy knows that the cup has strong red tea in it and that the croissant is filled with a soft cream that the alchemist himself often prepares for everyone. Newton is a great cook and on the days he's in charge of the kitchen, no one dines in the city.

"Good morning Tommy!" He says with his joyful smile, his gray eyes shining behind the round lenses of his spectacles.

"Hey, New." Tommy replies, spiritless.

"You look terrible dear! Did Ally hurt you last night?"

"Every little inch of my poor body." The bassist says, sitting heavily on a chair.

"We'll fix that. But you need to eat first."

"I don't think I have the energy to chew..."

"Have some oatmeal then, but you must put something in your stomach." Newton insists. "Here, let me get you some." With a gesture of his lean hand, a white bowl floats from its place in front of Tommy to the larger bowl filled with a fragrant oatmeal. Then the scoop floats up and pours its content into the smaller container.

"It's sweetened with royal bee's honey. I made it myself." The other blond says while the bowl floats back to Tommy.

The bassist smiles weakly and the color of his bowl changes from white to green.

"Bravo! I see Bhanks taught you something yesterday."

"Yes, it was very cool. Thanks for the oatmeal, it's delicious."

"Enjoy it. I told Evander I have a good feeling about today."

"What do you mean?"

"I think something great will happen... Maybe we'll discover what type of Magic you have."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes. It's obvious to me that you're inclined towards Nature, hence your contact with the bird..."

"Harry." Tommy corrects him.

"Sorry, Harry. I can brag and say that I have a strong connection with Nature, although my Magic is more focused in potions and elixirs."

"That's because you use plants and animal parts to make the potions, isn't it?"

"Yes indeed! So, I feel something about you that screams Natural Magic to me." Newton places his cup back on the table and looks at Tommy, who's frowning "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just... I was hoping I had curative powers, like Ally."

"Maybe you do. The gift of healing manifests in different ways, you know. Healing an ancient tree's broken branch is as important as fixing a broken limb."

After Tommy's done with his breakfast, Newton motions for him to follow and they walk through the entire house to the backyard, where Tommy hasn't had the time to go yet. It's big, like everything in that house and opulent, with luxurious flower beds and statues surrounded by a bright green lawn.

A large arbor entwined with roses leads to a small cottage-like house with a thatched roof and latticed windows. It's gorgeous and Tommy tells Newton that.

The alchemist smiles brightly at him and opens the front door to a big living room furnished with old comfortable looking chairs and couches in earth tones. The room is brightly lit, with some bits of color caused by the pieces of colorful glass on the windows.

Behind a locked door is Newton's laboratory. It's big but so crammed that it seems smaller. Everywhere Tommy looks he sees books, scattered paper and glass bottles with colorful liquids.

"So, first of all, let's get rid of that exercise hangover you've got," Newton says, grabbing one of the books in a shelf nearby. He flips some pages, looks at one for a few seconds then passes it to Tommy. "Read me the recipe, please."

Tommy looks at the book but can't recognize the words in it. "Sorry, I don't understand what's written here."

"Are you sure? Try again, the first word means rhubarb."

The bassist looks back down to the book, fixing his gaze on the words and all of the sudden, they become as clear as if they were written in English.

"Wow! How can I do that?"

"You have Magic in you. You can't learn this language anywhere; it's inside of you, it's part of your Magic."

"That's so weird! But so cool!" Newton smiles, amused and signals for him to get back to the book. "OK, so it's rhubarb, black ginger... What's black ginger?"

Newton looks back over his shoulder holding a bottle with a black powder inside. "A regular ginger root scorched by a volcano."

"Oh! Of course, silly me." Tommy jokes "Next is a white feather, midnight water and... a whisper?"

"The mysteries of Alchemy," Newton says, wiggling his perfect blond eyebrows. He puts several flasks on the work table and curls a finger to Tommy, who gets closer. "Let's get down to business. Concocting a potion or elixir is a bit like cooking. You mix the ingredients and let them cook the required time."

"How do you know how much of the ingredients to use? Or for how long to cook it?" Tommy asks, looking curiously over Newton's shoulder "It's not written here."

"That's precisely where we separate the alchemists from the boys." The bassist laughs then, closing the book. "Look at the ingredients, how much of each do you think we'll need?"

Tommy takes his time to look at the pots and flasks over the table, waiting for something to surface in his mind, but nothing happens.

"Sorry. I sincerely don't know."

Newton sighs sadly then. "Damn, you're not an alchemist... But don't worry, we still have options. Now let me get through with it."

The bassist steps back to watch the other work and is amazed with his ability and confidence. He puts the ingredients in a lead caldron and uses the white feather to stir the mixture.

A few minutes later, Newton pours the clear liquid in a mug and covering the side of his face with his hand, whispers something against the edge of the mug. When he finally gives it to Tommy, the liquid has turned into a soft lilac color.

"It smells nice! Like a freshly baked rhubarb pie." Newton smiles and observes him drink the potion. "Tastes good too! I always thought that potions were supposed to taste and smell awful."

"That's because most people don't take the time to find ingredients to make their potions palatable, they think it's a waste of time."

"I'm glad you think differently." Tommy says, returning the mug "What now? I still feel tired and sore..."

"Patience, Kitten. Give it time to settle in your stomach. Oh! And hold this." The alchemist puts a wooden bucket in Tommy's hands and takes a step back.

"What..." He starts, but suddenly his stomach is grumbling, twisting and turning in itself. Soon enough, the oatmeal he had for breakfast is resting in the bucket. "Blood Depths! What was that?"

"The effect of the potion you drank. How do you feel now?"

"I... I feel good! The tiredness is gone and the pain too! It's like I put it all out with my breakfast!"

"That's exactly what you did. It's way easier to cure something if you can simply pull it out of the body."

"Makes sense, I guess..."

"Now that you're feeling better, I think it's time for you to meet my plants."

Tommy follows him outside and behind the cottage, where a greenhouse sits surrounded by flowerbeds and trees. As Newton opens the door, Tommy feels a lump in his throat, like he's about to meet someone very dear to him that he hasn't seen for a long time.

It's warm inside the greenhouse and bright. The smell of flowers and humid dirt penetrates his nostrils and it feels like...

"Home," Tommy says quietly.

"What did you say, dear?"

"I... Ah... I'm feeling a little dizzy... Can I sit down for a moment?"

Worried Newton grabs a stool, kneeling before him.

"You look so pale! Are you alright? The potion must have..."

"No, it's not the potion... I'm just overwhelmed."

"By what?"

"This place... The plants... I feel like I'm home. Like I'm finally where I belong, you know? I... I never felt like this, not even with my mother."

When Tommy finally looks up Newton is grinning like an idiot.

"Well, welcome home, then."

# Chapter VII – Sweet and Sour

Newton can't stop smiling as he runs back to his house to fetch Tommy a glass of Calming Water. He knew it! He truly did! The little bassist ought to be connected to Nature! And, if anyone would ask Newton, he would swear over his oldest grimoire that Tommy is a Shifter. He doesn't care that they are considered extinct. He doesn't care that Evander doesn't hold those people in high regard. Tommy is a Shifter and a very powerful one too! He knows it!

When he gets back to the greenhouse, Tommy is not where Newton left him anymore. He's standing in front of one of the worktables, where Newton placed a board of rose seedlings and he's singing a soft lullaby. The Alchemist's smile broadens at that.

"Tommy?" The bassist turns around, looking guilty and embarrassed "Do you still want the water?"

"Yes. Thank you." Tommy takes the glass filled with placid blue water and takes a sip. "I didn't want to invade... I... ah... the roses..."

"They asked you to sing for them? The rose buds like when I sing to them too. Makes them grow two times faster."

"That's so insane! Only two days ago I was a normal guy trying to make a living out of my music and now I'm singing to plants and talking to birds!"

"I wish I could say I understand you but I grew up talking to birds and singing to plants... Although I never connected to them on the level you apparently can." Newton says, fiddling with the tip of his braid, which he wrapped loosely around his neck like a scarf. "Do you want to take a break and come back some other time?"

Tommy shakes his head. "No. I'm excited to discover more about my Magic, but it'll take me some time to absorb all this."

"Yes, of course. So, wanna see if you can make a sprout grow?"

The bassist nods vigorously and follows the other blond man to the back of the greenhouse.

"Normally, I let the plants grow in their own time because it's better for them, but if you ask, I think some of them will be up for a challenge."

"What do I do?" Tommy asks uncertain, looking at Newton with widened eyes.

"Hold out your hand over the table and ask which one of them is ready to grow."

Tommy obeys and closes his eyes, forming the words in his mind, because somehow he knows he doesn't need to voice his question.

It's feeble at first, but he feels a response coming from a corner of the table. "This one, it has a strong energy for a little sprout."

"Yes, it does. Pick it up." Newton goes then to another workbench where a flower pot sits full of rich dark soil. "Take off the plastic around it and place the sprout in the center of the vase... That's it. Congratulations, you just potted your first rose sprout." Tommy smiles back at him like Newton just gave him the biggest of compliments. "Now, roses are delicate and this one must be a very brave sprout to volunteer to help us, let's be extra gentle with it."

"Ok, what now?"

"Put your hands on both sides of the sprout and concentrate on them. Imagine the Magic flowing through your fingers and around it, let it penetrate the sprout slowly. And pay attention. Always pay attention to what the plant is feeling. If it's hurting, stop right away."

"Understood."

Tommy concentrates, closing his eyes. He can feel the Magic in his fingers, it tingles and it's warm and comfortable. The little plant is happy, he can feel it too. And he can hear Newton talking smoothly in his ear "Relax, don't try too hard. You're doing well!" The next moment, the bassist feels the leaves of the sprout brushing against his fingers.

"Open your eyes, Tommy. You did it!" Newton says and there's pride and astonishment in his voice.

Encouraged by the Alchemist's voice and the energy of his rose, Tommy opens his eyes to see a perfectly formed rose stem with a bud ready to bloom.

"Oh my... I can't believe it!"

"Congratulations Kitten!"

"I'm so happy I won't even bother to scold you about that ridiculous pet name..."

Newton laughs and pats Tommy's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a little dizzy, but overall I'm fine."

"Great! You're very strong for a novice. I got really tired after I grew my first sprout."

"Maybe it was pooling inside of me all this time and now I have all this accumulated Magic."

"Haha! Yeah, maybe. It's almost lunch time, we should go back to the house."

"Can I take her with me?"

"Yes, of course. She should stay with you as long as she lives."

"So, am I a Mage now?"

"No! HaHaHaHa You're a sorcerer in training. It takes centuries of practice and study for one to become a true Mage."

"Centuries..." Tommy grabs the flower pot and heads to the greenhouse door. "That reminds me! I asked Bhanks about how you guys are still alive and young and he told me to ask you."

"Oh!" Newton locks the greenhouse door and joins him in the garden "One of the main objectives of Alchemy is to create the Elixir of Long-Life. That's what all Alchemists aim to achieve."

"And you did it."

"Yes, of course. But..." He stops and kneels beside a bush of azaleas to pick some weeds growing there. Tommy waits, arms firmly around the flower pot and the leaves of his rose brushing his neck.

"But?" The bassist encourages after a while, since Newton seems to have forgotten they were talking.

"But we don't need it since we have Aliz." Newton gets up cleaning his hands on his pants.

"She keeps you all young?"

"Not her per say..." Then, Newton grabs Tommy's elbow and makes him stop walking and puts his lips really close to his ear. "Pay attention, 'cause I'm about to tell you one of the best kept secrets of all times and it's crucial it remains as such." Tommy nods, eyes wide and brows arched way up. "Her tears have powers that not even our Queen could understand. I've seen them raise the dead and mend badly broken limbs in seconds."

"That's amazing! She's indeed a panacea!"

"Ally is The Panacea actually, that's why we must keep it a secret. Can you imagine what people would do to her if they knew?" Tommy nods slowly, tightening his arms around the vase. "Back then, when everything was the way it should, she would be praised and honored, but today..."

"I understand completely. So, if it's her tears that have Magic, where do you fit?"

"Right! As soon as the tears touch skin, they turn into jade beads and in that state they are too powerful, so I gather them and make an elixir that we use to cook."

"So, am I immortal now too?"

"We are not immortals, Kitten, we have magical longevity. And yes. As long as you eat our food, you'll have a long healthy life."

"What if you stop eating?"

"You die!" It's Evander's loud voice coming from a window above. Tommy and Newton raise their faces to look at him "So get inside at once! Lunch is served."

"What's wrong with him?" Tommy asks, as soon as Evander leaves the window.

Newton opens a sideways smile but shrugs "Who knows? C'mon, I can't wait to see their faces!"

When the pair reaches the dining room, the crew is already seated around the table and there's a huge roasted turkey placed on a silver plate, golden brown potatoes and gravy.

The Alchemist clears his throat loudly and once the others are looking at him, says: "My friends, may I have the honor of introducing you to our friend Tommy, the Nature Sorcerer?"

Suddenly, all seven pairs of eyes are over Tommy, and they start talking at the same time. Aliz comes in their direction and throws her arms around him, a huge smile on her face. Stephen is right behind her.

Next come Bhanks and Sirus, who shake hands with Tommy and pat his back; Darius nods at him from his chair.

The singer is the last one to approach him and Tommy feels something different in his energy. He steps aside to place his rose on an antique looking sideboard and Evander follows him.

"Congratulations, Tommy." He says, and his voice is dry. "I'm happy that you found your Magic."

"Are you really, Evander?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You don't seem or sound happy for me. Is something wrong?"

"Of course not! I'm just stressed with the final arrangements for the tour..."

"Yeah, right."

"Come again?"

"Nothing. Can we eat, now? Growing a sprout in seconds left me famished!"

Leaving Evander behind, Tommy takes his seat beside Aliz and tries as best as he can to smile and enjoy the meal and the praises from his band mates but he can feel, if not always see, Evander looking at him from his seat at the head of the table. It's quite unsettling.

When they are all finished and start to get up to leave, Aliz says: "Evander, we need to settle Tommy's costume for the tour."

"Sirus is in charge of that. Ask him."

"But..."

"I have to clean the kitchen." He says, disappearing through the kitchen door.

"What the actual fuck?" Tommy hears Aliz mutter under her breath.

"Ally... Did I do something wrong?"

"What? No honey, of course not. I'm not sure what's happening to our fierce leader, but I'll find out. Bhanks, can we have a word in private, please?" The guitarist nods and heads to the library at the other side of the foyer "In the meantime... Sirus love, can you take care of Tommy's costume?"

"Sure Ally. Come along Kitten."

"I would love if you lot could stop calling me that!" The bassist mumbles while grabbing his flower pot and following Sirus upstairs.

"Never gonna happen, Kitten." The engineer says, laughing. "So, what do you plan to wear onstage? Choose carefully 'cause you'll be wearing it every other night for the next six months."

"Six months? I had no idea the tour would be that long!"

"It's a big country." Sirus reaches for a knob and opens a big room full of clothing racks and mirrors.

"You're right... I didn't put much thought into my outfit, to be honest. I assumed Evander would designate it."

"He could, but where's the fun in that?" Tommy's smile broadens then and Sirus ruffles his hair. "Look around then, see if you can find something you like."

"Hum... Let me see." While walking around the room, Tommy pulls one piece and another to look more closely "What if I don't like anything?"

"I can make something especially for you."

"Before tomorrow?"

"In five nanoseconds."

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Didn't Evander tell you we can create anything we want?"

"He said almost anything."

"Anything that isn't alive, then. Creating new clothes is a piece of cake. So, tell me, what do you want?"

"What about a long coat with large lapels and wristbands to go with this?" He pulls a hanger with a plain white cotton tunic and pants.

"Hum... Good... Put them on and we'll see."

Tommy hides behind a folding screen and changes his clothes "It's a little too big..." He hears Sirus snap his fingers and suddenly, his clothes fit him perfectly. "Nice!"

"Come here and let me look at you." Tommy obeys and Sirus nods approvingly. "What about a pair of knee length boots? I think they will make you look taller."

"Like that's even possible when I'm surrounded by fucking giants." Tommy says while adjusting the pair of boots Sirus conjured around his legs. "I like these, though."

Sirus snaps his fingers again and a long purple coat appears over Tommy's shoulders.

"Purple? Can't it be black?"

"We never wear black onstage.

"Why not?"

"Ally banned it from stage because Evander wears too much black already." Sirus explains shrugging. "What about dark blue?"

"Good enough. Can you make the lapels bigger and red? The wristbands too."

"Here you go!"

"Yes! That's it! What do you think?" Tommy asks, turning this way and that to look at the back of the coat and the way it fits perfectly around his body.

"I like it! Fits with the rest of us, but it's very you."

"I like the golden buttons. Do you think I need a belt?"

"A belt..." Sirus scratches at his short beard for a second "Not precisely a belt..." He snaps his finger once again and a band of dark gold fabric wraps itself around Tommy's thin waist. "There."

"That's perfect! Naria likes it too!"

"Who's Naria?"

"My rose."

Sirus is about to say something when they hear a horn honking outside.

"Good, Paul brought our rides! Let's go."

They run downstairs and through the front door where the others are gathering around a huge bus and a motor home.

"Wow!" Tommy exclaims, his eyes wide with amazement while one of the vehicles expands some sections slowly. "We'll travel in those?"

"Yes! Only the best for the best band in the country!" A deep voice says beside Tommy "Hi, I'm Paul. You're the new bassist, right? Nice outfit!"

"Thanks! I'm Tommy, nice to meet you, Paul."

"Same thing as the last time Paulie?" Darius asks.

"No, Darius. This one has four plasma TVs and the shower is twice as big."

"I love you so much right now!" Bhanks and Kadmus say at the same time, making the others laugh.

"Aliz and Stephen will have more space in the motor home too. Go explore, I have to talk to Evander."

And all of the sudden it's like six adults turn into kids and run towards the huge double decked bus. Tommy has never seen anything like that. There's a complete kitchen and living area and a small toilet. The staircase in the middle leads to the sleeping area with eight bunks, a quite big bathroom, a double bed at the front and a big futon in the back complete with a huge TV and a minibar, everything decorated exquisitely.

"This is seriously awesome!" The bassist says, jumping on the big bed. "Who do I need to fuck to get this bed?"

"Me." He looks up to see Evander standing at the edge of the bed.

"Never mind." He says, getting up. "I'll take a bunk. Hey New! Top or bottom?"

"What? I... ah... I don't..." The keyboardist struggles while looking startled between Evander and Tommy.

"The bunks, Newton." Tommy says rolling his eyes "You want the top one or the bottom one?"

"Oh... It doesn't matter, really."

"I'll take the top one then."

When Paul interrupted what was quickly becoming a very unpleasant conversation with Aliz, Evander was about to deny it adamantly but now he sees himself obligated to admit: He's jealous of Tommy spending time with Newton. Just the mere fact that the bassist chose the Alchemist to stay closer to makes the singer shake with rage.

But why? Tommy is nothing to him besides a co-worker and technically, his employee... Sure, he's a good fellow and now they know he's one of them in the way that matters the most but...

"You're jealous because you expected him to bond with you, not Newton, or anybody else for that matter." Bhanks says when everybody has moved to explore the motorhome.

"You're abusing this mental link thing..." Evander scolds, but sits on the bed to rub his face tiredly.

"Sorry. Sometimes I can't help it." Leaning against the door frame, the guitarist looks down to his friend, his brows furrowed. "But you know I'm right."

"Yeah, I know and I shouldn't feel jealous, I have no right to."

"At least for now, you don't."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, c'mon! Do you want me to believe that he won't be in your bed before next week?"

"I will not seduce him, Bhanks. Besides, he's into Newton."

"Everybody's into Newton, Evander. Even you."

"That was a long time ago."

"And I know you. You can't keep your hands, or your dick for that matter, to yourself when there's a pretty boy involved."

"You make me feel like a man whore." Evander grumbles, crossing his arms.

"I wouldn't go that far, but you're no model of chastity..."

"Oh give me a break! I'm 529 years old! I could never spend all this time without having sex! "

"I do."

Evander stops talking then, remembering that Bhanks made a chastity vow since his beloved wife disappeared during the Last War.

"I'm sorry Bhanks! I..."

"That's ok. I shouldn't have brought this up. I have no right to expect that anyone else acts like I do." Bhanks stands straight again and reaches his hand for Evander to hold it, pulling him up "But I'm glad you're not plotting to seduce our little Kitten. We must keep him with us."

"I know. Nothing's gonna happen, I promise."

"You don't need to promise me that nothing will happen. Just promise that if something happens, it will be because you're serious about him, not because you want your dick where it has no business."

Evander can't help but laugh "I can always count on you to be painfully straightforward, can't I? Ok, I promise."

"That's my job, yes. Now come! We must celebrate our last night home!"

# Chapter VIII – The First Show

With a long journey through the Central Territory ahead of them, Evander and his troupe spent their last day home filling the bus and the RV up to the brim with food and other supplies. The first show would be that very night at the Capital's biggest venue and everybody was buzzing with excitement, except for Tommy, who's afraid he'll have stage fright.

"You'll do great, honey!" Aliz says while picking imaginary dust from his new coat "You're an excellent musician and look smoking hot in that outfit! People will love you!"

"But, what if I make a mistake, what if I trip over my own feet..."

"Hey! Look at me!" He obeys and gets trapped by the endless green irises, relaxing immediately. "That's right Kitten. Relax. Everything's gonna be perfect tonight! If you need anything, look to your left. I'll be right there."

"OK. I can do this! I know I can!" With an almost confident smile, he nods and hugs her "Thanks, Ally, you're amazing!"

"You're amazing! Go now. Break a leg!"

Tommy waves at her one last time, gripping the neck of his old bass and steps on the stage. The others are already in position and the roaring noise of the audience makes him unbalanced for a second. Luckily the lights are too low, so he can't see them. He nods to the others in the dim lights and takes his place in front of Newton.

After the pre-show music ends, they start playing the first notes of the opening song and precisely on cue for Evander's entrance, a ball of fire and smoke explodes at the center of the stage, making Tommy jump. And then, there is Evander. Tall, muscled, legs slightly apart and arms open. Like an angel dressed in white, he stands there as to receive the energy the audience throws at him. Glorious. His voice is powerful from the first note of the up-tempo song to the end of the first half of the concert.

The atmosphere of the show is magical in itself with the lights and the music per se, but Tommy notices things happening, things that could pass as special effects, but he knows better. They are doing magic tricks: little light explosions precisely in the right moments or a curtain of bubbles in a particularly soft moment of the set. He thinks that it would be awesome if the bubbles would spread over the crowd and to his utter surprise, a light breeze blows over them, doing just that.

People shout even louder and jump to try and touch one of the bubbles, looking as surprised as the musicians on the stage. Evander turns to him, "Nice!" He mouths and Tommy smiles back.

With upbeat and cheerful songs, the second half of the show turns into a party onstage and off, with people jumping and dancing to Evander's carefully written and played music. He talks a lot during the show, teasing and playing with his fans in the first rows. Near the end, he starts to introduce the band: "It would have been a very boring show tonight without my amazing band and I want to introduce them to you. Can I do that?"

The crowd roars and cheers. "First of all, on lead guitar is my very best friend, Bhanks Tunner! Next, delivering this sick beat for us tonight, the king of drumsticks, Kadmus Khan!" The drummer gets up from his stool and tosses his drumsticks into the audience, a huge smile on his face. "The ladies' favorite: Newton Arany on keys!" The girls in the audience shout even louder when Newton bows and blows them a kiss. "Now I want you to give a very warm welcome to our new bassist: Tommy Sabberton!"

Tommy steps forward, fitting under Evander's arm that messes with his hair while he plays a little solo. "Isn't he gorgeous?" Evander says.

"Kiss him!" Someone in the audience shouts.

"Yeah! It's tradition"! Another says.

And then everybody in the audience starts to chant "Kiss him!" "Kiss him!" "Kiss him!"

"Do you mind?" Evander says his lips against Tommy's ear so the bassist can hear him. "It's just fan service but if you don't want to, that's ok."

"I... I don't know..." Tommy mumbles, overwhelmed.

Then the singer turns back to his fans "Ladies, ladies! Tommy's straight, he doesn't want anything to do with me!"

A sound of collective disappointment comes from the crowd and Tommy can see that Evander is disappointed too.

"I'll bend him, don't worry!" he says with a wink that Tommy doesn't know if it's for him or the fans.

The concert ends after the next song and they leave the stage under the roaring sound of shouts and whistles. The others are talking loudly and patting each other on the back, Aliz comes running to hug everyone but Tommy keeps himself apart. Head too loaded and body too tired to celebrate.

"Kitten, why are you so quiet?" Evander says, noticing him sitting aside from the merry group.

"Stop calling me that, for fuck's sake!"

"Someone is in a bad mood..." Darius teases. "Why is the Kitten in a bad mood? Is it because Evander almost kissed him? Or is it because he didn't?"

Everybody laughs and that's ok. It's a harmless joke, but Tommy is not in the mood to laugh, maybe because Darius hit too close to home with his joke...

Kadmus and Bhanks want to go out before they hit the road so the crew takes quick showers in the venue's dressing rooms. When they are ready to go, Newton notices that Tommy's still in his costume, seated on a couch, legs under his body, a water bottle forgotten in his hand and a lost look in his eyes.

"Tommy, aren't you coming with us?"

"No, thanks. I'm too tired!"

"Oh c'mon!" Sirus approaches him and takes the bottle from his limp hand. "It was our first gig together, we have to celebrate!"

"Not in the mood, sorry. And I must take care of Naria, she has been alone all day."

"That's not..." Sirus starts, but Newton interrupts him.

"Ok, then. If you change your mind, we'll be at this club." The Alchemist scribbles an address on a napkin and gives it to Tommy. "Come meet us."

Tommy accepts the address and nods to the others. When he finds himself alone and the silence is too oppressive, he decides to go to the bus.

Surprisingly, there are still some fans at the back door of the venue. They recognize him immediately and start calling his name.

"Can we take a picture with you, please?" A brunette girl asks. She's really pretty and Tommy wonders if Evander has a policy of not hooking up with fans.

"Yes, of course!" He says smiling as bright as he can. There are five girls and three boys there and Tommy happily takes a picture with everyone, feeling better with the affection they already devote to him.

"Where are the others?" Another girl asks.

"They're off, celebrating."

"Why are you not with them, then?"

"I'm not much of a party-goer, to be honest. So did you guys enjoy the show?"

"Yes, very much!" The pretty brunette says. "You are really good!"

"But you should have kissed him! It's tradition, you know?" A red head girl says.

"Is it?"

"Yeah! Evander always kisses his bassist. For good luck."

"Unless you're not comfortable with it, of course!" One of the boys interrupts. The others quickly agree with him, their cheeks flushing for not thinking of the possibility.

"I'll consider it. Now I have to go. Goodnight!"

"Bye Tommy!"

Tommy gets into the bus as quickly as he can, waving at the two drivers that are playing cards on one of the eating area's tables and skips to the second floor to take a shower and lay down.

On his way to the bathroom he passes by Naria, who just started blooming, the pure white bud slowly revealing its bright crimson inner side. He stops and smiles at her, caressing her delicate petals. Suddenly, all he can think of is if Evander's lips would be as soft and warm as Naria's petals. How would they taste? Would he feel aroused or ashamed afterward?

He looks at the rose for a long second, trying to disentangle his thoughts.

"Goodnight my love!" The sweet voice of the rose echoes inside his head.

"Hello, beautiful!"

"How did the concert go?"

"Great! Really great..."

"What is the matter, then? You feel distressed."

"Can you feel me too, like you can hear me?"

"Yes, I can feel what's in your heart. You have feelings for the singer."

It does not go unnoticed to Tommy that she didn't word it as a question. "Apparently I do... But I have no idea what feelings those are."

"Well... You like him."

"Sure, I mean, what's not to like about him?" Tommy runs his fingers through his hair and sits on the chair beside the table where the flower pot is "He's smart and funny but he's also gentle and caring..."

"You told me last night he was rude to you..."

"Yeah, he was. I don't know what happened, but I think we're good now."

For a long moment, they remain silent while Tommy relives the concert in his mind. The way Evander was always smiling and seemed so radiant, his voice echoing so beautifully on the walls around them, but mostly, he replays over and over again the feel of his lips against the skin of his ear, the warmth of his hand on Tommy's hip, under his coat.

Should he kiss Evander? Should he want to kiss him?

Naria's voice comes as a whisper in his mind "Why not?"

Quickly, Tommy takes his costume off and puts some regular clothes, running downstairs again while calling for a taxi on the cell phone Evander gave him when he moved in.

When the car stops in front of the club, he throws the money to the driver and runs to the door. The huge bouncer blocks his way inside with a massively muscled arm. "ID, kid."

"Oh, C'mon! I'm 30 years old, man!"

"Yeah, right! Last chance, show me your ID or I'll call the police."

Grumbling Tommy shuffles around in his pockets and retrieves his wallet and from it, his ID card. The man examines it with a small UV flashlight, searching for signs of falsification and after a few seconds, gives it back to Tommy, opening the door for him. "Go ahead."

The club is packed, loud music and blinding lights messing with his senses. He looks around searching for the band but it's hard to see in there. Tommy figures they must be in the VIP area, but that is on the other side of the packed dance floor. With an annoyed sigh, he elbows his way through the compact mass of human bodies, getting his ass groped at least three times in that process.

Finally, he spots Sirus and Darius twin red manes and pushes his way towards them.

There's another huge man beside the small staircase that leads to the VIP area, but Tommy doesn't acknowledge him, passing right beside the guy.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" The guy shouts, grabbing him by his shirt. "How did you get in here, kid?!"

"Not again!" Tommy grunts shoving his ID to the man. "I'm with Evander Vikram's band, so let me go!"

"Haha Nice try! Move along now."

"Damn it." Tommy looks around almost desperately and that's when he sees Kadmus at the bar.

Turning his back to the security guard without another word, he once again elbows his way through the crowd.

"Tommy! Nice to see you here, mate!"

"Hi K. I'm looking for Evander. Do you know where he is?"

"Last time I saw him, he was at our table. Why didn't you..."

"The security guy wouldn't let me pass."

"Oh, right! Do you want something to drink?" Tommy shakes his head "Ok, come along then."

The bassist suppresses his impulse to flip the security guard off, as he climbs the stairs with Kadmus, but only because he's too busy scanning the tables. Evander is not there, though.

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence!" Darius snarls, the sarcasm in his voice noticeable even above the loud music.

"Fuck off Rusty. Where's Evander?"

With a sardonic smile, Darius points to the dance floor. It doesn't take much time for Tommy to spot the singer amongst the people dancing.

There he is, messy hair over his forehead, a lecherous smile curving one side of his lips and his hands on... Newton's hip?!

"Fuck!" He mutters and he knows he should avert his gaze, but he simply can't. It's like a bloody car crash on the side of the road or a TV in the dentist office: It's dreadful and distressful to look at, but you just can't help it.

They are laughing, and grinding their hips together with the rhythm of the music. Newton has his long fingers wrapped around Evander's neck and shoulder and he's looking at the singer's lips like they contain all the secrets of this life.

When their lips touch, Tommy turns around abruptly, shaken and confused. He looks around to check if the others noticed his internal melt down, but they seem mercifully unaware.

Then, Tommy decides that that's the perfect time to drink himself into oblivion.

# Chapter IX – The Kitten Dies

Evander doesn't know exactly how he ended up in Newton's arms, or why they are kissing. He's a little intoxicated and this feels good, so he figures it's ok. Newton's scent was something that had always drawn him in. He smells like home, like good times and coziness. And Evander needs that right now. He feels bad for leaving Tommy behind, for being rude to him the day before and for not having the answers he needs.

He knows he must go back and apologize to him but Newton's arms are warm and heavy on his shoulders and his lean body presses comfortably against his own. He snuggles closer to his neck, filling his lungs with the scent coming from the long blond hair.

Suddenly, he feels Newton pushing him away gently and nudging his chin up. Their eyes meet in the colorful lights of the club and Newton smiles warmly.

"Feeling better, dear?"

"Yes, thank you. But I think we should go back... Tommy's alone and..."

"Tommy... Yeah, we should go back..." Even with his brain function slowed down by the alcohol, Evander notices the sad tone in the other's voice.

"What's wrong New?"

"Nothing. Come, let's go back to the others."

Hand in hand they cross the dance floor and climb the few steps to the VIP area. When they reach their table, Tommy is finishing a pint of beer that decidedly looks too big for him.

"Kitten, you came!" Newton cheers up, smiling as bright as he can.

"Obviously." Tommy blurts out, grabbing a shot glass and downing it.

Evander looks from Tommy to Aliz to Bhanks but nobody offers him an answer for his unasked question.

"How long have you been here?"

Tommy doesn't answer that either, so Bhanks says: "He arrived a few minutes after you and Newton went to the dance floor. Has been drinking like a maniac since."

"Right... I think it's time for us to go." Evander says taking the third shot glass from Tommy's hand before he drinks that one too.

"Hey! Give it back, you asshole!"

"You're the angry type, huh?! C'mon Kitten, you're drunk enough already."

"Fuck you!"

"No. Not today. C'mon, up!" Tommy crosses his arms over his chest and turns his face away from Evander. "Tommy, if you don't get on your feet right now, I swear to the Providence I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here!"

"Fuck off, leave me alone!"

"Evander..." Aliz tries to intervene, but Evander glares at her.

"We are leaving!" he says to the others, while stretching his long strong arms towards Tommy, grabbing him by his waist and throwing the slim body over his shoulder, like he promised.

"Let me go, you fucking bastard!"

"Shut up! You're making a scene!"

The crew gets into the two large cars that are waiting for them in a mortified silence. Tommy tries to get as far away as possible from Evander by almost sitting in Aliz's lap. She looks at Stephen who shrugs and kisses her forehead.

When they get to the parking lot where the bus and the RV are parked, the four drivers are assembled outside, smoking and drinking.

"Damn it! Please tell me two of you are in conditions to drive!" Evander grunts.

"Yes, yes! Of course Mr.Vikram. You want to leave now? We were told that we should go at dawn..."

"That was before. I want to get to the next city as soon as possible."

Promptly, they put their cigarettes down and throw the beer bottles away.

"All aboard!" Evander shouts "We're leaving."

By now, Kadmus has Tommy sitting on one of the chairs in the main floor of the bus and is searching the fridge for a water bottle.

"Leave him to me, Kadmus. Go rest."

"I don't want you around!" Tommy shouts groggily.

Kadmus looks uncertain between them, so Evander puts a hand on his shoulders and says: "That's ok. I can handle a drunken kitten!"

"Fuck you Mr. Superstar!"

"Ok... Just don't kill each other, please."

"Are you sober enough to tell me what's happening?" Evander says, as soon as Kadmus steps disappear on the second floor.

"Fuck off."

"You're getting repetitive, Thomas."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." The bassist gets up on uncertain feet, heading to the stairs. Evander follows him closely to catch him if he falls, which almost happens twice.

The bunks are empty, there's a hum of music in the air and the door to the living room behind them is closed. The guys are giving them the privacy they need.

"You need to hydrate, Kitten, or you're going to be sick."

"Stop calling me that!" Tommy shouts turning back to face the singer. "You don't have the right! Not when you're kissing another guy!"

Oh! So that is the problem! Evander thinks, a fond smile curving his lips.

"Tommy, I..." He starts, but the bassist turns his back to him again and runs towards the bathroom. Soon enough, Evander hears the characteristic sound of someone throwing up.

The singer follows Tommy and finds him slumped against the toilet, breathing heavily. Without a word, he kneels beside him and combs the blond hair with his fingers, holding it away from his face right on time for another wave of spasms.

A few minutes of heavy breathing and small whimpers pass until Evander says softly: "Do you think you're finished?"

Tommy nods weakly, so Evander pulls him up gently by his shoulders and helps him brush his teeth and wash his face.

"You need to hydrate. I'll get you some water..." Evander opens a minibar that Tommy didn't notice before and grabs a bottle.

"I need to eat something, my mouth still tastes awful."

"It won't do you any good. Here, drink at least half of the bottle."

Tommy obeys, sitting on the edge of Evander's bed. A few minutes of awkward silence later he returns the empty bottle to the singer.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I just threw up everything inside me."

"Stay there for a second, I'll get more water downstairs." He hears Tommy mumbling something unintelligible and smiles.

So the little kitten was jealous of him and Newton! That's interesting... And promising. He knows he promised Bhanks he wouldn't seduce the bassist, but if the bassist in question is already willing, he wouldn't exactly be breaking his promise.

When he gets back, with an armful of water bottles, Tommy is sprawled on his bed, snoring lightly. Storing the water in a cabinet, Evander strips from his clothes then proceeds to do the same with Tommy. His creamy skin distracts the singer for a second, his plumped lips tempt him.

"Ah Kitten," he whispers, pulling the covers from under him and bringing the bassist up on the bed so his head is lying on a pillow "This would be so much easier if we were normal people, living normal lives..."

Then Tommy turns to his side facing Evander and mumbles something that sounds a lot like "Don't wanna be normal."

"Yeah Kitten" He says, smiling and pulling him to rest his head on the singer's bare shoulder "Don't wanna be normal either." Evander kisses his forehead and closes his eyes, lulled to sleep by the sound of the tires on the smooth road.

The first thing Tommy notices when he wakes up, hours later is that his stomach is hurting, the second, is that his bladder is about to explode and the third and most disturbing one: he's in someone's arms! Resting his head on a soft and broad shoulder!

He opens one eye at a time, facing the strong column of someone's neck. That scent... Evander!

Startled, he moves away frantically to the other side of the bed, his head and back hitting the wall.

What the fuck happened? He thinks looking at Evander's sleeping - and half naked! - body. Did they have sex? No... That's impossible! Right?!

Tommy does a quick body check. No weird pains or discomforts.

"Ok... no sex then... Good... Good!" He whispers to himself. He gets out the bed quickly, running to the bathroom to relieve himself.

His reflection in the mirror over the small sink is a disaster. There are bags under his eyes. And dark circles! His head is pounding and his mouth tastes like trash.

"What did I do?" He says, rubbing his wet hands over his face.

Getting out of the bathroom he risks a glance towards the singer's sleeping form. He's gorgeous. Magnificent, really and... inaccessible.

Despite all the sexual innuendos and jokes, Tommy knows it's true. Even more so now that he saw Evander and Newton together. They belong together and they would be great as a couple.

Tommy sighs and turns back to his bunk, petting Naria lightly on his way.

"Tommy, love..." She says softly.

"Not now, dear. Sorry."

He lies down in his bunk, the curtains firmly closed and tries to get back to sleep, but he's too awake now, his mind working miles per hour.

Eventually, he hears the others getting up, chatting in low voices and moving around the bus. He pays attention to every single noise. The shower running and stopping, the toilet being flushed, the curtains being opened. They are still driving, so every once in a while someone stumbles into a wall with a sudden movement of the vehicle.

Then, the noises move downstairs, and he hears the tinkle of cutlery and the clank of pans and plates. Soon enough, he smells bacon and Newton's delicious oatmeal and his stomach grumbles angrily.

"Go eat your breakfast!" Naria says, from her flower pot.

"I don't want to deal with people right now."

"Ok..."

A few seconds later, Tommy feels his stomach stop hurting from hunger.

"What happened?"

"I sent you a little of my life force, so you don't hurt."

"Oh! Thank you, love but you didn't need to. I'll be ok."

"Fine, then. But when you decide to get out of your enclosure, I could use some watering."

"Bloody Depths! I'm so sorry love!" Tommy jumps out of his bed and grabs a bottle from the cabinet, pouring half of it in the soil and some over the leaves and petals. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Tommy is ready to climb back to his bunk when Newton appears at the top of the stairs.

"You're awake! Good! There's bacon and oatmeal on the stove."

"Not hungry, thank you." The bassist grunts, not looking at the other blond man. He gets back in his bed and closes the privacy curtains harshly.

When the bus finally stops, waking Tommy up from a superficial sleep, the bassist hears steps rushing outside and some very loud yawns reach his tiny window. A few seconds later, Newton opens the curtains, his face more serious than Tommy has ever seen.

"We need to talk. Come on." Not giving time for Tommy to say anything, the Alchemist turns around, grabbing Naria's pot on his way to the stairs.

Blinking stupidly, Tommy takes a few seconds to get out of bed and pull on some decent looking clothes.

When he gets outside, he sees that the venue of their next gig is close to a dense small forest. A smile of pure joy curls his lips and he fills his lungs with the smell of trees and clean air.

"This way!" He hears and turns his head to the back of the bus. Newton is there with Naria in one arm and a basket dangling from the other.

"What's going on?" The bassist asks. Newton doesn't answer, just keeps walking and Tommy follows.

Half an hour later, they reach a clearing where Newton finally stops. He puts Naria's pot on the ground under a tree and the basket beside her.

"Evander told me you saw us last night," The Alchemist says, turning around. "And that's why you were so upset."

"New, I... I'm so sorry! I know I have no right to feel this way. I was just..."

"You like him, feeling upset is natural."

For a second, Tommy considers denying it, but what good would that do? "I do like him, but if you two love each other, I have no right to..."

"Evander doesn't love me." Newton interrupts him, getting closer. "What you saw last night was a fluke. Evander was feeling upset and he always says that my scent calms him. I took him to the dance floor, so we could be away from the others and he could let his guard down."

"But you were kissing..."

"Yes." Newton says blushing "That was my fault. I couldn't resist him being so close to me. It won't happen again, don't worry and if you like him, you should be together."

"But you love him..."

Newton's expression softens a lot and a sad smile curves his lips. "I do and I have for a long time now, but I'm not the man of his destiny."

"How do you..."

"I've seen it. Now, enough with the maudlin talk. Do you want to learn how to communicate with animals?"

The hours pass quickly, with Tommy totally involved with this new ability. Animals are fascinating to talk to as are the tall, old trees in the woods around them. They teach him a lot about his Magic and life in general.

Newton seems fascinated by him, always smiling like a proud older brother.

"It's mesmerizing!" The Alchemist says after Tommy conjures a small storm cloud in the palm of his hand "You can do things I never knew were possible!"

"Really?"

"Yes! I really hope we find our Queen someday, she would love you."

"Can you tell me more about her?"

"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She's strong and wise and very powerful. In fact, she's the most powerful sorceress born in the last 1500 years, that's why she's the Queen."

"What's her name?"

"Her name was once Layung, but she gave up on it when she became the Red Queen. Only the ones who are truly close to her had permission to call her by her given name."

"It's a beautiful name... Was Evander one of those people? He speaks very fondly of her."

"Yes, he was. And Aliz and myself but Evander was her favorite. There was a rumor for some time that she would choose him as her consort."

"And she didn't?"

"No. She knew Evander was gay; although we didn't use that word back them. Gay used to mean very different things."

"Like joyful and happy, right?!"

"Yes, and..." Then Newton's phone starts to ring in his pocket. He picks it up and looks to the screen "Speaking of the Mage... Hi, E... Yes, he's with me, Ally knows. He made a lot of progress... Ok, ok, we'll be right back." He ends the call and looks up to Tommy "Time to go, the boss is calling."

"What does he want?" Tommy asks, getting up and cleaning his pants with his hands.

"Nothing much. He booked us a nice hotel in town for tonight."

"I thought the reason why we have such a fancy bus was to avoid hotels."

"It is, but Evander hates sleeping in the bus, so we'll have the hotels whenever possible."

"Oh!" That's all Tommy says. He won't bite the hand that's lulling him to sleep, but he does prefer a hotel bed to his tiny bunk. He grabs Naria's pot "Let's get going, then. We have a long way back."

He hears Newton laughing and when Tommy looks back at him, the Alchemist twists his hand in the air and a cloud of green dust surrounds them. When the cloud vanishes, they are at the parking lot.

"Sick!" Tommy whispers, looking around.

Newton takes the flower pot from him and heads to the bus' door "Come along, Kitten. You need to eat..."

"All that I'm saying is that it's all too weird!" Tommy hears a voice saying inside the bus "Only the other day he didn't know Magic was real and now he's mastering it? C'mon!"

"Darius... We had agreed that your suspicions towards Tommy were baseless!"

"No Evander. I only agreed to teach him how to make spells but, obviously, he doesn't need that. Besides, we all can agree that Peter is a way better bassist..."

Shocked, Tommy waits for someone to defend him but no one says a thing. Not even Evander. Hurt and with tears in his eyes, he turns around and runs away. From the bus, from his disappointment with the men inside, from his own thoughts.

He runs until his legs give up and he falls on his knees. His lungs burn, his muscles are twitching from the exercise and his head pounds madly.

Suddenly, a shiver runs over his body, a bad feeling shakes his very core and Tommy looks around for the first time. He's alone in a dark alley, tall buildings projecting their shadows over him. He gets up and turns around to leave that sinister place, but a sudden whirlwind makes him fall against the wall behind him. Tommy swallows forcefully, looking around. He knows something is going to happen and he braces himself.

And as sure as the moon above his head, there it is, a huge monster made of dust, similar to the one he dreamed about the very day he moved in Evander's house. It doesn't have a face, but sure as the Depths, it has strong looking arms and long fingers that stretch towards the bassist.

He covers his face with his shaky arms and waits for the attack but when it hits him, is almost like nothing. Except for the fact that Tommy's now being shaken and rattled against the walls.

The pain consumes him, threatening his consciousness. Tommy's sure he's going to die in that alley, alone and rejected by the only friends he ever had but somehow, the only thing he can lament is that he'll never know the feeling of Evander's lips on his.

He's on the ground now and there isn't a part of his body that doesn't hurt. He tastes blood in his mouth and can't breathe right because of what feels like several broken ribs. When he hears the voice, his heart skips a beat. It's very convenient that the Herald of Death has his voice. Tommy would follow that voice to the Depths and back. He forces himself to open his eyes, for he couldn't possibly miss the arrival of the Herald but it's not the silhouette full of light that's entering the alley. It's Evander! And he's fighting the beast! With all his might he fights back and Tommy's mesmerized by the vision.

And Evander fights bravely but he's no match for a monster made of air. His blows pass right through it, but the monster hits him almost every time. Soon he's on the ground too, just a few steps away from Tommy.

And it's with utter horror that the bassist watches as the monster grabs a loose paving stone and lifts it over Evander's head.

Something snaps inside of him, something powerful and inexplicable takes over and the last thing Tommy hears is his own voice screaming: "NO!"

# Chapter X – The Lion Rises

As soon as Newton noticed Tommy's flight, Evander ran after him sending his Magic ahead to track the bassist.

Evander began to run even faster when his energy started moving erratically and when he finally reaches the filthy alley, the scene in front of him freezes the singer on the spot.

"Tommy!" he shouts, watching as a wind golem throws Tommy's body on the ground.

Evander attacks with everything he has, bringing the monster's attention over to him. It's the same kind of creature he and his men fought two weeks earlier and he knows he has no chance against it. Physical attacks don't affect it, nor do the magical ones and the mighty Mage Warrior quickly loses hope. When a powerful blow from the golem sends him to the ground and his entire body thrashes, he knows it's over. He failed to protect Tommy and his friends.

The golem is ready to drop a heavy rock on his head when Evander hears Tommy screaming, he moves his head up just to look at him one last time but a blinding white light fills the walls of the alley, distracting the golem long enough for Evander to roll away from it.

He hears a roar, really low for a second but when the bright light fades, it grows in intensity and volume and suddenly it's deafening! And then Evander sees it: a huge lion with a golden mane.

Another loud roar comes from its mouth and the sound wave hits the golem powerfully, making it disappear.

Then the lion blinks, seeming confused and his big, intelligent eyes turn towards Evander, still lying on the dirty pavement. It sniffs the air and gets closer. Some parts of Evander's brain are telling him to be afraid, to attack this new beast and run, but the singer ignores his mind. Somehow he knows there's no reason for him to be afraid.

He follows the huge feline's movements around him until it reaches his leg, where Evander's is bleeding profusely. The lion emits a high pitched sound, almost like a whine and touches the singer's wounded leg with his cold nose and then, runs the rough tongue over the injury. Evander feels it burn for a second and then the pain is gone and he's not bleeding anymore.

"Thank you," He says softly, sitting up. The big flat head turns towards him and the golden eyes lock on Evander's blue ones. "Can I... Can I touch you?"

The beast blinks again and takes a few steps closer connecting his head to Evander's outstretched hand. When his skin touches the soft fur, the lion's eyes shut and the heavy body falls to the ground. The next moment, Evander sees himself with his hand on Tommy's head and the bassist's naked body over his.

"Bloody Depths!" He shouts, his voice echoing on the walls around them. "Tommy? Are you ok? Tommy, talk to me!"

Not a sound comes from the bassist and Evander is starting to panic when he notices that Tommy's body is shivering from cold. Relieved, Evander throws his long jacket over the small body and puts his arms firmly around him before a cloud of Magic surrounds them to take them away from the dirty alley.

When Evander opens his eyes, he's in a hotel room with Tommy still in his arms. The others are around them in a second.

"What happened?" Kadmus asks, taking the unconscious bassist in his arms so Evander can get up.

"I'm not sure I know how to answer that, K..." The singer exclaims, accepting Bhanks' hand to pull him up. "A wind golem attacked him and I stepped in but like the other one, there wasn't much I could do besides distract it so it didn't kill Tommy."

"But you are both here and alive. What happened?" Sirus says, looking sideways to his brother, who was the cause of all this.

"Tommy turned into a lion."

"What?!" Kadmus, Sirus, and Darius shout in unison.

Aliz, Bhanks, and Newton exchange glances in silence while the Healer makes some clothes appear on the bassist's body.

"You heard me. The golem was about to send me to the Other Side when a bright light filled the alley and then there it was! This huge, and I mean huge lion! It was at least 9 feet long. The lion roared and the golem disappeared."

"Just like that?" Darius says, arching one eyebrow.

"If you can call it 'just,' then yes, just like that." Evander retaliates, turning to Aliz, who has her hands over Tommy's forehead and heart now. "Is he alright?"

"Yes. He'll wake up when he's ready."

"So, what are we dealing with here?" Sirus asks.

"As I suspected all along," Newton says very satisfied with himself. "Tommy is a Shifter."

Evander grunts, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's impossible. They disappeared a long time ago."

"Well, what other explanation do you have to offer us, Milord Warrior?" The Alchemist responds, disdainfully.

"How the Depths would I know?" The singer claims unwillingly. "Ally, what do you say?"

"I say that it's time for you to stop being so resentful of the Shifters, Evander! We won the Last War despite their absence and they never promised to help us. They did what they thought was the best for them."

"But..."

"Tommy is a Shifter, Evander." The Healer cuts in "And he's here for a great, magnificent purpose."

"Which is...?"

"I can't tell you. Not right now, at least."

"Damn it! Why does everything have to be so encrypted and mysterious?!"

"Because otherwise, life would be boring." She says with a benevolent smile. "Now, he's ready to wake up, but I don't think he should see all of us here around him. You should stay, Evander and explain to him what happened, but please don't be judgmental; Tommy has nothing to do with what his kind did back then."

"Ok, I know! I know!"

The crew leaves the room and Evander turns back to the bed where Tommy lies immobile. Following a hunch, he starts to sing softly the one song he knows is Tommy's favorite.

Tommy hears voices around him, but he can't understand what they are saying. He notices that they sound disturbed, though. Minutes later only one voice remains... Evander is singing to him and the sound of his voice makes the bassist want to open his eyes and look at the beautiful grayish blue ones.

His eyelids flutter for a second and then he's facing Evander, whose big smile almost makes his eyes disappear.

"Welcome back Kitten!"

Suddenly, his eyes are filling with tears and he jumps forward on the bed to throw his arms around Evander's shoulders.

He tries to speak but his voice doesn't come out audibly. In a second, Evander has a glass of water fluttering his way.

After a sip, he clears his throat and tries again: "Thanks," Tommy says, smiling back at Evander, completely oblivious to the fact that his face is marked with tears. "I can't believe we are both alive! Are you ok?"

"Yes, I am. Are you?" Evander reaches forward and dries Tommy's cheeks with his thumb.

"I think so. I feel like my skin expanded like a balloon, but it's not a bad feeling, to be honest."

"Do you remember what happened in the alley?"

"Some of it." Tommy sits straight on the mattress, his back against the headboard. "The monster made of dust attacked me and then it attacked you... I... I thought I was going to lose you."

"You almost did." Getting closer, Evander tilts Tommy's head up so their eyes lock in each other. "You saved my life, Kitten. Thank you."

"I saved...? How?" Tommy shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, trying to gather his memories. "I remember that I saw the monster lifting a rock over your head and then I screamed... The rest is a blur."

"Well, it turns out that you're even more special than any of us thought at first." Tommy blinks at him, confused "You are a Shifter, Tommy."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you're not a Human, nor a Mage. You belong to a totally different kind. The Shifter People have strong magical abilities with Nature and they can transform their bodies into an animal."

"An animal? I turned into an animal?"

"Yes. The most magnificent lion I've ever seen."

"A lion? Why a lion?"

"I don't know, but it's funny, isn't it?"

"What's funny?"

"We have been calling you Kitten all this time."

A few seconds of baffled silence latter, Tommy says: "I guess I can't scold you for calling me that anymore..."

They laugh loudly, the tension of the last hour finally dissipating.

"Damn! I have so much to tell you, to teach you!"

Tommy keeps quiet for a moment, looking lingeringly at Evander's perfect face, where a shadow of a scruff is beginning to show, his mind going back to his last conscious thought.

"Can we leave that for later? I don't wanna talk about this right now."

"What do you want to talk about, then? Or would you prefer to go to sleep?"

"No, I'm not tired at all but..." Tommy takes a deep breath and raises his eyes to look at the singer through his eyelashes "When that thing..."

"It was a wind golem."

"Right, wind golem. When the golem was about to kill you with that rock, the only thing I could think of was that I never kissed you..."

"Tommy, you shouldn't feel obligated to do it because of the fans. I know you like Newton and..." Evander starts, but the bassist shushes him by putting a long finger over the plumped lips.

"New is great and very handsome but it wasn't him in my mind at that moment. It was you, Evander. I couldn't bear the thought that we were going to die and I would never have the chance to feel what it is like to be kissed by you... To be with you."

"Tommy..."

"Kiss me! Please!"

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"I don't know, but why should it matter?" As Evander remains silent, looking attentively in his eyes, Tommy sighs and rests his back against the headboard again. "You don't need to if you don't wanna... I mean, it's no big deal, I..."

Suddenly, he feels big hands on his face bringing him forward. "Never say something you want is 'no big deal,' Tommy. Never!" Evander says "I've wanted to kiss you since I first laid eyes on you."

When their lips finally touch each other, it feels like nothing Tommy ever experienced. If he felt like coming home when he entered Newton's greenhouse, kissing Evander takes that feeling to a whole new level. It feels right and good and meant to be.

Tommy deepens the kiss just because he can and because no amount of Evander's touch is enough for him anymore. He runs his tongue across the plumped bottom lip, provoking a gasp from the singer, which gives him free access to the insides of his mouth. Evander's hands are caressing his back and his fingers are tangled in the singer's thick hair. He wishes he didn't need to breathe... He wishes they could stay exactly like this forever.

But they do need to breathe and they can't stay attached to each other forever, so eventually he lets go of the dark locks and reclines against the headboard to look at Evander's flushed face and swollen lips.

Apparently his own lips are quite a show also because Evander reaches forward and traces his bottom lip with his thumb. "Damn! You look so hot like this! I wish I could..." Evander starts but bites his own lip to make himself stop.

"What? What do you wish you could do?"

"I wish I could take you," The singer claims, playing with a strand of blond hair that fell on Tommy's eyes. "Make you mine forever."

Tommy then puts his long fingers around Evander's wrist, twisting it so he can kiss the sensitive skin. "Who said you can't?"

"I promised Bhanks that I wouldn't seduce you."

"What does Bhanks have to do with us?"

Us. That simple word coming from Tommy's lips and in that context makes Evander shiver but he knows that if they have a chance to be together, Tommy must know the truth. The dark haired singer takes a deep breath and looks straight to the big brown eyes in front of him.

"I can't lie to you, Tommy... I'm a bit of a man-whore. I tend to seek attention and love all in the wrong places and I often mistake lust for love and because of that, I have broken several hearts before... Bhanks just doesn't want me to do that to you because we need to keep you close. I can't risk hurting you so badly you want to leave us. Do you understand?"

Tommy takes his time to think and then, smiles lightly "Well, the way I see it, you have two options," Evander nods for him to continue "You can say you don't want to be with me and break my heart right now without further ado..."

"I don't think I like that option..."

"Or!" Tommy interrupts, raising a brow "You can promise me that you'll be on your best behavior and I can promise you I will always try to understand your actions... Either way, I won't leave. I love you guys too much already and I know the Queen needs me."

"Are you even real?" Evander mutters, leaning forward to brush his lips with Tommy's.

"I'm not sure, right now. Maybe tomorrow." He jokes.

"I'll let you rest then."

"No, stay with me!" Tommy says grabbing Evander's hand again "Unless you have something important to do right now..."

"I must have a conversation with Darius, but I can do that tomorrow. Besides, he needs to apologize to you. It was because of him that you ran away, wasn't it?"

"No." Tommy replies somber, thinking for the first time about what made him flee "I'm used to his suspicions. I ran because nobody said anything to defend me."

Evander sits heavily back on the bed. "Fuck, Tommy! I'm so sorry! You got it all wrong!"

"How can I have misunderstood your silence?"

"Nobody said a thing because I froze time around me so I could calm myself down before I beat the shit out of Darius."

"You did what?"

"I froze time. It's a very useful skill."

"Damn! That's seriously cool! Can you teach me?"

"Of course, Kitten. Now lie down, time to sleep. We'll have a busy day tomorrow." With that, Evander takes off his shirt and shoes and lies down next to Tommy under the covers.

Tommy wakes up early the next morning, his back pressed tightly against Evander's chest, their legs entwined and his heavy arm around Tommy's waist.

He feels contented and at peace for the first time since all this magic stuff happened in his life. He knows everything will be alright now because Evander will be there to protect him. Damn! If things continue to progress it might come to a point when Tommy will be able to protect Evander! That thought makes the bassist laugh.

"Someone is in a good mood this morning," Evander says and his warm breath on Tommy's skin makes the bassist shiver.

"Of course! I just woke up in the arms of the most powerful and gorgeous man that ever existed!"

"And you said you were not a morning person..."

"People change," Tommy replies turning around and burying his face in Evander's neck. "I never thought I would want to snuggle up with a six-foot tall tattooed guy who can sing and freeze time."

"That's a special combination. Nobody can resist it." Evander says, smug.

"Oh, really?" With a sly smile, Tommy straddles Evander's waist, placing his hands on both sides of the singer's head. "How many innocent boys like me have you tricked into your bed with that sweet voice of yours?"

"Oh, I lost count eons ago." The singer replies, rolling his eyes.

"You cocky little bastard!" Tommy laughs, grinding his hips against Evander's.

Evander grunts and grinds back "How can I be a bastard? I don't even have a mother!"

At that note, Tommy straightens his posture, increasing the pressure on Evander's crotch. "Oh, my mom will have a full day with this thing between us! She's a big fan, you know? I bet she..."

"Tommy, let's not talk about your mom right now, ok?" Evander says sneaking his fingers under the loose t-shirt Aliz had put on him the night before. "I was dreaming about getting my hands on you."

"Really? Only your hands?"

"For a start yes, then we can see where it goes..."

"I think I like that."

In a second, Evander has Tommy pinned on the mattress and his lips on the blonde's mouth.

They are so involved in each other's mouths that they almost miss the insistent knock on their window.

"What the Depths is that noise?!" Evander finally shouts, giving up on making a bite mark on Tommy's neck turn purple.

The couple looks around until they notice the big bird pecking on the window.

"Harry?" Tommy says, eyes widening "Evander, open the window! It's Harry!"

The bird flies inside the room as soon as Evander opens the window, cawing frantically and lands on an armchair.

"Hello Mr. Maynard! To what do we own the pleasure of your visit?" The singer says, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"He says hello and that's a pleasure to see you again." Tommy translates. "And he's here to talk to me."

"Oh! Do you want privacy then?"

"There's no need, but it will be boring for you."

"Oh, no problem. I'll take a shower while you talk then."

Tommy follows Evander's movements until he locks himself in the bathroom.

"So... I can hear you now... What's different?" Tommy says in his head, turning back to the Higher Plaines bird.

"Your soul is fully awake now. You only need to practice and get to know your Magic to be as powerful as anyone in Evander's band." Harold says, blinking his smart eyes to Tommy.

"Newton thought me how to communicate with animals yesterday, but everyone I talked too only sent me images. How can I actually hear you?"

"That's because I'm no regular animal. I am a Shifter, like you."

"Why didn't you come to Evander in human form then? He would have taken you in, I'm sure of it..."

Harold takes a minute to answer and Tommy notices that. "Like others of my... pardon me, our kind, I've been trapped in my animal form since the days of the Last War."

"You have been trapped inside yourself? That's awful!"

"Yes indeed." Although the bird isn't able to show emotion in its face, Tommy is sure he can see the sorrow in Harold's complexion. "But, that's why I'm here. I think, and our Queen agrees with me, that you're possibly the only one who can free us all."

"But how? I don't even know how to shift myself!"

"That's the easiest part. I can teach you."

"Ok. What do I do?"

"You must free your mind and spirit. Find the lion inside of you and become one with it. Once you do that, you'll be able to listen, see and even think better. The shifting comes easily from there. "

As Harold talks, Tommy closes his eyes and takes deep breaths over and over, trying to remember the meditation techniques that his sister taught him once. He looks inside his own mind for a moment, searching for something different, something new to him. He sees his mother and sister and even the photograph of his father, the only memory he has of the man who was supposed to raise him. Surrounding those memories is a warm golden mist. He follows that mist deeper and deeper until it becomes so thick, he can hardly breathe. And from the mist, pacing gracefully towards him it comes: a magnificent beast with dark golden fur and a mane that seems to be made of threads of pure gold. Its eyes are big and of a bright gold. Surprisingly enough, Tommy sees himself in those eyes and feels a smile on his face while getting on his knees to greet his other half.

The lion takes another step forward and joins its forehead with Tommy's forehead and the bassist feels a warm feeling taking over his body, as the lion vanishes in thin air. He knows the beast isn't gone, though. He feels it inside himself, like a long lost puzzle piece that was finally found.

As Tommy opens his eyes, he notices that the world seems brighter and much louder. He looks around the room and for a second, gets distracted by the flakes of dust dancing in the sun light. When his laugh comes out as a low grunt, Tommy looks back at Harold, still perched on the chair's arm.

"How do I look?" He asks playful, finally catching his reflection in a full length mirror.

"Magnificent. Truly majestic."

"I can't wait for the others to see this! Now, how can I help you turn back to human?"

"I honestly don't know..."

Frustrated, Tommy grunts again, his clawed paws kneading the carpeted floor. Once again he turns back to inside his mind, letting the Magic in the lion speak to him.

When he opens his eyes again, Tommy knows what to do. He gets closer to the bird and roars quietly, just a blow of air in his direction. A moment later, there's a tall, lean man sitting on the arm chair. And he's crying while looking mesmerized to his own hands.

Tommy quickly shifts back to human and pulls the man up and into his arms, hugging him while he cries.

# Chapter XI – Change of Perspective

Getting out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and another drying his hair, Evander is excited to know what Maynard had to talk about with Tommy. He's not prepared for the scene before him though "What the fucking fuck?!"

The two – naked – men hugging in the middle of the room separate from each other to look at him. Quickly, Tommy grabs the bed sheet and throws it over Harold's shoulders.

"Evander, Harry is a Shifter too!"

"I can see that. Which means that you came to my house for all these years and didn't have the courtesy to introduce yourself to us."

"Evander, why are you being so rude? Harry..."

"That's ok, Tommy. Evander does not hold our people in high regard and he's allowed to think like that."

"I'm allowed!? Well, thank you so much, Mr. Maynard!" Evander interrupts, sarcastically. "My life feels complete now."

Standing beside Harry, with a comforter from the bed around his waist, Tommy stares at the singer and the bitterness in his voice makes him uncomfortable. "Evander, why are you acting like this? Harry did nothing to you!"

"That's exactly the problem here, Tommy. He did nothing. His entire kind, every single person. They did nothing. They let my men die defending the Kingdom when they could, very easily, have ended it all in minutes! Will you deny that, Maynard?"

"No, I won't. But I would like to finally explain to you what happened that day."

"To the Depths with your explanations, Shifter! Men died in that battle, good men. My friends!" A heavy tear escapes from Evander's eye and roll down his cheek before he can dry it.

"Evander..." Tommy says softly, reaching for Evander's hand at the same time a knock on the door announces the rest of the band.

"What's happening?" Kadmus asks, looking from one man to the others.

"Maynard. Good to see you again." The guitarist says, carefully.

"Greetings Master Bhanks. I trust you're well?"

"You already know each other?" Tommy asks, confused.

"Yes. From the golden days in the Red Queen's court. I'm glad you're all here... I have a lot to tell you."

"I won't listen! I refuse!" Evander shouts.

"Evander! Stop being so stubborn!" Aliz scolds "And childish!"

The singer winces and she knows she hit the right spot. Evander always hated when someone called him on his childish behavior.

"Go put some clothes on, you're distracting us with all those muscles showing." She jokes to lighten the mood in the room.

While the singer is searching his suitcase, she turns to Harold and Tommy, still covered in bedding. She produces a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for Tommy and a three piece suit for Harold.

"Thank you very much, Milady Healer!" He bows to her and smiles to the rest of the band. "I never dreamed I would be in front of you again..."

"Spit it out bird. I have no patience for the flattering comments coming from you," Evander grumbles, sitting next to Tommy on the edge of the bed.

"Very well. First of all, I bring greetings from our Majesty, the Red Queen. She asked me to transmit her regards and deep affection to all of you."

At that, they hear a sob coming from Aliz that had thrown herself in Bhanks' arms.

"Why is Ally so affected by what Harry said?" Tommy whispers at Evander.

"She had a deep connection with our Queen. The poor thing was miserable for months after she disappeared."

"Oh..."

"What happened to the Shifters?" Bhanks asks, still lulling Aliz in his arms.

"We were victims of a trap. All of us," Harold begins, looking straight into Evander's eyes. "When you invaded the dungeons under the fallen castle, we were determined to help you fight the usurper. Our leader was willing to give his own life if necessary, but... Something happened. We reached safety in the woods with the Lady," He gestures to Aliz "And we shifted, so we could recover our strength but then... We couldn't shift back."

"How come?!" Kadmus asks, a brow arched high.

"I don't know Master Kahn, but that's the truth. We never came back to help you because we were trapped in our animal forms. Incapable of even take care of ourselves."

"By the Providence!" Evander shouts getting up "We were deceived by the usurper!"

All heads turn to him, who is pacing furiously around the room. "She knew she wouldn't stand a chance against our army if the Shifter People were to help us, I mean, with their powers over Nature, her stick and stone soldiers would be no threat to us! So she imprisoned them and waited for us to go rescue them. If we were killed by her troops in the process, great, if not, she had a plan B."

"A very perfidiously clever plan B." Bhanks exclaims.

"What happened to you then," Tommy asks Harold.

"We searched through all five territories for someone who could hear us, but we never found anyone. Nature Magic is so rare outside our people and then the Magic simply stopped. There were no more children being born with magic and we lost our hopes. Until now."

Tommy smiles back at Harold and is about to say something when Bhanks calls for the Shifter's attention. The bassist then looks around the room searching for Evander.

The singer is leaned against a windowsill, staring at the bright sky. Tommy walks closer and enlaces the lean waist with his arms, pressing his face against Evander's shoulder blade.

"Are you okay, Ev?"

"Yes. I feel awful, but I'm alright. I can't believe I judged the Shifters so badly and hated them for all those years! I was so unfair!"

"There was no way for you to know the truth, Ev... Harry knows that."

"I know, but still... I always took pride in being a good, fair leader for my men and look how I acted with those innocents! I was so angry... I..."

Evander is shivering, so Tommy grabs him by the waist and makes him sit on the bed, promptly curling in his lap and enlacing his neck, holding the singer close.

"It's okay, baby. You can cry if you want."

Noticing the singer is still tense in his arms, Tommy looks up to his face to see him staring at the room, where his band is gathered around Harold, talking merrily. Then he remembers what Newton said about the other night in the club. Evander won't let his guard down in front of them.

He must get him out of there! "Evander, is Ally's room close to this one?"

"Next door, why?"

"Let's go there." Tommy then closes his eyes and concentrates to transport them to the other room. When the dark golden cloud dissipates, they are in an empty room.

Evander looks around again and seeing himself alone with Tommy he finally let himself cry, heavy tears and deep sobs leaving his body while the bassist holds him tightly. He cries for his fallen friends, for the wasted years feeding his anger and for the cruelty inflicted on the Shifters.

When his tears finally dry, Evander takes a deep breath and disentangles Tommy's arms from his neck.

"Thank you," He says, kissing the knuckles of Tommy's hands.

"You're welcome. Feeling better?"

Evander nods "I need to apologize to Harold."

"You'll have plenty of time for that later," Tommy says gently, drying a final tear with his thumb. "Now I need you to relax a little, ok?"

"I can do that."

Tommy smiles and plants a quick kiss on the singer's lips. "I'll get us some water and a wet towel for you to clean your face."

While Tommy's in the bathroom, Evander takes a deep breath. His leg is hurting again so he pulls the leg of his pants up and detaches the prosthetic limb, leaving it by his side on the bed.

He's massaging the stump when he hears a dull thump. Looking up, Evander sees that Tommy dropped a water bottle and is looking at him with shock in his beautiful eyes.

The bassist remains silent for so long that Evander starts to feel uncomfortable. He never felt any kind of insecurity because of his missing leg but somehow, Tommy's intense gaze makes him uneasy.

"Tommy... Is something amiss?" He finally asks, pulling the comforter over his lap.

Tommy blinks and shakes his head like he was pulled off of a dream. "No, I... I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a prosthetic leg."

"Does it bother you?" Evander asks, cautiously.

"Of course not! I'm just embarrassed I never noticed it."

"You weren't supposed to. I always have a concealing spell on it, so nobody notices it."

"So not even your fans know about it?"

"No. I would have to make up a story to explain it and I don't like lying."

"I know," Tommy smiles and sits between Evander's legs on the bed, handing him a bottle. "How did that happen?"

Evander takes a big swig of his bottle and passes an arm around Tommy's waist, reclining against the headboard. "It was on the day we invaded the dungeons of the fallen castle to free the Shifters. Some of my men and I stayed behind to hold back the usurper's army so Ally could take your people to safety. One of the stone golems attacked me and cut my leg off."

"And Ally couldn't make it grow back?"

"No, the blade was enchanted with a blocking spell. Fortunately for me, we had a very resourceful goldsmith in the court back then and he made me this beauty."

Tommy reaches forward and takes the leg made of gold and jewels in his hands. It's big since it serves as half thigh, knee, shin and foot and so beautifully made it takes Tommy's breath away. Green and blue faceted gems are embedded in the gold lamina decorated with delicate filigrees. In the knee and ankle joints it's possible to see the gears and pegs also made of gold, that make the movement possible.

"It's amazing! Is it the same piece the goldsmith made four hundred years ago?"

"Yes. Things were made to last back then. I only have to oil it from time to time."

"Is it comfortable?"

"Not at all. But I got used to it eventually."

"I'm sorry," Tommy says after a while.

"For what, Kitten?"

"For you feeling pain for all these years..." Suddenly, a spark flashes on Tommy's eyes and he perks his head, turning to face Evander "What if I can remove the spell on your leg? Do you think Ally could make it grow again?"

"Why do you think you can remove the spell? I don't mean to be rude Kitten, but our Queen tried and she couldn't do it."

"I don't know, but apparently I'm capable of a lot of things nobody thought was possible, maybe I can do that too..."

"Maybe. But let's talk to Ally first, ok?"

Tommy nods and smiles, looking attentively at Evander's face for a few seconds.

"What?" The singer asks, blushing under the intense scrutiny.

"I'm just looking at you. I can see way better now that the lion is part of me..." With a long finger, he traces the shape of Evander's jaw, nose and finally lips, where it lingers. "He likes you. Your smell and taste."

"Does your lion want to eat me?" The singer jokes, pulling the finger over his lips between them.

"Perhaps not in the way you're thinking." A slightly wicked smile curves the corners of Tommy's mouth while he leans forward to kiss Evander's neck and the singer would swear he saw a sparkle of gold in the blonde's almond eyes. "Fancy finishing what Harry interrupted?" He says, lips brushing Evander's earlobe.

"Great idea! Come here Kitten, let me kiss you." Tommy obliges, splitting his lips to grant Evander access to his mouth.

Big hands slide under his T-shirt while the warm tongue caresses his bottom lip and Tommy steady himself by grabbing the singer's shoulders. He's so firm and big under his hands and Tommy thinks how strange it is that he feels so comfortable in the arms of another man already.

Not that it matters much, he thinks biting back on Evander's tongue; sexuality is such an old concept anyway. He had only been with girls so far but he was never one to not look at a good piece of ass, regardless of if it's male or female. At that thought he chuckles, drawing Evander's attention.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," He says, biting his bottom lip. Then, Tommy pulls the white shirt over his head and places his knees at both sides of Evander's hips.

"Comfy?" The singer asks, rolling his hips up against Tommy's.

"Not much," He answers, fiddling with the zipper on Evander's pants "But I'm working on it."

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Kitten?"

Tommy scoffs rolling his eyes. "I've seen a dick before, Evander."

"Yeah, but did you grab and stroke one that is not your own?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything."

Evander lets out a raspy laugh and grabs Tommy's hips, pulling him down against his hard on.

Their eyes are locked on each other until the moment the bassist's long fingers wrap around Evander's shaft and the singer gives in to the urge to close his eyes.

Tommy revels in the sight before him. That gorgeous, powerful man so lost in pleasure and anticipation just because of him. His lion roars loudly inside his mind and suddenly, Tommy feels an urgent need to mark that man as his. He leans down then, biting lightly at Evander's neck, the light moan that escapes the singer encouraging him to increase the pressure.

Moving his hand slowly but firmly up and down Evander's shaft, Tommy nibbles lightly at his neck until the singer's breath gets uneven and hasty.

Satisfied with his work on the dark haired man's neck, Tommy turns his head up and whispers in his ear "Let me suck you off..."

Evander takes a sharp intake and grabs Tommy's hips tighter "Fucking Depths Kitten!"

"Is that a yes?"

"It's whatever you want."

"Sweet!" With a sideways smile and the shine of mischief in his eyes, the bassist crawls backward on the bed, pulling Evander's pants and underwear down with him. "Where should I begin?" He mutters audibly "There's so much to explore..." As he talks, Tommy runs the tips of his fingers lightly along the extension of Evander's cock.

"I never thought of you as a talker, Kitten... Much less a tease."

Tommy laughs and the gush of air brushes the skin wet with pre-come, then he pokes his tongue out and gives the member a kitten-like lick before putting his mouth around the blunt head.

Evander is lost in a second. The warmth and the pressure overwhelm him completely but it's when he feels the raspy tongue circling his dick that he loses it and comes in Tommy's mouth with a strangled grunt.

The bassist gasps and pulls back, coughing.

"Damn it Kitten, I'm sorry," Evander says, handing him a water bottle.

"That's ok, it was my fault." The bassist takes a big sip and smiles at his boss "I got a little carried away."

"I should have a better control over my body, but that tongue of yours... Damn!" The singer then grabs Tommy by his shoulders and brings him up so he can kiss him.

"Your tongue feels raspy..." He says when they finally part to breathe.

"Is it? I didn't notice it." Tommy then puts his tongue out and crosses his eyes trying to look at it.

Evander starts to laughs loudly, hugging him tight. "Tommy, you're something else!"

"I've heard that before... I don't know why it happened... Does it bother you?"

"Fuck no! Not at all! Your lion can lick me when and wherever he wants!"

"You pervert!" Tommy scolds, playfully slapping Evander's shoulder.

"That I am. Speaking of which..." And between schoolgirl worthy giggles and kisses and nibbling, Evander shifts their position so Tommy is pinned against the mattress and naked.

"Now that you have me at your mercy, Lord Warrior, what do you intend to do to me?"

Evander then opens his own wicked smile and licks a trail from Tommy's mouth to his ear. "I intend to ravish you little Kitten."

With that, the singer bites and nibbles his way down Tommy's body, paying special attention to the sensitive nipples. He licks between his ribcage and down to his navel, proceeding to leave a red mark on his left hip. Meanwhile, his fingers trace and caress each and every line of the slim body, flooding the singer's senses even more.

The brush of an overly grown scruff on his groin causes a trail of goose bumps over the bassist's body and a lustful moan to escape his lips. Blindly he searches for something to grab to ground himself and ends up with both hands buried in Evander's dark hair.

The tongue is the first thing he feels moving along his dick, giving long, wide licks from the base to the head and then there's the wet warmth of his mouth. The singer's hands move slowly up and down his thigh and the rush of air coming out of his nose adds just the right touch of cold to the pool of sensations Tommy is drowning into right now.

"Evander, are you there?" Comes Aliz's angry voice from the living room. Tommy jolts up choking Evander, who begins to cough like he can't breathe while the healer is screaming at them: "What the fuck? Are you two fucking in my bed?! I can't believe it! You better not leave any trace of spunk on my sheets or I..."

Then, a dark blue curtain of smoke divides the room, muffling Aliz's voice. Tommy looks astonished at the singer, who is laughing uncontrollably by his side on the bed. Soon the bassist is laughing too, trying to muffle the sound on a pillow.

"Are you two laughing at me?" She shouts from the other side of the barrier "You better be dressed when I get this fucking smoke down, 'cause I'll beat the shit out of you two perverts!"

Still laughing, Tommy helps Evander put the prosthetic leg back on its place and grabs his clothes, putting them on as quickly as his breathless body can afford.

By the time the smoke dissipates, they are both dressed and silent and the bed is made perfectly.

"You two are so gross! This room reeks for fuck's sake!" She scolds, opening all the windows in the room with a wave of her hand.

"Sorry Ally, it just sort of happened..." Tommy says, blushing.

"How did you guys end in here, anyway? None of us saw you leave."

"Evander needed some time alone, so I transported us here."

"Impressive Kitten!" The Healer says, almost smiling. "I didn't know you knew how to do that already."

"I don't, but my lion knows everything I need to know, so I only have to listen to him."

"Interesting. Now lovebirds, we need to eat and head to the venue for sound check, so move your cute butts out of here and get ready." The two lovers walk to her and each kisses one of her cheeks, apologizing again. "And Evander, you have a meet and greet today, so don't get wasted."

"Yes ma'am!" The singer jokes already at the door. "Does that mean I can get wasted after the M&G?"

"No! You promised, Evander!"

"It was worth a try..." He says, shrugging at Tommy, who laughs and closes the door behind them.

"Why did Ally say that?" The bassist asks, entwining their fingers.

"I had a... Difficult phase a few years ago... I made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions, including going onstage more than a little drunk. Needless to say, it wasn't good for my career. So, after a very unpleasant episode I promised Ally and myself that I would never again drink before a concert."

"Good decision!"

When they open the door to Evander's room, only Harold is there, the rest of the band and crew already gone to prepare their luggage to leave.

"Hi Harry!" Tommy greets, heading to the mini fridge in search for a beer, since he has no clue where his suitcase is.

"Master Tommy." The other acknowledges. He's looking at Evander and has a hopeful smile on his face.

"Mr. Maynard, I sincerely don't know where to begin my apologies!" Evander starts, running a hand through his hair. "I was very impolite to you and indescribably unfair with your people..."

"I'm very pleased to accept your apologies, My Lord Warrior and as soon as we can break the curse that keeps my brothers and sisters trapped in their animal forms, I'm sure they will be more than willing to join forces with you.

"I can guarantee you that my men and I will do everything in our powers to help you," Evander assures him, pointing to a pair of armchairs under a big window. "Now please, tell me about our Queen! Where is she?"

"Our Majesty is in one of the Forgotten Castles, but I can't say which one just now. She's healthy and very happy that the engines of The Providence are moving once again."

"Something will happen, then? Something big?"

"Yes, but all in due time my Lord Warrior. The Queen asks for your patience and trust."

"She already has them and our undying loyalty too!"

"The Queen knows that, don't worry. She waits anxiously for the day you'll meet again."

"So do we..."

"Evander, baby, don't you think it's a good idea for you to take a shower before we go?"

The singer turns around to see Tommy half naked and dripping wet at the bathroom door.

"Damn!" He whispers, feeling his dick jump in his jeans. "Yes!" He almost shouts. "I should do that... If you excuse me, Mr. Maynard," The Shifter nods and Evander gets up, pecking Tommy's lips on his way to the bathroom.

"So..." Tommy starts, a little embarrassed. "How are you feeling?"

"Rather good, actually," Harold says with a knowing smile "But I'm a little afraid to try and change into the bird again..."

"You think you won't be able to shift back to human form?" The other man nods and Tommy feels bad for him for a second. No one should have to endure what he did... "If you want to give it a try, I promise to change you back if you get trapped again."

"Thank you Master Tommy!" Harold beams, like that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

The next second, there is the Higher Plains bird, perched on the chair's arm. He caws and flaps his long colorful wings a few times before changing back to the tall, lean man with a glorious long multicolored hair dressed in the suit Aliz made for him.

"My goodness! I can't describe how happy I am right now!" He says, and he has tears in his eyes again.

Tommy takes him in his arms, his lion growling happily inside him.

"At least now one of you is dressed!" Comes Evander's exasperated voice behind them, that makes the two men laugh, still in each other's arms.

"So, Mr. Maynard, we have to eat and then head to the venue. Do you want to accompany us?"

"I must return to Our Majesty, but I will accept the invitation for lunch. I can't begin to describe how sick I am of berries and nuts."

# Chapter XII – Everything Changes

With Harold fed and gone, the band heads to the venue to get ready for the show.

When they get there, there's already a group of fans outside. They shout their names and wave frantically, some are crying, some squeeze the hand of the person next to them so hard that protests can be heard here and there.

Evander and the band smile and shout back at them, waving too, while getting out of the cars and going inside the building. Tommy is a little shy still, not sure if he should wave too, being the newcomer. Then he spots the group of teens that was outside the first venue and waves at them, provoking a tide of screams from everyone.

Evander notices that he is taken aback by the reaction and comes closer to the bassist to whisper: "They are great, aren't they? The energy they give me every night kept me going in moments when all I wanted was to quit."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He says, looking dreamily at the fans. "Evander, while you're at the M&G, can I come outside and give them some attention?"

"Sure! Just bring a security guy with you, OK?"

"OK."

A couple of hours later, the instruments are perfectly tuned and all the equipment is ready for the show. The meet and greet is almost over and Tommy signed stuff and took pictures with more excited teens and their tearing mamas than he could count. He feels happy, energized and so ready to go on stage that he's bouncing around the dressing room.

The venue is slowly filling with people. The fans getting out of the meet and greet are taking their designated places at the foot of the stage and the pre-show music is already blasting through the sound system.

Backstage, the band is buzzing with energy while Evander winds Tommy down with a hot make out session inside the singer's dressing room.

"Will you let me kiss you onstage tonight?" Evander asks, running his finger over Tommy's swollen lips.

The bassist gives him a one sided-smile and fixes a stray lock of Evander's hair that tonight is tinted pure silver, because he "felt like it."

"Maybe," He finally says. "If you make me to want to kiss you..."

"I think I can manage that."

Then they hear a sharp knock on the door and a voice: "Five minutes, Mr. Vikram. And if you know where Mr. Sabberton is, please tell him he's already late."

"Fucking shit!" Tommy shouts jumping out of Evander's arms to look at his hair and makeup in the huge mirror. "You messed up my hair Mr. Vikram! And my lipstick is gone too! Damn it!"

"Calm down Kitten. Your hair looks great. Stay still and I'll reapply your makeup." Evander grabs a tube of dark red lipstick and proceeds to apply it generously on his lover's lips. "Done."

Tommy looks at the mirror again and smiles, the dark red contrasting with the white makeup on his face. "You'll get it all over your face if you kiss me..."

"I sincerely hope so," Evander smiles devilishly and grabs him by his shoulders, turning him around. "Now go, you're late!"

"And whose fault is that?"

Evander laughs out loud and pats his small butt. "Break a leg Kitten!"

"You too, Mr. Vikram."

The concert is going on perfectly. They do the trick with the bubbles and Tommy is even able to make some last longer on the stretched palms of the fans. Everybody is dancing and singing along but when Evander is about to introduce the band, a loud crashing sound comes from the foyer. Suddenly, the double doors burst open and three wind golems appear, followed by a horde of imps that run between people's legs, biting and scratching whoever they got their pointy teeth and nails into. Screams fill the air and the crowd quickly becomes frantic.

"Bloody Depths!" Tommy whispers, eyes wide open. When he looks around, the guys are already leaving their instruments and jumping into action.

"K, build up a barrier to protect the fans! We must take them out of here!" Evander shouts over the screams.

"Evander, what do I do?" The bassist shouts. Evander looks back at him and Tommy can see the worry in his eyes.

"Help Aliz get those people out!"

"But... The golems... I can..."

"Now Tommy! Go!" With that, Evander turns back to the disarray at his feet and conjures a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

With remarkable precision, he shoots imp after imp, ridding some young girls of their claws.

Ripped out of his astonishment by Aliz's scream for help, Tommy finally jumps to the floor and runs to her, since she's having trouble containing the imps while directing the people out of the venue. He breathes deeply and listens to what his lion is saying, acting almost on autopilot.

A harsh blow of wind sweeps the pesky imps away from them and Aliz can take the fans out. At the other side of the venue, Newton is doing the same and when everyone is safely outside, Evander shouts: "Ally, Newton and Tommy, you stay outside with the fans, keep them safe!"

The floor is packed with imps now and Evander is right in the middle, swinging a huge two-handed sword.

"I won't leave you behind!" Tommy shouts back, trying to get closer to him.

"Tommy, go! That's an order!"

"Well, too bad I'm not one of your soldiers, right?!"

Evander is about to counter when a sharp scream comes from the back of the venue. One of the golems captured a girl and is using her as a shield against Bhanks' attacks.

"Oh shit!" They say in unison.

"I have an idea," Tommy whispers "Tell Bhanks to get ready to shoot that thing."

"Tommy what..."

The bassist signs for him to be quiet and kicking the imps in his way, approaches the golem by its left side and crouches ready to attack. With a powerful move, he jumps up and forwards, taking the girl from the golem's arms, landing safely with her on the other side while Bhanks attacks the creature with a powerful blow of his Magic.

Tommy looks down at the girl and notices that she's terrified, so he smiles at her. "You are safe now. Go!" Astonished, the girl gets up and runs through the nearest door.

"Tommy, go with her!" Evander shouts.

"No fucking way!" The bassist shouts back. He's about to run towards Evander when the imps surround him, climbing up his legs and jumping on his back and head. In no time, he's covered by the little monsters.

"Oh no! Tommy!" Evander shouts, trying to move his legs that are also covered by imps.

Suddenly, a bright light comes from inside the pile of monsters and they are thrown away, hitting the walls and one another. From the light, Tommy's lion emerges, big, powerful and radiant.

He charges against the imps that surrounded Evander once again, biting and pawing the little creatures away, while Evander kills them with his sword. But when they think they are winning, a new horde of imps appear from behind the golems.

"Evander, we must get rid of the golems or the imps will keep coming!" Kadmus says, kicking one little monster away from his legs.

"I can do that!" Tommy says, but all that comes out of his mouth is a growl. Frustrated, the lion shakes his mane and heads toward the huge monsters. "I need them to get out of the way!" he thinks. It's so annoying not being able to communicate! He then, charges against the three warriors, knocking them to the floor so he has a clear path to attack the golems.

Amongst shouts of rage and protests, Tommy focuses on the golems and roars with all his might.

Astonished, Evander watches as the sound wave that Tommy's roar produces makes the golems disappear, and only particles of dust remain in the suddenly quiet air.

From that point on the fight is easy and only a matter of time until they finish with the imps.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Evander asks when the last little monster is dead.

The lion looks back at him and blinks, returning to his human form. Sirus quickly put some clothes on his body.

Tommy smiles at the engineer. "I should learn that spell..."

"Tommy!"

"I'm perfectly fine Ev, calm down!" He says, turning back to Evander.

The singer puts his arms about him and crushes Tommy against his chest. "I was so worried!" Then he steps back, still holding the blond by his shoulders. "Don't you ever disobey one of my orders again!"

"Fuck off! I'm not one of your men!" The bassist reacts, moving away from him and out of the venue.

"What did I say?" Evander asks no one in particular.

"Don't think you can boss that one around like you do with us, E," Kadmus says, laughing really hard.

"Are you saying I'm bossy?"

"You know you are." Bhanks steps in. "The thing is we grew up with you and we are used to it. Tommy isn't. And he shouldn't be. He's your lover, not your soldier."

Evander is about to retort, but Aliz comes running to them. "Evander, you should come outside. The police are here."

"Bloody Depths!" He mutters, making his weapon disappear and fixing his hair the best he can, before stepping outside.

There are police cars all over the place and at least a dozen uniformed officers and three ambulances.

"Mr. Vikram, I'm Captain Cox. May I have a word with you?" Evander nods and steps aside with the man. "Can you please explain to me what happened here tonight?"

Evander takes a moment to look at the officer's face, then says: "Would you like to hear the truth or something you will believe?"

"I want the truth, of course. What are you implying?"

"Nothing. I just know for a fact that police officers don't often have clear enough minds to recognize that some inexplicable things happen in this world."

Looking unsure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult, Cap. Cox nods once.

"So, what happened here was that my concert was invaded by three wind golems and an endless horde of imps."

"What the fuck is a wind golem?!"

"An elemental monster made of air."

"I never thought you were the type of guy who does drugs, Mr. Vikram," Cox says, looking disappointed.

"Shit! I knew this was going to happen." Evander mutters and then raising his voice to a shout, he says: "Guys, I'm starting the Memory Protocol."

"Aye, commander!" He hears from around him.

Two hours later, they are back in the bus and on the road again to the next city. Tommy's still angry at Evander, but when the troupe gathers at the upstairs living area to discuss what happened, he sits down next to the singer.

"Alright, reports please," Evander says once everyone is settled.

"The Memory Protocol worked really well." Newton begins, cleaning the lenses of his round glasses. "The bomb threat was a good idea. And good work containing those monsters everybody! Especially you Tommy!"

The bassist is about to answer when Darius interrupts: "It was beginner's luck! We all got lucky tonight. Innocents could have been hurt because we weren't prepared!"

"And how would you expect us to be prepared for such a thing, Darius?" Bhanks snaps, crossing his powerful arms over his chest.

"That's what we have a Seer for, or is it not?"

"I saw nothing and I don't understand why," Aliz says, clearly frustrated. "It's like something is interfering with my visions!"

"How very convenient!" The Illusionist exclaims, looking straight at the Healer's eyes.

"Darius..." Evander steps in.

"I can handle him, Evander! Damn it!"

"I know! But he shouldn't talk to you like that and as your commander, I have to make sure you're treated with respect..."

"Why? Because I'm a woman? Because I'm fragile?"

"You're our girl, Ally and I must protect you..."

"Don't you dare to patronize me, Evander! I'm as capable as any of you cavemen!" She interrupts him and then turns to Darius: "And you, I've been very lenient and patient with your suspiciousness for all these years, the Providence knows why, but I'm sick of it! You've no reason to doubt my abilities or my loyalty to the Red Queen!"

Everybody goes silent for a few seconds and then start talking at the same time.

Tommy just observes, shocked. He always thought the band was a cohesive, harmonious group but that's far from the truth right now.

"Guys!" He calls. There's something bothering him about all this. "Guys!"

Nobody pays him any attention, so he lets his lion speak. The roar shakes the windows around them and finally gets the other's attention.

"What's wrong with you?" Tommy says, breathing heavily. "I've never seen you arguing like this!"

"You've only been with us for a second, Kitten," Darius explodes disdainful "We've been together for centuries. Don't assume you know us!"

"First of all, you don't have my permission to call me that. Nobody but Evander does." He looks around glaring at the various pairs of eyes around him. "Second! I may not have known you for as long as you've known each other, but I know one thing: the energy in this room is vicious, really unpleasant and unnatural. There is something interfering here and we must discover what it is!"

"And why should we trust, so blindly, in the judgment of a guy who just yesterday didn't know that Magic existed?" Darius says and Tommy can see that his brother is one second away from physically restraining him.

"Well, you don't have to trust me, just pay attention. You are the almighty Mage Warriors, not me."

"He's right," Newton says a moment later. "There's something sour in the air. I don't like it..."

"Apart from all that... disagreement between us lately, there's something I don't understand." Sirus says more to himself. "What changed? I mean, until two, three weeks ago, everything was normal and boring like the past four hundred years and now we are fighting elemental golems again and imps!"

"The imps are new..." Kadmus agrees, nodding absentmindedly.

"If you ask me, I think it's because of him." Darius extorts pointing at the bassist.

"Don't you dare to blame Tommy!" Evander jumps in.

"But Darius is right, Ev," Tommy says lightly, touching Evander's arm. "Think carefully! All these disturbances began when I joined the band. And I was attacked by a wind golem when I was alone. That must have something to do with me discovering my Magic."

Evander frowns, clearly unhappy with the direction this conversation is taking.

"Not to mention that tonight we suffered a direct attack. It was no coincidence." Sirus adds.

"Could it be..." Newton says slowly, playing with the end of his long braid. "Could it be her again?"

"NO!" Everybody else shouts, scaring the Alchemist "No. I took her head. I watched the blood drain from her body... She's dead." The singer adds, a dark shadow covering his bright eyes.

"Could it be a disciple?" Tommy tries.

"Yes, I believe it could," Aliz says, rubbing her chin. "Evander, do you think we should cancel the tour? If they are attacking us so directly, this could put the fans in danger again..."

"You might be right, Ally but I don't want to... Canceling the tour would show them that we are afraid."

"But we are!" Sirus interrupts. "Or we should be. Sorry to burst your bubble, E but I'm terrified of the fact that we might be walking straight back into a war again."

A heavy silence falls over them. It's not like that thought wasn't on everybody's minds but now it was out there, impossible to ignore.

"If a war is coming, we'll fight it, like we did before," Evander says, calm but tense.

"We'll fight it and we'll win!" Kadmus says with confidence.

The others look at him and nod firmly and without hesitation. Evander smiles and leads them in their battle cry.

Tommy observes them again and hums in approval. "That's more like it!"

When they finally call it a day and go to bed, Tommy is mentally and physically drained. He puts some water in Naria's pot, kisses her petals good night and falls face first on the bed he will now share with Evander. Seconds later the bassist feels warm hands on his back massaging the tired muscles.

"Don't fall asleep all dressed, Kitten." The singer whispers in his ear.

"I don't have enough strength..."

Evander laughs lightly and says: "Here let me help you, then."

"You perv! I'm practically dead!"

The singer laughs again and turns him to his back so he can unbutton the tight jeans and push the t-shirt up and off his body. "It's unhealthy to sleep with pants so tight! Why do you wear them anyway?"

"To tease you." Tommy answers, half asleep.

Shaking his head amusedly, Evander takes his own clothes off and lays down beside Tommy, pulling the covers to his neck and the bassist to rest his head on his chest.

They reach the next city in the first hours of the morning. Everything's quiet and there isn't a single soul or street lamp lit for as far as the eye can see. The drivers park outside the new venue and go to bed for a few hours of well-deserved rest.

Evander wakes up with a start a couple minutes later. He looks at the weight over his chest and smiles at Tommy's sleeping form snuggled against his body. He kisses the bassist's forehead and for a moment, forgets what woke him up.

Silence. Too much silence.

It's almost dawn and there's no birds chirping outside, no crickets, no wind, no sound comes from the city that should be getting back to life for a new day.

He hears a light knock on the bus' door and rushes through the vehicle to open it.

Aliz is outside, staring at the outlines of the city.

"It's quiet." She says without looking at him.

"Yeah..."

"Do you think we should..."

"Yeah, I think so."

"OK. I'll wait for Kadmus here."

Evander nods and goes back inside. The drummer is already up, washing his face in the sink, black leather pants and a heavy coat covering his body.

"Ally is waiting for you outside."

"Alright. We'll be back soon."

"Take care brother," Evander says and puts his right hand on Kadmus left shoulder. The drummer does the same and walks away.

Slowly the others wake up, gathering around the kitchen area while Newton cooks his famous oatmeal. The atmosphere is dense and quiet because no one wants to voice their thoughts. It's only when Tommy gets down the stairs that a voice is heard inside the bus.

"What's happening? Why the long faces?"

Evander stretches his arms towards him and Tommy snuggles against him again all warm and soft from sleep. The singer takes a moment to inhale his scent and feel the warmth of his body.

"Can't you hear it?" He says, softly.

"I hear nothing..." Tommy begins and then stops talking, suddenly understanding "Why is it so silent? This isn't normal..."

"We don't know yet. Ally and Kadmus are searching the town.

Newton comes closer with several bowls of oatmeal floating around his shoulders. He gets one and hands it to Tommy while the others help themselves. "How are you feeling today, Tommy?"

"I'm good. Still a bit tired, though."

"That's natural. You used a lot of energy last night."

When the keyboardist walks away, Evander embraces Tommy's waist and brings him to stand between his legs. "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday, Kitten, but I was so afraid you would get hurt...!"

"I know. And I'm sorry too."

The singer is about to say something when the door opens and Kadmus walks in followed by Aliz, who has her arms full of something red and furry.

"Good! Everybody's here. Morning guys." The healer greets, sitting heavily on a bench."

"So, what did you see?" Sirus inquires.

"Nothing," Kadmus says, taking a seat beside Aliz. "There isn't a single soul in this town. Human or animal. It's a ghost town."

"The only living thing we found was this." The healer says, opening her arms to reveal a red fox.

The little ball of fur raises its big ears and looks around, sniffing the air.

"It was curled inside the ruins of a small house. It's leg is broken and it is too skinny! I thought we could take care of it..."

"Ally, I don't..." Evander starts, but his friend is looking at him with pleading green eyes and the fox whines lightly, like it knows they are discussing its destiny.

"We don't have the time to nurse an animal, Aliz." Darius starts, displeased as usual.

"It's not an animal!" Tommy says suddenly "It's a Shifter!"

"What?!" Everyone shouts at the same time.

"She's a Shifter and she's in pain. We must take care of her."

"Quick! Let's take her to my bed upstairs!" Evander rushes up and forward, signaling for Aliz to follow him with the fox.

"Are you crazy? It could be a trap!" Darius retaliates.

"Soldier, watch your mouth! I'm still your commander!" Evander says coldly "It could be a trap, yes but it doesn't matter right now. If she's in pain, we'll help!"

Nobody says a word so Tommy, Evander and Aliz climb the stairs to the second level of the bus.

"I'll turn her back to human, so you can heal her," Tommy says to Aliz. She nods and puts the small fox in the center of Evander and Tommy's bed. The fox looks around frightened and shaking.

"That's ok, dear," The bassist says, kneeling at the foot of the bed "We'll help you and you'll feel better again soon." Then, he concentrates and lets his lion take over. When he shifts in the small space, the little fox perks her ears and looks straight to his eyes.

"You're like me!" She says in his mind. "I've never seen anyone like me before."

"It's new for me too. What's your name?"

"Darcy. Can you really help me? My leg is hurting and I can't shift back to a human."

"I'll change you back and my friend, who found you, is a powerful healer."

"Who's the tall guy behind you?"

"His name is Evander, he's our leader. I'm Tommy, by the way and she's Aliz."

Darcy looks from one to the other and seems to decide that she can trust them. "Please, make the pain stop!"

Tommy nods and roars loudly, sending waves of sound towards the red fox that in seconds, shifts into a tall redheaded... boy? The bassist blinks confused at the slim, flat body of the person in the bed. Before he can do or ask anything, Aliz is pushing him aside and sitting next to Darcy in the bed.

"Hello, beautiful! I'm Ally. Can I take a look at your leg?"

While Aliz is taking care of the Shifter, Tommy goes back to human and quickly grabs a towel from the open bathroom.

"I thought you said the fox was a she..." Evander whispers and Tommy is glad to know that he's not seeing things.

"I did. She sounds like a she... Her name is Darcy."

"It's a very androgynous name. Well, the important thing here is: Is she an enemy?"

"I don't think so." Tommy responds, searching his bag for some underwear and clothes. "She's very shy and seems scared too. I didn't pick up anything strange in her mind."

Seconds later, a bright purple light pulses next to them and they can hear the relieved sigh Darcy makes. Aliz gets up and with a flick of her wrist, covers Darcy's body with a delicate pink frock and her feet with soft flat shoes.

"I'll never be able to thank you enough!" Darcy says, bowing to them.

"There's no need. Are you hungry?" Evander asks.

Darcy looks down to her new shoes and nods, shyly.

"Let's go downstairs then. I'm sure Newton has some of his delicious oatmeal for you." Aliz says, offering her hand to Darcy, who smiles and grabs it.

When they head to the stairs again, Tommy hears Naria's voice inside his head: "She's lovely, but take care love. I felt a disturbance when she was brought inside."

"What do you mean, Naria?"

"I'm not sure... But something's wrong. Or is going to be."

"I'll keep my eyes open, then."

# Chapter XIII – Darcy

When Tommy gets to the first level, he sees Darcy sitting placidly on one of the benches with an almost empty bowl of oatmeal in front of her and five drooling guys around. Aliz's in Stephen's lap, talking in whispers with her husband.

The bassist hides a smile behind a fake cough and sits in front of the other Shifter. "Feeling better, dear?"

Darcy nods and smiles at him. "Yes, thank you. And the oatmeal is delicious Newton," She says, returning the empty bowl.

"Do you want more? Or something else, maybe?" The keyboardist asks, his eyes never leaving her face.

"No, thank you."

"Can you tell us what happened in this town, Darcy?" Evander asks gently.

They can see that her big grey eyes fill up with tears.

"It was horrible! It was just before dusk... there were so many! I... I've never seen creatures like that before! They captured the people, killed the ones who resisted and then they vanished. Just like they appeared... Amongst a dark mist.

"What kind of creatures did you see?"

"They were big and strong... some made of wind, some of stones and wood. And there were those little monsters with sharp teeth..."

"Golems and imps." Kadmus whispers.

"The animals fled too. That was why I hurt my leg. I changed into the fox so they wouldn't take me, but then I couldn't change back and a big deer bumped into me."

"You poor thing!" Aliz says, putting an arm around her shoulders. "But don't worry. You're safe now. Do you have a family?"

"Not anymore. They kicked me out when they discovered my condition. I've been living alone for a decade now."

"How old are you, Darcy? If you don't mind me asking."

"You're Evander right?" The singer nods "I'm 30 years old, why?"

"That can't be!" Sirus exclaims "It's been almost four centuries since anyone has been born with Magic..."

"I was born on the last day, of the last cycle, of the second moon." Darcy adds.

"The second moon disappeared from our skies 30 years ago," Aliz says, with a smile.

"And I am 30 years old, don't forget about that, Sirus," Tommy says, looking from Darcy to his band mate.

"This is all so strange!" Evander comments, walking back and forth in the confined space. "Ally, is it possible that people are being born with Magic again and we never noticed it?"

"Maybe." The Healer says crossing her arms over her chest "Maynard said something about the engines of Providence being in motion again, maybe this is it! The Providence is bestowing humans with Magic again, so we can fix what's wrong in our kingdom."

"Sorry but I don't understand any of this. Can you explain to me what are you talking about?" Darcy interrupts, timidly.

"I would like to hear that too," Tommy says.

"Well. That's a long story that I don't need to hear again," Darius says, getting up. Sirus follows him.

"We'll go check to see if the truck with our instruments is here." Kadmus complements, grabbing Bhanks by the elbow. "New, you coming?"

"No mate. My keys are fine."

Aliz smiles at the keyboardist that still can't take his eyes off of Darcy and says: "It is a long story indeed..." So the healer starts to tell Darcy the same things Evander had told Tommy when they first talked about Magic: How people born with it were the rulers of the kingdom under the command of the Red Queen and how life was good and easy for everyone until the usurper started the Last War. "Even though we won the war, the destruction was such that people became fearful of Magic. They claimed that if Magic could bring more of that destruction and despair, they didn't want Magic anymore."

"People back then were idiots," Tommy comments under his breath, but Aliz hears him.

"They were simple people. I kind of see their point, to be honest. What I could never understand, was why in that moment? The kingdom had had wars before, but only at that time did they question their rulers."

"And that one time was enough... What happened then? What did you do?" Darcy asks, placing her elbows on the table and supporting her chin in her hands.

"We followed the people's wishes. Although we formed the government, essentially we were their servants, their will was our command. So we retreated, the main Council was dismantled and we let them choose their government."

"That's when the five territories were created." Evander explains "With Magic, we were able to take care of everyone in the kingdom but without it, they had to divide the land into smaller territories."

"What happened to the Magic then?" Tommy and Darcy ask at the same time.

"Little by little, it disappeared. There weren't any more children being born with Magic so, as the Mages died, the Magic died with them." Evander explains, a sad look in his beautiful eyes.

"But you're still alive. You managed to keep yourselves alive until now. Why?"

"I'm not really sure, Darcy... We just..." Aliz starts and thinks for a while. "We knew our Queen was alive and it didn't feel right to give up on everything. Our lives are hers and she never released us from our vow, so we kept going, hoping and wishing that one day she would come back."

"And now she will, thanks to you." The singer says with a smile towards Tommy.

The bassist feels his cheeks and ears getting hot so he knows he's blushing but he tries to smile back, even though he's more than a little scared by all that.

"Now it's your turn, dear. Tell us about you," Aliz says, looking Darcy straight in the eyes.

"Well, I... I was born in the Old Capital. I have three brothers and my parents had a fabric store near the Main Street. I discovered that I could transform myself into a fox when I was a teenager. I was being followed by some mean boys from my school because I was wearing my mom's pearl necklace. They wanted to beat me up and were screaming mean words, so I crouched behind a bush and wished I was something else. Next thing I noticed, the boys were near me, but they apparently didn't see me. Then I looked around and saw my tail. I think I screamed for half an hour once I understood what happened."

"I can imagine what you felt!" Tommy says, squeezing her hands with his.

"How were you able to change back to human? The Shifters we know are all trapped in their animal forms." Evander inquires.

"I've never had problems turning in and out of the fox... Not until last night."

"Intriguing..." He says. "What happened to you after that?"

"Well, I managed to keep that detail from my family because I knew they wouldn't understand, like they didn't understand the fact that my gender is fluid."

"Sorry, but what does that mean?" Tommy asks.

"It means that although I have a male body, I don't identify myself exclusively as a man. Some days I dress like a girl and want people to treat me like one, on others, I prefer boy's clothes, and sometimes, neither or both..."

"That's really confusing..." The bassist says to himself, frowning. He only realizes that he said it out loud when he hears Darcy laughing.

"Yes, it is."

After a moment Evander asks: "Now that your leg is fine and you're back to normal, what do you plan to do?"

"I... I don't know... I had a job and a small apartment here, but obviously I can't stay here by myself... Can I... Can I go with you, Evander? Please! I'm a great cook; I could do that for you..."

"We already have..." Evander starts, but Newton cuts in:

"I don't mind!" He almost shouts, getting up. "I could use some help."

Hopeful, Darcy looks back at Evander, her grey eyes shining with plea and some unshed tears.

"Where would she sleep? In our bus full of cavemen?"

"Stephen and I have plenty of room in the RV. Darcy's welcome to stay with us."

"Ok, fine!" Evander says rolling his eyes "But you'll have a conversation with Bhanks so we can be sure you're not hiding something from us."

"How would he know that?" Tommy asks.

"Bhanks can see into the deepest corners of our minds," Aliz answers glaring at Evander like she can't believe he suggested something like that.

"No problem. I've nothing to hide."

"Well then, welcome to the show Darcy."

#  Chapter XIV – Ups and Downs

"Tommy, do you have a minute?"

The bassist turns his head and smiles at the guitarist who's approaching him from the open bus' door. "Yes of course."

"I was just wondering if you and Evander are on good terms again."

"Yes, we are. Thanks for asking!" He then spends some time looking at the skyline of the dead city. "It's impossible to stay angry at him for long."

"That's true but still, there's something bothering you..." Bhanks says and Tommy notices that it wasn't a question.

"Well I... I can't communicate with him when my lion is out and I hate that!"

"That's what I thought... That's the worst part of being a Shifter who's in love with a non-shifter."

Tommy looks at the guitarist, obviously lost.

"Did you know that I was married to a Shifter back in the days?" Tommy shakes his head. "Her name was Madras and she was the most beautiful white wolf I've ever seen. The Queen celebrated our Union in the Red Castle on the day I was ordained as a Mage Warrior."

"What happened to her?"

Bhanks closes his eyes and Tommy can see that he's fighting back tears "I don't know. She disappeared during the Last War with the other Shifters. I looked for her for centuries but never heard another word from her..."

"I'm so sorry, Bhanks! I truly am."

"Thank you, Tommy." He then rubs his eyes and forces a smile "The reason I'm telling you this, is because there is a way for you and Evander to communicate even when you're shifted."

"Is there?! Can you teach me?"

"It's not something I can teach you," Bhanks says and pulls a leather string from his neck. Dangling from the string is the small satchel that he's always fiddling with when he's nervous. "Inside this satchel is an amulet that will allow you to be heard and understood by Evander. Just put a lock of your lion's fur inside the satchel and give it to him."

Tommy takes a moment to look at the satchel and understand what Bhanks is doing for him and Evander.

"But what if you find your wife? She won't be able to talk to you!"

"I lost my hopes of finding her long time ago... I want you to have it and be happy with Evander."

"Thank you, Bhanks! Really! This will help us a lot, especially if we go into battle together."

Bhanks then scoffs and gets up from the ground. "You think he'll ever allow you to go into battle?" He says, amused.

"He's my boyfriend not my owner, or my commander. If I want to fight I'll fight! And if he tries to get in my way, I'll bite off his other leg!"

The other then throws his head back and laughs loudly. "That's the spirit little Kitten! See you later."

"Thanks again, Bhanks!" He says while the musician walks away.

Half an hour later, he finds Evander sitting on their bed, talking on the phone. Not wanting to bother him, the bassist goes to the living area at the other side of the bus and turns the TV on.

What he sees on the screen is beyond anything he could ever imagine: images of golems and imps devastating towns and people running through the streets with a shocked voice narrating the events.

"Bloody Depths!" He says under his breath. "What the fuck is happening?!"

"The Darkness is upon us." He hears Darius' somber voice behind him.

"What do you mean?"

"The times of peace are over. The Dark Queen will return to finish what she began four hundred years ago."

"That can't be!" Tommy protests, getting up and facing the huge warrior. "Evander killed her!"

"Such evil can't be killed. He was a fool to believe it. It amazes me that he was able to keep himself and so many others alive."

"Why are you saying things like that?" Tommy shouts.

"It's the truth." Darius states coldly and then leaves.

Shocked, Tommy goes after him but the illusionist is nowhere to be seen.

"Tommy, love..." The bassist turns his head and smiles at his rose "I need some water, please."

"Sure, dearest. How are you?"

"I was good until that man came in. I don't like him, Tommy. I feel cold in my very roots every time he's around."

"I don't like him either but Evander trusts him, for some reason."

"I know... just... take care ok? Keep an eye open."

"Yeah, yeah... Nothing will happen to you, dearest."

"I'm not worried about my safety, Tommy. I'm a plant, my life is short anyway..."

"Don't say that, Naria! I..."

"No, please listen! I want you to take care of Evander. Something dark is coming and it will be hard on him." Tommy closes his eyes, he always had a clear image of Naria's beautiful face in his mind and now, that face is twisted by sadness and concern.

"I would give my life for him. For you too, Naria!"

"I know love! That's why I offered myself to you that day. But you must be prepared for the worst. So when it happens, it won't be that bad, do you understand?"

"I kind of do, actually..."

"Kitten? You there?" Comes Evander soft voice from their tiny bedroom.

"Yes, Ev. I'll talk to you later, Naria." Tommy then turns around and walks to the front of the bus, smiling at his boyfriend. "You seem worried. What happened?"

"The tour was canceled due to the recent events."

"I just saw it on TV.... Darius said the Darkness is upon us." The bassist says, hugging Evander and placing his head on his broad chest."

"He said that?" Tommy nods. "He may be right... things won't be like they were anymore."

"There will be a war again?"

Evander puts his arms around Tommy and squeezes him against his chest. "Probably."

"We must find the Queen, then. She'll guide us."

"How do you have such faith in her, if you've never even met her?" The singer asks, taking a step back to look at Tommy's eyes.

"You are devoted to her. That's enough for me."

At that, Evander takes a sharp intake. He feels his heart swelling with love inside his chest. How is it possible that he loves this man so much already? "Tommy... I..."

In that moment, a noise comes from downstairs and Aliz's voice say: "E, come here please."

They go to the first level hand in hand, to find Aliz and the others gathered around an open window. When the healer turns around to face them, Evander sees a red cardinal perched at the window.

"Tommy, can you hear it? Is it a Shifter?" Aliz asks. "It's an insistent little fellow."

"No... It's an animal, but he has a message for us."

"A message?" Kadmus questions, looking from the bird to the bassist.

"Yes. I see the beautiful face of a woman wearing a bejeweled red turban."

"It's the Queen!" Aliz says and everyone starts talking at the same time.

Tommy turns to the bird and offers it his palm. The little bird chirps sweetly and jumps into it.

"My beloved warriors," Tommy starts, speaking in a voice that it's not his, a feminine voice they all know very well and it captures everyone's attention. "The time has come when you must serve our kingdom once again."

"My Lady, I..." Aliz starts, but Tommy keeps talking like he didn't hear her.

"Follow the road through what once was, and don't fear the growing darkness. Open your eyes as you cross the glass circle, but shield them afterwards, or the light will blind you. Amidst the glow, find the Threshold of the Chosen and you shall gaze upon me again."

"We must depart immediately!" Sirus exclaims as soon as Tommy stops talking. The red cardinal is back in the window sill and the bassist is reclined against the bench, barely conscious.

"Tommy, are you alright?" Evander goes to him and makes the smaller man sit on his lap. "Kitten, open your eyes for me, please!"

With much effort, he obeys and blinks a few times trying to focus on his lover's face.

"There you are! How are you feeling?"

"Weak. Damn, it feels like I'll never be able to stand again!"

"Take him outside," Newton whispers in the singer's ear. "The Sun and the soil will restore his energy."

Promptly, Evander passes an arm under Tommy's knees and with the other supporting his back, takes his Kitten outside, sitting with him on the grass. He takes off his shoes, so his feet can touch the rich soil.

"This feels good!" Tommy exclaims a while after, stretching his muscles like a big cat. Evander takes his time observing him, the flashes of white skin poking here and there under the shirt as he moves, a contented smile starting to curve his plumped lips.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes, much better," Tommy smiles fully at him and lays his head in Evander's lap. "The Queen is very beautiful... And I like her voice, it's peaceful."

"Yes, it is. I can't wait for you two to meet each other!"

"The instructions she gave us are a little... complicated, aren't they?"

"Encrypted, I would say, but Ally and Bhanks can figure them out."

"Speaking of Bhanks, he gave me this," Tommy says sitting back up and showing Evander the satchel. "He said that if you wear this with a lock of my lion's fur inside, we'll be able to talk when I'm shifted."

"This is Bhanks' amulet?" Tommy nods and the singer wraps his fingers around the satchel. "It makes me so sad that he has lost all hopes of finding Madras..."

"Do you think she's still alive?"

"With all honesty..." Evander stops for a moment and rubs his eyes with the tips of his fingers. "No I don't think so, but he always had this undying faith and... It's just so sad! And wrong! So fucking wrong!"

"Yeah, it is." Tommy then leans forward and kisses the singer sweetly on the lips. "But he seems at peace with his loss now. He wants us to use the amulet and be happy together."

"Do you wanna try and see if it works?" The bassist smiles and winks at him, shifting to the lion.

Evander spares a minute looking at the beautiful animal before him. There really isn't another word to describe Tommy's lion, besides magnificent.

It stands taller than a regular lion and the mane looks like it's made of pure gold.

He hears a low growl and blinks, fixing his gaze on the lion's eyes. "Sorry, you got me a little distracted..."

Tommy perks his head and shoulders, the long tail moving indolently behind him.

"Come here," Evander calls and when Tommy gets closer, the singer combs his fingers in the soft mane, while in the other hand, he makes a small pair of scissors appear. He cuts a lock of the golden fur, opens the satchel and after taking out the lock of white fur that's inside he puts the golden one in.

"Can you hear me?" He thinks after putting the leather string around his neck.

"Yes. Can you?"

"Yes!"

"Finally! It's unnerving not being able to communicate with you!"

"I can say the same. You know... your mind is a little confused, Kitten..."

"Shut up!" Tommy says in his head and the lion growls.

"Evander, Tommy!" Aliz calls from a window above. "Come back inside, please. We've settled our travel plans."

Tommy shifts back and Aliz quickly puts his clothes back on him.

"I really need to learn this spell!"

"Just wish your clothes are covering your body when you shift back," Evander explains while walking with him back to the bus.

"That's it?"

"Yeah!" Evander laughs. "Creating new clothes is a little more difficult, though. You should ask Sirus about that.

"What are you going to do with Madras' fur?" The bassist asks when he notices Evander's still holding the small lock.

"I'll put it in another satchel and give it back to Bhanks."

Back inside the bus, the band is gathered around the various tables. Darcy is also there but Darius is not.

"So what are our plans?" Evander asks embracing Tommy from behind.

"We're going to the Old Capital," Aliz says. "Bhanks and I are sure our trail starts there."

"More three days on the road, then." Evander hums.

"Can't we just, like... puff to where we must go?" Tommy asks, looking up to the singer.

Everybody laughs and Evander kisses him on the forehead. "Yes, we could. But I don't want to abandon the bus and the RV. These things are expensive, you know?"

"There's an old warehouse downtown that you can use," Darcy says, timidly. "It has sturdy doors and a lot of space inside."

"Perfect! Show us the way, dear."

Darcy smiles at Evander and sits beside Sirus, who was already behind the wheel.

"What about the drivers?" Tommy asks as the two heavy vehicles start moving.

"I'll send them home in my car. They know nothing about us and I don't want them to."

"Your car? What car?!"

"The one in the car compartment of this bus." Evander laughs.

"This bus has a compartment for a car?"

"Do you really think I would spend six months on the road without my baby?!"

"I thought I was your baby..." Tommy replies, pouting.

"You're my special baby that I want for more than a quick ride..." The singer replies, nibbling at the skin of Tommy's neck. "So much more!"

"You perv!"

"That I am! And I'm dying to put my hands on you again, to taste you on my tongue..."

"Evander... stop it!" Tommy moans lowly, letting his head fall on Evander's shoulder. "I'm getting embarrassingly hard here."

"That's the idea..."

"Hey!" Someone shouts. "Do you mind?!"

Tommy jumps out of Evander's arms and turns around to face the rest of the crew, still in the dining area of the bus, his face feels so hot it's probably as red as a beet and the singer is laughing out loud.

Utterly ashamed, Tommy runs upstairs and locks himself in their tiny bedroom. A few minutes later, he hears a knock on the door.

"Tommy baby..."

"Go away! I don't want to see you or talk to you!"

"Kitten, there's no need for you to feel ashamed in front of the guys! They don't mind! Besides, they are used to it..."

Suddenly the folding door slams open and there's a very angry kitten-like man staring at him. "Did I say something wrong?" Evander thinks.

"They are used to it?" Tommy whisper-shouts. "How many men like me have you lured into your bedroom, Evander? Or worst! How many did you expose like this for the amusement of your friends?!"

"I definitely said something wrong..." Evander mutters, running a hand through his now dark again hair. "Kitten, listen to me, please?"

"Like the Depths, I'll listen to your empty explanations! Leave me alone!"

And Evander is left there, once again facing the closed door.

"Damn it!"

Inside the bedroom, Tommy's crying. He doesn't know exactly why he's crying but he feels so ashamed and betrayed, that the tears seem like the logical output.

Half an hour later, another knock on the door wakes him from a light restless sleep.

"Tommy, dear!" It's Aliz, so he gets up and opens the door. "Oh love! You were crying!"

Quickly, he rubs his face on the sleeve of his black shirt and snorts loudly.

"I'm sorry about what happened downstairs... Evander..."

"I don't wanna hear." Tommy interrupts. "Not until he apologizes."

"Fair enough." She smiles at him and reaches forward to grab his hand. "We're ready to go."

"Where are we going, exactly?" He asks while washing his face.

"Under the Old Castle there's the door to a forgotten path through the Lost Woods. Our road to the Queen starts there."

"It all sounds so mystical..."

"It does, doesn't it?!" She smiles at him. "Come now. We must go."

Following Aliz, Tommy takes time only to grab Naria's pot.

Outside, the others are gathered in front of the huge door of the warehouse, some luggage tilting from the shoulders of the two biggest warriors. Newton smiles at him and takes the rose from his hands.

Evander looks longingly at the bassist but does not approach him and Tommy is glad for that.

"Alright everybody, you all know where to go. We'll meet at the patio in the Old Castle."

"Wait!" Tommy says, looking around. "Where's Darius?"

"My brother will catch up with us later." Sirus utters, trying to smile. "He knows where to find us."

"Right. Ready warriors?" A shout of agreement resounds around them. "Darcy, dear, you go with Ally and Stephen, ok?" The Shifter smiles and grabs Aliz's hand. "Tommy, come with me."

"Nope. I know how to get to the Old Castle. I'll see you all there." Saying that, Tommy disappears in a gold cloud of dust.

#  Chapter XV – Starting Point

Tommy knocks on the old chipped door and waits for a second, looking around to the familiar garden decorations and plants. When the door opens, the shriek that follows almost makes him deaf.

"Good Gracious! MOM! It's Tommy!" His sister, Diane, shouts jumping on him and hugging the bassist so tight he can barely breathe.

"Hey, sis!" He says putting his arms around her as well.

"We were so worried about you, dear!" She says, pulling him inside and closing the door. "We saw what's happening in the South Territory. Are you alright? The band..."

"We're all good, Diane. Calm down. Where's mom?"

"She must be in the shower... But you don't seem well. What happened?"

Tommy looks at his sister's eyes, so similar to his own and he can't lie to her. He never could, actually. "I think I made the biggest mistake I could manage to make..."

"What? What have you done, little bro?"

He falls heavily on the old pink sofa in the cozy living room and throws an arm over his eyes. "I fell for my boss."

"You slept with Evander Vikram?! You little devil! I can't believe..."

"Diane, please!" He grumbles "I didn't sleep with him. Not exactly, but I did fall for him. I'm in love, but we fight a lot and we both are so stubborn and he is an authoritarian and my boss and..."

"Tommy, stop!" Diane says sweetly. "I know where you're going with that train of thought and trust me! You don't need to go there." She sits beside him on the couch and starts messing with the blond hair falling over his face "I don't know him in person, so I can't tell if he deserves you or not. For my part, I would love to have him as my brother in law, but!" She rushes to continue before he can interrupt her "If you love him truly, or think you can come to love him truly, I think you should give it a try."

"Of course, I love him! I wouldn't let him touch me if I didn't. He's the most lovable and charming man I've ever met! I love the way he treats me and the way his presence makes me more confident and strong. He has taught me so much in just two weeks, sis!"

"Well, it seems to me that you only need to have more patience with each other..."

"Did my old ears hear it right? Is that my baby boy's voice I'm hearing?" Both siblings turn their heads to look at the lady coming through the door.

She's petite like Tommy and the luxurious blond hair that once adorned her head and framed her face is now the purest white and although the years show their effect in her face, her green eyes are still lit with the sparkle of wit and love for her children and her easy smile displays perfectly white teeth.

Tommy's eyes fill with tears and he rushes to hug his mother. "Hi, mom!" He hugs her like Diane hugged him at the door. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, my baby boy!" After a couple more minutes of tightly holding her younger child in her arms, Marie Sabberton takes a step back to look at him. "You look distressed... What's happening, dear?"

"He fell for Evander and now he regrets it." Diane steps in, crossing her skinny arms over her chest.

"Diane!" Tommy shouts mortified, Marie laughs benevolently.

"Is that true, dear? You fell in love with him?" Tommy nods silently, his eyes closed, finally letting his tears run free. "Oh, my baby! There's no need to cry! Love is such a beautiful thing..."

"But mom... I'm not sure if we will be together. If we should... I am... and he's so..."

Confused, Marie looks back at her daughter, searching for answers.

"He says that they fight a lot and that Evander is an authoritarian."

"Well, of course he's authoritarian, dear. He's the commander of an army!" She laughs, embracing Tommy again. "Listen, fighting is part of any relationship and the making up is one of the best parts!"

"Wait!" Now it is Tommy's turn to take a step back to look at his mother's face. "What did you just say, mom?"

"That fighting is normal and..."

"No, no. Before that... How do you know he's a commander..."

"I know everything about him and the band, love. About the Red Queen and this evil that's preying upon us."

"Do you know about... about me? What I am?"

Marie and Diane exchange glances for a second before the younger woman says: "You have to tell him, mom."

The older lady nods and pulls Tommy back to the old pink sofa. "I know you have Magic, my dear, since the day you were entrusted to me by the Red Queen."

"I was... That means... I'm not your son?"

"Of course, you are my son Thomas! I fed and raised you, I taught you to walk, talk and read! I loved you like only a mother could. I just didn't have you growing inside of me."

"Of course! Of course, I'm sorry mom!" Tommy falls forward to hug his mom again. "I love you too!"

Suddenly, a lot of things he never understood while growing up made sense in Tommy's mind. His father leaving, their secluded lives in this small house... "Why..." His voice fails so Tommy clears his throat and tries again: "Why did the Red Queen give me to you? Am I her son?"

"That I don't know, my boy. You'll have to ask her, but she gave you to me because she knew you were special and she wanted you to grow up happy and loved and away from the Magic until the day you should take part in the plans of the Providence."

"And Evander was designated to take care and train you." Diane continues.

"Does he know that?"

"He knows you're important but the Queen thought it was better for him and the troop to know as little as possible."

"I don't understand why it all has to be so difficult!" He whines.

"As mom said, you'll have to ask the Queen," Diane says, laughing. "Now, where are those gorgeous men you call friends? And Aliz, of course. I can't wait to meet her!"

At that, Tommy's eyes widen and he lifts his hand to cover his lips. "I completely forgot about them! They must be looking for me." He picks up his phone, turning it on. Seconds later, it starts buzzing in his hand with the missed calls and messages. "Shit! He's gonna kill me!"

"Language, Thomas!"

"Sorry, mom."

Getting up, Tommy climbs the stairs to the second floor and then to his bedroom in the attic. As the door closes, he hits Aliz's number.

"Where the fuck are you?!" The Healer shouts.

"At my mother's. I had to come see her and Diane."

"Well I get that, love, but you should have told us! Evander is going crazy looking for you!"

"I'm sorry, but I was really pissed at him."

"I get that too. We are camped in the ruins; can you be here in ten minutes?"

"Yes, of course. And I really need to talk to you and Evander."

Pushing his phone into his pocket again, Tommy runs down the two sets of stairs. "Mom, Di, I gotta go meet with the others and you two are coming with us to see the Queen."

"Are you sure, dear?" Marie answers, looking at her daughter. "Won't Evander be angry?"

"Too bad for him if he is. I won't leave you two behind. Now please, grab anything you want to take with you and let's go."

Ten minutes later, Tommy transports his family to the ruins of the Red Castle. The sun is almost setting and the rangers built up a bonfire a few meters away from a huge monument made of red marble.

"There you are!" Aliz says, approaching the family. "You almost killed us with worry, Kitten!"

"Kitten?" Diane scoffs and Tommy rolls his eyes.

"Ally, this is my mother, Marie and my older sister, Diane." He emphasizes the word older just to piss her off.

"It's a pleasure to meet you! Come near the fire! The air is getting cold."

Happy for his family to be already mingling with his friends, Tommy wanders around the old patio, being drawn to the marble monolith.

The monument looks ancient, but it's in perfect condition. Getting closer, Tommy can see a list of names carved in the stone.

"Those are the names of the ones fallen in battle." Evander's voice sounds behind him, somber.

"Your friends," He states without looking back.

"My family," A few minutes pass with a heavy silence over them until Evander talks again: "I know you're pissed at me, Tommy but you can't disappear like that! I was insanely worried about you!"

"I know." Tommy finally looks at him and the sad expression on the beautiful face makes him take a step forward. "I'm sorry, but I hate when you treat me like one of your men! I'm not one of them, Evander!"

"No, you're not, but you're the only man that owns my heart, Tommy..."

The weight of those words hit Tommy immediately and he feels a lump in his stomach that is quickly rising to his throat.

"Evander I..." He swallows hard, blinks and throws himself into Evander's arms. The singer holds him, bringing Tommy up so they are face to face. "I love you too!"

Minutes pass when neither of them moves, or talks. They just stay in each other's arms, breathing in and out.

"Come with me? I want to show you something!" The bassist says then, taking a step back.

He takes the singer by the hand and pulls him inside the ruins.

"I used to love to come here when I was a kid..." He says when they reach what was a big salon. The ceiling was long gone and the tiled floor had been taken by nature, as were the remaining walls, covered by ivy.

"I would spend entire days exploring these walls and rooms, wondering what kind of people used to live here... You were one of those people, right?"

"Yes. This was my home for so long..." Noticing a note of sadness in Evander's voice, Tommy goes back to where the singer is standing in the middle of the ruined room.

"I'm sorry for making you sad! I'm so stupid, let's go back!"

"No, that's ok. It's not the ruins that make me sad. It's thinking of how it all ended... It shouldn't have happened that way."

"It shouldn't have happened." Getting on the tips of his toes, Tommy pecks Evander's lips gently. "But we'll fix things up. The Queen will return and people will be happy again. And safe. And prosper."

"Have you always been this optimistic?" Evander says, with a half-smile on his face, embracing Tommy against his body.

"No. It's the opposite, actually."

"What happened?"

"You. You made me realize that things can be better. That I can make things better."

Evander smiles fully now and kisses his lovely Kitten until both of them are panting for air. "If I die tomorrow, I'll die happy knowing that I changed somebody's perspective on life."

"Don't say nonsenses! You won't die tomorrow! Tomorrow we'll be dining with the Red Queen!"

"You're right! Come, let's go back. I want to meet your mother and sister!"

Hand in hand they walk across the ruins back to the patio where the others are gathered after pitching tents in the open space. Tommy introduces the singer to his family and tells him and the others the new facts about his life.

"So, we have another mystery on our hands..." Kadmus says. "Where did our Kitten came from?"

"I wonder if I'm related to the Queen... I mean... there must be a reason for me to be so important to her."

"We'll discover soon enough," Evander says, taking the bowl of stew Aliz gives him.

Tommy looks around to the tents and the people scattered around. Darius is back and is talking in a hushed voice with his twin in a secluded corner. Darcy and Newton are beside the big caldron with boiling stew filling bowls and giggling at each other. Kadmus and Bhanks are on vigil duty, each at one side of the patio while Aliz chats happily with his mom and sister. Evander is by his side, looking attentively into his empty bowl.

"I wish we could be alone tonight." The bassist says after a moment of indecision. "I have a feeling that that won't be possible for some time..."

"Come with me." Evander gets up and takes Tommy's hands, pulling him along.

They walk through the dark ruins, with only the flame Evander creates in the palm of his free hand to guide them. In the back of the castle, there is a tower made of the same reddish stone of the rest of the building.

With the small flame flickering in the wind, Evander opens a heavy wooden door that leads to a spiral staircase. In the top of the tower there is a large room with windows all around and a vaulted ceiling.

"This used to be my sleeping quarters." The Mage says, closing the door behind them.

"A little trashed, isn't it?" Tommy jokes. There are dead leaves and sticks on the floor and some three branches poking through the windows.

"Wait and see smarty pants."

A dark blue dust rises from the palms of Evander's hands, spreading and filling the round room from floor to ceiling.

When the dust settles, the room shines with the light coming from a beautiful crystal chandelier. The ceiling is painted with colorful frescos and the white stones on the walls are clear and perfect again.

In the middle of the room, a huge bed lies covered in luxurious sheets and pillows in jewel tones. There are some sofas and ottomans upholstered in brocade and a hearth where a warm fire burns.

"Wow! This is seriously beautiful!"

"Come see the view!" Evander grabs his lover's hand once again and pulls him to one of the windows from where they can see an old building at the other side of the Forest that surrounds the Red Castle. "That's the Mage Academy. See the tower?" He says, holding Tommy against his chest and pointing to the central structure of the old castle. "There used to be a huge moon clock. It was up there that I conjured my first spell.... I blew the clock into pieces!"

"No, you didn't!?" Tommy exclaims laughing out loud.

"I did! But it wasn't on purpose, of course. I was only seven years old."

"So young with such great power! It amazes me that you didn't freak out..."

"The Mages were good masters, careful and loving."

"They did a great job with all of you. And... in case I didn't say it already, I'm really happy to be here with you."

"I'm happy you're with us too, Tommy."

Noticing the change in Evander's tone, Tommy turns around inside his arms to look at the singer, whose eyes are shining with desire. He gets on the tips of his toes and kisses the singer on the mouth, burying his fingers in the dark hair.

He feels a pair of strong hands on his skin under the black shirt and sighs.

"I long to feel your skin against mine," Evander whispers against his mouth, the thick freckled lips trailing the line of Tommy's jaw, to his ear and then to the column of his neck. "I want your taste on my tongue and my name on your lips. I want to be inside of you and all around you."

Breathless Tommy listens to his words and feels his hands on his body and there's nothing he wants more than to give Evander everything he's asking for. "I want... I want to be yours... I... please, Evander!"

"Shsh calm down love. Come to bed with me."

Pulling Tommy with him, Evander sits at the edge of the bed with the bassist between his legs. He pushes his t-shirt off the lean body and doesn't waste any time starting to undo the belt and zipper of his tight jeans.

"You're so beautiful Kitten! So perfect! I could just look at you for the rest of my life!"

"I hope you're not planning on doing only that to me tonight..." Tommy says, cheeky.

"Rest assured my love, my plan for you tonight includes leaving you breathless and shaky, and for that, I'll need more than my eyes."

With that, Evander leans forward and kisses Tommy's stomach, his fingers digging under the waist of the black jeans and boxers, pulling them down slowly, as his mouth follows.

Tommy's fingers fly to the singer's hair once again seeking balance amongst the pleasure he's experiencing. When lips reach the bassist's erection, he takes a sharp intake and a moan escapes his own lips. The warmth is almost unbearable and the way Evander teases his slit with his resourceful tongue makes the bassist's knees buckle. He tightens his grip on Evander's hair, bucking forward slightly and making his cock reach the back of the singer's throat.

"Bloody Depths! Evander, I can't... Stop please!" Evander pulls off immediately, eyeing Tommy with concerned eyes. "I'll come too soon..."

The singer smiles cockily and gets up, kissing Tommy's neck in the process. "Do you want to take my clothes off, then?"

Tommy nods and tugs at the hem of Evander's button down shirt and pulls, making the buttons fly everywhere. The singer laughs taking off the shirt while Tommy is already working on his trousers.

"Damn, you're beautiful!" He says when Evander is finally naked in front of him. "I love your body... Your skin... Your tattoos..." His hands travel through the tanned skin without rush, tickling and rising goose bumps that make Tommy smile. "Take me..." he says, looking at the singer from under his impossibly long eyelashes.

With gentle hands, Evander lays Tommy on the bed, embracing his body when he shivers from the cold sheets. With sweet and lustful kisses, the singer makes his way down between Tommy's legs, spreading them so he can relax the tight ring of muscles.

When a finger penetrates his body, the bassist squirms and pants. He doesn't even question where the lube wetting Evander's finger came from.

"Relax Kitten. You're ok, it's gonna feel better soon..." Evander says kissing the inside of a creamy white thigh.

True to Evander's promise, the discomfort soon gives place to the pleasure when he's loose enough to feel the touch instead of the pain.

"Feeling good?" Evander asks when he moans. Tommy nods biting his bottom lip. "I'm gonna put another finger in, ok Kitten? Relax and breathe."

Tommy winces and squirms again but relaxes much more quickly, this time, learning to appreciate the feeling of being stretched. When Evander finds his spot, his eyes shot open and a loud moan escapes his lips.

"Bloody Depths! Do it again!" Evander complies, smiling wickedly when his Kitten screams in pleasure. "Evander, I'm gonna come! Have to..."

"No, no, no, no! Wait for me, Kitten!"

Slowly, the singer takes his fingers out and positions his body over Tommy's, kissing him passionately.

The feeling of Evander's blunt head pushing against his opening is overwhelming, so Tommy squeezes his eyes shut and bites his lip again.

"Kitten, do you want me to stop?" Concerned, Evander puts a lock of blond hair behind Tommy's ear to look at his eyes.

"No! Please don't. I wanna feel you, just... just hold me tight and kiss me."

"OK, yeah, sure! Put your legs around my waist, you'll be more comfortable."

Tommy does as he says and Evander kisses him sweetly while pushing against his hole slowly.

Letting quick puffs of air out, his nails dig into Evander's back and then, just like that, the discomfort is gone. He feels full and stretched but it's not a bad feeling at all.

"I'm all the way in, Kitten. How do you feel?"

"Good. But could be better if you would be so kind as to start moving!"

With that, Evander knows he's alright and laughs, starting to rock his hips against him.

"I can't believe how tight you are Kitten! Fucking Depths!"

"That's because you're fucking huge!" Tommy retorts, raking his nails on Evander's back and biting his shoulder.

The Mage slows his movements to a near stop. "Am I hurting you, Tommy?"

"No! Don't fucking stop!" Tommy nearly screams in frustration. "You're not hurting me at all! Go faster please!"

Evander then grabs his legs and places them over his shoulders to get leverage and speeds up his trusts.

"Is that good, love?" The singer grunts between pants.

"Yeah! Fuck yeah! I'm gonna come! So so so soooo good!"

Evander knows the exact moment Tommy comes, not only because of the white shots of cum painting his stomach, but for the vise-like grip of Tommy's insides on his dick, the heat and the pressure making him come too.

Tommy watches as the Mage bends his body back, mouth agape and heaving chest. His hair falls over his face and the freckles are highlighted by the flush of blood that tints his cheeks.

"So beautiful..." He whispers to himself.

Evander falls heavily over his body again and rolls over to lay by his side on the bed and Tommy feels an emptiness that has nothing to do with the absence of Evander's member inside of him. It's his hands that feel empty, he notices, because until a second later, they had Evander's fingers on them.

He raises both hands up in the air in front of his face and looks at them for a long while, rubbing his fingers together.

"Tommy? Is there something wrong?" Evander asks, supporting his head with his hand.

"What... No, nothing is wrong. I was just thinking..."

"Having second thoughts about us?"

"No, of course not... I was just... you know, thinking."

"A penny for your thoughts, then."

After a moment of silence, when Evander puts his arm around Tommy's waist and pulls him against his body, the bassist says: "You know how there are people who say that men that lay down with men are going to spend eternity in the Depths?"

"Tommy, you can't believe in that nonsense!"

"I don't! I mean... I don't know much about all this life after death thing but what I was thinking is why should I, or any other person, really, suffer for all eternity because I love someone of my own sex? I mean... how can love condemn me?"

"I know love. It's bullshit, all of it!" Evander makes both of them sit straight on the mattress and continues: "Those people don't know what they're saying. First of all, the Depths are not a place of punishment or suffering."

"What are they, then?"

"A place of obliviousness and silence."

"And what happens in the Higher Plains?"

"Peace and happiness amongst the people you love and that love you. And all that you have to do to go there after you die is live your life in such a way that your soul gathers no weight, so it can soar to the Plains. Otherwise, your soul sinks into the Depths."

"Oh... It's... surprisingly simple."

"Yes, it is."

"So, the only question that remains is: What is it that I must do for my soul to remain weightless?"

"Live your life," Evander shrugs "Fully, with no regrets. Don't harm others and if possible, help them. It's quite simple, like you said."

Tommy smiles but a monumental yawn breaks it, making Evander giggle.

"You're tired. I'll clean us up and we can sleep a little until it's time to go."

The bassist nods and lies again on the bed to grant Evander access to his body. A few minutes later, snuggled against the singer's chest once again, he entwines their fingers and kisses Evander's knuckles. "Thank you for tonight, Ev."

"It was my pleasure, Kitten."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

#  Chapter XVI – To the Queen

The sun is still hidden when Tommy wakes up, the sweet singing of some morning birds pulling him from his dreams.

Evander has an arm over his waist and a leg between his. The bassist sighs, snuggling closer to his lover. He feels warm and... A little sore to be honest. He grunts lowly.

"You ok, Kitten?" Evander says, his voice raspy from sleep.

"Yeah, my lower back hurts a little, though." He claims frowning.

The singer barks out a laugh. "That means I did my job right last night." He makes Tommy lay on his stomach and puts a warm palm over the sore area. In a second the bassist feels the heat of his skin increasing and then the pain is gone.

"Well, thanks!" He turns back to Evander and kisses him.

"It's nothing like what Ally can do, but it's a useful skill."

"I think we should go now. The guys must be waiting for us... And my sister... and my mom! Bloody Depths! They will know what I was doing all night!"

Evander laughs as Tommy's face gets redder and redder and kisses his nose. "Kitten, you're an adult. Your mother and sister must know you're not untouched anymore."

"Well, yeah... I suppose... That's expected from a man of my age, but for me to show up before them freshly fucked by my boyfriend is a completely different story!"

The singer laughs again, louder this time and kisses his lover. "I guess you're right, I couldn't know. But don't worry, I'll tell her that I only have good intentions towards you."

"What's that supposed to mean? You gonna propose to me?"

"That would be lovely, wouldn't it?" Evander smiles and gets out of bed. For a long moment, Tommy remains lying down, looking at him while he's walking naked around the room, looking for his clothes. His thighs are powerful, his arms thick and strong and his face, absolutely beautiful.

The singer grabs his shirt from the floor and looks at it. "Well, you did a great job ruining a perfectly fine shirt!"

"I prefer you naked anyway," Tommy shrugs while pulling his impossibly tight jeans up his skinny legs.

"Great, now my boyfriend is objectifying me like my teenage fangirls do." Evander shakes his head in fake disappointment, making Tommy laugh out loud. The buttons are already in their rightful places. "Come, the others must be waking up."

When they get back to the campsite, Sirus is the only one up. He pokes the ashes of the bonfire while looking at the horizon. Seeing Evander coming, he rises to his feet. "Good morning commander. Tommy."

"Good morning, soldier. Is everything alright around here?"

"Yes, sir. We had a peaceful night."

"Great! Now cut this sir thing out, ok?" Sirus smiles and goes back to the circle of stones where the fire was lit the night before, restocking it with wood and igniting the fire again.

Slowly the others start to surface from their tents, compelled by the smell of coffee and the honey buns Sirus is baking straight on the hot stones around the fire.

"Did you have a good night, Kitten?" Diane whispers in her brother's ear, hugging him from behind.

"Not you too!" He grunts and she laughs.

"But that pet name suits you, dear. Even more now."

Tommy sighs and turns his head to his mother, who's sitting by his side with her breakfast on a porcelain plate.

"Morning mom." He says, already feeling his cheeks getting red.

"Good morning my boy. Did you sleep well?"

Tommy chokes on his honey bun and coughs desperately.

"Good Gracious baby, are you ok?" She pats his back gently as Tommy takes deep breaths. "It seems like you are ashamed of your mother knowing that you spent the night with your boyfriend..." He turns his head to her, his eyes wide open and Marie winks at her son.

"No... Of course not..." He mumbles.

"Ok everybody!" Fifteen minutes later, Evander claps his hands and stands up. "Time to go."

With a twist of Sirus' wrist, the tents are gone, as are the utensils and only the circle made of stones around the ashes of the fire indicates their presence there.

Then, Aliz leads them underground, under the ruins of the Red Castle, through tunnels and chambers that she lights up with a mass of electric energy contained by Kadmus' Magic. The makeshift light bulb casts a strong blue light over them and their path.

Finally at the end of a seemingly endless corridor, they reach a heavy wooden door. The healer pulls the light closer but there is no handle or knob on it, just...

"A paw print?" She says, confused. "This wasn't here before..."

"A dog's paw?" Bhanks asks, getting closer.

"No. It's too big..."

"It's a lion's paw," Darcy says quietly by Tommy's side.

"By the Plains! Darcy's right!" The guitarist exclaims, "Come forward, Tommy... Put your hand over the print."

The Shifter complies and puts his palm against the wood. It's warm and smells like fresh beeswax. The second his skin touches the door, a bright shine comes from under it and the heavy piece of wood opens without a sound. Before them is a big chamber with three tunnels.

"Great!" Darius exclaims. "More tunnels! Where to now, oh powerful Seer?"

The mean comment looms over the group for a long minute while Aliz looks from one entry to the other.

Noticing that the Healer is starting to panic, Darcy steps forward and grabs her hand. "You can do this!" The Shifter whispers and lays their head on Aliz's shoulder.

The Healer closes her eyes then, feeling the warmth of Darcy's hand and sighs. Suddenly, it's like her mind was freed from a bind and her consciousness runs forward through the three passages and locates the one they are supposed to follow.

"I can see! It's this one!" She says and with Darcy's hand still in hers, leads the group to the left tunnel.

They walk for what seems an eternity inside the stone walls but finally, they see natural light and trees. Everyone breathes in relief, taking in the smell of dirt and leaves from the forest around them.

"That's not the sun, is it?" Diane asks, looking up to the diffuse and cold source of light.

"No. We're not exactly in the Central Territory anymore." Kadmus declares, smiling at her.

"Then, where are we?"

"I have no clue, beautiful, but don't worry! I'll take care of you."

Diane looks up at the warrior's face and smiles, nodding.

As they walk in pairs along the trail between the tall trees, the sky above them gets darker and darker and a sinister feeling looms around the group.

"Why is it getting darker? It can't be the sunset, we haven't walked that much..." Darcy exclaims, grabbing Aliz's fingers tightly.

"Don't be afraid dear. You're safe. K, let's light the bulb again..."

"No," Tommy says quietly. "I don't think we're supposed to lighten this place that much."

The others look at him like he's crazy, but the bassist walks around, his hand stretched forward, almost touching the trees, eyes looking attentively between them. "I hear something... Like breathing... really faint but it's here. Newton, do you hear it too?"

The Alchemist steps closer to the other blond man and looks around. "Yes. There's definitely life here. And that life needs the dark to survive. We can't have a strong light here."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Darius retorts "It's pitch black ahead."

"Give me a second, Rusty, I'll get there." Tommy barks back at the Illusionist. Contained laughs sound around them.

The bassist looks around again, from the dark tree tops to the humid soil covered by leaves and... mushrooms?

He kneels near them and touches one. For his utter surprise, it lights up as do the next one, and the next, and the next. Soon, the mushrooms formed guidelines on both sides of the path, illuminating it with a gentle green shine that's more than enough for the group to continue walking.

"Wow! That's so beautiful!" Darcy exclaims.

"Come, let's continue." The bassist says, reaching for the other Shifter's hand.

As they walk hand in hand, Tommy strives to perceive something evil in the redhead's soul, still worried about what Naria had said, but there's nothing there. Darcy's soul seems light and good, like it's supposed to be. He looks back to see Newton with the flower pot in his arms. He's smiling at the rose and Tommy can feel her happy energy from where he is. Everything is good.

Ahead there's a bend in the trail and beyond it, the dark trees become scarce and they can see the sky again. In the distance, there's a lake with placid, transparent water. It looks like a mirror.

"I don't understand..." Aliz says "The glass circle was supposed to be here, but I don't see it."

"Those look like the ruins of a bridge," Bhanks says pointing to an elevation on the ground ahead. "I'll check it out for clues of this glass circle. The rest of you stay here."

At that, the Mage transports his body to the pile of rocks ahead. They can see him looking around and then standing straight again.

"Tommy, Bhanks wants you to go there. There's another paw print on the ground." Evander says.

Tommy nods and floats there amongst his golden cloud of dust. Next, the remaining members of the group see him looking at the ground and putting his hands on it. Nothing happens. The bassist scratches his scalp and then, with a bright explosion of light, turns into the lion. And as soon as the lion's paws touch the ground, a curved bridge made of brown stones appears, reflecting in the water underneath.

"The glass circle!" Diane exclaims. "It's beautiful!"

The group moves forward to the base of the bridge and encouraged by Bhanks, already at the other side, they cross the ancient stone structure. When everybody is safely on solid ground, Tommy turns back to his human form and the bridge disappears.

With Evander's proud smile in mind, the Shifter closes his eyes and transports himself to the other side.

"I see you managed to keep your clothes with you when you shifted back." Sirus comments.

"Yes, Evander taught me a little trick, but he said I should ask you about the spell to make new clothes."

"Oh, sure, it's a simple one, but requires a bit of practice. Darcy, dear, would you like to learn this spell too?"

Darcy turns their red head towards the other two and smiles, letting go of Aliz's hands to walk with them.

"Ok." Sirus continues. "The first thing is to think about the outfit you want to create and then you say the words." The Mage then says a few complicated, senseless words and his khaki pants and turtleneck t-shirt turn into a full body armor. "Now it's your turn. Tommy?"

The bassist concentrates, says the words and a black leather jacket appears around his shoulders.

"Cool!" He exclaims, looking at his arms. "Now you, Darcy!"

The Shifter blinks and swallows hard. "I don't know if I can do this... I've never done Magic before!"

"Of course, you can! C'mon!"

Darcy closes their eyes then and a second later, the pink frock Aliz had created disappears to give rise to black combat boots, pink baggy pants, a white t-shirt, and a matching pink camouflage jacket.

"Nice!" Tommy celebrates.

"No! Damn it! I wanted green! Not pink..." Darcy exclaims, frustrated.

"I told you it requires a little practice." Sirus laughs "Try again."

The Shifter closes the grey eyes tight and repeats the ancient words again. This time their pants and jacket turn to green.

"That's more like it! I'm feeling a little manly today."

"Looks good on you." The bassist then gets closer and whispers to the other Shifter. "I bet Newton will like it too."

"You think?" As soon as Darcy finishes the sentence, their cheeks get flushed "I mean... I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course, you don't. Go talk to him!"

With a shy smile, Darcy speeds their steps to walk beside the Alchemist, who smiles at them.

"Hey, New!" the bassist calls. "Send Naria my way. You've already carried her long enough."

Newton smiles and sends the flower pot floating to Tommy.

"Hello, love. How are you today? Enjoying the walk?"

"Hi Tommy, I'm good, but I missed you."

"Missed you too... So, have you felt anything strange about Darcy again?"

"No... It's very mysterious, don't you think?"

"Indeed."

"Tommy." The bassist turns his head to look at his sister, who seems distressed. "Mom is tired. Do you think we could stop for a while?"

"There's no time to rest!" Darius steps in, pushing Tommy aside to move closer to the front of their group. "We must reach the Forgotten Castle as soon as possible!"

"What an unpleasant fellow that is..." Diane comments frowning.

"Yes, he is. Here, take Naria with you, I'll carry mom."

Saying that, Tommy goes to the back of the cue they formed to cross the thin path and kisses his mother's hand.

"I'll carry you, mom, so you can rest your legs."

"There's no need, my boy. I'm fine!"

"Of course, you are, but what use does my huge lion have if it can't give my dear mother a little comfort?"

Marie smiles at him and nods, grateful. Tommy takes several steps back and turns into the lion.

"You're so beautiful, my boy, both as a lion and a human." She says, sitting on his back.

Tommy growls and speeds his steps so they are at the front of the group. He feels reassured with the weight of his mother on his back and her hands in his mane.

Minutes later they see a bright light ahead of them. In fact, it's so bright that they can't look directly at its direction.

"I know the Queen must protect herself, but that's a bit ridiculous, don't you think?" says Diane, covering her eyes. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Tommy, dear, I think it's up to you again." Marie whispers in the lion's ear, getting down from his back.

The lion sits down with his eyes closed and listens to the trees around them, and the water flowing in the creek under a log covered in moss.

"The light ahead comes from crystals. They are everywhere in the next twenty yards... I don't know what to do!" He says to Evander, the only one that can hear him.

The singer then goes to talk to Aliz, who tries to see what's ahead with her Magic.

"You must convince the crystals to dim their light, so we can pass." She says after a while.

With widening eyes, Tommy shifts back. "What? How am I supposed to talk to a mineral? Plants, ok. Animals are easy, but crystals?! How's that even possible?"

"I don't know. But apparently, you can do it."

Aliz looks as incredulous as he's feeling, so Tommy seeks guidance and confidence in Evander's eyes and sure as the ground under his feet, there it is, shining in the blue irises, the undying faith that never fails to lift Tommy's spirit.

"Alright... Let's see what I can do." He turns back to the lion and once again sits on the grass, the tip of his tail playing in a nearby creek to keep him grounded. Tommy closes his eyes then and looks inside of his mind.

He sees the golden mist everywhere and it feels like home. He hears plants and animals talking around them, but nothing that sounds like a crystal.

"Listen beyond your ears." A female voice sounds inside his head. He knows that voice. He heard it before. "Listen with your paws, with your body, with the tip of your tail. They are singing, all you have to do is listen."

And slowly but surely, he hears the singing. It's sort of a vibrating sound, like when you trace the rim of a crystal glass with your wet finger...

In his mind Tommy makes a shushing sound and waves his hands up and down slowly, asking the crystals to decrease the volume of their music. When the sound is nothing more than a whisper, he thanks them and opens his eyes.

The path ahead is clear for them now and no more than twenty yards away, there's a stone portal with another heavy wooden door. This one is beautifully engraved and there's a small lamp hanging from a tree branch.

Above the portal, a message greets them. "To the ones chosen by the Providence and blessed with Magic: Welcome!"

#  Chapter XVII – Layung

"We're here!" Aliz exclaims, tears flooding her green eyes. "I can't believe we're actually here!" Wild flowers sprouting where her tears hit the ground.

Both Evander and Newton come closer to the healer to crush her in a tight group hug. Tommy observes them and smiles.

"Well, let's go then! I could use a warm bath and a soft bed." Kadmus says, slapping Evander's shoulder.

The Mage puts his hand on the heavy door and pushes, opening the ancient passage. On the other side, they can see the sea and the sun setting behind a small but majestic castle perched on the top of a tall cliff.

"Of course she would choose the Forgotten Castle by the sea..." Aliz comments, fondly. She then, grabs her husband's hand and pulls him forward. "C'mon honey! I can't wait for you to meet the Queen!"

She runs through the door pulling Stephen with her but as soon as her body is on the other side, Aliz feels a tug in her hand and when she looks back, he's still at the other side with everyone else.

"Stephen, stop playing! We gotta go!"

He looks sadly at her and shakes his head. "I can't go through, Ally... The door won't let me." To illustrate, he puts his palm against the invisible barrier that prevents him from entering.

"No!" Aliz whines. "No, Stephen! You have to come! I... Evander, help him!"

"There's nothing I can do, Ally. The portal says 'The ones blessed with Magic'. Stephen is Human..."

"No!" She's crying now, hugging her husband. "I can't leave you behind!"

"Don't worry, my love. I'll go back to town and wait for you there."

"He can stay in our house," Marie suggests.

"No, it's dangerous for you there!" She says, drying her face with his handkerchief. "I'll take you back to the mansion in the Capital, you'll be safe there."

"Why is your house safer for Stephen than my mother's house?" Tommy asks in Evander's mind.

He looks at the lion and smiles. "Because it has a protection spell around it. As long as its structure is whole, no intruder can penetrate it."

"Oh! So that's why you told me not to open the windows!"

"Yes... Tommy, do you think your mother and sister will be able to pass through the portal?"

"You think they won't?"

"They don't have Magic either..."

"There's only one way to know. Please tell Diane to come along."

Evander nods and puts a hand on Diane's back. "We need to know if you and your mother can get through." The woman nods and swallows hard, walking behind her brother.

Tommy crosses the portal with his mother on his back without a problem, but Diane can't follow them.

"I don't understand!" Aliz says, looking from one to the other. "Why Marie can go but Diane and Stephen can't?"

Evander looks at the inscription above the door and sighs. "Mrs. Sabberton has no Magic, but she was chosen by the Providence."

"Well, what can I do, then?" Diane says, looking sadly at Kadmus.

"Ally and I will take you two back to the Capital. Our home there is impenetrable to hostile Magic. You'll be safe there until we obtain the Queen's permission for you to enter."

"She can do that?"

"If there's anyone in this world who can, it is she, beautiful." The huge warrior smiles at the blond woman and squeezes her hand gently.

Marie walks back through the portal and hugs her daughter. "We'll see each other soon, baby girl. I promise!"

Diane nods and hugs her mom again. "I'll miss you." Then she turns to Tommy, who's back in his human form, handing Naria's flowerpot to her mother. "Bye, little bro. Take care of mom for me, ok?"

"Of course, silly. Mom will be fine and like she said, we'll see each other soon." Kissing his sister's forehead, Tommy turns to Stephen, who's waiting for Diane beside Kadmus and Aliz. "And you fucker, take care of my sister!" He jokes, hugging the muscled guy and slapping his back unnecessarily loud, like boys do when they are emotional but don't want to show it.

"Don't worry, Tommy. Nothing will happen to her."

The next second, the four of them disappear in two bright colored clouds of Magic.

"Will they have to walk all the way from the Red Castle to here again, when they get back?" Marie asks.

"No. We already know where the Queen is, so they can just appear at the front gate." Evander answers, smiling at Tommy's mom. "Let's get going, then. The Queen must be waiting for us."

So, they climb the trail up the hill. Darius and Sirus in the back, Darcy between Newton and Bhanks and Marie on Tommy's back beside Evander.

"Where are we now?" Darcy asks, stretching their neck to look over Bhanks shoulders. "I've never been in this part of the country..."

"No? So you've never seen the ocean, then?" Newton asks and the redhead shakes their head. "We're at the most northern part of the west territory. This is Cape Grace, and that's Castle Grace, one of the secret hideouts of our Queen known as the Forgotten Castles."

"It's so beautiful! New, do you think we'll have time to go down to the beach?"

"You want me to go with you on your first time in the ocean?" The Alchemist exclaims, eyes wide.

"Yes, of course! I can't think of someone better to share this experience with me." The Shifter smiles broadly, their cheeks getting slightly flushed. "You wanna come?"

"Of course, he wanna come!" Darius says behind them, with a cheeky grin "Look at his face! There's nothing he wants more than..."

"Darius!" Evander shouts, signaling toward Tommy's mom by his side "Manners!"

The warrior frowns but stops talking.

"I'll be delighted to accompany you, my dear."

Darcy smiles broadly again and takes Newton's hand in theirs.

When they are just a few yards away from the castle's front gate, Marie tightens her grip on Tommy's mane. "Am I dressed appropriately to meet a Queen? I mean... I totally forgot about that..."

Evander smiles at her. "I think we all could use a change of clothes." He then conjures a bowl and Tommy fills it with clean water for the others to wash their faces and hands. Sirus creates a delicate light blue gown for Marie while the others dress in suits of armor. Darcy tries their new ability once again and creates a three-piece black suit with a brocade vest, a sparkling white shirt and shiny black shoes.

Still in lion form, Tommy admires the rangers and their commander. They look dangerous and powerful in their suits of armor. Evander's is gold with blue and green jewels scattered over the chest plate, Newton's is deep green with silver filigrees, his long blond braid is once again wrapped loosely around his neck. The twins have matching black armor and Bhanks' is pure silver with golden details. All of them carry the same coat of arms somewhere in their armor: A bright red rose inside a twelve rays sun. Tommy notices that there's one on the sleeve of his mother's dress too.

"You look very beautiful," Tommy says to Evander's mind and the Mage smiles.

"These are the very same armor we used to wear during the war. They mean a lot to us... It's good to wear them again... but at the same time..."

"It's not. I get it."

"We must go, now," Bhanks says, pointing to the castle. "We're expected."

They all turn to look at the building. The thick cast iron gate is rising slowly and the wooden doors behind it are opening. At the other side, there is a tall figure dressed in red.

The group walks hastily towards the ancient building, stopping at the bottom of the steps that lead to the front door, where the woman stands; she's wearing a simple crimson gown and a small turban of the same color with a white gem in the center. The Mage Warriors drop to one knee, so Marie and Darcy do the same; Tommy lowers his head and pulls a paw from the ground.

"My brave soldiers and dearest friends! It brings me so much joy to see you all again!" The Red Queen says and her voice is like a blanket on a rainy day, falling warm and calming over them. "Rise now! Let me gaze upon your faces again!"

Evander is the first one up; he has a smile and a tear on his face. "My Lady, joy is not a good enough word to express what I'm feeling right now! To bask in your presence is a balm to our souls!"

The Queen walks down the steps and puts her long arms about Evander's shoulders.

Tommy looks at them, taking in the emotion of that moment. The Queen is even more beautiful in person than in the vision he had of her face: Her ebony skin glows in the sunset and the thick lips are open in a rejoiced smile, but it's her eyes that translate all the beauty of that soul. They are of a blue so pale the irises seem transparent, with two black inner circles that give depth to her gaze. And that penetrating gaze is settled on him now.

She kneels before him, outstretching her hands to touch his mane. "My dearest Tommy! What a beautiful lion you are," The Queen touches her forehead with Tommy's, her fingers combing the golden fur for a second. "But will you let me look at your human face, so I can see the man you've become?"

Immediately he shifts back to human, bowing before the Queen and helping her to get on her feet. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty!" He says, smiling "I trust you already know my mother."

"Yes, indeed! How do you do, my dear?"

"I'm quite well Your Majesty, thank you." Marie replies smiling. "And thank you for letting me into your domains."

"You will always be welcome in Castle Grace, Marie."

The Queen then walks to Newton, Bhanks and the twins, embracing each one and exchanging a few words with them. When she reaches Darcy, at the end of the group, she takes a moment to look at them. She blinks and looks around, seeming confused.

"My Lady?" Darcy risks, shyly. "Is there something amiss?"

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry, I... Don't understand... Where's your other half?"

"My other half, Your Ladyship?"

"Yes, I was told that Evander and his men would find two people on their way here. A man and a woman..."

"Well I... I don't know if it's to me your information refers to, Your Majesty, but one could say that I am both, a man and a woman."

"You have both souls inside of you?"

"You could say that, yes."

The Queen then does the most unexpected thing: she takes off her turban and kneels before Darcy. "I'm deeply honored by your presence in my home, oh blessed one!"

"Your Majesty! Please! Get up!" Darcy holds her shoulders and pulls the Queen up to look at her face again. "I'm not worthy of your reverence; I'm just a person, a simple Shifter..."

"Oh, but you are not!" The Queen touches Darcy's face with a warm hand, smiling. "You're a Two-Spirited Being! The first one born in such a long time not even I can remember the last one. How should I call you?"

"My name is Darcy, Your Ladyship."

"Darcy, what a beautiful name!" She turns around then to face the astonished group "We shall celebrate your arrival!" The Queen says, hiding her short black hair again with the turban.

"My Lady!" They hear and look beyond the gate to see Aliz and Kadmus approaching.

The Healer runs towards them and panting, starts to bow before the Queen, but the taller woman interrupts the gesture by throwing her arms around Aliz's shoulders. "My dear friend! It's so good to see you again!"

"Layung!" Aliz says in a whisper, tears of joy wetting her face, and puts her arms around the Queen as well, hugging her so hard and for so long that her knuckles turn white. "There were times I thought I would never see you again!"

"But you never lost your faith and I'm thankful for that, my dear!"

"Never!"

The two friends finally separate from each other, laughing amongst their tears.

"Kadmus, darling!" the Queen says then, turning to the huge warrior while Aliz gives a handful of her jade tears to Newton. "You look good! Welcome back!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Ah... Can I talk to you about something..."

"All in due time, my dear. Now, let's go inside, there are a few people here that are as anxious to see you as I was."

She opens the double doors with a flick of her hand and guides them inside. The main hall is huge, with a tall ceiling and a big fireplace at each side, the walls are covered with tapestry and the small bulbs of energy on the various chandeliers cast a gentle light over them. Some chairs and small tables are scattered around the room and the simplicity of it all amazes Tommy and leaves a bad taste in Evander's mouth.

"My Lady, you have been living in such frugality... This is not suitable for your greatness..."

"My dear, if I learned anything in the last four hundred years is that one can get used to almost anything. I don't need all that luxury to live, you know? I had to live without you and my beloved people for so many years... No material goods are more valuable than you. This simplicity was quite calming and good for my soul."

"You have been living here alone for all these years, Your Majesty?" Marie asks.

"Oh no! I have my dear companions, although their presence makes me very sad some days... To think that I couldn't help them back then and that I can't help them now breaks my heart."

They enter a room at the left side of the grand hall to see a variety of animals comfortably lodged on the carpeted floor, in sofas and chairs. From a corner beside the fireplace, a white wolf perks its head, looking at the newcomers. All the animals do the same, but the wolf lets out a strangled cry and gets up, coming closer.

"Bhanks..." Someone says in a reverent voice, but the Mage doesn't seem to listen. His eyes are glued to the white wolf's dark irises and he's crying.

There's a dull thud when the huge warrior falls on his knees before the wolf and wraps his arms around it.

Looking around, Tommy notices that everyone in the room is crying, even the animals. They are Shifters trapped in their animal forms like Harry and Darcy were...

Quickly, he takes a few steps away from the group and shifts into the lion. All the animal's heads turn to him. "I'll get back to you in a second," He says and walks to where Bhanks is still holding the white wolf. Without drawing attention to himself, he growls lowly in the wolf's ear and in the next second, there's a beautiful woman of copper skin and white hair in Bhanks' arms. She's naked, so Sirus creates a white dress for her.

"Bhanks," She says and her voice sounds raspy "Bhanks, look at me, my love! Please!"

"Madras... I can't... What if this is a dream? If I look at your face, you'll fade away like the other times..."

"This is not a dream, my love! Please, look at me!" She places her hands at both sides of his head, tilting it up "I've waited for so long to see your eyes again!"

Bhanks remains with his eyes closed for a moment longer and then, open them slowly. He cries and he laughs and kisses his beloved wife's lips, mixing his tears with hers. "It's you! It's really you! Goodness Gracious, I had lost all my hopes of ever finding you... but here you are! Safe and sound and in my arms again! Oh, Madras!"

Suddenly, a cloud of red dust surrounds the couple and they are gone. "I've taken them to one of the bedrooms upstairs, so they can be with each other in privacy," The Queen says.

"All of these animals are Shifters? Like Tommy and I?" Darcy questions, touching the ear of a black fox that sat in a chair next to them. In the exact same second, the fox turns into a dark haired man.

"What the fuck?" Darius and Sirus whispers, looking from one Shifter to the other.

"Oh my Goodness!" The man exclaims, looking at his hands "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He then takes Darcy's hands in his and kisses them.

"My Lady, what did we just witness?" Evander asks, in a whisper.

The Queen has a bright smile on her face. "Like I said, Two-Spirited Beings are blessed. Our Darcy here has great deeds planned for them. They are The Spell Breaker and The Finder."

"The Spell Breaker and The Finder? That's why Your Majesty thought I was two people?" The Queen nods. "So, does it mean I can break any spells?"

"Yes. And you can locate those spells that need to be broken."

"Evander! That's amazing!" Tommy shouts in the singer's mind "Ally will be able to fix your leg!"

"Yeah... I suppose..."

"Baby, why are you so reluctant? You'll be whole again and your leg won't hurt anymore..."

"Tommy, mind your own business, ok? And get out of my head for a second, please!" Evander snaps, taking the amulet off his neck.

"What the actual fuck?!" Tommy thinks, looking at Evander who's already on the other side of the room beside Aliz.

"Tommy." The Queen calls, making him turn his head "It's time for you to fulfill the first part of your destiny." She complements, waving a hand towards the Shifters in the room.

Tommy nods and turns to the others that look at him anxiously. He takes a deep breath and roars with all his might, sending a shockwave through the room and transforming the animals there in humans again.

Cries of joy and astonishment fill the room and tears wet every single face, including his own. He shifts back to receive a hug from a little light haired boy.

Meanwhile, Aliz and Sirus rush to put some clothes on the naked bodies around them.

"New... why did the Queen say it was Tommy's destiny to change those people back? And... why was that guy I changed so grateful? I mean... Shifters can turn in and out, don't we?"

"Normally, yes but these people have been trapped in their animal forms for the past four hundred years, since before the Red Queen lost her throne."

"Why?" Darcy utters, eyes widening.

"It's a long story. Come with me to the other room so I can tell you."

A grand feast is scheduled to happen that night at the grand hall of Castle Grace. Newton, Darcy, and Aliz are providing the food while Evander and Sirus decorate the room. Tommy uses his powers over nature to create tables and benches from living branches and Darius is arranging their instruments for a small show. There's no sign of Bhanks and Madras and every time anyone remembers that, a silly smile curves their lips.

Love is such a wonderful thing! And that's why Kadmus insists on talking with their Queen while the others are busy.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to bother you but there's an important matter that needs your attention."

"I know, my dear. Tommy's sister and Aliz's husband. They can't come in for their destinies are not clear yet. Once it's all settled, you'll have permission to bring your beloved to the castle."

"I... ah..." The warrior's face gets red like a beet and he averts his eyes from the Queen's "I wouldn't say that she's my... ah beloved... But she's a... a very nice and beautiful lady... Very smart and..."

The Queen laughs gently and pats his shoulder: "Diane will be welcome here. Now go help your friends."

"Your Majesty," She hears and turns to look at Tommy. "May I talk to you, please?"

"Of course dearest," Her smile is so warm that Tommy can't help but smile himself.

"I understand that you and Evander have a very long and close relationship..." She nods, her perfect dark eyebrows almost meeting the rim of her turban. "Therefore I would like to ask you to talk to him about his leg..."

"What do you mean, Tommy?"

"Some time ago I suggested that I could try breaking the spell that prevents Ally from making his leg grow again since apparently I'm able to do some unexpected shit... I'm sorry, Your Majesty..." The Queen clears her throat to suppress a giggle. "Anyway, he said something about talking with Ally first and the matter remained unfinished. Then today, when you said that about Darcy I suggested it again and he snapped at me, for no reason! He took off the amulet and he won't go anywhere near me..."

"And you thought I could convince him to let Darcy and Aliz work on his leg."

"Basically, yes." The Shifter says, shrugging.

"You give me too much credit, my dear, and not enough to yourself. But mostly, you must give Evander some time. He has been living with a missing limb for four hundred years. He's used to it and he gave up on the idea of having his body whole again, a long time ago. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do. What you're saying is that my powerful Mage Warrior boyfriend is afraid of changes and is too strong headed to even think about it."

The Queen starts laughing loudly then. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. You must have patience with him, talk to him with all honesty and love. But if he decides he won't do it, you must respect his wishes, even though you don't agree with them. That's what love is."

"I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty." Tommy bows and turns back to his benches and tables.

At the other side of the room, Evander was observing them talk, so the Queen winks at him before disappearing in the hallway that leads to the kitchen.

The spirits are high and the wine runs freely around the grand hall, the impromptu feast being able to even put a smile on Darius' face.

When it's time for their little show, the musicians step to the small stage in the corner under the enthusiastic applauses of the Shifters and their Queen. Evander feels so happy that he thinks his heart is going to burst.

Bhanks is back with them and the show begins with one of his heartfelt guitar solos introducing an old song from the golden times at the Red Court that also happens to be one of Evander's greatest hits in his modern days' career. It talks about peace and understanding, of love and prosperity.

Progressively, the songs get more effervescent and compel people to dance and by the end of the performance, there isn't a single person sitting down, even the Queen is dancing with Darius, red turban forgotten over a table and long skirts held above her ankles.

The ovations are so loud at the end that it muffles the sound of the last riffs. Evander stands at the center of the stage, surrounded by his band, smiling and thanking them all. When the applauses cease, he says: "I never thought I would perform for you again! My Lady, thank you for giving me and my men this opportunity. It means a lot to us."

"Listening to your voice is a gift to us all, my dearest Evander! And thank you, Newton, Bhanks, Tommy and Kadmus. You're exquisite!"

While the others get down the stage to retrieve their wine mugs, Tommy grabs Evander's sleeve, making the singer stay behind with him. "I'm sorry I said something that bothered you... please be mine again?" He says, looking at Evander from under his lashes and pressing his body against the singer's. He knows it's a low blow, but he can't stand the distance anymore.

Evander takes a sharp intake and closes his eyes for a second. "Oh Kitten, I could never not be yours... I simply can't!" Evander puts his hands on both sides of Tommy's head and tilts it up so their lips can touch.

"Do you think they will miss us if we disappear?"

Evander looks around to the Shifters and his men. They seem distracted enough, but the Queen is looking straight at them. She smiles knowingly and winks at him again.

"I think it's safe for us to go upstairs..." He says finally and engulfs them in his blue cloud of Magic. They touch the ground again outside of their designated room, two levels above the music and laughter in the grand hall. "I never thought I would miss elevators..." The singer comments, while opening the door.

"What? Why?"

He turns to his boyfriend then, with anticipation in his light blue eyes. "There's nothing like waiting inside a closed mirrored box to feed one's lust and desire..."

Tommy gives him a sideways smile and rests his back against the doorframe. "If you want, we can stand here for a few minutes, just looking at each other from across the hall, like there are a lot of people around and because of that, we can't eat each other's faces.

Evander stops with the door half open and looks at Tommy, his pouted lips, the thin body clad in leather and that gorgeous long coat, the blond hair falling over his forehead and eyes... "No fucking way!" He mutters, grabbing the bassist by his neck, colliding their lips ferociously while pulling him inside the room and closing the door. They end up making out against the door.

Their hands are frantic while shedding clothes and grabbing flesh, their lips devour each other and their heavy breathing and moans echo on the stone walls.

"I don't think I can be gentle tonight, Tommy..." Evander says against the bassist's neck, biting the tender flash.

"Don't be, then," The other says simply.

Evander pulls away from the love bite he's nurturing in the white skin and looks at his lover. The kiss swelled lips are smiling wickedly at him and the devilish creature before him jolts his hips forward, rubbing their erections. And that's the exact moment the singer leaves his conscious mind behind.

He manhandles Tommy so he has his face against the wall and bites the blond man's shoulder while his fingers trail down the lean body to fuck him open.

Tommy moans loudly and separates his legs to grant Evander more access to his entrance. He pushes his hips against the fingers invading him and constricts his muscles.

"Fuck Kitten! You gonna drive me crazy!" Evander mutters against his hairline.

"Crazy enough to fuck me already?" The other retorts.

"You're not ready yet... I don't want to hurt you."

"Where's the guy who said he couldn't be gentle?!" Tommy teases, once again moving against the fingers inside of him.

"Fucking Depths!" The singer removes his fingers and shoves them in Tommy's mouth, muffling his whiny protest. With a heavy hand spreading his ass cheeks, Evander penetrates him in a swift move.

Tommy screams around the fingers in his mouth but his hands fly behind his body, one grabbing Evander's hair and the other, his hip, bringing it even closer to his own body.

Evander grunts, lips pressed to his lover's neck, and rocks his hips against him, pinning Tommy to the wall. The urge inside of him doesn't feel human, it's feral and unbridled and if Evander thinks about it too much, a little scary. Why does he feel that way? Why does he have this need to be around Tommy, to be inside of him in more ways than just sex?

"Ev, baby!" He hears his Kitten's voice dragging him back to reality. "Let me look at your face..."

The singer lets go of Tommy and the smaller man immediately turns around and gets his legs around Evander's waist. Evander holds him by the back of his thighs and smiles at the sight of Tommy's flushed face. "You trailed off for a bit, love. Come back to me, yeah?"

Evander nods and kisses him again while getting back inside of his lover. "Sorry, I'll make it up to you."

"You were doing so well a few minutes ago..."

"You like it fast and rough then?" Evander asks with a devilish grin while moving his hips in figure eights.

"Oh yeah!" Tommy whispers, nibbling at his ear. "Make me scream baby!"

The first hours of the next day find the couple in a bare bed; sheets and comforter spread around it on the floor, pillows scattered everywhere and a pungent smell of sex in the air. Neither of them talked for the last hour, just taking in the last waves of their orgasms in each other's arms.

"We should sleep..." Evander says, drawing circles in Tommy's back while the other lies with his head on the singer's stomach.

"Don't want to... Wanna keep looking at you."

"Trying to memorize my face?" The singer asks, jokingly but Tommy sits straight on the mattress, concern in his chocolate eyes. "What's the matter, Kitten?"

"I can't help this feeling that I'll never see your face again..."

"I'm not going anywhere, Tommy." Evander pulls him closer and kisses Tommy's forehead. "I promise you!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Evander... If the Queen commands, you'll go without looking back." The bassist frees his shoulders from Evander's hands and turns his back to the singer, holding his knees close to his chest. "And that's exactly what you should do, but you won't take me with you and I'll have to stay behind worrying about you."

"Who says I won't take you with me?" Tommy doesn't answer, just looks at Evander with knowing eyes. "You're right," He finally says, crawling around Tommy on the bed so they are face to face again. "The Queen may and probably will send me on a mission soon and I would prefer you to stay here where I know you're safe but!" He quickly adds when Tommy's face gives signs he's going to refute. "I know that would be torture for you, and that your Magic is powerful and could be very useful to us, so I won't ask you to stay here but won't invite you to go either."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

#  Chapter XVIII – Secrets

It's late when the couple wakes up in the morning, the sun is high in the sky and looking through the window, they see people on the shore at the bottom of the cliff where the castle sits. Smiling at each other, they conjure swimming suits and towels and run through the bedroom door, betting who gets to the beach first.

Down there, under the bright summer sky and sitting on the warm sand, Newton follows Darcy's movements. Even if he lives another five hundred years, the Alchemist will never forget the expression on Darcy's face when they first saw the blue expanse.

"It's so... So... Damn! I can't choose a word for this!" They said, with the ocean reflected in the grey eyes. And then, Darcy turned to him and hugged him so tight, Newton felt like all the little pieces his heart he had lost in the past years, glued back in their places.

"Come! Let's take a swim..." He said and on a second thought, added: "Can you swim?"

"I'm a fox, Newton." Darcy rolled their eyes "Of course I can swim!" And with a laugh, pushed him in the water, following suit.

Now Darcy's playing with the Shifter kids, running from the small waves that hit the shore, laughing delightedly and Newton was left there wondering when he fell for that person.

The two genders thing is still a little confusing to him, but he's trying his best to understand and Darcy is extremely gracious with him when he says something wrong. He only hopes that they will love him back eventually.

Evander and Tommy join the party sometime later, snitching fresh fruits from the basket placed under a rock formation. Someone brought Naria as well so the bassist spends some time with his rose who is a little whiny since she was separated from Tommy for so long.

The singer looks around, happy with the peaceful moments they were given. Everyone is down there, except of course, for Darius, who never liked carefree group activities. The Queen, sitting on a rock with a bright red swimsuit, has her face turned toward the sun.

A few yards away from the group, Darius walks alone along the shore, looking absentmindedly at the natural pools in the surf. He doesn't like the noise of loud conversation and has no patience for kids who for some obscure reason, feel attracted to him, so he gets away from it all to walk alone with his thoughts. He has had some weird thoughts lately. Thoughts that don't seem like his own and sometimes, he doesn't recognize himself. With a sigh, he looks up from staring at the puddle where a hermit crab crawls back and forward looking for food.

There's a grotto in the cliff where the sea water enters when the tide is high. He walks there, curious to see how deep the opening is.

"Darius, my boy!" He hears in the dark and he knows that voice. That's the same voice he used to hear in the old cottage back in the south territory when he and his brother were just infants. The voice of the person that kept them from dying of cold and starvation.

"Who are you?" He says gazing attentively at the darkness ahead, trying to identify a body or even a presence but he sees nothing.

"Who am I? I'm your mother, Darius."

"No. My mother abandoned me and my brother in the woods. We have no mother."

"Mother is the person who keeps you fed and warm, and wasn't that exactly what I did for you and Sirus?"

"I suppose you're right... We haven't heard from you since you sent us up north, to the Red Castle. What do you want now?"

"She wants us to betray the Red Queen and turn to her side." With a start, Darius looks over his shoulder to see his brother at the entrance of the cove.

"Sirus...?"

"I warned you to stay away from him!" The Mage says, standing beside his brother.

"Darius is a grown man, my dear." Sirus shivers with that. It's the same way the Red Queen calls them, but it feels totally different coming from that voice in the dark. "He can make his own decisions."

"You have no right to ask him anything!"

"Oh but I have! I have all the rights in the world!"

"Sirus! What are you two talking about? Who is she?"

"The one who rebelled and destroyed everything!"

"The usurper! By the Plains Sirus! She knows where the Queen is!"

"Of course, I know! I always know where she is." The voice says, sinisterly calm. "We're bonded to each other. If I wanted to do her any harm, I would've done it already. That's not the question here."

"What do you want from me?" Darius shouts, his voice echoing on the rocks around them.

"I want you to pay your debt to me! I kept you alive, you owe me your life!" At that point, the brothers can identify a hint of hysteria and wickedness in the voice, but it quickly disappears: "Your ungrateful brother already refused me but I know you're not like him, Darius. You always honor your debts."

"That's it! We're leaving!" Sirus shouts, grabbing his brother by his elbow "Stay away from us, I'm warning you!"

"And what do you think you can do against me, boy?"

"Do not try my patience beldam, you'll regret it!"

"We'll see..." The voice says and an evil laugh echoes on the walls before a freezing wind pass over them.

Sirus quickly drags his brother back to the shore, where the sun is bright and they can hear the others laugh.

Darius is so pale that he looks like he's going to faint, so Sirus sits him on a rock and splashes some cold sea water on his face. "Talk to me, brother..."

"She is... She's our..." Darius babbles.

"She's nothing to us! You don't own her anything!"

"But she raised us! She..."

"She kept us alive, she never gave us love or attention or moral guidance, for that matter. She's not our mother, Darius!" Sirus kneels between his brother's legs and grabs his face with both hands, forcing him to look at his eyes. "Do you remember who the first woman to hold you close to her chest was? Who made you feel loved and accepted for the first time? Who gave you a purpose in life?"

"The Red Queen..." Darius closes his eyes and nods quietly "It is to her I owe everything. And Evander. He saved my life countless times..."

"And you saved his. We are a team, a family! Please, don't have second thoughts about this!"

"I'm not! I know where I belong..." Darius says rubbing his face tiredly. "But we must tell the Queen that the usurper knows where she's living!"

"Yes. Now that we both frustrated her plans, she may attempt something against our Queen."

"When did she talk to you?"

"A day before the concert that was invaded by her cohorts... I strongly believe that was her retaliation."

"And you didn't say anything to me... why?"

"I... I don't know really. I completely forgot about it until I sensed what was happening to you just now."

Darius is back on his feet now, resolute in taking the matter to the Queen. "That was also the day we had that argument in the bus and Tommy pointed out how strange that was... Do you think the usurper has something to do with that?"

"I think it's possible. I felt quite filthy after talking to her. Perhaps she put some kind of spell on me that affected you guys."

Darius nods gravely and turns to his brother. "Come, we have a party to spoil."

Sirus looks ahead, beyond the bend on the beach and sighs. Somber times are here to stay, he thinks.

They approach the group on the beach slowly and hand in hand, something the twins haven't done since their infancy but now they need each other's strength to do what they must.

The first one to notice their arrival is Naria. The rose feels the heavy atmosphere around the two brothers and alerts Tommy, who's swimming with Evander. The Shifter raises his head from his boyfriend's shoulder and looks back to the surf.

"Something is wrong," He says to Evander. "The sinister twins look more sinister than usual."

"Is that what you call them?" The singer laughs.

"That was before I got to know them... We must go back." Assertive, Tommy starts swimming back to the shore and Evander follows him.

They reach the rocks at the same time Darius and Sirus are kneeling before the Queen.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to spoil the fun, but we have something to discuss with you."

"You two look very somber, my dears... Let's get inside. There's no reason to bother the others."

As they follow the Queen inside, Sirus motions for Newton, Bhanks, Evander, and Tommy to follow them.

Once inside, an old lady approaches the Queen with a heavy robe. "Thank you," She says, putting her arms through the sleeves. "Please, ask the Lady Healer and Master Kadmus to meet me in the white hall."

The lady smiles and bows before disappearing in the hallway. Minutes later Aliz and Kadmus enter the room decorated in light colors.

"Here we are. What's happening?" Kadmus asks, looking at the long faces around.

"First of all, there's something some of you don't know about us." Darius start, looking at everyone in the room. "My brother and I didn't go to any Mage Academies, like everyone thought. We were abandoned to die in the south woods a few months after our birth."

"Bloody Depths!" Bhanks exclaims. "I'm so sorry guys!"

Both twins nod smiling weakly to their friend.

"How did you manage to survive? Who took you in?" Newton asks.

"Nobody." Darius shrugs. "We never had a family but there was a presence. She kept us fed and warm in an old cottage in the heart of the forest."

"She never showed us her face, even when we were little and we had to learn about our Magic by ourselves." Sirus continues. "Until the day came when she told us we should travel north, to the Red Castle. After that, we never heard from her again."

"Until today... Or in Sirus' case, a few days ago."

"Did she show herself to you?" The Alchemist asks.

"Not quite, but she came to me in the grotto under the cliff and talked to me."

"Who's she, then?" Someone asks, but the twins are too focused on the Queen's face to identify who voiced the question.

"The usurper," Darius states.

"She's alive?!"

"She knows where the Queen is?"

"Where is she now?"

The flux of questions continues until the Queen raises her hand, silencing them. "Panic won't lead us anywhere. If she wanted to do me harm, she would've already done that."

"That's exactly what she said..." Darius says "And... She said that you and she are bonded, Your Majesty... What does that mean?

The Red Queen takes a deep intake and closes her beautiful eyes for a moment, expelling all the air in her lungs. "I think it's time for you to know this... The usurper is my sister. My twin."

A heavy silence falls over the room. No one knows what to say.

"I only came to know that much later in life. After the Last War was over... She came to me here in Castle Grace."

"How is she still alive?! I... I killed her!" Evander whispers, not intending for anyone to hear him.

"She can't die unless I die too. Our souls are bonded to each other. She knows where I am and I know where she is. Always."

"She said that we owe her our lives and wants us to repay her by betraying you, Your Majesty."

"But that's not going to happen!" Darius rushes to say, kneeling before the Queen. "Our loyalty and love are yours, my Queen!"

"I know, my dear," She places a warm hand on Darius' face, smiling at him.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but how come you didn't know you had a twin sister?" Tommy asks.

"Following the tradition, we were separated at birth and sent to different Mage Academies. And this was a mistake... A mistake that should've been predicted and avoided, but somehow, it wasn't."

"I know it's a dumb question, but why it was a mistake?" Tommy says, entwining his fingers with Evander's.

"Twins born with Magic are a rare thing and a very delicate situation too." Aliz explains. "Tradition says we can't have family bonds, so siblings must grow up separately but if you separate twins that were both born with Magic, their souls will suffer."

"Terrible things have happened in the past, caused by separated twins trying to find each other. That's why they are so feared in some parts of the country," Evander adds, looking at his friends on the other side of the room.

"That's why my brother and I were abandoned to die."

"So that's what is happening, and what happened four hundred years ago?" The Shifter questions. "The Last War and the collapse of your civilization were caused by the usurper trying to find you, Your Majesty?"

"Initially, yes. Her soul aches, as my own does, but something happened to her, that corrupted her very core and now all she wants is to destroy the system that provokes that pain."

"What should we do now?"

"More important than anything, we must keep her away from Darcy and you, Tommy. She must, under no circumstances, know about you."

"Why not?" This time Evander tightens his grip on Tommy's hand.

"Tommy is the key to everything and..." At that, the Queens stops, implying that she would say something else, but changed her mind mid-sentence. "And Darcy would be of extreme value to her, as they are to us for I can't undo my sister's doings and she can't undo mine."

"My Lady, do you think she will bring war upon us again?" Newton asks from his spot against the fireplace.

"I think she'll cause as much trouble as she can. Much like the last time, we're not prepared for a war, so I hope we can stop her before that happens."

"She's already spreading terror around the country, so we don't have any time to lose," Sirus says, getting up.

"We must save the Shifters," Aliz exclaims her eyes glassy and voice raspy.

"What do you see, my dear?" The Queen enquires, knowing that her friend is having a vision.

"There are many Shifters trapped in their animal forms scattered around the five territories. We must find and free them for this will weaken the usurper's Magic." Getting out of her trance, Aliz looks at the Queen, eyebrows knitting in concern. "I'm sorry for calling your sister that, My Lady."

"Don't be, dearest. She is my sister, yes but she's also the usurper and she has robbed us of so many things..." The Queen stands up and clasps her hands in front of her body. "I'm afraid our times of peace and happiness are over for now."

"We ought to prepare for battle," Kadmus says. "It's gonna be ugly since we have no idea how to fight those fucking wind golems... Sorry, Your Majesty..."

"That's all right, dearest."

"I can make them disappear." Tommy intervenes getting up too.

"No, Tommy. You must stay here." Evander conveys.

"Evander, you promised me! You said you wouldn't leave me behind!"

"I know, Kitten but that was before! After what our Queen just said I can't risk losing you! You're too important!"

"Important to whom?" The Shifter shouts and storms out the room.

"Why does he always do that?!" Evander shouts himself, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Tommy has a lot to learn yet." The Queen states, patting Evander's arm sympathetically. "Give him some time but he must not leave the protection of the castle."

"Neither must Darcy, but we have to take them with us." Aliz attests.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Darcy will be safe with us!" Newton says, firmly. "I'll take care of them."

"Of course you will, dearest." The Queen smiles.

"Newton, do you think you have something about the wind golems in your old grimoires?" Sirus wants to know.

"I better have, right? I have so many of them... Come, let's start researching."

"The Library is at your service too." The Queen says and the shine that illuminates Newton's eyes makes her smile. Then he, Bhanks, Kadmus, and the twins leave the room.

Once the door is closed behind them, Aliz turns her face to the Queen.

"Layung, why didn't you tell Tommy the whole story?"

"It wouldn't do any good, Aliz. We need his mind clear and focused; knowing about this would only confuse him."

"What in the Depths are you two talking about?" Evander mutters, looking from one to the other.

"I can't tell you either, my dear."

"But why?"

"Because she's keeping secrets from Tommy and she knows you'll tell him."

"It's best for everybody if you don't know. Aliz shouldn't know this either, but..."

"It's not like I have a choice." The Seer rubs her face and looks through the window, to see the Shifters still having fun on the beach. "But I won't complain. The short period I spent without my Vision was the most terrifying of my life!"

"That was my sister's doing, I'm afraid. I'm glad Darcy took care of it."

"As were our ridiculous fights and arguments, right?" Evander asks and the Queen nods. "So that was the strange energy Naria felt the day we found Darcy: the spell being broken."

"Most likely, yes."

Evander sighs and runs his hand through his thick hair. "I better go now. I have a very angry little Kitten that can't be left alone for too long... If you'll excuse me, My Lady."

The Queen smiles and accepts the kiss Evander places in the back of her hand, pressing it against his face for a second before he leaves.

"Layung, you're making a mistake keeping this from Tommy!"

"Aliz..." The Queen says, exasperatedly. She sits back on the white couch because she knows this will be a long conversation.

#  Chapter XIX- Frustration

Evander shuts the door of the white hall behind him and sighs. He doesn't have the slightest idea of where Tommy could be. Castle Grace is a small castle, but a castle nonetheless, with countless rooms, hallways, and passages where his Kitten could hide and he knows too well that if Tommy doesn't want to be found, he won't find him.

Since the white hall is at the bottom level of the castle, he decides to send his Magic to roam around and up to the higher levels, to see if he can find Tommy's signature energy.

In his mind's eye, the Mage sees every inhabitant of the castle, from the kids on the beach with Darcy, to Aliz and the Queen behind him and the others gathered in the huge library two floors above. The adult Shifters that had volunteered to serve the Queen are in the kitchen, preparing supper.

And then, there it is. Tommy's bright golden energy fuming around his silhouette. He is sad. So sad it threatens to tear Evander's heart into pieces.

He's at the top of the highest tower of the castle, on top of the roof even. The singer takes his time to get there, walking instead of transporting himself up to the tower, giving his boyfriend time to notice his approach and to decide if he wants to talk or not.

When he reaches the battlements of the tower, Evander looks up to see Tommy's skinny legs hanging from the eaves. "Kitten?"

"What?!"

"Can I come up there?"

"If you're able to move your hands and feet in a way that will make you climb that wall, I'm sure you won't have any troubles doing so."

Evander sighs. Tommy wasn't going to make it easy on him. Climbing on the battlements, he uses his powerful arms to pull his body up and on the roof.

Tommy doesn't look at him when Evander finally settles beside him. He has his eyes fixed on the horizon, to where the blue sky meets the blue ocean and they remain in silence for a long while. The Shifter wants nothing more than to crawl into Evander's lap and let the Mage hold him tight, but his heart is hurting from the broken promise.

"Tommy, I..." Evander starts and sighs, running his hand through his hair "I don't know how to say this..."

"What? How you so quickly and without remorse broke your first promise to me? Why is this promise worth so little to you?"

"It's not like this, I... You're so young and inexperienced..." The Mage trails off, remembering the Queen's words.

"Calling me immature won't help you get back into my good graces, My Lord Warrior."

"Please, don't call me that! Not you!" Evander says and if Tommy was looking at him, he would have seen him wince. "You're the only person with whom I can be myself... Not the Mage Warrior, not the commander of an army or the famous singer, just... Evander." He says pointing his fingers to his heart.

"You were very quick to ignore that a few minutes ago. When it comes to the Queen and what she wants..."

"Tommy, stop! Please don't do that, don't compare my love for you with what I feel about the Queen!" Unable to handle the lack of contact anymore, Evander grips Tommy's shoulders and makes the smaller man turn to him. "Look at me, please!" When the Shifter finally complies and their gazes merge with each other, Evander sighs in relief. "I love you so much it scares me! It's so strong and so sudden that I simply don't know what to do with myself. On the other hand, I trust Layung with my life and soul. I trust her wisdom and judgment above all things and if she tells me that you must not leave this castle, I'll obey her above everything else, because I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you!"

Tommy is touched, a lump forming in his throat because he feels exactly the same, but for him, that's not a good enough reason for Evander to leave him behind.

"What about trusting my judgment? I know what I'm capable of!" He reasons.

"Of course, you do, but you don't know everything you should. You have never been on a battlefield and if I can, I would most gladly keep it that way. I pray and hope that things won't get as ugly as they got four hundred years ago, but it may happen..."

"If that's true, and I'm sure it is, you won't be able to keep me under your wings forever, Evander! It will get to a point where I'll be a burden. I must learn! Learn how to defend myself and the ones around me!"

"I can teach you..." The Mage says a few moments later. "Swordsmanship, fist and knife fight... Some defensive spells and attacks too."

"No, you can't. You'll be leaving soon."

"I... I can stay... For this, I can stay behind. I mean, the Queen won't forbid it and the guys can handle things by themselves."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Yes, I am." Evander smiles because, suddenly, Tommy's smiling so brightly that he can't help it.

"Thank you!" Tommy jumps in Evander's lap and he knows he's being selfish but he can't make himself care right now. "Thank you so much for staying with me! I love you!"

Evander holds Tommy against his chest for a long while, feeling his Kitten's heart beating steadily against his chest and his own heart switch from happy and contented to cramped and guilty on and off.

"Come, let's go down. I need to talk to the Queen and we still must find a way to neutralize the wind golems."

Of course the Queen won't forbid Evander from staying in the castle with Tommy, she's already feeling guilty for keeping secrets from her most beloved people, but she can't say that she's totally happy with Evander's decision. Who knows how this change will affect the development of things? Their future is uncertain.

In the library, the rangers are knee deep in books and parchments, barely leaving the huge room day in and day out. Evander and Tommy help them whenever they are not in one of the numerous salons of the castle practicing swordplay and spells.

It's getting into the Shifter, this Magic stuff. He feels like his body is soaked in Magic all the time and that makes his own Magic stronger and more malleable, more responsive.

One day, after Evander pokes him with his rapier for the third time in a row, Tommy screams, frustrated: "Shit!" And a large pile of...well, shit falls between them. Evander laughs uncontrollably while his boyfriend looks dumbstruck at his 'creation.'

"Haha! Very funny," He says acid. "How do I get rid of this?"

The Mage waves his hand in the air and the vile heap of excrement disappears.

"Your Magic is really awake now! That's amazing, Kitten!"

"But I'm not doing anything with it besides..." He points to the floor between them "you know. If at least I could go with you and..."

"Tommy, we've already discussed it. You are not getting out of this castle!"

"I know, I know! I just want to know why... She won't tell me anything..."

"Me neither. The Queen is keeping something from us."

"And doesn't that make you at least a bit suspicious?" Tommy replies putting his rapier away. "I mean... I know I said I trusted her because you did but c'mon! It's a bit shady, don't you think?"

"No Tommy, it doesn't make me suspicious! I trust the Queen..."

"Above everything. I know, damn it!"

"Listen, Tommy, I won't ask you to trust her, since you haven't known the Queen as long as I have, but please, trust me! I know she's doing the best she can. We all are." Evander then gets closer and hugs Tommy from behind, placing his chin on the Shifter's shoulder. "We all want and need you to be safe until we can figure out a way to stop the usurper."

Tommy sighs and lets his head fall back on Evander's chest, relaxing on the warmth of his body.

"I know and I'm sorry. I'll try to be more patient."

For a long moment they remain in silence, looking out the window while in each other's arms, but suddenly Tommy starts laughing, his shoulders shaking violently against Evander's chest.

"Did I really make a pile of shit appear from thin air?" He manages to say between laughs and gulps of air.

"You did!"

Evander is laughing with him now and Tommy can feel more than his body shaking against his back. "So... Do you think that if I say 'fuck' and really mean it, I can get my gorgeous boyfriend to fuck me against the wall like he did a few days ago?"

"Nah," Evander retorts and Tommy turns around inside his arms, looking disappointed. "Try saying please..." He whispers and nibbles at Tommy's neck.

Tommy's hands are immediately on him, raking his skin, grabbing fabric and trying to rip it off of Evander's body. He's frantic and desperate and so fucking horny!

"Kitten, what are you doing?" Evander exclaims when the Shifter gets down to his knees.

"Trying to suck you off, what else?"

"Not here love..." The Mage pulls his boyfriend by his shoulders until he's standing again and then kisses him passionately, but for a short time. "Let's go to our room."

Tommy doesn't waste any time once they appear inside their bedroom, pushing Evander on the bed and straddling him.

"What gotten into you, Kitten?" The Mage asks, laughing while Tommy deals with his belt buckle.

"I'm frustrated and horny, so shut the fuck up and get fucking naked already!"

"That filthy mouth...." Evander mutters, inverting their positions on the mattress so he can stand up and discard his pants and the shreds of his shirt.

Meanwhile, Tommy is already stark naked and looking at him, lust filled eyes roaming along the Mage's body, bottom lip caught in between his teeth.

"You're so damn beautiful!" Evander exclaims, climbing on the bed again, crawling on top of Tommy.

"Ev, I'm not in the mood for flattery. I want you to fuck me into the mattress until I can't walk, so I can stop thinking about all this..." he lowers his voice, like he's waiting for something to drop from the ceiling "shit that has been happening."

"Your wish is my command, love," Saying that Evander manhandles the Shifter until he's on his stomach. "On your hands and knees for me, Kitten. C'mon."

Tommy complies, whining a little when Evander slaps his skinny ass playfully, but all the air in his lungs rush out of him when he feels Evander's hands separating his cheeks and the warm breath getting closer to his skin.

"Bloody Depths!" He gasps as the Mage deposits a fat lick along his crack.

Evander smiles against his boyfriend's ass cheeks. If Tommy's frustrated, Evander will make sure he screams it all out. He licks and nibbles, scratches and licks again, teasing the pink hole with the tip of his tongue. Tommy's panting and grunting, but not screaming yet, so the Mage pokes a finger inside him. "Let me hear you, Kitten! I know you're enjoying yourself."

"Fucking bastard! I can barely breathe!"

The dark haired man barks out a laugh and goes back to his mission, now adding his tongue along with the finger.

Tommy's head is spinning, his lungs can't seem to catch enough air and his arms and legs are shaking like jelly. There's a heat growing inside of his lower belly and all he wants to do is scream from the pleasure of Evander's tongue jabbing inside of him. And when the long finger rubs on his prostate, he does scream, burying his face in the pillow.

"Ah! There it is; what a beautiful sound!" Evander says, wickedly while adding another finger inside of him. "And you taste so good too..."

"Fucking shit! Evander, I'm gonna come!

"No, you're not! I'm not done with you yet!"

Tommy feels pressure and coldness against his skin and looks under his body to see a shining object around the base of his dick and sac.

"You put a cock ring on me?!" He exclaims, glaring at Evander from over his shoulder.

"Yes, I did. You asked me to fuck you into the mattress and I can't do that if you're already sensitive from an orgasm, now can I?"

The Shifter whines halfheartedly and lets his head hang between his shoulders.

For a moment, Evander has second thoughts about what he's doing, but then Tommy wiggles his tiny ass and presses against the two fingers still inside of him, as an invitation.

Carefully, the Mage penetrates his lover in a long lazy movement, both hands gripping Tommy's hips firmly.

"Bloody Depths! Kitten, why are you always so tight! Damn it!"

"Because you don't fuck me enough!" The Shifter retaliates, pushing his body against Evander's.

Neither of them can actually talk after this, their minds concentrating on the pleasure they're giving each other and the sound of their bodies colliding.

"Evander, I can't take this anymore! Take this thing off!"

"Beg me. Beg me real pretty and I may let you come, Kitten..."

"You fucking perverted bastard!" Tommy grumbles, pushing his body up against Evander's and grabbing him by the hair.

"That I am." The Mage smiles devilishly and Tommy can feel his lips moving against the sensitive skin behind his ear "Beg me, Tommy."

Stubborn, Tommy bites his tongue, trying to resist a little longer, but he knows it's futile. The climax is building up inside him, begging for release.

"Fuck! Please, Evander! Please, let me come!"

Satisfied, Evander flicks his wrist and makes the cock ring disappear, earning a sigh of relief from Tommy.

It takes a few more quick paced trusts to push Tommy out of his mind and into a deliciously belated orgasm. He screams Evander's name, the only thing keeping him upright are his hands in the Mage's hair and the tugs throws the dark haired man over too.

Evander enlaces Tommy's chest keeping them close until they both finish riding out their orgasms.

Tommy is still breathing heavily when they lay down on the mattress, Evander's arm over his back, fingers entwined.

"Are you ok, Kitten?"

The blond hums and stretches his body like the big cat he is and turns his head to look at his lover.

"Yes." He elongates the s and smiles, his eyes hidden under his fringe. "Are you?"

"Pretty good actually."

A handful of minutes go by in total silence. It's peaceful and warm and good. Evander traces circles on Tommy's skin and the Shifter dozes on and off.

Some time later, Tommy wakes up from the lack of warmth beside him. He's contented and cozy, but he misses Evander's body heat.

Poking his head out of the blanket, the Shifter sees Evander standing, gloriously naked, next to one of the big windows, arms crossed in front of his chest and eyes fixed on the horizon. His skin is tanned and covered in freckles, the powerful muscles leave no doubt that he's a lethal warrior and his eyes can be as imperious and merciless as they can be warm and loving. Tommy finds this contradiction fascinating.

"I can hear the cranks and gears in your brain, Evander." He says, softly and when his boyfriend turns from the window to look at him, he reaches forward, wanting him back in bed.

Evander complies and lies down under the covers. "Are you feeling any pain?"

"Just what I asked for. No biggie..." Tommy leans forward and kisses him softly "What about you? You had a very serious expression on your face just now..."

"I was thinking... Remembering."

"Tell me about the first time you saw the Queen."

The Mage sighs and pulls Tommy against his chest. "I was considered apt to serve in the Castle, after almost 100 years in the Academy; it was the happiest day of my life so far. My ordination would take place at Her Majesty's 1,000 birthday celebration."

"Were you nervous?"

"Are you kidding me?! I was terrified! I was about to be face to face with the most important and beloved person in the whole kingdom and I was supposed to be her bodyguard."

"Huge responsibility!"

"Yes. Apart from actually being the ruler of the kingdom, there wasn't anything bigger I could do... I think she sensed my nerves and came to see me just before the ceremony. It's totally off from the protocol, but she did it anyway, and... Well, you know her... Her voice and smile are so calming! We talked endlessly until the chancellor came to take her back to the party, so when the ceremony actually happened, it was great. A few years later, Aliz and the others joined us in the Red Castle."

"What happened to her after... You know."

"Goodness, she was so shaken! I could live another five hundred years and I would never forget the look on her face when she heard the news."

"She was angry, I can relate to that..."

"No. Not angry. I can't say I ever saw her angry... No. She was... disappointed. So completely disappointed and sad and devastated... It broke my heart."

"You loved her..."

"Yes, of course. We all loved her. Still do... Our lives are consecrated to her. She's the beacon of our hope and faith."

"I didn't mean it that way..."

"You say romantically?" Tommy nods "No, I didn't love her like that. My preferences are settled elsewhere, don't you know?"

Tommy giggles and kisses him. "What happened to her after the people decided to take the power?"

"Like I said, everybody loved her, so they let her remain in the Red Castle, but she had lost all her power... her utility, so... she disappeared."

"Just like that?"

"Not just, but... Yeah. She went away and we never heard of her again, until we met you."

"Do you think if nothing had changed, the country would be better than it is today? That people would have more money and life would be easier for everybody?"

"There's no way to know, really, but I like to think that yes, it would be better. Things would be like they were back then, maybe even better."

"Tell me more about how you lived back then?"

"There was no poverty or famine and the only separation of classes were between the government and the people and even that was merely a formality. We were all treated equally from the Main Council and Royal Guard to the kitchen maids and the shoemakers. The Queen was the only one above us all."

"Sounds so perfect! What did you do, when your warrior abilities weren't required?"

"The exact same thing I do now. I sang in the court and in public dances. I'm good at magic tricks too, kids loved me back then."

"I bet they did."

Hours later, the couple wakes up with an insistent and loud knock on their door. They barely have time to cover their naked bodies before Aliz storms inside the bedroom.

"We found it!" The Healer shouts, jumping on the bed with them. Kadmus remains at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips.

"Found what?" Tommy asks, barely avoiding an unerring blow to his groin from the overexcited Mage.

"A way to neutralize the wind golems! And the others too, if I'm right."

"What? How?!" Evander asks, sitting on the mattress.

"It's all up to Tommy, as we suspected, but it's perfect! He won't even need to leave the Castle!" Aliz explains.

"That's more than perfect!" The Mage celebrates, hugging his friend.

"Come meet us in the library and I'll tell everybody at once."

#  Chapter XX – New Tricks

"You want me to do what?" Tommy's voice echoes on the stone walls of the library.

"Crystallize your power," The Healer replays calmly. "So we can take it with us."

"That's ridiculous! How am I supposed to make matter from something that doesn't have any?"

"Well..." Newton starts, but Kadmus cuts him off:

"Let's stop right here! You don't want to get Newton talking about quantum physics or anything with the word quantum in it... Trust me, you don't!" The Alchemist grumbles and flips his friend off.

"Don't be mad, New," Aliz kisses his cheek. "Quantum physics is a fascinating subject but we don't have time for that right now."

"Tommy dearest, come here," The Red Queen calls and the Shifter goes and sits in front of her on one of the long reading tables. "Now, let me make something clear for you: Your Magic is as powerful as your mind is prepared to be."

"And how much is that?"

"Well, with you we don't know. That's why children born with Magic used to spend their first years in the Mage Academy, so the Master Mages could detect, understand and train the child in their Magic. Newton, Evander, Aliz, Kadmus, Bhanks and I know the exact extent of our Magic and make the most of it. You, Sirus and Darius, on the other hand, never had yours analyzed, so we don't know."

"But we do know that you have extraordinary Magic in you," Bhanks adds looking at the Queen and receiving her nod, he continues: "And that it is Natural Magic, so we thought it was worth a try. Theoretically, you can create gems of fire, water and wind that will release their elements once they come in contact with a solid surface."

"Elemental grenades..." Tommy whispers.

"Something like that, yes." The Mage says. "So, do you want to give it a try?"

"But no one explained to me how I'll do it!"

"None of us have done it before, dearest, so..."

"I'll have to figure this out by myself," He says looking at the Queen, that smiles at him.

Two hours later, Newton is playing the old spinet in the library; Aliz and Evander talk with the Queen in hushed voices while Bhanks and Madras just lay in each other's arms on a golden ottoman near a window. Kadmus and the twins went to the beach to practice their swordplay and Tommy is still trying to figure this new trick out.

"Bloody fucking shit!" He screams suddenly, startling everyone in the room. "I can't do this! My brain feels like it's cramping!"

"Tommy, you're bleeding!" The Queen exclaims, running to him. She brings the red tinted palms closer to her face. There are several small lacerations in the white flesh, like something exploded on them. "Oh it must hurt so badly!" Tommy sniffles and nods, looking at his wounds. "Let me take care of this..."

The Queen then covers his hands with hers, without touching their palms and closes her eyes before leaning forward and blowing a gentle gush of air over their hands. When she removes her hands, the wounds are gone and the pale skin glows lightly with a red shimmer.

"There. Feeling better?" Tommy nods again. He's on the verge of tears and Evander notices that, getting up to go clutch his boyfriend against his chest.

"It's ok Kitten. Get some rest, you deserve it!"

"I can't! I must figure this out! I... Everybody is counting on me and I can't..." And there they are: The tears, sad and heavy, running down his cheeks and making his eyes red and swollen. Evander hates seeing his Kitten so frustrated and nervous.

"Nonsense! You can stop for a couple of hours, come take a nap with me."

"What am I? A 4 year old?" Tommy protests pulling away from Evander's arms.

"No," The Mage returns, going after him and hugging Tommy again before planting a kiss on his neck "You're a 30 year old sorcerer in training that is dating a 529 year old Mage who must have his boyfriend in his arms to take a much-needed nap."

"You old, manipulative rogue!" Tommy laughs, letting his face rest on Evander's shoulder. "Ok, take me to bed then."

Contrary to Tommy's expectations, they don't have sex when they get to their bedroom because once he undresses and lies his head down on a fluffy pillow, his mind shuts down completely and he's fast asleep before Evander can join him.

He's dreaming. He knows he is. He remembers going to bed with Evander but now he's all alone and cold on a dark street. He looks at one side and then the other. There's a dim light at his right; the front porch of a small house, the door painted a fading red. He thinks he knows that door...

Suddenly, a cloud of red mist appears in front of the door and he can see a tall, dark skinned woman carrying a bundle of cloth in her arms. The bundle moves and whines as the woman knocks on the door.

A light is lit inside and the red door opens slowly. He sees a short woman on the threshold, looking anxiously at the woman in red and if he turns his head a little more he can see a little girl too, blond hair falling over her face, peeking from behind her mother's skirt.

They talk, but he can't understand a word and then the tall woman hands the bundle of cloth to the blond one, kissing it. The house owner unfolds some of the cloth to reveal a small baby, a newborn really, that blinks their big brown eyes at her.

She talks again and this time he can hear: "We'll take good care of him, Your Majesty! He will be loved and will grow up to be a good man."

"I know he will be the best man he can become! I must go now, but please remember! He can't, under any circumstances, know about his origins!"

"Yes, of course!"

With a final look at the family, the tall woman disappears into her cloud of Magic.

The baby starts to cry loudly, echoing the sound of a faraway cry that fades into the quiet of the night.

Tommy wakes up sweaty and startled, looking around the darkened room. He still hears the distant cry and he feels compelled to unfold its cause and location, so the Shifter throws the covers aside and gets up, reaching the door of the bedroom in a few steps.

"Tommy?" Evander calls, but he pays no attention to it "Tommy, baby where do you think you're going naked like that?"

"The cry... I... I need to find out who's crying! I must..." Fretfully, he looks from the open door to Evander, getting up from the bed, and then back to the door.

"Kitten, calm down! There's no one crying. You must have been dreaming..."

Evander's arms closing around him are the only thing capable of pulling Tommy from this state of mind and slowly he seems to come back to reality, taking a deep breath and nosing at the warm skin of his boyfriend's chest.

"Are you alright?" The Mage asks.

"Yes... I don't know what happened... Sorry, I woke you up."

"That's ok. We probably should head downstairs for supper."

They get dressed and go to the main hall hand in hand and Tommy enjoys the large meal and the company but time and time again, he finds himself thinking about the crying. Was it really just a dream? It sounded so real...

The moon is high in the sky when the Shifter figures out that he won't be catching any sleep, so once again he gets up and tiptoes out of the room, properly dressed this time.

Tommy wants to go to the rooftop of the tower, but he doesn't want to be alone either. He looks back to the closed door, considering waking Evander up, but soon drops the idea.

Looking at one of the windows in the hallway, he sees the gardens outside and smiles. Next thing he knows, he's sitting on the rooftop with Naria's flower pot by his side.

"Ah! He finally remembers that I exist!" The rose says and Tommy can clearly see her reddish little face with the cheeks puffed in annoyance.

"I'm so sorry, love! I know I'm neglecting you but..."

"Relax, I'm just teasing you. I know you have a lot to do."

"You little red devil!" He laughs, petting her petals and leaves. "So, how are things going with Darcy?"

"Good! Darcy is a really nice person and we sort of understand each other... But you didn't bring me up here in the middle of the night to ask me how I'm doing."

"No... I need advice from someone who won't patronize me. I can't wrap my mind around this thing I must do and everybody keeps telling me it's ok and that I will, eventually... Like they don't know we might not have this 'eventually'."

"The elemental grenades, right?"

"Yes. How do you..."

"Newton told Darcy and I kind of eavesdropped."

"What a badly behaved rose I raised!" He mocks.

"Hey, it's not like I have hands to cover my ears, right?" Tommy starts laughing, slapping his own knee. "Anyway I heard what they were saying and I think maybe you're trying too hard. It's probably not that difficult, you're just doing it wrong."

"Ah, great piece of advice, love! Thank you very much!"

"Shut up, I'm not finished yet," the rose scolds and Tommy could swear he feels a sting from a sharp thorn on the back of his hand. "When the Queen said your Magic is as powerful as your mind, she meant that as long as you can visualize something, you can do it."

"You think I haven't tried that already?! How am I supposed to create something if I don't know how it looks?!

"You have never seen a rose's face before either but you were able to see mine right away."

"That's different! I know faces. And a face is a face, no matter which body it sits on. But these things don't exist. No one has ever been able to create these elemental grenades."

"Even better! They can have whatever form you choose and no one will think they are strange."

"Naria..."

"Oh stop whining Tommy! Damn it!" Surprised, Tommy looks at the flower; in his mind he can clearly see her crossing her makeshift arms over her stem. "You are just afraid that Evander will leave you behind if you give them the weapon they need."

A long silent moment passes when Tommy only glares at Naria and she stares back at him with the confidence of a spot on observation glowing in her hazel eyes. Finally, he lets out a loud sigh and his shoulders sag.

"I know that what I'm doing to him isn't fair. I can't ask him to stay with me while his men are out there fighting... But I have this awful feeling deep inside of me that if I let him go, I'll never see his face again!"

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. I just do..."

"Well... If you want my opinion, and I think you do... I would say that you should let him go, because it is the right thing to do for everyone and you should give him this powerful weapon you must create, so the chances of you losing him goes down to zero."

"You're right, love. Of course, you are... But it's so hard!"

"Nobody said life is easy, my dear but trust the Providence. It all will turn out just fine, you'll see. Now focus on the Magic and think. What kind of shape do you think the gems should have?"

With Naria's sweet and patient voice in his head, Tommy is able to concentrate and think properly. He can retreat to the inside of his mind; his lion is pawing the grass where it stands, encouraging him.

Tommy supposes that if he's creating some sort of gems, he can think of actual precious stones, like sapphires for water, rubies for fire and diamonds for wind... The lion gets his attention with a low growl and points to a yellow glow between its paws. It's a citrine. For his own power, the lion says. That's the gem that will neutralize the wind golems. The Shifter holds the stone in front of the lion and it blows air in it. Immediately, the citrine starts shining from within and it's warm to the touch.

He puts it in his pocket and gets a sapphire from the grass, looking at the lion. "Put water in it." Tommy looks at the stone in his palm and thinks of a rapid stream creek. When it appears at his feet, he puts the stone in the water and observes as it sucks the liquid in. He does the same with a ruby and a diamond, submitting them to a strong flame and a gush of wind.

When the Shifter finally opens his eyes, feeling rather tired, he has four glowing gems in his palm.

"You did it, Tommy!" Naria says, smiling at him. He smiles back but his eyes are so heavy and he feels nauseated from how tired he is. "Sleep now, my love. Rest your eyes, I'll watch over your dreams."

The Shifter wakes up with the warming sunlight on his face. He's a little disoriented and almost rolls off of the roof but a pair of firm hands holds him.

"Wow, easy now Kitten! You don't want to break your neck, do you?"

"Ev..." He says groggy, rubbing his eyes. "Why is it so bright... I..." Tommy blinks and looks around, eyes getting wider. "I slept out here the whole night?"

"Yes, you did." Evander smiles back at him and kisses his lips. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I was just too tired to go back to bed last night. I..." Then he remembers why he climbed up there in the first place. "Evander I did it!! I know how to create the grenades! Look!"

The Mage looks down to Tommy's hand and his smile broadens a thousand times when he sees the four colorful gems. "Kitten, that's amazing! You're amazing!"

"It's not that hard after all, like Naria said, I... Where is she?"

"I took her to Darcy. This light isn't good for her."

"Thanks..."

"Evander!" Aliz's voice comes from below them. "What the fuck are you doing up there?"

The couple peeks over the eaves and laugh. "We're hiding from you!" Tommy jokes, but soon he notices that the Healer has a somber look in her eyes.

"Get down here. We have a problem." They slide down the roof, landing beside her. "It's been two days since I last talked to Stephen and Marie can't contact Diane either."

"Shit!" The couple says at the same time. "Are you going to the house?" Evander continues.

Aliz shakes her head. "I already did. They are not there."

"Bloody Depths!"

"Is there any sign of violence?" The Mage inquires.

"No. The house is perfect, except for this note that was engraved in the front door." She shows them a picture on her phone of the door, engraved in the dark wood are the words: Come get them!

"Bloody fucking shit! And you didn't see this?"

"No. The protective spell around the house blocks my Vision too."

"We must go after them!" Tommy shouts, face pale and hands clutched in fists. "We..."

"We'll go after them. You'll stay here." Evander cuts him off receiving a glare from his boyfriend.

"Diane is my sister, Evander! If you think I'll let you go rescue her without me, you're very, very mistaken!"

"You will stay here, Tommy!" The Mage says determination in his blue eyes and that voice tone that signals he's serious about this. "By your own will or I'll lock you up, but you are not coming with us!"

Evander takes a step forward and places his hands on Tommy's shoulders, but the Shifter pushes his arms away, taking a step back. "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare!"

"Kitten..."

"Fuck you! Fuck you all and your rules and this fucking Providence!" The blond shouts and disappears in his gold mist.

"Bloody Depths!" The Mage mutters pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why is he so stubborn, damn it! I don't have time to deal with his tantrums!"

"It's not a tantrum, Ev... He's grieving." Aliz explains a sad expression on her face.

"Diane is not dead! What are you talking about Aliz?"

"That's not it..." The Healer sighs and turns her back to Evander, looking above the battlements. "All the things he thought were true and what he was sure about is crumbling to pieces: Life as he knew it, the person he always thought he was, the safety of his family... his future with you... He's giving in to the pressure."

"I... What do I do, then?"

"Nothing. He's channeling all this into you because you're the one closest to him. I'll ask Marie to go talk to Tommy."

He's furious! And at the same time, he feels like an idiot; which makes him even more furious.

A loud cry comes out of his mouth and this cry quickly becomes a roar as he gives in and turns into the lion. The lion is calmer, more centered. But even the lion is upset. Its urge to protect and fight is in check with Evander's prohibition but it knows that Evander just wants what's best for Tommy.

The lion paces back and forth in the empty ballroom and his human consciousness stays there, punching invisible walls and kicking nonexistent rocks. Then, a light brightens up his thoughts: If he doesn't give them the elemental grenades, they will have to take him with them, because they know they can't overpower the wind golems!

Happy with his idea and resolute in his decision, he turns back to human and walks out of the room. His mother is coming in his direction.

"Mom, don't even bother. I've made my decision."

"And what decision might that be?" The Queen asks, entering the grand hall with Evander and Aliz.

"I'm not giving you the grenades," Tommy says, crossing his arms in front of his chest, very satisfied with himself.

Evander sighs heavily and looks at the Queen, who's frowning. "Then we'll go without them." The Mage says, somber.

"What?! No! Don't be ridiculous Evander! You need my power..."

"I need you to be safe. Doesn't matter what happens to me."

"Tommy, please! Be reasonable, you're too important for us to risk your safety! I can't and I don't want to..."

"Your Majesty, with all due respect: I don't give a fuck for what you want. I'll not let the man I love go out there to rescue my sister without me by his side!"

"You don't leave me any options, Tommy... I'm sorry..." Evander says and gets closer to the blond man, placing a hand over his eyes and the other on his cheek, whispering the sleeping spell in his ear.

The next second, the Shifter's body goes limp and falls against Evander.

"You're doing the right thing, E," Kadmus says while helping his commander to adjust his gear.

"Yeah? So why does it feels like I'm betraying him?"

"Because you are!" The other Mage affirms, hitting his shoulder piece amiably. "I didn't say it was easy or pleasant. Most of the time the right thing to do is neither."

Evander nods and raises his head to look at the east tower, where he had locked his boyfriend up. His heart is heavy but not as heavy as his conscience.

"We're ready to go, E," Bhanks reports a few steps behind him.

"Alright. The vacations are over, we're back in the game guys," He starts looking at every face in front of him "We're going back to the mansion to see if we can track the person that took Diane and Stephen and we'll go on from there. Darcy, you're very brave to accept to go with us so we thank you for that. Please stay close to one of us all the time, so we can protect you." The Shifter nods, a little uncomfortable in their new battle suit. "Very well, let's go."

They turn then to the Red Queen, standing at the castle's front door and bow to her. "Go now my valorous warriors; fulfill your mission and come back home to your loved ones!"

Evander risks another look at the tower in the exact same moment a desperate cry reaches their ears and they disappear in their clouds of Magic at the same time an explosion of light blasts the walls of the tower from the inside.

#  Chapter XXI - Alone

Tommy wakes up from a heavy slumber to find himself in a strange room. There is only a tiny window and a door apart from the bed where he lays.

He tries to open the door, but it's locked. "What the fuck..." He mutters under his breath going to the window with heavy iron bars. From there he can see the front patio and... "I can't fucking believe it!"

Going back to the door, he tries the handle again to no different result, he also tries to transport himself outside, but his Magic seems dormant. "He locked me! He fucking locked me in a fucking tower!"

He screams and he curses looking through the window again. The warriors are getting in formation and bowing before the Queen. They are leaving!

"No! No, no, no, no! Evander! NO!" The energy leaves his body with such intensity, that he's thrown against a wall. The bed and the door succumb into ashes while he lets his knees buckle and sits on the wooden floor.

And there it was again. That assuredness that he would never see Evander's face again. And it was entirely his fault.

Shortly after, he hears steps on the wooden floor.

"Tommy... Dearest, look at me, please."

"Why should I? So you can enchant me and make me forget what you have done?!"

"I don't expect you to understand..." The Queen says getting closer, fingers entwined in front of her.

"Good! How could I understand something that no one bothered to tell me?" He interrupts. He knows he's being rude, but he can't find strength in him to care.

"As your Queen I expect you to..."

"You are not my fucking Queen!" He finally makes eye contact but Layung almost wishes he didn't. There's so much anger and sorrow in his eyes! "I never pledged my obedience to you! You're nothing to me but the woman who separated me from the man I love!"

A long silence befalls them while the Queen ponders her next words. "You are right..." She gets even closer and sits on the floor across from the Shifter, who is looking in her direction, but not at her. "I'm not your Queen but I'm..."

The Queen stops then, biting her full bottom lip, like trying to prevent something from coming out of her mouth.

"What? What is it that you are not telling me?!" Tommy takes a deep breath and continues: "Are... Are you my mother?"

The Queen's eyes widen for a flick of a second but she's recomposed before Tommy can make anything of it. "No, I'm not your mother, Tommy. I wish I was, but I'm not."

"Then, unless you're willing to tell me whatever you're hiding from me, we have nothing to talk about."

"Tommy..."

"Leave me alone, please."

During the entire day, he stays on the floor, in the exact same position. A girl from the kitchen brings him a plate from time to time, but he can't make himself eat. He just stays there and stares at the bare wall in front of him.

He falls asleep at some point and when he wakes up, he's in his bed in the room he shared with Evander. The smell of the Mage's skin is everywhere and Tommy can even hear his laughter and moans of pleasures echoing in the stone walls. It's unbearable. The memories... The guilt... He jumps out of bed and runs away from the room.

The lion takes over then and Tommy is glad for that because he feels like a stranger in his own skin. He feels empty and cold without Evander. And it gets even worse when the Shifter remembers that Evander is out there fighting creatures he can't overcome, without the weapons he needs, and all because of him.

To top it off, that fucking cry is still haunting the deepest corners of his mind. It hasn't stopped since he dreamed of the night the Queen gave him to his mother. It's always there, dragging him back to those images, sinking his soul in its sorrow.

He wanders around the silent but brightly lighted hallways of the castle and he doesn't encounter a single living soul. Or perhaps he does, but his brain is so insentient that he doesn't even see them.

In fact, Tommy is so numb that he misses a very important conversation happening in the white hall that he could very easily have eavesdropped...

"You have to tell him, Your Majesty! He deserves to know!"

"Nothing good will come from that, Marie."

"He's a grown man, you know? And a good man too. He would make the right decision."

"I know he's a good man, you did an amazing job, my dear but that's perhaps, the entire problem. If he knew the truth, he would try to fix things that can't be fixed. Our future is already in jeopardy, I can't risk anything going wrong."

"But he knows that you're keeping something from him, and after what happened with Evander, he's losing his trust in you. Isn't that even worse? If my son doesn't trust you anymore, the chances that he'll make a bad decision are huge."

"You're right, of course, but I simply don't know what to do anymore!" The Queen reclines on the white couch, fingers pressing her tired eyes. "Do you know how all this mess began, Marie?" The older looking lady shakes her head. "I messed with something I shouldn't and tried to fix something I didn't have the power to. I came to know facts that weren't for me to know."

"Knowledge is a powerful thing..." Marie comments in a knowing tone.

"Yes, and now I have to deal with the consequences of my actions." A short moment of silence passes before the Queen continues: "You know, it's almost funny how things turned out... I grew up with everyone, and I mean literally everyone, telling me I could do anything I wanted, that I have the power and the right to do so. That I was the most powerful sorceress born in I don't know how long; that the day turned into the deepest night the minute I was born, and that both moons rose in the sky just for me, but..." She sits straight on the couch again and opens a sad smile to Tommy's mother. "Nobody told me that the only thing I could never do was escape from the consequences of my own acts. That's why I agreed to Tommy to grow up away of all this." The Queen opens her arms, signaling to the room they are in and Marie knows, to the entire country. "To become an adult that thinks they can do whatever they want is very dangerous."

"I understand you completely and I'll be forever in your debt for being given the opportunity to raise such a special child as Tommy. He gave me so much joy and pride!" Marie says, moving from her settee to sit beside the Queen, taking the delicate hands in hers "But Tommy deserves to know at least what his destiny is, before he makes any drastic decisions. He must know what's at stake here. Most importantly, he needs to know why the man he loves left him behind without a second thought."

The Queen knows Tommy's mother is right. He deserves to know and he should know about this, if not everything about his origins.

After walking through virtually the entire castle, Tommy goes back to his bedroom and falls asleep from exhaustion, clinging Evander's pillow against his chest.

He wakes up hours later with a weight on his chest, feeling trapped even though he's not locked in anymore, he feels like he can't breathe right.

That insistent cry is still on his mind and it's driving him crazy! He must get out! Get out and away from these walls that hold him in! He needs to find it!

Tommy runs downstairs and tries to open the main door, but it's locked. As are the kitchen door and the garden door. He tries, but he can't transport himself outside either. He might not be locked in a room anymore, but he's locked inside!

"No!" He cries, looking around, a little desperately. There must be a door somewhere that's not locked! There has to be...

He puts his hands on the wall made of gray stones and closes his eyes. He feels the rocks start vibrating under his palms, one after the other and soon, he has the entire castle sending him signals.

Now he can see. Deep down in the dungeons, where the sea carved its way inside the foundations of the castle, there's an unlocked door.

He runs through hallways and parlors, down staircase after staircase until his feet are wet with salty water and the smell of humidity is almost intolerable. There's a tunnel, so deep and forgotten inside the castle that moss and spider webs cover its walls. His door is at the end of that tunnel.

With a flame floating in front of him, Tommy advances through the tunnel as quickly as he can on the slippery floor and soon, there it is: the door.

He pulls on it and the hinges creak; salty wind hits his face and Tommy breathes a relieved breath. He can see the moon and stars in the sky, the sea at his left and a forest on his right side. Freedom!

Freedom from what? He thinks suddenly, looking behind to the dark tunnel and the entrails of the castle. From the love and support of the ones who care about him... He feels bad about his behavior. Everyone in that castle only wants what's best for him, and they seem to know what that is... He shouldn't rebel against it!

He's about to turn around and go back to his bedroom, when the cry sounds again in his mind, louder than ever and the necessity to find out who's crying is overpowering him again.

Tommy turns his back to the door and looks around. There's barely any light outside, the moon too pale to really illuminate his path. Once again he lights a flame over his head and starts walking, following a washed out trail along and down the cliff.

He walks for so long that he can't see the castle behind him anymore and at this point Tommy's sure that the farther away he gets from the building, better he would feel.

Well, he doesn't feel trapped anymore, but he does feel danger in the air around him. He can practically taste it. There are no waves in the ocean and no wind shakes the grass blades around him. No crickets or birds... Just like that city where they found Darcy!

All his senses are on alert, his lion is pacing back and forth and even the flame he lit to illuminate his steps flicks and twinkles, restlessly.

Turning his gaze away from the flame, he sees what looks like a house embedded in the hill before him. There's a small square window and a door, the roof is covered with moss and ferns, but most importantly: The cry is coming from there!

Tommy takes a step forward and then another but somehow he knows he shouldn't go anywhere near that house. His brain is screaming for him to go back and when he takes another uncertain step closer, the lion overpowers his human consciousness and takes control over his body, changing to the powerful animal and running back to the castle, up the tunnel and stairs, until it stops, panting, inside their bedroom.

He feels mentally exhausted when the lion gives the control back to its human half, falling face first on the bed.

It's just past noon when Tommy wakes up, feeling like he drank his weight worth in strong ale. His brain is slow, his limbs heavy and his mouth feels like it's stuffed with cotton balls and sand. He conjures a glass of water and wishes he knew how to make medicine appear from thin air as well.

The water helps; he doesn't feel quite as bad anymore when he finally decides to get out of bed. There are fruits in a bowl in the living area of the room and Tommy grabs a plum, biting at it with gusto. He hums in pleasure with the sweet taste and licks the juice that trails from the corner of his mouth as he walks to the window. It's another beautiful day in Cape Grace and he feels almost normal by now, like yesterday was only a bad dream.

Suddenly, he spots something in the distance, getting closer and closer to his window. A bird! A big, colorful bird!

"Harry!" Tommy shouts, opening the window sheets wider so the Shifter can pass more easily.

The bird lands on the floor and soon takes its human form. The man bows to Tommy. "Good to see you again, master Tommy!"

"Same! Where have you been? I was hoping I would find you here once we got to the castle."

"Her Majesty gave me some time off after I fulfilled my mission." The man with bright colorful hair smiles warmly at Tommy, heading toward the bowl of fruit. "Can I?"

"Be my guest!"

Harold bites on a pear and hums contently, eyeing Tommy with curiosity. "So, what are you guys up to?"

"Me, nothing. Evander and the others went back to the central territory because the usurper kidnapped my sister and Aliz's husband."

"Oh my Goodness! Do you have any news about them?"

"No. They left only yesterday."

"You said she got your sister... Why are you here then, and not with them looking for her?"

Tommy frowns. "My thoughts exactly. The Queen doesn't want me to go out of the castle; she says it's too dangerous, like I'm a fucking child!"

"Well... if the Queen thinks so, she must be right..." Harold shrugs.

"That's the only thing that kept me here after I was able to get out of that tower."

"Tower?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you, right? My amazing boyfriend locked me in a fucking tower so I couldn't go with him!"

"Wow! That's... bad." Harold says, munching the remains of his pear.

"Yeah... Well, I'm trying not to think about it right now. It's the only way for me to remain sane after what happened and not snap at the Queen... Again."

"You're a good man, Tommy, much better than me... I would have jumped down someone's throat by now."

"Evander asked me to trust him and the Queen, so that's what I'm trying to do, although the fact that she's hiding something bothers me a lot..."

"Yeah, I can relate to that... The Red Queen keeps a lot of secrets... It's something you must get used to. Now I must get going. Thanks for the pear!"

"But you just got here!"

"The Queen already gave me another quest."

"Wow, she doesn't waste any time, does she?!"

"There isn't any to waste... So I bid you farewell" The Shifter bows and turns into the bird "See you soon Master Tommy!"

Tommy feels alone in the exact same moment Harold disappears on the horizon, but today he's not willing to wallow in solitude, so he washes his face, change clothes and goes out of his bedroom door to look for company.

He finds his mother and Naria in the white room and spends some time with them, trying to reassure his mom that he's alright.

The Queen shows up at some point and Tommy is quick to kneel before her and apologize for his behavior the prior day.

"You're forgiven, my dear," She says kissing his hair. "I have some news from our warriors."

Both Marie and Tommy take a deep intake, anxious but not exactly yearning to know what they found.

"As Aliz said, there is no sign of violence in the house, so they must be unharmed, but there is no trail they can follow either."

"Damn it! How is that possible?" Tommy extorts, holding his mother's hand in his. "What are they planning to do now?"

"They will resume the original plan of finding the remaining Shifters and hopefully, they will come across some of the usurper's henchmen and make them talk. Meanwhile, I'll try some locating spells."

"Where are they now?" The Shifter asks, but the Queen presses her lips tightly. "Ok, you're not going to tell me... I don't deserve to know, I'm very much aware of that..." He pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales loudly. "Is there any way I can send them the grenades?"

"That can be arranged." The Queen smiles at him. "When you're finished with the grenades, I would like to talk to you."

Tommy nods and kisses his mother's cheek before leaving with Naria in his arms.

Once again the rose helps him with the grenades, her sweet voice grounding him until he's in the right state of mind and concentration to create them.

He has a respectful pile of every one of the four colorful gems by the time a male Shifter finds him in the empty ballroom.

"I think I'll need help." The man with dark hair says, admiring Tommy's work.

"They are not that heavy but yes, we could use some help here."

"I'll send for some of my brothers. The Queen's waiting for you in the white hall, Master Tommy."

"Are you sure you don't want me to..."

"The Queen is waiting for you." The Shifter repeats, serious and Tommy understands the message.

"Better not leave her hanging, then. If you'll excuse me."

When he arrives at the said room, Tommy finds the Red Queen standing alone near a window, looking at the endless sea.

Her beautiful profile is tense and her hands of long fingers are clasped above her chest. She seems worried; apprehensive, really and that warms his heart a little. The Queen loves and worries about Evander and his men; Tommy hadn't noticed this before.

"I'm here, Your Majesty."

When she turns to look at him, Tommy can see the change in her expression. Her smile is genuine and brightens her already bright eyes.

"I'm glad you came. Come sit beside me..." She reaches a hand towards him and the Shifter takes it, sitting with her on the big couch. "Evander told me you never really learned about the Providence and that you have some questions. Maybe I can answer them."

"Oh! Yes, that's true although many of those are already clarified by now but there is one thing I wanted to ask you in particular, Your Majesty."

"I'm all ears."

Tommy takes a deep breath trying to gather the right words. "Evander said everybody has a destiny to fulfill... Doesn't it means that some people are born to be evil, like your sister? Or that when a baby chokes in their sleep and dies, they were destined to live a short life..."

"No one is destined to die in a horrible way. Every person born, Mage, Shifter or Human has a long life ahead of them, with a special destiny that is only theirs. This destiny being something important only for oneself or the entire world, it doesn't matter. But you know bad things happen... They are the consequences of your own acts or the acts of the ones close to you that affect your life." At that point Tommy notices that the Queen's shoulders sag a little and he can't help but wonder what happened in her life. "When a person becomes evil, that's a consequence of their own choices. Bad acts burden your soul and sometimes it's so heavy that it shows when you are still alive, sometimes it gets you killed before your time."

"But if the soul is heavy, it goes to the Depths, right?" The Queen nods "So that soul won't fulfill its destiny... What happens then?"

"I don't really know, to be honest with you. Nobody does, actually. This is one of the unrevealed mysteries of the Providence."

"Why does no one know about this? It's important!"

"Indeed it is, but I think this is the way the Providence found to make us live our lives to the fullest and not waste it because nobody knows what happens after we die if our destiny isn't fulfilled."

"It's clever, but a little mean..."

"You're right, but it's very effective, don't you think?" Tommy nods, absentmindedly. "One thing that you must always have in mind is that you can't change your destiny, but you can make your own path to it. Your acts and decisions will make it easier or harder."

"That's quite fair, I think."

The Queen smiles and squeezes his hand, that's still in hers. "I think I'm in the mood for some tea. Care to join me?"

"Yes, please."

With a twist of her graceful hands, the Queen conjures a silver tray with a porcelain teapot and two sets of tea cups. "Red tea or blue?"

"I never tried blue tea before; I think I'll go with it."

She nods and serves him with the teapot, the bright blue liquid filling the porcelain piece. When the Queen proceeds to fill her own cup, the tea coming out of the pot is dark red.

"That is so amazing!" The Shifter comments, looking at the two cups on the tray. "How can the world live without Magic? How could people choose to live this way?"

"I've been asking this question myself since the Last War ended." The Queen says, sipping at her cup.

"Here's another thing I don't understand: Why did your sister rebelled against the system back then? All of you seem very happy with the way things were."

"I thought about this really long and hard and although I can't be sure, I have a theory..."

"Which is...?" Tommy encourages her after a few minutes passed with the Queen staring at her teacup.

"My sister was an instrument to make things right..."

"That doesn't make sense, Your Majesty. As far as I know, your kingdom was a perfect place to live..."

"Yes it was, but there's no such thing as perfect in Nature. Better saying, there is, but the perfection in Nature is its balance. Nothing is perfectly good or perfectly bad. Our society was perfectly good, our way of life was perfect and that can't be sustained for too long. Something was bound to happen. That something was my sister."

"But... you just said that nobody's destiny was to do bad things..."

"Hers wasn't either. What she was meant to do was difficult and unpleasant, but not evil. Her actions and choices changed it, though. After that, things went wrong. So very wrong! People weren't supposed to be afraid of Magic after the Last War, but somehow they were and now we still don't have balance and people are suffering."

"Can we do something to change that?"

"I sincerely hope so." The Queen gets up then, reaching for Tommy's hand again. "Come with me, please." Tommy takes it and gets up from the couch, following the Queen closely. "I had a long conversation with your mother yesterday and she convinced me to tell you something very important..."

"What is it?"

"You'll see." After a while, she opens a double door, letting him into a spacious room.

Tommy's mouth drops open at the absolute beauty before him. There's stained glass everywhere; from the ceiling, supported by delicate columns, to the huge doors in front of him. At his left, there's a small pond surrounded by vegetation reflecting one of the windows that displays a leafy tree.

On the right, he sees a delicate throne made of gold and rubies elevated by a small platform. The late afternoon sun is shining outside, casting colorful reflections everywhere.

"This has to be the most beautiful room I've ever seen!" He exclaims, turning to the Queen.

"Yes. That's why Castle Grace was always my favorite: because of this room, and the ocean, of course."

"Your Majesty, why did you bring me here?"

"To show you this..." She takes his hand again entering the room and directing his gaze toward the wall behind them. At both sides of the door, there are round portraits with colorful frames.

He runs his gaze through every line, stopping here and there to analyze the paintings. All of the pictures are very old looking, except for the last one, placed next to the Red Queen's portrait. It has a shiny gold frame and depicts the face of a young blond man with expressive brown eyes.

# Chapter XXII – The Overwhelming Truth

"Bloody fucking shit!" Tommy shouts taking several steps back. "What in the Depths does that mean?"

"Those are the portraits of the Kings and Queens that came before us." The Red Queen says putting a warm hand on the small of Tommy's back, encouraging him to move closer again.

"Us? Your Majesty, you can't possibly be saying what I think you're saying..."

"But I am, my dear! You are my successor."

"No, no no no no! That's not right... I can't be king... I... I'm just a musician... I failed administrative studies in school... How am I supposed to rule a kingdom?!"

"I doubt you would learn anything useful to rule a kingdom in high school anyway..." The Queen laughs gently, patting his back. "Now, don't panic. I'll be here to help you as long as you need me since you were not prepared for it while growing up."

Tommy finally averts his eyes from his portrait on the wall to look at the Queen's face. As usual, her features are calm and composed and even a tad happy.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"I think you can call me by my given name from now on, Your Royal Highness."

"Layung..." He says out loud, testing the sound of her beautiful name. "I'm so very confused right now... Who determined this?"

"The Providence. You know about the signs of the birth of a baby with Magic, don't you?" Tommy nods "The night you were born there was no sun in the midnight sky, but a rainbow. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

"That's why my Magic is so strong then?" The Queen nods, smiling "And why you gave me to my mother... The tradition..."

The smile in Layung's face falters for a second but she quickly nods again. "Yes, the tradition. Speaking of which," She points to her throne at the other side of the room "Come on, take a seat, and see how you feel."

Uncertain, Tommy approaches the delicate looking chair, running his fingers over the golden filigrees and big ruby stones. When he finally sits down, Tommy lets out a blow of air that he didn't notice he was holding in. It feels... good!

"It's... It's like the day I made Naria grow... I feel at peace. Like I'm finally where I belong."

"I'm glad. With time, the throne will change and mold into your throne, that's how we'll know you are ready to rein."

"Oh! So I don't need to hit the road running with this?"

The Queen laughs delightedly. "Of course not, my dear! You'll learn how to be a king at your own pace. Now come! We must introduce you to your subjects."

"I have subjects?!"

"Yes, you do." The Queen laughs again, hand between Tommy's shoulders. "For now, they are few, but as we get our kingdom back together, the number will grow."

"This is so fucking weird!"

With a gesture of her other hand, the double doors of the throne room open and Tommy can see that all the Shifters are in the hall, waiting. His mother is there too, with Naria in her arms.

"Dear inhabitants of Castle Grace, I am very much honored to present to you His Royal Highness, Thomas Sabberton, the Golden Prince."

Immediately, every single person kneels before him, hands over their hearts and head down.

"What are you doing? Don't you fucking dare bow to me!" Tommy shouts, shocked. "You're my friends and my family! Please get up! Mom, c'mon!"

When Marie raises her head to face Tommy, she has tears running down her cheeks. The Shifter takes her in his arms and she kisses his forehead. "I know you'll be an amazing king, my boy!"

"Of course, he will!" All heads turn to the end of the corridor to see who said that. Aliz is standing there in her purple suit of armor with a placid, but sad smile on her face. "You'll be the best king this kingdom has ever had!"

"Ally!" Tommy runs towards her and gives the Healer a tight hug. "What are you doing here? Is Evander with you?"

"No, my dear. I'm sorry but he stayed in the field. I came to collect the gems you made and to give the Queen this." She opens her satchel and takes out two pieces of clothing: a blue polo shirt and a pink scarf.

"This is Diane's, she was wearing it the last time I saw her," Tommy says, pointing to the light colored scarf.

"Yes, the shirt belongs to Stephen, Her Ladyship needs a personal item for the locating spells."

"Will it work?" The blond man asks, turning back to the Queen.

"It will, yes. But it will take me some time and energy." Layung kisses Aliz's forehead and leads them back to the white hall. "Did you manage to find any more Shifters?"

"Yes, we did. Darcy is really good at this. We found a colony in a small deserted town near the Capital."

"What about the humans? Do they keep disappearing like in Darcy's town?" Tommy inquires.

"Yes! And it dumbfounds me! There are almost no signs of violence, we only found a couple of dead bodies along the streets of the Capital, but the city is completely empty."

"What could the usurper possibly be scheming?" Tommy mutters.

"She's taking hostages, like she did with the Shifters in the Last War. She knows that it affects my personal strength and Magic." The Queen states, walking back and forth around the room, her scarlet gown a shocking contrast against the light colored furniture. "You must find the humans too, Aliz. My sister can't get any more powerful while I get weaker!"

"Why would she get stronger?" The future king questions.

"She feeds on despair and fear." Aliz explains "The more people under her hold, the better for her."

A few moments of a tense silence pass before Tommy raises his head and says: "What about the Old Capital, did she already attack the city?"

"As far as we know, not yet. It seems like she's sweeping the country little by little, coming from the south territory."

"Can you rebuild the Red Castle?" He continues, his gaze switching from Aliz to the Queen. "Make it whole and functional again so people can hide inside?"

"Yes, technically we could do it if all seven of us combine our Magic, but it would be onerous on our strength..." Aliz replies, looking confused at the Shifter. "Tommy, what are you..."

"A beacon of hope! If she feeds on despair, let's give people hope so she has nothing to feed from. Rebuilding the castle will show the people that they are not alone!"

"That's actually a very good idea..." The Queen says, her voice rising at every word. "You're very smart, my dear!"

"It is a good idea, but like I said, using this amount of Magic will drain our strength and we can't be vulnerable at a moment like this, Layung!"

"I know dearest! That's why I'll come with you."

"What?! No! That's not an option! It's not safe for you out there! Neither is for you, Tommy, so don't bother!" Aliz shouts, looking from one to the other.

"Aliz..." The Queen tries but the Healer interrupts her.

"No, Layung. I will not condone this!"

"Lucky for us, I'm still your Queen," Layung gets closer to her friend, towering over the warrior "And I. Am. Going. With. You."

Aliz sighs and lowers her eyes, showing respect for her Queen. "Very well. It's not like I can make you change your mind, anyway... But just for one day. I'll bring you back here tomorrow in time for supper."

"Only if our plan is concluded."

"My Lady..." The Healer starts but closes her mouth shut when the Queen gives her a stern gaze. "Very well." She mumbles, looking at the sky outside. "It's late now, so we'll leave at the first light tomorrow."

The castle is silent once again. With the Queen gone, the inhabitants didn't see the point of hanging around the rooms for too long after supper, leaving one by one to rest and wait for her return.

Tommy is alone again and feeling a little unsettled. Maybe it's the absence of the Queen, or maybe it's the humongous piece of information he received the prior day... Maybe it's that fucking crying that's always there in the corner of his mind.

Immersed in his thoughts, the Shifter is startled by the knock on the window behind him. He jumps out of his chair and looks back to see a Higher Plains Bird pecking at the glass. Huffing, Tommy opens the window. "What do you have against doors, Harold?"

"I'm sorry master Tommy, but the matter that brings me here is of extreme urgency!"

"Spit it out then!"

"I was coming home when I passed by an old hut at the bottom of the hill, not too far away from here and I heard screams and cries for help! I'm almost certain that it was a female voice!"

"My sister... Do you think it might be Diane?"

"I could not know, but regardless it's a person in danger! We must do something..."

"Of course... I... Damn it! There's no one here I can call for help! I'll have to go alone."

Harold nods, a grave expression on his face. "Let's go then!" He says, pulling Tommy by his hand to the door

"I can't go through the front door... Meet me at the south wall." Once again the shifter nods and turns into the bird, that flies out of the window.

Tommy runs through the castle to his secret tunnel and past the door.

"This way, master Tommy!" Harold shouts in his mind, flying in circles over Tommy's head and then rushing forward, toward the same hut the blond man found the other night.

He turns into the lion so he can run faster and at the same time, his mind goes many miles per hour, thinking and trying to form a plan. Could it be that his sister was so close? Is it her cry that he has been trying to ignore all these past days?

They reach the hut in minutes and Tommy can feel it again: the dangerous energy and that unnatural quietness around the humble house. His lion is not happy with his decision to enter but this time Tommy won't let it take charge. He shifts back to human and opens the door, making the hinges scream loudly in the quiet night.

He can't see a thing, so he lights a little flame in his palm to find himself in a small room, with a single small bed and a rocking chair. Tommy lets his eyes wander around the empty room and becomes startled when the chair starts to move by itself. Seconds later a small figure appears, encased in a black cloak. The person is crying!

Is it a ghost? A figment of his imagination?

"Ah... Excuse me... I'm sorry to intrude, but do you need any help?" The figure nods, waving an emaciated hand for him to approach.

His lion says "no", his conscious mind says "get out of here", but Tommy can't make himself turn around. He simply can't!

He takes one step closer and another and then he kneels before the hooded figure. Now he can see her face. It's an old lady and when she turns her head to look at his face, he can see that she has tears in her dark eyes.

"What can I do for you?" He asks in a gentle voice.

"You are so beautiful!" The woman says, reaching a hand to touch Tommy's face. "You look so much like your father..."

At that, Tommy falters and falls on his butt lifting a cloud of dust from the carpet. "What? What did you just say?"

"You heard my cry and you came back to me like I knew you would! My long lost son..."

"Let me see your face! Please!" The shifter gets back on his knees and reaches both hands to push the hood that covers the woman's face. She lets him, eyes closed and still crying.

She has long white hair and sallow, lifeless pale skin. Her eyes are of a deep black with white inner circles.

"Who are you? What's your name?"

"I was once called Melynas, but that's not who I am anymore. They destroyed my life, took my child away from me... They made me what I am today, so now my name is Belirsiz, the Darkness incarnated!" Suddenly, the quiet attitude vanishes and Tommy can feel her anger and power. "They will pay for what they've done! Specially her! I have you with me now, my son and nothing will stop me! You'll help, won't you? You'll help your mother to avenge their wrong doings!"

"No! Revenge is wrong! Making others suffer because you suffered won't fix anything!" Tommy says, standing. "Let me get you back to Castle Grace and we'll feed you and give you some new clothes, and we can get to know each other. My mother... well, the woman who raised me, would love to meet you and..."

"You'll never go anywhere near that woman ever again!" The old lady screeches, standing from the chair. "If you don't want to go with me by your own will, I'll make you!"

She flicks her skinny wrist then, and Tommy falls unconscious.

#  Chap XXIII – Fighting Back

"With all due respect My Lady, what the fuck are you doing here?" It's the first thing Evander says when he sees the Red Queen emerge from her red cloud of Magic in their camp near the Old Capital.

"I come with a plan. And it was either me, or your beloved blond Shifter." The Queen counters, ignoring the Mage's frowned expression.

"Frankly, I'm not satisfied with either option and..."

"And, as I told our precious friend here," She interrupts, pointing to Aliz. "I'm still your Queen and my wish is your law, so here I am. Now listen to me, dear Evander. Your beloved came up with a really clever course of action and I'm here to make it happen."

Then, she proceeds to tell Evander about the conversation she and Aliz had with Tommy back in Castle Grace.

"That's actually a really good idea!"

"Don't be so surprised, my dear, Tommy is really clever. He'll be a great king when the time comes."

"Wait! What?"

"Aliz, dearest, didn't you tell him?"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to tell people anymore, so no, I didn't." The Seer replies, shrugging.

"Oh dearest, I'm sorry you feel like that..."

"Can we get back to the point in question here...? Tommy is gonna be king? My Tommy?!"

"Yes, your Tommy. Or, His Royal Highness, the Golden Prince."

"Amazing!" Bemused, Evander runs his fingers through his thick black hair "I know he is destined to great things but I never... I mean... Wow!"

"Ha! Ha! That's priceless!" Kadmus comes closer laughing his ass off "You gonna be the Queen Consort, E!"

The entire camp, warriors, and Shifters, falls in a loud laughter while Evander goes from dumbfounded to stern.

"Yeah, very funny K. One more of those and I'll have you polishing my codpieces for the rest of your life!"

"Yuck!" Kadmus retorts shuddering dramatically "Some people really can't take a joke..."

"Alright everybody, here's our new plan!" Evander shouts, gathering everybody's attention. "We'll be marching to the Old Capital, toward the Red Castle and we're going to rebuild and fortify it. We'll fight the usurper's goons from there. It's going to be difficult and probably dangerous and I know I have no right to ask it from you, but I would be very honored if the Shifter people would be willing to join me, my men and our Queen."

The warriors shout their battle cry and quickly are followed by the Shifters.

"Let's take our castle back!" Someone shouts.

In an hour the troop of Mages and Shifters were marching to the old city that was once the pulsing heart of their kingdom and for the first time in centuries, the old doors of the city are closed.

"That's not good," Newton whispers to Darcy that has their fingers firmly wrapped around the Alchemist's hand.

"Why not?"

"They are afraid. Those gates haven't been closed since the Last War... The Old Capital has our true history in their tradition; people here learn about the horrors suffered back then, when magical creatures spread chaos and fear on the streets."

"I know that. I grew up here, remember? I used to think it was a really good story but never thought it could be true, until I shifted for the first time, that is. But I think it's good that they know, I mean, if they know that Magic is real, they'll know that we are here to help!"

"Maybe... maybe not... We can't count on anything at this moment."

Standing in front of the massive doors, they ring the huge bronze bell and wait, until a small window is opened and a pair of frightened eyes look through it. Then a shocked voice can be heard:

"Open the gate! Open this fucking gate!! It's the Red Queen! Like the mayor said! She's here to save us!"

Awestruck, the Mage Warriors exchanges glances with each other before looking at their Queen.

"Apparently, we are expected!" She says, with a placid smile.

The gates are pulled slowly open then and the troops move forward, the warriors in a diamond formation around the Queen, with the Shifters all around them, some changing in and out of their animal forms. The birds circle her head and the big felines guard the rear. Bears, wolves, hares and house cats strutting around the Mages.

Little by little, the word of their arrival spreads around town and windows that have been closed open slowly and heads peek outside to watch.

When they reach the central square, where the Red Castle stands proudly, even in ruins, the Mayor is waiting for them with the three Town Deputies, and the population drawing closer around the square.

"Your Majesty!" He salutes, getting down on one knee "It is an honor for me to be the one to welcome you back to the Red Castle, even if it's under such dreadful circumstances!"

"Mr. Mayor, thank you! These are, indeed dreadful times, but I'm happy to be here again nonetheless. And I must say that I'm very contented to see that your family kept the tradition alive!"

"It was my favorite part of my education, to learn about you and the old ways. I'm very much honored to finally meet you."

"This is my Commander in chief," She points to Evander, stoically standing two steps behind her.

"Yes, the powerful Mr. Vikram! It's a pleasure to meet you! I must say that we were looking forward to your concert here, Mr. Vikram. The kids were very disappointed when the tour was canceled."

"Believe me, we were very disappointed too!" Evander comes closer and shakes hands with the mayor. "But I promise you: once this is all over, my band and I will do a massive concert here at the central square."

"I can't believe they are talking about music and concerts in a moment like this!" One of the Deputies whispers to his colleague.

"Music, Mr. Deputy, brings hope and joy and that's exactly what we need right now," Kadmus says, startling the short man. "Your Mayor seems to get it, so I suggest you have a conversation with him."

The Queen smiles to the warrior before turning her back to the ruins and addressing the people gathered around the square.

"My dear citizens, I know most of you didn't believe I was real, but I assure you that I am, and so are my Mage Warriors and the Shifter people. We are here to help, like we did so many years ago and together, we'll win this fight and bring peace back to our kingdom."

"Will you rule the country again?" Someone shouts.

"If you want me to." The Queen says nonchalantly. "I may be the Queen chosen by the Providence, but I must respect your wishes. When the people didn't want me as their Queen anymore, I left. If you want me back now, I shall return, for that's my destiny." A clamor rises around the square then. "Now I give you our beloved Evander Vikram. He's my champion and commander of my army."

"Good people of the Old Capital," He starts, after the applause and cheers fade "I thank you for the warm welcome and trust. Right now my army is small and we'll need all the help we can get, so if there's anyone among you that knows how to fight with any kind of weapon, or even if there's anyone with Magic, that is brave enough to join us, please come see me! Together, we will defeat this evil that preys upon us!"

"Good speech, my dear," The Queen compliments "Now, shall we?"

The seven mages nod and turn to the ruins of the castle. The task they have ahead is monumental and they know they'll be exhausted afterwards.

"Ally, I don't think you should do this..." Bhanks says, looking at the Healer. "We'll need your Magic to recover faster."

"If I don't do this, you'll be even more drained, Bhanks."

"Can I help?" They look at their left to see Darcy standing timidly beside Newton.

"Yes, of course, my dear. Join the circle," The Queen says smiling and reaching for the Shifter's hand. "Everyone who has Magic in them can join us."

With that, the Shifters that came with them, plus four of five people from the town approach the semi-circle of Mages, placing their hands on the shoulders of the person before them.

"Thank you all!" The Queen whispers, a tear running down her face.

The Mages repositions themselves to accommodate the others and when everybody is settled, they raise their hands toward the ruins. Layung stands at the front, chanting an ancient spell.

Slowly but surely, a white light envelops the ruins and it's so bright that the people are forced to avert their gaze. When it fades and they can open their eyes again, the Red Castle stands whole in front of them. Light rosy stones form the walls, the windowsills and doorframes are a bright red. The most beautiful and intricate stained glass adorns the windows, and dark, strong wooden doors with golden hinges and handles protect the entry. There are details in red everywhere and the dome-like roof seems to be made of pure gold.

Layung falls to her knees, head hanging back and face bathed in tears but she has the most beautiful smile on her face.

"My Lady, are you alright?" Evander rushes forward kneeling behind the Queen so she has something to recline against.

"Yes. Yes, I am, my dearest Evander." She puts a hand on his face, looking briefly at his eyes and then back to the castle. "I knew this day would come, but it seems almost unreal now. The Red Castle is back to its former glory... It's like a part of my heart is alive again."

"It's not just the castle, I'm sure. The people love you. They never forgot about you."

"I always had hope, but there were moments I feared that they did forget me."

The people are still shouting and cheering around the square, so the Queen asks Evander to help her get up. Her knees are weak and shaky, so she leans heavily against the Mage's strong body. Once facing the crowd again, she waves and smiles. "The Red Castle is whole once again, for that I thank each and every one of you. The Castle will be our fortress and reunion point. Now I need you to bring your elders, sick, and children inside. Everybody is welcome to seek shelter here, but we'll need all the help we can get, so I plead for the healthy men and women to join us."

"That's enough now, My Lady. You should rest." Aliz approaches them, smiling softly. "Let's go inside. We'll take care of the lodgings."

When the night falls, every vulnerable person in the Old Capital is sheltered inside the sturdy walls of the Red Castle and the rest of the population is getting ready to fight.

Kadmus has set a magical barrier on the walls surrounding the city, while Sirus and Newton imbue bows and arrows, swords, spears, and shields with Magic, so even the ones who don't have strong fighting abilities can help.

The smell of food permeates the air inside and out of the Castle, people are camped outside and in the houses near the central square and the energy around is good. A little tense, but good and hopeful.

"My Lady," Evander and Aliz approach the Queen after breakfast two days after their arrival and the tall woman rolls her eyes because she already knows what they want.

"No. I will not go back to Castle Grace right now." She says before they can even try to say anything.

"Layung, please! Be reasonable!" Aliz replies. "It's not safe for you here!"

"My people need me here!"

"You have no training in battle, My Lady. What are you planning to do if the golems invade the City?" The dark haired Mage questions.

"I will not flee in fear, Evander! I did that once and I refuse to do it now! I won't be a coward again!"

"That's not about cowardice, Layung!" Evander states. "There's no one here that is more important than you! We must keep you safe at all costs!"

"That's not true. Tommy is infinitely more important than I am!"

"And he's alone in Castle Grace." Aliz steps in. "He needs you by his side, now more than ever!"

"I..." The Queen starts, but Kadmus and Newton interrupt her by entering the room in a rush.

"Have you seen Darius?" The Alchemist asks.

"No." The other three answers and Evander adds: "I haven't seen him since last night. There's so much to be done that I just assumed he was busy around town..."

"He's nowhere to be seen and Sirus is worried... He said his brother was a little fidgety the past few days. Nervous."

"Do you think..." Aliz starts.

"No! Of course not! He would never..." Kadmus interrupts the Healer but is also cut off by a Shifter storming into the room.

"Your Majesty!" The blond haired woman shouts, stumbling forward and panting heavily. "I'm sorry! We don't know what happened! We..."

"Calm down my dear! Breathe for me..." When the Shifter is breathing at a normal pace again the Queen smiles and squeezes her hands. "That's it. Now tell me, what happened?"

"It's the Golden Prince... he's gone! No one has seen him since supper of the day you left! We looked everywhere, but he's gone!"

Back in Cape Grace, more precisely inside the cave under the cliff, the warrior with red hair stands in the dark, waiting for the woman who saved his life to answer his call.

"I'm glad to see that you changed your mind, my dear." The ethereal voice echoes on the humid walls. "Are you ready to abandon the life you knew before and join me?"

"Yes, I am... My Queen."

"Good. Now come, I need you to take care of someone really special."

"They will come after me."

"I have no doubts about that. In fact, I'm counting on that. You'll have the opportunity to show to whom you owe your loyalty very soon."

Darius bows to the empty cave while a dark mist surrounds him. When he opens his eyes, the warrior sees himself in a vast salon with a single round window and a sea of candles on tall candleholders.

He's alone but can feel her presence in the air. It's powerful, but so utterly cold and heavy that the Mage starts to question his decision.

"I expect you to warn me when you sense your brother approaching." The voice says again and this time, a figure appears under the light of the window.

"Of course..." A moment of hesitation later, he adds: "Can I ask you a question, My Lady?"

"Yes." The woman replies, arching one perfect eyebrow. Her resemblance to the Red Queen makes Darius uneasy. The face features are the same, except for the eyes that are black as the moonless night and her hair that falls in long waves. The Dark Queen is a vision to behold, but the energy that emanates from her body is unsettling.

"Why did you save me and my brother so many years ago? You knew what would happen today?"

"No, I didn't. Saving you was my last good deed. Sending you north, on the other hand, was a very well calculated move. I knew you and your brother could be useful to me... You know, I named you after the two moons that used to guide my steps in darkness. I should've known that your brother would be a disappointment on the day that the Sirus moon disappeared from the sky."

Darius is about to respond to that when the Dark Queen lifts her chin, looking to the door behind him and in the next second, the warrior knows why. "They are coming."

"Yes... And my foolish sister is with them. How delightful!" An unpleasant laugh echoes around the empty room. "Now is your chance my Mage Warrior. I want you to create an illusion for our guests to give me time to weave my web around them."

"As you wish, my Queen."

#  Chapter XXIV – Cause and Consequence

He wakes up cold and disoriented. Flickering his eyes open, Tommy sees a vast chamber with no windows and several chandeliers. The floor is dusty and the walls have cobwebs in every corner.

"Tommy..." He immediately sits straight, looking around. "Good Gracious, you're finally awake!"

"Diane! My Goodness, I'm so happy to see you!" Tommy clutches his sister against his chest and sighs relieved when she puts her arms around him too. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine... but..."

"Can you run? I'll get you out of here!" He looks frantically around the empty room.

"No, you can't! He's somewhere around... he won't let me go!"

"Who? Who has been keeping you here?"

"That would be me. Hello there, Tommy."

The blood in Tommy's veins freezes as he raises his eyes to look at the man standing a few meters away.

"Stephen? What's happening?"

"Damn you're slow, aren't you?!" Stephen laughs unpleasantly and the sound provokes goosebumps on Tommy's entire body. "I. Betrayed. You."

"No! No, that can't be! You're a good man, you... you love Aliz and she loves you... How could you..."

"I do love her, yes and my love for her brought me here. You see, she's so powerful and special and I was just... a puny human. I wanted to be like her, to be her equal, so she would love me forever... The Dark Queen offered me power and I accepted it." Stephen shrugs and a sarcastic smile curves his lips. "Now I see that my ambitions were too small. I can have the world now! With or without Aliz, the world will be mine."

"She fooled you! The usurper fooled you! She can't give you Magic!"

"Oh but she can! Look!" With a gesture of his pointer finger, Diane falls on her knees, clutching at her chest and panting heavily. Tommy kneels beside her and sees a thin red line linking Stephen's finger to the center of her chest.

"No! You bastard! Stop that! Don't you dare hurt my sister!" Getting back on his feet, Tommy takes two steps closer to the other man.

"Ah ah! Don't come anywhere near me, or I'll rip her heart right out of her chest!"

Tommy freezes, hands clutched in fists.

"I don't need to get near you!" He says suddenly and makes a harsh wind blow in Stephen's direction, knocking the man to the floor. "Come, Diane! Quick!"

She grabs his hand and runs after him through the first door they see. It's another empty room lit up by candles. "I don't know where to go! Do you know where we are, Diane?" She shakes her head and looks around, biting her lip. "Let's try that door over there! We must try to get out..."

"We can't! He will find us! I already tried escaping, Tommy. He found me every time!"

She's crying out loud now and Tommy wants more than anything to comfort his sister, but they simply have no time!

"Diane, please! Let's go! We must try! I won't stand here and wait for that traitor to find us!" Once again pulling his sister along, Tommy runs out of the room to find himself in a long hallway with several closed doors. Knob after knob, handle after handle, all they find is solid wooden barriers that don't even creak when Tommy forces them.

When the last door opens easily and silent at the far opposite end of the corridor, he looks at Diane, who already looks exhausted. "It's a trap." She says, lifelessly.

"I know. Stay behind me."

He pushes the door and looks inside the room. There's finally a spot of natural light, coming from a circular window high in the wall and nothing else.

"It's very nice of you to finally join us, Tommy." The Shifter looks at the center of the room, where the old lady stands, the light from the window shining on her. "Come on in, my son."

"You don't fool me anymore! You are not my mother, you are the usurper!"

"Don't you dare call me that, boy!" The woman shouts, thunder and lightning shaking the round window. A cloud of dark mist surrounds the old lady and from it emerges a magnificent young woman dressed in black, dark curled hair cascading over her bare shoulders and back. Her eyes are beautiful, but terrifying. "I am what they made of me! I am the Dark Queen and I am your mother!"

"No!" Diane whispers, covering her lips with shaky fingers. "Tommy, is that really your mother?"

"No. She's the woman who gave birth to me. Marie is my mother!" he says that last sentence glaring back at the other woman. Her resemblance with the Red Queen still making Tommy's heart skip a bit or two.

"And whose fault is that?" The usurper inquires "My sister stole you from me because she could never endure knowing that I had a man who loved me while she's condemned to live alone for eternity!"

"That's not true, Melynas..." The three of them look at the dark side of the room. "You and I both know why I took Tommy from you!"

"The Queen is here?" Tommy inquires looking back at the dark haired woman.

"Well, you just ruined my surprise, Layung! You always ruin everything, don't you?!"

With a flick of her wrist, the rest of the room is lit by candles and finally, Tommy can see the Red Queen, and Aliz, and Evander and Newton... All of them are there, except for Darcy and Darius.

The Shifter smiles knowing that he and Diane will be alright now that they are there to rescue them. But... They're not making any attempts to move or fight the usurper. They look static...

"What's happening?" He whispers, looking at Evander, who has his gaze glued to Tommy's face. "Evander..."

"I'm sorry Tommy!" The Mage says "You said you had the feeling that we would never see each other again and I tried to change that but this is even worst! I'm so sorry..."

"Evander, what are you..."

"Ah, you like the valorous captain, don't you, my boy?" An unpleasant laugh comes out of the usurper's lips. "If you're well behaved enough, I might be persuaded to keep him alive for you to play with."

"Let them go!" Tommy shouts then, taking a step forward. "Let them go or I swear to you I'll..."

"You'll do what, boy?" With a perfect eyebrow raised, she looks at something behind Tommy's shoulders and immediately a pair of strong hands land on his shoulders and Diane is pushed forward to join the others at the center of the room.

Tommy looks behind him to find that the hands belong to Darius. "No! Not you Darius! Bloody Depths, not you!"

"Why not?" The Mage says "I'm a smart man, little kitten and she saved my life! It took me some time to come to my senses but I finally realized that."

"You're a traitor!" Tommy shouts, trying to get rid of the powerful hands holding him in place "How could you betray us? Your brother?!"

"Enough of that!" The Dark Queen shouts, bringing Tommy's attention back to her. "I will give you a choice Tommy: Stay with me or sentence these people to death!" To illustrate, she moves her fingers, causing the group in front of her to scream and fall on their knees, very much like Diane did earlier. Their hearts are attached to her fingers by red translucent strings. The more she pulls, the more they scream in agony.

"No!" He shouts and again the lion takes over getting in position to jump over her, but the usurper manages to stop it, holding the lion still inside a round barrier.

"You're not as intelligent as Maynard made me think..." The Dark Queen mutters, shaking her head.

Her hold on him is so strong that the lion can't seem to fight it, giving the control back to Tommy. "Harry is with you too?"

"Of course, I am!" on cue, the Shifter enters the room with Stephen, who barely looks in Aliz's direction. "I, unlike you people, am very smart and know where to deposit my loyalty."

"Stephen..." Aliz's weak voice comes from their right. "Why? Please, just tell me why!"

"Because I got sick of being the little human husband of the most powerful Seer our world has ever seen! I am tired of being nothing compared to you!"

"You can't be serious! You were everything to me! You were my whole life!" There's so much pain in Aliz's eyes that Tommy has to avert his gaze from her face.

"Bullshit! That's a huge load of bullshit! Your team was always more important than me! You would never spare a second thought of leaving me for them! I just envy you so much... and I thought that if we were equals, if I were a Mage like you, you would give me due importance."

"You envy me?! By the Plains, Stephen... I always envied you!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, no, I'm not. There were times when all I wanted was to be a Human... Humans can do whatever they want with their lives... Their possibilities are endless! I envy that so much!"

"Ha! You're even more foolish than I thought!" The usurper interrupts.

"Yes, indeed." Stephen laughs and approaches his wife, grabbing her chin "You're so beautiful... That face of yours never failed to turn me on... but you know what?" He kisses her lips quickly before she can avert her face "Power is so much better!"

At that, Aliz launches her body forward, hitting him on the nose with her forehead. Stephen falls back screaming in pain but soon the Healer's screams surpasses his before she falls unconscious to the floor.

Tommy looks back at the usurper to see her smiling while his friends suffer.

"The time has come, my son. Make your choice!" She says, pulling the magical strings a little more.

"How can I know that you'll not kill them regardless of my decision?"

"Ah! There's the intelligence Maynard told me so much about!" The smile on the beautiful face makes Tommy shiver. "There's no way for you to know, of course. But that's your only choice. Choose me or watch your friends die." A long moment of silence goes by before she talks again. "Perhaps you need some convincing... Have you ever seen a heart being pulled out of someone's chest? It's really nasty..."

Without giving Tommy any time to answer, the usurper pulls the fingers of her other hand together and Stephen starts to scream and convulse on the floor. The next second, his still beating heart is in her hand, dripping blood on her black dress. "On a second thought... It is a rather delicious sound, the one they make when their hearts are breaking through flesh and bones..."

"You can't be so... So..." Tommy starts, but gets cut off.

"What? Ruthless? Evil? Oh but I am! I am all of that and more, my child and I'll let you know why! I wasn't born like this, you know? I was once just a little girl with a deep ache in my soul, like a piece of it had been ripped off... And nobody cared to tell me why I felt that way. I had to discover the truth on my own and it made me so angry... Imagine how it felt to discover that you have a sister and that that sister is the center of the world while you are just like everybody else. I spent years asking myself why my twin was favored while I was left out to rot!"

"Sister!" The Red Queen says and Tommy can hear the tears in her voice "Please! I don't know why I was chosen to be the Queen instead of you, but we can start it all over again, together this time. We have done it before, we can try again! Please stop this madness!"

"Oh but we can't! You see, it's too late for me, sister. My soul is heavy. So heavy that I don't even need to die to feel what emptiness is like. I have felt it all my life... Have you ever felt that? Like there is no hope in the world? When you look at yourself in the mirror what do you see? Not an endless pit of anger and hatred, I bet... There's no hope for me and you know why? Because I'm destined to suffer and I'm destined to bring chaos to this world."

"No! No, you're not! Doesn't matter what you were told! You can change your life from now on. Your destiny was already fulfilled. Melynas, please!"

"Stop calling me that!" The Dark Queen shouts, pulling on the magical strings. The screams of pain rivaling the thunder clapping outside.

Tommy's heart is beating a million miles per second and his knuckles bleed from punching the magical barrier that holds him. He can't endure it anymore. "Stop it!" He screams. "I'll stay with you! Please... mother! I'm begging you! Stop..." Sobs drown his voice and the tears drip freely from his eyes.

The screams stop immediately and the barrier around him vanishes, leaving him on his knees on the dirty floor. "Good choice, my boy." She says, lowering the hand that was torturing Evander and the others. "Come. Come to me and say goodbye to your friends."

Tommy takes a step forward and then another, his head down and hands clutched in fists alongside his body. When he's under her reach, The Dark Queen puts an arm over his shoulder and chest, pulling the Shifter against her cold body. "Swear by your Magic that you'll stay by my side from now on."

"I..."

"Tommy, no!" Evander says in a whisper, the desolation in his blue eyes making Tommy's heart ache. "Please don't do that!"

The Shifter closes his eyes, a lone tear running down his cheek. "I swear."

"There's a lot of compassion in you, my boy... But don't worry, we'll take it out of you. Starting now... You'll have a much better view of their horrible death from here!" She says in his ear.

"NO!" Tommy shouts, pushing her away and running forward, to throw his arms around Evander's neck. "I'm sorry! Evander, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" He says among tears and sobs, feeling the Mage's arms close around his waist.

"Tommy, baby... Look at me!" Tommy shakes his head, face hidden in the crook of Evander's neck. "Kitten, look up and see! Everything is going to be alright!"

Finally, Tommy looks up. Everyone is looking at the center of the room, where Maynard and the usurper stand immobile.

"What's happening? Why isn't she attacking us?" He asks.

"Shhh! Darius has them trapped in one of his illusions." Evander explains. "Now, we need to take you, Diane and the Queen out of here."

"But, what about the strings in your hearts?"

"Darcy already took care of that." Looking to where his boyfriend is pointing, Tommy sees the redhead Shifter waving and smiling at him. "Go with Darcy. Diane, My Lady, you too!"

"Evander..."

"Tommy, go! We can't risk her getting her claws on you again! Go now, please! "

He hesitates for a second but he knows Evander's right. Smashing their lips together sloppily, he takes a step back "Come back home to me! I love you!"

"I love you too!"

The exact second their feet touch the soft grass outside the abandoned fortress where the usurper held them captive, a loud thunder claps above their heads and a lightning bolt hits a tower in ruins.

"She's free from the illusion. We have to go. Now!" The Red Queen says, taking Diane's and Darcy's hands. She's ready to transport the other two when she notices that Tommy is looking back at the ruins. "Tommy..."

"I can't!" He says, looking back at the Queen and his sister. "I can't leave him and the others! They need me! She can't be killed and she's... She's my responsibility! She got that evil because of me!"

"Tommy..." The Queen starts but Diane interrupts her.

"Go. If you must, then go! But don't you dare die in there!" She comes closer and hugs him, fingers pulling tightly on his blond hair to bring his face near hers. "Don't you fucking dare not come back to mom and me!"

"I'll be back. I promise. Tell mom I love her."

Diane nods and takes a step back, grabbing the Red Queen's hand again.

As soon as the red cloud of Magic disappears, Tommy heads back to the fortress, conjuring a golden suit of armor for himself. On his chest, a crest showing a rising crowned sun shines like it has a light of its own.

Back in the wide salon, the chaos is reigning. The floor is covered by the pesky imps and golems of all kinds charging against Evander's troop. The usurper's still in her spot under the light coming from the round window and Maynard flies over their heads attacking one and another warrior, trying to distract them. Tommy's heart skips a beat when he sees Darius' body on the floor. The usurper must have killed him for his double cross.

He changes into the lion, knowing it has more of a chance against the enemies and advances biting and clawing, roaring and tackling until he's on the front line. Evander just had thrown one of his blue gems against a fire golem as it disappears in a cloud of vapor.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Evander's voice shouts in his mind.

"Sorry love, I can't leave you behind, this is my fight too."

A screechy laugh hurts their ears when the usurper notices his presence. "You couldn't stay away, could you, boy?! Now you'll die with them!"

Raising both hands, she tries to hit them with lighting, but at the last second Tommy conjures a stone barrier in front of him and Evander, and then sends a fire spout in her direction.

The fire surrounds the usurper, making her long hair whip behind her and a sharp scream echoes on the walls. The imps and golems get static, apparently not knowing what to do and the warriors lower their weapons.

A minute pass and then another but when the troops are starting to think they've won, a bright explosion shakes the walls around them and the usurper resurfaces in front of them, an evil and manic laugh sending chills down everybody's spine.

"Did no one ever tell you that I can't be killed, boy? This one cut my head off once and nevertheless, here I am! " She says, pointing to Evander. "If you want to get rid of me, you'll have to kill your precious Red Queen!"

"There's no need, Melynas! We can do that ourselves." A resounding voice comes from the door.

"Sister! Welcome back!" The usurper says disdainfully, a mocking smile curving her thin lips. "You got a little braver since the last time we faced each other. Come closer if you dare!"

"I will not run from you again!" The Red Queen opens a path through the imps and soldiers until she stops between Evander and the lion, eyes glued to her sister.

"Layung, no! Please don't put yourself in danger like this." The Mage whispers, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Evander, my dearest, you have been my champion and good friend for so long but above all, you're the only man I ever loved," She smiles and touches his cheek gently. "I can't let her hurt you anymore! What's happening today is my fault and mine alone. It's my responsibility to end this."

"I'm waiting for you, sister!" The other singsongs.

"Please, take care of each other." The Red Queen says, advancing at a quick pace, a ball of fire forming in each hand.

"Layung!" Aliz shouts and tries to reach her Queen, but Evander holds her.

"It's her choice, Aliz."

"Guys!" Newton calls from the other side of the room "We still have our hands quite full down here!"

It's true. The enemies are recovered from their shock and charging against the warriors.

"Let's put an end to this mess!" Evander shouts to his men.

"I'll get Maynard." Tommy states, looking around the salon for the traitor Shifter.

The bird is on the other side of the room, perched on the edge of the round window. Tommy's lion roars quietly and two branches of vine sneaks through the broken glass, wrapping themselves around the Shifter.

"Sneaky bastard!" He shouts in Tommy's mind.

"Serves you right, traitor!" The lion retaliates while taking another imp down.

"What are you going to do now? Kill me?"

"No." Tommy huffs. "Not for now at least. I'll let our people decide." With that, the vines cover Maynard's entire body, muffling his caws of protest.

Around him, the troop of Mage Warriors are dealing with the last golems but at the center of the room the two sisters are still dueling. A scream of pain or frustration bouncing on the walls from time to time.

Tommy turns back into human and observes, horrified as they fight, blood spilling and Magic bursting. They will both die!

"I can't let that happen!" He says falling to his knees. "Evander! I can't! What do I do?"

Evander comes near him and kneels beside his love. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do, Kitten. It's their fate..."

"No! No, it's not! Layung told me that her sister's destiny was already fulfilled and she said that she would be by my side and teach me how to be king. She can't die today!"

"There's no other way to stop the usurper, Tommy..."

"There is! There has to be! I'll find a way!"

For a long moment, they just look at the strife before them. The Red Queen is having a hard time, but the usurper falters too.

"Find it, then!" The Mage says suddenly. "I'll keep our Queen alive! Kadmus, can you protect Tommy?"

The long-haired warrior looks exhausted but nods and creates a barrier around the Shifter.

At that, Tommy nods and lowers his head, closing his eyes to submerge in his subconscious. He mutes the battle sounds around him, the shouts and explosions, retreating to that corner of his mind where his lion lives and where he knows he can find any answer he needs.

When the Shifter opens his eyes again it's to see Layung on the ground fighting to breathe, blood streaming down her forehead and gown ripped and dirty. Evander is fighting the usurper now, hitting her with his Magic and sword.

Concentrating, Tommy calls for the vines once again, pleading for them to wrap themselves around the usurper's body, restricting her movements.

With her arms tied to her body, she screams and curses until the vines cover her face. Next, the future king creates a barrier of solid rock around the hag, sending the fire spout to seal it.

The fire burns for a long moment, vivid and powerful, until a heavy rain quenches it. When all the smoke and vapor fades away, the group of warriors can see a statue made of black diamond.

Tommy falls to his knees again, drained but satisfied.

"Your Majesty?" Kadmus calls, running to where the Queen has fallen. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"Yes, my dear. I am. Please, help me up..."

He takes her in his arms and puts her on her own two feet. "I'm good, thank you."

The Queen walks slowly to the statue that once was her sister and touches a shoulder. "I'm sorry, sister... Melynas, I'm so, so sorry!" She touches the diamond shoulder with her forehead and a tear falls on the ground. Suddenly, a bright light blinds them for a second and when it fades, the Red Queen is holding a small black rose in her hands, the statue gone.

"What happened?" Kadmus asks, looking at the precious gem in his Queen's hands.

"I made it smaller so I can carry her with me. I'll never leave her alone again. Never."

A gasp for air grabs Tommy's attention and when he looks at his right, he's very pleased to see that Darius is alive, the burnt skin shedding from his face and hands, as his brother helps him get up.

"Darius! You're alright!"

"Yes! Having a twin brother is not a bad thing after all!" The Mage retorts, looking fondly at his twin. "Oh no..."

Tommy follows Darius gaze and his heart almost stops beating. Evander is on the floor, a spreading pool of blood under his torso.

"NO! ADAM!" He tries to run but stumbles and crawls instead, his legs too weak to sustain his weight.

When Tommy finally gets to Evander, what he sees makes his blood run cold in his veins. The wound on the Mage's abdomen is huge and he's losing blood profusely. "Evander, no! Please don't die! Please! Ally!" He raises his head to look for the Healer, spotting her reclined against a wall, eyes closed and chest moving slowly. She has no energy left to cure Evander.

The Queen comes by his side, kneeling too and pulls Tommy to her chest. Evander is not breathing anymore. "He's gone, Tommy." She says with tears on her face.

"No! Please don't let him die! Please! I'll give him my human life! I'll... I will gladly spend the rest of my days as a lion but please, bring him back to me!"

"Tommy, I can't do that! You'll be our king! We need you..."

"Evander will be a way better king than I could ever dream to be! Please Layung! Please! I can't let him... I can't live..." Tommy's crying so hard now that he can't articulate another coherent phrase.

Without a word, she takes one of his hands that are clutching at her dress and puts it over Evander's chest, covering his finger with her own. Slowly, Tommy starts to feel more and more tired. His eyes are about to fall shut when he feels a heaviness on his hand.

Forcing his eyelids open one more time, he sees Newton, Darius, Sirus and Bhanks around them, their hands also on Evander's chest. Kadmus is with Aliz, both his hands on her sternum.

"What..."

"We all are giving him some of our lives." Bhanks says, smiling weakly. "No sacrifices will be made today."

Tommy starts crying again, but from relief this time. His heavy eyelids overpower him for good and the Shifter falls against the Queen's body.

#  Chapter XXV – This is Only the Beginning

"How is he?" Tommy rushes to the Queen as soon as she steps out of his room.

"Stable, but still unconscious..." Layung tries to comfort her nephew with a smile but Tommy can see that she's worried too. "Aliz tried her best, dear, but it's a long way back from the Other Side."

"I know. Is she alright?"

"Physically or mentally?" The Queen sighs and looks behind her shoulder to the closed door of the room Tommy shares with Evander.

"I still can't understand what happened! I mean, Stephen was..."

"I know darling, it's outrageous but some things are beyond our understanding."

Then Aliz steps out of the bedroom, looking tired and hurt. She smiles weakly at Tommy and disappears down the hallway.

"What happened with the townspeople in the Old Capital?" The Shifter asks suddenly, remembering what was happening there when Evander and the others had to come to his aide.

"Everything is fine." This time, Layung's smile is genuinely joyful. "They fought bravely against the imps and when you defeated Melynas, the monsters disappeared."

"Casualties?"

"A few, unfortunately."

"I'll make sure their names are listed on the monument in the Red Castle."

"A perfect way to honor them." She then, puts her hand on Tommy's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Aliz wants me to ask you if she should grow Evander's leg back. Darcy removed the spell, so now she can do it."

"That's not my decision to make, Layung. When he wakes up, he'll say if he wants it or not."

"Very well. Go stay by his side now, Evander will need your presence beside him."

After receiving the Queen's kiss on his forehead, the future king opens the heavy bedroom door slowly, peeking inside. The room is immersed in shadows casted by the flames in the fireplace. He gets closer to the bed where Evander's unconscious body lies.

He's pale and looks so fragile! Tommy runs a hand through the dark locks of his hair and kisses the dry lips. "I can't sing for you like you did for me that day, Ev... Please, come back to me! Please!"

After a long moment of silence, Tommy lies beside the Mage on the bed and shifts to the lion. They have a strong mental connection, so maybe he can reach Evander from there. With his muzzle, the lion shoves one of Evander's hands over his mane, and gets his body as close as possible to the man.

When he closes his eyes, the familiar green meadow with wild flowers greats him under a gentle yellow light. There's no one around, so he calls for Evander once, twice, three times but nothing happens.

"Stop looking for him, young prince." A voice says above the lion's head.

"Who's there?"

"Nobody. I am not important here, but you must stop looking for him!"

"Why? He's not dead; I can take him back home with me... I..."

"He is not ready to go yet. He is learning. He has a lot to learn still."

"Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Your warrior is fine, young prince. He is under the tutorage of The Providence."

"What does that mean?"

"That he's being prepared to fulfill his destiny and so should you. Go back and do not try to find him again. Your warrior will return to you when he is supposed to, not a second sooner."

With that, a strong and pure white light hits the lion, ejecting him off his own mind.

The huge beast opens his eyes and blinks, looking around just before turning back to his human form.

"What the fuck?" Tommy mutters. Quickly, he gets up and out of the bedroom, looking for the Queen.

"That was the Herald of Death," Layung says, as soon as the Shifter tells her what he saw and heard. "Don't worry my dear; Evander's soul is in excellent hands."

"Except..." Aliz starts, but stops right away after the Queen gives her a stern look.

"Except what? Aunt, what are you not telling me?" The Queen hesitates for a moment, so Tommy insists: "You promised me you wouldn't keep any more secrets from me!"

Layung sighs and waves her hand. "It's nothing you should worry about, dearest..."

"Evander might decide to stay on the Other Side, Tommy," Aliz intervenes despite the Queen's silent warning.

"What? Why?"

"He's in the Higher Plains, don't you forget that. The promised reward for the good souls. He might as well prefer to stay there."

"Why would he do that?"

"Exactly! Why?" The Queen puts an arm around her nephew's shoulder and brings his head to her shoulder. "He has a mission here still, and he has you to come back to! Evander has no reason whatsoever to stay in the Higher Plains."

Aliz sighs and Layung squeezes his shoulder a little tighter for a second, the black rose ring on her finger shining in the candlelight.

After his encounter with the Herald of Death, Tommy is both calm and nervous about Evander. He knows his Mage's fine, but not being able to hear his voice or look in his eyes is too high a price to pay.

Day after day, he bathes the unconscious man, combs his hair and feeds him a portion of Newton's elixir made of Aliz's tears. And he talks, even though he doesn't know if Evander can hear him, Tommy talks to his lover, telling him about his lessons, how the population of the country is reacting to the revelations about the Queen and the Magic. He tells him about Newton and Darcy getting engaged and to his utter surprise, about the romance blooming between his sister and Kadmus.

"You need to wake up, babyboy!" He's saying one day, months after the final battle against the usurper. "New and Darcy's engagement party will be soon and he wants you to be his best man! And there's the ceremony to include the names of the ones fallen in the Battle of the Red Castle in the monolith! I need you there with me!" After a long silence, when Tommy stared at the beautiful features of his Mage, he complements: "The throne is already changing... so is the Red Castle... I can't do this without you, Evander! You bring out the best of me and I... I just need you. Please!"

Two silent tears free themselves from Tommy's lashes and fall on the Warrior's face. Then a white shine covers Evander's body and it's so bright that Tommy has to shield his eyes with his hand.

When the Shifter can finally look, Evander is gone, the indentation of his body on the mattress the only proof that he was ever there.

After that Tommy feels angry all the time venting on people who have nothing to do with his misery and nothing makes him feel better. He barely sleeps or eats, staring at the place in his bed where Evander once laid.

He's lost in a limbo, living but not quite alive. He just waits. Waits for the moon, then for the sun, hoping that one of them will bring his Warrior back to him.

Every time Tommy sleeps, he dreams of him, his bright blue eyes and warm smile, his freckles and the sweet voice and sometimes, Tommy can swear that he felt Evander's hands on his body and smelled his scent. On those days he wakes up panting and sweaty and devastatingly sad.

Perched on a windowsill in one of the towers of the front gate, Tommy lets his mind wander, for once not thinking about Evander or how much he misses him. He thinks about his kingdom, slowly coming back together and in the new abilities he discovered with his Magic. Dawn peaks through the trees in the distance; the sun is not out yet, but the moon isn't visible anymore. Tommy likes those moments of the day.

Suddenly, he sees movement in the corner of his eyes. A figure approaches the castle from the woods. A tall, muscled, dark haired man... He's naked and vapor detaches from his body, like he's too warm for the air around him.

As he gets closer, Tommy can finally see his features and the Shifter's heart seems to stop beating altogether.

"Evander... Evander!" He shouts and the man looks up. The smile that slowly curves the thick lips send shivers down Tommy's spine and tears to his eyes.

With a flick of his wrist, he creates a wind whirl under his feet and floats to the ground. Evander takes two steps closer, a big and loving smile on his face.

"Nice trick." The Mage finally says after a moment. "Come here, Kitten!"

Tommy jumps forward, enlacing the thick neck with his arms and sighs contently when the strong arms wrap themselves around his waist.

"I missed you so fucking much!" He whispers against Evander's neck.

"I'm so sorry, Kitten! I thought that if I sent you dreams, you wouldn't miss me as much..."

"Nothing can compare to this!" Tommy replies, tightening his grip on Evander's shoulders.

"I know. I missed you too, you know?" The Shifter nods and sighs again. "Take me to bed."

The golden cloud surrounds them, transporting the couple back inside to their bedroom. They appear in the middle of the room, arms firmly around each other and neither of them move for a long time. Tommy is trying to stop crying and Evander just breaths in his lover's scent.

"Let me feel your skin against mine." The Mage says, kissing Tommy's neck and nibbling at the tender skin there. "I felt so empty without you..."

The Shifter sniffs and takes a step back, ready to lift his shirt over his head but Evander stops him. "Let me do this."

Slowly, in an almost reverent way, Evander takes Tommy's shirt off, trailing his fingers along every line and crevice of the thin body. Then he proceeds down to the dark sweat pants and underwear. "Why does it feel like it's been eons since I last saw you?"

"Because it does! Any amount of time without you seems like an eternity. Please, don't do that again... Don't go away!"

"Never! Never again, I promise! I missed you so much it was like a part of me was ripped off!"

Tommy sniffs again and hides his face in Evander's chest.

"Now, now! Don't cry Tommy! I'm here with you!" With a finger under his chin, Evander makes his boyfriend look up and kisses his tears away. "Now, where's that cheeky smile I love so much?"

"I don't know... smiles are not my thing lately..."

"Let's fix that, then." With a sideways smile, Evander transports them to the bed, landing right on top of Tommy's body and covering his face, neck, and chest with small pecks and tickles until the Shifter is squirming and laughing. "Now, that's the Kitten I know!"

Tommy opens his eyes and his expression gets serious once again. He puts his hands at both sides of Evander's face and pulls him closer until the Mage's lips are pressed against his own. And it's like their first kiss all over again. They explore each other's mouth with no rush, just tasting and basking in the contact.

Soon, the kissing is not enough anymore and their hands start to trail and wander. Evander's mouth is on Tommy's cock before the Shifter can notice it, pulling a long, loud moan from his lips.

"I so love that sound!" The Mages says, his fingers already circling Tommy's entrance. "Let's see what other sound I can get out of you..."

A finger goes in and Tommy shouts: "Fucking shit!" His hands fly to Evander's hair, holding him down on his dick for a second. He can feel Evander smiling around him.

Not as slowly as he should, the Mage stretches his lover's muscles, anxious to be inside him, the lube he creates making Tommy's skin shine.

"Evander, fuck! I'm loose enough!" Tommy whines, making grabby hands to him "Just fuck me already!"

"That filthy mouth!" Evander jokes, kissing him. In an unexpected move, he rolls over, bringing Tommy with him, who in the new position can straddle the Mage's waist. "I'm all yours now. Do whatever you want." And there's the cheeky smile he loves so much!

Putting his weight on his knees, Tommy grabs Evander's cock, pumping it a little and teasing his own entrance until he can lower his body on it.

"Bloody Depths!" he exclaims when the blunt head gets through the first ring of muscles. "So fucking big!"

"Am I hurting you? I knew you weren't ready..."

"Evander!" Tommy interrupts, getting a couple of inches lower "Shut up!"

The Mage laughs and relaxes against the pillows, his hands on Tommy's hips and eyes glued to his face.

"Why have we never done this?" He exclaims when Tommy's sitting on his hips again, moving his own in little circles, hands on Evander's ribs and face in absolute bliss.

He blinks his eyes open and smiles behind the blond fringe. "Because you don't fuck me nearly enough."

"And I can only wonder why!"

"Indeed!" The future king lies down over Evander and plants sloppy kisses on him before righting his posture again, feeling the thick cock go even deeper inside of him.

With movements increasingly more frantic, he works his way to ecstasy, nails leaving little crescent marks on Evander's chest and delicious staccato moans escaping his parted lips.

"You look so beautiful like this, Kitten!" The Mage whispers, trailing his fingers down Tommy's chest and thighs. "I can't stop looking at you!"

"Do you like what you see, then?" Cheeky, Tommy holds his hair out of his face, smiling down at Evander and rolling his hips clock and counter-clockwise.

Evander then pulls his torso up, so he's seated, chest to chest with Tommy and arms about him. Surprised with the change in the angle Evander's dick is hitting his prostate, Tommy opens his eyes to see the blue irises, now dark with desire, mere inches away from his face.

"Hi there." He says, smiling and rubbing his nose in Evander's.

"Hi. Was feeling lonely down there, by myself." They kiss for a while, moving their bodies in unison. "Put your legs around me, Tommy." He says then, lifting the Shifter a little by his butt, so he can stretch his legs on the mattress.

When Evander lowers him again, Tommy moans loudly and tightens his grip on the Mage's shoulders. "Oh, that was good! Do it again!"

He complies and Tommy moans even louder and slips a hand between them to fist his cock.

A few moments later, they come like this. Together, wrapped around each other and breathing each other's air. Closer than they have ever been.

"I love you!" Evander whispers between pants, his forehead on Tommy's, noses touching and fingers entwined.

The Shifter smiles and tightens the grip on his hand. "I love you too."

Slowly, Evander bends back to lie on the bed, taking Tommy with him, so he's lying over the muscled body.

"Are you going to tell me where you were the past eight months?" Tommy says after almost an hour of peaceful silence. He has his head on Evander's chest, listening to him breathe and his heartbeat.

"Eight months? Bloody Depths! That's a long time..."

"Damn right it is. So, where were you?"

"I was in the Higher Plains... Learning."

"The Herald of Death told me as much."

"You met Him?"

"Yes. I tried to contact you and He ejected me from my own mind. Very rude, if you ask me... What were you learning?"

"Wow! So many things! I know now why Melynas acted the way she did and why our Queen took you from her... And I know what to do from now on, to help you and keep you safe."

"You'll keep me safe? No matter what?" Evander nods and kisses the tip of Tommy's nose. "Even if I'm stubborn and suspicious and annoying and..."

"Come what may, I'll cherish and protect you for as long as I'm alive."

"That sounds a lot like a wedding vow..."

"It might as well be."

"Well, the thing is you have to propose to me first."

"The thing is," Evander repeats, half laughing "That I can't propose to the King. Nobody can."

"Really?"

"Yeap." Evander replies, popping the p.

"Interesting..." Tommy then rolls off Evander's chest, wincing at the dried come on their chests. Creating a cloth and a bowl of warm water, he cleans his lover and then himself. "Why did your body disappear as well? That was the worst part, not having your physical presence. Not knowing what happened to you..."

"I convinced the Providence to grant me a wish, since I was separated from you for so long..."

"And what did you wish for? A bigger dick?" The Shifter retorts, cheekily "I thought it was bigger, but I supposed it was just me..."

Laughing, Evander props his left leg over his right knee, poking Tommy in the ribs with his toes. "No. Try again."

Poke. Tickles. Poke. Poke.

"Evander, stop it! I'm trying to think! You're such..." At that, he reaches his hand to grab at Evander's leg and push it away from his ribs and just then the Golden Prince notices that his hand didn't land on cold gold and jewels, but warm, soft skin.

The mage is laughing so hard now that Tommy's sure his expression must be a show on its own.

"Bloody fucking shit! Your leg! It's back! You got your leg back!"

"Yes, I did." Drying the tears that are merrily running down his cheeks, Evander looks at his new toes and calf. "It was time, don't you think?"

"Yeah... I mean, I love you no matter what and that golden prosthesis is beautiful, but knowing that you're not in pain anymore is great!"

"Now I think we can give all this gold and jewels a better use." Evander says, making his old prosthetic leg float towards them on the bed.

After a few minutes of silence, he smiles and circles his hands around the floating piece until it's engulfed by his dark blue cloud of Magic. When the dust is gone, Tommy can see a beautiful bejeweled crown sitting on the palms of Evander's hands. It's not very tall, made of intricate golden filigree and round purple gems.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think it's a little lonely..." Tommy replies, tilting his head a little and with a flick of his wrist, he makes another crown appear in his hands. This one is also made of golden filigree, but has blue and red gemstones adorning it.

The Mage smiles shyly for the first time in his life, looking at his love through his lashes; cheeks going a pretty shade of pink that makes his freckles pop.

"Evander, will you do me the honor to have you by my side, as my King, for as long as the people want us?"

"I... Damn, of course! Of course I'll stay by your side, Tommy! Until the day I die and beyond!"

"As my husband and my king." Tommy adds, placing the crown on Evander's head.

"As your husband and your king." Evander repeats, doing the same with the larger crown in his hands.

They stay there for another moment thinking what a ridiculous scene they surely make: two naked guys wearing golden crowns and smiling at each other like idiots.

"We should get out of this room. The Queen will probably throw a party for you."

"I know... But I don't want to."

"Ev, we can't! Layung and the other are waiting for us in the Red Castle!"

"You're right, of course..."Evander gets up from the bed and heads to the porcelain water jar and bowl, to wash his face. "I wanted to stay here and eat you out until you're screaming my name, but we can't keep the Queen waiting, now, can we?"

Evander hears Tommy stager behind him and smiles wickedly, while drying his face.

"I think we... I mean... I'm the future King, right? So I think I can make her wait a little longer... Yeah... She doesn't even know that you are back so..."

In swift moves, the Mage is back on the bed, manhandling his lover so he's on his stomach, legs wide apart and dignity forgotten alongside the two golden crowns on the mattress.

#  Chapter XXVI – A Royal Wedding

"Three days, Evander? Really?" Aliz fires off as soon as the couple enters the throne room in the Red Castle. It's a large parlor with a parquet floor, columns all around and an oval wall that nestles the red and golden throne. Behind it stands a huge portrait flanked by tapestry panels.

"What can I say? I missed him." The Mage shrugs, holding Tommy's hand.

"What about us? We missed you too!" She scolds, frowning.

With an exaggerated "Aw" Evander pulls his friend into his arms and squeezes her against his chest.

"No need to be jealous..." Tommy starts but shuts his mouth as soon as he notices how hoarse his voice is.

Aliz looks at him from above Evander's arm and smiles knowingly. The Shifter becomes instantly flushed.

"He's alive!" Someone shouts and Evander looks to see who it is. Bhanks is getting closer, hand in hand with Madras and followed by the others: Newton and Darcy, Darius and Sirus, Kadmus and Diane. Evander feels his heart swell with all the love in the room. He missed his friends as much as he missed his love. Well... almost.

"It's good to be back! And a relief to see you alive and well, Darius!"

"Thank you E," The red-headed giant smiles, but when his eyes notice Tommy, his face changes. Without a word, he takes two steps forward and kneels in front of the Shifter. "Your Royal Highness, I humbly ask you for forgiveness."

"What? For what?!" Alarmed and utterly embarrassed, Tommy looks around to Evander and Aliz, who just shrug.

"For my behavior, Your Highness. I'm not one of those people with a cheerful disposition, but I crossed the line several times. I was disrespectful to you and I betrayed all of you."

Tommy then exhales and closes his eyes for a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say at that moment. Layung is at the other side of the room, smiling at him but not providing much help. "You fooled me that day, I'll not deny that, but I know you did it to give us the advantage over the usurper, so as far as I'm concerned, you deserve a medal, not my pardon." He says, placing a hand on Darius' shoulder "And about your prior behavior... You're forgiven; just try to remember to stay quiet if you don't have anything nice to say. Now get up, please! This is ridiculous..." The Warrior rises to his feet, smiling. "You can't keep kneeling in front of me like that! It's just weird!"

"You better get used to it, Your Highness," Bhanks utters, getting closer to hug him and Evander. "Welcome back, Commander!"

Moments later, Layung crosses the salon with Marie by her side, both smiling at the couple.

"Welcome back, dearest!"

"Thank you, My Queen. Mrs. Sabberton."

"So... Tommy... I believe you have an announcement to make," Aliz states, a smile so big on her face that it must hurt.

"Indeed I have!" With a delighted expression on his face the Future King addresses his friends and families, as well as the few servants in the room. "I..."

"No, wait!" Aliz interrupts "Don't you think you should make it an official announcement? Tell the good news to the people as well?"

"But that will take the time to arrange and I don't want to wait!" Tommy whines.

"You've known about Magic for almost a year now and you still think you have to wait for things?" Darius mocks, clapping his huge hands once to form a white vortex between them. Through it, Tommy can see the town and people on the streets. "Your Ladyship."

"Thank you, Darius!" the Queen moves forward and a soft tune echoes around them, drawing the people's attention. "My dear citizens, good day! It's with great pride that I give you our Golden Prince!"

Cheers and shouts reach their ears through the vortex and Tommy takes a step forward. He should be used to it by now since it's been eight months that the people have known him as the Golden Prince, but he isn't. He always feels like the Queen is talking about someone else.

"Cherished people of the Old Capital," He starts, unable to contain the happiness in his voice "I come to you today with very good news: It's with great joy that I announce to you that our beloved Lord Warrior, Commander in Chief of our army and favorite singer, has agreed to become my husband and when the time comes, rule the kingdom by my side!"

The volume of the noise triples with cheers and shouts of "Long live the Kings!" as Evander steps forward to stand beside Tommy.

"There will be a great feast in five days' time and all citizens are invited to attend. Come celebrate with us!" Evander says, waving to the people.

As soon as Darius closes the small portal, Tommy's smile falters and he empties his lungs noisily. "I'm glad you're used to being a public figure, Ev. I'll need help with that..."

"You did great, Kitten, relax! You only have to remember to breathe while you speak."

"That's all? I'll be good then..." The future King mocks, accepting the glass of water a maid brings him.

Things are getting back to how they used to be in the Castle. People were hired in town to work for the Queen and messages had been sent to the governors of all five territories so they could try reuniting the kingdom under one ruler, and plans to restore the Mage Academy were set, so the people born with Magic could study and learn. But one thing that Tommy wouldn't allow in this new era was the separation of the families. Every kid deserved to grow up with their parents and family, so the Academy wouldn't be a boarding school anymore.

Looking around while Tommy drinks his water, Evander sees the Queen looking through a window, a sad expression on her face. It hits him like a punch in the stomach: what Layung said that day before she stepped forward to face her sister. "You are the only man I ever loved..." The Mage feels immediately guilty, rushing across the room to talk to her.

"Layung, I'm so sorry!" He says in a whisper, touching her bare shoulder.

"For what, dearest?"

"We've been rubbing our happiness in your face... That's cruel. I... I wish there would be someone for you. To make you as happy as I am."

"Oh no, dear! Don't feel guilty for your happiness! I always knew that this life didn't set a love aside for me and I'm at peace with that. It's all my fault, anyway... I had to give my heart to the one man I could never have." She places a hand on Evander's cheek like she always does and smiles. "Seeing you this happy with the man you love warms my heart. Please, don't pay attention to the rare moments when that feeling falters."

Evander tries to smile but he knows it doesn't reach his eyes. "Tommy and I will totally understand if you want to choose someone else to celebrate our union..."

"Don't say nonsense, Evander! It's my duty and my pleasure to bind your souls together."

"Very well then."

"Have you two thought about what you'll want for the ceremony?"

"No... I have no idea about what I can want... I suspect Tommy doesn't either."

"You better talk to him, then. Five days is not a long time to prepare a Royal Wedding."

Evander then waves at Tommy, calling him closer. "Kitten, the Queen is urging us to plan our ceremony and feast."

"I don't want anything big or fancy... " The Shifter says.

"Oh, but you won't have it big and fancy." Layung says, smiling "It will be huge and flamboyant." Laughing at the shocked faces before her, she taps her hands gently on their cheeks. "My dears, it's the Wedding of the Future Kings! You must show off for the people! Besides, Evander already invited the whole town."

"That's true..." Tommy starts, looking sideways to his fiancé.

"And it will be the first Royal Wedding since... well, I don't have the slightest idea how long it has been." Aliz steps in, linking her arm with Tommy's elbow.

"About two thousand years," Layung adds.

"Fucking Depths!" Tommy mutters.

"We'll help you, love. Don't worry." The Healer comforts him "Trust the girls!"

"That's what I'm afraid of..."

At sunset on the next day, Tommy's sprawled on the blue loveseat, feet in Evander's lap and receiving a very much appreciated massage.

"Feeling better, Kitten?" The Mage asks.

"Yes! Oh dear Providence, yes! And I swear to you if one of those women calls my name one more time today I'll..."

"Tommy!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! What?!" He turns his head glaring at whoever is at the door.

Darcy takes a step back, a hand over their heart. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bother you but dinner is served."

"Damn it, I'm so sorry, Darcy! Thank you for letting us know, we'll be right there."

With an uncertain smile, the redhead Shifter disappears down the hall.

"See what they're doing to me?" Tommy exclaims, pulling his feet from Evander's lap abruptly and putting his shoes back on. "I was rude with poor Darcy... Newton's gonna kill me!"

In turn, Evander chuckles and gets up, pulling his fiancé with him. "Tell you what: I'll distract them tomorrow, so you can rest your pretty little mind for a while. What do you say?"

"Would you do that for me?" The blond says, batting his long eyelashes coyly.

"There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you Kitten, but!" Tommy stops his happy stride towards the door and looks over his shoulder "You can't change the decisions I make while I'm with them."

And right there Tommy knew that his resolution on keeping the ceremony as simple as possible is being blown into pieces. Strangely enough, it doesn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

He exhales and smiles. "Of course, Ev. It's your wedding too."

When Tommy wakes up the next morning and goes downstairs to the private dining room to have his breakfast, he finds himself alone. There's no trace of Evander or his retinue of wedding planners in the Castle. It's only him and the maids and valets.

It's peaceful and silent and... boring! He had grown accustomed to always have someone calling for his attention but he asked for it, so the future king is determined to enjoy his time alone.

He's lounging in the blue room, his favorite room in the Red Castle since they moved there when the butler knocks on the door. "I'm sorry to bother, Your Highness, but we have a guest at the front door and the Queen is not here to receive him."

"A guest? Who is he?"

"He didn't say his name, Your Highness. He's a little too full of himself if I can be honest with you."

"Really?" The butler nods, solemn. "Alright. Lead the way, my friend."

Standing in the middle of the foyer, is a tall man with dark hair and thick frowned eyebrows. His thin lips are pressed tightly together as he examines the room.

"I'll take it from here Starks. Thank you." Tommy whispers before the guest can see them. The butler nods again and rather gladly disappears down the hall. "Good morning sir, I'm Tommy Sabberton. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

The man accesses Tommy with a long disdainful look from his messy blond hair to the loose fitting clothes he's wearing. "I'm here to see this person who calls herself our queen."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible right now, sir. My aunt is not home, but we can entertain you until she arrives, mister..."

"I'm Clarence Throwbone, governor of the South Territory."

"So you're here for the Wedding, then? We weren't expecting you until tomorrow since the South Territory is so far away."

"I came here to put an end to the sham this woman is trying to lure the entire country into believing."

"Sham, sir?"

"Yes! Of course! It's impossible that this woman is who she says she is! The Red Queen was the last sovereign this country had and she was deposed four hundred years ago."

"You're not familiar with the existence of Magic, then?"

"Another load of bullshit! There's no such a thing as Magic!"

"Don't say that!" Tommy protests, unhappily "Every time someone says something like that, a fairy drops dead somewhere. I thought the families of the governors were instructed in the True History..."

"Is it possible that I'm the only lucid person in this entire country?!" The other says, raising his hands in exasperation.

"On the contrary, sir. You seem to be the only one who is not willing to accept the truth. The Providence guides our lives and Magic is It's way to do so. I suggest you try to wrap your mind around it as soon as possible."

"Is that a threat?! Who do you think you are, young man?"

Tommy is about to say something when the butler interrupts again. "Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty has arrived and waits for you and the guest in the throne room."

"Perfect timing as usual! Thank you, Starks." And turning back to the governor, Tommy says: "Shaw we?"

"Lead the way..." The other says, sheepishly.

Tommy opens a wicked smile and twists his wrist, engulfing both in his golden cloud of Magic.

When the cloud disappears, they are in the throne room, Layung, comfortably seated on her throne, smiles at her nephew.

"Welcome to the Red Castle, Mr. Throwbone!" She says, while Tommy moves forward to stand by her side, above them, the huge portrait is impossible to ignore.

"Good Gracious... How's that even possible?" Throwbone exclaims his eyes bigger than saucers.

"Through Magic, my friend. Now, you don't need to accept me as your Queen, or Tommy as your future King, but if that's the case, I can't offer your Territory our help and protection."

"My Lady... I came here to debunk a sham but right now I'm not sure that there is a sham to be debunked..."

"There isn't, but if you need to see with your own eyes, I respect that. You were invited to the Royal Wedding in three days, I believe. Why don't you stay with us in order to make your decision?"

"Ah, yes! The Royal Wedding! Thank you for the invitation and congratulations, kind sir. Can I meet the lucky bride?"

"Actually, it's a lucky groom," Evander says, entering the room through a side door. Tommy chuckles but tries to hide it under a fake cough. "And that would be me."

Throwbone chokes on thin air when the Mage bows to the Queen and then bends down to kiss Tommy on the lips.

"What? But... He's a man... And he's also a man... That's not... I don't..."

"Aunt... Do you mind if we..." Tommy starts, whispering in Layung's ear.

"Of course not, my dear, go on. I believe Aliz and Madras were looking for you." The Queen replies, rising from her throne to take the guest by the arm and away from the couple.

"You think he'll give us any trouble?" The Future King asks his fiancé, pulling him the opposite way.

"I hope not..." Evander spends one last glance towards their guest before lowering his face to Tommy. "And how was your morning off?"

"Great! I slept in and had pancakes for breakfast. Then I sat in the blue room to listen to some music. Oh! I practiced a little with my bass."

"I'm glad you had fun, Kitten."

"Thank you for sacrificing your morning for me."

"Don't mention it. It was quite fun to spend some time with the girls. We have so much done already!"

Tommy is about to reply when a door slams open at the other end of the corridor. "Ah, there you are!" Aliz shouts right on, marching towards the couple. "Evander, Madras agrees with us that we must have diamonds and sapphires as the main focus point..."

"Diamonds and sapphires? Evander!"

It turned out that Tommy had nothing to be afraid off. Although they pestered the living shit out of him in the past five days, together Diane, his mother, Layung, Aliz, and Madras formed the dream team of Nuptial planning and he was very happy with what they came up with.

On the day set for the wedding, the governors of the five territories were there as special guests and the Central Square in front of the Red Castle was decorated with tall red posts linked to one another by golden silk, forming a makeshift ceiling, little firefly-like lamps would illuminate the party after the sunset and a small ornate altar was placed in the center of the square. There were flowers everywhere and between the posts, sapphires and diamonds dangled from golden strings.

"This is spectacular!" Tommy says, looking through the window of his bedroom to the long red and golden carpet linking the two opposite sides of the castle through the Square.

"What did you expect, little bro?" Diane says, smiling so broadly that her eyes disappear in her cheeks. "Now, come here, I must fix your hem!"

Sheepishly, the Golden Prince walks away from the window and back to where his sister was sitting on the floor, her favorite place to sit, with a thread and needle in her hand. "Sorry about that, by the way." He says, handing her the piece of clothing.

Tommy was so nervous and frantic that morning that he had put his ceremonial clothes on just after getting up, so of course, the hem of the shimmery tunic had gotten caught on something and ripped almost entirely.

"That's ok, it happens. Of course, it would be way quicker to fix if you knew that sewing spell..."

"Well, forgive me if my education to rule a country doesn't include learning how to mend clothes!"

Diane laughs and finishes the stitches. "There you go." She gets up and spends a long minute just looking at him while Tommy puts the tunic back on.

"What? Is there something wrong with my face? I have a pimple on my nose or what?"

"No! No, your face is perfect, as always... I was just thinking... It's not every day that your little brother gets married and becomes King, you know."

"I'm not a King yet. It will take a long time still..."

"I know, but..." Diane sighs and sits on the luxurious bed, taping the mattress by her side calling him to sit beside her. "I remember every single detail of the night the Red Queen brought you to us. I remember looking into your eyes that day and I saw stars. You were nothing but a tiny newborn, but I knew you were special, that you would do great things."

"I am who I am today because of you and mom, Diane. It doesn't really matter what I do, you two are the greatest things in my life... And now there's Evander too." He says with a silly smile.

"Yes, now there's Evander. I'm so glad you two found each other! I mean you found each other's souls and that's so rare!"

"The Providence really knows what It is doing, I guess."

At the other side of the Castle, Evander looks through his window to the same view Tommy was admiring mere seconds before. It's been a day since he last saw his Kitten's face and the forced separation is killing him.

"Remind me again why this is necessary?" He asks to no one in particular.

"Tradition, my friend." Bhanks retorts. "Spending some time away from your love is good for you to put your thoughts back on track again. For you both to be sure you want to go through with this."

"But I just spent eight months away from him! Isn't that enough?"

"More than enough!" Kadmus says with a sympathetic smile on his face, handing Evander the ornate belt with his Ordination Sword. The groom's dressed in a black tapestry velvet full-length coat with velvet collar and cuffs, braided trim, and sixteen golden lion buttons.

He fastens the belt around his thin waist and turns around to the big mirror on the wall. His hair is up in the quiff Tommy likes so much and there isn't a single wrinkle in his coat or a speck of dust on his tight trousers, but he still doesn't feel ready.

"I'm missing something..." He says to his own reflection.

"What about a smile?"

Looking to the bedroom door he sees Aliz, astonishingly beautiful in her purple gown, blond hair loose over her shoulders and the green eyes perfectly made up.

"Hello beautiful!" he says, smiling at his best friend.

"Now, that's the Evander I know and love," The Healer steps inside the room, waving at the Mages that are departing to give them some time alone. "What's bothering you, my dear?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest with you."

"If you want to be honest with me, tell me the truth. I know that you know what's bothering you."

Evander closes his eyes and suppresses the need to run his finger through his perfectly styled hair. "I'm just feeling guilty about you and Layung... What happened was so... and now Tommy and I..."

"You can't be serious! Evander, c'mon!" Aliz shouts, half laughing, half serious. "Dearest, what happened with Stephen was his own choice! Am I hurt? Yes, of course, I am, but that doesn't mean that you should feel guilty for pursuing your happiness!"

"I know... But it's bittersweet. I wish you two were as happy as I am."

"Nobody could possibly be as happy as you are today, love, well, except for Tommy."

The Mage finally smiles genuinely, thinking about his future husband. "I guess you're right..."

"And as I'm sure Layung told you, don't worry about us. She has accepted her fate and my heart will heal in due time."

"Yes, she did tell me that the other day."

"Well then, c'mon! Your husband-to-be is waiting for you."

Trumpet music soars in the square covering the shouts from the people settled around it causing the butterflies in both groom's stomachs to loop de loop. It's time. Layung is at her spot at the center of the square, beautiful and radiant in her red ball gown; their friends and Tommy's family are at each of her sides and the people all around.

The doors in front of them open by themselves and they can finally see each other even if from a distance. The music rises in a crescendo compelling them to move.

Eyes locked on each other; they walk to the center of the square under the ovation of their subjects and friends, smiles growing bigger and bigger as they get closer.

At the center, they entwine their fingers and walk together to where the Queen is waiting for them.

"You sure you don't want to back off?" Evander asks, only half joking.

"Nah." Tommy retorts, looking at him sideways "You?"

"No fucking way!" Two more steps and the Mage talks again "You look stunning, by the way."

Tommy looks down at his jacket and smiles. "This was the least fancy one amongst the choices Layung gave me..." The jacket is made of white wool with black fur collar, cuffs and edging and ornate golden cords crossing the chest area.

"It suits you."

"Thanks..."

And suddenly there's no more time to talk because they reach the red marble altar at the feet of the old monolith, where the Red Queen awaits for them.

"Dear friends and subjects, we are gathered here today to celebrate and testify the union of these two souls," she starts "Today it doesn't matter if you are a King or a commoner, a warrior or a singer. The only thing that matters today is the love you feel and the promises you'll make to each other."

At that, Tommy takes both Evander's hands in his and says: "I don't have a heroic life history, I had a pretty simple and good life so far but nothing could possibly have prepared me for this moment. You are the reason I'm alive, it is because of you that I know I can be a good King for my people and I thank the Providence for entwining our lives. From this day on, now and forever, I'll be by your side, Evander, come what may, I'll cherish and protect you for as long as I'm alive."

Evander smiles and kisses Tommy's knuckles before saying his vows too: "I've been through a lot in these five hundred years and there were many moments when all I wanted to do was give up. I've seen things and I've done things that I can't pretend I understand the reasons, but one thing I know: All these things brought me here, to this moment, and I'm grateful to the Providence for making this my destiny. From this day on, now and forever, I'll be by your side, Tommy, come what may, I'll cherish and protect you for as long as I'm alive."

With his peripheral vision, Tommy can see his mom and sister accepting the tissues Kadmus offers and sniffing into them. Aliz and Madras are crying too but what surprises him more is to see Darius fighting the tears. Darcy, with one hand in Newton's and the other around Naria's flower pot, smiles broadly. The future King smiles lightly and turns his attention back to the Queen, who's talking again.

"Rest your foreheads on one another." She commands "From this day on, your souls will be bound to each other, forever."

A choir of "Ohs" and "Ahs" can be heard from the crowd when two bright spheres, one golden, one blue, rise from the groom's heads, floating above them. With one gesture of the Queen's hands, the spheres part in half and one of each half trades sides with the other, merging into the opposite half to form two-colored whole spheres. They float slowly back down and the grooms take a deep breath, smiling at each other.

"I can feel you," Tommy says, placing his hand over his own heart.

"I can feel you too," Evander responds, placing his hand the same way.

Layung then steps out from behind the altar and places her hands on both men shoulders "Beloved people of the Old Capital, dear friends, and esteemed guests: I give you Their Royal Highnesses, The Golden Prince and his Prince Consort! May their lives be full of happiness!"

"Praised be the Royal Couple!" The people shout, applauding and cheering "Praised be the Red Queen!"

That same night, after the feast was over and everybody else was in their beds, Aliz is looking through her bedroom's window to the pale moon against the dark blue sky. Her eyes are unfocused, though, her mind a few years on the future. And what she sees brings a bright smile to her face.

She sees their country whole again, the five territories finally reunited. There is no hunger or misery, people are happy and healthy and the Academies are functioning again. Aliz can see herself in golden and blue robes, walking through the hallways surrounded by children, Magic once again pulsing in the air.

And in the throne room of the Golden Castle, lies the reason for all that.

### ~The End~

# The Tale of the Two Queens

It had begun exactly how every birth of a child with Magic. The parents, a shoemaker and his seamstress wife, didn't have a clue about the faith of their baby, much less that they should've been expecting two, instead of one.

The amniotic sack started to leak steadily at noon and that was how the mother knew her baby was coming, for she was feeling no pain whatsoever. That put the shoemaker on alert too. They should call the Master Mages in the Academy. That was the tradition but... But he didn't want to! He and his wife dreamt about having a child for so long! And now the Mages would take the baby away from them. Sure, they were bound to receive some money and all the praises in the world, but what was all that compared to the love of a child?

So, no. The shoemaker didn't call the Mages and his wife didn't question him. She endured the labor relying only on her husband to help if necessary.

When the baby was ready to come out to the world, the shoemaker was there to catch and rejoice in the fact that he was now the father of a beautiful baby girl with dark skin like her mother and eyes like his. He wrapped her in her tiny blanket and was about to give her to her mom when his wife alerted him that she needed to start pushing again.

Surprised, the shoemaker laid his daughter beside her mother and prepared to catch the second baby. He was very surprised to see that it was another girl, a mirrored image of her older sister, but with light eyes. The new dad smiled so broadly that his cheeks hurt. She was so perfect! They were both perfect, his little girls!

Suddenly, a strong knock shook their door and the new parents knew who were at the other side. The Master Mages.

"We can have at least one of them!" The shoemaker said to his wife in a hushed voice. "There's no way for them to know you gave birth to two babies..."

"But husband... I couldn't possibly choose between them!"

"Neither can I, my love but it is choosing one or losing them both!"

Another loud bang on the door made the younger baby start to cry in her father's arms.

The seamstress had tears in her eyes as she looked from one baby to the other until she finally said: "We'll give them the oldest one. She's probably bound to something great in the future."

The husband nodded then and took a basket from under his workstation, filling it with patches of cloth. He then put his baby girl in the basket and hid it in the only other room of their small house, praying to the Providence that the baby stayed quiet.

Hurriedly, he ran back to the front door and opened it.

"A child was born here tonight." One of the men at the other side said without preambles. "A child blessed with Magic."

"My wife just gave birth to a baby girl." The shoemaker confirmed, stepping aside so the men could walk in his humble house.

"Do you really have to take her away?" The mother said, clutching at her little girl.

"We do," One of them, with soft brown eyes and a gentle smile said, approaching the bed where she still laid. "I am very sorry for this, mistress, but that's the law. Your baby girl can grow up to be the most important person in our kingdom and we must protect her, and you!"

"The sun and both moons rose in the sky for you daughter," The other man said "You should be proud! She's bound to be very powerful."

"What shall become of her?" The father asked.

"We don't know yet," the gentle Mage replied, looking amiably to the sleeping baby in her mother's arms. "I can promise you, mistress, that I'll love and care for your child as she was my own flesh and blood."

"And what do you Mages know about being flesh and blood with anyone?" The shoemaker retorted, angry.

"Sir, please calm down!" The brown eyed Mage replied, "Your anger is totally justified but there's nothing I can do besides promising you that your baby will grow up happy, healthy and loved."

"My dear, please don't make it harder than it already is!" The seamstress said, kissing her baby's forehead before handing her to the Gentle Mage.

"Thank you, mistress!" The Mage took the baby carefully in his arms and nodded to the mother again before stepping closer to the shoemaker, so he could say goodbye to his daughter. "The paymaster will be here at the first lights, tomorrow."

The shoemaker tearfully kissed the small forehead and wished her a happy, fulfilling life and then, just like that, they were gone.

"We need to get out of here," He said as soon as the two Mages disappeared in a cloud of Magic. "We can't stay here or they'll find out about the other baby." He went back to the other room and took his daughter from the basket, kissing her cheeks before giving her to her mother.

"I know. We'll go up north, my mother will help us." The seamstress looked at her baby, mesmerized by her bright, almost unnaturally so, eyes. "You'll be okay my precious little gift! Mom and dad are here for you. My little Matinna."

A year went by. A year when the shoemaker and his seamstress wife were unimaginably happy with their baby girl but frightened of anyone discovering their secret. They became nomads, never staying in the same city for too long.

Matinna grew strong and happy, nourished by her parents love and care, but soon it became clear to them that she had very strong Magic in her. It would rain every time she cried and the sun became brighter and warmer on their skin when she laughed.

"We can't keep her, husband." The seamstress said one night. They were traveling again, to the capital of the kingdom this time. "There's no way to know what will happen if she grows up untrained..."

The shoemaker released a long sigh and looked at his wife. "After all we've been through, we'll end up without her anyway?"

"No. She'll always be in our hearts and we'll be in hers. We ought to rejoice in the fact that we had her to ourselves for a whole year."

"Do you think they will punish us for keeping her?"

"I hope not but if they do, we'll endure it. I don't regret doing it."

The shoemaker kissed his wife on the forehead, letting his rest against hers for a moment. "Me neither! Dear Providence, me neither."

It took them two days to reach the magnificent Capital of their kingdom, where the White King lived. It was a day of celebration in the big town, but the couple didn't find pleasure in the bright colored flags or the smell of good food.

They walked through the crowded streets, hand in hand and mirrored sadness in their eyes, to the Mage Academy behind the White Castle.

After knocking at the huge wooden door, they waited for the Mage in charge.

A beautiful woman with pitch-black hair opened the door saluting them, the white robes she was wearing a blatant statement about her status in the Academy. She was the Head Mage.

"Welcome!" She said, with a sweet smile. "Are you ready to give her up now?"

"You... You knew about our daughter? All this time?" The shoemaker questioned.

"Yes, I did."

"Then... why..." The seamstress digressed.

"Because she needed you. It was part of her destiny to be yours for a year. I'm glad you made the right decision to bring her to us now."

"You'll take good care of her, yeah? She's a very special little girl." The shoemaker said, smiling at his girl.

"Of course! She will be under my tutorage until she's ready for her life and she'll have a wonderful one! Rest assured my dears."

The seamstress then hugged her baby and kissed her face, whispering: "You are loved. Never forget, my dear, that you are so loved! Mom and dad will always love you!"

The Head Mage smiled at the scene, although her eyes were filled with tears. That was one of the reasons why the Mages took the babies to the Academies just after the birth. It's always so sad to separate a family that had already created bonds! And at the same time, it was clear to her that this tradition had to die. It was clear to her and no one else, though.

She could see the baby's soul in this exact moment and it gleamed a bright red with a golden aura around it. That aura was her parent's love for her and that aura made her soul so much stronger and pure! How could they deny that to every Mage born in the kingdom?

A tearful shoemaker kissed his girl one last time before handing her to the Mage. Matinna looked confused from her parents to the woman that now held her, but she didn't cry or made any sound really. She put her little hands on the Mage's face, smiled for a second and then laid her head on the woman's shoulder.

"She will carry you both in her heart forever." The Head Mage said before going back inside and closing the heavy door.

The shoemaker and his seamstress wife ended up settling down in the Capital, always hoping they would get a glimpse of their baby growing up. They had other children, a boy and a girl, and they loved them very much, but Matinna was always in their thoughts.

The little Mage girl, now named Layung, blossomed under the care of the Head Mage and her other professors. She was kind and loving but also headstrong and regal, which surprised her masters; it was like she knew what she was destined for.

With time, her personality grew and developed, as her Magic did but there was something else growing inside of her. An inexplicable sadness that seemed to always surround her soul. She learned how to deal with it, although nobody could provide a good enough explanation why she felt that way all the time.

"You miss your mom and dad." Her tutor said one day.

"No. That's not it," She refuted "I have my parents with me all the time; my soul aches, but it's not because of them... It's like I'm missing something but I don't know what it is."

At the extreme opposite of the land, in another Mage Academy, there was another little girl growing and blossoming under the care of her Master Mages. She also had dark skin and thick lips, glowing eyes and an aching soul. But this girl, named Melynas by her tutor, didn't have her parent's love guarding her soul. She was strong and powerful, like her twin sister, but her soul was vulnerable. And that was why Chaos chose her.

The Chaos was a powerful force trying to have It's way with the land. The Natural enemy of the Providence, Chaos sole purpose was to disrupt the rhythm by which life followed its course. It would seek vulnerable souls and do such damage in their lives that those people would die before fulfilling their destinies so it could feed on their souls.

The Providence knew about Chaos' actions, of course, and It knew that something ought to be done to contain the opposite force's advance but It also knew that the souls bound to do that had not being born yet and wouldn't be for a long time still. So the Providence watched and waited, intervening whenever possible, just to keep balance.

But there were things that not even the Providence could do, things that were already settled by Destiny. It was Melynas fate to be corrupted by Chaos and bring change to the land. Once in a while, a soul would be chosen by the Destiny to change things that needed to change.

It all began the day the young Mage in training found an abandoned room on the very top of one of the South Academy's tallest towers. In there she became acquainted with a mysterious person, well, at least she thought it was a person... All she could see was a long cape with a hood that kept the face hidden, pants, tall boots and gloves covering the hands. If she would dare pick under the hood, she would see only a dark matter spiraling in itself, no eyes, no mouth or nose, just darkness.

"Come closer child," A spectral voice echoed on the walls around Melynas. It wasn't a masculine voice, but it wasn't feminine either, what intrigued the young girl. "I won't do you any harm..."

"Who... Who are you? How did you get up here?"

"You can call me Haphara and it is of no importance how I got here. The important thing is that I'm here to help you."

"Help me? With what?"

"I have all the answers no one wants to give you."

"What do you mean they don't want to tell me?"

"They keep secrets from you, child. Big secrets."

"What... what kind of secrets?" Melynas took one step closer, still reticent.

"About your birth, your parents and why you have this ache in your soul. It's all connected actually."

"You know why my soul aches?" The figure nodded once "Tell me! Please!"

"Your soul is a half of a whole. It aches because it is incomplete."

"Why is it incomplete? Where is the other half?"

"The other half is in your twin sister."

At that Melynas knees failed her and she fell on a dirty ottoman beside her, hands shaking and tears in her eyes. "I have a sister? A... A twin? Where does she live? Why did no one tell me about her? Is it possible that they don't know about her?"

"Of course they know, girl. But they will keep you two apart because she's too important to have to worry about a sister."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the most important person in this land after the White King and his wife."

"She will be Queen!" The hooded figure nodded again. "Why did they separate us? I mean, I know that Mages can't have family bonds, but they must know what that separation would do to both of us..."

"Well, only to you really... You see, your sister lives in another Academy because your parents gave you away and kept her."

"What?"

"You heard me. They kept her for a year, until they noticed she was way too powerful to grow up untrained, only then did they hand her to a Mage Academy. The love they felt for her protects her soul from aching so badly."

"I... They must have a good reason for that... I mean..."

"The reason doesn't matter, child. They gave you away. They could have kept you, the older sister, instead of the other. They should have, actually. Now you're here and she's there, enjoying the privileges of the future Queen and the love of your people."

Melynas started to cry then, heavy heartfelt tears running down her cheeks and the figure smiled under its hood.

"Now, now child. Don't be sad. Sadness won't take you anywhere. Be angry. Anger can get you where you want to be!"

"What can I do?" She said then, wiping away her tears. "It must be my destiny..."

"Let me help you change your destiny then."

Centuries passed, day after day Layung grew up beautiful and witty, loved by her future subjects and the people close to her. The ache in her soul tamed but a constant companion nevertheless.

On the day set for her coronation, she counted 500 summers and felt ready to take the responsibilities she would be entrusted. It was sad to say goodbye to the White King and his Queen, but she knew they were happy to spend the rest of their lives together in one of the Forgotten Castles and that she could always count on them for advice.

She was happy with her faith and the only thing she missed was a connection of souls like the former royal couple had. They were so in tune with each other that sometimes it was hard for her to watch them together.

It all changed the night of her thousandth birthday, though. The night she met the Mage Warrior that was destined to lead her army and protect her.

Layung was excited and restless while waiting for the feast to commence, pacing around her room until the Chancellor knocked on her door.

"The Mage is here, Your Majesty, we can start the festivities." The old man said, bowing to her.

"I want to see him!"

"My Lady, that's totally against the protocol and..."

"Am I or am I not your Queen, Chancellor?" Layung counters with all her regal pose.

"Of course, Your Majesty... I'll send for him."

"No, that will take too long. Take me to him."

The Chancellor was about to retort but the Queen arched one eyebrow quieting him. "This way please."

With a quirky smile, she followed the man through hallways and salons. "Why were you hiding him from me?" She asked, after a long walk.

"Your Majesty! Of course, we were not..." The old man started to stutter then.

"That's enough Lord Chancellor," She stated with a sigh. So many good jokes went to waste because the old man didn't have a sense of humor! "Please come get me when the time comes."

After waiting for the man to disappear around a corner, Layung turned back to the door and knocked.

Instead of the usual 'come in' command, the knob turned slowly and the door opened without a sound. At the other side, a tall, dark-haired man with the most beautiful blue eyes was looking at her in shock.

"Good evening, can I come in?" She said, smiling.

"Dear Providence! Of course!" The man gasped, getting out of the doorway "I'm sorry, Your Majesty!"

"There's no need to be nervous, my dear. I'm a person just like you."

"But you are not! Your Majesty, you are the most important person in our land!" She smiled at that, very moved by the devotion and respect oozing from the blue irises.

"And you will be my personal guard, that makes you the second most important person in our land. I think we are at the same level here."

"Never!"

Layung smiled again, changing tactics "They didn't tell me your name yet."

"Oh! I'm Evander, Your Majesty."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Evander," The Queen then reached forward to close her right hand on the Mage's left shoulder in the traditional gesture "I'm Layung."

Shocked, Evander returned the greeting, unable to say a word. The Red Queen really had just told him her given name?

"Now, let me make something very clear," She started again, sitting on his bed. His BED! "I do not enjoy flattery for the sake of flattery. Nor do I appreciate adulation, so I expect you to be completely honest and open with me, always and I expect you to call me on my mistakes and missteps."

Evander gasped, his mouth hanging open for an unflattering couple of seconds. There she was, the most powerful woman in the land, dressed for a royal ball in a magnificent scarlet gown draped in diamonds and rubies, head adorned by the crown designed just for her, sitting on his bed like it was a throne, looking at him with those mesmerizing bright eyes and telling him he could scold her if she makes a mistake.

"How can I even do that, My Lady?" He finally managed to say "You were educated to rule the kingdom, and I am just a Mage..."

At that, she opened a small smile "The great Providence graced all Its children with common sense and something we like to call a brain, Evander. Use it and I know we'll be fine."

Evander started to laugh then and felt completely relaxed in the presence of the Queen. They talked about their lives and compared memories from their time at the Mage Academy there in the Capital.

At some point, Evander surprised the Queen by kneeling before her and saying "I know I'm supposed to do it in the throne room, before the court but I would like to take my pledge right here, for your ears only, My Lady."

Speechless, Layung looked at the beautiful man at her feet and blinked a few times. "You don't have to do that, Evander... I don't even think this pledge thing is necessary..."

"Indeed it isn't. Your Majesty inspires devotion in your subjects, but I would like to do that regardless. If you'll allow me."

"Go ahead, dear," she said, at last, smiling at him and offering her hand for Evander to hold.

"On this day of celebration, I pledge myself to you, my Queen. From this day forward, my life and body are not my own. I only have my will and my will is and always will be, to protect you from harm as long as I'm alive or as long as you will have me by your side."

And from that day Evander became Layung's shadow. He would keep her company every waking moment and fortunately, they got along really well. He would sing for her and teach her swordplay, away from the eyes of the Queen's Chancellors of course. They took great pleasure in each other's company, so, naturally, it didn't take long for a rumor about their imminent union start to circulate in the court.

A couple years later, four of Evander's best friends from the Academy were admitted into the Red Castle to also serve the Queen and finally, Layung had a family around her again.

While the kingdom flourished under the Red Queen's guidance, Melynas grew angrier and angrier, with the voice of the mysterious Haphara constantly whispering in her ears. She tried to fight it for some time but it was useless, her unprotected soul succumbed to It easily and the last good deed she ever did was to save a pair of twins abandoned in the woods. In them, she saw herself and what could have happened if someone would have cared for her. At this point, she had completely disregarded her years in the Academy and the Gentle Mage who had vowed to her mother to love and take care of her.

She lived alone in the ruins of a big castle in the middle of nowhere until she found the twins. She named them Darius and Sirus, after the two moons that were her constant companions in her sleepless nights and the little boys warmed her heart more and more every day.

Haphara wouldn't have it happening, though. It doubled Its efforts to corrupt her soul to the point of no return and when the boys were about twenty years of age, It convinced her to send them away and erase all their memories of her, breaking her heart once and for all.

After that, Melynas heart became a bubbling cauldron of umbrage and loathing for the ones living a happy life.

When the Last War had begun, the citizens of the capital and the cities around it didn't even have the time to understand what was happening. All they knew was that an army of wood and stone soldiers took their towns by storm leaving only death and destruction behind. Most people died in the first attacks, unprepared and unprotected.

The Red Queen did have an army, but they were living in a peaceful time, so said army wasn't ready to interfere. That would be one of many burdens, the young Mage Warrior named Evander, would carry throughout his long life.

"Layung I will not, under any circumstances, allow you to remain here!" He burst into the Queen's chambers on the day the Red Castle was surrounded by the hostile army.

"Oh, I'm sorry. When did they crown you King?" She retorted, frowning at her Commander in Chief "As far as I know, you refused my proposal. Several times."

"This is not the time to be sarcastic, Layung! Your life is in danger!"

"So are the lives of my people! I. Can't. Run. Away!" She punctuated every word, crossing her arms.

"And what are you intending to do? You have no training in battle whatsoever and..."

"No, but what's the fucking point of being the most powerful sorceress born in the last two thousand years if I can't fight for my people when they need me, damn it!?"

Shocked at hearing the Queen swear for the first time, the Warrior kept silent for a second, until his friend Aliz entered the room.

"Evander, we need you downstairs, they are advancing." And turning to the Queen, the blond woman continued "My Lady, what are you doing here still?"

"She wants to fight!" Evander said exasperatedly.

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Layung?" Aliz shouted "We can't take the risk of losing you! The kingdom will be left on its own until the next sovereign is born and..." The Mage paused, fighting the jade colored tears flooding her eyes. "And we would have to carry on without you. Did you think about that?"

"Aliz, I'm sorry but I must think of my people first! What is best for them!"

"The best for your people is to have you alive and ready to lead them back to peace and prosperity... Layung, please. Let me take you to a safe place... Please!"

The Queen looked in her friend's eyes for a long moment before finally nodding in agreement. Aliz was the only other woman in their little family and their connection was strong, besides, she was a powerful Seer and Layung had to trust her.

Before she could say anything else, though, a window burst next to them and a wooden golem jumped inside the room, spilling huge barbs towards the Queen.

Quick in his reflexes, Evander jumped in front of her, receiving the impact of five splinters in his body. Layung screamed, throwing her arms around her injured friend to support his body while Aliz took care of the creature sending it back through the window in a ball of flames.

"Aliz!" The Queen screamed, kneeling on the floor with Evander, now unconscious, still in her arms "Aliz, do something!

The blood was everywhere, leaving Layung's bright red dress darker and wet.

"We're losing him!" The Mage said and at the exact same moment, two of Evander's soldiers burst into the room, shoved backward by another huge golem.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?" The one with long black hair and arms as thick as logs screamed from over his shoulder. "The castle has been taken!"

"Tell the troops to retreat, then," The Queen stated, still embracing Evander's body. "To Castle Grace. Let's regroup and rest to try again tomorrow."

The two warriors nodded charging against the golem and finally defeating it. Soon after they disappeared down the hallway outside the Queen's chambers while Layung and Aliz transported Evander's unconscious body to the secluded castle.

Immediately the servants surrounded them, supporting the warrior's weight and taking him to a nearby room.

"Your orders, My Lady?" The head of staff exclaimed, twitching his hands.

"Prepare the Castle to receive the troops, Nobles. And leave us alone." The servant bowed and left "We need to take the splinters out!"

"I can't! He will bleed to death!"

The Queen stood by her friend's side, hands clasped over her heart and eyes fixated on Evander's pale face.

"We can bring him back!" She said at last and Aliz looked at her like the Queen was crazy "We can! Give me one of your tears!"

Uncertain, the Mage took the small crystal flask where she stored the jade beads her tears always turned into and gave one of them to Layung.

The Queen cupped the tear with both hands, surrounding it with her red Magic "Now, remove the barbs as quickly as you can."

Aliz complied and igniting her hands, she touched two splinters at a time, burning them on the spot. The big wounds started to bleed profusely. When all of them were gone, Layung engulfed Evander's lifeless body with her Magic, Aliz's tear floating and melting slowly inside of it.

"We are losing him!" The Mage alerted, feeling his pulse slow down.

"Put your hands over his heart! Keep it beating!"

A few tense moments went by when only the Queen's heavy breathing and Aliz's sobs could be heard, until all the red Magic was absorbed by Evander's body and Layung fell to the ground, panting.

"Layung, are you alright?" Aliz motioned to go to the Queen's side but she stopped her.

"No! Stay with him. I'm fine." She shouted, sitting up "Keep his heart beating until it stands on its own."

"But Layung..."

"Damn it Aliz! Why do you have to be so stubborn?!"

"I learned from the best." The blonde Mage retorted with a cheeky smile, the Queen huffed loudly. "At least let me call for Newton, so he can take you to your chambers."

Layung finally nodded and Aliz sent her Magic to search for her friend.

When the Alchemist entered the room a few minutes later both women let out a sigh of pure admiration. Newton was a beautiful man, even more beautiful than Evander, if one were more inclined to the androgynous, fair and delicate look. His impossibly long hair shined like if it was made of gold, even if he kept it braided and wrapped around his neck to keep it out of the way, his lips were full and so well designed one couldn't help but to want to kiss him and his eyes were the color of heavy stormy clouds, deep and mysterious. Newton was tall and strong but not nearly as muscular as the other men in Evander's troop, and that appealed to the ladies as much as his sweet temper and joyful disposition. Fortunately for them, Newton was never one to say no to a nice girl, or boy, for that matter.

"Aliz, you seemed distressed! What happened?"

"Evander was hit by a wooden golem, our stubborn Queen spent all her energy bringing him back and now she won't let me take care of her. Could you please do that for me?"

"Yes, of course!" The Mage kneeled beside the Queen and took her in his arms, only then risking a look at Evander's unconscious body over the table. "Will he be alright?"

"Don't worry. Evander will be as good as new in a few hours," Aliz replied, confident. Newton smiled then and left, with the Queen still in his arms.

"Honestly, New. You don't need to carry me all the way," She stated once they were out of Aliz's reach.

"I know, but when was the last time I had you in my arms like this?" The Alchemist flashed a smile at her and kept walking down the hallway and upstairs. Layung sighed and cuddled against his chest. "How are you feeling?" He asked after finally placing her on her bed.

"Weak and tired, like I could sleep for the rest of my life... But I'll be fine!"

"Here, drink this," The Mage then made a tall chalice made of glass appear between his hands "It's an invigorating elixir I made for Aliz. I think you need it more than she does."

The Queen snarled but took the chalice, taking a small sip. "It tastes like fresh plums!" She exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes. I think it's worth the time to try and make those palatable. I'm glad you liked it." He said, taking the empty chalice back.

A few minutes of silence passed before the Queen finally had the courage to ask: "What happened in the Red Castle?"

Newton sighed and sat in a chair by her side, pinching the bridge of his nose "We were slaughtered. There's no way we could be prepared for that... I... I don't know what to do!"

"But I do!" They both looked at the door to see Evander, completely recovered from his wounds, eyes flashing with determination. He stepped into the room and kneeled before the Queen. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life, Layung! I won't disappoint you again!"

That said, he kissed her hand and stood up. "We need to go take the Red Castle back, Newton are you coming with me?"

"Yes, of course! If you'll excuse us, Layung." The Alchemist replied, bowing to the Queen.

They were gone before she could say anything.

The solution Evander had come up with was rather simple, yet temporary. Their priority was to make sure the people were safe, so he asked his defense specialist to cast a magical barrier around the Fallen Castle, where the usurper had made her settlement, imprisoning her and her goons inside. Meanwhile, the rest of the army would take the people to safety.

"I like this dark haired warrior," Melynas said to herself while observing her sister's army's advances through a vortex of Magic. "He's handsome and so smart! I think I'm going to keep him."

"He's also very loyal to your twin," Haphara told her, appearing by her side.

"That can be changed..."

"You think so, girl?"

"Yes, I do."

Looking at herself in Layung's big mirror, Melynas changed her clothes to a provocative dress embroidered with jewels, concealing her real appearance with a spell.

Evander entered the last home on the outskirts of the town just to make sure it was empty. He looked around the living room and the kitchen and satisfied with what he saw, the Mage Warrior was leaving when he heard a noise coming from the back, probably the bedroom.

He peeked through a crack in the door to see a woman lying down on the bed, long legs of dark skin appearing through the slits of her black skirt. Evander knocked and then opened the door. "Miss, what are you still doing here? The town is being evacuated."

"I know. I was waiting for you, valorous Warrior," She said with a mellifluous voice.

"And what can I do for you, miss..."

"My name is Melynas," Then, the girl kneeled on the bed, reaching a hand for him "Come sit with me. I was waiting for you because I saw everything you're doing for our people and I thought you deserved a reward."

Evander looked from her hand to her covered face, brows frowned and arms crossed. "I'll be rewarded when the usurper is defeated and our Queen is back in her rightful place," He retorted "Now come with me. You must leave town with the others."

"But I don't want to! Let me stay here and alleviate your tensions, brave Warrior!" In a fluid movement, she was over him, arms around his neck and slim body pressed against his "I can take you to the Plains and back!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested, miss," The Mage said, pulling her arms from his neck and taking a step back.

He took a moment to look at her. There was something strange about that girl but he couldn't discern what. She felt familiar, her touch and presence, even her voice sounded like something he had heard before, but at the same time, it was completely foreign. She was like an incomplete déjà vu.

"Oh, c'mon!" She approached him again, brushing her thick lips on his "All this time you've spent working non-stop and surrounded by nothing but sweaty muscled men, made you a cold, frigid man?"

With a wicked smile, he pushed her back again, not so gently this time. "I'm not frigid, miss. I'm not interested in your generous offer because I'm a homophile."

"You are what? What does that mean?"

"It means that to spend my days surrounded by sweaty muscled men is my personal paradise." He answered with a sideways smile.

Astonished, Melynas stared at the Mage's face for a long time, until they heard another voice: "Evander, are you there?"

"Over here, Newton," The Warrior shouted, looking over his shoulder. When he turned back, the girl had vanished.

"What are you doing here? We are waiting for you..." The blond Mage said, entering the room.

"I think our nemesis just tried to seduce me..." Evander replied, humorously.

"Really?" The other nodded "In normal circumstances, I would say poor thing, but today I'll only laugh."

"You can be very mean, you know that?" Evander laughed with him.

"So I was told... C'mon. We need to go." Newton then turned around to leave, but Evander reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder, making the blond Mage turn back to face him.

"What's the rush? Can't we stay here a little longer and enjoy some time alone?" He said, pushing a stray lock of blond hair away from Newton's beautiful face.

In turn, the Alchemist sighed and took a step closer, brushing his lips on Evander's thicker ones. "There's no time for..." Newton trailed off when the other Mage's hand reached his butt, pulling him even closer and against his hard on "Oh dear Providence!"

"Let me put my mouth on you, love..." Evander whispered in his ear, between nibbles and pecks on the creamy skin "I miss you so much!"

"But I'm right here! All the time!"

"Yeah, but not inside me..."

And that was always Newton's breaking point. To know that he was the only one to whom Evander would show his most vulnerable side.

"I want him dead!" Melynas shouted, appearing in her sister's old room amid a cloud of dark Magic. "I want them all dead!"

Haphara just laughed maniacally, the sound somewhat gruesome and unsettling.

"You knew!" She accused. "You knew my efforts would be in vain and still you let me go make a fool of myself!"

The sinister figure stopped laughing then, taking two steps closer to Its disciple. "There are things you must learn for yourself, child. Not to underestimate your enemy is one of them. Not overestimate yourself is another. See? I just killed two Higher Plain birds with one blow."

"I hate you!" She hissed, getting rid of the uncomfortable dress.

"Of course, but I'm the only way for you to get what you want."

"Says who?" Melynas turned back to the hooded figure "I am powerful and I have enough anger in my heart to explode this entire universe!"

"Thanks to me. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can do this without me, Melynas!"

"Oh, sure! Because you're so powerful, right? If that's the case, why do you need me, then?" Haphara stayed quiet behind his shiny mask, so Melynas continued: "Oh... that's right... You do need me, don't you?"

"Don't be so full of yourself, little girl! You would still be crying yourself to sleep every night if it wasn't for me!"

"I still cry myself to sleep every night, old man. Nothing changed, except now I cry from anger and umbrage! And that's all your fault!"

"Are you saying that you would prefer still be in the Academy, fawning over your teachers and serving the people?"

"At least I wouldn't be alone!" She said after a long silence.

"I gave you a choice, Melynas and you chose this."

"You took advantage of my pain! You knew I wasn't going to say no!"

"True, but there's no going back now. I am part of your destiny."

"No!" She retorted suddenly "I changed my fate once, I can do it again!"

"Are you going to give it all up?"

"Give what up? I'm still a nobody and now everyone hates me. The only thing I ever wanted was to not be alone and now, because of you, that's all I'll be."

"You will be powerful, you will be the Queen of this kingdom, feared by everyone!"

"Go away Haphara!"

"Melynas..."

"Go away!" She stormed towards the figure, launching a wave of Magic towards it that swept Haphara through a window.

Breathing heavily, the usurper Queen stared at the broken window for a long moment. She was alone again, more so now than in her young years, but like the sinister apparition had said, there was no going back now. She refused to apologize to her sister and refused to give up to the messed up system they were living in.

Her anger was well fed and purposeful and she was going to fulfill it, come what may.

The next day, when one of her minions came to tell her that the Red Queen's elite troop had invaded the Castle's dungeons to free the Shifter People, she had a plan to get her revenge and placate her anger with the blood of the blue-eyed Mage Warrior.

It took the Red Army two months of campaign to definitely win the war against the usurper. She was strong and powerful, but had no knowledge about warfare, so although it wasn't easy for Evander and his men to defeat her, it wasn't all that hard either.

However, what the Mage saw in the throne room that once belonged to his Queen left him unbalanced and unease, especially when the battle was finally over and he had the usurper's head in his hands.

"We must take it to the Queen..." Someone said, but Evander couldn't precise who.

"I won't take a severed head to my Queen!" He said immediately.

"Evander, we must. Layung has to see this!" Aliz reasoned, to what her commander squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"You're right." He said, raising his eyes to his men "Listen up! This will not be commented upon outside these walls! Whatever this means," Evander signaled to the severed head between them "Is not for the people to know! Am I understood, troop?"

"Aye, Commander!" The six people around him shouted.

"Very well. I believe everyone has something to do elsewhere, so move!"

"Evander..." Aliz approached her commander and friend as the others dispersed. "Are you alright?"

"How can I be alright, Aliz?" The Mage sighed and stuffed the severed head in a burlap sack he conjured, tying a tight knot to keep it closed. "I just cut a head off! And one that looks a lot like our Queen's head! Fucking Depths, why did the Head Mage think I was born to do this?!" Evander sat down on a marble step, staring at his hands still stained with blood. They were shaking.

"They know you're strong enough to do this and compassionate enough to not get used to killing. Those are the best qualities a Mage Warrior could possess."

"I'm not so sure, but I'll have to trust you, My Lady Seer." He replied with a weak smile.

"Well... Apparently, I'm not that powerful, am I?" Aliz took a sideways glance to the sac on the floor beside them.

"You didn't see this?"

She shook her head. "Trust me, I tell you everything I see, but my Vision has been a little inconstant since all of this... It's like..."

"Like something is interfering."

They looked back then, to see their Queen standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of her body and a concerned look on her light eyes.

"Layung, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in Castle Grace!" Evander stood up and rushed to the Queen, to kiss her hands.

"Newton told me what happened. I had to see it for myself."

"Layung..."

"Show me!" The Queen insisted.

With a sigh, Evander took the burlap sack and opened it, revealing its content to the Queen, who gasped and took a step back covering her mouth with her hands.

"Do you know her, Layung?" Aliz asked carefully and the Queen shook her head.

"I... It's like I'm looking at my own face... I don't... I don't understand! And I... My soul... My soul aches twice as bad now." Slowly, hands now clasping the front of her day dress, Layung fell on her knees, copious tears running from her beautiful eyes. Outside, through the broken windows, Aliz saw dark storm clouds forming in the sky and a heavy rain start to fall.

"She was your twin sister, Your Majesty." A dark haired woman sporting the red robes of a Head Mage entered the room, followed by Evander's men.

"Saphyr!" Layung exclaimed, getting up and running to the woman who raised her. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too my girl." The Mage whispered, tightening her grip around Layung's shoulders before taking a step back. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this, my dear, but I couldn't."

"Is it true? She was my sister?" Saphyr nodded once. "I thought the Head Mages had agreed to never separate twins born with Magic again... What happened?"

"A mistake... A mistake that shouldn't have happened... My mistake." With a heavy sigh, the Head Mage of the Central Academy called everyone in the room to gather around her. "Now I have to try and fix this as best as I can... And I apologize to you for what I am about to do..."

A bright explosion of light filled the room then and when it vanished, the Head Mage was alone in the wracked throne room. She sighed again, rubbing her hands on her face. Layung and the others were safe in their chambers, maybe with a slight headache but no memory of how the usurpers face looked or of the fact that she was the Queen's twin sister. "No good would come from them knowing it." She said to the walls around her.

Looking around, Saphyr found Melynas lifeless body and the bag with her head. She took the bag and kneeled beside the body, transporting it with her to a place far away from everything and everyone.

Slowly but surely, life got back to normal in the kingdom. The Red Queen was in her rightful place, the people were back at their houses and lives but something wasn't quite right. There was a feeling of insecurity amongst the people in the Capital and other cities. They feared that something like the Last War could come upon them again. They feared that the Mages would get tired of serving them and make them their slaves.

Where did this fear come from? Haphara. The unwearying Chaos taking the reins of It's plans again. It still needed Melynas to complete It's objective, but after her rebellion, It would have to wait until the exact moment to bring her back.

It was with great satisfaction that Chaos watched the people taking the power from the Mages and the all-powerful Red Queen isolating herself from even her most beloved subjects. Now, all It had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to destroy It's true enemy: The Providence.

A few days before Layung made her final decision to leave the Red Castle, she called for a secret meeting with the Court's Alchemist.

"What can I do for you today, my Queen?" Newton asked, bowing before her. He smiled as brightly as he could in the circumstances they were going through.

"There's no need to call me that anymore, New..."

"You'll always be my Queen, Layung."

"And I'm grateful for that my dear, but what is a Queen without her throne? I'm nothing now but a highly trained Mage... And the people... They don't want me anymore, so I must go. But before I do, I need to know, Newton."

"Know what, My Lady?"

"The future! I need to know what will happen to my people!"

"You want a Clairvoyance elixir?" The Queen nodded once, her expression so sad it made Newton's heart ache. "No. I'm sorry, but I can't do that for you. You're messing with something that is not for your knowledge! There's no way to predict how it will affect the future events."

"I won't interfere! Who am I to do that, anyway?! Please, Newton! I just need to know they will be alright!"

The Alchemist took a long time just looking at his Queen and dearest friend's anguished face. He never knew anyone who loved that kingdom as much as Layung and he couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling at that moment.

"Are you sure you want to know? The chances are that something bad will happen since we won't be here anymore to keep the balance and you won't be able to interfere. You cannot interfere, Layung!"

"I know, I know! I won't, I promise! Please, Newton!"

With a heavy and long sigh, the blond Mage nodded, saying: "Very well. Meet me at my chambers after supper; I'll have it ready."

"Thank you, Newton! Thank you so much!" Layung leaned forward and took the man in her arms.

"I only hope you're still that thankful after you take it..."

"No matter what I see, I would never blame you for it, New."

"Sometimes ignorance is a blessing my friend, but you're choosing to renounce that blessing and I'm the one providing it to you..."

Alone in his laboratory, Newton was watching the elixir Layung had asked him for, boiling and decanting in the chalice. It was a pretty shade of blue that reminded him of Evander's eyes. He smiled and opened the little locket dangling on a chain around his neck to look at the tiny picture inside: Evander's right eye and brow. It was a silly fashion trend in his opinion, but when Evander had given him the locket, Newton teared up jumped and threw his arms around his neck. It was a promise, a vow between the two of them.

The room smelled like the apples and cinnamon he used to better the taste of the elixir by the time it was ready. He filled a small flask with the light blue colored liquid and sealed it with a cork, getting it ready for the Queen. There was a little left in the goblet that didn't fit in the flask and he was left wondering what to do with it.

Newton was an optimistic person by nature, the kind of person that gets annoying sometimes, so happy and bright humored he was and he had no doubt that despite this new reality they were facing, everything would be alright in the end. Alright meaning Layung on the throne with Evander and him, married, by her side.

He had no doubt but he also had just enough of the Clairvoyance elixir to be absolutely sure of it, so, after he handed the Queen her flask, he locked himself in his room, concentrated on his future with Evander and drank the elixir.

To say that drinking the potion was a mistake would be an understatement. And he knew, deep down in his mind that he shouldn't do this. He shouldn't seek to know the things that were not for his knowledge for nothing good could come from it. But he did, in his optimism and self-confidence, he ignored his conscience and now he was heartbroken. He was not the man in Evander's future.

Newton left the Red Castle before the next day saw its dawn, leaving behind only the little locket Evander had given him.

He would be back. Of course he would, he could never part from the only family he ever had permanently, but for now he needed to heal his heart and his soul.

On that same night, Layung made a similar decision. After watching the future of her people unfold before her closed eyes, she knew she could not stay in the Red Castle. She shouldn't. The people would be just fine. Not as good as they were now, under her reign, but fine enough. They didn't want her anymore and they had chosen to take their lives into their own hands, so she would let them.

She retreated to Castle Grace, her favorite amongst the Forgotten Castles, casting a spell that would prevent even her friends to find her.

Years passed, and then decades, then centuries and Layung grew accustomed to never hearing another human being's voice. She wasn't alone in the Castle, for several of the Shifter People had found their way to her but she discovered, with great grief, that she couldn't free them from the curse that had trapped them all in their animal forms.

One day, she was walking in the gardens around the castle when she saw a tall figure standing underneath a pergola full of purple flowers. At first, Layung thought it was a mirror, but then she noted that the figure could not be her reflection, for it was dressed in black instead of red and had long curly black hair, when she kept hers very short and hidden by a turban. She slowly got closer; it was strange to see another person after all these years.

"Hello, sister." The figure said, stepping out of the shadows causing Layung to gasp and take a step back "There's no need to be afraid."

"Who are you? Why do you look so much like me?"

The other woman sighed and took yet another step closer. "She did a fine job taking your memories of me... I am you sister, Layung. Your twin, my name is Melynas."

"That can't be! I... How could I never know that?"

"Because she never told you. And after the Last War, when your soldier killed me, she took me away and wiped your memories of me." Saying that, the woman raised her hand and touched Layung's forehead, the contact bringing back all of the memories the Queen had lost.

"Melynas!" Layung shouted, opening her eyes "Oh dear Providence! You're alive! How that can be possible?"

"Our souls are bounded, sister. I can't die unless you do too. No matter how many times I get killed, if you are alive, I'll come back. And the opposite is true as well."

"I... can't believe it! After all this time, my soul is not aching! I... I feel complete and truly whole now. Can you feel it too?"

Melynas nodded and raised her arms, inviting Layung closer. With tears flooding her eyes and running down her cheeks, the Red Queen fell forward in her sister's arms, her own firmly tied around the other's waist.

"I hated you for so long! I hated our parents and the Mages... I had nothing but hate and anger inside of me." She said against Layung's neck, tears on her face as well. "And I'm sorry. I can't put in words how sorry I am for everything I did, the lives I've taken and for causing you pain!"

"Nothing matters now! It's all in the past. You can be good now and lighten your soul with your future deeds. I'm sure the Providence won't deny you a place in the Higher Planes if you're truly sorry..."

"I couldn't care less about what happens to my soul, sister!" Melynas says, taking a step back to dry her tears. "I just want to make it up to you. Help you get your throne back and your life... And hopefully, you'll have a place for me in it?"

"Of course, you have a place in my life, sister; about my throne, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. The people have decided that they don't want me, so I can't go back unless they call for me again."

"We'll make them change their minds!" Melynas attested strongly as Layung shook her head.

"That's not how it works, dearest, but it's alright. I'm happy here and now I have you."

"This is so not fair!" The other said, pacing in front of Layung.

"You might think so, but everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to."

"How can you be so calm about all of this? After all I've have done to you?"

"Sometimes, the only thing you can do is accept the fact that there's nothing you can do. Besides, what happened is in the past and we can't change that, only our future." Layung smiled and reached forward to take her sister's hand. "Come inside and have tea with me. We have a lot to talk about!"

To Melynas utter surprise, Layung didn't ask her about her previous life, what had led her to do the things she did. The older twin couldn't decide if she was happy or bothered by that. She decided to leave her past behind and to clean her heart, after all those centuries with Saphyr, but part of her wanted to talk about it with her sister, tell her about Haphara and all the harm It had done. She was bothered because she didn't feel ready to talk about it, but if Layung asked, she would have to tell her and things would be easier.

But Layung didn't ask. She just wanted to know where Melynas had been since the Last War was over and what happened for her to have such a big change of heart.

"Saphyr helped me. She told me everything that truly happened, about our parents, about you and our destinies and also I..." Melynas stopped suddenly, her cheeks getting pink and a small giggle escaped her lips "I met someone..."

"You fell in love? Melynas, that's amazing!" Layung celebrated, holding her sister's hands "Tell me everything!"

"Oh my! He's so handsome! And kind and smart... he treats me so well, sister! I want to spend the rest of my life with him!"

Layung smiled brightly, but she felt a sting deep inside her heart. For the first time in decades, she thought about Evander. She knew his love wasn't for her, but she loved him anyway.

"I'm so happy for you, dear! Love really can change lives!"

"You say that, but I feel sadness in your heart, sister..."

"Oh, don't worry! I'm truly happy for you, Melynas... The thing is that I suffer from a case of hopeless love."

"It's the blue-eyed Warrior, isn't it?" Layung nodded "How can he prefer men when he has you longing for him?"

"That's how Nature works, dear. But don't worry about me. I am at peace with my faith and I know my heart is in good hands. Evander would never hurt me."

It was surprising for both sisters how they got along so well and so easily, even if they had never talked before. Melynas even tried to undo the spell imprisoning the Shifters that lived in Castle Grace, but she couldn't. It was Haphara's doing, so only It could lift the spell.

When the night fell and both moons were already high in the sky, Darius big and full and Sirus a distant point in the sky, Melynas announced she had to go, for her love was waiting for her.

Standing in the courtyard of the castle, looking up at the sky dotted with stars, the twins held hands for a long moment.

"Isn't it sad that Sirus is abandoning his brother?" Melynas said in a whisper.

"Yes... I'm sure Darius is going to miss his company and I know Sirus is not doing it for his own will. Like us... I would never wish for what happened with us, sister!"

"I know." Melynas touched Layung's forehead with hers "But we are together now and nothing will change that!"

"Nothing!" Layung confirmed. "I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yes, I'll be back! Goodnight, sister!"

"Goodnight!"

The bond between the sisters grew strong and pure, like it should have been. Melynas came often to Castle Grace to visit Layung and the former Queen even ventured out of her hideout to see the house where Melynas was living with her lover and she was there the day the couple discovered about Melynas pregnancy.

Layung rejoiced with the news, she truly did but at the same time, it became more and more clear to her what she was missing.

Surrounded by her solitude, in her chambers at Castle Grace, she cried for herself for the first time. She had never shed one single tear for her faith, but that night, with the blatant proof of everything she was never going to have, Layung cried herself to sleep.

The bright sun that shone upon the castle the next morning did nothing to placate her sorrow and Layung didn't know what to do for she had never felt like that before.

She fed the Shifters living in the castle and walked around the garden and along the shore. She prayed and she cried some more until she remembered a precious piece of advice an old Master Mage had given her so many centuries ago, when she was nothing more than a girl with an aching soul: "Whenever you feel uneasy or upset, clean your closet. Keep your hands busy so your mind can fly and you'll find your answers." Back then it sounded like a silly thing to do but Layung had proven its efficiency throughout the years, so she headed back to the Castle and to her chambers.

Standing in front of her biggest wardrobe, she took a big breath and opened its doors. There were all sorts of things inside, not only clothes and jewels and she sat on the floor to open the drawers decorated with marquetry.

Item by item, memories came back to her. Good memories and bad. Sad memories and happy ones. Her life had been good, fortunate even. She couldn't say the same about her sister. They were the same age and only now Melynas had found peace and love in her life. Layung soon realized she had no right to question her own fate. She was paying the price for the happy life she lived so far. That was the balance Nature relied on. And now it was Melynas' time to be happy.

Feeling better, she pulled the last little box from the drawer. It was a small engraved chest and its lid was locked.

"Interesting... I don't remember what's inside..." Using her Magic, Layung unlocked the little chest, revealing a small flask half filled with a light blue liquid. She removed the cork and smelled the bottleneck "The Clairvoyance elixir!" Hastily she sealed it again and locked the chest.

One of the things Newton had warned her so many years back was the most dangerous side effect of the elixir: the temptation. Once you experienced the knowledge, you would most certainly come back for more if you had the chance.

Layung didn't remember why she had kept that vial. She had promised Newton she would get rid of it, but somehow, she didn't. Now, she could feel the Elixir's appeal, calling for her just because she knew where it was and because she knew how it felt like to glance upon the future.

"I won't do that again!" She exclaimed, her voice echoing in the walls around her. Clutching the little chest against her body, she ran to the tallest tower in the castle and from there, she threw the potion into the sea. "Never again!"

Months passed while she followed her sister's pregnancy up close, helping Melynas prepare for when the baby arrived. Meanwhile, Melynas' lover grew more and more distant from them, spending most of his time away from home.

"It's just how he is, sister. There's no need to worry about it." The older twin used to say whenever Layung expressed her concern. "He has acted like this since we met, years ago and I don't mind, because he has always come back to me."

Layung accepted the information but it still bothered her for some reason, besides, she could never get over the sensation that she already knew the man called Rasul Almawt and that he wasn't who he made Melynas believe he was. Of course, he was handsome and gentle and treated her sister the best way possible but something was not right about him.

As the birth approached, Layung moved to the house where Melynas and Rasul lived in a small town far away from the country's New Capital.

One night, coming back to her room, Layung saw something in her nightstand that she thought she would never see again. A small flask half filled with blue liquid.

"NO! How is that..." She took several steps back, hitting something solid and warm.

"Layung... I'm sorry but I need you to drink this." Rasul said, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.

"What? Do you know what that is? I can't... I... I've already done it once and I swore I would never do it again! It's too much! I... Why are you asking me to drink it?"

"I know it's too much, but I need you to know. I need you to see! Please! Our world is in danger!"

"Our world? What do you mean? Who... Who are you?"

As that question hovered over them, Rasul took a big intake, letting it all out at once and then a ball of light surrounded him.

When the light faded, Layung saw herself standing before the most magnificent creature she ever saw: muscled body clad in a shiny armor, long blond hair falling around his shoulders and large long wings made of gold.

"You are the Herald of Death!" The former Queen exclaimed, shocked.

"Yes, but I'm also Rasul Almawt, the man who loves your sister."

"I see sadness in your eyes... What is it you need me to know?"

"I can't tell you. You have to see it, Layung. Please! We are running out of time!"

Layung took a long moment to just look at the creature standing before her: the shiny wings and armor, the long fingers of gentle touch and the beautiful but so saddened face.

"Alright. Something tells me I won't like what I'm going to see, but if you are asking me, I'll do it."

Layung then took the vial and drank the Elixir in one swig, falling to her knees the second it reached her stomach.

She saw fear and destruction ruling their precious world. People suffering and dying for no reason and above all that tragedy, sitting on a throne made of human bodies, rivers of blood running from it, she saw a blond man dressed in black and his facial features made Layung cry. He looked exactly like the man standing before her just seconds ago but his eyes were like her sister's.

Rasul kneeled beside Layung's unconscious body, holding her against his chest until she woke up, clear eyes filled with tears and a strangled scream in her throat.

"That can't be! Rasul, please, tell me we can prevent it from happening! Please!" She pleaded, groping at his clothes in despair.

"We can! We can prevent that future from happening, Layung but..."

"But what? What do we have to do?"

"We have to take the baby away. My son can't be raised by Melynas and I. If he does, he'll become the Black King and bring destruction to our land. Forever. There will be no salvation!"

"No! I can't do that! I can't separate my sister from her baby! Rasul, there must be another way!"

"There isn't, Layung. I spent all those months searching for a solution, but I couldn't find any. We must take the baby away!"

"Can't I have him?"

"No. He must have no knowledge of Magic whatsoever; his soul must remain pure until the moment comes when he'll take his rightful place."

"He will be King then?"

"Yes, but the right kind of King. He will be generous and wise and loved by the people."

At that moment, they heard Melynas' call coming from the end of the hall.

"The baby is coming. We have to hurry!"

"She'll hate me again..." Layung said in a whisper, tears running down her face again. Rasul's face became dark and even sadder. "Dear Providence why does it have to be like this?! There will be no happiness for my sister and I?"

"I don't know how to answer that, Layung and I'm sorry!"

It was a difficult labor. Although Melynas didn't feel any pain, the baby was in the wrong position and wouldn't come out easily. When it was finally over, mother unconscious on the bed and the baby barely crying, Rasul wrapped the little boy in a blanket and gave him to Layung.

"He has her eyes..." She said amongst tears "And your nose..."

"Go, Layung. Take him to a family of Humans."

"How will I choose..."

"Let the Providence guide you."

"Won't she find him?"

"I arranged that won't happen. She won't be able to find you either, so don't worry."

"I'm not. I'm just..."

In that moment, Melynas started to give signs of consciousness.

"Go now! For Goodness' sake, go!"

Layung traveled miles and miles in her cloud of Magic, the sleeping baby snuggled against her chest and her sister's face burned forever in her mind.

She ended up in the Old Capital of the kingdom, close enough to her old Castle that she could see its ruins. There was a little house with a red door and a small lamp casting a fading light over a pile of baby clothes and toys.

It was an old tradition of her people that remained through the centuries: When a family lost a baby, they would leave their belongings outside so someone in need could take them.

Materializing on the porch she picked through a window to see a woman and a small girl clutched to each other, crying silently. There was so much love and sadness emanating from that little house that Layung knew in her soul it was the right place for her nephew to grow up.

She knocked and waited, praying for the Providence to take care of the baby.

♡⋆♡

You got to the very end! Thank you so much!

If you enjoyed it, won't you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

Thanks!

S.C. Banhete

# About the Author

I am of the strong belief that love has no gender or orientation and that every single person on this planet should have their rights, to love and live, guaranteed by law and common sense and I chose to fight for this with my writing.

Also, I'm a 30 year old Brazilian who loves to write about true love.

You can learn more about me on my interview at Smashwords

# Other Titles by S.C. Banhete

### Coming soon!

# Talk to me!

Twitter: @SCBanhete

Email:scbanhete@gmail.com

