by Isu Yin
“That’s creepy,” Fate said. “They have a phrase for this: playing with fire.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
She realized he was referring to Firmus and rolled her eyes. “Books don’t just appear out of thin air. This isn’t magic. Someone left that book for you—someone who knows you.”
“I know that, but if they wanted to hurt me, they would’ve done so already. They wouldn’t have given me a book.”
That’s true. Who would give him a book like this, and why?
She took the blue hardcover book and skimmed the pages. The events certainly lined up the siblings’ appearance in Nex. The book stated that the ceremony was held two turns prior. It also told about the Prince of the Capital. According to the text, he didn’t have a mate and spent most of his time trifling with strangers.
She curled a lip at the context and the words chosen to write it. “Who in the world wrote this book?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t say.”
“This is too weird. How can you believe everything it says?”
“Don’t you think I investigated? Firmus helped me a lot.”
She lowered the book to listen. “Firmus confirmed it?”
“Yeah, he did, so believe it.”
“But if this is true then we’re Children of Grim,” she said, reading the title to herself again.
A smile stretched across Abyssus’ face. “I know!”
“If that’s true, then why haven’t they retrieved us?”
Do we even want them to?
“I don’t know, but I want to find out. I’ll keep researching so I can tell you everything I know when we meet again.”
“Abyssus, we don’t belong here. This is all wrong. Something is very wrong.” She had come to fear many things since she moved to the brothel. She feared Mortis, and her future, but now she also feared her brother’s hunger for the truth.
If he continues like this, he’s going to be killed. How can I stop this?
She cared little about King Neco or his plans. One way or another, she intended to put an end to him and his tyrannical rule. Maybe she didn’t know how, but that was never a problem, because he was only a Rahma.
On the other hand, Mortis was an Ancient, a powerful Ancient. His blood-lust oozed from his pores like an infected wound.
Fate couldn’t stop thinking about him or about her brother’s decision to search for answers. She looked through the hedge at Nitor Palace.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
It couldn’t be true, because if it were then the Prince of Nitor wouldn’t have been dangling his foot over the balcony railing.
The Prince? Why was he behaving that way? Unless... his father is like ours.
“Abyssus, if Hero is the Prince of Nitor, his father is Cruentus Niteo, right?”
“Of course. What are you saying?”
“But if that’s true, then isn’t he a Half-Breed?”
He thought deeply for a moment. “That should be obvious, right?”
“If we were taken, what makes you think that Hero is Niteo’s son?”
His mouth hung open. “Do you think... could he be a Doll too?”
Not this again.
Fate pressed against her temples, envisioning the scene at Nitor Palace and the people involved: the armor-clad woman, the Prince of Nitor, and Fortis pulling him from the balcony.
She gasped. “The Rebellion!”
“What rebellion?”
“I think I’m starting to understand.”
Abyssus grasped her arm. “What? Understand what?”
“My sisters said that Madam is leading some kind of rebellion. I don’t fully understand it yet, but I could tell that Firmus and Madam were hiding something before.”
“Before?”
“On the day I was sold to the brothel.”
He wrote messily in his journal. “Tell me what you’re thinking and I’ll do some research.”
“What if all three of the triplets are part of the same rebellion against the High King and the Council? If so, then they’re watching over us for a reason, and that would also mean that Hero might be involved.” She bit down on her thumbnail. “Could Mortis somehow be from the Capital? Do you think the High King sent him? We have to find a way to talk to Hero.”
“I’ll ask Firmus about it. Maybe he can help me get into Nitor. If not, I’ll sneak in.”
“Abyssus, be careful. This is dangerous. We don’t know anything. If you get caught....”
Abyssus gazed at her softly. His gaze alone held all the answers she needed, that he had faith in her, and he couldn’t leave her in the brothel, not without trying to make a difference.
Fate embraced him tightly. “You mean the world to me. I’m scared, but I’ll help you. So let’s work together to find answers. Even if we’re apart, we can do this. The darkness will always guide us.”
“I promise, no matter what it takes, I will free you from that place.”
Time is very telling. The promises I made to my brother remained hanging in the balance, but he found a way to meet with Hero. Abyssus told me that the opportunity presented itself before he was prepared, and that it would take time to befriend Hero if we wanted to request his assistance.
Some pieces of information were almost impossible to uncover. For example, tales of the Grim were too obscure and confidential, never released to the public. Whenever we struggled with something, a book would mysteriously appear to answer our questions. As an example, when we asked the purpose behind the founding of the Council, the answer appeared in a book about the balance of the Empire. The group we knew as the Elders, who were some of the oldest living Ancients, founded the Royal Council to maintain the balance that had been disrupted by the plague and the Tainted.
Rumors abounded that the Council worked like a sieve between a higher power and those living in Mu. The leaders of this Council stayed far off in a land called Thule, where Ancients still thrived. Over many turns, the once harmonic lifestyle of the Ancients had been tarnished by the plague, and the Rahma population grew. These events triggered the decline of the Age of the Ancients.
The beings known as Dolls surfaced to maintain the disrupted balance. Even the case of the Lost Heiress seemed to have been the Council’s attempt to save the Age of the Ancients.
When I learned of this, I wanted to help restore all that had been lost, but Abyssus and I were too young to make the changes we sought in the kingdom. Most of the time, I felt powerless to alter anyone’s fate.
I spent six turns in the brothel before anything remarkable occurred. When I became old enough to serve, the truth surfaced about the clients at the brothel. I became aware of the suffering my older sisters endured, and faced the same cruel reality of our livelihood to protect those younger than me.
Myrna left the brothel shortly after I turned thirteen. On the day of her departure, she wore a lovely smile and disappeared from our lives.
I was relieved to know that Nigel played a part in her freedom, but feared for the future ahead. All I knew was that, just like Myrna, I needed to wear my smile like a mask.
Fate sat in her room reflecting on the days she spent with her sisters. She missed their late night discussions about the people in Nitor. Sometimes they imagined what life would be like if they lived like the prosperous women walking down the street.
Fortuna poked her head through the doorway. “Fate, you have a package. Come to the door.”
Fate hurried down the long hallway to the entrance where Fortis waited.
He radiated his usual euphoric air. “Good day! I come bearing gifts.”
She opened the door wider to invite him in. “Gifts? From whom?”
The Ignis siblings easily picked up illnesses in the cold. When it came to elementals clashing, there was nothing quite like the fatal battle between the fire and ice elementals. The storms raging in Nex threatened the triplets day by day.
Fortis hid this weakness beh
ind a melodic response and a wave of the silver-wrapped package. “Hero.”
Fate exchanged a skeptical glance with Fortuna.
The Madam crossed her arms. “Is it explosive?”
“What?” Fortis laughed heartily. “It’s not. At least, I hope it isn’t.”
“Thanks anyway,” Fate said, taking the package with two fingers. She held it up by the corner for inspection. “I’m usually not high on his list of priorities.”
Fortis scratched his head. “I don’t blame you for feeling suspicious, but he thought hard about this. He even asked the Lady Heqet for help.”
Fortuna raised both of her hands and batted the air in excitement. “The High Queen! Is it expensive?”
“Why does it matter? This could be the start of young love!”
Fate muttered, “I seriously doubt that.”
Fortis always sought love in every encounter, whether it be his own, or two strangers on the street. One could say that every person in Mu knew of his transgressions and philandering, yet no one complained. On the contrary, men and women alike stirred with exhilaration wherever he went.
Fate escaped while the siblings continued arguing about Hero and the High Queen. She tore open the paper on her way down the hallway, avoiding the gazes of her sisters, and sat in her room by the window.
The first thing she noticed was a small envelope with her name—her full name—which no one except Abyssus knew:
Cruentus Stella Atra Fate
Hero’s practiced penmanship lined up so perfectly she thought the letters might’ve fit stencils, but the subtle incongruity suggested otherwise.
If penmanship reflects our state of mind, then what does this mean about his personality?
She opened the letter without further thought, and read silently to herself.
Lady Fate,
I’m sorry that I’m unable to give you this note directly. I received notice that your birthday passed recently.
To be blunt, this has nothing to do with your brother. He told me that you’re studying away from home to become an entertainer, which I find highly improbable.
Since I don’t know the truth, I can only speculate that these matters are beyond my understanding. I’ve never been very sympathetic. I believe that the others would prefer for me to remain an outsider.
Truthfully, I’m uncertain of how I should introduce myself. I rarely have the opportunity to meet with others outside of my father’s work.
When I asked Lady Heqet what I should buy you, she told me to send something I like. The bookmark is separate. I saw it while I was in the Capital and thought you might like it.
Happy belated birthday,
Hero
Fate debated with herself, not sure whether to laugh or frown at the opportunity within her grasp. For the first time, she thought she could see the wheel of fortune spinning. She wanted to tell Abyssus, but it wasn’t time, so she read her new book, Sands of Time, and escaped into the story.
The god Solaris loved chaos above all else. He could manipulate time and space, so he never aged. All his life he sat in the Halls of Time, duty-bound to the hourglasses that measured life.
He found his only true joy in the Goddess of Destruction, Ulnaire, the most beautiful in all existence, but her job clashed with that of Solaris’s.
They relied on each other to maintain balance, yet the very presence of Ulnaire disrupted Solaris’s work, his duty to watch over the Halls of Time and ensure that the Reapers could accurately make their rounds.
Whenever Ulnaire sang, chaos struck and the Halls of Time shook, causing the hourglasses to fall and shatter.
If Solaris could not complete his task, life could not begin anew.
The Reapers warned him that if he did not focus on this task, he would be replaced by a new god, so he worked hard to prove worthy of his position. He ignored the beauty and chaos of his companion while nurturing the Halls of Time.
When he finally returned to watch Ulnaire, he found her collapsed in her chambers.
She caressed his face and, in her final moments, muttered, “Blessed are ye, Solaris. I’m afraid my time has come.”
Her song symbolized her love for him. The pure strength of her love had given her the power to create chaos and, in turn, assist Solaris in creating new life. Without this balance, the two could not exist. Without Ulnaire, Solaris could not live.
Stricken with grief, he held the dying Ulnaire in his arms and used his remaining time to give her a new life, a life in which he hoped to live once more beside her.
Fate pressed a hand over her mouth as she thought about the plot of the story. It appeared to be about Bound and the bonds that lasted an eternity. Without their mate, a Bound Ancient would die just as Solaris had. They could only hope to find their mate quickly, because even if they died moments after their mate, it could mean spending eons apart searching for their lost half. For this reason, Bound were born together, as twins.
Stories like Sands of Time often appeared in old literature, reminding the Ancients of this union of spirit and soul. Those who were Bound were rumored to experience echoes of each other’s pain. Every tale about them depicted the pain and infinite devotion they shared.
Fate hadn’t read many, but Abyssus spoke highly of them.
She liked heart-wrenching tales because they made her contemplate life. In this case, her thoughts traced back to Hero, and she lay back on her pillow, thinking of what to write to Abyssus.
Before she could relax her mind, Tori cracked the lattice door, stuck her head into the room, and whispered, “Fate, that looker is here to see you again.”
“Good grief, call the man by his name.”
Firmus leaned in, brushing against Tori as he moved. “Is this a bad time?”
Tori shrieked, flapped her hand, and ran away from him in a fluster.
He glanced back at her. “Did I do something?”
Fate sighed heavily. “That’s just Tori. Don’t mind her. How may I help you?”
“Oh.” He held out a letter. “Abyssus sent me.”
“I feel loved today.”
“Did something happen?” He sat down at her table and crossed his ankles.
“My brother’s beloved Prince Hero sent me a letter.”
He rubbed his nose. “Beloved, huh? He does stick to Hero like paste. He says they’re like brothers, though I hardly see the resemblance.”
“I think he meant brothers in spirit. Perhaps this union is based on their interests.”
“That’s what I mean. They’re like fire and ice.”
“That’s rather ironic, coming from you. Now, what did the fool write this time?”
Firmus was the only person she’d ever met who, through his mere presence, could make her darkness retreat.
She only saw him when he delivered letters, which was difficult with Mortis lurking around every corner.
Loveliest sister,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. I’ve found it difficult to meet with Firmus when Mortis is watching. It’s infuriating, really. How can we maintain a relationship with that man waiting around every bend? You’d think he was fond of me by how closely he watches, but alas, I shan’t prattle a moment longer.
I’ve got some news for you. Hero will be participating in the Astor Tournament at the turn of the season. He’ll be competing against the other princes of Mu to be successor of the High King, but not me, of course. I’ve got no interest in ruling. Wild, isn’t it? If not for his father, he wouldn’t mind a bit about it.
Speaking of bits, I’ve discovered that the Lady Heqet is involved with the Rebellion. That’s right. The High Queen herself is turning against her spouse. And that’s not all.... You’ll never guess who I met—Hero’s aunt, Caeles Chi. She serves directly under the High Queen as the Head of the Elite Guard, though I suppose I should call it the Queen’s Guard, knowing how close they are.
I say we watch and see how the Astor Tournament goes before making our next move.
&nb
sp; I wish you the best,
Abyssus
“Sorry,” Fate said. “I didn’t mean to pause for so long. I was just taken aback.”
“He said you would be.”
It was normal for silence to pass through the room when someone was alone with Firmus. He seemed not to take any offense, content to wait until a conversation was over.
Even she found his presence comforting, though she didn’t understand why. She had learned to accept him as someone worthy of her brother’s love. “You’re so good to Abyssus.”
He noted her words without comment.
“I need your help. I’m really worried about him. He acts like he’s free to do whatever he pleases.” She bowed. “Please go to my brother’s side and stop his meddling.”
Firmus patted her shoulder and, as she sat up, he said, “Thank you for entrusting me with him.”
“You are patient, perhaps too patient. Even I know how much you restrain yourself for him.”
His eyes glowed like embers. Something about him was a little different than his siblings. Sometimes his eyes reflected flames, even when there was nothing to cause it. This usually occurred when he thought of Abyssus.
Fate tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and sat at her desk to write a reply. “I’ll admit that I’ve always envied your bond with Abyssus. Obviously, our love for him is different, but it made me wish to be more like you. I’m not going to make the same mistake with Hero.”
Firmus beamed. “You have a wonderful heart.”
“Flatter me anymore and I’ll turn into Fortis.”
He chuckled and waited for her to finish the letter.
When she had signed her name, she slipped it into an envelope and handed it to him. “Here you are. I suppose I should write to Hero as well.”
“Would you like me to deliver it?”
“Would you be so kind?” She pulled another paper from a box on her dresser, and eventually, the words came to her.
Dear Hero,