“We need your help,” the woman spoke, her voice soft. It held power in it, magic of some sort.
“I don’t think I’ve met you,” Onyx said, looking her and the child over.
“Kiril is my bride. Nial is our son,” Niyx explained as though it was obvious.
“You have a wife and a kid?” Onyx blurted out, shocked. His twin was the vampire king of the undead hordes. How did he have a family? Onyx hadn’t even found someone for that yet. And from what he could tell the child was not only alive but had no magic even though he appeared full-elven. “How?”
“Unimportant. We need a safe place to stay. May we stay here?” Niyx asked, waving a hand to encompass Hrral’tyn manor.
“I have to ask Ruel. It is his manor, not mine. I just live here,” Onyx said with a shrug. “Don’t you own the forest?”
Niyx bristled and the air seemed to get even colder as he narrowed his eyes and bared his fangs just slightly. “The Templars attacked us. They destroyed my village. My people had to scatter. They are using Sandsilver weapons, Onyx. They have broken the treaty.”
“What?” Onyx felt like he’d been punched. That didn’t make any sense. The Templars had kept the treaty with the Night Creatures for hundreds of years. All the Sandsilver weapons had been destroyed as part of that treaty. Or so the stories around Aderaan went. Onyx kept close tabs on the Templars, and the thought that something this important had snuck under his nose bothered him. “They aren’t supposed to have Sandsilver. It’s illegal.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. Weapons that glittered like stars in the sky.” Niyx clenched and unclenched his hand a few times. “They intend to destroy my people.”
Onyx rubbed his temples as he tried to sort this information out. “They want to reclaim the forest. But why?”
“Also unimportant. What is important is finding a safe place for my family and my people to stay away from these crazed zealots,” Niyx hissed. “My wife and child are tired and weary.”
“All right,” Onyx walked to the door. “Stay here. I’ll find Ruel. You can sit down if you want.” He didn’t wait for a response. He activated his blood magic to track Ruel’s location. He broke into a run to the study and used the doorframe to propel himself into the room, so he skidded to a stop in front of the desk.
Ruel’s blue eyes widened and the quill he was writing with flew into the air and scattered ink all across the desk. “What?”
“Were you aware my twin and his family are in the manor?” Onyx asked as he leaned on the desk.
Ruel looked at Onyx as though he had gone completely insane. “What? They can’t be. My magic would tell me if they were!”
“They got in. Somehow. Without you knowing. That’s a problem.” Onyx shook his head. “Not the immediate problem. They want to stay here. The Templars drove them out of the forest with Sandsilver weapons.”
“What?!” Ruel rose to his feet and leaned on the desk closer to Onyx as if that would help him hear more clearly. “The Templars? Why would they do that? And they don’t have Sandsilver weapons anymore!”
“May we stay here, Lord Ruel?” Niyx asked, his cold formal voice catching Ruel and Onyx’s attention as they both whirled to look at him. Niyx bowed slightly in respect to Ruel.
Ruel stared for a moment, then his formal training over the last few years kicked in and he bowed deeply to Niyx. “Lord of the Night, it is an honor to have you in my manor. It is not often a mere Lord can play host to a powerful king. Please feel at ease. You may stay as long as you need to.”
“You have my thanks.” Niyx inclined his head.
Ruel walked to the doorway and squeezed past Niyx. His main butler came down the hall to them at the quickest pace he could manage and still look respectful. “Please show King Niyx and his family to our best chambers available and give them anything they need.”
The butler bowed deeply to Niyx then gestured down the hall. “Please, this way, King Niyx,” the butler directed, in a reverent tone. Niyx nodded again to Onyx and Ruel then followed the butler down the hall.
Ruel fell against the doorframe in shock as he stared at Onyx. “What are we getting into, Onyx?”
“War with the Templars,” Onyx said with certainty as he started back to his room. “You need to figure out how they got in here, Ruel.”
“I will,” Ruel promised, sounding disturbed as he retreated into his study.
CHAPTER THREE
Niyx watched the snow fall onto the darkened city beyond the window with a sense of longing. This warm room in this fancy manor was not his home. His family slept in the soft bed behind him, but he was lost to his thoughts and tracking his scattered people. They cowered in the forest, and some had already fled in the wake of the Templars. None had been lost yet, but it was only a matter of time before some were found by the zealots and destroyed. He had to find somewhere else to take them. But where?
A disgruntled snarl sounded at his ear, as the tiny blue dragon crawled up Niyx’s armor and nuzzled his ear. Niyx reached to pet Ice. Even the dragon had to hide his glory here by changing size to be no larger than a cat, so he could stay at Niyx’s side. They were both meant for better things. They were Night Creatures. They belonged in the night, not hiding here in the world meant for elves.
Niyx belonged to winter. The snow comforted him. Had it been just him, he would have fled into the deepest dregs of the frost-laden trees and howling cold winds. He looked over his shoulder to where Kiril lay curled around Nial. No. That was not his place any longer. His place was at their side, protecting his family. He had not doubted his relationship with Kiril for a moment. They were destined to be together.
Niyx walked over to the bed and gently set Ice down on it. The dragon huffed some smoke, then trotted over to curl up with Nek. The dire wolf puppy slept curled over Nial’s tiny feet. Niyx slowly removed his armor, then laid down next to them. He rested an arm over Nial and Kiril to hold them protectively to his chest.
Niyx knew that his people considered Nial a strange boy. The fact he had even been conceived was a bit of a surprise to most of the Night Creatures. No Night Creature before Niyx had retained the ability to create life through children. Then Nial had been born without magic even though he was more than half elven. As far as they could tell, his son had inherited none of Niyx’s Night Creature magic nor any of Kiril’s seer or ice magic, although Kiril thought maybe it would come when Nial reached manhood.
Niyx smoothed Nial’s downy brown hair with a finger, and looked up enough to see Kiril’s bright green eyes staring at him. He knew she had also been contemplating their situation and he valued her guidance, so he asked, “What will we do, Kiril?”
Kiril cuddled closer to him, hugging Nial to her bosom as the sleeping toddler curled into her. “Ruel and Rebekah are having trouble conceiving a child. They will soon, but Rebekah will be happy to watch Nial for us for a time. He will be safe here.”
Niyx bristled at the thought of leaving his son behind but knew Kiril was right. They couldn’t take a toddler to war against the Templars. Resignedly, he continued, “What else do you see?”
Kiril looked past him to the window, her brilliant eyes growing clouded, as she used the magic of her future-sight. Her voice took on a ghostly quality as she described her vision. “There is a place. We will be safe there. I know you despise indoor places but you will be able to return to the outside whenever you have need to. The Templars won’t follow us there.” She started, and her eyes cleared as they focused back on him. “Your brother knows the place. It is where he grew up. The Den of the Divide.”
Niyx hissed, baring his teeth in displeasure. He knew only a little about the assassins who had raised his twin, but it was enough to make him hate them. Kiril understood and reached over to trail her fingers gently down his cheek. “Rest now, my love. Tomorrow we drive them before us like the rats they are and save our people,” she assured him with a calming tone.
Niyx closed his eyes and held his family close. He didn’t sl
eep like most people. Part of his mind was always awake, always tracking his people. But by the time dusk came around the next day, he felt well rested.
Ruel’s servant brought them food, and Niyx watched Kiril and Nial eat. Elven food disgusted him. He could not fathom how anyone ate it. But his family needed it to sustain them. They didn’t drink blood as he did. He licked his fangs slowly as he rose to put on his armor. He would drink the blood of assassins this day, and he would teach his twin.
When his family was ready, Niyx told the servant to summon Onyx. He crossed his arms as he waited, watching Nial babble in Kiril’s arms. Onyx looked sleepy as he entered the room. “What do you need, Niyx?”
“We are going to claim the new home of the Night Creatures. You are coming with us,” Niyx said directly.
“We?” Onyx looked from Niyx to Kiril. “Shouldn’t she stay here with the baby where it’s safe?”
Niyx raised a brow, but before he could respond, Kiril carefully set Nial down on the floor next to Nek and stood up. She walked over to Onyx and stood right in front of him. Though she was nearly a foot shorter, she looked up at Onyx and poked him in the chest with a long fingernail.
“I am a witch. I possess both the power to see the future and the ability to conjure ice. I can freeze your blood in your veins from across the room, and you will fall to the floor dead with ice protruding from every orifice before you even comprehend that I am there. I do not need to be hidden away from danger. My place is at Niyx’s side in battle. Those who underestimate me die,” Kiril said, her tone an alluring whisper.
Onyx stared at her, horrified, for a few moments before his gaze drifted to Niyx. Onyx cleared his throat and crossed his arms, taking a few steps back from Kiril. “I can see why she’s with you now.”
Niyx smirked at Onyx, proud of his wife. “You really should not concern yourself. Kiril can take care of herself. If she cannot, I will defend her.”
“What will you do with the baby? Or does he have some crazy deadly magic too?” Onyx stepped toward the door, giving the child a wary look.
“Nial has no magic.” Niyx furrowed his brow, then shrugged. “Kiril thought perhaps Rebekah would be willing to watch him for us?”
“Of course I would!” A perky voice piped up from the hallway and Rebekah bounced into the room, eyes bright with excitement. “Hi. I’m Rebekah! You must be Niyx and Kiril. Is that the baby? Nial, is it? Oh look! He has a puppy, too!” She darted past them to sit on the floor in front of the drooling toddler and puppy. After a moment, Nial was babbling nonsense happily at her, and Nek was barking and dancing around them in excitement.
Niyx relaxed at the scene. “See. It will be fine. Come, Onyx. We must go. You will lead us.” Niyx waved his brother out the doorway. “We must strike swiftly.”
“What are you talking about? I can’t see the future like Kiril or read minds, you know!” Onyx huffed in irritation. “Where are we going?”
“It is time to drive the rats out of the Den you grew up in. It will be the new home for the Night Creatures. Kiril has foreseen it.” Niyx beckoned to Ice, and the tiny dragon flew over to perch on his shoulder as Kiril fell into step at her husband’s side.
Onyx stopped in his tracks, a look of shocked horror on his face. “What? You want to kill the Divide and take over their base? Are you mad? No one can kill the Lord of the Divide.”
Niyx paused to look at his twin. “That is not true. The Lord of the Divide is a sorcerer, but he is not a necromancer. He has no power that can contain my magic. I will crush him like the insect he is.”
Onyx balked, his long ears flattening. “Niyx, this isn’t a game you’re playing. The Divide is dangerous.”
“They are dangerous because they have raised you to believe they are more than just the simple mortals they are. Dangerous mortals, yes. But they will not withstand my wrath. If it is too much for you, then show us where the entrance is, and you may return home.” Niyx shrugged as he continued down the hall. “They will pay for all they have done. It is the time for your vengeance, Onyx. Is that not what you have desired all these years?”
Onyx hissed and hurried to catch up to them. “Yes. You really think you can destroy them?”
“I have no doubt,” Niyx agreed with a slight nod. He glanced at Kiril, and she nodded as well. “Show us to them, my brother.”
“Let me tell Ruel,” Onyx muttered and ducked into a nearby room.
Niyx and Kiril paused. Niyx leaned against the wall, his eyes narrowed, as he heard bits of the shocked conversation. “My brother doubts our power.”
Kiril threaded her arm through Niyx’s and leaned against him, her green eyes glowing with magic. “It will be well, my love. He will understand soon. They raised him to be less than he is because they feared him. We will awaken him.”
Niyx smirked again, pleased. Yes. They would awaken his twin. Then together they would hunt the Templar zealots. But first, the Night Creatures had to be saved.
CHAPTER FOUR
The rooftop of Ruel’s manor was flat with a short parapet around the sides so that the Lords could enjoy it as a place to sit and look over the city. But tonight, Onyx led Kiril and Niyx up to the roof, so that Ice could regain his full size and fly them to the Den. The snow drifted lazily through the air and enough littered the ground to leave tracks as they passed through. “How will we get out of Aderaan if the Templars are hunting you?” Onyx asked with a hint of apprehension in his voice.
Niyx closed his eyes and tilted his head into the cold wind briefly before he gently picked the dragon off his shoulder. He set Ice on the ground and waved them back.
Ice’s tiny form shimmered with blue magic. It mimicked the storm with blue snowflake-like bits of magic driven by a magical wind dancing around the dragon. Then slowly his size doubled until he towered over them. Niyx smirked at Onyx and climbed up Ice’s tail to his back to sit behind the dragon’s head. Kiril followed, her steps light and dainty, almost floating up the dragon’s back until she sat behind Niyx.
Onyx hesitated for a moment. He felt a twinge of fear, but he shoved it aside. His twin’s dragon pet had no cause to be displeased with him, and it was clear Niyx had full control over it. He climbed up to sit behind them and said, “We must go past the forests outside of Aderaan. To the East, until we come to a smaller forest grove.”
At his words, Ice rose from the roof and with a whispered magical command from Niyx, the air shimmered around them. They flew over the city, hidden by Niyx’s magic, as Aderaan slept below them. Onyx had rarely seen the city from this far up in the sky and it looked different. Like a bunch of children’s blocks made from precious metals scattered haphazardly around as if thrown in a tantrum.
The longer Ice flew the faster the dragon went until the ground below them whipped by in a blur. The small grove that hid the entrance to the Divide’s Den appeared below them almost before Onyx was ready to see it. “There it is,” Onyx said, pointing to the grove.
Ice slowed to circle the forest a few times before landing just outside. When everyone disembarked, the dragon returned to his tiny form and sat on Niyx’s shoulder once more.
Onyx led them through the quiet forest. His throat clenched and his heart pounded. He hadn’t returned to the Den of the Divide since the Lord had killed him. He reached the stone wall and triggered the switch that made the secret passage creak open to reveal stairs that descended into darkness.
Niyx rested a firm hand on his shoulder, meeting his gaze. “They have no power over you now. Remember.”
Onyx rubbed his wrist absently where the burned out scar was all that remained of the Divide’s magic brand. “The Lord is still dangerous, even if I’m not branded anymore. And this is the Den of the most well-trained assassins in Dakaal.“
“Assassins of mortals. We are not mortal.” Niyx smirked at him, his fangs gleaming in the dim moonlight and his eyes taking on a strange blue glow. “Come, my brother. Today we free you from the chains of your past.” With that, Niyx ducked int
o the passage and took the steps quickly. Kiril darted after him, the air around her chilling with her frost magic. Onyx took a deep breath and followed them. They communicated silently with gestures as they followed the tunnel that led deep underground.
Onyx heard the scrape of a boot on stone behind him just in time to dodge the dagger that sliced the stone just above his shoulder instead of going through his throat. Before he could react, the attacker lay on the floor. What was left of him. The hoarfrost melted the body to bones within seconds, too quickly to even see who it had been. Onyx gave Niyx a shocked look. Niyx hissed and bared his fangs in displeasure as a response, then turned and stalked forward.
Onyx grabbed his twin’s arm to slow Niyx as they came to the large open room. Most of the assassins Onyx had known, and a few new ones, lounged there engaged in various activities. Some played cards or dice games. Others sharpened weapons or practiced their skills on training dummies.
“Onyx!” A familiar female voice exclaimed from the tunnel to the right of them. Onyx whirled to face the woman who had raised him. His pseudo-mother. His previous lover. Jadeia stood there with a look of shock on her face, her weapons lowered in confusion. “I saw you die,” she whispered, her skin paling. Onyx hadn’t seen her in three years, and she had lost weight. She was no longer quite as beautiful as he remembered, much too thin, with sunken cheeks and dark circles beneath her eyes.
A storm of emotions flooded through Onyx, as part of him realized that he had missed her. He took one step toward her, but before he could reach her, she flew hard into the wall. A magical hand made of the same blue-snow magic that Ice had used now held Jadeia against the wall. Niyx stalked toward her, his fangs fully bared and his eyes glowing bright blue with his magic. He leaned in close to her neck then paused and glanced at Onyx.
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