Ross' recoil was much like my reaction in the moment.

To the people listening in the study, I said, "I wish I'd chosen a different entry from my Verse."

Korac surprised me when he said, "No. This is what the Verses are about."

Tameka took my hand and kissed it. Diverting, she asked, "What was the look on Umbra's face when you first rode Many Feet into the banquet?"

I couldn't help but smile. Even Korac smirked, imagining it.

Umbra was sitting beside my mother at the head table with some dead animal roasted on a platter. When I first bounded onto the floor, father's eyes doubled in size and he shrieked at the glowing beast. Before he could recognize her, Many Feet had blundered through the party to his table and went straight for the roast. By then, Umbra was hiding behind Savis, who stood as still as an ethereal statue. She'd recognized me long before he did. Perhaps that contributed to his anger.

Andrew barked out a laugh, and the room turned to him. He held up his hands. "Sorry for interrupting. I'm just imagining the Mad Max reject hiding behind his infirmed wife."

Ross' smile at the image restored my confidence. I could do this.

"You got this, Superman."

While I waited for Nox and Korac to return, I agonized over telling them. Not telling them. But when Korac glided up the stairs to his room, I glimpsed the grave look of concentration on his face and the unexpected slump to his shoulders. Jaw clenched. Eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.

We know now from Korac's Verse that he'd just discovered Karter and Para had established a society among a colony of slaves, farmed for their nacres to forge Umbra's weapons.

Across the hall from one another, we locked eyes. Each with our own secret we withheld. The first of so many.

I pointed. "Did Nox give you his whip?"

In my study, I said, "Korac, you grinned so openly it took me aback. You said, 'Yes,' with so much reverence. You held it up and asked, 'Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?'"

"Looking at your smile, I thought, yes, I had—"

"Why is Many Feet asleep in my room?"

Korac glanced over my shoulder and I turned to find Nox had returned and stood in his doorway. His eyes landed on me with brotherly knowing. I didn't need to tell Nox I'd gotten into a new level of mischief. The knowledge of it was written all over his face.

But I couldn't rely on my big brother for everything, could I? The deadly look in my mother's eyes and the ice in her voice as she threatened to scar me for life with the murder of my pet...

I stood there in the space between our three rooms, and I cried. Because I couldn't say a word. Because it was all too much. And because the love on their faces, for me and each other, made me want to protect them from the trauma of the night.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

In the study, I fell quiet.

Tameka asked Korac, "What happened next?"

He said, "I didn't know why he broke down, but I knew we'd help him. Nox brought the smaller Prince to his side and steered him toward the oldest brother's bedchamber. There we let Xelan cry into Many Feet's hide, while she slumbered. Whatever had happened had tired him out." He met my eyes and added, "You fell asleep swiftly. Like Echo does after warm milk."

When I woke next, I was in Nox's bed. My brothers had taken Many Feet back to the cave and left me breakfast. When I went looking for them, I found mother's chamber door open. I entered without knocking to apologize for the night before only to find Umbra was there, rummaging through her things.

"Where is it? Where is the cursed thing—"

My bare feet padded on the stone, alerting Umbra to my presence.

Father whirled, but something like relief passed over his face when he realized it was me. He sank down on mother's bed and sighed the relief out. His hands hung between his knees, and his head hung off his shoulders. He looked defeated. Especially as he wiped a hand down his face and stared at mother's bedside table. Idly, Umbra opened the drawer in it, seeking what he seemed sure he wouldn't find. "Damn."

"Father?"

For the first time since I could remember, he signaled for me to come to his side without threat or malice.

Of course, I did. I wanted to know what was in his eyes. The steel in them was tempered.

"Xelan, have you ever seen your mother with an instrument? A needle, perhaps?"

I frowned. "No, Da."

At the familiarity, emotions warred over Umbra's expression. A completely foreign warmth battled against the typical wave of disgust. Both passed in an instant as his eyes took in the room once more. He made to wipe his hand down his face again, but it stopped over his eyes. Then came the most unexpected sound.

Umbra squeezed out a sob.

In a broken voice, he asked, surely not to me but perhaps to Elden, "Why does she hasten to leave me?"

I feared where this would lead. While I'd never seen my father vulnerable and my curiosity burned in me, I dreaded the repercussions of such exposure. Would Umbra kill me for simply witnessing this moment of weakness?

With a swift and wet inhale, Umbra collected himself, choking down the emotion, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He gazed down at me, and I nearly fled, but...

"Son, look after your mother. If you see the instrument, take it from her and report it to me. This is a mission for you. Do you understand?"

I nodded, ready to do or say anything to survive the moment.

But Umbra didn't say another word. Didn't kick or hit me. He simply left me in mother's chambers. Alone.

I never saw a needle and never searched her room. I didn't see a point in it aside from indulging father's paranoia. Even after Savis told me on her deathbed that father had poisoned her and Nox did nothing to stop it—Even then, I still didn't make the connection. Didn't want to believe my mother had hated her existence so much that she'd slowly poison herself to death just to spite Umbra—

"You're getting ahead of yourself."

I suppose I am.

In the study, I'd gone quiet again. Tumu stood from the couch and put his arm on my shoulder. It's strange how familiar and comforting two voids could become after you'd spent a million years staring into them for guidance and friendship.

The Gargantuan Tritan hugged me.

Another warmth enveloped my back, and I could tell by her scent that it was Tameka.

While I soaked in their affection, Tumu sighed, "Ahh... The threesome I always wanted—"

The room burst into laughter.

We broke apart quickly, and Tameka swatted Tumu, who cried, "Ow."

"Wait until you get back to the couch," Lamassau threatened.

Tumu winked at me. "Worth it."

You'd put down your pencil, leaned your elbow on the tabletop, and pressed your chin on your fist, enraptured. No preteen is too cool for my story. Your smile says so. "We're so lucky to have them."

Yes, we are.