Tag: Tani

Cale left the Arturo Vineyard and went straight to the towering Palladium Gates hidden in the vast sandy dunes of the oldest desert in the world, The Namib. The Sentinel who lived at the gates guarding the gates appeared at Cale’s approach.

Sahdrina, daughter of The Namib, guardian of lost souls who wandered to the Palladium Gates. Sahdrina was as old as Cale, as secretive, if not more. She governed the border into the Ekho with an iron fist.

Cale frowned because Sahdrina often opened the gates for him without showing herself to him. When she did, especially in the form of a woman holding a long walking stick, he knew she had words for him.

Shining flecks of the same silver-white found on the palladium gates dusted her light-brown skin. Her paler white hair was in thick locks and it flowed down her back. Her sand-colored dress swept the sand under her bare feet.

“Cale of the Night,” she said in greeting.

“Sahdrina of The Namib,” Cale said, coming to stop before her.

His gaze lingered on the thick wooden walking stick forged from an olive tree. It turned into a vengeful sword when Sahdrina wished to deal a punishment for violations of the gate.

“Forgive me for interrupting your passage,” Sahdrina said. “A message was left with me by your brother. The Septum gathers. They all felt the shift of power in the mortal realm. They seek answers.”

“As always,” Cale said, giving her an elegant nod. “I thank you for the message, Sahdrina.”

“Instead of thanks, I will ask a question of you, god of calamity,” Sahdrina said, taking a step closer to him. “Do you consent?”

Cale remained where he stood and met silver-gray eyes.

“How may I assist you, Sentinel?” Cale asked, in any case, he had no choice.

He could not enter the Ekho Realm if Sahdrina kept the palladium gates closed.

“We are experiencing strange phenomena here at the gates. A veiled creature crosses the realms with full standard authorization. He reeks of your Dark Fort and has a permission spell on his palm from the inter-clan court. My underlings have tried to discover more about this creature and failed. I now ask you, Cale of the Night. Which of your creatures have you given permission to walk through my gates?”

Cale kept his face blank. The creatures living within his defensive walls at Dark Fort had no permission from him to leave the realm. They worked to help him control the worst of the dark. They were too busy to bother visiting the gates and tangling with the Sentinel. If he were to give permission to cross the gate, he would give a Dark Fort permission spell.

The lesser clans used the inter-clan court to access resources found easily by the main clans. Still, Sahdrina would imagine an individual with dark intentions was born of his fort. It wasn’t always the case.

Cale fought down a scoff and answered the question.

“I have not allowed any of my dark creatures to visit your gates, Sahdrina.”

Sahdrina studied him for a moment before she stepped back.

“If not you, which clan in the Ekho Realm would have a dark soul moving in and out of my gates?”

Cale chuckled.

“My Dark Fort is not the only place you’ll find black-hearted creatures, Sahdrina. They only end up in my fort when they are captured for wrongdoings or decide to jump fully into my world.”

“True,” Sahdrina said, with a nod. “Then, I would like to ask for your help, god of calamity.”

“The Septum will have much to say of a request made to me by the Sentinel.”

“The creature’s permissions to cross our gates are indistinct. The palladium senses ambiguous intentions each time it crosses. This mystery is enough to have forced me to watch the crossers of this gate often. The only one allowed unfettered passage through these gates with ambiguous intent is you, Cale of the Night. I cannot allow another. The Immortal Lord suggested I bring my concerns to your attention,” Sahdrina said. “Know that I do not share my concerns with you lightly.”

Curious, Cale thought of the large infection of kara ot on Arturo’s land.

“When was the last time this creature crossed to the mortal realm?”

“Three decenniums ago the frequency of passage had me concerned,” Sahdrina said, shaking her head. “My concerns pulled me to supervise the passage of this gate in person, instead of leaving it to the acolytes. The added attention had the creature returning to our Ekho. Our routines here at the gate returned to normal. These last two years, I have noted signs of the creature returning to the gates. The visits have been staggered so as not to draw my attention, nevertheless, I notice because I remember the blankness of answers needed.”

“What do you want of me?” Cale asked.

“The identity of the creature,” Sahdrina said. “I must find out the nature of its passage through my gates and which clan it belongs to. The clans must take responsibility for those who cross to the Ekho realm.”

“I have listened to your concern,” Cale said.

“Will you assist me?” Sahdrina asked.

“I am tied to the Septum’s decisions,” Cale said. “I’ll tell them your request and give you an answer on my way back.”

“Thank you. I will await your answer.”

Sahdrina turned to the towering silver-white gates and the outer layer slid open.

She lowered her head in a rare departure as Cale passed her. He smirked and continued through the palladium gates into the realm that made one such as him. As the silver-white gate slid closed behind him, three more slid open along the corridor between the realms.

The raw energy connecting the two realms was contained between four palladium gates built by Sahdrina’s people. The power enough to suffocate a lesser Ekho with a weak mind. It crushed humans into nothing.

Each of the three doors slid closed behind Cale. The power held within stripped him of his mortal realm glamour and returned what it took from him as he entered the Ekho realm. With a thought, Cale changed his ruined navy blue suit into his standard clothing. A black long-sleeve, close-fitting, knee-length coat with a stand-up collar and dark leathers for trousers. They disappeared into leather boots, with gold plates lining the sides.

The last of the doors slid closed behind him, and he stopped to breathe in the air. Fresh and revitalizing, it restored his power, and gave him a healthy glow. He flexed his hands, testing the dark power racing in his veins and it responded like the air he breathed, present and reliable.

Visualizing the citadel built on a floating island; Cale took a step forward and appeared at the entrance of his brother’s personal domain.

The immortal lord’s island was filled with wild nature: unique plants and fruits, old tall trees, waters pouring the sides of the floating island, and lush land that grew any food needed for those who called the island home. In the middle of the island, the towers of the white citadel stood tall and proud in the bright sun. The white-walled citadel was the immortal lord’s home. The citadel’s courtyards are open to those who lived on the island, and those who chose to serve under the immortal lord. He held no one here who did not want to be here.

Cale walked a long wide path lined with thick columns. The wild forests on each side of him filled with the sound of birds chattering. Gossiping creatures sending news to their master of his arrival.

As if on cue, the immortal lord and his blood brother appeared to his right, matching Cale’s footsteps.

“Cale.”

“Brother,” Cale said in greeting.

Sunu was the most powerful Ekho in the realm. He ruled the Septum, keeping a steady majestic equilibrium among six creatures of great power. He was the light to Cale’s dark. His power was absolute, his judgment obeyed without question, and his true name was Immortal Lord, Sunu Ryuzo. An emperor and a guardian of the Ekho Realm.

“You’ve come from the mortal realm,” Sunu said. “How is my son?”

“Unconscious,” Cale replied, stealing a glance at his brother.

Sunu was dressed in a long loose white shirt made of natural fibers. It framed his muscular figure to perfection. His legs were in white-fitting trousers, and his feet were in leather sandals. His curly brown hair was cut short. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back. A frown creased his smooth forehead.

“You removed his cuffs,” Sunu said with a heavy sigh. “This child, why is he so stubborn? Why won’t he return to our realm and live a happy life?”

“Why did you fall in love with Anit?” Cale countered. “Your offspring comes from a stubborn fox mother, and power battery named Sunu. He was bound to live a hard life from the start.”

“You are too blunt for your own good,” Sunu said, though he did not refute Cale’s observation.

A young girl dashed onto the path, blocking Sunu’s way. The little girl was dressed in a long blue frock, her hair in a thick braid. In her hand, she held a crown woven with branches and dotted with vibrant blue gentian flowers. She looked up at Sunu, holding the crown with a wide smile.

Sunu chuckled and crouched down, presenting his head for her. She placed the crown of flowers on his head and grinned wide. She held out her hand to Sunu, and he slid his palm on hers, blessing her with flecks of gold dust. An infusion of power to help her grow. She thanked him with a kiss on his cheek and then ran back to the forest. Sunu watched her leave with a small frown.

Still crouched, he looked up at Cale.

“I never got to reward my own son with gifts,” Sunu said. “Anit took him to the fox clan when we had to separate. I don’t know who I should be angry with over our current state.”

“The fox clan and the rules of your immortal clan,” Cale said, shaking his head.

“This is his last cycle in the mortal realm,” Sunu said, getting up, and making sure the crown on his head stayed put.

It was an innocent gift. He would keep the crown. Cale knew it. It was what made Sunu the light against the dark.

“Tani wanted to stay away this last cycle,” Cale said, as they continued to the citadel. “He is tired and unlucky as you in love.”

“Ryuzo men have never had a love cycle that lasted,” Sunu said, shaking his head in disappointment. “I did not wish him sadness, but he was too young when he bound his soul to a mortal. We can only hope this last cycle ends quickly. I do not care that he will have failed. Only that he will be returned to the Ekho Realm. I will have him live with me here at the citadel.”

“What if he chooses my Dark Fort?” Cale asked. “His soul will be ravaged with loss. Do you believe your bright citadel will fill him with joy again?”

“I will not lose my son to anyone else,” Sunu said. “Anit let him live in the mortal realm while he was too young to know what was right or wrong for an Ekho. I allowed it because she is his mother, and she thought it was right. When Tani returns to the Ekho Realm, he will stay with me, Cale. No one will interfere.”

“Is that what you wanted to tell me before the Septum meets?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard your wishes,” Cale said. “What of Tani’s wishes?”

Sunu kept his silence and shook his head.

“His wishes aside, his presence here will give us time to get to know each other,” Sunu said.

Cale shrugged.

Sunu had no idea how stubborn his son was. Tani Ryuzo would do what he wanted. After all, he had loved a mortal for nearly one thousand years and not given up hope. Cale scoffed and shook his head.

“You sent the sentinel to me,” Cale said, changing the subject.

“It seemed fitting,” Sunu said. “There are movements even I cannot decipher. Events happening that concern me.”

“Such as?” Cale asked.

“I first met Anit in a unique moment of crisis. She was in the Zona Forest bound by crawling vines. They were doing their best to squeeze the life out of her. I saved her. We fell in love and did not stop to think of why she would be in danger. Then calamity descended on us brought on by Anit’s transgressions. The fox clan wanted their ruler back. Their laws pulled her back to her clan’s lands. She took Tani with her, leaving me alone in the citadel. In what felt like a blink of my eyes, Tani grew up and bound his soul to a mortal.”

Sunu scoffed, going silent as he contemplated Tani’s decision.

“None of us could convince him it was a mistake,” Sunu said his voice heavy with grief. “So, he started a thousand-year trial in the mortal realm. I still did not question our family’s bad fortune.”

“You think there is a force behind the bad fortune?” Cale asked.

“Perhaps,” Sunu said, shaking his head. “A feeling has crept over me, the same way it has over the Sentinel. A hidden intent affecting both Anit and Tani. I cannot find what is hidden from my sight. Since any attempt on my part to find it results in its hiding, I believe we should allow it to come out in the open, encourage the intent, and make it feel safe. This is why I asked the sentinel to find you. You’re the only one who can have ambiguous intent. It is enough to uncover this unknown actor.”

“What shall the Septum know of this request?” Cale asked as they reached the only private courtyard in Sunu’s Citadel.

The private space was a round atrium with an open sky above. The walls of the citadel rose up on all sides and were covered with healthy Elderwood trees. Some days they were blooming, others like today the leaves of the trees covered every inch of the walls.

A massive hundred feet tall archway marked the entrance into the atrium. The pillars on each side carved with Ekho symbols marking the seven immortals allowed into the atrium. Water, Air, Fire, Earth, Wind, Calamity, the Fertility Goddess, and Sunu to govern them all.

Sunu stopped at the entrance.

“You shall only mention Sahdrina’s request,” Sunu said. “I will not offer my thoughts on the matter. Are we in agreement?”

Cale studied his brother.

Sunu’s eyes reminded him of Tani’s amber. He often wondered how Sunu managed to live a life of never seeing his son. Sunu had only seen the first five hundred of Tani’s three thousand and a hundred years old. After that, the tragic rules of the clans descended on a small family.

Tani left the citadel at five hundred, still a baby at the time. He lived with Anit, his mother, for a hundred in the fox clan, and then ended up in the mortal realm with Amu for the rest of his years.

No wonder Tani made the choice to love a human. He knew nothing of the wonders of his father’s citadel.

As for Anit, her broken heart left her bitter and unable to look at Sunu and Tani. She refused to meet or talk to them.

And Sunu…his position made it difficult to appear before his son. He relied on Cale’s stories to get to know his son.

Father and son, Cale could not decide which one had a more heartbreaking life.

“Yes,” Cale said when Sunu lifted a brow in question. “Let’s do it your way, brother.”

Sunu nodded and entered the archway. It lit up with gold light, similar to Tani’s power.

Cale smiled and followed his brother into the atrium. The pillars glowed black when he passed through them. The other five members of the Septum were already in attendance. They sat on throne chairs with tall backs and imposing curved headrests. The chairs stood on seven palladium pillars arranged in a circle to fit the atrium leaving space between. Sunu stood by his empty chair directly opposite Cale’s empty one.

Cale climbed his pillar turning his palladium pillar soot dark as he sat down. Sunu sat last, opening his arms wide in invitation for the meeting to start.

“A massive ripple of Ekho power startled those of our kind in the mortal realm earlier in the day,” Kinon of the fire said. “Is there a reason the little lordling was unbound, Cale?”

“Tani Ryuzo has cleansed black weed from the mortal realm,” Cale reported to the Septum. “The black weed grew deep in the land, spreading for almost fifteen acres. I needed to remove his cuffs to allow a cleansing.”

“Cale, I’m surprised you offered to remove the cuffs,” Helia, the fertility goddess of the Ekho realm said. She was revered by all for her ability to grant life and prosperity among all Ekho souls. She brought good fortune.

“I made no such offer,” Cale said, sitting back, elbows resting on the arms of his chair. He clasped his hands with a smirk. “Tani begged me to remove the cuffs.”

“I imagine,” Mizian, the god of air, said. “You enjoy the little lordling’s suffering too much.”

“It is my nature,” Cale said with a shrug.

“Did he manage to heal the earth?” Eren of the earth asked. Her voice filled with concern. “Should I pay a visit to the location to supplement his work?”

“He managed to cleanse the soil and heal it,” Cale said. “There were no traces left. You may visit if you wish. I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you cared enough.”

Rianon of the water scoffed.

“Don’t tease Eren,” Rianon said. “Tani Ryuzo is never happy to see any of us. We are the reasons he is bound to the mortal world and the cuffs on his wrists cause him pain at the moment.”

“His trial is almost over,” Kinon said. “He will forgive us when he returns to the Ekho Realm. He does not belong to the mortals no matter how much he loves them.”

Helia looked to Sunu who sat in silence. A frown graced her forehead as she studied the immortal lord.

“An infection large enough to need the little lordling’s cleansing is cause for concern,” Helia said after a moment. “Kara ot destroys life, Lord Sunu.”

“Cale,” Sunu said. “Kara ot grows most in the Dark Fort. Eren has done her best to cleanse it from our clans’ lands. Do you think someone from your fort might have taken it to the mortal realm?”

“I do not give passage to the gates to my people, nor do they wish to have it,” Cale said. “I’m the only one who has passed the palladium gates of late. The Kara ot in my Dark Fort dares not cling to my fine clothes. The clothes burn it off.”

“Hm,” Sunu said, studying him for a moment before he turned to the rest. “Eren, do you have suggestions? You’re the one who knows where it grows most.”

“I would like to point out that I have not managed to enter the fox clan’s lands for the past one thousand years,” Eren said. “The fox goddess Anit has closed the borders to anyone from the immortal clan, the elemental clans, and the Septum.”

“I have proof of this claim,” Kinon said. “She responds to requests from the immortal clan with burned Elderwood trees at the border. I have taken to smuggling elderberries from their territory through the dragon clan. She will only allow the dragons through.”

“Do you think kara ot would grow in her territory?” Mizian asked, studying Eren.

“It would,” Eren said. “However, Anit is a goddess, second only to Lord Sunu, and generates enough firepower to cleanse it.”

“The fox clan lands are not infested with kara ot, but they themselves live wilder than we do,” Kinon said.

“True, Anit is liberal with the passage at the palladium gates,” Rianon said, her disapproval clear. “There are enough foxes in the mortal realm to start a revolution if they so wanted. Their petty nature might have led to one taking it to the mortal realm.”

“How can we reach her?” Helia asked, shaking her head. Her long red flock dress was embroidered with gold threads that glittered as she shifted in her chair. “We used to be friends, but she has not reached out to me much in years.”

Sunu glanced at Cale.

“Cale, take Eren with you as you head back to the mortal world. She will inspect the location Tani cleansed. After, introduce her to Amu,” Sunu said. “Amu will know the condition of the fox clan lands. He might have a way for Eren to visit the fox clan lands.”

“Do you think Amu will listen to me?” Eren asked.

“He is a diplomat,” Cale said. “He will give you a chance to make your case.”

“We need to discover who would take black weed to the mortal realm and allow it to grow so large,” Kinon said. “That blight can wipe out an entire realm if left unchecked. It will not be good if the ekhos are responsible for the end of the human realm.”

“Agreed,” the others echoed.

“We’ll wait to hear your good news, Eren,” Mizian said.

“Speaking of news,” Cale said. “Sahdrina has requested my help. She seeks the identity of a veiled creature crossing the palladium gates with ambiguous intent. I told her I will bring it to the Septum before I give my answer.”

“The god of calamity fulfilling a sentinel’s request is unheard of,” Kinon said. “Why did she not ask any of us?”

“When was the last time you passed through the palladium gates?” Mizian asked with a chuckle.

Kinon sat back in his chair, his palladium tower burning hot as he bit his bottom lip.

Mizian shook his head at Kinon’s temper.

“Why did she not approach Lord Sunu?” Helia asked. “I passed the gates yesterday; she did not make a request of me?”

“Perhaps she is worried the ekho in question is dangerous,” Eren said. “It happens. None of us like confrontation.”

“I don’t mind confrontation,” Kinon said, with a scowl. “Mizian is always full of mischief. Not to mention Rianon who is always fighting with Mizian over the quantities of rain, wind, and the resulting floods. Eren, not everyone is as gentle as you.”

“Clearly, I was the only one she could approach,” Cale said then.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rianon demanded, glaring at Cale, the water in her pillar turning turbulent.

“Sahdrina must have thought I’m the calmest of you lot,” Cale said, shaking his head. “Lord Sunu is saddled with a bunch of babbling teenagers in this Septum.”

“Say that again,” Kinon threatened, his eyes burning with fire.

“Just because I cannot drown you doesn’t mean I can’t fill your head with water, Cale,” Rianon scowled.

“We can always set the Dark Fort on fire,” Mizian said. “I’ll urge the flames to life so that you’re not able to turn it off.”

“If he manages to curb the fire, I’ll flood the fort,” Rianon said, getting up.

“Order,” Sunu said, his voice laced with power that had the lot of them quiet, and Rianon sitting. “Sahdrina’s request is made; the Septum must consent for Cale to answer her.”

“I consent,” Helia said, surprising Rianon.

“Me too,” Eren said, smiling at Cale. “Sahdrina must truly need help to have approached Cale.”

Kinon, Mizian, and Rianon held their silence for a moment, then Mizian cursed under his breath and nodded his consent.

“As long as Cale gives the name of this creature to the Septum, I consent,” Kinon said, leaving Rianon.

“Helia’s question remains. Aren’t you curious?” Rianon asked, her frown deepening as she studied Cale. “Why would Sahdrina approach Cale instead of Lord Sunu?”

“Cale travels the gates more often,” Mizian said. “He is the most conversant with the palladium gates. Sahdrina has seen a lot more of him than she has Lord Sunu.”

“Perhaps,” Rianon said, turning her gaze to Sunu. “My Lord, what do you think I should say?”

“I will not interfere with your decision,” Sunu said in answer.

Rianon frowned, but she turned to Cale. “I consent, as long the Septum gains the knowledge too.”

“It is decided then. Cale shall help the sentinel,” Sunu said, ending the discussion.

“What of the little lordling?” Helia asked. “He must be injured by the cuffs.”

“We cannot interfere,” Cale said, his dark gaze landing on Helia. “I still oversee the trial you placed on his shoulders. He shall endure the pain.”

“Truly, god of calamity never misses an opportunity to relish other people’s pain,” Kinon said, with a sigh.

“I will not apologize for my nature. I’ll remind you once again that I’m only carrying out this Septum’s wishes as directed by the five of you,” Cale said. “I did not decide to make the cuffs on the little lordling’s wrists bring him pain. You lot made those plans when Kinon forged the cuffs.”

Sunu closed his eyes because he had been unable to vote on Tani’s punishment. Nor was he allowed to interfere to ease Tani’s pain or bring him comfort in any way.

Cale was exempt from the decision too because of his relationship with Sunu.

The four elementals and the fertility goddess thus formulated Tani’s punishment and made Cale the executioner. He was the best warden to keep Tani in line. He had yet to forgive them. It was not pleasant watching Tani in pain, or watching his brother live a life without his son.

“If your questions are answered on the power released in the mortal realm, I will excuse myself,” Cale said, standing. “I have matters to attend to at the Dark Fort before I head back to the human realm.”

“The meeting is adjourned,” Sunu said, his tone low, strained.

Cale looked at him and sighed when Sunu simply disappeared from where he sat. “You claim my Dark Fort is full of ill intent. I wonder what you harbor in your elemental domains when you make such comments before Lord Sunu. Eren, I’ll meet you at the palladium gates tomorrow morning,” Cale said, and then with one last glare at Kinon, he left the atrium too.

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The power filling the olive grove felt massive, unimaginably strong. It enveloped the olive grove, stifling everything it met. Dante ran fast, determined to stop it before it reached his mother or even Hasim in the vineyard. He chose to use the same spell he used before at Viola’s house. Adding a bit more energy into it, making the heat burn hot. He needed to contain and incapacitate this being.

A shout reached him as he raced by a thick cluster of olive trees and entered the wide clearing. Shock filled Dante at the sight of Ryuzo kneeling on the ground. His hands were covered in black soil, a sharp contrast to his pristine white t-shirt and jeans. Blood tears trailed down his cheeks, and amber eyes looked other.

He barely registered Ryuzo’s presence when the hard earth-bound his feet in place on the ground, and thick vines wrapped around his wrists. He hissed when an ice shard dug into his neck.

“Disperse the heat, or I will end you,” a woman stepped up to him and said, her brown skin with warm orange undertones. Her dark brown eyes filled with fury. Her right hand trembled with the restrained power holding the shard of ice pressed to his jugular.

“I’m not afraid of drawing blood,” she said, her soft accent reminding him of Africa. “You have crossed a line, Arturo. How dare you harm with your fire! Disperse it.”

“I’m defending my territory,” Dante said with a hiss when the shard pierced his skin. “This is not the first time I’ve felt him. He shook off my attack the last time when we were abroad.”

“You burned him then,” the woman said, still glaring at him. “The pain you’ve inflicted for days lingers. Now you come blazing with more fire like a raging beast. Stop it now or I will send this ice into your veins.”

“Hera,” a pain-filled voice said in soft admonishment.

“Don’t talk for him when you’re in pain, Babu,” Hera said, her eyes filling with tears.

Dante frowned when he noted Tom standing next to Hera. The disappointment he read in Tom’s eyes told him he had gone overboard. His gaze returned to Ryuzo who had closed his eyes as though to absorb the worst of his pain.

It was truly Ryuzo from his dream. There was no mistaking him for a human. He wasn’t, from his black sharp claws to his extraordinary eyes, those amber eyes looked too other, even as they were closed. Tears of red blood streaked down his cheeks. Ryuzo’s face looked the same as it had in the dream.

Dante frowned when Ryuzo shivered, his eyes opening again to stare at Dante, the pain reflected in amber eyes enough to sober him.

Dante willed the pillar of heat around Ryuzo into healing energy. Relief flooded amber eyes and Ryuzo relaxed, sitting back on his haunches.

“Why would you attack us?’ Tom asked shock in his voice, drawing Dante’s attention. “We talked yesterday. I told you we would be here today.”

“In my defense, this is not the first time I’ve felt the overwhelming power just now. It feels too large. This is my home, Tom. My mother lives here. There are innocent men and women working here—”

“Still—” Tom started.

“Stop, Tom,” Ryuzo said, drawing Tom’s surprised gaze.

“Tani—,” Tom frowned.

“The energy around me has healed my burn.” Ryuzo raised his right hand to show Tom and Hera his right palm. “It’s no longer painful. No pain, the heat around me has turned healing. It is only holding me in place. You’re a powerful warlock, Dante Arturo.”

“I have my grandmaster to thank for the skill,” Dante said in reply, a small smile tugging on his lips at the compliment.

“You dare smile while Babu is on his knees,” Hera hissed.

The ice on Dante’s neck pressed into the skin of his neck. Dante hissed and closed his eyes sure, she was going to make good on her threat to kill him with ice. He could not blame her.

“Hera, don’t draw blood. You’re a healer, child.”

Hera mumbled under her breath, scowling at Dante, and then the sharp piece of ice moved away from Dante’s neck turning into water. She removed a handkerchief from her pocket and caught the water with it, soaking the handkerchief.

“Release him,” Hera said, pointing to the heat column around Ryuzo. “You have no reason to hold him. He is here to help you. That is if he still wishes to help after how you’ve treated him.”

Dante sighed and glanced down at the thick vines binding his hands together, and his legs covered in thick mounds of dirt. It would be easy to break away, but he needed patience right now. Tom was important to his family because of the vineyard. It was also clear Tom and Hera valued Ryuzo. What he needed now was to earn their trust, somehow.

He could not strong-arm his way out of his current situation.

His gaze shifted to Tom, who stood watching him in silence.

“Your house is Ekho-blessed,” Tom said, after a moment. “Why don’t we know you exist?”

“We do not announce our presence,” Dante said. “My ancestors have worked hard to keep our existence quiet.”

“Clearly,” Tom said with a frown. “Did you know we were Ekho-blessed when you came to Elderwood?”

“No,” Dante said. “Our meeting was coincidental.”

“There are no coincidences,” Tom said, shaking his head, he looked to Ryuzo.

His gaze sought a way forward from Ryuzo.

How interesting, Dante thought.

“Tom, let him go. He can release himself from your makeshift chains, if he wanted,” Ryuzo said, his voice filled with amusement, as he studied Dante.

“Ah, you’re powerful enough to hold our Babu. So, are you looking down on me by pretending to be held by those vines?” Tom asked, turning his gaze to Dante.

“Not at all,” Dante shook his head. “I’m keeping the peace. I made a mistake first. I’m sorry for coming in on the attack. Please understand my side. My family is very important to me. I only wanted to make sure we were not in trouble. Tom, I really want to stay friends with you. I’ll stay like this if it is what you want.”

Tom narrowed his gaze for a full minute before the vines slid away from Dante’s arms, and the soil loosened from his legs.

Dante let out a relieved sigh and got to his feet. Shaking his hands out, he ignored Tom and Hera and went to stand right before Ryuzo.

“You are Ryuzo,” Dante stated.

“I am Tani Ryuzo.”

Tani stood up, studying his right palm, he smiled and met Dante’s curious gaze.

“Thank you for healing my wound. It was rather painful. How do you know my last name?” Tani asked, his amber eyes sparking with curiosity.

“I—” Dante stopped.

Would it sound crazy to say he dreamt about Ryuzo?

Not once, but the last two nights. Ryuzo’s smiles and his tears filled his head now.

“What are you?” Dante asked.

“What am I?” Tani countered.

Dante frowned, his gaze shifting to the black claws on Ryuzo’s fingers, then back to stunning amber eyes and red-brown hair styled in a right undercut with long floppy locks threatening to hide Tani’s eyes.

His past self, Durante, called Ryuzo a fox but the description felt wrong. There was more to this man. Ryuzo was not simple folklore. His eyes widened when he remembered his grandmaster’s lessons about where his power came from.

The elusive Ekhos from the Ekho Realm hidden from the mortal realm. Humans could never find their way into the Ekho realm but Ekhos visited the mortal realm often. According to his grandmaster, they were powerful creatures divided into different clans based on power attributes and elemental affinities.

His grandmaster named a fox clan, a dragon clan, an elemental clan, and something he called an immortal clan as the most powerful clan. There were lesser-known clans, clans with little power, rooted in each of the powerful clans. All of them were governed by the ruthless Septum. Mortals like his grandmaster only knew what an Ekho was because he met one in a moment of crisis.

“You are Ekho,” Dante said.

Tani smiled wide.

“This Dante is more learned,” Tani said. “Yes, I am Ekho.”

“Your kind does not appear easily in our mortal realm,” Dante said, remembering his lessons with the grandmaster.

Dante suspected Tani Ryuzo had a fox clan in his lineage, but also something else. His power felt large, as though on the brink of a nuclear explosion.

“Why are you in the mortal realm?” Dante asked.

“The answer is too complicated for our first meeting,” Tani said.

“Are you going to release him?” Hera asked, behind Dante.

Dante’s gaze widened.

“Has the pain stopped?”

“It has,” Tani said, showing him his right palm. “No pain, no wound.”

“Good,” Dante nodded, still staring at Tani.

“The burn on his palm shouldn’t have been there to start with,” Hera said, her annoyance with Dante clear.

“Forgive this child of mine,” Tani said with a small intriguing smile. “She’s protective.”

“Mm,” Dante nodded, wondering how he could get Tani to the Artri House.

He needed answers, and to understand why he was dreaming of breaking Ryuzo’s heart. Most importantly, why the thought of hurting Ryuzo left him feeling so empty?

---

How poetic that he would meet Dante in an old olive grove. Their relationship was already so heavy perhaps this old olive grove was the only thing that could contain the misses between them. Tani took in Dante up close, filing away the nut shade of brown eyes, different from the previous one’s dark brown. Dark hair held in a tight bun, Tani wondered what the texture of the soft strands would feel like between his fingers. Dante wore a beard that gave him a rugged image, the best kind of rugged, making him look wild. Tani imagined it would be interesting to watch Dante trim it.

The ground shifted under his feet and he dragged his gaze away from Dante’s face, afraid all his longing and need would betray his thoughts. He stared at the ground where he had sunk his fingers before Dante arrived. His black and white Vans were covered with black soot. The tendrils of fine black dust covered the perfect circle where he stood. The heat from Dante’s spell kept the soot-like tendrils inside the circle.

Tani frowned when the tendrils grew thicker, like growing roots reaching out of the ground.

“Dante,” Tani said. “Don’t lower this wall of heat. Keep it in place.”

“Babu,” Hera started.

“I’ve found the source of the corruption,” Tani said, staring at the soot-like roots coming up from the ground.

Dante’s eyes widened in shock when the soot tendrils thickened, rising from the ground, swirling around Tani’s feet now, they swirled around him but they did not touch Tani.

“Babu, come out of there,” Hera said, her voice filled with panic. “

“Don’t worry, I’m Ekho. It won’t touch me,” Tani said, realizing he was looking at a parasite from the Ekho Realm: Kara ot – black weed. It would have followed an Ekho from the Ekho realm and found its way into the mortal world.

“Tom, Hera, this is a parasite from our Ekho Realm,” Tani said. “It feeds on hybrids. You cannot get close.”

Kara ot was deadly for the Ekho blessed. It searched out their power and infected them in an attempt to suck out their vitality to the last drop. In fertile soil and all living plants, it exhausted nutrients growing and spreading its roots until the land turned barren.

Tani worked hard to eliminate the black weed in the mortal realm.

“Hera, Tom, get out of the olive grove. This will grow wild and gravitate to you both for your power. It’s dangerous for you to be here. Find the mortals in the vineyard, get them back to the main house,” Tani said.

“What about you?” Hera asked, fear in her dark eyes.

Tom hurried to Hera’s side. He took her right hand and turned to Dante.

“Let’s go. Babu is serious when he says to leave.”

“Dante stays,” Tani said, making Tom and Hera stare at him in surprise.

The thick black roots swirled around Tani’s thighs now, hitting against the wall of heat Dante kept in place.

“He and I have an unfinished conversation. The black weed is staying with thin the circle he has made. He is safe for now. Go.”

Hera gave an impatient sound, glanced at Dante, and then shook her head.

“I’ll be fine,” Tani said, giving her a small smile. “Go with Tom. Keep Dante’s family and the workers on the vineyard safe for me.”

Hera nodded and turned to Dante.

“I’ll make sure he’s okay,” Dante said before Hera could speak.

Hera let out a soft sigh. She bit her bottom lip unsure, and then because the black thick roots were only growing faster, she gave Dante a hopeful nod.

“Should I call Uncle Amu?” Tom asked.

“No,” Tani said. “I’ll find a way to deal with it. No need to disturb uncle. Hurry, Tom.”

“We’ll wait for you at the vineyard’s main house,” Tom said, still holding Hera’s hand.

They ran in the direction Dante had come to get everyone out of the vineyard and to the main house.

Tani met Dante’s worried gaze. It was time to jump into important matters. His smile disappeared.

“One of ours has left your vineyard a terrible gift. You find yourself in a unique moment of crisis,” Tani said. “The black weed rises from the ground because it feels your power. It’s confused for the moment because I stand here. Your knowing I’m Ekho makes what happens next easier. We’ll discuss why you know what I am after we deal with this parasite.”

“Promise you won’t leave after you help us,” Dante said, his voice tinged with an emotion Tani could not define. Brown eyes watched him, anxiety rising as they dropped to the black weed growing at Tani’s feet. “Please promise you won’t disappear on me. Your kind does that often to people you help.”

Tani smiled then because Dante was right. It was easier for others like him not to interact with mortals. Their lives were so fleeting after all. Yet, their encounter was different. Tani could not walk away now. The aura surrounding Dante teased him. The scent of jasmine sank into him, healing his ripped heart like a healing salve over an open wound that will not heal.

“I will stay,” Tani said, his promise a vow. He would stay until Dante discarded him again, or he saved Dante from death

The black root tendrils reached his waist. They were careful not to touch him still, as though he had a shield around him. Instead, they started hitting Dante’s wall of heat with growing agitation.

“What is it you want to do?” Dante asked, his worry growing. He took a step closer as though to help and Tani stopped him with a shake of his head.

“Don’t be too shocked at meeting another like me,” Tani said, then closed his eyes and called the god of calamity. “Cale, find me.”

When he opened his eyes, Cale stood behind Dante. Tani’s eyes widened when Cale held out his right hand intending to put Dante to sleep.

“Don’t,” Tani said, making Cale look at him in surprise. “I need him conscious. No secrets this time, Cale. He knows I’m Ekho.”

Dante jerked to the side when Cale moved to stand on his right in silence.

“Where did you come from?” Dante asked, shock clear in his expression.

“Somewhere your kind cannot reach easily,” Cale said, studying the black roots rising around Tani.

“Why are you standing in a circle of heat?” Cale asked Tani. He pressed his palm against the wall and winced.

“Powerful magik,” Cale said, staring at his singed palms when he pulled his hand away. His wounds disappeared in an instant.

“The wall of heat is secondary,” Tani said. “Why do we have kara ot on this island?”

“Clearly, someone has brought it here,” Cale said, with a shrug. “Should we let it flourish?”

“This is not a joke,” Tani warned. “Mortals live here.”

“You mean your mortal lives here,” Cale said, glancing at a confused Dante.

“Cale,” Tani said, annoyed by Cale’s indifference.

Dante frowned when Tani held out his hands to Cale. Tani’s hands moved through the wall of heat with no trouble.

“I thought I was holding you in place?” Dante asked.

“Were you?” Tani asked, smiling at him. “Don’t be shocked.”

“You keep saying that. Shocked by what?” Dante asked.

The illusion Tani kept up for the sake of his mortal life fell away.

Dante gaped. His gaze fixed on the intricate wide gold cuffs wrapped around Tani’s wrists. They were an inch thick and looked heavy enough to sink a man to the bottom of a deep lake. Intricate designs were carved into the heavy gold.

The symbols forged in the gold were a binding spell designed to hold Tani in the mortal realm for a thousand years.

“I’m the only one who can heal this blight. Take them off,” Tani said to Cale.

Cale watched the black tendrils grow faster now. Whipping around Tani, agitated.

“Why can’t we let the black weed grow? Let it flourish in this place—”

“Your power is currently feeding the Kara ot,” Tani said, annoyed when Cale only shrugged. “It is deep in the land to be coming up this fast. Hera and Tom are on this property. You know the black weed will seek them out and do its best to infect them until they are wasted. You are honor bound to Uncle Amu to protect them.”

Cale still looked unwilling, his gaze sliding to Dante with a wince.

“Tani, returning the cuffs will hurt. Are you sure you want to do this now?” Cale asked, nodding to Dante.

Tani looked at a shocked Dante. He had no words for this moment.

Hearing Dante refer to him as Ekho had felt good. The secret of what he was always easiest out, like the first time they met in the old forest. The lifetimes where he had to hide what he was were the hardest. Dante’s abundant power meant there was no need to remain cautious. They could meet on equal terms.

In any case, the kara ot needed to be cleansed.

Tom and Hera had come to this vineyard to heal the soil.

Tani always did his best to fulfill their wishes.

“I will endure,” Tani said to Cale.

He then met Dante’s curious gaze.

Cale grumbled under his breath as he looked at Dante, then let out a loud exasperated sigh. He stepped forward, taking Tani’s wrists in his hands. White light wrapped around the gold cuffs and they disappeared from Tani’s wrists.

---

Dante took a step back as Tani pulled his hands back into his circle, head tilted to the skies, every muscle on his body straining, amber eyes turning a brilliant gold. Lightening colored the skies above them, and thunder rolled, loud and heart-shaking. The ground shook and Dante started to step back, reaching for the closest olive tree to steady.

“Don’t move,” Tani said, his voice soft, cajoling as he met Dante’s gaze, his amber eyes now a vivid gold. “Otherwise the kara ot will come for you. Now, feel and learn what I teach. Your wall of heat is incomplete if you want to use it to keep in your prey.”

Dante started to ask what Tani meant, only to gasp when the wall of heat shifted, moving away from Tani and instead circling around him. The spell to make a similar wall whispered in his head, burned into his memory, as revitalizing warmth circled around him. The wall of heat turned solid, like clear glass forged from clear sand, wrapped around Dante in a hard protective circle.

One moment Dante was staring into Tani’s eyes. The next, Tani dropped to the ground, slamming his right palm deep into the ground where the black weed grew. When he straightened to his full height, he pulled out a large thick root of the black weed. Holding it with both hands, Tani closed his eyes and gold fire seeped into the black tendrils from where he held the thick root, black claws digging into the soot skin.

Sensing danger, the large black tendrils did their best to wiggle away from the gold fire. Wiggling, agitated. The thick roots slammed hard against the circle around Dante. Dante was quick to notice the black weed did not attempt to reach for the man in a navy blue suit standing to his right. Cale, Tani had called him.

The ground shook and trembled, the dark roots digging deeper into the ground, moving under the soil, and uprooting three large olive trees. Dante winced at the distraction, wishing he could save the old trees. The black weed dug through the earth, racing away from Tani and his gold fire.

“No,” Dante said, afraid when the ground bulged at a fast rate, the damage heading straight toward the vineyard and Artri House.

Tani noticed the black weed’s change too.

“The parasite is rooted deep in the land. Cale,” Tani said, in his voice rough. “Protect yourself from me.”

“Burn hot little lordling,” Cale said, giving Tani an exaggerated bow.

Dante frowned at Cale when he rose up off the ground a dark cloud swirling around him.

“Dante, shield your eyes if it gets too bright,” Tani ordered, sparing Dante a single glance before he let go of the black weed.

Gold fire wrapped the thick black roots around Tani, squirming in an attempt to escape the damaging gold flames. Tani knelt on the ground, eyes closed, and he sunk his hands into the disturbed ground. He seemed to pop open a cap holding his power deep inside him. He allowed his power to pour out of him in a forceful rush.

Dante gasped as the pressure of Tani’s power wrapped around him, despite the shielding wall around him. The pressure surrounding him felt like falling into the deepest part of a lake with no knowledge of how to escape the crushing force of water, suffocating. There was not enough air for his next breath. Dante’s hands came up to his throat, breathing shallow breaths, fighting panic. Dante gasped for air.

“Sorry,” Tani whispered.

The pressure eased, and he took in several deep breaths in relief.

Tani remained focused on the ground.

Dante’s gaze shifted to the black weed now racing toward Artri House over the vast expanse of the vineyard. The thickening roots formed deep damaging ridges in the land, damaging vines and trees in a quest to escape Tani.

Tani let out an arduous shout, drawing Dante’s gaze. He watched as Tani sunk his hands deeper into the ground until they were elbow-deep, and then gold light enveloped every living thing in sight.

Dante closed his eyes to escape the intensity of the white-hot light. When he opened his eyes again, it was to see the ridges made by the dark weed healing. The vines restored as before, slowly creeping over their usual lines. The deep ridges returned to normal, and the roots of the uprooted olive trees dug back into the ground, sinking deeper until they were standing again. The ground around Tani was scotched white.

The wall of heat melted away and sunk into the ground. Dante stepped back, eyes wide as the grass on the ground was restored to green, the white circle around Tani reducing until he removed his hands from the ground.

Dante took a step toward Tani. Tani remained kneeling and when he looked at Dante, it was with beautiful amber eyes. Dante closed the distance between them and dropped to his knees before Tani.

“Your vineyard is clean again,” Tani said, with a small smile. “I suppose we should solve the mystery of how such a large parasite ended up on your precious vineyard.”

“Is it normal for Ekho realm parasites to migrate to our realm?” Dante asked.

“No,” Tani shook his head and then he started to reach up to touch Dante’s cheek. He stopped when he noticed the dirt on his left hand.

Dante frowned at the disappointment that sprung inside him when Tani dropped his hand to his lap.

“Almost millennia and you still shake my heart,” Tani said, his words heavy with sorrow and joy melded into a tone that sunk into Dante’s cold heart.

Dante started to speak but Cale cut in.

“Are you ready?” Cale asked.

“I’m never ready,” Tani said, sounding tired and unwilling. “Let’s get it over with.”

“Move,” Cale said, squeezing Dante’s shoulder.

Dante moved away from Tani, not stepping too far though. Cale crouched before Tani and held his gaze for a moment, and then Tani nodded.

Cale cursed under his breath, and then he was holding Tani’s wrists.

Tani let out a gut-wrenching cream making Dante grip Cale’s shoulder intent on pushing Cale away from Tani. Cale shrugged off his hold and glared at him.

“Stay put, mortal,” Cale ordered. “It is not your place to interfere.”

Tani’s scream continued, making Dante feel like he might tear out his hair at the pain-filled sound. Then silence came, and Tani fell into Cale’s arms.

Dante placed a hand on Tani’s right shoulder, pulling him back. He peered into Tani’s face, resting on Cale’s shoulder. Tani’s eyes were closed. He was unconscious.

“What did you do to him?” Dante asked Cale. “What the fuck did you do to him?”

“Wrong question. You should ask what he did to himself because of you,” Cale said, wrapping an arm around Tani’s shoulders. It was in clear preparation to leave, so Dante gripped Cale’s arm, holding both Cale and Tani in place.

“Tani promised to stay,” Dante said, meeting unnerving black eyes. He had never seen eyes as dark as midnight before.

Cale had to be a dark Ekho. Perhaps the god of calamity in person.

“He promised to stay,” Dante said, holding Cale’s terrifying gaze, refusing to cower in the face of such dark power.

“He sure makes a lot of unnecessary promises to you,” Cale hissed, making Dante flinch.

“Artri House has comfortable guest rooms,” Dante continued, ignoring the annoyance in Cale’s unusual eyes. He was not losing Tani because he was afraid. “He has protected our vineyard. The least we can offer is a place for him to rest. Please, don’t take him away.”

Cale started to shrug Dante’s hold on his arm away, and Dante felt panic rise. He tightened his grip on Cale’s arm as a small part of the cold wall inside him cracked and crumbled away.

“Please…” Dante said, shocked by the depths he felt his plea.

He was desperate to keep Tani with him, at Artri House. Dante bit his bottom lip, determined to keep Tani. He would fight Cale off if needed. He was still strong enough to burn an Ekho.

“You…,” Cale frowned, his gaze shifting to where Dante held his right arm. The blue suit was starting to singe. “Hey, don’t you dare burn my bespoke suit. Do you know how much it costs? I got it delivered two days ago.”

“Give him to me,” Dante said, not letting go of Cale’s arm.

“Are you sure?” Cale asked with a scoff. “He might be more than you bargained for.”

“I don’t care, give him to me,” Dante said, impatience coloring his voice.

“No need to get mean,” Cale said, then with a sigh. “You cannot teleport. I will get you to Artri House. You can take him from there.”

Cale did not give him time to protest the idea. They teleported out of the olive grove and a second later, Dante’s arms were filled with a passed-out Tani, while Cale leaned on a sculpted stone urn planter bursting with blooming Sweet William flowers.

Dante glared at Cale.

“You can’t teleport without care here. There are people in the house—”

“You forget what I am,” Cale said, folding his arms against his chest. “None of the mortals saw us. They’ll assume we drove back from the olive grove. Hera and Tom are in the kitchen with your mother.”

Dante hissed and looked at Tani’s face. Tani looked peaceful, as though he slept. Dante touched the lock of red-brown hair falling over Tani’s right eye. Stroking the soft strands away with his index finger.

Tani looked thirty years old. High cheekbones, clean-shaven, and his skin smooth. Dante wanted to trace the line Tani’s eyelashes made against his skin. He stopped himself because Tani was lying on the grass in front of Artri House.

Cale’s dark eyes watched him with too much interest.

“When is he going to wake up?” Dante asked.

“I don’t know,” Cale said, rolling his shoulders in a negligent shrug when Dante looked at him. “Last time it took a month.”

Dante frowned and returned his perplexed gaze to Tani.

“I—”

He never finished his sentence. Hera and Tom came running out of the house. Hera pulled Tani out of Dante’s arms before he could protest. She rested Tani’s head on her lap, while Tom straightened Tani’s arms and legs.

“What happened?” Hera asked, looking at Cale.

“He cleansed the kara ot from the vineyard. It was larger than he thought, sunk deep in the ground in the olive grove. It has been feeding itself a long time,” Cale said.

“The cuffs came off,” Tom said, sitting back on his haunches with a sigh.

Hera echoed the sigh and pointed to Tom.

“You get the car. I’ll hold him for now,” Hera said.

Disappointment filled Dante. He did not want Tani to leave yet. Even if it took a month for Tani to wake up, he wanted him here at Artri House.

Irrational, as they had just met, but…panic rose deep inside him.

“Wait, Tom. Tani asked to stay with Dante,” Cale said, surprising Dante.

“What?” Hera asked, frowning as she looked at Dante. “Why would Babu ask to stay with a man who burned him and caused him pain?”

“It’s complicated,” Cale said. “Sweet Hera, you always do what your Babu wants. He promised to stay here.”

Hera cursed under her breath in a language Dante didn’t understand. He was quite sure she was cursing him out, as she promptly glared at him.

“Dante Arturo,” Hera said, her accent clear as she said his name. “Does anyone in your house know the healing arts?”

“Yes,” Dante said with a triumphant smile. “My mother is very skilled.”

“I hope so. Let’s get Babu off the grass and into a comfortable bed,” Hera said. “It took too long to heal the damage caused by the cuffs. Perhaps with your bloodline, we might be able to wake him earlier than a month.”

“Why does he have to wear the cuffs?” Dante asked his gaze on the shining gold cuffs on Tani’s wrists. Their intricate designs were enough to make him sigh. He never wanted to hear Tani scream as he did back in the olive grove. “Can’t we take them off?”

Cale scoffed behind Dante.

Hera and Tom stared at him with wide eyes.

“Dante,” Nora Arturo said from the front door. “I know I taught you better than this. How dare you keep a guest lying on our front lawn like a discarded carcass?”

Dante winced at his mother’s callous comments. She could embarrass the god of calamity if she so wanted.

“Come on, Dante, make use of those muscles and lift Mr. Ryuzo up,” Nora said when he didn’t move fast enough for her. “Get him off the grass, his t-shirt will get grass stains and that’s not good. Take him to the blue room. Hera, Tom, come inside, we’ll show you where your boss can stay for the duration of his visit with us.”

Hera sighed as she watched Dante lift Tani into his arms. She did not move until he started toward the front door of Artri House.

---

Nora Arturo stood at the front door, her arms crossed against her chest, her gaze on the tall man in a navy blue suit standing by her sweet Williams. The dark aura around him was enough to make her shudder.

Hera and Tom entered the house, following Dante and his…

Nora frowned.

Ryuzo, she thought with a small smile.

Her gaze returned to the dark man still standing by the flowerpot urn.

“You’re warded against me,” he said, straightening to his full height.

“We are,” Nora said. “It’s an old ward, created by my grandmother.”

“She was powerful,” Cale said, a smile curving his lips. “I can’t step on the grass.”

“She was paranoid,” Nora said.

“Look after the little lordling for me,” Cale said.

“Artri House will take care of him,” Nora said.

“Thank you,” Cale said, giving her an archaic lordly bow before he disappeared.

Nora let out a soft breath and dropped her hands to her sides. She could not believe that the calm creature was the god of calamity.

There seemed to be more to the Ryuzo warning.

As she turned to enter the house, she stopped when she saw the five Elderwood leaves carved on the wood threshold of Artri House glowing gold.

Nora smiled and pulled the front mat over the symbol with a pleased grin.

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Tuesday ended in a whirlwind. Dante finished his lecture series and handed it over to the resident Associate Professor, Thomas, and their shared overworked teaching assistant Justina. To celebrate his time teaching on Thomas’s behalf, he invited Thomas and Justina out for an evening meal.

“We should do this again next semester,” Thomas said, as they walked to Balkon Bar and Restaurant. It was a comfortable place and the food was good. “I enjoyed listening to your lecture on the influence Byzantium has left on the architecture found in our religious houses, all the way up to now.”

“I’m more excited about the trip to Aretias Island. I can’t believe you found a fortress there,” Justina said. “How come we’ve never had an opportunity to explore it?”

“It’s in a conservancy,” Dante said. “I was as surprised as you are when I arrived looking for researchers to help me with soil. I can’t explain it. Anyway, the trip is not confirmed yet. I’ll meet the management guys tomorrow. I’ll call you with information if they give me their consent.”

“I hope they agree,” Justina said, smiling wide.

Thomas chuckled and shook his head. “You just want a break from reading exam papers from my students.”

“You caught me,” Justina said, as they entered the building that housed Balkon.

Upstairs, Dante led the way to the balcony terrace and found a table near the balcony. The sunset was almost gone. He wished they had made it earlier to catch the show. He invited Thomas and Justina to take a seat at the table large enough to seat four.

“Our Ryuzo house…” the words drifted to him and he stopped in the act of pulling out his chair. He turned his gaze in search of the owner of that voice.

Ryuzo. The memory of amber eyes filled him and all he could remember was the clear sadness in amber eyes.

“What will you have, Dante?” Justina asked, her voice pulling him back to their table. “Should we order drinks first?”

“Sure,” Dante said, distracted. He pulled out his chair and turned once more to see if he could spot who had mentioned Ryuzo. The balcony terrace had quite a number of tables. Each of them with a set of patrons. Each one deep in conversation with their companion, Dante frowned and glanced to the door they had used to enter the balcony terrace.

Dante froze when he saw the lithe man dressed in a black leather jacket. His red-brown hair was rich in the fading sunlight. His profile was handsome as he looked at the sunset. Dante wished he would turn…and then he did, once, looking straight at Dante. His heartbeat skipped.

The light seemed to highlight in perfect form, amber eyes similar to those of a fox filled with mischief. Just like he remembered in his dream.

Ryuzo’s eyes, looking at him in broad daylight, how impossible.

“Dante?” Thomas said his name, dragging him back from his wild imagination.

Dante glanced back to the exit one more time, and frowned when he saw the doorway empty.

He was gone.

Dante wondered if he might have hallucinated his existence.

*~*~*~*

The Arturo Vineyard was beautiful. Tani stood in the middle of the old olive grove staring at the tops of the mature trees. They were old and full of memories. It was mid-morning. Tom and Hera were focused on following a track of corrupted soil in the olive grove. Dante’s mother was in the vineyard house, preparing a meal for Tom and Hera to thank them for their work. The vineyard manager was inspecting the grape vines. Something he was apparently doing every day now.

Tani sighed, marveling over the beautiful olive grove. He loved old places like these most. The aged grove made him feel at home, like meeting old friends who had seen the past years the same as him. Closing his eyes, he listened to the leaves dance in the wind. Then he felt more than heard Tom walking up to him.

“Do you want to sink your fingers into the soil, Babu?” Tom asked, coming to stand next to him on his right.”

Hera’s pace was more leisurely. She stopped on his left, her bangle jingling. Today she wore jeans and a flowery blouse. Her black braids were in a tight ponytail on top of her head. Her feet in work boots, ready to walk the land.

“What are the olive trees telling you, Babu?” Hera asked.

“They’re old,” Tani said, flashing a small grin when she scoffed. “What? We are kindred spirits.”

“I think you’re avoiding bending over with us,” Hera teased, moving to the closest olive tree to check the soil. “Something strange is happening in this grove. The soil is losing its nutrients. If this continues, your old trees will rot to death.”

“Hm,” Tani said, pulling his hands out of his black trouser pockets. He scowled at the tan bandage on his right palm. The wound was not healing despite Hera’s best efforts.

Damn Dante and his new petty nature. Ignoring the pain, he removed the bandage and folded it, scowling at the red scar on his palm. He adjusted his white t-shirt and crouched on the ground. Tom stayed beside him.

“Let me know when you see Dante’s mother or the vineyard manager,” Tani said.

“I will,” Tom promised.

Tani pressed his palms to the ground, his fingers changing, black nails growing longer, digging into the ground, turning the dirt. He sunk his fingers deep until his hands were wrist-deep. He closed his eyes then and let his senses search for what was wrong in the ground.

*~*~*~*

Dante arrived home on the island in high spirit. He couldn’t wait to hear Tom’s verdict on their soil. It would be great to solve the mystery of corrupt soil in the vineyard. Then after, he would get the chance to convince Tom to let him bring fifteen eager students on a tour of his fortress.

Smiling at the thought, Dante drove the vineyard jeep to the olive grove. He was dismounting when he felt the powerful presence following him around. Leaving the jeep door open, he ran into the olive grove determined to catch it this time.

*~*~*~*

Tani was focused in his search, allowing his power to seep into the soil, seeking…then a familiar hot heat came racing at his back. He had one second to pull his hands out of the ground and push Tom out of harm’s way before a thick column of heat surrounded him, burning so hot, he could not hold back the guttural scream of pain that left his lips. The burn in his right palm seemed to awaken with a vengeance

Tani fell to his knees as raw pain sunk deep into his bones.

He looked up when the bloodborne warlock responsible for his pain arrived at the clearing. His amber eyes long stripped of their resemblance to a human; Tani looked at Dante and shook his head, great disappointment filling his heart.

His beloved was the only one in his life capable of bringing him pain.

Oh, what fine pain his beloved dealt, he could only cry tears of blood to get through it.

*~*~*~*~*

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