The wind rushed around me and left me weightless, while I sat on the beam, high above the castle gate.

The snow-covered castle settled behind me with the homes laid in bustling splendor before me.

My tongue drank the falling snow with shivering joy.

“Carmine!” Corona’s voice boomed. I looked down and saw her reddened face. Passerbys looked up at me, so some stopped, while others glanced, and went on their way.

I sighed and made my way down by climbing down the rope attached to the tower that was used to carry me up the gate's column.

Corona sent me daggers that exemplified the danger I faced, but I knew better.

Corona snarled. “What were you doing up there?”

“Sitting,” I replied.

“You should stay inside,” she said with a bit of snide.

That bored me to death. Surprisingly, I never ended up dying the exceptional amount of times my life got threatened. It must be the blood of a God, the blood that flowed through me.

“Sorry, I wanted to feel the breeze for a bit.”

Corona scowled, then grinned with a tint of odd mischief riddled on her face. “Walk in front of me to the throne room. Since you walk these halls so much, you should know where it is. Mm?”

“Of course.” I led the way and knew she imagined killing me as she stared at the back of my head. We reached the throne room, and the still quiet calmed my shaky nerves.

It consumed me as we stepped onto the stone stage with columns. They blocked the bright red light burning outside across the open side door that led to a lawn. That lawn opened out to a small enclosed savannah.

Yallin sat on his throne. Excular paced around me, a joyful smile on his face. Corona stood strong and floated her narrowing eyes from Excular to Yallin.

I had to wonder who brought me here and for what purpose?

Yallin said, “Corona, why did it take you so long?”

Corona did not change much in her flat expression. “Carmine was not in her room Brothers.”

Excular glanced at me with a frown then stared back at Corona. Excular’s scorn littered his words. “Carmine is your responsibility. You cannot keep track of one woman? My, I can see why it took you so long to capture her in the first place.” He sighed.

Corona pursed her lips.

Excular glared at her. He scratched his head then said, “No apology for making me and Yallin wait?”

Corona averted her gaze. Her stance shifted, but her lips never moved. Excular moved closer. Corona said, “My apologies Brother, Excular. I just do not think that is my fault whe—”

“I do not want to hear excuses sister Corona. You must know where she is at all times. Is that clear?” Excular asked.

Corona nodded obediently and kept her gaze forward. “Yes, Brother Excular.”

He sighed. “Carmine. You will leave Ulyia tonight.”

That was too quick. Had they found out about Valor and Sandream? They had not given me a plan or an idea of what would happen. I sighed and tried happier thoughts, for I knew in the back of my mind that Sandream and Valor were here somewhere.

I asked, “I thought it would be on the morrow?”

“That will not do. You have to leave tonight. Corona will prepare you to leave soon and take you there herself. We are just waiting for some assurances.”

I turned my head and watched Excular dance around me slowly, and measurably. Even if he had not looked at me directly I felt his eyes digging into me when I least noticed.

Yallin continued, “I wished you would stay longer.”

I asked, “Excular call my Mother.”

Excular stopped and said, “Missing her already?”

“There is something important I have to ask her.”

Excular said, “That is not necessary.”

Yallin replied, “It is important. All—”

“Yallin shut up,” Excular said playfully. I narrowed my eyes, exchanging it between Excular’s relaxed, and Yallin’s shaken faces.

I rocked my head in frustration. “I do not want Corona to go with me. Can I request someone else please, can you honor that request?”

I dared not look at Corona least I died from whatever dangerous glare she sent into the back of my head. Excular glanced at Corona. “My oh my, well, Corona and you are already well acquainted, so it will be good for you.”

“She tried to kill me.”

“That is—not true. Your enemies are not us. You are safe in our arms.”

A feeling nagged me on how that was a lie. “Can you honor that request?”

He frowned. “No, you are excused.”

“Can I ask anyone else?”

Excular glared at me, and I detected that stare oozed dread.

I opened my mouth, but a shuffle of Corona's pattering feet signaled me to shutter my lips, so I did, begrudgingly.

The meeting ended; Corona and I left.

Taken back to my room, Corona opened the door. I stepped in and asked, “I really need to talk to my mother. Is that too much to ask?”

Corona lifted her head at me. “I suppose you are used to getting what you ask for. Fate is crueler than that. You will see her when you are in Elam.”

“Corona—“

“Go to sleep, be ready to leave when I call on you.”

“You don’t like me. I don’t like you. You killed my friend. My presence ruined your life. You can’t go back to Eathen I am sure.”

Corona stared with an unhinged twitch of eyes that swirled from black to deep red.

I hesitated under her blank stare but finally said with a soft rub of my inner lips. “Let’s end this unhealthy union we’ve had. We don’t have to see each other, again.”

Corona turned her head away from me. When it came back to face me, her eyes changed. They almost seemed gentle, a first in the fading memory given to us. “Our union will end when you are dead.”

That hit me with a force I never saw coming. Her eyes shifted downward. She said, “I do not know what Erot sees in a half-blood like you. Pisses me right off really. They may not want to kill you, but you can be sure I want to. A cockroach is what you are.

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“But I won’t. I will follow my orders. I will do my duty and I will carry you there myself because I don’t trust you. You are not one of us. You will make a mistake, I am sure. And trust me when you do, I will be there and you will die.”

She grabbed the door and said, “Goodbye.” The door was shut in my face.

My lips curled in contempt at the harsh words. I decided to allow myself some rest, but my mind balked at sleep.

The bed comforted me, but time blazed my head with a dull raze, chronic to the core.

What was I and who was I? My head throbbed with those questions all day. It was close to night by the time I leaned up from the bed.

Was Valor my friend? Was all of this some elaborate scheme to make me hate my mother? Could I avoid Corona’s ire? I groaned inwardly.

A sound had me turning, and I saw a shadow moving away from behind the curtain of this room. I saw it, a white piece of paper planted on the wall.

Without thinking, I got up and reached for it. I opened it, and it was written in Tiam script. Go to the baths. Wait on us.

The first question, was this from Valor? Maybe, still, boredom set in when nothing else would, not knowledge, not relief from this nightmare.

Best to see what was there for me, though traps were sprung from ignorance more often than not.

I went to the baths thinking to wash off my pain and worry. In a dimly lit place such as this, the fear crept slow and ominous. I wished they had lanterns, not candles.

My eyes took a while to adjust to the light gray porous stone tubs, and the lion head that spewed water through its fangs. Holes in between the borders allowed the water to flow from the main tub to the lower tubs.

An assortment of sweet-smelling fragrance candles glowed and enflamed the darkness. The stone walls had metal bars which held thick linen blankets, for drying the skin.

My feet slowed when I noted somebody.

I saw the face looking up with those piercing eyes. “Corona?”

She replied, “Yes.” Corona glanced away from me.

I almost asked if it was her who sent the message. No, keep your cool, I had to wait right? Maybe they already knew she was here. They still could have forewarned me though.

A strong smell made my skin tingle to its arousal. I took up residence next to her naked body that languished in the bath. The water hugged me, and its once cold chill became nothing more than a subtle touch.

I fought the embrace, yet not my quivering in the swell of the water.

Seconds became minutes, they became longer as we stole glances at each other probably wondering if either was going to strike.

Nothing happened though, and I stayed still trying not to cause ripples. Least I woke the beast next to me, for I swore she slept like a baby.

Those eyes were open though.

I stared up at the roof and saw the part of it over the bath borders was pitch black.

She leaned back on the bath’s edge and stared into nowhere. Time passed by, and I felt the tendency to leave.

I closed my eyes, then sighed. My eyes opened. “Why do you hate me?”

Corona’s face had not changed. “Telling a fool like you will serve no purpose. You know nothing, abomination.”

I knew one thing. They wanted me alive for some grand purpose. Corona had not. Either she believed the fate I was given or she just straight hated me for being a burden on her.

That fate, my mother never believed, and, yet Five was sent by her daughter, my half-sister to kill me regardless. That meant this coven was not unified on how to deal with me.

If this conflict, that fissure was a big one, I had to exploit this. I said, “True, but I still want to be friends if I can.”

Her eyes shifted to the water.

I pressed more. “I never asked, but how many siblings do I have?”

She sighed. “Too many children to list.”

How many men had my mother consummated with? “Well, anyone you are close with other than that one sister?”

“Not particularly. Never met many of them.”

“Oh, that is sad. Hm, well at least you met me.”

Corona looked at me through a side glance. Her drawn frown gave me no brightness in this barely lit room. She cut her eyes away and snorted. “I guess.”

I got to get information and wear her down. “Well, Five mentioned serving Billasoia. That was hi—”

“You believe that un-loyal lump of flesh?”

I watched Corona’s face. It was not as stoic and had softened as her eyes looked away. Liar, Five was a lot of things, but I did not think he had the aptitude to lie. Corona, however, yes, lying was nothing to her.

They hid something from me. The end goal for them I could not be sure of, but it started with getting me into Elam. A place I only heard or read about.

Horrible stories followed that place, and I was going there soon, if I stayed with Corona. I asked, “It’s hard for me to put my trust in you when you treat me like I am common trash.”

Corona groaned and closed her eyes. “You talk too much.” Corona stood up. I scared her off with my questioning it seemed. Corona strode out of the bath, and onto the floor, drips of water in her wake. My eyes diverted from her glorious slim body

She reached and picked up the thick linen off the bar. Her body spun, and her eyes shifted down at me. “If it makes you feel any better. You have power in this world.” I looked up at receipt of her words, and she continued, “The world we created for you, you are a Princess. You lack any quarry with us, but your birth has given you power. You should be glad, but like any greedy child you want more than your station.”

I frowned. “Is that too much to ask for? Hm?”

“It always will be. No one will let you raise, for you to raise is for someone else to fall.”

“Like you?”

Corona snorted. “Yes, and it infuriates me.”

Jealously, such a simple thing.

I lowered myself into the bath as I leaned back. “Well, I will help you out. I won’t be in your way anymore, and we can end this terrible little quarrel between us.”

She glared at me for a long time then she left without a word. The bath fell into silence. I was not sure what to do next. The water whispered to me with occasional ripples.

A sound, my eyes raised. In the darkness over the main tub, Sandream came out crawling on the roof using the knives as anchors. She rolled on her wrist, twisted straight down in a flourish, and dropped into a crouch.

I said, “You took your sweet time.”

She blinked. “You fool, you could have tipped her off.”

I said, “She is too consumed by rage to even heed my words more than the fact that I was talking. She’ll figure out nothing. I-I mostly said that for me.”

Sandream stared right through me and said, “You have stupid thoughts.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Sandream held up her palm. “It is fine. We must leave.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Up there.”

I looked up. “Oh, hell no, I can’t travel up there!”

She shushed me.

I continued in a calmer voice, “How do you fit up there?”

“This is a flexible body. You however are small, it should not be a concern.”

My eyes rolled in thought. “Well considering what he uses it for—”

She glared at me. “Which is?”

“Entertaining men.”

She shuddered and groaned. “I need to get back my body, disgusting.”

Sandream jumped up and climbed her way up the stone breakfront on the wall and slithered her way above me.

I saw only her figure in the darkness. Her hand came down and I took it. I got lifted and swept up into the night.

We made our way through the narrow channels that layered over the rooms below us.

My body once clean became caked in sticky material I had no idea of without my sight. I pretended ignorance of this for the sake of my sanity. The heat prickled my body worse than that. The smell musty as it spread, had a gentle forest-like aroma.

We continued, and I was sure an alarm had already been raised. It felt like forever then we stopped. My head slammed into the bottom of her feet.

I waited, nothing, I asked in impatience. “Whe—”

She shushed me.

I rolled my eyes. A low clanking echoed. Creaks emanated, but they got louder as seconds passed. A snap preceded us crashing into a derelict room. I blenched over from the pain of dropping from over six feet into the floor.

Sandream already stood up, while I flinched in pain. Where was this? The torches burned in distant reaches.

The floor and wall were caked in webs and dust. A musty smell had me almost sniffling, but I restricted the urge for the sake of stealth. Flexing my contused wrist created a creak that echoed in that desolate room like a shield dropped.

This part of the castle had irregular use. Sandream took me up. I said strongly. “You could have warned me.”

Sandream stared flatly and replied, “Frail wood. I misread the strength. Here.” In a corner of the decrepit place laid clothes, my shield, sector bloom, and my gun.

I took them and dressed with haste. Time never befriended people like me I realized. Warmth filled me with new life. Never thought I would miss a weapon. After dropping my sector bloom around my neck, I asked, “Are we?”

Sandream shook her head and looked down towards a stairway. “No, almost there.”

We reached into a tall corridor, arches intermittently breaking into side rooms, drenched in dim light.

“A person is scared when they are doing something they do not want to do, resistant, you were always calm, made me wonder.” Corona’s voice carried effortlessly. We could not see her though. Sandream froze, looked around, and her face hardened. My head turned, and saw a figure approaching. I nudged Sandream in the back, she flipped around as we bent our knees at a ready for a fight.

Corona stepped out of the shadows in a multi-color patched dress, her golden hair twisted in a wrapped bun, and a nasty glare aimed at us.