* * *
In the morning, Cole and Leo disappeared on a hunt for breakfast while Cailean picked fruit and berries. Nikolaos watered and fed the horses, Brian rekindled the fire that extinguished during the night and Lysandros sat next to him, sharpening his sword and daggers.
Startled by a nightmare, Bre bolted up with sweat dripping down her face. She dreamt of her mother’s murder again, panic and fear tightening her chest. Unable to control her breathing, a knot tugged in her stomach as an overwhelming feeling of loss consumed her. Different than a grieving loss, it felt like the loss of something personal. Her hand flung to her neck, searching for her father's pendant. When her fingers were satisfied running over the cool metal, she ran out of her tent and immediately searched for Eoghan. Bre went to his tent, but he was not sleeping. She checked by the trees, because she knew Eoghan always loved climbing trees, but he was not there either. She climbed a walnut tree to see if she could spot him from above, but still there was no sign of Eoghan.
“Bre, get down from there and come eat,” Cailean called to her while dividing the fruit for breakfast.
Bre jumped down, still nervous that she could not find Eoghan, and jogged back to the group. She had to slow her breathing to at least appear calm for Cailean.
“If no one else in the group is worrying, then why should I, right?” Bre said to herself, accidently aloud.
“What was that?” Cailean asked
“Nothing,” Bre said quickly, hiding her face and stuffing berries in her mouth.
He is fine, Bre. I’m sure he will turn up any second now, Cole mentally tried to comfort Bre.
“Ha! She doesn’t know if she’s thinking or speaking anymore,” Leo jested as he returned with rabbits for breakfast.
Bre shot him a nasty look.
“That’s not nice. Take it back!” Leo looked genuinely hurt by Bre’s psychic insult.
Bre pouted her lip sarcastically and then stuck out her tongue. Leo snorted and returned to skinning the rabbits.
Bre sat down next to Cailean, who threw a raspberry in the air and caught in his mouth. He nudged her in the ribs and said while chewing, “Bet you can’t do that.”
“Oh yeah? Watch this.” Bre grabbed two berries out of his hand, and threw them in the air. One fell down into her mouth, but the other was caught in the mouth of a man standing over her.
Eoghan smiled down at Bre as he chewed the raspberry.
Bre sensed Cole’s ‘I told you so’.
“Good morning, Princess,” Eoghan said, playfully falling into Bre as he sat down with a handful of berries.
“Where were you this morning?” Bre asked with a hint of annoyance.
“Can’t tell you. It’s a secret,” Eoghan threw another berry in his mouth then tried to feed one to Bre.
“Friends don’t keep secrets.” Bre grabbed an apple out of the pile Cailean had created and turned it over in her hands.
“Friends, huh?” Eoghan looked down then tilted his head towards Bre to catch her eye. Bre refused to look away from her apple. Eoghan nodded, disappointed. “Friends it is.”
“Hey, Eoghan, up for a spar?” Brian called out waving his sword around his arm.
“You got it, Chief!” Eoghan jumped up and grabbed his sword from his tent. Without looking back at Bre, he disappeared down the hill with Brian, and moments later, the clanging of swords and the laughter of two comrades filled the valley.
Cailean nudged Bre in the ribs again. “Come on, Doll. Let’s go watch and see if we can liven them up a bit with a couple of tricks I know.” Sparks flew out of his palm and he smirked at Bre with a crazy, playful look that always meant he was up to no good.
Bre laughed and agreed, then took a bite out of her apple. They headed over to watch Brian and Eoghan, leaving the three brothers and Lysandros at the fire. The four men sat and ate their breakfasts in silence, until Leo choked on a rabbit bone. Nikolaos slapped his back as Cole laughed hysterically. Lysandros barely acknowledged Leo’s distress and continued playing with his breakfast.
Lysandros huffed and tossed his plate aside, food barely touched. “What do you think about what Alina told us last night?” Lysandros asked the brothers.
“I guess it means Bre has some important issues to deal with,” Leo said, his voice scratchy from choking.
“It means we all have important issues to deal with. You heard mother, we can’t leave her or we all fail,” Cole added.
“We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. Let’s just figure out the next step first,” Nikolaos replied.
“I say we find the monsters that killed Alina,” Lysandros said, glaring at the flames.
“That sounds like a great plan, Lys! That is exactly what we should do. Let us lead Breanna to the people who want to kill her so they can take her powers. Which will then make them the most powerful beings in the world! What a mastermind we have here, gentlemen. Why don’t you leave strategizing to the blood of War,” Leo answered with his usual sarcasm.
Don’t speak to him like that, Leo, Bre telepathically scolded her brother.
“Get out of my head woman!” Leo shouted down the hill at Bre.
Bre materialized right next to Leo, making him jump and spill his food. “Good Zeus! Where did you come from?”
“Ah, she discovered she can materialize. Nice power, isn’t it? We haven’t had to use ours in a while,” Cole smiled proudly at Bre.
“I think we should all brush up on the powers we haven’t used in a while,” Brian called out as he, Cailean, and Eoghan walked up the hill.
Brian and Eoghan were sweaty and out of breath. Brian’s hair stood on end as he approached the group, causing Cole and Leo to spit their food out from laughing. Cailean had shocked Brian while he sparred with Eoghan.
“I agree with Lysandros,” Bre added, tearing her eyes away from Eoghan, who smirked because he caught Bre admiring his sweaty, muscular physique as he reached for a canteen of water. She cleared her throat and turned back to her brothers. “I can take them.”
“What is it that you agree with?” Brian asked cautiously after a few large gulps of water.
“They want to hunt down Eversor and Elpis in revenge,” Nik answered.
“Easy, Herakles. It will take all of our efforts to defeat Eversor and his evil bride,” Cole said, rubbing his hand on top of Bre’s head to mess up her hair.
“What do we do until then?” Eoghan asked as he washed up with a wet rag.
“We practice, until we have a clue where to go or what to do. We can set up protective charms that will hide us from Eversor and Elpis, who are undoubtedly searching for us. We need to learn to fight as a group. We each have excellent fighting skills in single-hand combat, but you heard Alina: we need to stay together.” Brian explained his plans for practicing and set up a schedule of when they would work with magic and when they would practice sword fighting.
“I am wondering if the gods will help us or stand idly by as we fight their battles,” Lysandros added bitterly.
Brian placed a hand on Lysandros’ shoulder to comfort his friend and whispered something in his ear. When Brian finished, Lysandros stood up and walked down the hill, out of sight. Cailean and Brian then took Bre to show her how to set up protective charms. They cast protection spells in the North, South, East, and West corners of the camp.
“These charms should shield us for a week or two,” Brian said, pleased with Bre’s use of magic.
After securing the safety of the camp, the group began their practicing. Eoghan fought with Bre and her animals. When Eoghan rolled right, Aurora rolled with him while Clover jumped over him to protect his left. Leora stood in the background controlling Eoghan’s emotions, clearing his head of thoughts that did not pertain to the fight. Lupa instructed the animals how to better control their movements, and where they should make their stand against Elpis.
It took all of Lysandros’ self-control, and some convincing from Bri
an, to stop himself from chasing down Elpis and Eversor. He forced his mind to remember Alina’s warning that Bre’s protection must be above all else.
He could protect her body, but her mind was at the will of the gods.
The Phoinix: Age of Demigods Page 60